Mobile UX

Mobile UX

The iPhone Air is the first iPhone sold as an eSIM-only version all over the world. But a new report from China shows a modified Air with a physical SIM slot next to the USB-C port. The information surrounding this project is bleak, but it was reportedly undertaken by an electronics store based in Shenzhen's Huaqiangbei market. The project required some clever space-saving solutions, like replacing the Air's original Taptic Engine vibration motor with a much smaller unit that still retains basic haptic feedback.

Last month, a report claimed the Xiaomi Tag was in development, basically intended to be the Chinese company's version of Apple's AirTag and Motorola's Moto Tag.

The OnePlus Nord 6 is coming soon, and according to multiple recent rumors, it might be a rebranded and/or slightly tweaked version of the OnePlus Turbo 6, which launched in China earlier this month. Now the Nord 6 has seemingly run Geekbench, and as always this means there's a listing for it in the benchmark's online database. This reveals the model number CPH2795, and the fact that the phone is powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 SoC - just like the Turbo 6.

As expected, RedMagic 11 Air made its debut in China earlier today as a bridge between the thin and light phone trend and gaming phones. It arrives with the signature transparent design, an active cooling fan with RGB lighting and last year's Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. Like previous entries in the RedMagic lineup, the 11 Air gets an unobstructed AMOLED display with a 16MP under-display selfie camera and an optical fingerprint scanner.

iQOO announced the iQOO 15 for international markets last November, with India being the first to receive the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5-powered flagship. Today, iQOO India's CEO Nipun Marya announced on X that the iQOO 15R is "coming soon." Marya's X post also includes a teaser image that reveals the iQOO 15R's design. The smartphone's specs haven't been revealed yet, but an email we received from iQOO said the 15R will offer "Power-packed performance with a perfect fit."

Swiping through online dating profiles can feel intuitive - effortlessly deciding whether to like or reject each profile in turn. Online daters tend to spend only 11 seconds deciding whether to swipe right or left on a profile 1,2. How can we make such quick decisions when a match may change our lives? The way we engage with information presented on dating profiles may influence our overall decisions. Physical attractiveness is a highly important factor in dating decisions 3; therefore, dating apps present profile pictures prominently 4. But online daters may seek further information from written text-for example, a bio or short answers to prompts about lifestyle choices, hobbies, or dating intentions.

Redmi has shared fresh details about its upcoming Turbo 5 Max smartphone and also unveiled the phone's design. The company recently confirmed that the phone will be powered by the recently launched MediaTek Dimensity 9500s SoC. In a Weibo post, the company revealed that the Turbo 5 Max will pack a 9,000mAh battery. Alongside confirming the phone's battery capacity, Redmi also shared the official design renders of the phone in the Ocean Breeze Blue colorway.

Like previous Honor RSR Porsche Design models, the latest Magic8 variant features a distinctive design with styling cues inspired by Porsche supercars. It also sports a nano-ceramic rear panel, which Honor claims offers a Mohs hardness rating of 8.5. Additionally, the Magic8 RSR Porsche Design is said to be 10% lighter than its predecessor. Notably, the camera module design is inspired by the matrix headlights seen on classic Porsche models.

OnePlus unveiled its current flagship, the OnePlus 15, in October last year. Although the launch of its successor is still some time away, leaks have already begun to surface online. The latest leak hints at the phone's battery capacity. The OnePlus 16 will house a large 9,000mAh battery, according to a tipster. Notably, its predecessor, the 15, comes with a 7,300mAh unit with 120W fast charging support.

After launching almost three years ago, Meta's Threads is now reportedly attracting more daily mobile users than rival platform X. According to Similarweb data shared by TechCrunch, Threads has 141.5 million daily active iOS and Android global app users as of January 7th, compared to 125 million users for Elon Musk's mobile platform. Similarweb reports that Threads actually overtook X sometime between late October and early November after a consistent period of growth, meaning this milestone wasn't suddenly achieved in reaction to recent Grok-related controversies.

A while back, Meta introduced unskippable ads on Instagram: ads with a countdown timer that block the feed entirely, preventing users from scrolling until the timer reaches zero. If you've encountered them, you may have noticed how although five seconds isn't long, in that moment it can feel irrationally so, as it creates a strange tension when the thumb expects the interface the interface to keep moving, and it suddenly doesn't.

The Commission is of the considered view that repeated extensions, despite unambiguous directions, undermine procedural discipline and impede the timely conclusion of proceedings,

On those rare occasions when I use AI, I always opt for a local version. Most often, that comes in the form of Ollama installed on a desktop or laptop. I've been leery of using cloud-based AI for some time now for several reasons: It consumes vast amounts of energy. There's no way to be certain it honors privacy claims. I don't want any of my queries or data to be used for training LLMs.

"Despite generational differences in the types of problems experienced, one thing is clear: wireless network quality is strong," Carl Lepper, J.D. Power senior director of technology, media and telecom, said in a prepared statement about the mobile study.

Mijia Smart Audio Glasses look like regular glasses but incorporate dual speakers and quad microphones. This means they can be used like a pair of wireless earbuds with some additional smart features. They feature touch-sensitive areas on the temples, which allow you to adjust playback, volume, access your device's voice assistant or manage calls. Xiaomi also added real-time recording for calls and meetings, which is accessible via a press-and-hold gesture on the temple.

Global smartphone shipments recorded 4% growth in Q4, 2025, as the market was able to absorb rising component costs. According to preliminary data shared by Omdia, Apple was the runaway leader in terms of shipments and reached a record 25% market share. That means 1 in every 4 phones shipped in the last three months of 2025 was an iPhone.

Opensignal's research found that T-Mobile led all carriers for reliability, experience, consistent quality, and access to 5G. Consistent quality is defined as how well a network supports the requirements for common applications that users consider acceptable to complete various "demanding" tasks, though Opensignal doesn't define what "demanding" is in this context. Reliability, on the other hand, refers to the ability of users to connect to and complete everyday tasks.

Lately, I've tried more overhyped, overly ambitious apps than I can even remember - all of 'em with lofty promises of completely changing my life and/or the way I get stuff done. Spoiler alert: None of those has lived up to that promise or really even stuck as something I'm still actively using in any significant way, as of this current moment.

Verizon is offering customers a $20 account credit following a massive outage that brought down service across the US on Wednesday. In an update on X, Verizon says you'll receive a text message when the credit is available, which you can redeem by logging into the myVerizon app and accepting it. "Yesterday, we did not meet the standard of excellence you expect and that we expect of ourselves," Verizon writes.

Xiaomi's flagship 17 series is due to get a new member soon, according to a new leak from China. This will be the Xiaomi 17 Max, which will feature the biggest battery of any Xiaomi 17 device at 8,000 mAh. The battery will support 100W wired and 50W wireless charging. The Xiaomi 17 Max is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC, and has a screen with extremely narrow symmetrical bezels.