Apple could announce two new Macs at WWDC 2022
After announcing the new Mac Studio and Studio Display last month, Apple still has a few more Macs to introduce in 2022. According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, in his latest edition of the Power On newsletter, two of them could be introduced at the WWDC 2022 keynote.
Gurman has been reporting for a few months that Apple has a great list of Macs to update in 2022. While he said the first batch would come in the first months of the year, Gurman also said a few more could land in the summer – which potentially could mean WWDC 2022.
Apple is gearing up to launch some new Macs in the next few months. What better place to do so than WWDC? That’s the same venue where Mac’s transition from Intel to Apple’s own chips was announced two years ago.
I’m told there are two new Macs coming around the middle of the year or early in the second half. One of those is likely to be the new MacBook Air.
If that’s the case, a few months after introducing the M1 Ultra chip and saying that the M1 family is now complete, Apple could be ready to introduce its first computer with the M2 chip, the MacBook Air. Rumors so far believe it will have a redesign, resembling the 24-inch iMac with white bezels and colorful options to choose from.
While it was first believed that this MacBook Air could feature a miniLED display, it doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. In addition, this Mac could bring new ports, MagSafe compatibility, and a better FaceTime camera.
Gurman also writes about new Macs Apple is expected to announce this year:
Other models in the works include an updated Mac mini and 24-inch iMac, as well as a low-end MacBook Pro to replace the aging 13-inch model. And let’s not forget that the new Mac Pro and iMac Pro models are in development.
From 9to5Mac
OnePlus Ace pops up on Geekbench with Dimensity 8100
A fresh rumor from last week suggests that OnePlus Ace is coming up with a Dimensity 8100 chipset and 150W charging. The device is expected to be a rebranded Realme GT Neo3 and it now passed through Geekbench bearing the PGKM10 identifier.
The phone managed 962 single-core points and a 3,819 multi-core score. We get further confirmation that it is indeed powered by the Dimensity 8100 chipset alongside 12GB RAM and Android 12. The rest of the rumored spec sheet includes a 6.7″ 120Hz FullHD+ AMOLED screen with a centered punch-hole, a 50MP primary camera with OIS alongside an 8MP ultrawide snapper and a 2MP macro cam.
From Gsmarena
Realme Q5 teased with faster charging, Q5 Pro x Vans version leaks
The Realme Q2 series reached 1 million sales seven months after launch. Around the same time the Q3 series was teased – one year later the Q3 phones have reached 2 million sales. What’s next?
Realme CMO Xu Qi Chase is teasing the arrival of the Q5 series on Weibo (skipping number 4, of course). The teaser is tucked beneath the 2 million sales announcement and promises “new surprises for flash charging”.
The bottom row lists 30W, 65W and a question mark, which will likely be filled in with 80W. That is the rumored charge rate for the Realme Q5 Pro, which will be equipped with a 5,000 mAh battery. This matches one of the configurations of the GT Neo3.
The Realme Q5 Pro will be a more affordable version of the Neo. It is expected to have a 6.62” AMOLED display (1,080 x 2,400 px) with 120 Hz refresh rate and an HDR10+ certification. It will be powered by a Snapdragon 870 paired with 8/12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128/256 GB of UFS 3.1 storage.
From Gsmarena
OnePlus announces April 28 event: New earbuds and phones incoming
OnePlus appears to have plenty in the works for 2022, with rumors pointing to a variety of phones and other devices in the pipeline. Now, the company has announced an Indian launch event in the wake of the OnePlus 10 Pro global launch.
The company announced an April 28 event in India (at 7 PM IST), along with the tagline of “More Power To You.” The event poster also shows two phones and a pair of true wireless earbuds. Check it out at the top of the page.
Leaker Mukul Sharma recently spotted so-called OnePlus Nord Buds on the company’s website, so we’re guessing the buds depicted in the event poster are indeed Nord Buds then. What about the phones, though?
Well, the company has several upcoming devices in the works according to leaks. These include the OnePlus 10R (which could be called the OnePlus Ace), OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite, and Nord 2T. OnePlus also has the Nord N20 in the pipeline, but this is coming to the US with no word on an Indian launch.
We’ll just have to wait for more leaks in the run-up to the April 28 launch as well as the launch event itself to find out what OnePlus has up its sleeve for the market.
From Android Authority
Galaxy A73 goes on sale in India with some attractive offers
Samsung opened up pre-reservations for the Galaxy A73 in India some time ago. Those who pre-reserved the smartphone could pick up a pair of Galaxy Buds Live for Rs 499. Now, the smartphone has officially hit shelves in India for a relatively high price, which was somewhat predicted by an earlier leak.
The base Galaxy A73 model with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage costs Rs 41,999 in India. Upgrading the storage to 256 GB with the same RAM will cost you Rs 44,999. The pre-reservation benefit has been extended to May 11, meaning that one can get a pair of Galaxy Buds Live for the same throwaway price.
Furthermore, SBI Bank and ICICI Bank credit/debit card users will get a flat discount of Rs 3,000 as Samsung Finance+ users. That should bring the Galaxy A73’s price down to more reasonable levels. Despite that, it will have a tough time against similarly-priced offerings from Chinese OEMs.
From Sammobile
Pixel 6a will be just as powerful as the Pixel 6, benchmark leak says
Moreover, we’ve seen plenty of Pixel 6a leaks so far, detailing the phone’s specs and features. Fans of the Pixel line surely know that Pixel rumors tend to be accurate. Google has never been able to prevent leaks, and the Pixel 6a is no different.
Even if Google can’t launch the Pixel 6a right after I/O 2022, it still makes sense to see it in stores this summer. And if a new Pixel 6a benchmark leak is true, the Pixel 6a will be Google’s most competitive mid-ranger to date.
The Pixel 6a will face off against iPhone SE 3 and Galaxy A53, mid-range devices from Apple and Samsung. And a specs leak back in November said the Pixel 6a will feature the same Google Tensor System-on-Chip (SoC) that powers the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.
Now, a new leak seems to confirm that.
The Pixel 6a apparently just got its first Geekbench 5 score leak. The score seems to indicate that the phone will offer the same performance as the Pixel 6.
Moreover, the benchmark listing reveals the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6a will share an identical SoC. However, the Pixel 6a will sport just 6GB of RAM instead of 8GB.
While that’s the kind of compromise we expect from Google for a phone intended to undercut the Pixel 6’s $599 entry price, the Pixel 6a benchmark scores are great news for Pixel fans. They indicate Google is ready to use its best SoC inside mid-range phones.
From BGR
Apple says iPhone 13 production in India now underway after earlier problems
India’s Business Standard reported last month that these problems had been resolved, and that iPhone production would begin in April. Reuters confirms that this has indeed happened.
Apple has started making the iPhone 13 in India, the company said on Monday […] The phone is being produced at a local plant of Apple’s Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn.
A February report said that Apple has also reached a turning point when it comes to iPhone sales in India.
The company appears to have earned more smartphone revenue in the country than any other brand. This is indeed quite a turnaround in just a few years. The company’s market share in 2018 was said to have been as low as 1%.
To be clear, Apple’s share of smartphone sales in India – measured by units sold – is still low enough that the iPhone is lost in the “Others” category, not even getting a mention in that section of the Counterpoint report. However, where Apple excelled was in the premium smartphone market, defined as 30,000 rupees and up – around $400.
From 9to5google
vivo X Fold arrives with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, flagship cameras
The vivo X Fold is here to enter the quickly growing Chinese foldable market.
There are no surprises here, as we’ve known what to expect from the numerous leaks in the weeks leading to this event. The vivo X Fold has a 6.53-inch outer AMOLED display and a folding 8.03-inch 1800x2200px LTPO2 inner AMOLED E5 display. Both operate at up to 120Hz and are HDR10+ ready, with the main one able to slow down all the day to 1Hz.
The folding display uses SCHOTT UTG (ultra thin glass, Schott manufactures Samsung’s UTG). The display has Display Mate’s A+ recommendation. There are two in-display fingerprint scanners on the vivo X Fold. Both are ultrasonic scanners, not optical ones.
The hinge is an aircraft-grade floating wing hinge. It allows the vivo X Fold to close flat, and to stay open at an angles between 60 and 120 degrees.
Powering the vivo X Fold is a flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip with 12GB of RAM. There’s a 4,600mAh battery that can recharge rapidly. You get 66W through the cable – that tops up the battery in 37 minutes. The vivo X Fold can also wirelessly charge at up to 50W and reverse wirelessly charge at 10W at the same time.
From Gsmarena
iOS 16 may confirm that Apple’s AR headset is coming soon
As a mature platform that’s been around for nearly 15 years, it’s no surprise that iOS updates in recent years have been more evolutionary than revolutionary. Still, there’s no denying that WWDC remains an exciting time for iPhone users. Even though new iOS features and improvements are largely incremental, there’s always excitement in the air when new iOS features are announced.
Looking ahead to WWDC 2022, it’s fair to say that we haven’t seen many rumors pertaining to iOS 16 just yet. This will likely change as WWDC fast approaches. Still, Mark Gurman recently shed a little bit of light on what can expect to see from the next-gen version of Apple’s popular mobile operating system.
Writing in his Power On newsletter, Gurman’s predictions are vague but nonetheless intriguing.
“I’m looking for some fairly significant enhancements across the board,” Gurman writes, “including an update to notifications and new health-tracking features.”
That’s not exactly jaw-dropping information, but we can only hope that Apple has some software tricks up its sleeve.
Most notably, Gurman writes that iOS 16 will include numerous references to Apple’s long-rumored AR headset. Still, there’s no evidence just yet that this mythical headset will arrive anytime this year. It may be a long shot, but Gurman speculates that we might “get a peek at the headset’s rOS.”
From BGR
The microchip implants that let you pay with your hand
This is because the 37-year-old doesn’t need to use a bank card or his mobile phone to pay. Instead, he simply places his left hand near the contactless card reader, and the payment goes through.
“The reactions I get from cashiers are priceless!” says Mr Paumen, a security guard from the Netherlands.
He is able to pay using his hand because back in 2019 he had a contactless payment microchip injected under his skin.
“The procedure hurts as much as when someone pinches your skin,” says Mr Paumen.
From Cnet
