Mobile UX

Mobile UX

According to a new research note by analyst Jeff Pu, Apple's upcoming iPhone 17e will come with a camera upgrade. Specifically, it will get the same 18MP selfie camera as the rest of the iPhone 17 family. This was introduced with the iPhone 17 series, so it's both great and rather surprising to see Apple extending it to the cheapest model in the lineup so quickly - it's not often the company does something like this.

A prototype A57 ran Geekbench earlier today, and, as always, this has revealed the chipset that's powering it. It's the Exynos 1680, the successor to the Exynos 1580 in the Galaxy A56. The new chip is clearly still in the testing phase, so don't take the results too seriously. For what it's worth, it managed a single-core score of 1,311 and a multi-core score of 4,347 in Geekbench 6.5 for Android.

OpenAI began piloting group chats for ChatGPT users last week. The feature was available on web and mobile for logged-in users on ChatGPT's Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans, but only in Japan, Taiwan, New Zealand, and South Korea. OpenAI said the rollout would be expanded to more regions based on feedback, which has been positive, and the company announced the rollout of group chats for ChatGPT users globally.

The Lava Agni 4 has made its debut in India. It is powered by a MediaTek chipset, features a metal frame, and comes with the company's new AI-assistant called Vayu AI. The handset is powered by the Dimensity 8350 SoC, which is paired with up to 8GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage. It gets a vapor chamber cooling system as well.

"We're experimenting with a new feature that makes it easy for you to share videos you love (long-form, Shorts and live streams) and have conversations about them directly on the YouTube mobile app," reads the YouTube post. "By messaging on YouTube, you accept that messages may be reviewed to ensure they follow our Community Guidelines. Community Guidelines apply to all content on YouTube, including on-platform video shares and messages."

The camera has a 155-degree native field of view, and the new sensor offers up to 13.5 stops of dynamic range. It records in 4K at 120fps in 4:3, and the company promises better low-light quality thanks to the bigger sensor. SuperNight mode clearly captures 4K video at 60fps in low light conditions. DJI's 10-bit D-Log M color system preserves highlight and shadow detail for greater flexibility in post. The Osmo Action 6 has an on-screen D-Log M preview for real-time color and exposure monitoring.

Maps will soon let you use a nickname and select an alternative profile picture for online reviews, so you can rate a business without linking it to full name and Google profile photo. Google says it will monitor for "suspicious and fake reviews," and every review is still associated with an account on Google's backend, which it believes will discourage bad actors.

HMD is expanding its reach to the enterprise and government/defense sectors via its HMD Secure division. Its latest device is the Terra M, which HMD classifies as an ultra-rugged smart feature phone with an enterprise-ready OS, and its target group includes critical infrastructure operators, military personnel, law enforcement agents, first responders, government and enterprise employees. HMD Terra M Terra M brings military-grade durability, conforming to the MIL-STD-810H standard while also featuring IP68 and IP69K ingress protection.

Launched in August, the productivity tool lets you block yourself from distracting phone apps while encouraging you with the aid of a virtual friend - a little cartoon bean that likes to knit socks and scarves, which can later be exchanged for décor for the little bean's room. The premise behind the app is that users might be encouraged to manage their screen time better if they know their actions would impact others,

Snapchatters create billions of Snaps every day, sharing moments with friends and family, and as we've expanded services like Spotlight, we've also found that the Snapchat community loves commenting publicly about trending topics and events. This is new for Snapchat, because we've primarily focused on supporting private conversations rather than public ones. Watching our community engage with one another in public comments inspired us to invent a new way to have these conversations.

If you have elite status, you may have even more options. United Airlines, for instance, offers a same-day confirmation service on select flights for all passengers with elite status-that means they can make a guaranteed switch to an earlier flight in the same cabin class at no charge, without paying a difference in fare. When in doubt, call the carrier's customer service line and ask an agent to check how full the flight is.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple will split the iPhone 18 series in two groups - the Pros will come in the fall of 2026, while the vanilla will arrive in the spring of 2027. This way, Apple will reduce its dependence on making its fall event a huge spectacle. So next year, Apple will likely announce the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max,

It's a short and sweet task - you get a USB cable, a SIM eject tool, and the phone. Depending on the model, you can enjoy either 100W (global) or 120W (Chinese) charging speeds, but you'd need to supply your own charger. We had the chance to check out the blue-ish Mint Magic8 Pro while at Honor's announcement event, and now we also have the silver-ish Gold.

The upcoming Poco Pad M1 was certified in October and spotted in the Geekbench AI database earlier this month, and today purported renders showcasing it have been leaked alongside its specs. The tablet is said to have a 12.1-inch 120Hz IPS LCD screen with 1600x2560 resolution, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a 12,000 mAh battery with support for 33W wired charging.

Google has pushed a new update for its Phone app, which brings native call recording for Pixel 6 and newer smartphones worldwide. The latest stable version 198+ of the Google Phone app brings native call recording to the older Pixel models running Android 14 and up. If you have an older Pixel phone and are running the latest version of the Google Phone app, you can turn on call recording by going into Phone app Settings, selecting Call Assist and toggling on Call Recording.

The Huawei Mate 80 series is expected to launch in China soon, and leaks continue to surface ahead of the announcement. While earlier reports hinted at a redesigned rear camera module, a new rumor now sheds light on the camera specifications of the Mate 80 Pro+. In a post on Weibo, tipster DCS notes that the Mate 80 Pro+ will feature dual 50MP periscope cameras with one offering a medium focal length and the other a longer zoom.