Hoping to hear more about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7? You’re in luck. We’re just a week away from Samsung’s official unveiling of its latest foldable, with Samsung’s latest foldable smartphone expected to steal the show during July’s expected Galaxy Unpacked event.

Although Samsung’s upcoming smartphone promises to be the thinnest Galaxy Fold ever, the rumors surrounding it are anything but.

If you’d prefer not to wait, there have been more than enough leaks about the Z Fold 7 to form an early impression of what to expect from next month’s reveal.

So, let’s dive into what we know so far about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, early.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Release date and price rumors

Samsung hasn’t officially announced the Galaxy Z Fold 7 yet, but that doesn’t stop us from piecing together when it will, based on its usual routine for unveiling and releasing smartphones.

Samsung typically holds two Galaxy Unpacked events each year. The first of which takes place right at the start of the year, and will usually focus on its Galaxy S series smartphones. This year, it was the turn of the Samsung Galaxy S25.

The second of Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked events takes place halfway through the year, and it’s here that we tend to see the company’s latest Galaxy Z Fold and Flip foldable phones.

Exactly when Samsung hosts these events can vary, but the second Galaxy Unpacked events of the last two years have both fallen within July. A Korean outlet, The JoongAng, claims the same will happen this year as well.

Samsung's summer Unpacked event is scheduled for July 9, 2025, at 10 a.m. Eastern.

Samsung’s Galaxy Z series phones will typically go on sale within a few weeks of their announcement, meaning this year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 could be available for purchase as early as Wednesday, July 25.

While the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 both received a $100 price bump last year, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 are said to remain at that price, with no further increases expected.

This means that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 will likely be available to buy starting at a still-mighty $1,899.

While there are rumors of a price hike for the Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, it seems more likely that Samsung will unveil a higher-end foldable, such as a Z Flip Ultra or Z Fold Ultra. However, we'll have to wait until Unpacked to know for sure.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Rumored specs

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Design and display rumors

From what we’ve heard so far, this year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 will reportedly take inspiration from last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 special edition, a limited edition of the foldable sold only in Korea and China that was larger, faster, thinner, lighter, and offered better cooling, speakers, and an improved primary camera.

These changes, along with the phone's super-narrow bezels, could translate to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 receiving a bigger ~8.2-inch foldable display (previously 7.6 inches), a 6.5-inch cover screen (previously 6.3 inches), and adopting a form factor that’s only 8.9mm thick (4.5mm when open) — though some reports suggest the phone could be as little as 3.9mm in thickness while open, making it the thinnest Galaxy Fold to date.

It’s suggested that the rest of the Z Fold 7’s build will largely remain the same, meaning it will presumably offer the same layout as the Z Fold 6 while touting a similar Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, rated at 2,600 nits of peak brightness.

Beyond raw specifications, Samsung’s display is also claimed to have a significantly less noticeable crease than other Galaxy Fold models, with Android Central reporting that the company showcased a creaseless panel at MWC 2025.

As for color choices, it appears the Z Fold 7 will be available in a few different shades. Android Central reported additional color leaks, including the sleek Blue Shadow, Jet Black, and Silver Shadow. But Samsung could save the more unique colors for its own storefront exclusive.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Camera rumors

Among the list of Galaxy Z Fold 6 special edition features that the Z Fold 7 is expected to inherit, a staggering 200MP upgrade to the typically 50MP main camera stands out the most.

It’s believed that the new Galaxy Fold will also feature the same 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto (3x optical), 10MP front-facing selfie camera with a 100-degree wide-angle lens, and 4MP under-display selfie camera of last year’s model.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Performance and battery rumors

There’s no need to speculate over whether or not the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will go with an Exynos or Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, as 91mobiles has already put that conversation to bed after uncovering an FCC certification confirming that the new Galaxy Fold will make use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset (tailored for Galaxy devices) backed by up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite is a proven powerhouse, with Qualcomm exec Chris Patrick telling Tom’s Guide in October 2024 that the chip was “a desktop-class CPU [with] mobile-level power efficiency.”

That efficiency could make great use of the Galaxy Fold 7’s expected 4,400 mAh battery capacity, the same as previous models, utilizing 15W wireless charging and 25W of peak wired charging.

What's next

With leaks relating to Samsung’s Galaxy Fold 7 appearing thick and fast ahead of July’s rumored Galaxy Unpacked event, expect more news to follow on this device in the coming days as we get closer to the official reveal.

These rumored changes to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 suggest a device even more premium, durable, and attractive than before. Samsung has confirmed in a May 2025 post that One UI 8 “will debut on Samsung’s newest foldables this summer,” making the Z Fold 7 one of the first devices to use the new customized Android 16 UI.

It’s also been suggested that owners of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 could get free access (for an unknown amount of time) to Google’s AI Pro subscription service (typically costing $19.99 per month).

For a full look at what the Z Fold 7 will be capable of, we’ll need to wait to hear it directly from Samsung during next week's Galaxy Unpacked event. But until then, there’s plenty of information here to digest, and the Galaxy Fold is looking stronger than ever based on these early reports.

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A few weeks ago, the Trump Organization revealed its plans to launch a new smartphone and cell carrier, dubbed the T1 and Trump Mobile, respectively.

With the claim of “Made in America” emblazoned on the Trump Mobile website, many were left wondering how the Trumps planned to make a smartphone in the domestic US, when not even smartphone giants like Apple could do the same.

But now the company has changed the script, claiming only that the T1 phone will be “Proudly American.” What does this mean for the American jobs that Trump promised, if they even existed to begin with?

Dubious claims from the start

When the Trump Org, and specifically the U.S. President’s son, Eric Trump, announced the T1 Phone on June 16th, he was quoted in his Fox News interview as saying that “You’re going to have phones that are made right here in the United States of America.”

He then added, “It’s about time we bring products back to our great country.”

While the first statement could violate several FTC regulations surrounding the “Made in America” label, the second turned out to be more true than was initially insinuated.

From what many already predicted would be the case from the start, Trump Mobile does plan to bring products back to our great country. The only catch being that the company plans to do so via orders placed for phones that are designed and manufactured in, you guessed it, China.

The internet finds the T1 in China

Never to be outdone, the cadre of unpaid internet sleuths who live for a day like the announcement of the T1 quickly found out that the phone shared all its specs and design with a phone made by Chinese company Wingtech, the Wingtech REVVL 7 Pro 5G.

The phone — which can be purchased on Alibaba in bulk for as little as $100 per unit — is being “refurbished” with a faux-gold case and Trump’s logo. This is the line we got from a representative we spoke to on the Trump Mobile support hotline, but what exactly they meant by “refurbished” wasn’t elucidated further.

Our assumption is that Trump Mobile plans to order the phones stock from mainland China, and then add the Trump-themed accents on a factory line somewhere in the same country. They'll then ship them to the U.S (like every other smartphone maker), and sell them here.

The company is hanging on by a thread with its remaining claims that the T1 Phone is somehow a U.S product, now only stating the ordering and support for Trump Mobile are handled by a call center located in St. Louis, Missouri.

Just a more expensive MVNO

If you go to the Trump Mobile website now, the T1 is only being advertised as “designed with American values in mind” and “brought to life right here in the U.S.A.”

This means Trump Mobile is effectively no different from your Mint Mobile or Boost Mobiles of the world. They’ll be running an MVNO cell carrier service that piggybacks off the towers and networks of the big three providers (T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon), and selling compatible discount phones.

The difference is, while Mint and Boost both offer plans as low as $15 per month alongside smartphones that can be free at retail, the only options on Trump Mobile are plans that cost around $50 per month, and a phone that’s $499.

MVNOs are designed to provide low-cost service and devices to those who can't afford more expensive options like Verizon, or might be unbanked. Instead of doing the same, the Trump Org has decided to jack up the costs, in yet another attempt to profit off his MAGA base that doesn't know any better about what carrier options are available to them.

So, like everything from Trump Bibles to Trump Coins, just another Trump Scam™ in the books.

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The next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event is scheduled for July 9, and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 are likely to be the spotlight products. One of the biggest concerns fans are experiencing ahead of the event is yet another price increase on the already pricey foldables.

On Tuesday, Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 pricing appeared early on an Italian electronics website, showing price increases of roughly €100-€200 on the phones.

However, on Wednesday, a potential reprieve emerged from a new price leak spotted by German tech site WinFuture.de, indicating that the prices for the new phones will remain the same as last year.

So, which rumor is to be believed?

The case for a price hike

Given the price increases that we've seen across laptops and other consumer tech over the last few months, it wouldn't come as a shock if Samsung saw fit to bump the prices on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 or Galaxy Z Flip 7 by $50-$100.

Samsung has never really managed to bring down the cost of the Galaxy Z Fold line, while the Galaxy Z Flip line got a substantial cut of almost $400 to bring it to a starting price of $999 with the release of the Galaxy Z Flip 3, but that was almost four years ago now.

On top of the general increase in manufacturing costs, there are multiple rumors suggesting potentially pricey upgrades to the phones.

For the Galaxy Z Fold 7, this includes a much thinner design, a larger and nearly creaseless display, a more durable design, and a massive camera improvement to match the Galaxy S25 Ultra's 200MP main sensor.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 is similarly rumored to be thinner, lighter, and more durable, but with a slightly larger 6.85-inch internal display and a 4-inch cover display, up from 6.7 inches and 3.4 inches, respectively. No other major changes for the Z Flip 7, so at a minimum, the expectation would be a smaller price bump.

The case for a price hold

Last year, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 both saw a $100 price increase over their predecessors, moving to $1,899 and $1,099, respectively. Samsung is already at or near the top of the market with both of these phones, so increasing prices two years in a row would not be seen favorably.

While Samsung offers an abundance of deals on its phones for Unpacked, the Z Fold line in particular remains in a price category almost by itself, with other large foldables, such as the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold and OnePlus Open, starting at $100 to $200 less.

I just ran down the list of upgrades anticipated for the Galaxy Z Fold 7, but they are also potentially removing the digitizer from the display, which is a cost-saving move for them. And while it may match many of the Galaxy S25 Ultra features, it's doing so 6 months later, so component costs should be at least slightly reduced.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 faces considerable price pressure from Motorola's foldables, with the Razr line starting at just $699. And while there are a few design changes for the Flip 7, none of these are particularly expensive, and rumors of an Exynos processor and no changes to the cameras would make a price increase a tough sell.

What's the verdict?

Based on what I've seen so far, I'll be surprised if Samsung raises the prices on either phone. My one hedge to that bet would be if they announce a new high-end Galaxy Z Fold 7 Ultra or Galaxy Z Flip 7 Ultra, but that would likely mean a slight price drop for the base models as again Samsung is already at the ceiling of what the market will bear with the prices on its foldables.

I love Samsung's foldables, but pricing remains the biggest factor holding them back from mainstream success. Particularly the Galaxy Z Fold, where rumors of a more affordable version have been circulating for as long as the line has existed, but Samsung has never managed to crack the $1,799 price point. This doesn't seem to be the year for it either, but at least we can hope for the prices to stay the same.

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We’ve finally learned more about the upcoming Google Pixel 10 following yet another round of leaks. This time, they come from Android Headlines and paint a clearer picture of Google's next flagship. And while previous leaks of the renders by OnLeaks and Mystic Leaks confirm a familiar formula, together they raise a worrying question: Is Google coasting?

If you were hoping for a design shake-up, you might want to temper expectations. The base model Pixel 10 looks almost indistinguishable from its predecessor. Same horizontal camera bar. Same flat display. Same matte glass aesthetic.

We’re not saying it’s ugly. It’s arguably one of the cleanest designs on the Android side of mobiles. But in a year when all the big Android players are leaning into bold, AI-heavy, edge-to-edge reinvention, Google’s next phone feels like it’s stuck in 2022. Especially when the base models are missing what is quickly becoming a critical inclusion: A vapor chamber.

A safe bet, but perhaps too safe

According to the leak, the Pixel 10 will feature a 6.17-inch flat display, possibly OLED, with the same centrally aligned punch-hole selfie cam we’ve seen since the Pixel 6. Around back, the trademark camera visor houses what should be three lenses — wide, ultrawide, and telephoto — and a flash in a layout similar to the Pixel 9.

Measurements show it’s slightly taller and slimmer than its predecessor (152.8 x 71.9 x 8.5mm), with rounded corners and a new metal frame that could help with durability. But visual tweaks aside, this feels like more of a spec refresh than anything groundbreaking.

There’s no confirmed word on the chipset, but we’ll likely see a next-gen Google Tensor G5, manufactured by TSMC. Early whispers suggest modest gains in AI performance and battery efficiency, but no leap in raw power.

That’s going to sting when the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 and Apple A19 chipsets are reportedly doubling down on generative workloads with major gains in TOPS (trillions of operations per second).

Vapor chamber? Pro model only

Easily the most surprising and controversial takeaway from June 24’s Pixel 10 leak is what’s missing under the hood. According to Android Headlines, the base Pixel 10 does not include a vapor chamber cooling system.

This is a pretty big deal. We’re in 2025 now, and thermal design is table stakes. Even budget phones are shipping with copper heat pipes or vapor chambers to keep performance stable under load, particularly with AI processing and high-end gaming pushing mobile chips harder than ever. Samsung’s Galaxy S25 and even OnePlus mid-rangers include advanced heat dissipation systems.

Segmentation seems to be the only viable reason Google would choose to do this. It would also explain why Google is leaving out Wi-Fi 7 and Ultra Res Zoom on the base model. By pulling key features from the vanilla Pixel 10, Google is drawing a sharper line between the base and Pro models. But that strategy risks alienating fans who don’t want to shell out $999 just to get modern cooling.

If the Tensor G5 chip is as efficient as leaks suggest, maybe this won't matter for most users. But for video capture or AI workloads, the lack of a vapor chamber could lead to thermal throttling, which is simply unacceptable.

Pixel vs. everyone

Let’s put all this in context. The Galaxy S25 Edge is 5.8mm thin, feather-light, and still packs a 200MP camera with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip. That’s the same silicon expected in many late-2025 Android flagships. Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro Max, meanwhile, is tipped to include an upgraded Neural Engine with on-device GPT-4-class processing and improved battery life from its new stacked cell tech.

Against that backdrop, the Pixel 10's rumored dual-lens setup and conservative redesign feel underwhelming, especially without a confirmed leap in AI compute or display technology. Even mid-range phones like the OnePlus 13 and Xiaomi 15 Pro are starting to ship with periscope lenses and sub-4nm chipsets.

Despite all this, the Pixel 10 could still matter a lot. Pixel phones don’t win on brute force. They win on experience. Call Screen, Hold for Me, live translation, and Assistant at your fingertips. These are all features that turn Google’s phones into digital companions, not just pocket computers.

If the Pixel 10 tightens up the formula, enhances efficiency, and brings the next wave of Gemini-powered tools to a clean, stable phone? That’s a win for mainstream Android users. But if you were hoping for a radical Pixel Fold 2-style rethink? That’s not what the leaks are showing.

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After weeks of rumors, leaks, and speculation, on Monday, Samsung finally locked in the official date for its next Galaxy Unpacked: July 9, 2025, at 10 a.m. Eastern in Brooklyn, New York. Just as rumors speculated, the in-person event will indeed take place in Brooklyn, New York.

Similar to every other Unpacked event, you’ll be able to livestream the event on Samsung’s official website or its YouTube channel.

The Korea-based giant launched its flagship S25 series during the January Unpacked and followed up with the S25 Edge (which it considers a flagship as well) during a May Unpacked event. And though the company hasn’t explicitly name-dropped the products it plans to announce during the event, all signs point toward new foldables and possibly updates to the Galaxy Watch line.

Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Z Fold 7 are expected, but there might be more

Traditionally, Samsung announces its new Flip and Fold models during the summer Unpacked event, and this year is expected to follow suit. So, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Z Fold 7 are almost certain to take the spotlight.

Samsung shared three separate teasers in June, all hinting at a new era of foldables. Leaks and teasers both suggest that 2025’s Z Fold series will sport thinner designs than ever. What stands out is this bit from a press release Samsung posted on June 9: “This year, that journey reaches a new milestone. The newest Galaxy Z series is the thinnest, lightest, and most advanced foldable yet – meticulously crafted and built to last.”

Thinner phones are no surprise in 2025, though. We’ve seen Samsung’s own S25 Edge, and the iPhone 17 Air is expected to launch this fall. Here’s the exciting bit: there may be more than just two foldables on deck.

The first teaser, posted on June 3 on Samsung’s Newsroom, was titled “Meet the Next Chapter of Ultra,” and focused on how an “Ultra experience” in a “smaller and more portable form factor” is what people have been demanding. The tech giant hinted that that’s exactly what it's working toward and ended it with: “The Ultra experience is ready to unfold.”

Traditionally, Samsung has used the Ultra branding for its most feature-packed and premium flagships, like the Galaxy S25 Ultra. So, if the teasers are anything to go by, the upcoming Unpacked could mark the debut of Samsung’s first-ever Ultra-branded foldable, signaling a more premium and powerful take on the Z Fold lineup. The fifteen-second Galaxy Unpacked teaser seems to support that theory, too, and ends with the bold statement: “Ultra Unfolds.”

Speaking of the Unpacked teaser, it begins with a profile view of a device that sports a noticeably thin frame. The foldable aspect then sneaks in, with a beam of light slicing through the middle. Two halves (presumably of a phone) split apart, reunite at the corners, and the bottom half then unfolds like a book, likely hinting at the Z Fold 7 or possibly the rumored Ultra foldable.

At the same time, it’s entirely possible that the Z Fold 7 and the so-called Ultra foldable are the same device, and that Samsung is simply adjusting its naming convention to better reflect the device’s premium positioning.

What else to expect at Galaxy Unpacked 2025

Other than foldables, leaks also speculate that Samsung will announce an updated smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch 8, which is expected to sport a redesigned display. Samsung might also shed more light on Project Moohan, the codename for its upcoming headset powered by Android XR.

We’ll surely also hear about Galaxy AI, which was mentioned in the official Unpacked July announcement. If you have even the slightest thought of purchasing one of the devices Samsung is expected to announce, the tech giant is offering a $50 credit simply for providing your name and email address ahead of the launch event.

Though you won’t be able to use the credit toward purchasing a pre-order device, you can put it toward additional eligible products (select Buds, Watches, Tablets, or Galaxy Ring).

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The rumored iPhone 17 Air appears to be Apple’s sleekest and lightest phone yet — everything fans of the iPhone mini had dreamed of, minus the early retirement. But if Apple has learned anything from the mini’s short-lived run, it’s that a unique and stunning form factor won’t save a phone with underwhelming battery life.

That’s where iOS 26 steps in. Announced at WWDC 2025 on June 9, iOS 26 includes a new “adaptive power” feature that aims to stretch every bit of your battery without forcing you into the more aggressive limitations of Low Power Mode. It’s an AI-infused battery life boost that could be exactly what the iPhone 17 Air needs to avoid the mini's fate.

Whether it’s enough to future-proof Apple’s next ultra-portable iPhone remains to be seen, but it’s a promising sign that Apple isn’t about to repeat the same mistake twice.

Here's a look at which phones are getting "adaptive power" mode and a closer examination of the potential battery life for the iPhone 17 Air without this feature, which highlights why Apple may have deemed it necessary for iOS 26.

Which phones are getting "Adaptive power" mode in iOS 26?

• iPhone 15 Pro
• iPhone 15 Pro Max
• iPhone 16e
• iPhone 16
• iPhone 16 Plus
• iPhone 16 Pro
• iPhone 16 Pro Max

A MacRumors report confirmed that the feature will only run on the iPhones listed above. The reason for the limitation is presumably that this feature is powered by AI, so, like Apple Intelligence, your phone must have at least the Apple A17 Pro processor.

Think of "adaptive power" mode as a more thoughtful version of low power mode. Rather than restricting all background activities, it makes more subtle adjustments, such as lowering the screen brightness and slowing down certain activities to reduce power consumption.

That latter part is where AI comes in; it needs to monitor your battery data to see which apps it can slow down to deliver maximum impact without adversely affecting your phone usage.

If you are on an older iPhone, don't worry, you are still getting a lot of the iOS 26 features, support for the new OS goes all the way back to the iPhone 11. However, if you want the latest AI features, you'll need to make the leap to an iPhone 15 Pro or newer phone, or wait for the iPhone 17 this fall.

Potential iPhone 17 Air battery life

While iPhones have solid battery life, they've been outperformed by the top Android flagships for the last couple of generations, so this feature could potentially tip the scales back in their favor.

However, the biggest potential winner is the rumored iPhone 17 Air. Battery life could be a real concern for the thinnest iPhone ever.

Comparing it to the similarly slim Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, our testing revealed a loss of 4 hours and 30 minutes of battery life compared to its 6.7-inch display sibling, the Galaxy S25+. In that case, it was a drop from 16 hours and 55 minutes to 12 hours and 25 minutes. That was with a move from a 4,900 mAh battery in the S25+ to a 3,900 mAh battery in the S25 Edge.

Apple is rumored to be making an even more drastic drop; the iPhone 16 Plus features a 4,674 mAh battery, and the 17 Air may dip to just a 2,800 mAh battery. The iPhone 16 Plus delivered 16 hours and 30 minutes in our testing. If the 1,874 mAh cut to its battery yielded a similar drop in the iPhone 17 Air, it could dip below 10 hours. That's comparable to the short-lived mini iPhones, which was their biggest flaw.

"Adaptive power" could be the key to preventing the Air from befalling a similar fate.

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China’s Honor Smartphone officially announced its next-generation foldable, the Honor Magic V5, during a flashy event at MWC Shanghai on Wednesday. The event confirmed a July 2 launch in Shenzhen, China.

The company hails the Magic V5 as the thinnest and lightest book-style foldable ever made. It is positioned as a direct challenger to the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, which will debut a week later at Galaxy Unpacked.

Armed with a massive 6,100 mAh silicon-carbon battery, cutting-edge Snapdragon 8 Elite silicon, and a camera setup that includes a 200MP periscope telephoto, Honor’s latest foldable aims not just to steal headlines but users, too, with a spec sheet that reads like a power user’s wishlist.

But if you want one, you’ll need more than just deep pockets.

The foldable fight escalates

With Samsung’s next Galaxy Fold due on or around July 9 at the upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event, Honor is getting the jump, at least in its home market. The Magic V5 event kicks off Tuesday at 7 p.m. CST (that’s 7 a.m. Eastern), and if Honor’s claims hold up, the device could walk away with more than just early bragging rights.

Let’s talk numbers, because Honor’s not holding back. When folded, the Magic V5 measures just 8.93 mm, and when unfolded, it’s an almost impossibly thin ~4.2 mm, which is slimmer than many smartphones, let alone foldables.

It tips the scales at a featherlight ~219 grams, despite housing a massive 6,100 mAh silicon-carbon battery. That’s the largest we’ve ever seen in a book-style foldable.

Charging is handled by 66W wired fast charging, though some rumors suggest an even faster 80W variant may be in the works. Inside, the phone is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Leading Version, clocked higher than the base model, with 16GB of RAM and Android 15 running the show.

It sports a sharp 6.45-inch LTPO OLED cover screen and opens up to an immersive 8-inch 2K+ LTPO inner display, both running at 120Hz.

And then there’s the camera: A bold 200MP periscope telephoto, flanked by a 50MP main sensor with OIS and what’s expected to be a versatile ultrawide. Water resistance is covered, with an IPX8 rating likely at launch.

Where Samsung is refining, Honor is going for more: More battery, more memory, bigger sensors, and a full-stack AI engine aimed at delivering true “PC-level productivity”, all in a device thinner than your laptop’s power brick.

Honor’s ‘Alpha AI’: Gemini killer or pipe dream?

Unlike Samsung’s reliance on Google Gemini and cloud AI, Honor is betting the house on its in-house Alpha AI Plan. This strategy hinges on local, multi-agent intelligence, meaning the phone does more without depending on a signal or server farm.

It’s an aggressive pitch: Real-time productivity, full-stack knowledge bases, and a foldable that could potentially double as a mobile workstation. The company says MagicOS 9 (based on Android 15) will support cross-device interoperability, which is a big shift from the brand’s more insular roots.

The catch? You’ll need a passport to buy it

Here’s the twist: Even if you’re sold on the Magic V5, buying one won’t be as simple as hitting “Add to cart.”

The device is launching exclusively in China, with no confirmed global release until at least September, likely timed for IFA Berlin. That means international fans face a familiar headache made even worse by Trump’s tariffs — importing the device.

But the bigger issue is China’s real-name registration system. To buy and activate the phone on a Chinese network, you’ll need:

• A valid Chinese citizen ID card or passport.
• A local SIM card.
• A residence permit or visa stamp if you’re not a citizen.

No local ID? No phone. Even resellers face hurdles registering and shipping unboxed, unactivated units abroad.

If you're in the U.S. or Europe, your only real option is waiting… or recruiting a well-connected friend with a Chinese ID and a working carrier plan, but that’s not recommended.

A foldable fantasy… just out of reach

Honor’s Magic V5 might be the most technically advanced foldable ever made. It’s thinner, lighter, and tougher than anything that Samsung, Oppo, or Huawei have on shelves. The only problem? It’s not actually on your shelf. Not unless you’re in the right place, at the right time, with the proper papers.

It may well be the case that Samsung’s upcoming Fold 7 looks somewhat conservative next to the V5. That may be intentional; Samsung seems to be playing the long game to achieve a polished device with global distribution while Honor is still making a name for itself in the West.

And as it turns out, you may literally need to name yourself at customs to get one of these in your pocket.

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Samsung Galaxy Unpacked returns next month, with rumors speculating that it’ll take place in New York City on or around July 10. And while the company hasn’t officially revealed what’s coming, the leaks already tell a very clear story.

Foldables are front and center, yes, but they’re only part of what’s shaping up to be Samsung’s most ambitious summer showcase yet.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 are headlining as expected, with a new Fan Edition Flip making foldables more affordable than ever. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 8 family is returning in three forms — standard, Classic, and Ultra — and everything is launching with One UI 8, a new Android 16-based skin packed with Galaxy AI upgrades.

But the real wildcard is a prototype headset: Samsung’s first spatial computing device, designed with Google and Qualcomm, and reportedly sharper and lighter than Apple’s Vision Pro.

Foldables grow up

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 might be Samsung’s most polished foldable yet, but it’s also the clearest example of why the category is still stuck. The new design is thinner than ever, measuring just 4.5mm when unfolded and 9mm when closed.

A wider outer display makes the phone easier to use one-handed, and the hinge now folds flat without the awkward gap of earlier generations.

The hardware is just as impressive. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. A 200MP main camera. Refined crease control. Titanium components. On paper, this is a foldable that finally lives up to the Ultra tag Samsung keeps teasing.

One UI 8 brings smoother animations and Gemini-driven AI features like “Live” interpreter and image editing tools. It even looks premium, and that’s part of the problem.

Because, for all its flagship beauty, the Z Fold 7 is still a phone without a clear audience. At a rumored $2,000+ price point, Samsung is building for a luxury niche while pretending it's building for the mainstream. Foldables were supposed to get more affordable over time, but seven generations in, they’re heading in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, the Flip 7 is getting a major usability upgrade with a larger 4-inch cover screen and a taller 6.8-inch internal display. It also adopts a more squared-off look, diverging from the rounded Galaxy S25 design.

Samsung is also prepping the first Galaxy Z Flip Fan Edition, expected to launch at under €1,000. That model will reportedly use the Exynos 2400e, with a near-identical design to the Flip 6. The FE is aimed squarely at bringing foldables to a broader audience.

Watches find their footing

Samsung’s smartwatch lineup is also expanding in a more deliberate way. The Galaxy Watch 8 will come in two standard sizes with a refreshed case design, and the Classic model will bring back the rotating bezel, a fan-favorite feature that’s been missing in recent years.

Both watches will run on the new Exynos W1000 chip, which promises better battery life and performance thanks to its 3nm architecture. They’ll also benefit from One UI 8 Watch, which brings AI-enhanced health tracking and new software features tied into Samsung Health.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025) is expected to launch alongside the rest of the lineup. This year’s model will look familiar but will push further into fitness and durability territory, likely with upgraded water resistance, expanded activity tracking, and longer battery life.

With Apple’s Watch Ultra 3 expected in September, Samsung is aiming to stay competitive in the rugged premium smartwatch space.

One UI 8 and the AI layer

All of these devices will launch with One UI 8, Samsung’s customized version of Android 16. While the interface changes are relatively subtle, the feature list is growing fast. Quick Share is getting a clearer tabbed layout.

Samsung Internet, Weather, and Reminder are getting visual refreshes. Multitasking is improving with new split-screen configurations, including a 90/10 layout for apps that don’t need equal screen space. But the big story is Galaxy AI.

Samsung has confirmed that it will keep its core AI tools free, at least for now. That includes live call translation, generative photo editing, and new assistant features powered by Gemini. The Fold 7 will likely be the AI showcase here, but all new Galaxy devices will support the full set of tools out of the box.

The Vision Pro problem

Apple’s Vision Pro established a ridiculously high benchmark in spatial computing. Now, anything that follows will be judged through that lens — and it’s no secret that Samsung has been working behind the scenes on an extended reality headset for more than a year under Project Moohan. July’s Unpacked event will be our first real look at it.

Moohan is built on Qualcomm’s XR2+ Gen 2 platform and runs Android XR, Google’s long-anticipated spatial operating system.

It uses two 1.35-inch micro-OLED displays from Sony with a combined resolution of 3,552 x 3,840 per eye, pushing the pixel density to a staggering 3,800ppi. That’s sharper than the Vision Pro. It’s lighter, too, thanks to an external battery pack and ski-goggle-style frame.

If the headset makes an appearance at Unpacked, don’t expect Samsung to open pre-orders. It’ll be a preview, not a product launch. But the prototype should be real, functional, and visible on stage.

The plan, according to insiders, is to begin a limited release in South Korea in Q4, with a global rollout in early 2026. At this stage, Samsung doesn’t need to beat the Vision Pro; it just needs to show that it’s in the game.

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There’s nothing quite like using a foldable — and while they aren't for everyone, once you've used a large foldable like the Galaxy Z Fold, it’s hard to go back. As someone who regularly cycles through phones, I always find myself reaching for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 during the chaos of trade shows. That massive internal screen feels like having a tablet in my pocket, and when I’m juggling Slack threads, emails, and capturing photos and videos on a show floor, nothing else comes close.

This is the kind of futuristic convenience I dreamed of 15 years ago while lugging around a Motorola Droid and an HP TC1100 2-in-1. Foldables like the Z Fold finally deliver on that vision, but they’re still facing an uphill battle.

Fragility was a massive concern early on, and while it's largely eliminated now, the perception lingers. And the price? That’s the biggest obstacle by far. It’s tough to justify spending nearly $2,000 on a phone when excellent traditional flagships go for nearly half that.

Unfortunately, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 isn’t expected to reverse that trend. If anything, we may see the price climb even higher in the U.S. due to new tariffs, as we reported earlier this week.

So what can Samsung do to make the sticker shock more palatable? Load up the preorder freebies and discounts. Based on rumors, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 may include a 6-month subscription to Google AI Pro — Google’s $20/month AI suite — as one of its launch perks.

But is a $120 AI freebie and a trade-in credit enough to sway new buyers to a foldable? Let’s tally up what Samsung might offer and whether that’s finally enough to bring foldables into the mainstream.

What's half a year of Google AI Pro worth to you?

The latest rumor, uncovered in an APK teardown by Android Authority, suggests that Samsung may include a free six-month subscription to Google AI Pro (formerly Google Gemini Advanced), valued at $120.

If you've avoided or only dipped your toe into the AI realm so far, Google’s AI Pro is more than a simple chatbot. Beyond access to Gemini 2.5 Pro and Deep Research for complex AI tasks, it offers image creation, video creation through Veo 3, and even AI filmmaking tools through Flow.

It's a robust AI offering that should pair well with power users who may gravitate to the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

Trade-ins and discounts

Samsung hasn't announced its next Unpacked event yet, but I expect that when it does, we'll see the typical $50 incentive if you provide your email, stacked with enhanced trade-in offers, possibly instant credits, and finally, free double storage.

The free AI offer is a nice appetizer, but these are the main course. The $50 is easy for anyone to get and carries no obligation; just make sure to register your interest when the offer pops up.

The trade-in offers are obviously dependent on what phone you have now, but Samsung always bumps up the values at launch. For the Galaxy S25 Ultra launch in January, the top trade-in offer was $900, while it was an astounding $1,200 for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 last year. If you are making the move from another recent flagship, that could take a lot of the sting out of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 price.

The instant credits are more of a wildcard. Sometimes these are only available to those not trading in a phone and can be up to $350. Other times, there are credits towards other Samsung devices.

For example, you may be able to get free Galaxy Buds 3 Pro or discounted offers on a Galaxy Watch or Galaxy Tab. It's not direct money in your pocket (unless you sell them, of course), but it can be a nice way to save if you've been considering any of those other devices.

The last incentive is the double storage offer, which, assuming Samsung keeps the same pricing for storage upgrades, is another $120 value.

So, if we total all of those theoretical offers, that's a potential $1,840 in value. Heavy asterisks are in order, as this includes a maximum trade-in value and assumes that Samsung offers instant credit to everyone, which isn't always the case. However, it does provide a picture of the maximum possible offer.

Even dropping to a more common $800 enhanced trade-in and removing the instant credit entirely, the total incentives would still be $1,090, which feels a lot better than staring down that $2,000 price tag.

Not cheap, but a better value.

Let’s not overstate it — Google AI Pro isn’t going to suddenly make the Z Fold 7 affordable. But when you stack it up with all of the other discounts, a free six-month subscription to a $120 AI service is more than just a nice throw-in. It’s a subtle shift in how the value proposition is framed.

Samsung wants you to think of this phone not just as a luxury gadget, but as a legitimate productivity powerhouse. That messaging becomes a lot more convincing when it comes bundled with serious software to boost an already powerful smartphone.

That's on top of some more significant upgrades than we saw last year. Leaks suggest a redesigned hinge and slimmer profile, which would help address one of the Fold’s lingering issues: bulk. I consider it a fair trade for the versatility, but no one is going to argue against a thinner and lighter Galaxy Z Fold 7.

We’re also hearing buzz about camera upgrades, potentially rocketing to the 200MP sensor previously reserved for the Ultra lineup, a significant bump from the current 50MP sensor. While the Fold cameras have been solid for the last few generations, they’ve never reached flagship-tier, which is hard to stomach at its price.

Combine that with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, faster storage, better multitasking, and tighter AI integration, and the Z Fold 7 starts to feel at least like a better value, even if it isn't cheap.

Is it enough?

I’ve always believed foldables could offer something truly different, and the Z Fold series has come closest to delivering that vision. But even I’ll admit: the price is a tough sell.

If the Galaxy Z Fold 7 comes with thoughtful hardware refinements, flagship-grade cameras, new software perks like Google AI Pro, stacked on top of other solid discounts and freebies, it will be easier than ever to justify the investment, especially if you’re someone who values productivity and multitasking on the go.

This might not be the foldable that changes everyone’s mind, but it could be the one that finally makes longtime skeptics reconsider. For those of us already onboard, it’s shaping up to be the best Fold yet.

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When it comes to portable chargers for your phone, laptop, camera, tablet – or any device that has a USB-C port, there are few brand names as big as Anker. The China-based charger behemoth is ubiquitous on Amazon, at Best Buy, and in just about any reputable electronics store. That’s why the recall of more than 1 million portable chargers came as such a shock last week.

If you bought the Anker PowerCore 10000 power bank (Model A1263), which was on sale between June 2016 and December 2022 and sold for about $27, it’s one of the affected chargers.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that “Anker has received 19 reports of fires and explosions. This includes two reports of minor burn injuries not requiring medical attention and 11 reports of property damage totaling over $60,700.”

Some 1,158,000 PowerCore 10000 power banks are affected by the recall.

Anker will ship a replacement to you, and if a replacement is unavailable, Anker is offering a $30 gift card to its website.

The CPSC also offers these details about affected chargers: "The model number ‘A1263’ and serial number 'SN' are printed on the bottom. Only model number A1263 power banks sold in the U.S. with qualifying serial numbers are included in the recall.”

If you have one of these chargers, getting rid of them can be tricky because they’re a fire hazard. Here’s the CPSC again:

“Note: Do not throw this recalled lithium-ion battery or device in the trash, in the general recycling stream (e.g., street-level or curbside recycling bins), or in used battery recycling boxes found at various retail and home improvement stores. Recalled lithium-ion batteries must be disposed of differently than other batteries, because they present a greater risk of fire. Your municipal household hazardous waste (HHW) collection center may accept this recalled lithium-ion battery or device for disposal. Before taking your battery or device to a HHW collection center, contact it ahead of time and ask whether it accepts recalled lithium-ion batteries. If it does not, contact your municipality for further guidance.”

With that said, here are five power banks to buy if you have one of those Anker chargers affected by the recall.

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MWC Shanghai kicks off Wednesday, and it could very well be a pressure test for the next generation of mobile technology.

Across the halls of the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, telecom giants, robotics firms, and infrastructure makers are stitching together a blueprint for how mobile computing will actually function five years from now.

Don’t expect the usual product pageantry. Expect systems and the intelligence to run them.

AI isn’t coming, it’s already here

MWC Barcelona in March 2025 is when AI truly moved out of the cloud and into our pockets. The event marked a turning point where on-device intelligence became more of a standard feature rather than a futuristic promise. Now, in Shanghai, that momentum is set to accelerate as the focus shifts from potential to deployment.

China Mobile is leading the charge with a suite of “Agentic AI” demos that go far beyond voice commands or predictive text. These are context-aware, multimodal assistants built into phones, homes, and networks that don’t just respond, but anticipate.

Whether it’s a household interface that understands speech and gesture or a mobile assistant that adapts to your schedule in real time, the company’s vision is that AI should feel less like a feature and more like a co-pilot.

Other major players are following suit. Huawei is attending with its own initiative under the banner “Accelerating the Intelligent World,” while ZTE is going even deeper into the stack. Its presentation, “AI × Optical for All Good,” focuses on multi-agent collaboration in network optimization, where AI automates everything from fault detection to closed-loop tuning of mobile infrastructure.

What unites them all is a pivot toward ambient intelligence, the kind that happens behind the scenes but shapes everything from connectivity to battery life.

Robots, drones, and VR test drives

MWC Shanghai’s Innovation Frontier Zone is where we’ll see a continuation of the “sci-fi, but real-life” hardware theme that has started creeping into shows like CES. Expect to see robotaxis from Pony.ai and humanoid robots from Unitree and Droidup, many of them walking, talking, and reacting in real time.

This year’s event also hosts the World Robot Contest Qualifier, essentially the Olympics of mechatronics. Daily rounds will showcase autonomous problem-solving across mobility, manipulation, and team-based tasks.

And for the first time, the Internet of Things Exhibition (IOTE) will be co-located with MWC, giving connected device makers direct access to the telecom ecosystem that powers them.

The Connected Manufacturing and Production Summit, running June 19, will go even deeper. There, telecom speakers and manufacturers will discuss how AI and 5G private networks enable predictive workflows in supply chains, autonomous robotics on factory floors, and the rise of AI-driven “digital twins” — virtual systems that model real-world performance in real time.

Mobile redefined?

While no wacky hardware launches are scheduled for Shanghai — those were reserved for March's MWC Barcelona event — mobile innovation isn’t standing still. Devices powered by AI-first chipsets will be on display across the show, but some of the biggest shifts are happening in form factor and connectivity.

Skylo will demonstrate its satellite-powered SOS and SMS system using a Google Pixel 9, showcasing how remote messaging will work far from cell towers — a timely reminder that mobile networks no longer begin and end with cell sites.

Meanwhile, companies like Honor and ZTE are showcasing cross-device AI experiences, in which handsets, wearables, and cloud services move seamlessly between screens and services.

What we’re watching

The big story at MWC Shanghai isn’t a product but rather a change in perspective. AI isn’t being framed here as an app or a feature. Instead, it’s being treated as infrastructure: It must be reliable, interoperable, and low-latency enough to support real-world systems. Whether it’s powering a factory, controlling a robot, or optimizing a cell tower, the AI on display here isn’t just artificial, it’s embedded.

The event could be a defining moment for the general mobile space. A preview of how workstations, smartphones, and wearables will operate in the next few years. Not just faster or thinner, but fundamentally more collaborative. Devices that manage your day, interpret your intent, and share processing between cloud and edge.

We’ll be watching as the show unfolds and asking an increasingly relevant question: Is this a feature, or the future?

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Samsung’s next foldable phone might be its sleekest and smartest yet. But seven generations in, the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s biggest innovation may need to be ideological rather than industrial.

Over the weekend, fresh leaks offered the clearest look yet at the Galaxy Z Fold 7 — and, on paper, it’s a stunner that ticks all the right boxes. A thinner hinge, larger camera bump, and a 200MP sensor borrowed from the Ultra all make for a great device. So do the new “glow” lock screen transitions and Android 16 with One UI 8.

It’s everything we’ve come to expect from Samsung’s iterative annual polish.

And yet, the Fold 7 risks folding in on itself. Because even as Samsung engineers a more beautiful device, it’s drifting further from the mass-market success that foldables were supposed to achieve.

A design triumph in a vacuum

Let’s start with the good: The Fold 7 is reportedly slimmer than ever, coming in at around 4.5mm unfolded. It has titanium hinge components, refined crease control, and the same Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset powering Samsung’s best. It’s not a “lite” model by any stretch. This is Samsung flexing (or, rather, folding…).

The Z Fold 7’s camera also leaps in the right direction. Samsung seems poised to drop the same 200MP sensor seen in the Galaxy S25 Ultra into the Fold 7’s frame, alongside AI-enhanced image processing. If that translates to S-line image quality in foldable form, it’s meaningful.

Add to that One UI 8’s smoother animations, upgraded multitasking UI, and glow-up flair. And yes, it’s a flagship; arguably the best foldable that Samsung has ever made.

But the bigger question remains: Who is this actually for?

Foldable, yes, but accessible?

Despite maturing hardware, foldables remain frozen in the early adopter phase. According to recent studies, foldables account for just 1% of smartphones in key markets. This is a shockingly small share for a product in its seventh generation. And it all comes down to pricing.

The numbers show just how off-trajectory Samsung’s foldable pricing has become. The original Galaxy Fold debuted at $1,980 in 2019. Analysts expected subsequent models to drop in price as yields improved and rivals emerged. But that curve reversed.

• The Z Fold 3 dipped slightly to $1,799
• The Z Fold 4 and Fold 5 held steady at around the same price.
• The Z Fold 6 jumped to $1,899.
• Now, the Z Fold 7 may top $2,000 (or even hit $2,500 in the U.S. due to tariffs!)

This goes well beyond the realms of sticker shock. Consumer tech lives or dies by the adoption curve, and Samsung seems to have taken a detour straight into luxury territory.

The Z Fold needs better pricing, not polishing

Here’s the kicker: Even users who do buy foldables often don’t stick with them. According to data referenced in the same report, over 50% of foldable owners switched back to traditional phones during their next upgrade cycle. These weren’t budget-minded downgrades either. They went to the S23 Ultra, Pixel 7 Pro, or iPhone 14 Pro Max.

This tells us the issue isn’t just cost but value. If the tech doesn’t feel worth it after prolonged use, even premium buyers walk away. So while the Fold 7 is technically superior, its core premise (or gimmick?) — “look what this hinge can do!” — may no longer be enough.

Samsung needs more than just another foldable flagship. It needs a foldable strategy. To regain momentum, the company must rethink accessibility.

That could mean revisiting the rumored Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE (Fan Edition), a more affordable foldable meant to introduce new users to the form factor without the financial barrier.

If that phone exists and lands under $1,000, it might be a defining release for the foldable space.

Sure, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 looks incredible. But unless Samsung tackles the price-to-value gap plaguing the foldable category, it risks building a better product for a shrinking market.

After seven years, maybe it’s time to stop chasing thinness and focus on improving relevance.

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On Monday, the Trump Organization announced its plans to release a new smartphone, the T1 Phone, which will be supported on its new network, Trump Mobile.

The Trump Mobile network

Trump Mobile will offer 5G service through what the Trump Organization is calling “The 47 Plan” for a flat $47.45 per month, in reference to the U.S. president’s first and second terms.

Compatible with all three major U.S cell carriers, including T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon, Trump Mobile will whitelist its services in much the same way as competitors like the Ryan Reynolds-backed Mint Mobile.

How the tech of Trump Mobile works

Both Mint Mobile and Trump Mobile operate on what are known as “mobile virtual network operators”, or MVNOs. These operators purchase network capacity from the major providers and are generally targeted at niche customer bases.

In an interview held in the same spot where Trump first rode down a golden escalator to announce his candidacy for president at Trump Tower — ten years ago today, by the way — his son Eric Trump told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo that Trump Mobile would offer “international calling in hundreds of countries for free” on a phone that will be made “one-hundred percent in America.”

Will the Trump Phone be made in the USA? The details are fuzzy right now.

"We are going to be introducing an entire package of products where people can come and they can get telemedicine on their phones for one flat monthly fee, roadside assistance on their cars, unlimited texting to 100 countries around the world," said the president's son.

However, details on exactly how Trump’s Organization plans to manufacture these phones within the domestic U.S. remained scant.

Can we even make a smartphone in the United States?

As the tariff trade wars escalated last month and the President specifically called out smartphone manufacturers like Apple for manufacturing their products in China, much of the tech news media wondered whether it would even be possible to make a smartphone within U.S. borders.

A modern smartphone often contains hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of individual components sourced from an interconnected global supply chain: tin from Africa, chips from Taiwan, displays from South Korea, and so on.

The idea that all of these parts could somehow be repatriated before the phone’s supposed release date in September of this year is, put frankly, ridiculous, and may seal its fate as a product with a doomed launch.

For now, when Laptop Mag contacted Trump’s hotline for the phone at 888-TRUMP45 and emailed the company at care@trumpmobile.com, we were only told that the phone would be “made in America.”

This almost certainly means the company plans to assemble the phones domestically, but will still use the same global parts as every other smartphone provider. Until we know more, the only information we have on the underlying tech of the Trump T1 phone is a small collection of specs, seen below:

When can you buy the Trump T1 Phone?

Preorders for the T1 started Monday on the company's website, priced at $499 with a $100 down payment to secure your own model.

However, reports are already coming in that this process is anything but smooth. When Joseph Cox of 404 Media tried to order his own, the site automatically charged his card for the wrong amount ($64.70 instead of $100), and he was never even given an opportunity to provide Trump Mobile with a shipping address.

The phone is said to start shipping in early September of 2025, and a representative vaguely told us that some of the phones will be new, and “some will be refurbished.”

Given the mystery surrounding the Trump T1 phone’s actual components, construction, and distribution, we’ll update this story as additional information becomes available. Stay tuned for more!

This is not the first phone linked to Trump

In 2021, the Freedom Phone debuted, also costing $499. It is still for sale and is marketed as "a free speech and privacy first focused mobile device built on an open-source Android OS." As PC Mag reported, it gained popularity among supporters of Donald Trump, and not long after, The Daily Beast reported that the phone bore an uncanny resemblance to one made by a Chinese firm that was selling on AliExpress for $119.

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On Tuesday, Google announced on its Android developer blog that Android 16 started rolling out to supported Pixel devices, including several new features I've been itching to try on my Pixel 9a since they were announced on May 13 ahead of Google I/O 2025.

It may not be as exciting as a Google Pixel 10 announcement, but it means the Pixel phone (and more Android phones in the coming months) that you already own will be getting some enticing new upgrades. Google’s latest update offers a splash of fun additions, along with some upgrades that push Android even closer to becoming a potential laptop replacement for some users.

After digging through the announcements, here are the seven most exciting features in Android 16 that may get you to download it as soon as possible.

1. Desktop power with a connected display

Let's start with one of the most compelling features for us as laptop and mobile tech enthusiasts: the enhanced desktop experience when connected to an external display.

We've lived some form of this dream with Samsung Dex in recent years. In our Hot Swap series, one writer traded their laptop for a phone with Samsung Dex and a monitor, while another writer went even more mobile with a Samsung Dex phone and XR glasses.

Now, the rest of the Android world gets desktop-style performance when connecting your phone to a monitor or glasses via USB-C. This will now give you a taskbar, resizable windows, and the ability to run multiple apps side by side.

The phone display and monitor act independently, so you can also still pick up your phone when that's quicker than the desktop experience. Add a portable keyboard, such as the Logitech Keys-To-Go 2, and a small mouse, like the Targus ErgoFlip Ecosmart mouse, and you've got a complete laptop replacement that can fit in the smallest bags.

This feature is now in developer preview and coming in a general release later this year.

2. Material You is getting more expressive

Android 16 lays the groundwork for “Material 3 Expressive,” a fancier, more consistent version of Android’s visual design language. While the full changes are coming between July and September, early adopters will notice more polish in animations, layout spacing, and app transitions.

One important change: apps targeting Android 16 can no longer opt out of edge-to-edge layouts, meaning all apps will look more modern by default. It's not the massive visual refresh that Apple revealed with Liquid Glass at WWDC 2025 on Monday, but no one is going to be upset about a cleaner and more polished Android.

3. Creator camera upgrades

If your phone doubles as your camera rig, Android 16 is packed with perks. Night mode scene detection gets smarter, color temperature can now be fine-tuned, and motion photos are easier to capture with new built-in Intent actions.

Google also continues to push UltraHDR forward, adding support for HEIC encoding and integrating with professional video workflows thanks to the new Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec. Whether you are someone who knows what all of that means or not, the takeaway is that you'll have more tools to ensure your images look their best on Android.

4. Predictive back gestures

Back gestures are a pain point for a lot of people on Android, and they are getting smarter and more consistent. Android 16 introduces predictive back navigation by default, even for users who still prefer the classic three-button setup.

Now, when you swipe or press the back button, you’ll get a visual preview of where it’s going to take you, reducing the chances of accidentally quitting your app. On the developer side, they also have new system callbacks to fine-tune how their apps handle backpresses. This is one of those features that doesn't sound like a big deal, but it fixes an irritating problem.

5. Progress notification progress

While Android often beats the iPhone to punch on features, this is one where Google is playing catchup. Ever wonder how long your Uber is going to take or if your food’s still on the way? Android 16 introduces a new framework for building smarter, more visually clear progress notifications.

Developers can now use segments and milestones to show real-time updates for tasks like deliveries or navigation. It’s a sneak peek into Android’s upcoming “Live Updates” feature, and it should make your status bar a lot more informative.

6. Android apps adapting

As Android spreads across more form factors — foldables, tablets, and now desktop displays — it needs to get better at adapting apps to any screen size or orientation.

Android 16 solves this problem by removing aspect ratio restrictions on devices with large displays (600dpi and up), meaning apps will automatically stretch to fill the screen — even if they weren’t originally designed to. It also adds better support for resizability, portrait/landscape switching, and dynamic display changes. If you are a longtime Android tablet user like me that has felt the pain of clunky looking Android tablet apps, this should be a game-changing upgrade.

7. Under-the-hood tune-up

It's not all about new features; Android 16 adds better CPU and GPU usage tracking for games and demanding apps, smarter job scheduling for background tasks, and system-triggered performance profiling.

On the privacy side, users can now limit access to shared media for apps on an individual basis. Accessibility also gets a big win with new outline text for higher contrast and expanded support for hearing aids via Auracast.

What's next?

Android 16 isn’t a flashy overhaul, but it’s a smart and focused update that improves the Android experience and solves a few long-standing pain points for users on traditional phones, foldables, and tablets.

If you own a supported Pixel device, you should be seeing the update soon. And if you own a Samsung, OnePlus, Motorola, or other Android phone, you'll likely see the update in the coming months.

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Samsung phone deals in June? Honestly, I'm surprised. I'd expect discounts this deep to show up in July once all the Prime Day deals kick in — but now? I love it.

This is a great time to upgrade your phone to a new Samsung. Aside from the Galaxy S25 Edge, all the models have been out for at least a few months, which means the initial hype is starting to fade, and less hype often means more discounts. I bought my last phone right at launch and ended up regretting it, because just a few months later, I could’ve paid a lot less. Now’s your chance to avoid making the same mistake and save hundreds of dollars. And yes, I literally mean hundreds.

Huge discounts usually only really happen if you trade in your device for some extra credit, but maybe you don't want to give up your old phone (but just in case you do, you can save up to $630 on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge). Fortunately, there are some superb phone deals even without trade-ins right now.

The biggest savings I found were on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, which is now $1,299, down from $1,899, at Amazon. The S25 Ultra is a great deal cheaper too, dropping down to $1,119 for $300 in savings.

If you just want a phone that works and doesn't cost a fortune, the Samsung Galaxy A16 is just $174 at Best Buy, saving you $25. That $25 can then go toward buying the Galaxy Buds FE to go with your new phone, and those are down to $65 at Walmart.

Whether you already own a Samsung and you want to upgrade, or you're giving up your iPhone and switching to Android, you're in luck. There are lots of exciting Samsung phone deals up for grabs this summer.

Let's check them out below.

The best Samsung phone deals — Quick links

• Samsung Galaxy A16 5G: was $199, now $174 at Best Buy
• Samsung Galaxy A36 5G: was $399, now $357 at Amazon
  
• Samsung Galaxy S25 FE: was $859, now $799 at Samsung (or $399 w/ trade-in)
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: was $1,099, now $899 at Amazon
• Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: was $1,419, now $1,119 at Amazon
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: was $1,899, now $1,299 at Amazon
  
• Samsung Galaxy Buds FE: was $79, now $65 at Walmart
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Apple's annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) kicked off on June 9, 2025, and featured huge updates across all its platforms.

If you missed the keynote live stream, we've got you covered with our live posts from the event, a recap summarizing all the biggest updates, and follow-up coverage delving into the details.

As we get more information from Apple leading up to the release of its latest operating systems this fall, we'll have even more information and analysis to share. So, take a look at all of the exciting news from WWDC 2025 below, and stay tuned for more on iOS 26, macOS Tahoe, iPadOS 26, and all things Apple!

See also: Best Apple deals in June 2025

Apple WWDC 2025: Highlights

New names and Liquid Glass: If there's one takeaway from WWDC 2025, it's the all-new look and naming scheme for Apple's operating systems. Starting this year, all of Apple's operating systems will be numbered by the release year, meaning the upcoming updates will be iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, and visionOS 26.

When you download the latest OS versions, you'll also notice a fresh new look, which Apple is calling "Liquid Glass." The overall look isn't too different from the current flat design aesthetic, but it revamps it in a new "glassy" style with more transparent UI elements.

Liquid Glass will also make all of Apple's operating systems look more alike, so menus and app icons will look familiar whether you're using a MacBook or an iPhone.

iOS 26: Of course, the star of the show at WWDC 2025 was the latest version of iOS, which got a slew of updates in addition to the new Liquid Glass look. With iOS 26, you'll have more customization options for your lock screen, including larger fonts that adapt as your lock screen fills with notifications. The camera app is also getting an update, which will streamline it and make it easier to access the basic photo and video functions.

The most exciting iOS 26 features are in the Phone and Messages apps. Apple is introducing AI-powered call screening, which will automatically silence scam calls. Similarly, Apple Intelligence will now generate voicemail summaries for you. There will also be a new Hold Assist feature that will keep you on hold and notify you when the call gets picked up, so you don't have to sit by the phone while you wait.

Potentially even more exciting, iOS 26 is getting Live Translation for messages, phone calls, and FaceTime calls. This feature can automatically translate text messages and create live, translated captions during calls. Hopefully, it can translate with consistent accuracy because it looks pretty helpful.

macOS 26 Tahoe: The new Liquid Glass look is coming to macOS, too, although it still overall looks the same. macOS 26, nicknamed "Tahoe," includes new quality-of-life features. For instance, you can customize the control center to include whichever controls you want. You can also customize how macOS looks with the same dark and tinted color modes currently on iOS/iPadOS. Plus, you can customize how your folders look with different colors and emojis.

The big addition to macOS is the Phone app. You can now answer and send calls directly from your Mac and access all the same call and voicemail info you can access on your iPhone. The macOS Phone app will even include all the new AI features coming to the iOS Phone app (mentioned above).

iPadOS 26: This year's iPadOS update is one of the most significant in recent years. It will bring several key features over from macOS, making the iPad a better device for using with a Magic Keyboard like a laptop.

For instance, the mouse cursor on iPadOS will now be an arrow rather than a circle, and windows will have Mac-like control buttons. More importantly, you can move around freely and resize windows on iPadOS 26 like on macOS. If you prefer tiling your windows rather than stacking them, you can also access more window tiling options.

iPadOS 26 also supports background tasks, meaning you can have something running in another app without actively keeping that app open. For example, you could let a video you're editing export while you check your email in another app.

watchOS 26: The next version of watchOS includes new customization options, more Apple Intelligence features, and some handy quality-of-life updates. For example, the Workout app will now have an AI Workout Buddy feature that can analyze your workout routine history and patterns to generate pep talks during your workouts, such as cheering you on by telling you how far you've run or recapping your progress from previous sessions.

The Notes app is also coming to watchOS, which could be helpful for quickly leaving voice reminders for yourself. The Apple Watch is also getting the call screening, hold assist, and live translation features coming to iOS, along with new watch faces similar to the updated lock screen in iOS 26.

visionOS 26: Apple's mixed reality operating system inspired the new Liquid Glass look, so it's no surprise it's getting an update, too. VisionOS 26 will not look much different from the current version, but it will include a few new features.

For starters, you will be able to create customizable widgets you can geographically place anywhere you want, like making a digital clock widget on your living room wall. The Vision Pro will also be compatible with some new accessories, including a Logitech pen and Sony's PSVR controllers, hopefully improving gaming on the Vision Pro.

Apple WWDC 2025: Follow-up coverage

• Apple is finally giving iPadOS one of the updates it desperately needs — here are the highlights from WWDC 2025
• Did WWDC 2025 just prove that Apple is kneecapping the iPad?
• MacOS 26 Tahoe: The big reasons to update — or to not update
• With on-device AI, is Apple making a move no one saw coming?

Apple WWDC 2025: Live blog recap

WWDC 2025 is now just hours away

We're now just a handful of hours away from today's keynote to kickstart WWDC 2025, and Apple CEO Tim Cook is already shining a spotlight on the next generation of "Wozniaks" by celebrating the winners of this year's Swift Student Challenge which awards 350 young developers for the creativity, innovation, and social impact of their apps.

The all-class "Liquid Glass"

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, one of the biggest reveals of today's keynote will be an all-new UI design set to feature across the board for iOS 26, iPadOS 26, tvOS 26, watchOS 26, macOS 26 ("Tahoe"), and visionOS 26, named "Liquid Glass."

The new interface is set to replace the current "Flat Design" Apple users have been familiar with since 2013, offering more contemporary design that focuses on transparency and shine effects — likely as a prelude to a new look for 2027's "Glasswing" iPhone, which is rumored to ditch the metal frame for entirely curved glass sides.

A visionOS of the future?

Apple's new "Liquid Glass" aesthetics are said to be inspired by the look of visionOS, the operating system exclusive to the Apple Vision Pro headset.

While the Vision Pro may be relinquishing its frosted glass-like visuals to other devices in the Apple ecosystem, it too is expected to receive several minor design changes in visionOS 26 — alongside several other rumored features including "eye-scrolling" and support for third-party VR controllers (finally).

Looking ahead with Liquid Glass

It's something of an open secret that Apple is hard at work developing a pair of futuristic frames following the success of the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, but it's unlikely that we'll catch sight of them during this year's keynote.

However, should early reports surrounding the transparency-focused "Liquid Glass" redesign of Apple's interfaces prove accurate, a more "see through" smart glasses-friendly UI will be on-hand for Apple to make use of when it's ready to reveal its glasses — which, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, are expected to arrive by the end of 2026.

iOS 26: Charged with Intelligence

Battery life is one of the most important specs people look for when purchasing a new smartphone, and it's something that Apple has excelled at providing with its recent iPhones.

And, while Apple Intelligence is said to play a smaller role at this year's WWDC, it could power a new iOS 26 feature to make adjustments on the fly to limit power consumption and push your battery life further than ever before.

Battery Intelligence: Something borrowed, something new

Another handy iOS 26 feature tipped to be unveiled today is something new to iPhone, but borrowed from Android smartphones.

Alongside iOS 26's claimed AI power management feature, iPhone users will reportedly now receive an estimate on how long it will take for their device to reach full charge from the lock screen.

This feature was first spotted in code for the iOS 18.2 beta, where it was referred to as "BatteryIntelligence," but was suspiciously missing from the public release.

However, many signs point to the feature finally making its iPhone debut with iOS 26.

More for Mac?

The battery life-boosting features and charging transparency heading to iPhone is great, but can we expect similar features to arrive on Macs?

The Apple MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are some of the longest lasting laptops on the market already, with the recent M4 MacBook Air 13 pushing past the 15-hour mark on our Laptop Mag battery test in March.

If a little of that rumored Apple Intelligence-powered battery magic for iPhone makes it way to Macs, could Apple push the envelope even further when it comes to all-day power for the portable computer? We hope so.

Siri to join the iOS rebranding?

We're already expecting to see a bold rebrand of Apple's operating systems this year.

The new "Liquid Glass" design aside, Apple will be trading the usual version names of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and others to highlight the software's year of service — trading what would be iOS 19 for iOS 26.

However, a last-minute post by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo may suggest another major rebrand isn't far off. This time, for Siri.

In a post shared to X earlier today, Kuo shares his belief that part of Apple's AI strategy for WWDC 2025 will involve "Rebranding Apple Intelligence/Siri."

We've long heard that the LLM (Large Language Model) overhaul of Siri has run into trouble, and that it's a project labored with multiple delays.

However, if Kuo, whose insights have previously played out accurately, is right, Apple's big AI announcement could be an all-new virtual assistant — not Siri, but whatever comes next.

macOS 26 "Tahoe" is more than a feature drop

MacBook users are more than familiar with the annual update cycle, with new features dropping alongside a new OS version and several new wallpapers. But with macOS 26, or "Tahoe," things are a little bit more special.

The "Liquid Glass" design that looks set to charm iPhone users also appears set for MacBooks, Apple Watches, iPads, and more, promising this update to feel all the more special.

While it's claimed that Apple won't have much to show on the AI front in terms of ramping up its own models, Tahoe could be a fantastic opportunity for Apple to put the tech they've already developed into action, and start playing catch-up to Microsoft's lead in the race to the AI operating system.

A return to gaming?

Another key rumor heading into WWDC is that Apple is ready to unveil a Game Center replacement during today's keynote.

Compared to other game platforms, Apple's is very much a bare-bones experience. Could that be something set to change over the next few hours?

We've already seen Microsoft amend its Windows operating system to better accommodate gaming with its new "Xbox full screen experience," and Apple should be taking notes, especially for macOS.

As macOS Sonoma released in 2023, Apple's Game Porting Toolkit caused a stir as it was shown to impressively bring previously Windows and Linux only titles to the platform. With macOS Sequoia, Apple announced the Game Porting Toolkit 2, and while similarly impressive, hype around the porting of games to macOS has somewhat tamed.

Far from another Apple Arcade-like portal, I'm hoping that Apple can regain some momentum on this front, and hopefully surprise us with a new outlook on gaming, beyond a simple launcher.

Say "so long!" to the flat design aesthetic on Apple's operating systems because today Apple is expected to announce a huge visual overhaul like we haven't seen since iOS 7 back in 2013.

Rumors so far suggest Apple took inspiration from visionOS, which might seem ironic since the Vision Pro has struggled to catch on. Even if the headset itself hasn't been a hit, its unique operating system could bring a fresh look to the rest of Apple's operating systems, with more transparent UI elements and a glass-like aesthetic.

Apple's WWDC 2025 is starting now! You can tune in on YouTube to watch live or follow along here where we'll be covering everything Apple announces!

Apple is kicking things off with its usual cinematic intro video, this one featuring an F1 race car pilot by Apple's Senior VP of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi.

Yes, the race car has Apple Car Play. And Tim Cook is running Federighi's pit team.

Tim Cook is passing things over to Craig Federighi to get our first round of announcements started.

Apple Intelligence is up first.

Federighi is getting the ball rolling by highlighting the handful of AI features Apple was able to roll out this year (a short list that doesn't include a new-and-improved Siri). Federighi name-dropped Siri, but it doesn't sound like we'll hear much about it today.

With that said, Apple is launching a new Foundation Models framework feature, which will allow third-party app developers to tap into Apple Intelligence's on-device AI capabilities. That means other apps can offer AI features that are processed locally, helping to keep your data private.

Confirmed! Craig Federighi is announcing the major visual redesign we were expecting for Apple's operating systems!

He referenced the overhaul from iOS 7, so hopefully this redesign is just as good.

We're getting our first look at the redesign! It will be a universal design across all of Apple's operating systems, inspired by visionOS as rumors predicted.

Alan Dye, VP of Human Interface, is here to introduce the new look, called "Liquid Glass".

We're seeing a lot of clean, transparent UI elements with a bubbly, glass-like look. It's very clean and a nice refresh without being too different from the existing aesthetic on Apple's platforms.

The glassy UI will respond to what's on screen and in your environment, so the transparency hopefully won't lead to visibility or readability issues. The whole UI looks more responsive and adaptable.

Craig Federighi is back to announce the new OS names. As expected, everything will now be numbered by year, meaning this year we're getting iOS 26, which Federighi is diving into now.

The new Liquid Glass UI will respond to the different dark and tinted modes in iOS 26, which looks better than the tints in the current UI aesthetic. You can also use different fonts on your lockscreen now, which looks pretty cool. The time font on the lockscreen will even adapt and adjust size as your lockscreen fills up with notifications.

Plus, you can have "3D" photos on your lockscreen that will shift as you turn your phone from side to side. Neat!

Next up is updates to the Camera app. It's getting streamlined to mainly display photo and video mode. You now have to swipe to switch to more advanced modes. It still looks nice, though, and will probably be easier to use for many people.

The Photos app is getting tweaked, too. Tabs are back, which were removed in last year's big iOS update.

Emily Schubert is up next to give us some updates to Apple Car Play.

Like the rest of the Apple ecosystem, Car Play is getting the Liquid Glass UI overhaul. It looks really clean. Notifications like calls and texts are minimized now so you can still see your GPS while answering a call. You can also pin live activity in Car Play, like watching a flight status off to the side of your GPS window.

Some compatible cars will also get more customization now with Car Play Ultra.

Now on to Darin Adler, VP of Internet Technologies, to cover updates to a handful of iOS apps.

First, the phone app is getting a slight redesign that will include voice mail summaries generated by Apple Intelligence. Plus, Call Screening will automatically (and silently) answer calls from unknown numbers, a feature that's designed to block spam calls more efficiently. Hopefully it works well because it looks pretty helpful.

Similarly, a new Hold Assist feature will let you automate being on hold by notifying you when you're off hold so you can do other things in the meantime.

Meanwhile, the Messages app is getting a cool new backgrounds feature like the backgrounds you can use on other messaging apps like Telegram. Group messages are also getting a Polls feature, also similar to the polls you can make in Telegram or Discord. Group chats are getting typing indicators, too. Plus, the AI call screening tool will also screen out spam text messages.

Apple is announcing Live Translation!

This is an exciting feature, assuming it can translate accurately. It will use Apple Intelligence to translate in real-time in the Messages app or even generate live translated captions in FaceTime. Live Translation can do translated voice overs in phone calls, too. It sounds like this feature will work regardless of whether the other person has an iPhone.

Translation will even work in Apple Music to translate song lyrics.

The Maps app is getting an update to "remember" your preferred routes to places you frequently visit. It will even adapt if you start using a different preferred route to get to the same place.

Plus, you can now review places you've previously visited in case you want to go back. If your iPhone remembering where you go sounds a little creepy, don't worry. Like the rest of your Apple Intelligence data, even Apple won't be able to access it.

Next up, gaming!

As rumored, Apple is launching a new gaming app called the Games app.

Here you can see updates on games you've been playing, suggestions for new games, access Apple Arcade, and view and manage your game library.

The Games app will also integrate social features allowing you to view and compares your scores to friends' and see what everyone is playing. There will be a leaderboards feature third-party developers can use, too.

Next, we're getting an update to Visual Intelligence. Now when you take a screenshot, you will also have an option to search for the content in the screenshot using Visual Intelligence.

Likewise, you can use Visual Intelligence to add an event your calendar by taking a screenshot. You can also use it to ask questions with ChatGPT.

That's all for iOS 26 for now. Next up, David Clark on watchOS 26.

For starters, watchOS is of course getting the Liquid Glass redesign. watchOS 26 will also utilize Apple Intelligence significantly more now.

For instance, the "workout buddy" feature can analyze your fitness data to track your progress and give you encouragement based on it. So, you can have an customized AI-generated voice give you a pep talk at the start of your workout and announce benchmarks and performance updates during your workout. It could be a cool feature if the AI voices don't sound too uncanny.

Smart stacks in watchOS 26 will use GPS and Apple Intelligence to predict what widgets you need based on your locations and activity. For example, when you enter a gym, your workout widget will pop up in your watch's smart stack.

The new wrist flick gesture will also make it easier to do things like silence notifications.

Plus, Live Translation is coming to watchOS, too, as are backgrounds from the Messages app. The Notes app is coming to watchOS, as well.

tvOS is up next!

Liquid Glass makes it less disruptive to access and tweak playback features while watching something, thanks to the transparent, glassy UI.

We're getting a new slew of AppleTV originals, too! This year's upcoming slate looks to include new seasons of Foundation, Slow Horses, Loot, The Morning Show, Invasion, a slew of new movies, and more.

Looks like there won't be a new season of For All Mankind just yet, though.

tvOS is getting a cute karaoke feature that allows you to use your iPhone as a mic, which will adjust the volume automatically and highlight lyrics on your TV as you go.

Craig Federighi is back to cover macOS 26!

This year's version will be called "Tahoe." The Liquid Glass UI is the highlight, as expected, with many of the same new features as iOS like backgrounds in the Messages app.

The desktop still looks familiar overall, though. The Liquid Glass aesthetic simply adds a subtle, cleaner look, but everything is effectively still laid out the same.

You can now customize the control center on macOS, which is a nice update. Plus, you can customize how your folders look with different colors and emojis. macOS has access to the same dark mode and tinted color modes you can use to customize iOS, as well.

The Phone app is coming to macOS! You can now access your contacts and call history and answer and start calls directly from your Mac. It includes all the same new features coming to the iOS Phone app, as well, which is a nice update.

The Shortcuts app is getting an update in macOS.

Now you can automate your shortcuts and use Apple Intelligence to create "intelligent actions," including a dedicated Apple Intelligence shortcut. For instance, you can create a shortcut to have Apple Intelligence summarize your notes for you.

Spotlight Search will use Apple Intelligence now, too, with help from Quick Keys, a new feature that's essentially keyboard shortcuts. For example, you can type the "sm" command to send a message. You can use these commands throughout macOS apps, too, such as in Pages. Plus, you can view and access your clipboard history from the Spotlight Search bar.

Third-party app developers can use the App Intents API to integrate those new features in their macOS apps, too.

As expected, the new Games app is coming to macOS, too. It will integrate Metal 4 rendering along with social features like calling and chatting with friends during games.

Inzoi is coming to macOS, but it doesn't sound like we're getting many gaming updates this year.

Next up is visionOS 26.

You can now create customizable widgets in visionOS 26, which you can "place" geographically, like placing a clock or photo widget on your wall. The WidgetKit API will allow third-party developers to offer widgets in visionOS, too.

Plus, Spatial Scenes is getting an update to bring more 3D photos to visionOS (and the Photos app on iOS). You can use it to transform 2D photos into 3D and streamline web pages.

Personas, the 3D digital version of you rendered when you're talking to others on FaceTime while wearing the Vision Pro, is getting an update, as well. It will make personas look a bit cleaner, sharper, and more realistic.

The Vision Pro is getting new accessories, like the Logitech Muse pen along with PSVR controllers. Both could go a long way toward expanding precision controls on Apple's mixed reality platform, especially for gaming. Will PlayStation VR controller compatibility bring more VR games to visionOS? We'll have to wait and see.

iPadOS 26 is up next!

As expected, it's getting the big Liquid Glass redesign. We're also getting improvements to Multitasking and file management.

It's finally here: an updated windowing system on iPadOS! It looks a lot more like the windowing system on macOS, which is a huge relief. App windows will still default to full screen like normal, but you can also resize them and stack them on top of each other anywhere you want on your screen. The trackpad pointer in iPadOS looks more like a Mac pointer now, too, and it can even activate Mac-like window controls.

Plus, we have more tiling options for quickly optimizing and resizing windows to fill your screen.

This new windowing system looks like it will work best on larger iPads, but it will also likely make using your iPad like a laptop much more functional and intuitive.

Apple is finally improving the iPadOS Files app.

It still looks effectively the same as before, but with the new file customization options from macOS. You can also pin files to your dock now and you'll have more options for how you open individual files.

The Preview app, previously only on macOS, is coming to iPadOS, too. You can use this to more easily edit and export files and images.

iPadOS is getting improved audio and video capabilities and background tasks. For instance, you can now do things like export a video in the background while working on something else on your iPad. There will be an API for this, as well, so third-party app developers can also use it. This should be a really helpful features for people who use their iPad for creative tasks like video or photo editing.

Plus, the Journal app is coming to iPadOS and it sounds like the iPad is getting a 3D graphing feature in Math Notes, which will be helpful for students.

Apple is announcing some developer updates now. XCode is getting some new AI features and Apple will be offering tools for developers to give their apps and app icons the Liquid Glass look.

Tim Cook is back to wrap things up for the day.

The developer betas of all the new software versions will be available today with a public beta to follow in July and a full release in the fall. If you can't wait to try out these new updates, you can sign up for the public beta through Apple's Beta Software Program (the sign up page for it is currently down for WWDC, but it should be back online soon).

That's all for the WWDC 2025 keynote, but our coverage is just getting started!

We'll be digging into all of today's major announcements shortly, covering everything you need to know and the highlights to look forward to in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and more. So, stay tuned for more info, details, and images from today's presentation.

A Samsung rep has made quite a bold claim about its thin phone. The S25 Edge, which you might think of as the lightweight version of the S25, S25+, or S25 Ultra, is actually a "flagship" model.

That's according to an interview with our colleagues at Tom's Guide published this week. While the definition of "flagship" in consumer tech can vary, calling a phone like the Edge, which you might associate with something light or airy, may take you by surprise. Despite the skeptics, Samsung might have a point. Here's why.

Samsung defends S25 Edge as the “Goldilocks” of phone

As its annual tradition, the Korea-based tech behemoth launched three devices in its flagship Galaxy S series earlier this year: the base S25, S25 Plus, and the S25 Ultra.

Though Samsung debuted the Galaxy S25 Edge back then, it was officially launched a couple of days ago.

The Galaxy S25 Edge is the thinnest S series phone the Korean-based giant has ever released, sporting a 5.8mm design and weighing 163g. Pre-orders went live on May 12, and the device starts at $1,099. For comparison, the standard S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra start at $800, $1,000, and $1,300, respectively.

Instead of focusing solely on the S25 Edge's slimness, critics have focused on the trade-offs Samsung made to achieve this design.

Blake Gaiser, the director of smartphone product management at Samsung Electronics America, believes the focus should be on the Edge's lightweight and the overall experience rather than just its raw specs.

When asked whether Samsung considers the Edge a true flagship, Gaiser said they do, describing it as an innovation piece where, despite cutting down on weight and thickness, the company isn’t compromising on what really matters to users.

This includes durability, chipset performance, and the Edge’s 200MP camera. Gaiser even called the Galaxy S25 Edge the “Goldilocks” of smartphones, saying it’s aimed at users looking for “a light, tech-forward, fashionable device” without compromising on performance.

Gaiser even addressed concerns critics have raised

One of the biggest concerns raised by critics is battery life. The S25 Edge packs a slightly larger battery than the base S25 (4,000 mAh vs. 3,900 mAh), but given that it’s 1.4mm slimmer, that’s still an impressive engineering feat.

The size difference isn’t all that significant compared to the noticeably thinner body. Besides, most users likely won’t notice much difference in day-to-day use, since the S25 and S25 Edge share the same processor: the Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform for Galaxy.

Gaiser addressed this, too, when asked about the Edge’s battery life being slightly shorter than the regular S25. He explained that “enough battery life for most customers is just an all-day usage,” and that Samsung defines a good experience as being able to get from “sun up to sun down without having any issues.”

Gaiser also told Tom's Guide that in internal testing, the Edge’s battery life held up as well or even better than the base S24 and very close to the base S25. The Edge also skips the 3x telephoto zoom found on other S25 models, but Gaiser justified that by pointing out that it’s not a feature most customers use every day or even every month.

When you consider why Gaiser considers the Edge a flagship, his point starts to make sense. While it might not tick every traditional flagship box, it delivers a premium experience for those who want a sleek, lightweight phone without any major compromises. The only caveat, really, is the price.

Starting at $1,099, the Edge edges dangerously close to the Ultra’s territory, just without the telephoto zoom and with slightly shorter battery life. Ultimately, this makes it a tough sell for many. Aside from the fact that Samsung did an incredible job shrinking the Edge’s size without stripping away too much, the phone doesn’t offer much else. It’s just another Galaxy S model, albeit a thinner one.

Perhaps the iPhone 17 Air will fix what the S25 Edge didn’t

Thin phones are starting to become a trend again and the S25 Edge may not stand alone for long. Apple is expected to launch its S25 Edge competitor, the iPhone 17 Air, later this year. Who knows — it might just piggyback off the Edge’s shortcomings and nail the formula better.

Rumors already suggest that the iPhone 17 Air will be just 5.5mm thick. While early reports hint at lower-than-ideal battery life, the iPhone 17 Air is still a few months away and its final performance remains to be seen. Besides, Apple has a track record of optimizing its hardware and software well enough to mask those gaps.

More from Laptop Mag

• Samsung's Galaxy S25 phones offer a big performance boost and even more AI
• iPhone 17 Air: Rumors are thick on the thinnest iPhone ever
• I'd throw money at Samsung's Galaxy S25 if it solved this one problem with mobile gaming

At a time when most AI tools are racing behind ever-taller paywalls, Microsoft just did something wild: It opened the gates to OpenAI’s Sora video model for free.

There is no $20 ChatGPT Plus subscription, no enterprise contract, just the Bing mobile app, a Microsoft account, and a bit of patience.

The catch? It’s only five seconds of vertical video at 480p. Oh, and you’ll need to earn Microsoft Rewards points if you want that video faster than “sometime today.”

Still, it’s the first time OpenAI’s Sora, the viral text-to-video model capable of generating scenes that look like miniature Pixar shorts, is available to the masses without a subscription.

While the Bing implementation comes with plenty of guardrails, compromises, and ecosystem nudges, it might be the most accessible way to experiment with state-of-the-art AI video yet.

AI video for the people

Bing Video Creator lives inside Microsoft’s Bing search app for iOS and Android, and the setup is frictionless:

1. Log in with a Microsoft account
2. Type a scene prompt into the search bar
3. Hit create

The AI handles the rest, generating a five-second vertical video clip based on your description

Behind the scenes, Microsoft is using Sora. This is the same model available to $20/month ChatGPT Plus users or $200/month Pro subscribers, but it’s offering it to Bing users for free. The result is democratized access to one of the most advanced AI video generators ever made, albeit with a few strings attached.

Those strings include the video resolution (480p), the aspect ratio (vertical only), and the maximum length (five seconds). It’s clear Microsoft is using this as a taster of what Sora can do, rather than the full experience available to premium users.

But it’s still powerful. Even in this stripped-down form, the model can generate lush, animated clips with complex lighting, realistic movement, and surreal flourishes.

Think “astronauts dancing in space,” or “a glowing koi fish swimming through neon clouds.” If you can describe it, Sora can sketch it in motion.

Hurry up and wait

There are two generation speeds: Standard and Fast. Everyone gets access to Standard, which can take several hours to generate a single video. That’s fine if you’re casually experimenting, but it’s far from real-time.

Fast mode, on the other hand, gets you results in seconds. But you only get 10 free Fast generations. After that, you’ll need to cash in Microsoft Rewards points, earned by using Bing, Microsoft Edge, or Xbox. One Fast video costs 100 points. A single Bing search gets you five points.

There’s no direct way to pay for faster results. If you want more, you’ll need to do more inside Microsoft’s ecosystem, which is exactly the point.

The setup encourages exactly the kind of behavioral shift Microsoft’s been chasing for years: Use Bing, ditch Google. And with Sora as bait, that strategy might finally have teeth.

Once you’ve generated your video, Bing stores it in-app for 90 days.

Not quite the full Sora

Let’s not pretend this is the same experience as ChatGPT Pro. Sora’s premium version offers up to 60-second 1080p videos, horizontal or square framing, and powerful creative controls like storyboards, camera paths, and scene composition.

Bing’s version is basic: prompt in, clip out. The videos are visibly rougher, too, with some jittery animation and a cartoonish sheen that OpenAI’s flagship versions smooth over. Everything comes with a C2PA watermark, signaling that it’s AI-generated content.

Still, the core engine is the same. And for casual creators, educators, meme-makers, and social media managers, the output is more than good enough.

All in all, this is obviously a strategic play by Microsoft. By baking Sora into Bing, the company is using AI as an engagement funnel, drawing users into its ecosystem through one of the most buzzworthy tools on the internet.

And it’s working. If you’ve ever been tempted by AI video but balked at the cost, the idea that you can now generate clips on your phone, for free, using one of the most advanced models in existence is a powerful hook.

Just don’t expect a full studio in your pocket. This is Sora on a leash. But it’s a very long leash that might get users to stay a little longer inside Microsoft’s world.

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Rumored to be only 5.5mm thick, the upcoming iPhone 17 Air will be Apple's slimmest phone since the infamous iPhone 6, but can its reported titanium-aluminum frame help Apple avoid another "bendgate" disaster?

Footage shared to X last week by reputable leaker "Majin Bu" claims to show a mock-up of the iPhone 17 Air being put through an impromptu bend test and passing with flying colors.

Should it prove accurate, it's a clear indicator that Apple is taking durability seriously with its return to ultra-thin smartphones.

While the iPhone 17 Air hasn't been officially announced yet, we've seen a boatload of rumors about it, including leaked images of the design. The dummy unit shown in the video certainly matches up to what we've seen so far, but can we expect the real deal to stand up to similar levels of punishment?

Maybe we shouldn't put our "bendgate" fears to bed just yet.

See also: Best Apple deals in May 2025

iPhone 17 Air leak could be good news for Apple

On Friday, Majin Bu posted a video on X showing a bend test with a dummy version of the iPhone 17 Air.

Despite repeated attempts, the mock-up barely flinches, a polar opposite outcome to Apple's previous iPhone 6 Plus, which controversially folded with ease during Unbox Therapy's famous "bendgate" video released in 2014.

Hopefully, this is an indicator that Apple has learned from its past mistakes with "bendgate," and devised a way to make the iPhone 17 Air significantly more durable than the iPhone 6 Plus.

The iPad Pro M4 gives us reason to be optimistic, at least, since its ultra-thin chassis reportedly uses a new internal ribbing design that helps prevent bending.

However, you might not want to get your hopes up just yet. Keep in mind, the "phone" in this video is not an actual iPhone 17 Air, or even a phone at all. It's a pre-production "dummy," meaning it's a model based on the actual phone, or at least appears to be.

Since this isn't coming directly from Apple, we can't confirm how accurate the design or build quality of this mock-up is, regardless of how much it resembles previously leaked images of the iPhone 17 Air.

That said, dummy units like this are sometimes solid through-and-through, designed to give third-party companies a better idea of the size, weight, or ergonomics of a device to aid with the design of accessories, like smartphone cases, well in advance of a product's release.

This lump of metal may pass the bend test with ease, but the actual iPhone 17 Air that is expected to hit store shelves later this year? That's another story entirely.

Durability isn't the only potential problem for the iPhone 17 Air

Even if this leaked video is an accurate representation of the iPhone 17 Air's resistance to bending, durability isn't the only concern surrounding this phone.

Battery life could also take a hit due to the Air's ultra-thin chassis. There's simply less space for a large battery compared to something like the iPhone 17 Pro. That may be why Apple is rumored to be introducing an AI-powered battery optimization feature, which may be able to help compensate for a physically smaller battery in the iPhone 17 Air.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge may give us an idea of what to expect in terms of battery life. It features an ultra-thin design similar to the iPhone 17 Air, including a 3,900 mAh battery, which is notably smaller than the 4,900 mAh battery in the S25 Plus. It's possible we could see a similar reduction in battery size from the iPhone 17 or 17 Pro compared to the iPhone 17 Air.

We're keeping a close eye on all of the latest rumors and updates surrounding the iPhone 17, iOS 26 (formerly iOS 19), and WWDC 2025, so stay tuned for more info.

More from Laptop Mag

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I mostly use my laptop to do my work, but I also have my Samsung and iPhone readily available for urgent notifications and two-factor authentication. However, because my phones also have all my games, social media apps, and streaming platforms, I easily get distracted whenever I get a ping on them. These disruptions can easily cost me an extra 15 to 30 minutes per task, which adds up to a lot of lost productivity per month.

Since these apps are still helpful for me outside of working hours (and I also occasionally use them for work), I cannot eliminate them. So, I put all my phones on silent, turned on Do Not Disturb, and hid them in my drawer. I installed the bare minimum apps I use daily on an e-ink device, reducing interruptions to near zero and bumping up my productivity.

Setting up the Onyx Boox Palma 2 as my main mobile device while working

While working, I used the Onyx Boox Palma 2, which I reviewed last year, as a substitute for my Samsung S24 Ultra and iPhone 14. It took me some time to get used to it, mainly because it wasn’t as responsive as those other phones, but it got the job done. I just installed Microsoft SwiftKey to replace the stock keyboard, allowing me to resize the keys and make them easier to press. But aside from that, it works just as well as any other smartphone, albeit much slower.

Since the Palma 2 uses Android 13, I can easily install the apps I need, like Slack, Gmail, OneDrive, and Microsoft Authenticator. It also has a fantastic battery life, with the e-ink reader lasting up to two weeks on a single charge. I do have some gripes about it, though, like the fingerprint reader sometimes not working or the automatic backlight not working as intended.

It’s great for reading and text communication

As a journalist and researcher, I read a lot of documents and primarily communicate through email and Slack. Because of this, the Palma 2 is ideally suited for my needs. It notifies me whenever I get a new email or message for work, but it also keeps me from seeing the latest drop from my favorite YouTube channel or that the repair of my car in Real Racing 3 is finally finished.

I must be patient when scrolling and typing, but it still gets the job done. Another positive side effect of using the Palma 2 is that I can rest my eyes from bright screens when looking at it. Finally, my e-ink device’s screensaver is a clock, allowing me to immediately tell the time at a glance.

Watching videos and scrolling social media is a pain

The Palma 2 only uses a black-and-white e-ink screen with a much lower refresh rate than your usual phone. So, don’t expect to enjoy photos and videos on it, and unlimited scrolling is sluggish at best and unusable at times. But that is the point of this device.

Since it only supplements my main workstation, these limitations benefit me as I do not get unwanted interruptions. But when I’m working away from my laptop, I still rely on my mobile phone for everything I need.

You must rely on Wi-Fi

Since the Palma 2 (and most other e-ink readers) are primarily designed for reading, finding one with a SIM card slot is challenging. If you mainly use SMS and voice calls to communicate, this is definitely not for you. It also won’t save you as a backup data connection if your primary service provider fails you.

One thing I like specifically about this device is that even if it has a black-and-white screen, it still comes with its own camera. Its quality is nothing to write home about, but it’s handy enough for capturing QR codes and taking quick snapshots. I can also install Spotify on it and play music via a cheap DAC or Bluetooth headphones, but I still prefer listening from my desktop speakers.

It’s not a replacement for your work smartphone

The Onyx Boox Palma 2 is a great device for basic communication without getting distracted by the myriad other apps you have on your phone. At $300, this is too expensive for the average person. But this is an excellent option if you’re a bookworm and want to reduce distractions at work. That way, you can keep your phones on silent and hidden while you’re getting things done.

If you want something larger, you can try using a larger e-ink tablet, like the Onyx Boox Note Air 3 or the mooInk V folding e-reader. These e-ink devices aren’t as powerful as many Android phones, but that’s their primary strength for productivity, not their weakness.

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Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is just a few weeks away, which means it's time to mark your calendars for some big announcements on iOS, macOS, Apple Intelligence, and more.

While Apple doesn't give away any official details about what to expect in its big keynote presentation, plenty of rumors and leaks swirl around that give us a peek at the highlights. A few significant updates, including iOS and macOS updates, are always in the spotlight at WWDC, which takes place June 9-13, 2025.

In addition to the usual slate of software updates, Apple occasionally features a surprise hardware announcement. WWDC 2025 could include two, although one is much more likely than the other.

Keep checking this page for more updates in the weeks and days leading up to the event.

See also: Best Apple deals in May 2025

MOST RECENT UPDATES

June 2: Citing sources within Apple, Bloomberg reported over the weekend that "People within the company believe [WWDC 2025] may be a letdown from an AI standpoint. Others familiar with the company’s planned announcements worry they could make Apple’s shortcomings even more obvious."

Other announcements expected at WWDC: 

➡️ Apple will open up its on-device AI models to developers who want to include on-device AI in their apps. This is just on-device AI, and not cloud-based AI, so there are significant limitations compared to services like Google Gemini.

➡️ The Translate app is reportedly going to be all new and integrated with AirPods.

➡️ A variety of projects are reportedly ongoing at Apple right now, but won’t be part of this year’s WWDC. These include a revamped Shortcuts app, a chatbot to compete with ChatGPT, a redesigned Health app, and a medical services codenamed “Mulberry,” plus a Siri upgrade to reportedly make Siri more like the voice mode of ChatGPT.

Finally, in this update, Apple is expected to release a new macOS named "Tahoe" after Lake Tahoe in California. Other California-inspired macOS names have been Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan, Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma, and Sequoia.

May 30: Many of the leaked or expected announcements from WWDC could feel incremental, and Wall Street is paying attention. "The media is having a good time previewing the June 9th WWDC (Apple developer conference) with expectations for … nothing" as Siri's AI delays remain a focus, Melius Research analyst Ben Reitzes writes in a note to clients that was sent on Tuesday, as reported by Investor's Business Daily. The publication didn't mince words with its headline: "Expectations For Apple's WWDC Couldn't Be Lower."

The markets can change quickly, depending on the reaction to Apple's event set for June 9. Just last year, Business Insider reported on enthusiasm over the 2024 WWDC with this headline: "'Best WWDC Ever': Wall Street is pumped up over Apple's AI game plan."

May 29: On Wednesday, anonymous sources within Apple told a reporter from Bloomberg that the company will eliminate version numbering for its operating systems and opt for numbering that corresponds with the year.

The year naming convention will affect iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS.

For example, iOS 19 will actually be called iOS 26, for the year 2026. (The numbering is similar to other products with an annual fall release date, in that the edition that debuts is named for the following year.)

At WWDC, the iOS previewed for developers will be iOS 26, which will also be its name when it is released to the public this September.

May 28: On Tuesday, Digital Trends exclusively reported that Apple acquired RAC7, the two-person operation behind the cute and very fun Sneaky Sasquatch, which won the Apple Arcade award for Game of the Year in 2020. It is often in the top 10 of the most popular games on Apple Arcade and, as of this week, was #7.

Apple’s acquisition of Vancouver-based RAC7 might’ve been the first shoe to drop on Tuesday. The other shoe came in the form of a report from Bloomberg that Apple will debut a stand-alone app for video games (right now Apple Arcade is a tab in the App Store) that will show up in MacBooks, iPads, Apple TV, and, of course, the iPhone. Bloomberg reports that this stand-alone app will replace Game Center and promote Apple Arcade, the $6.99/month service that enables users to play games like Sneaky Sasquatch.

The environment in which these moves are being made is one of significant change. On May 1, Epic Games announced it was opening a new web store on iOS for video game developers. This was a result of its epic legal victory over Apple, which saw Apple lose its ability to charge “any commission or any fee on purchases that consumers make outside an app.” An Apple spokesperson has told the press that the company would appeal the ruling.

Will there be an announcement at WWDC 2025 about Apple's new stand-alone gaming app? You can all but bet on it.

May 25: As Bloomberg reported on May 25, Apple's primary focus at WWDC 2025 will be a new software design codenamed "Solarium." The publication reports that "the new look is slicker and more modern." The new interface will reportedly affect all of Apple's operating systems.

iOS 19 will bge called iOS 26

One announcement that's all but certain to appear at WWDC 2025 is the 19th version of iOS, called iOS 26. WWDC is mainly a software-focused event, and iOS is Apple's most widely used platform, so it's always part of the main keynote.

Rumors so far hint that iOS 26 could include some major changes, specifically an overhaul to iOS's visual style, which we haven't seen since iOS 7.

Some images leaked back in March claiming to show those visual changes, but Apple analyst Mark Gurman refuted them in a Threads post, specifically stating they "aren't representative of what we'll see at WWDC."

So, while it sounds like visual changes to iOS are likely, it's still up in the air how extensive those changes will be and how they'll look.

Additionally, there are rumors the long-awaited Siri update will finally arrive in iOS 26, although it's still unclear when, so don't get your hopes up just yet.

Over the past year, the new-and-improved AI Siri has been delayed several times, so it's possible the update won't be in the first release of iOS 26 but will arrive in a later OS update. Previous rumors pointed to iOS 19.4 in spring 2026 as a potential release window.

iPadOS 26

Along with iOS 26, we're also expecting to see the 19th version of iPad OS, which will be called iPad OS 26. We expect it to arrive with a slate of updates similar to the iOS system's. It could get the same visual overhaul that iOS 19 receives, but there's also a chance that this could be the year iOS and iPadOS really diverge if Apple decides to move iPadOS closer to its Mac operating system.

As someone who has used an iPad as a laptop replacement, I have to admit I'm on board with the latter. While iPadOS shouldn't be completely melted into macOS, it would be nice to have better file management and a more laptop-like interface for using iPads with a Magic Keyboard and a mouse.

Aside from visual changes, iPadOS 26 will likely get some of the same updates as iOS 26, including Apple Intelligence updates and AI-powered battery life optimization.

We could also see improvements to Stage Manager, which seems especially likely if Apple debuts a more Mac-like iPadOS.

macOS 26

Another announcement that's a lock for WWDC 2025 is the 16th edition of macOS, which will be called macOS 26,

Apple has consistently given its macOS updates California-themed names over the past several years, and there are still dozens of likely candidates they haven't used, so it's hard to predict which one macOS 26 will get. The possibilities include Redwood, Mammoth, Condor, and Shasta.

Regardless of the name, we expect macOS 26 to get a visual overhaul similar to iOS/iPadOS 26. MacOS 26 may look more like its iPhone and iPad counterparts this year, especially if Apple takes inspiration from visionOS. Changes could include circular app icons, translucent windows, and simplified navigation.

Additionally, some features from iOS 26 could carry over to macOS, like AI-powered battery optimization and any Apple Intelligence updates.

watchOS 26

While it might not be the star of the show, the Apple Watch is expected to receive an update with the 12th edition of watchOS, which will be called watchOS 26, at WWDC 2025.

Like this year's other software updates, this update will feature major visual changes. Those visual updates will probably also include more Apple Intelligence features, which the Watch hasn't seen much of yet. For instance, we might get AI-powered health and fitness tools integrated into watchOS or AI-scripted replies to texts.

Of course, the Apple Watch will also be able to take advantage of the upcoming Siri update, but as mentioned above, we might not see that until well into 2026, even if it's announced at this year's WWDC.

visionOS 26

The Apple Vision Pro has struggled to catch on since it launched in February 2024, but Apple is still diligently supporting it with software updates, which could lead to a rumored pair of smart glasses on the horizon.

So, it's no surprise that WWDC 2025 will likely include a look at the third edition of visionOS, which will be called visionOS 26.

Interestingly, it sounds like the big visual updates to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS may have taken some inspiration from visionOS, so this OS might not change as much as the others in the Apple lineup.

Even so, it will likely still get a mention in the keynote and possibly a sneak peek at any upcoming apps and movies made for Vision Pro.

Apple Intelligence updates

Apple first announced Apple Intelligence at last year's WWDC, so we expect to see Apple spotlight some updates to its struggling AI platform during this year's keynote.

Apple Intelligence got off to a rough start this year, with features slow to roll out and the critical Siri overhaul nowhere in sight.

Delays with Apple Intelligence even caused a leadership shake-up at Apple, which will hopefully lead to more features and quicker updates, including the promised LLM Siri update.

One feature we could see at WWDC 2025 is a rumored feature that uses AI to optimize battery life in iOS 26. This is a refreshingly practical feature that I can see many iPhone users appreciating (myself included). Hopefully, we'll also get a transparent timeline for when to expect the new-and-improved Siri.

Mac Pro M4 Ultra

Hardware announcements at WWDC are hit or miss. WWDC is mainly for software announcements, but Apple occasionally throws a product reveal into the mix, especially if it's a device that doesn't follow Apple's typical pattern of hardware updates.

One such device we could see this year is the Mac Pro M4 Ultra. Apple's top-of-the-line Max and Ultra versions of its M-series chip tend to run at least a year or so behind its more mainstream base and Pro versions.

We finally got the M3 Ultra in March with the new Mac Studio, but the M4 Ultra is not publicly available yet.

It's possible that could change at WWDC this year. However, an M4 Ultra Mac Pro won't come cheap, especially with Trump administration tariffs shaking up Apple's pricing across its product line-up.

Wild card: AI smart glasses

While hardware announcements are unlikely at WWDC, a surprise product reveal is possible. Wild card announcements have happened in the past, like with the Apple Vision Pro.

There's a slim chance that this year's presentation could include a sneak peek at a rumored pair of AI smart glasses Apple is developing. Google just unveiled a pair of Android-powered glasses at Google I/O, so this would be a good time for Apple to reveal its own glasses to keep up with the competition.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple aims to launch its glasses by the end of 2026, so a reveal could be a bit early. It's not impossible, though, especially right after Google I/O.

How to watch WWDC 2025

If you can't wait to see what Apple shows off at WWDC 2025, you can watch the keynote presentation live on Apple's website. The stream will also be on the official Apple Developer YouTube channel, so subscribe to get a notification when the livestream starts there.

The keynote presentation will be on June 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific/1 p.m. Eastern.

If you can't watch live, you can also follow along with us. Laptop Mag will cover everything Apple announces live and unpack all the highlights.

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On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social network to condemn Apple’s practices of offshoring jobs to China to manufacture the iPhone and other products in its device lineup.

After threatening an individual tariff of 25% on all Apple products, some analysts are already putting in predictions for how the President’s proposed rate could affect Cupertino’s supply chain, and ultimately what the company would need to charge for products like the iPhone, MacBooks, and more if those threats are made real.

Trump threatens a 25% hike on Apple products

For starters, here is some context on what it looks like when a country tries to apply individual tariffs to companies or sectors attempting to reshore.

What Trump is suggesting, at least broadly, wouldn’t be the first time a government has applied tariffs to a single corporation.

Throughout history, the U.S. has placed tariffs on everything from Chinese-made solar panels to Canadian lumber to protect and ensure the growth trajectory of domestic competitors.

However it is the first time a president has threatened a domestic U.S. company with tariffs for goods it produces overseas.

“I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhones that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else,” Trump posted to Truth Social on Friday morning.

“If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S.”

The fact that no one has ever tried to do something like this before acknowledges just how unprecedented Trump’s threats are.

Some economists say it is damaging to the U.S. consumer and stock market.

As Apple produces nearly 90% of its entire product stack from within China’s borders, this clearly presents a problem for the company.

In February of this year, Tim Cook made loose promises that Apple plans to restore over $500 billion worth of manufacturing to the US over the next four years.

This timeline feels suspiciously convenient on its own, but Trump has decided to put even more pressure on Cupertino to bring jobs back home nonetheless.

What are analysts saying about next steps?

Ahead of Trump’s latest amendment to global trade policy, Dan Ives, global lead of technology research at financial services firm Wedbush Securities, told CNN in April that bringing iPhone manufacturing back to the U.S. wasn’t much more than “a fictional tale.”

“You build that (supply chain) in the U.S. with a fab in West Virginia and New Jersey. They’ll be $3,500 iPhones,” he said.

Ives also addressed the sheer logistical nightmare, saying it would take more than three years and $30 billion just to get 10% of the supply chain back to US shores.

Whether a tariff or the cost of reshoring is applied, the end result is a more expensive iPhone, MacBook, iMac, or Vision Pro for you or someone in your family going forward.

Would you even want a U.S.-made iPhone?

If there’s one tech story that points to the potential pitfalls of Trump’s overall strategy for the U.S. tech industry, it’s Intel.

Over the past half decade, the company has lost almost 65% of its total value, a decrease driven by AMD’s surprise chiplet attack, which threw one of America’s most stable blue chip stocks into abrupt, and up to now seemingly unending, chaos.

AMD had spent the better part of its history trailing Intel in sales, innovation, performance, and reliability. However, the company’s growing partnership with Taiwan’s chip fab specialists, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, or TSMC, created a new attack point.

One where the engineering, programming, and design of a chip could be handled stateside, while TSMC would shoulder the actual chip fabrication.

A split set of duties allows companies like AMD or Nvidia to offshore many of the dirtier, more heavily regulated parts of producing chips to other regions, while hiring talent willing to work in buildings not attached to silicon manufacturing floors in the United States.

Meanwhile, Intel continued to expand domestic fabrication in places like Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, and others for years before the CHIPS Act was even a thing.

Famously, the company stumbled significantly from the 10nm to 7nm production process (to the tune of billions of dollars). AMD eventually seized its opportunity to close the gap between the two chipmakers.

Everyone else is doing it, so why can’t Apple?

AMD’s model isn’t unique, of course. Nvidia, Apple, and even a modernized Intel all have to rely heavily, if not entirely, on Taiwan and TSMC to manufacture a significant portion of the chips backed by their engineering and design efforts.

Designing a product in the U.S. and manufacturing it abroad has become a core component of the NAFTA-driven economic model since Clinton first passed the bill in the 90s. As such, it’s almost strange for Apple to be singled out the way it has been, considering how many of its direct competitors do the exact same thing.

In all likelihood, Trump, who famously said “everything’s computer," is no expert on technology trade. This lack of awareness likely allows underdogs like AMD, and even more confusing tech prospects like Nvidia, to fly under the 78-year-old’s radar in what’s become the status quo for any Silicon Valley company that wants to keep the lights on these days.

Currently, the only company seemingly capable of usurping Apple’s claim to the number one most valuable company is Nvidia, another tech giant that’s doing the exact same thing Trump claims to be against.

However, one thing Apple doesn’t have that Nvidia does is the backing of everyone around them. What’s suitable for Nvidia is good for the world (or the U.S.). So even rivals like Meta, Tesla, and Amazon still line up next to one another to sing the hardware maker’s praises.

At the same time, they also commit to a competing AI arms race of biblical proportions against each other.

Whether Apple’s 25% tariff is real, enforceable, or something Trump will even care about next week is likely a whim left to the courts and whatever Fox News complained about last night.

But if the company does get stuck with a new sticker price, it could face even fiercer competition from rivals like Samsung and lose shares to domestic winners like AMD, Intel, and Nvidia, which are just as complicit in offshoring US manufacturing as Apple but still somehow manage to escape Trump’s ire.

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It's a busy time for the tech industry. Companies are holding their annual events, setting up upcoming software releases, and previewing what’s coming with new devices set to launch in the fall.

Google will hold its annual Google I/O event on Tuesday, the same time as Microsoft Build 2025 and the Asian tech expo Computex. It will also happen weeks before Apple's big event, the Worldwide Developers Conference on June 9.

Google I/O 2025 is a big event for the company. It's in the middle of all the tech trends right now. It's developing new devices to keep up with Apple, pushing its AI to stay right on top of Microsoft, and still offering a variety of services, whether it be Google Cloud, Chrome, or even YouTube, that are either the top dog in their fields or put the company right up there.

How to watch Google I/O 2025?

Google I/O takes place on Tuesday, May 20, with the keynote speech starting at 1 p.m. Eastern. The speech will be streamed on Google's Developers YouTube channel.

Here's what we're expecting to see during the keynote speech.

Google Smart Glasses

On May 13, Google's Android Show focused on the upcoming changes for Android 16, which should be released sometime in June. Sameer Samat, president of Android Ecosystem, hosted the show. At the end of the event, he put on sunglasses, teasing that there would be some news coming at Google I/O.

Smart glasses are the current hot tech trend, with Meta's Ray-Ban glasses being the current market leader. Apple is reportedly working on its version, and it makes sense for Google to make its own.

Google was the first to release smart glasses when it released Google Glass in 2013. However, the price and lack of functionality made them unattractive at the time.

It's a different story in 2025, with technology getting smaller and cheaper, making smart glasses easier to produce while offering many possibilities. Powering these glasses will be Android XR, an operating system for headsets and glasses. Expect a chunk of the show to be dedicated to these new glasses.

Gemini

Even though Google smart glasses might be the show's breakout star, the main character will be Gemini.

Google released its Gemini 2.5 model in March and expects it to be in everything the company produces, whether hardware, software, or services.

Wear OS

The next version of Wear OS is coming. Wear OS 6 was shown during the Android Show, and as expected, it will use Gemini, although there is more.

The wearable OS will have a new look for Pixel Watch and show more data at a quick glance. Expect to see even more features for Wear OS during Google I/O.

Android 16

Even though the Android Show covered Android 16, there are likely some more features to discuss. What those features could be remains unclear, but Google wouldn't have an I/O show without discussing the next Android release.

Google TV

Google TV, the company's operating system for smart TVs, is currently using Android 14, and it's time for an upgrade. Google TV usually updates to the new version of Android every two years, which means it should be jumping to Android 16.

If it does, expect to see more features for smart TVs, and very likely, the incorporation of Gemini into Google TV.

Pinterest Alternative?

A new Pinterest-like social media platform from Google could be an interesting surprise. The Information reported that Google is looking to release an app that enables users to put together their pictures into shared collections.

It's hard to tell what Google is cooking with this platform, but that's why there are shows like Google I/O to showcase it.

Google Chrome

While Google is still dealing with the legal matters involving Chrome and the monopoly the company has that could require it to tell the internet browser, it might as well reveal some new features for it. If there are new features for the browser, like everything else in the show, expect it to incorporate Gemini.

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Apple has been scrambling to deal with the tariffs instituted by President Donald Trump in early April. The company has taken steps ranging from cargo flights full of phones to ramping up production in countries without high tariffs.

iPhone production in India is on the rise to meet the large number of phones needed when the next iPhone comes out in the fall, but it appears that Trump isn't a fan of the move. Trump was speaking at a business roundtable in Doha, Qatar, when the subject of Apple and its shifting production of the iPhone came up.

“I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday,” Trump said on May 15, according to CNBC. “I said to him, ‘My friend, I treated you very good. You’re coming here with $500 billion, but now I hear you’re building all over India.’ I don’t want you building in India.”

The $500 billion Trump is referring to is the investment in the U.S. that Apple committed to back in February.

“I said to Tim, I said, ‘Tim look, we treated you really good, we put up with all the plants that you build in China for years, now you got build us. We’re not interested in you building in India, India can take care of themselves ... we want you to build here,'" the president said.

Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for a statement on Trump's comment.

Apple's tariff problem

It comes as no surprise that the tariffs could have a big impact on the price of an iPhone. An iPhone 16 Pro Max with 1 TB of storage could easily cost more than $2,000, while manufacturing an iPhone in the U.S. could push the price of the phone to more than $3,000.

While moving production of the iPhone to the U.S. is unlikely, Apple's partner for its chips, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), has already begun chip production in Arizona as a way to avoid dealing with potential tariffs. However, that move may still lead to a price increase due to the higher costs of manufacturing in the U.S.

Even with the current freeze on tariffs across the board that included smartphones, and a reduction of tariffs on China that was announced earlier in the week, Apple is reportedly evaluating whether to raise the price of iPhones, according to the Wall Street Journal. The report cites sources who say that the company is looking to increase the price tag due to the new features and design of the next iPhone.

Google may have just given us its biggest hint yet about a pair of Android smart glasses that could make an apperance at Google I/O next week.

It's been a couple of years since Google finally shuttered its ill-fated Google Glass AR glasses, but it looks like Google isn't giving up yet.

An Android Show video streamed Tuesday on the Android YouTube channel may have included a sneaky tease of Google's rumored Android-powered smart glasses.

Here's a look at what we know so far about Google's potential return to smart glasses and the pitfall Google will need to watch out for this time.

See also: Best phone deals in May 2025

Google teases Android smart glasses ahead of Google I/O

The live stream unpacked some recent Android updates, but the most interesting part of the show came near its end.

Sameer Samat, Android Ecosystem President, closed things out with a short promo for Google I/O, stating:

"Join us for an exciting Google I/O in just a few days. We'll have deep dives from developers, the latest on Google Gemini, and maybe even a few more really cool Android demos. See you on May 20."

As Samat says, "A few more really cool Android demos," he slips on a pair of black sunglasses. The frames are chunky black plastic, and there appear to be circular indents on each side — in the exact spots where cameras would be on a pair of smart glasses.

This couldn't have been a more obvious hint if Samat had ended by winking directly into the camera.

The implication is clear: one of the "really cool Android demos" coming up at Google I/O could very well be a pair of Android-powered smart glasses.

This hint comes after rumors of a private Google smart glasses demo last month, and as Google's rival Meta goes all-in on smart glasses.

There is a smart glasses showdown brewing. Google's potential return to the smart glasses market is no coincidence. Meta is pouring attention into its Ray-Ban AI smart glasses, which are expected to get a big refresh later this year. At the same time, there are rumors that Apple is developing a chip for a pair of smart glasses.

Can Google learn from Meta's experiences with user privacy?

It's no surprise that Google is returning to smart glasses despite its failure with Google Glass. The glasses Samat briefly wore in the most recent Android Show Livestream certainly look strikingly similar to Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses.

While it's nothing exciting, the design is definitely a step up from the blocky Matrix-like look of Google Glass. The question is, what else has Google changed this time around?

Considering we got this sneak peek on the Android Show, it seems likely that this pair of smart glasses will be running on Android, or some sort of modified version of it.

Additionally, I hope Google is paying attention to the controversy surrounding privacy on Meta's Ray-Ban glasses. Privacy is a natural concern when you're walking around wearing a device that can record audio and video at the sound of a simple activation phrase.

Meta took things a step further recently by tweaking its privacy policy to require users to allow Meta to store certain audio and video data in the cloud to improve and train its AI.

While Google isn't exactly a paragon of data privacy, hopefully, they'll pay attention to the concerns over Meta's move with its smart glasses.

If Google commits to respecting user privacy and allowing them to control where and how data from their glasses is stored, it could give Google's new Android-powered smart glasses an edge on Meta.

Either way, we'll soon find out exactly what Google envisions for its Android smart glasses at Google I/O, which will kick off on May 20.

More from Laptop Mag

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Apple may be arriving late to the slim phones party, but it could have a major advantage over Samsung's S25 Edge at launch, potentially solving the biggest challenge for slim phones: battery life.

On Tuesday morning local time in Seoul, South Korea, Samsung officially unveiled the Galaxy S25 Edge, its first ultra-thin phone and the top rival for the upcoming iPhone 17 Air (or "Slim"). Earlier that day, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported Apple is developing an AI feature for iOS 19 designed to optimize battery life.

Those two announcements might not sound connected at first, but Apple's AI battery life feature could be a key step toward getting an edge over the Galaxy S25 Edge.

See also: Best Apple deals in May 2025

Apple has had a rocky year getting Apple Intelligence off the ground, plagued by delays and setbacks, especially with a much-needed Siri overhaul.

Furthermore, most of the Apple Intelligence features rolled out so far offer minor tools like AI-generated emojis and image generation in the Notes app, which may be helpful to some but aren't necessarily game-changers.

That may be changing as Apple gears up to launch the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air (also called the iPhone 17 Slim). On Monday, Gurman reported that Apple is developing a feature for iOS 19 that will use AI to optimize battery life based on individual users' phone usage patterns.

This could be the most useful feature in iOS 19

While this feature sounds helpful for any iPhone user, it may be specifically designed for the iPhone 17 Air. Ultra-thin phones may look cool, but they have some inevitable challenges, such as durability and battery size. A thinner chassis simply has less space for a large battery.

As a result, there's a good chance this new era of ultra-thin phones will have a dip in battery life.

Apple will be playing catch-up with the iPhone 17 Air since the Galaxy S25 Edge is launching months ahead.

So, it wouldn't be surprising if Apple is trying to use that time to give the iPhone 17 Air a big advantage by resolving the battery life issue.

Using AI to optimize battery life is also a refreshingly good idea. AI image generators are somewhat gimmicky, in my opinion, but using AI to improve hardware performance has real merits.

Few people were likely complaining about not having enough emojis to choose from, but longer battery life is one of the most critical and common deciding factors when choosing a new phone.

So, if Apple can deliver an effective AI battery optimization tool with iOS 19, it could very well set itself up to make the iPhone 17 Air the most popular ultra-thin phone despite coming out later than Samsung's Galaxy S25 Edge.

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• iPhone 17 Air’s reported battery issue could revive a long-forgotten Apple accessory
• Remember “Bendgate”? Looking at this iPhone 17 Air mockup, Apple doesn’t

Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy S25 Edge, finally confirming what had been leaked months earlier — and the timing feels deliberate.

Packed inside the 5.8mm, 163-gram chassis is the same Snapdragon 8 Elite chip and 200MP camera found in Samsung’s Ultra model. In other words, it’s not a “lite” edition; it’s a statement.

The big reveal was held in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday morning local time — still Monday evening on the East Coast of the United States.

While Apple hasn’t publicly commented, the Edge debut date feels quite intentional. With the iPhone 17 Air (or Slim) rumored to be Apple’s upcoming ultra-thin play, Samsung just got the first word in.

Edge-level performance, iPhone-level ambition

If you’ve followed Samsung’s recent strategy, the Edge is the natural endpoint: Strip everything non-essential to chase a singular design vision. Here, that means matching the Ultra’s internals but ditching the telephoto lens and reducing the battery capacity to 3,900 mAh.

In return, you get a Galaxy flagship that is lighter than anything Samsung has shipped in years. It’s also nearly 2mm thinner than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and more than a full millimeter thinner than the iPhone 15 Pro.

We’ve been here before, though. Phones got thin, they bent (a throwback to the iPhone 6 Plus), and manufacturers overcorrected with bigger batteries, bulkier camera islands, and the naming of “Pro Max Ultra.”

The S25 Edge hints at a design rethink: What if sleek, pocketable, and premium could coexist?

Samsung is betting that it can. If the rumors are accurate, Apple will think the same thing.

Enter the iPhone 17 Air

According to earlier leaks, Apple’s 2025 iPhone lineup could include a brand-new Air model. This handset would be dramatically thinner, possibly as thin as 5.5mm, and built from titanium or aluminum to cut weight.

The Air may not ship with the full triple-lens loadout we’ve come to expect. Like the Edge, it might settle for fewer sensors, a smaller battery, and an emphasis on lightness. And much like Samsung, Apple’s design decisions will pose the same question: How much compromise are users willing to accept in the name of thin?

The S25 Edge’s biggest gamble isn’t its weight or thickness. It’s the battery. At 3,900 mAh, it’s down nearly 25% from what you’ll find in most 2025 flagships. That’s the price you pay for a device this slim.

Thermal management is another concern. Thin phones have less room for vapor chambers or graphite pads, and any passive cooling is limited by physics. Some users will notice if Samsung is throttling the Snapdragon 8 Elite under sustained load.

Apple’s Air may face the same scrutiny. The thinnest iPad Pro (5.1mm) already sparked debates about heat and battery performance. Now imagine a similar device in your pocket and how it might hold up after a day of heavy use.

Building a narrative?

Samsung has everything to gain from this category. Unlike Apple, which has been refining a single design language across devices, Samsung can afford to experiment.

The Edge isn’t replacing the Ultra or the base S25. It’s an option; a stylistic choice for users who value comfort over cameras or runtime. By being first, Samsung gets to frame the narrative: thinness is premium again. And if the iPhone 17 Air follows, Samsung can credibly say it set the trend.

The S25 Edge feels like more than a hardware announcement in many ways. It’s a provocation. If Apple responds with an iPhone 17 Air this fall, we could see thin become the new must-have spec, right alongside megapixels, refresh rates, and AI.

But for now, it’s Samsung’s turn in the spotlight. The company has built the world’s thinnest flagship phone. And in doing so, it may have kickstarted the industry’s next great design war.

Watch the Samsung 'Beyond Slim' event

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On Tuesday, Samsung's launch event for the long-awaited S25 Edge kicks off at 9 a.m. Korean Standard Time (Monday, 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time), which is expected to be "the slimmest Galaxy S series yet."

This will make Apple fashionably late to the budding thin phones market, with the S25 Edge arriving months ahead of the rumored iPhone 17 Air (or Slim). That could give Samsung a major edge over Apple and give us a look at what to expect from this new generation of ultra-thin phones, including potential drawbacks like battery life and durability.

Here's a look at everything we know so far about the Galaxy S25 Edge, what to expect from today's event, and how you can watch live.

See also: Best phone deals in May 2025

Samsung edges out Apple in thin phones market: What we know about the S25 Edge

It's clear that the perceived next frontier in the smartphone world is ultra-thin designs, and Samsung and Apple are both vying to rule that market. Unfortunately for Apple, it looks like Samsung will be crossing the finish line first.

Samsung's "Beyond slim" event will finally reveal the rest of the details regarding the Galaxy S25 Edge, which debuted on January 22 at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2025. The first-gen ultra-thin phone will be the upcoming iPhone 17 Air's prime competition. While Samsung has saved most of the official details for today's event, there have been some leaks over the past few months that offer a sneak peek of what to expect.

As of April 2025, rumors indicate that the S25 Edge will run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip with 12GB of RAM, up to 512GB of storage, and a 200MP main camera.

Additional spec rumors from May 1 point to a 3,900 mAh battery, which is probably still enough to get you through the day but is notably smaller than the battery in the Galaxy S25+.

Battery life could be one of the biggest drawbacks to thinner smartphones, so it will be a feature to watch once these phones hit our labs for testing. There's no getting around the lack of room for a large battery compared to a thicker phone. Apple will face a similar challenge with the iPhone 17 Air, but it will be interesting to see how the 17 Air's battery life compares to the S25 Edge.

Speaking of the Air, current spec rumors highlight a minor advantage Apple may have out of the gate. The S25 Edge is reportedly 5.8mm (0.23 inches) thick, making it a hair thicker than the iPhone 17 Air, which is rumored to be 5.6mm (0.22 inches) thick.

With a chassis that thin, durability is a clear concern, especially in light of past controversies like the infamous "bendgate" incident with the iPhone 6.

Samsung seems to be taking durability concerns seriously with the S25 Edge. Ahead of Monday's event, it announced that the S25 Edge will include the new Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 to protect the display. Hopefully, the chassis itself has similar durability features baked in.

How to watch Samsung's "Beyond Slim" event

Samsung's "Beyond Slim" event will be livestreamed starting at 9 a.m. Korean Standard Time on May 13, which is 8 p.m. Eastern or 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on May 12 for viewers in the United States.

The easiest way to watch, whichever timezone you're in, is through the official livestream on YouTube, where you can set yourself a notification for when the livestream kicks off.

If you can't wait to get your hands on an S25 Edge, you can reserve one now on Samsung's website and get a $50 credit.

We'll be unpacking everything Samsung unveils tonight, so make sure to stay tuned here for more updates, analysis, and the latest Samsung deals.

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• App Store rule change takes the headache out of buying books on iOS Kindle app

It's finally getting easier to buy ebooks on the iOS Kindle app after a major App Store rule change.

In response to a court order in the case of Epic Games, Inc. v. Apple Inc., Apple has been forced to stop charging a commission on purchases made outside of the App Store. This is good news for iPhone users in general, but solves an especially annoying issue with the iOS Kindle app, which has received an update to make buying ebooks on your iPhone much easier.

Thanks to this court order, making purchases from your iPhone just got a whole lot simpler.

See also: Memorial Day Apple deals

iOS Kindle app gets desperately-needed update after App Store rule change

If you opened the iOS Kindle app recently days, you may have noticed you now have the option to purchase books in the app... sort of.

Prior to a major App Store rule change on May 1, you couldn't purchase books through the iOS Kindle app at all (or the Amazon app) and instead had to go through the entire process in your web browser. Now, you can simply tap "Get Book" and the Kindle app will take you directly to the book's purchasing page in your browser.

This is a far more streamlined process and it's thanks to a recent court order that forced Apple to stop charging commissions on external purchases.

So, for instance, previously an app developer couldn't include a link in their app taking the user to their web browser to make a purchase outside of the app. That rule was used to effectively force app developers to only allow purchases through their apps, which would force them to give Apple a 30% commission on every purchase.

Now, developers are allowed to include buttons and links directing users to external purchase mechanisms, mainly web browsers, without being forced to pay a commission. As a result, buying things like ebooks on your iPhone is now much more straightforward and user-friendly.

The court case slowly opening iOS to third-party app stores

As one might expect, Apple is appealing the ruling that led to this change in the App Store rules. However, I hope for the sake of iOS and iPadOS users that the rule change stays in effect since it contributes to a much better user experience with apps like Kindle and others that allow for digital purchases.

In fact, Epic Games, the plaintiff in the case that led to last week's App Store change, has had an ongoing dispute with Apple over its restrictions and commission system for purchases made on iOS. Epic currently doesn't have an iOS/iPadOS app available in the U.S. due to those restrictions.

Users in the European Union can download the Epic Games Store on their iOS and iPadOS devices thanks to the Digital Markets Act, which forced Apple to allow the use of third-party app stores, but that ruling only applies to users in the EU. Luckily, that may change soon thanks to rulings in Epic's case against Apple.

I'm hoping Epic continues to score wins in its case against Apple since this case is finally bringing more freedom to iOS, giving users more choice over the apps they download, where they download them from, and how they purchase digital items like ebooks. Although, admittedly I still prefer my ereader over the Kindle app.

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At a time when people are buying new phones less often and worrying more about prices, Apple is hoping to sell even more iPhones.

Despite a looming iPhone supply chain crisis caused by trade tariffs, Apple is reportedly planning to launch more iPhones than ever before over the next couple of years. If those rumors are true, Apple will be launching six different iPhone models just in 2027.

The question is, does anyone need that many new iPhones? As consumers are concerned about pricing on everything else going up, from basic cost of living to the laptops they need for school and work, the ramp-up doesn't seem to make sense.

In fact, it might just be the worst possible time for Apple to be ramping up iPhone releases.

See also: Best phone deals in May 2025

Apple planning to launch up to six new iPhones per year

This weekend, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to speed up its iPhone release cycle in 2026 and 2027, building up to a whopping six new iPhone models in 2027.

This timeline is very crowded, even on paper:

When I first saw this rumored release plan, my first thought was, who needs this many iPhones to choose from? Who are all these for?

Buying an iPhone used to be pretty simple. If you want a large screen, get the Plus. If you want a better camera, get the Pro. Otherwise, go with the standard model.

Now, however, Apple is throwing in the Slim and a foldable, both of which will probably be the most expensive phones Apple has ever launched, especially considering the impact Trump administration tariffs could have on iPhone prices. (Those continue to fluctuate, though, making it very difficult to predict how much of a price increase future iPhones will have.)

Regardless of the price, six iPhones in one year seems like a lot, especially when there are fewer reasons to upgrade your phone than there used to be.

More iPhones, higher prices, and few reasons to upgrade

Only ten years ago, Apple was releasing just two new iPhones per year.

Those phones, the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, didn't lose support until March 2025. That's a longer lifespan than any other iPhone to date, including the iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus, and X, which also lost support this past March despite coming out two or three years after the iPhone 6s.

All of which is to say, Apple is releasing more new iPhone models every year and the lifespan for those phones seems to be trending downward while, at the same time, prices are increasing.

Unfortunately for Apple, there is little to no reason to upgrade your phone more often than every three years. That's especially true for iPhones, which tend to have relatively long lifespans.

Many regular users say they'll keep using their iPhone as long as it gets software updates, even if they have to replace the battery along the way.

Surveys have shown that less than 12% of people buy a new phone yearly as of 2025. The majority (55.47%) upgrade every 2-3 years. I'd argue most people could continue using their phones even longer these days since smartphone innovation has been slowing significantly.

We don't need more iPhones to choose from. We need iPhone updates that include significant, meaningful improvements and exciting new features. Apple Intelligence attempted to offer that, but there are already a number of AI apps you can install on any phone and get effectively the same capabilities.

With tech prices increasing, you should focus on maximizing the value of the phone you already have, even if Apple tries to win you over with a pricey folding iPhone.

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To say Apple is in rough waters right now is putting it mildly. The company has lost hundreds of billions of dollars since President Donald Trump announced his tariffs, and it's been trying to change up its entire manufacturing plans to have more of its iPhones made in India instead of China.

Apple is also trying its hand at new technological trends. One that it has stumbled with so far is AI, as Apple Intelligence has yet to take off as expected, and the promised overhauled Siri continues to get pushed back. The other is foldable devices, with its first foldable iPhone rumored to come out next year. According to a new report, the company has some big changes in how it will release its phones in order to accommodate a new device, as well as a change in manufacturing.

Apple will change when it launches its new phones starting next year, as reported by The Information. Instead of releasing its flagship iPhones in the fall and its budget phone in the spring, Apple will reportedly stagger releases starting with the iPhone 18 lineup.

The reported plan would start in 2026 with the iPhone 18 Air, Pro, and Pro Max coming out in the fall, along with the foldable device. Then, in 2027, the standard iPhone 18 and the next budget iPhone would be released in the spring.

Apple's reported goal for this change in release schedule is to improve production on multiple devices without having to focus all efforts on production at the same time. This would also allow the plants in India, in particular, to handle the production of the phones launching in the spring, as they would be based on older designs.

Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about this reported scheduling change.

What do we know about the folding iPhone?

The rumored folding iPhone is supposed to be coming in 2026, and there are a lot of questions about it.

To start, there's still speculation on whether this foldable device will be an iPhone, an iPad, or maybe something different. There are two kinds of foldable devices right now: those that fold in half, similar to flip phones, and others that fold out to give a bigger screen, like the Samsung Galaxy Fold.

There are rumors of two folding devices of different sizes: one similar to the size of an iPhone, with the other similar to an iPad. There could also be another foldable device that's even bigger, with a display of 18 inches, which could act as a foldable MacBook.

Apple should release its first folding device in 2026. If it does happen, expect it not to be cheap.

It's rumored that Apple will release a new iPhone 17 variant this year that has been referred to as the iPhone 17 Air.

There have been multiple leaks of dummy models for the super-thin iPhone showing how it's almost half the thickness of the iPhone 16 Pro. Still, all the rumors focus on the physical size of the phone, as there has yet to be credible news about the internals–such as the processor, storage, and something important to many people, battery life.

A new report from The Information does appear to shed some light on that last point, and it might not be what some hopeful iPhone 17 Air buyers wanted to hear.

According to the report, the iPhone 17 Air will have a lower battery life than what's expected. The metric used was the percentage of users who could last a whole day with the iPhone 17 Air on a single charge. Most phone models reportedly have 80%–90% of users lasting the whole day without recharging, but the iPhone 17 Air comes in at the 60%–70% range, which is a significant drop-off.

Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about the iPhone 17 Air's battery life.

Bring back an energy blast from the past.

To counter this potential problem, Apple is reportedly looking to bring back its Smart Battery Cases.

The Smart Battery Cases were cases with an external battery built into them. So when used with a phone, the external battery would be the first source of power for the phone, lasting most of the day, before the phone started using its own internal battery. The cases were praised for providing that extra battery life, but their bulkiness was always a downside.

Apple made multiple Smart Battery Cases for its iPhones over the years, but stopped with the iPhone 12. This was when Apple became more focused on MagSafe products, and the bulky case wouldn't work properly with it.

What else do we know abou the iPhone 17 Air?

As mentioned earlier, there is not much else known about the iPhone 17 Air other than its dimensions.

Those dimensions, in particular, have some wondering if we'll see another "Bendgate," which was when the iPhone 6 was so thin, for the time, that it would actually bend with enough pressure. It's unlikely that Apple would let that happen again, but it does have some people who remember that controversy a little concerned.

There was a report that Apple wanted to make the iPhone 17 Air so thin that it originally didn't have a USB-C port. Apple reportedly has been wanting to have a completely plugless iPhone with all the data transfers and power charging being wireless.

One issue other iPhone enthusiasts have had is the lack of creativity with the iPhone 17 Air's looks, mainly the camera bump. There have been comparisons made to other smartphones, and there are questions about whether Apple is getting lazy with its designs.

If the iPhone 17 Air becomes a reality, Apple will likely show it off in September. This month is usually reserved for a big event unveiling the new iPhones, which will be released later in the month or in early October.

Nothing announced a freshly upgraded version of its budget-friendly CMF Phone 1 on Monday, which now features a new camera and a desperately needed upgrade that the first model was missing.

Nothing unveiled the new CMF Phone 2 Pro in a livestream presentation, showing off a modular design similar to the original, but with some key hardware upgrades. The price is refreshingly similar, though, at just $279.

I’ve been loving the CMF Phone 1 as my daily driver for the past couple of months, but I’m torn about picking up the CMF Phone 2 Pro thanks to the addition of one much-needed feature and the loss of another.

See also: Best phone deals in April 2025

The CMF Phone 2 Pro is a sweet upgrade on a stellar budget phone

Nothing has officially unveiled the CMF Phone 2 Pro, the follow-up to last year's CMF Phone 1, which immediately caught my eye with its unique modular design. The CMF Phone 2 Pro features a similar aesthetic, but with a cleaner design, a new camera, updated specs, and — finally — NFC.

Here's how it compares to the original CMF Phone 1 and the Nothing Phone 3a:

I'm a fan of the sleek, two-tone design Nothing went with for the CMF Phone 2 Pro, but even if you only care about specs, it's a pretty good deal. It features a more powerful processor than the CMF Phone 1, a slightly larger display, and an updated camera. While the camera specs are similar, the sensor is a major upgrade since Nothing equipped the CMF Phone 2 Pro with the same sensor it used for the pricier Nothing Phone 3a.

With the inclusion of NFC, a much-requested feature missing from the CMF Phone 1, the CMF Phone 2 Pro delivers most of the core features you'd get in the Nothing Phone 3a, but for $100 less, which is a great deal if you're looking for a good budget-friendly phone.

Unfortunately, there is one feature missing from the CMF Phone 1: the modular backplates. You could swap out the entire backplate on the original CMF Phone and mix and match your hardware (for instance, I paired an orange backplate with black screws). Nothing has removed that feature this time around, though. You can screw on cases and accessories, but the backplate can't be swapped out anymore.

I have to admit, as much as I like the spec upgrades on the CMF Phone 2 Pro, I'm sad to see the modular backplates go away after just one generation. I thought that was a fun design, but Nothing may have ditched it to improve the water resistance on the Phone 2 Pro from IP52 to IP54.

If you want to get your hands on a CMF Phone 2 Pro, you'll need to snag one soon since they'll only be available in the U.S. during Nothing's Beta Program (meaning, once they're out of stock in the U.S., you won't be able to get one anymore, at least not directly from Nothing).

The CMF Phone 2 Pro is currently available for pre-order for $279 directly from Nothing.

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According to Mark Gurman's recent report, Apple's 20th anniversary smartphone will feature an "extraordinarily complex" design.

While that sounds great for Apple fans, it will come with a few major drawbacks.

Due to the current state of the U.S. import tariffs on goods manufactured in China (currently at a rate of 145%), Apple is attempting to move iPhone manufacturing to India by next year, but the iPhone 18 appears to be the exception.

That means you might want to buckle up and prepare for a collision course with some big price tags.

iPhone 18 is so complex it can only be made in China

According to Mark Gurman's latest Apple report for Bloomberg, the 20th anniversary phone is too complex to manufacture outside of China.

The Apple iPhone 18 Pro is expected to feature extra glass with an "extraordinarily complex design" that requires new parts and production techniques that can only be tackled by Apple's experienced Chinese manufacturing sites.

We don't know much about the iPhone 18 Pro yet, as it is still over a year away from its expected launch window. But the iPhone X did see a major design overhaul for the iPhone's 10th anniversary.

The iPhone X was the first Apple phone to feature an edge-to-edge screen with a Super Retina display, FaceID, a dual 12-megapixel rear camera setup, and wireless charging.

All of those features have now become the default for subsequent mainstream iPhones, so it's likely the 20th anniversary design will be just as foundational, even if we don't have a lot of detail on what that redesign is expected to include.

iPhones are just too complex in general

One of the arguments in favor of high tariffs on Chinese goods is that they incentivize domestic manufacturing.

Except, that's clearly not the case.

As we've previously covered, with the current tariffs in place, an iPhone 16 Pro Max with 1 TB of storage would cost more than $2,000 (currently $1,599). Manufacturing that same phone in the US would likely push the price over $3,000.

And that's not just due to the price of U.S. labor alone. Apple's iPhones are incredibly complex devices.

According to a report by the Financial Times, there are 2,700 parts in a single iPhone. Those parts are currently manufactured in more than 700 production sites.

Only 30 of those 700+ production sites operate their entire business outside of Chinese borders. And the benefit to Apple's existing production lines is that most of those 700 production sites are close together and can easily coordinate to make the complex parts that make up a single iPhone.

Per 9to5mac, those intricate supply chains took decades to develop. And that's the biggest impediment to Apple moving its production entirely out of China.

While Apple is currently planning to move iPhone production to India, that will be a challenging process even for phones that aren't expected to come with extra layers of design complexity.

What this means for iPhone pricing

Most likely, prices are going to go up across the board. Some iPhone parts are already made domestically in the United States, including the display and FaceID sensors, but the deep supply lines and complexity of modern devices makes switching production sites a serious problem.

Apple's success in recent years is, in large part, due to the expertise and easy collaboration of its Chinese production teams.

But even if Apple is able to move all production outside of China, there are still tariffs on goods made in India. While that rate is currently 26%, that could easily change.

For the iPhone 17 and iPhone 18 generations, it seems likely that Apple's phones will command a steep price due to import tariffs. Especially with the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max 20th Anniversary editions.

So if you're looking forward to the next blockbuster iPhone, you may want to start a savings fund now, and hope you can store away enough to compete with the tariff war.

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• New Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge rumors hint at specs and price ahead of its expected launch

Apple has been scrambling to try and get around the tariffs President Donald Trump has tried to institute.

It comes as no surprise that the tariffs could have a big impact on the price of an iPhone. An iPhone 16 Pro Max with 1 TB of storage could easily cost more than $2,000, while manufacturing an iPhone in the U.S. could push the price of the phone to more than $3,000.

It's for that reason that Apple is reportedly planning on moving the production of its iPhone to India by the end of next year, according to Bloomberg.

Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for confirmation of the move.

So far, Apple reportedly produces 40 million iPhones in India, and this move would double that amount. Currently, one in five iPhones is made in India. Foxconn is handling the production of the iPhones and is developing a $2.5 billion factory with more than 13 million square feet near Bengaluru, India, nicknamed "Project Elephant."

The race to avoid tariffs.

While Apple initially began moving production away from China back in 2022 due to harsh COVID-19 lockdowns in the country, the company has been making a mad dash to change production locations for many of its products.

The iPhone 16e, its low-budget phone, is already being produced in Brazil. Both India and Brazil have a minimal 10% tariff on goods under Trump's policy for all countries.

The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), maker of Apple Silicon, has already begun chip production in Arizona as a way to avoid dealing with potential tariffs. However, that move may still lead to a price increase due to the higher costs of manufacturing in the U.S.

Back in February, Apple announced it was investing $500 billion into the U.S., which included a new campus and more server factories in Texas. The factory would be where it will house its Apple Intelligence operations.

Apple saw more than $600 billion of its market value lost when Trump announced his tariffs on April 2. Fortunately for the iPhone maker, the president instituted a 90-day pause on tariffs for most countries. There was also an exception to the tariffs made for certain products that Apple produces – smartphones, computers, and laptops – that went into effect on April 11. This move was reportedly a result of a call Apple CEO Tim Cook had with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Trump, however, insists that there were no exemptions being made and that the tariffs would come back.

We might finally have some concrete details on Samsung's thinnest phone.

Samsung debuted the Galaxy S25 Edge at Unpacked back in January but with few details beyond its thin form factor. We've seen a few more glimpses of the phone since then, with the phone appearing in an art installation at the Samsung booth at MWC Barcelona 2025.

However, when it comes to pricing, specs, and a release date, nothing.

Until now, a series of leaks on Friday gave us a glimpse at what could be behind the ultra-thin chassis of the Galaxy S25 Edge.

Because some of the leaked information comes from Samsung's website, these rumors instill more confidence than most.

So, here's a rundown of today's Galaxy S25 Edge leaks:

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Rumored price

Samsung's website leaked the Canadian pricing of the S25 Edge.

According to retail intelligence leaker Roland Quandt, the S25 Edge was listed with a starting price of CA $1,678, with the 512GB model priced at CA $1,858.

This puts pricing for the Edge between the Galaxy S25 Plus and S25 Ultra. If that trend continues with the US pricing, the S25 Edge would cost somewhere between $999 to $1,299.

A direct currency exchange between the leaked Canadian pricing and US currency (at the current exchange rate of $0.72 USD to $1 Canadian) would put the US price for the base S25 Edge model at $1,210. Using the same math, the higher-spec model would cost $1,340.

$1,340 is above the base price for the S25 Ultra in the United States, so US pricing for the Edge is more likely to be between $1,149 and $1,199. However, the S25 Edge pricing landing between the S25 Plus and S25 Ultra will likely be the same on both sides of the border.

US prices are, of course, subject to change due to the constantly shifting US tariff policy, which could impact many of Samsung's products, including the Galaxy smartphone line.

Current tariff estimations indicate Galaxy phones could see a price hike of up to 46% depending on Samsung's production lines.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Rumored specs

Reputable hardware leaker Evan Blass posted a photo of what appeared to be S25 Edge marketing materials.

While not an official source, Blass has a history of leaking accurate information, so these specs could be true.

According to Blass's post, the S25 Edge features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, a 200MP camera, and all-day battery life.

However, the Galaxy S25 Edge isn't just a powerful smartphone. It's the thinnest Galaxy S25 phone. But just how thin and lightweight is it?

Allegedly, the S25 Edge is just 5.8mm (0.23 inches) thick, and weighs just 163g (0.36 pounds).

While this is incredibly thin and light, Apple's iPhone 17 Air is rumored to be just 5.6mm (0.22 inches) thick. While not a huge difference, in the race to make the thinnest smartphone, that 0.2mm would give Apple the edge.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Rumored release date

Lastly, Korean media outlet FN News reports that Samsung will announce information about the S25 Edge during a Galaxy Unpacked event on May 13th.

The Galaxy S25 Edge is currently expected to launch first in the South Korean and Chinese markets on May 23, with global sales (including the US) starting on May 30th.

We'll need to wait and see if Samsung confirms this information, but it would fit nicely into Samsung's release schedule.

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• iPhone 17 tipped for a long-awaited upgrade, but it may not come cheap
• iPhone 17 Air: Rumors are thick on the thinnest iPhone ever

On Thursday, a rumor surfaced that Apple may be giving the iPhone 17 a long-awaited upgrade, which is the good news. The bad news is that it’ll cost you.

More and more rumors and leaks about the iPhone 17 Air and the rest of this year's iPhone line-up are popping up as we get closer to the eventual launch in the second half of the year, most likely in September.

Earlier this week a hands-on video of an iPhone 17 Air mockup leaked and now we’re getting word that Apple is planning to significantly increase the memory in at least three iPhone 17 models.

Unfortunately, that might not be good news for some iPhone users.

See also: Best phone deals in April 2025

Apple plans pricey spec bump for the iPhone 17

The good news is that Apple is reportedly planning to increase the RAM in the iPhone 17 from 8GB to 12GB.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported in a blog post on Thursday that Apple is aiming to give the iPhone 17 Pro, Pro Max, and Air 12GB of RAM, and potentially the base iPhone 17, as well (although it sounds like this is still up in the air due to supply concerns). According to Kuo, by 2026, all new iPhone models will have 12GB of RAM.

That’s good news, especially if you want to use your iPhone for tasks like AI or gaming. Unfortunately, there’s a downside.

The bad news is that more RAM could lead to a higher price. As Kuo points out, the average price for 12GB RAM units compared to 8GB units is about 50% higher (hence why you usually have to pay extra for spec increases).

Apple doesn’t allow you to customize the RAM in your iPhone, so that extra cost will presumably go directly into a higher starting price. Unfortunately, this may just be adding fuel to the fire since Apple was already grappling with potential price increases due to Trump administration trade tariffs that are impacting the entire iPhone supply chain.

Right now, we’re in the midst of a 90-day pause on some of those tariffs, but it’s impossible to predict what the situation will be like in September, the most likely month for the iPhone 17 launch. At this point, though, it’s all but certain the iPhone 17 line-up will be more expensive than the current line-up.

We expect more leaks and rumors about the iPhone 17 and its price as we get closer to WWDC 2025 and a potential September iPhone event, so stay tuned for more info.

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• Remember “Bendgate”? Looking at this iPhone 17 Air mockup, Apple doesn’t

We might have gotten our first look at the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air, and I’m worried Apple is set to repeat one of its biggest smartphone fumbles of the last decade.

On Tuesday, Unbox Therapy posted a video of a hands-on with a mock-up of the iPhone 17 Air, Apple's long-rumored, ultra-thin iPhone. While this may not be the final or official design, it closely matches other leaked images we've seen already.

After seeing just how thin the iPhone 17 Air could be, I’m more concerned than ever that Apple could be about to make a disastrous design mistake similar to that which plagued the iPhone 6 when it launched in 2014.

See also: Best phone deals in April 2025

The iPhone 17 Air is thin — too thin

We’ve been keeping a close eye on the rumored iPhone 17 Air in 2025, with the ultra-slim smartphone expected to launch later this year. With no official word on the handset's release, our best guess is that we'll see the iPhone 17 Air unveiled during Apple's WWDC event in June.

However, tiding us over in the meantime, a hands-on impression has appeared online with what could very well be the upcoming iPhone 17 Air (or, at least, a mockup of it).

To be clear, this is just a dummy model that YouTube channel Unbox Therapy was sent by an unnamed manufacturer from China. As such, with the dummy model not coming directly from Apple, we can’t confirm how accurate this dummy unit is to the official design for the iPhone 17 Air.

With that said, the featured mockup closely matches several leaked images of iPhone 17 designs and cases we’ve seen recently, so there’s a high probability this is what the iPhone 17 Air will look like.

The dummy phone Unbox Therapy shows off in his video is shockingly thin at just 5.65 mm — roughly the thickness of your average pencil-top eraser. The iPhone 17 Pro Max looks downright bulky when the two are side-by-side.

While Unbox Therapy’s Lew seemed impressed by the design, the question of durability inevitably came up. It’s hard not to look at the iPhone 17 Air and wonder what it would take to bend a phone that thin — especially given Unbox Therapy's history with the now infamous “bendgate” controversy of the iPhone 6.

As impressive as the iPhone 17 Air mockup is to look at, I’m still not convinced it’s going to be worth your money, for more reasons than it's potential durability.

Is Apple heading for another “bendgate”? Why I’m not sold on the iPhone 17 Air

I would hope Apple wouldn’t release the iPhone 17 Air unless it wasn’t absolutely certain that chassis bends were no longer a concern, especially given the controversy caused by 2014's “bendgate” incident — which saw the aluminum chassis of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models bend or deform while under pressure, including while sat in the pockets of owners.

Technology and engineering have evolved a lot since the iPhone 6, so it’s possible Apple has solved the “bendgate” issue. Apple’s John Ternus claimed as much in an interview about the ultra-thin iPad Pro M4 last year. That iPad is 5.1 mm thick, fractionally slimmer than the iPhone 17 Air dummy shown in the hands-on video.

Of course, the iPad Pro M4 is a much larger device, a far cry from something people will be sticking in their back pockets.

Even if the iPhone 17 Air is far more durable than it looks, I’m still not convinced it will be worth an upgrade, especially if the price is in the thousands of dollars, as it well could be, depending on Trump administration tariffs.

For one thing, most people are going to slap a case on their phone (especially if you’re paying a premium for it), and, with a case on, the iPhone 17 Air isn’t going to look noticeably thinner than most other phones.

On top of that, it still has a large camera bump spanning almost the full width of the phone. That 5.6 mm thickness is measured at the Air’s thinnest point, so it doesn’t factor in the chunky camera bump.

Lastly, beyond a thinner chassis, the iPhone 17 Air looks like a fairly standard iPhone. So far, rumors don’t indicate it will be any more capable than any of the other iPhone 17 models, meaning the only real selling point is that it’s a bit thinne21r.

In fact, the thinner chassis could even be a disadvantage if it means the Air has a smaller battery or worse heat management.

Considering how expensive tech is getting, is that really worth paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for? I doubt it.

More from Laptop Mag

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When President Donald Trump announced a set of tariffs on countries the U.S. trades with on April 2, stocks for tech companies like Apple, Dell, and HP were rocked, wiping out billions in market value.

The Trump administration seemingly reversed course on the plan, instituting a 90-day pause on tariffs for most countries. Then there was more of a reprieve for tech companies when consumer tech products, such as smartphones and computers, were exempt from tariffs. While Trump insists that these exemptions are only temporary, it appears that this pivot might have been the work of Apple CEO Tim Cook.

A report from the Washington Post cites sources who spoke of a call between Cook and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick that happened before the exemptions were made public. The talk between Cook and Lutnick was reportedly about how tariffs can impact the prices of iPhones.

Trump took to Truth Social the Sunday after the exemption list went up saying, "NOBODY is getting 'off the hook'. There was no Tariff 'exception' announced on Friday."

He then told the White House Press Corps on Monday that he does speak with Cook.

“Look, I’m a very flexible person, I don’t change my mind, but I’m flexible,” Trump told reporters on Monday, according to Bloomberg. “I helped Tim Cook recently and that whole business."

How long will Apple be saved from tariffs?

With some of Apple’s most popular products seemingly exempted, it's not slowing down its strategy to deal with the end of the pause.

Apple already has its iPhone 16e being made in Brazil, according to a report from MacMagazine, first spotted by 9to5Mac. The budget iPhone has been manufactured in the country since day one, which differs from the company's regular process of waiting for some time before a new phone is produced locally in a country with the early batches made in China or India. This could be the start of Apple's plan to move phone manufacturing to other countries like Brazil, which has a 10% tariff. The U.S. currently has a 245% tariff on some Chinese imports.

If Apple doesn't come up with a solution to deal with the return of tariffs, the next iPhone could see a big price jump.

Under Trump's tariffs, a new iPhone could see a significant jump in price. The most expensive variant of the iPhone, the 16 Pro Max with 1TB of memory, could end up costing more than $2,000 due to tariffs. And if the iPhone were manufactured in the U.S., as Trump declares—the reason for the tariffs is to bring manufacturing back to the U.S.—the cost of a domestically produced iPhone could jump to more than $3,000.

Even if tariffs stay paused for Apple, the cost of the next iPhone could still jump due to the cost of the device's internal parts. Apple silicon manufacturer, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), held its earnings call earlier in the week. The company performed well for the first quarter of 2025 with a net income of $361.56 billion, but said there are "uncertainties and risks from the potential impact from tariff policies exist. We will continue to closely monitor the potential impact on the end market demand, and manage our business prudently."

Your next iPhone could come with hidden costs, thanks to price hikes from silicon manufacturer TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company).

TSMC reported it's first quarter 2025 earnings today, indicating a net income of $361.56 billion.

During the earnings call with shareholders, Wendell Huang, Senior VP and Chief Financial Officer, indicated that "uncertainties and risks from the potential impact from tariff policies exist. We will continue to closely monitor the potential impact on the end market demand, and manage our business prudently."

One of TSMC's strategies to avoid fallout from the potential U.S. tariffs appears to involve moving some of the company's 3 nanometer (nm), 2nm, and 1.6nm silicon wafer manufacturing processes to the Fab 21 plant in Arizona.

While this would save TSMC's partners on tariffs, it would still come with increased costs.

Reports indicate a 30% price hike on the 4nm chips being made in Fab 21 in Arizona, and that price hike would likely also affect any future silicon wafers made in that silicon fab.

And with Apple slated to be the first company with chips made from TSMC's 2nm process node, that could have a major impact on iPhone and MacBook prices in the coming generations.

TSMC is moving its cutting-edge 2nm and 1.6nm silicon wafer production to the US

During this week's earnings call, TSMC announced plans to move production of 30% of its N2 (2nm) silicon wafers to the U.S.

TSMC will also make its Fab 21 Arizona plant an independent semiconductor manufacturing cluster, likely in a bid to keep the plant from facing U.S. tariffs should the Trump Administration go forward with import tariffs on silicon from Taiwan.

Along with the 2nm wafers, TSMC is also planning to build new fabrication modules to produce N3 (3nm) and A16 (1.6nm) wafers in Fab 21 in Arizona.

This would allow TSMC to make Apple's current silicon lineup (A18 and M4) domestically, as well as work on future chips like the Apple A20 and M6, which are expected to use the N2 process node.

Moving cutting-edge silicon manufacturing to the U.S. is a solid business move for TSMC, as Intel Foundry is currently the only domestic US silicon manufacturer with a 2nm node for the Intel A18 process, which is being used in the Panther Lake chipset.

This is especially true as TSMC has denied recent rumors of a joint business venture with Intel.

However, increased U.S. fabrication will come with increased costs due to the price of U.S. labor.

Apple's A20 is expected to use TSMC's 2nm process

Apple is one of TSMC's largest clients, manufacturing Apple's A and M series silicon. Apple is expected to move to TSMC's 2nm process node for future chipsets like the iPhone 18's A20 and the rumored M6 generation for MacBooks and iPads.

With TSMC rumored to raise prices on its U.S.-made 4nm and 2nm process nodes by 30%, the iPhone 18 would cost significantly more than the upcoming iPhone 17, which is already expected to see a major price increase over the iPhone 16 due to import tariffs.

After all, TSMC may not sell directly to customers, but the manufacturer's increased costs will have to be picked up by Apple. In order to keep making profits off iPhone sales, Apple will need to raise prices accordingly.

And that's not even including the import tariffs that could be accrued from Apple's assembly lines. Most iPhones are still assembled in China, though reports indicate Apple is diversifying its supply lines to dodge the exorbitant (up to 245%) tariffs on Chinese products.

Granted, TSMC may not raise prices by 30%, and the U.S. tariffs may not go into effect at the current rate. So all of this is subject to a lot of change before the iPhone 18 is expected to hit the market in Fall 2026.

But if you were looking to upgrade your iPhone in the near future, it may be worth opting for the current iPhone 16 or the upcoming iPhone 17 to avoid massive price hikes.

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The Google Pixel 9a appears to be, once again, the best bang for your buck if your bucks total up to $500.

Google's affordable smartphone launched on April 10, and so far, it looks to be another hit for Google. Tech sites have posted their reviews of the latest phone from Google, and they're all loving it.

If you've been waiting for a sign to get a new phone that won't break the bank, the Google Pixel 9a seems to be the best bet.

Here are some of the best features that the tech press have been crowing about with the Google Pixel 9a, making it one of the best phones released so far in 2025.

Low-priced speed demon

One of the big surprises mentioned in the reviews is how fast the Google Pixel 9a is.

For the Pixel 9a, Google added a Tensor G4 processor to the phone, the same chip used in the Pixel 9 series. Ars Technica says there was no feeling of slowdown or the phone heating up when using mutiple apps. According to 9to5Google: "In day-to-day usage, app launches and loading speeds feel on par with the Pixel 9 Pro."

Tom's Guide says it runs much smoother than Apple's affordable phone, the iPhone 16e, on basic tasks, but it can't compare to the lower-priced iPhone on more advanced tasks like gaming and video editing.

Small body, big battery

Another big improvement with the Pixel 9a is the battery life. The affordable phone comes with a 5,100-mAh battery, which is a jump from the Pixel 8a's 4,492-mAh capacity.

Wired's review of the Pixel 9a noted that while you're not going to get two days of use out of the battery, regular users will still have a chunk of battery leftover, in the 30-40% range. PCMag's test of the Pixel 9a showed it lasting just over 13 hours streaming 1080p video over Wi-Fi with full brightness on, which was an hour longer than the Pixel 8a and 90 minutes longer than the Pixel 9.

Affordable intelligence.

One cool new feature the Pixel 9a has is out-of-the-box AI.

Gemini comes on the Pixel 9a, replacing Google Assistant, and CNET noted the phone runs 2.0 Flash, 2.0 Flash Thinking, 2.5 Pro, Deep Research and Personalization. The phone also makes use of Gemini Live where the AI can see your surroundings via the camera and tell you about them. The reviewer for CNET mentioned how he was using the feature around his office, and when looking for his coffee, he asked Gemini, which told him where his coffee was hiding.

One thing to note is that the Gemini Live requires a Gemini Advanced subscription, which costs $19.99 a month, although Google gives Pixel 9a buyers a month free.

A picture worth $500

All the reviewers mentioned how good the Pixel 9a camera was for the price. The 48MP camera at f/1.7 is a bit of a downgrade from the 64MP at f/1.89 camera found on the Pixel 8a, but the PCMag review mentioned the new phone's camera has a larger aperture to let in more light.

It's a good camera, but just not great. The Verge's review said the 9a produced "most intensely flat and over-processed photos of high-contrast scenes," and pictures lose information when exported from the phone.

Looks boring for the money.

One con about the phone agreed on was how the 9a didn't look special. The Tom's Guide review mentions how the redesign of the phone makes it "more uniform" and doesn't give it much of a unique look from other budget phones. Wired called the phone's design "stale."

The screen for the 9a does have the same bright 6.3-inch display found on the Pixel 9 series, which was a welcome improvement to the budget phone.

The Pixel 9a is hard to beat for a $500 phone. It does everything most users will want from their phone and looks good while doing it. But don't get it twisted, it is very clear that this phone is a budget phone when comparing it to other flagship phones.

This year has been a tough one for Apple. The company continues to have setbacks from the abysmal sales of the Apple Vision Pro to the numerous challenges it's had with AI.

April has been arguably the most challenging month for the iPhone maker after President Donald Trump revealed a list of countries that were going to be hit with tariffs. This caused Apple's stock to take an immediate hit, leading to a loss of more than $700 million in market value, according to Investopedia.

There appears to be a bit of reprieve for Apple as smartphones, laptops, and computers have been excluded from Trump's tariffs as of Friday.

A new report from the New York Times published on Friday detailed even more of the drama happening behind the doors at Apple.

Apple's AI problems

The report details Apple's initial problems with AI that started in 2023. John Giannandrea, Apple's head of AI, attempted to get more GPUs to begin this move into AI.

Apple reportedly had 50,000 GPUs at its data centers, and most were more than five years old. To move into developing AI, the company would need more GPUs and the newest versions.

Apple CEO Tim Cook approved the doubling of the chip budget for AI, however, Apple’s finance chief, Luca Maestri, slashed that budget to less than half, according to the report. This caused issues for the team working on AI, as it had limited access to computing power. The chips reportedly purchased were not from Nvidia, the leader in AI chips, but instead were made by Google.

A spokeswoman from Apple did tell The New York Times that the budget request for GPUs by Giannandrea was fulfilled over time.

Apple's AI efforts were shown last year when the company revealed Apple Intelligence along with the iPhone 16. The new tech was to add AI features to the iPhone, but the rollout for those features has been a bit on the slow side.

What appeared to be the ultimate conclusion of these efforts was an overhauled Siri that could act as a true AI assistant. Apple initially planned to release this smarter Siri sometime in the spring, however, that plan was scrapped completely last month.

This led to a change in leadership within Apple. Mike Rockwell, the creator of the Vision Pro for the company, ended up replacing Giannandrea, who was in charge of the team handling the Siri upgrade. According to the report, the new Siri will make its debut later this year in the fall. This will likely be when the company reveals the iPhone 17 and its other new products.

Apple will hold its annual Worldwide Developers Conference on June 9. This is the event where the company will reveal the next MacOS, WatchOS, and iOS 19. This will also be the event where it will show off more of the capabilities of its Apple Intelligence.

On April 2, President Donald Trump laid out his list of reciprocal tariffs on countries, causing a global economic panic and sending stock markets across the planet into the red. A week later, on April 9, he announced a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs for many of the countries on the list that didn't increase their tariffs on the U.S.

This pause gave some relief to companies worldwide that trade with the U.S. and are based in those countries, or who manufacture their products in a place like Vietnam, which was looking down the barrel of a 46% tariff. Gamers in the U.S. were especially worried, as there were concerns that the price of the recently announced Nintendo Switch 2 would jump due to the tariffs after the company halted pre-orders.

Late Friday evening, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection published a list of goods that would be excluded from the new tariffs. This list is primarily tech, such as smartphones, laptops, computer processors, memory, and hard drives. There was also a significant number products related to the manufacturing of semiconductors that were also included on the list.

What tech is being excluded from tariffs?

Here's a list of the products that won't be hit with tariffs based on the U.S. Customs' list:

• Computers and related devices
• Computer parts
• Semiconductor manufacturing equipment
• Smartphones
• Networking equipment
• Solid-state storage
• Recorded media
• Computer monitor
• Low-power transistors
• Other transistors
• Thyristors and triacs
• Other diodes
• Optocouplers
• Other semiconductors
• Semiconductor transducers
• Integrated circuits
• Parts of semiconductor devices

Tech isn't out of the woods yet.

While this reprieve may give tech companies like Apple and Samsung a sigh of relief, it's unclear whether this will be the end of worry over tariffs.

On Sunday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told ABC News that those products being excluded from tariffs is temporary. It's unclear if Lutnick was referring to only semiconductors or all the consumer tech that was on the list, since in the interview he continued to refer to semiconductors.

Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday, reaffirming that no one is getting a break on tariffs.

There was no Tariff “exception” announced on Friday," he wrote. "We are taking a look at Semiconductors and the WHOLE ELECTRONICS SUPPLY CHAIN in the upcoming National Security Tariff Investigations. "

Computer manufacturers such as Dell, Lenovo, and HP reportedly halted shipments of their computers earlier in the week, according to TechSpot. To beat the rush of tariffs, some companies went so far as to quickly ship a lot of their product from China.

These companies are feeling the pressure from the tariffs put on China, which has jumped to a shocking 145%. China, in turn, increased its tariffs on the U.S. in retaliation to 125%. Trump reportedly requested that Chinese President Xi Jinping call him about the tariffs.

A made-in-the-USA iPhone might sound like a great idea, but you may need deep pockets to afford one.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, "[The President] believes we have the labor, we have the workforce, we have the resources to do it. If Apple didn’t think the U.S. could do it, they probably wouldn’t have put up that big chunk of change."

Leavitt was referring to $500 billion worth of promised investments from Apple in the U.S. for the next four years, which are expected to add 20,000 U.S. jobs.

On the surface, that might sound like a win, but even if Apple managed to make an iPhone at home, experts say the iPhone might get slapped with a bigger price tag — a lot bigger.

See also: Best Apple deals in April 2025

A $3,000 iPhone? According to experts, it could happen

Sweeping tariffs recently implemented by the Trump administration (and, for most countries, paused days later) are an attempt to bring manufacturing back to the United States.

Unfortunately, as experts are pointing out, it's not as simple as flipping a switch and moving shop, especially for a huge brand like Apple.

Dan Ives, Global Head of Technology Research at Wedbush Securities explained the situation in a recent interview on CNN: "The reality is, it's the most complicated supply chain in the world, and the way that they have 1.5 billion iPhones and they're able to make them at $1,000 is because of the supply chain that's really been built over the the last decade."

Ives added the bad news, stating, "You build that in the U.S. in a fab in West Virginia or New Jersey? They'll be $3,500 iPhones."

To put that into perspective, that's almost as pricey as a pair of luxury AirPods coated in two layers of pure gold.

While tariffs have been in a constant state of change, those targeting China have yet to be rolled back, which is important to note since China is a core pillar of Apple's supply chain (and the supply chains of virtually every other tech brand).

So, there's a chance that price increases are likely going to happen one way or another.

Why can't Apple make iPhones in the U.S.?

If you're wondering why Apple can't simply start making its products in manufacturing facilities in the U.S., the answer is that those products rely on massive global supply chains that can't realistically be confined to just the United States. At least, not overnight.

It takes years just to build manufacturing infrastructure, let alone get it up and running.

As Ives explained, "It would take Apple $30 billion and 3 years to move just 10% of the [iPhone] supply chain to the U.S."

Tim Cook shared similar thoughts in an interview at the 2017 Fortune Global Forum, clarifying that Apple's reasons for keeping huge swaths of its supply chain and manufacturing in China are because that's where the skilled workers they need are.

Cook stated, "The products we do require really advanced tooling, and the precision that you have to have, the tooling and working with the materials that we do are state of the art. And the tooling skill is very deep [in China]. In the U.S., you could have a meeting of tooling engineers and I’m not sure we could fill the room. In China, you could fill multiple football fields."

So, infrastructure and skilled labor are really the linchpins in any plans for Apple to move its manufacturing to the United States.

This reality means that even if Apple did invest billions of dollars to build out its manufacturing facilities in the U.S., it would still be years before those facilities began making even a small fraction of Apple's products. So, in the meantime, prices on all Apple devices will likely have to go up as a result of tariffs.

That means, theoretically, a $3,000 price tag for the iPhone 17 is not out of the question at this point, though the way tariffs— and the rhetoric around them — are shifting, it's hard to say for sure.

More from Laptop Mag

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• If this is Apple's iPhone 17 Air, I'm ready to upgrade my phone ASAP

Images of an iPhone 17 case leaked on X, revealing a major design change that might be on the way for Apple's next phone.

See also: Best Apple deals in April 2025

On April 9, X user Sonny Dickson posted a photo showing what appear to be cases for the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro. Of course, Apple hasn't shared any official iPhone 17 designs yet, so this case may or may not be legitimate. However, it matches earlier leaked iPhone 17 mock-ups Dickson shared last month.

The most glaring feature of this case is the huge gap for a camera bump at the top of the phone. It's a near edge-to-edge bump that appears to take up about a third of the phone's back.

This is easily the largest camera bump we've ever seen on an iPhone. It's even bigger than most Android camera bumps.

If the mock-ups leaked last month are accurate, this design is for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. The iPhone 17 Air (or "Slim") will have a slightly smaller camera bump, but only the base iPhone 17 will have a normal, compact bump.

How big is too big for a camera bump?

I'll admit, I'm not a fan of the enormous camera bump on the leaked iPhone 17 designs. I generally prefer camera bumps to be as small as possible, regardless of whether I'm using an iPhone or an Android phone.

So, this design is far from my favorite look for the iPhone. I doubt I'm alone in that, too. This isn't just about personal taste, it's also about practicality. Large camera bumps can be annoying on a day-to-day level, even just because of little things like the fact that your phone can't sit flat on your desk without a case.

Of course, there are probably hardware reasons for this design change. For instance, one X user hypothesized that Apple is using the larger camera bump to add a new 48MP telephoto lens featuring 10x lossless zoom, which would definitely be a welcome upgrade.

Similarly, if rumors that Apple is planning to make future iPhones thinner are true, the larger camera bump may be necessary to incorporate hardware that won't otherwise fit in a thinner chassis.

Even so, I personally wouldn't opt for an iPhone with a camera bump this big. This is a leaked case, so nothing's official yet. We'll just have to wait and see what Apple unveils when it officially announces the iPhone 17 line-up. The earliest we could potentially get a look is at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).

It's worth noting, though, that regardless of when the iPhone 17 launches, we can expect the price to be significantly higher due to the Trump administration's tariffs, which are impacting Apple's supply chain. Some estimates predict iPhones could skyrocket to $2,000 or $3,000, potentially even more. So, you might want to start saving up now if you have your eye on an iPhone 17.

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President Donald Trump announced new sweeping tariffs for countries, with some already taking effect on Saturday, according to Reuters.

This already made a big impact on Nintendo, which decided to delay the start of the Switch 2 preorders that were supposed to begin on April 9. It has also left analysts guessing what other companies and goods will be hit hard by the tariffs, and one that came up multiple times was Apple.

Due to the tariffs, there is a possibility that the price of a new iPhone could skyrocket, according to analysts.

An analyst at Rosenblatt Securities said in an investor note that Apple would need to increase the price of the iPhone by 43% to cover the cost of tariffs, as reported by Reuters. This could mean that an iPhone 16 Pro Max with maxed out memory of 1TB could see a jump in cost to more than $2,300.

Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, wrote an investor note saying iPhone costs could triple.

"The economic pain that will be brought by these tariffs are hard to describe and can essentially take the US tech industry back a decade in the process while China steamrolls ahead," he wrote, according to Yahoo Finance. "50% China tariffs, 32% Taiwan tariffs would essentially cause a shut-off valve from the US tech landscape and in the process cause every electronic to go up 40%-50% for consumers, iPhones made in the US would cost $3,500 (vs. $1,000), and the AI Revolution trade would be significantly slowed down by these head scratching tariffs that NEED to be negotiated to realistic levels."

Apple getting rocked with tariff news.

Since the announcement of the tariffs, Apple's stock price has been hit hard. The iPhone maker lost more than $300 billion in market value in just one day after the reveal, as reported by the Financial Times.

Apple seemingly was making the right moves to avoid dealing with Trump's tariffs. In recent years, Apple moved its manufacturing from China to plants in India and Vietnam. Both those countries were hit with tariffs ( 27% and 46%, respectively), although Vietnamese leader To Nam is reportedly in talks with Trump on reducing its tariffs. Also, plants in China still handle some iPhone production, although it's unclear which models.

The iPhone maker is reportedly looking at Brazil as its next place for production, according to 9to5Mac. The South American country received only a 10% tariff from Trump.

It also appeared Apple had gotten on Trump's good side with its announcement of a $500 billion investment in the U.S. The company expects to open a massive server factory in Houston, a new campus in Austin, and to have some of its Silicon made in Arizona.

Apple's iOS 18.4 is here, and it includes a new AI notification feature — but maybe not the one you wanted.

Thanks to Apple Intelligence, anyone with iOS 18.4 and a new enough iPhone can enjoy "priority notifications," which automatically organizes your incoming notifications based on importance.

That may sound useful in theory, but if Apple's last AI notifications endevaor is any indicator, you may not want to get your hopes up.

Apple introduces priority notifications in iOS 18.4

iOS 18.4 was originally expected to roll out in April, but Apple launched it a little early on March 31.

Any iPhone from the iPhone XR onward is eligible to download it (including the iPhone SE 2nd and 3rd generation). If you want to install it, all you need to do is go into your Settings app, select General, and select Software Update. If your phone is compatible, you should see an option to install iOS 18.4.

This update includes a few small tweaks and additions, like a handful of new emojis and the introduction of recipes in Apple News.

The most significant feature is priority notifications, which uses Apple Intelligence to identify the most important or urgent notifications and put them at the top of your lock screen.

You can still swipe down to see the rest of your notifications like normal, but this feature can help make sure time-sensitive updates don't get lost in the weeds.

Of course, you can also turn off priority notifications completely by going into the Settings app and selecting Notifications.

If your phone is compatible with Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro or any iPhone 16), you should see an option to "Prioritize Notifications" under the Apple Intelligence section of your notification settings. If you don't want to use the feature, simply turn off that option.

What happened to Apple's AI notification summaries?

If you're getting flashbacks hearing about an AI feature to sort notifications on your iPhone, it may be because Apple previously introduced AI notification summaries in January. However, that feature was temporarily paused, at least for news and entertainment apps, after users spotted it generating inaccurate summaries of news stories.

While Apple users didn't seem particularly upset about losing the feature, it was still yet another fumble for Apple's AI rollout.

Hopefully, priority notifications work better than notification summaries. At first glance, priority notifications seem more useful and less likely to run into problems since this feature doesn't require Apple's AI to generate anything, only sort what's already there.

It will most likely rely on identifying certain words and phrases in your notifications, such as "soon" or dates and times.

Whether it will go more smoothly than Apple's last AI notification experiment is anyone's guess, but between Apple's Siri fumble and notification summaries, Apple should hope its latest offering works as planned.

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I love my iPhone, but a few weeks ago, I decided to make a big switch to Android.

Having used both operating systems, I know there are pros and cons to each, but I've been using iPhones for several years now.

I was thrilled when I first switched to iOS and I can safely say it has some major advantages over Android, like a super streamlined ecosystem and the "Ask app not to track" feature that makes it easy to block app tracking.

So, if I genuinely like using iOS and have had a good experience with my iPhones overall, why have I been using an Android phone for the past few weeks?

There are a few reasons, and I think a lot of iPhone users might be finding themselves in a similar position to me due to some recent moves from Apple.

And after switching back to Android, there’s a chance I might have to leave my iPhone behind for good, though there’s one frustrating drawback that’s giving me pause.

Why I switched to Android… even though I love iOS

I've been dragging my feet on replacing my iPhone 12 Mini for a while now because I usually prefer small phones. Unfortunately, the Mini's compact design was also part of why I ended up deciding to switch back to Android. The iPhone 12 Mini really struggles with battery life, which has been a pain point since it launched. The smaller chassis meant everything had to be downsized, including the battery.

That was starting to become a big issue since I travel a lot. I typically couldn't go a full day without charging my iPhone 12 Mini. I could plug it in first thing in the morning and it would still need to sit on its charger again in the evening, even with relatively low usage.

The battery life was so bad that I had to constantly keep a close eye on my phone's battery level while I was navigating airports or spending long days on the road. A portable charger became a crucial component of my carry-on bag.

Needless to say, that got old pretty fast.

I waited it out, though, because I was expecting Apple to launch the iPhone SE 4 this year and figured that would be an affordable trade-in option. That's not how things panned out.

Instead, Apple abandoned its only budget phone entirely, replacing the iPhone SE with the iPhone 16e, which starts at $599 and has a lower quality camera than the one on my iPhone 12 Mini. Even after trade-in, it would have cost me over $400, which was really tough to swallow given the huge camera downgrade.

So, I decided it was time to give Android another chance. I've had my eye on the Nothing CMF Phone 1 for a while because I liked the unique interchangeable backplates and the industrial design aesthetic. Plus, it was right in my price range.

I got my CMF Phone 1 for just $260 at Walmart with a configuration with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. For context, the matching iPhone 16e configuration costs $699, which is over two times more.

What Android does better than iOS in 2025

I've been using my CMF Phone 1 for a couple of weeks now and have been really liking it, although it did take some getting used to.

On a basic level, Android and iOS both look and feel good. iOS is getting better at customization, but it still can't beat Android. Not only does Android let you freely place apps wherever you want, you can also easily swap between icon packs to give your app icons a completely unique look. I liked the minimal aesthetic of the Nothing icon pack that came pre-installed on my CMF Phone 1, so I left it turned on.

Android also gives users more freedom to download apps from third-party app stores. I'm a big fan of free and open-source software, so I was excited to be able to use the F-Droid store as an alternative to Google's App Store.

F-Droid is a free third-party app store that focuses on free, open-source Android apps, often with attention to data privacy. I found it handy for getting all kinds of basic apps like a private gallery app to use instead of Google Photos, a local music app, and a Pomodoro timer.

Apple is notoriously strict about preventing the use of third-party app stores on iPhones. That's starting to change, but only in certain parts of the world – specifically, for countries that are a part of the European Union, where the Digital Markets Act is essentially forcing Apple to allow third-party app stores to users. At the time of writing, third-party app stores are still not allowed on iPhones in the U.S.

While more specific to my phone, I've also had far better battery life on my CMF Phone 1. I can usually go two days between charges. Meanwhile, I still have to charge my iPhone 12 Mini almost every day, even while it's just sitting idle on my desk.

Similarly, the design of the CMF Phone 1 really is fun. I got an orange replacement backplate for it and mixed that with the black screws and SIM card tray that came with my phone. The CMF Phone 1 is designed to be used without a case, so it's effectively thinner than my iPhone 12 Mini despite being larger overall.

The CMF Phone 1 is a perfect example of the kind of unique, creative designs you can find on Android phones that you just can't get with iPhones. The aesthetic of Nothing phones isn't for everyone, but it is nice to see more innovation in the design department than Apple is offering.

What I miss from my iPhone after switching to Android

While I've had a good experience returning to Android overall, it wasn't without its drawbacks, including one big one.

I miss the compact design of my iPhone 12 Mini, but the larger display on the CMF Phone 1 is admittedly nice for gaming, reading, and watching videos. There are also some quirks of navigating Android compared to iOS that take a bit of getting used to, like swiping down twice to access settings like Do Not Disturb and Airplane Mode.

Those are little things, though.

The one thing about Android that I just can't seem to get over is notifications. The way they're displayed on iOS is much clearer, easier to read, and easier to keep track of. Maybe that's because I'm just used to iOS, but it's also partly due to Face ID, which makes it easy to keep notifications private without compromising convenience.

There's a lot of friction about even viewing notifications on my CMF Phone 1 because it uses a fingerprint sensor. So, I can't just pick up my phone and glance at my notifications. I have to unlock it and swipe down again to view everything. That sounds like a minor problem, but it's still annoying even a couple of weeks after making the switch.

The other thing I lost in my trade-off was NFC. The CMF Phone 1 doesn't have NFC, which wasn't a big deal to me but is a bummer nonetheless. It's also an odd thing to leave out in 2025, considering how popular contactless payment methods are, but hopefully, CMF will add it on future phones.

Do I regret switching to Android from iPhone?

After several years on iPhones, it was a bit jarring switching back to Android. However, Apple's current pricing wasn't really an option for me and the battery life on my iPhone 12 Mini was too consistently bad to continue using it. Overall, I've had a good experience on Android and will probably stay on it for the time being.

With that said, I could see myself switching back to an iPhone one day if Apple begins offering a budget-friendly phone again or does something genuinely interesting and innovative with its iPhone designs. Price, design, and battery life were the three factors that pulled me over to Android, but the door is still open for those same factors to bring me back to iOS.

The CMF Phone 1 is proof that budget phones can have fun, unique designs and deliver great performance even at a reasonable price. I wish the same could be said for the iPhone 16e, but right now it seems like Apple is leaving its budget users behind. If that includes you, it may be time to give Android a chance.

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Apple announced on Tuesday the dates for its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, commonly known as WWDC, with a new iPhone, iPad, and Mac OS likely in store. If you're an iPhone 11 user, it may also signal the beginning of the end.

That's because the news out of WWDC that arguably affects most people is the debut of a new operating system for iPhone. This year it will be iOS 19.

The beta version of any new iPhone OS begins to roll out in the summer, and the new features of which seep out via TikTok videos, reddit forums, and news sites like Laptop Mag.

The subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle menu, technology, and design changes that arrive with every new version of iOS change billions of finger swipes across the planet.

As these nuggets of information offer a taste of what new features or design changes are in store for the world’s 1.4 billion iPhone users — the new iOS is officially released to the public in September each year — there's another population that has reason for slight annoyance.

The introduction of the new iOS means that users with those iPhones could be forced to upgrade — or be left running an older OS that will slowly turn their phone into a paper weight.

Running an old OS is fine for a few years, but soon enough, the apps we love — especially those of the streaming variety — will require an updated iOS. (It's a cold feeling not being able to run Netflix on a years-old iPhone and not being able to update to the latest iOS because there's not enough storage.)

For example, the iPhone XR (released in 2018) is the oldest phone to still support iOS 18, the most up-to-date iOS, which debuted in a year ago. That's six years.

A few years ago, the oldest phones that could support iOS 15 (which debuted in 2021) were the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus (which debuted in 2015). That was also six years.

That means iPhone 11 users out there, who have been steadily updating to a new OS each year, may see their phones no longer be supported with the new iOS19 that will be unveiled on June 9.

Made for Apple Intelligence

"Made for Apple Intelligence" is the tagline on some new iPhone 16 and some 15 models (the 15 Pro and the 15 Pro Max), and another WWDC could further relegate phones not made for Apple Intelligence — the company's AI software — to the junk drawer.

This year’s WWDC will begin on June 9, 2025, with in-person keynotes from Apple executives before the week of presentations and workshops is held via streaming methods.

Bloomberg reports that iPadOS 19 and macOS 16 may also be introduced at WWDC.

WWDC 2024 notably featured the debut of Apple Intelligence, and the months since that June 2024 presentation, the AI components of Apple’s future faltered out of the gate, with leaks and executive shakeups coming to define the current state of Apple’s AI development as just about anything.

In 2023, WWDC debuted the Apple Vision Pro.

For iPhone 11 owners years frustrated by the impending fate of their phone, take comfort in the fact the iPhone deals abound in an increasingly competitive market for smart phones.

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Google unveiled its latest phone this week: the budget-friendly Pixel 9a. It's a great deal — so good, in fact, that it makes Apple's "budget" iPhone 16e look like a bad deal.

The Pixel 9a packs a lot of value into its $499 price tag, including a 6.3-inch Actua display, over 30 hours of battery life, a 48 MP wide/13MP ultrawide dual camera, 4K video, and Google's Gemini AI suite.

It even outperforms the flagship Google Pixel 9 in some areas, like battery life, despite costing $300 less.

If you're looking for a new midrange or budget phone, the Pixel 9a could be one of the best options now, which is great news for anyone in the market for an affordable phone.

Unfortunately for Apple, it could be the last nail in the coffin of the iPhone 16e.

5 reasons the Pixel 9a is a great deal... and bad news for the iPhone 16e

Pixels have always been among the iPhone's toughest rivals, second only to Samsung. The Pixel 9a is an especially formidable competitor because it's arriving just weeks after Apple unveiled the iPhone 16e, the replacement for its budget-friendly iPhone SE.

You're not sacrificing much at all by choosing the Pixel 9a over the flagship Pixel 9, which is a real testament to how much Google values its budget and midrange users. However, the same can't necessarily be said about the iPhone 16e, which seems overpriced when placed side-by-side with the Pixel 9a.

Unless you're dead set on getting a new iPhone, the Pixel 9a is a far better deal than the 16e and a major win for Google in the budget and midrange market. There are five specific reasons the Pixel 9a offers more bang for your buck.

1. The Pixel 9a costs less
While the iPhone 16e may have taken the iPhone SE's spot in Apple's lineup, it didn't inherit the SE's low price.

The 16e starts at $599, over $100 more than the iPhone SE, and features a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display, a single 48MP Fusion camera, 4K video, and up to 26 hours of battery life.

At first glance, those specs aren't bad and there are even some similarities between the Pixel 9a and the iPhone 16e. However, the few differences stand out even more considering that the iPhone 16e costs $100 more and lacks the full Apple Intelligence features that Apple promised at WWDC 2024.

2. Google Gemini vs Apple Intelligence

Speaking of AI, it's one of the most glaring differences between the Pixel 9a and iPhone 16e, at least right now.

While Google's Gemini assistant has been widely available for months, Apple's critical Siri update remains bogged down by delays pushing its release back to 2026 or potentially even later. In fact, Apple is even facing lawsuits for false advertising about Apple Intelligence, which Apple promoted as a key feature on the iPhone 16 line-up, despite the fact that most of those AI features have yet to roll out.

Meanwhile, the Pixel 9a has the fully-featured Gemini AI assistant available right now (instead of a year or two from now).

3. Better camera

For $100 less, the Pixel 9a delivers a better camera system, with a proper dual camera on the back rather than the "2-in-1" camera on the iPhone 16e. Camera quality is a common sacrifice on budget phones, but the single 48MP Fusion camera on the iPhone 16e cuts a bit too deep for a $599 phone.

With the iPhone 16e, you're relying heavily on computational photography. While the Pixel 9a uses software tricks to improve photo quality, too, at least it has two distinct sensors.

4. Better battery life

The Pixel 9a has up to 30 hours of battery life compared to the 26 hours in the Apple iPhone 16e. That's not a huge difference, but it's still a win for the Pixel, especially since the Pixel 9a actually has better battery life than the flagship Pixel 9, as well. It just goes to show how much Google values its budget users.

5. More color options

Pixel 9a comes in obsidian, porcelain, and peony (a.k.a. black, off-white, pink, and purple). In contrast, the iPhone 16e is only available in black and white. This isn't a deal breaker, but it is nice to have the option for a more colorful design.

Apple is abandoning the budget market. Is it a huge mistake?

Google's timing for launching the Pixel 9a couldn't have been better. It arrived just as Apple was seemingly abandoning the budget market entirely, making Google's latest phone look even better.

It begs the question, is Apple's move to leave its budget users behind a huge mistake?

The tide has already seemed to turn against Apple lately, particularly in AI. With a Siri overhaul potentially years behind, one would think Apple would want to appeal to as wide a user base as possible.

Appealing to budget users who might not mind missing out on AI features to save a little money could have potentially won over some people.

However, now those budget users are left to wonder why they would bother paying more for the "budget" iPhone 16e when they can get more features on the less expensive Pixel 9a.

The Pixel 9a isn't the only great alternative, either! Other Android phones, like the Nothing Phone 3a or 3a Pro, offer better value at a lower price.

Apple may be betting on software to maintain the iPhone user base, including little things like the infamous blue bubbles. Unfortunately, as AI becomes a core part of smartphone software features, Apple's hold in that area may start to slip away.

Only time will tell how Apple's decision to abandon budget users impacts its dominance in the phone market. However, if Apple's lead depends on rolling out its Siri update, Tim Cook's team may be in trouble.

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