A tech explainer details how modern smartphones rely on multiple proximity sensors to handle tasks like dimming the screen during calls, detecting when a phone is in a pocket, and supporting other automated behaviors. The piece traces how sensor-heavy design became standard after the original 2007 iPhone, noting that manufacturers have since competed to add more sensors, including some novelties like external temperature readers once found on certain Google Pixel phones.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-13
Comparison of Apple's iPhone Duo and Xiaomi's 18 Fold shows both have 7.6-inch inner and 5.4-inch outer screens at 120Hz, but Xiaomi claims 4,000-nit peak brightness versus Apple's 3,000 nits. Apple uses a titanium frame, Ceramic Shield glass and IP68 rating with a 2nm A20 Pro chip and 12GB RAM, while Xiaomi's aluminum-framed phone weighs less at 219g, lacks a listed IP rating, and runs a 3nm XRING O3 chip with 16GB RAM.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-13
Counterpoint Research reports smartphone shipments dropped 20% year-over-year in Q3, the weakest third quarter since 2012, as DRAM and NAND price surges pushed retail phone prices up 20% this year. Despite falling shipment volumes, Samsung and Apple both grew market share, with Samsung reaching 23% and Apple hitting 22%—its highest-ever Q3 share—even before releasing the base iPhone 18.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-13
The Thunderbird team is building a native iPhone email app from scratch rather than adapting its existing desktop or Android code. Early work focuses on account setup, background sync for reliable connections, and core inbox tools like a formatting toolbar, with the team sharing in-progress screenshots and soliciting user feedback via a research study.
blog.thunderbird.net
· 2026-10-13
Spotify announced that iPhone users running iOS 27 can now ask Siri to play music, podcasts, or audiobooks without saying 'on Spotify.' Siri learns a user's preferred music app over time and automatically routes playback requests to it, supporting features like personalized recommendations, resuming podcasts, and AI-generated Prompted Playlists. The feature requires an iPhone 15 Pro or later with Apple Intelligence enabled, and is available globally except in the EU.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-10-13
Apple announced the HomeView, a 7-inch smart display with a speaker base and wall-mounted version both priced at $299, at a New York event. The device runs new software called HomeView rather than iOS or iPadOS, lacks an App Store, and instead offers a curated set of apps including FaceTime, Messages, Safari and some third-party apps like Spotify. Preorders are open now, with sales starting November 13.
wired.com
· 2026-10-13
Hello Games is bringing No Man's Sky to iOS devices on October 28, priced at $19.99 with a free trial available beforehand. The mobile version includes all content and updates released since launch and runs on hardware as old as the iPhone 11 and third-generation iPad Air, though multiplayer is unsupported and planetary base-building is restricted to iPhone 15 Pro and newer.
games.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-13
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone Duo and the iPhone 18 Pro line will both use the new A20 Pro chip, built with an 'M-class-inspired' packaging design borrowed from Mac processors. To manage heat in the foldable's tight, hinge-divided chassis, Apple engineered a graphite thermal pathway that runs through the hinge itself to spread heat away from the chip. Apple silicon engineering VP Dan Murray and thermal design manager Banafsheh Barabadi described the design choices to accommodate one chip across two very different phone shapes.
pcmag.com
· 2026-10-13
Apple executives Dan Murray and Banafsheh Barabadi described to PCMag how the iPhone Duo's foldable design required new thermal engineering, including a flexible graphite pipe built into the hinge and a new 'metal over foam' material that links the A20 Pro chip to its vapor chamber. The A20 Pro, Apple's first 2nm iPhone chip, also gets a second display engine in the Duo variant to run both screens at once and support a FaceTime camera placed behind the inner display.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-10-13
Apple has launched a configurator page on apple.com letting customers save color, storage, carrier and payment details ahead of iPhone Duo preorders opening at 5 a.m. PT Friday. The foldable device, unveiled at Apple's Surprise and Shine event, features a 7.6-inch unfolded display, folds to passport size, and supports split-screen multitasking and Apple Pencil under iOS 27. Pricing ranges from $1,999 for 512GB to $3,199 for 2TB, making it Apple's most expensive iPhone yet.
cnet.com
· 2026-10-13
JP Morgan increased its AAPL price target from $340 to $360 and kept its Overweight rating, days after reports that Apple told suppliers to cut iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max component production due to soft demand. The firm said the cuts match Apple's typical production patterns and expects the new iPhone Duo to offset lost sales from the delayed standard iPhone 18, projecting 8.5 million Duo units sold in the December quarter alongside a 2% drop in iPhone revenue but 2% overall revenue growth.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-10-12
A photography guide explains several ways iPhone users can reduce blurry photos, including raising video/photo resolution in Settings > Camera, using tap-and-hold AE/AF Lock to fix focus, and enabling Night Mode on iPhone 11 and later for low-light shots. It also recommends third-party apps like Camera+ for manual shutter speed and ISO control, plus using a tripod to minimize camera shake.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-12
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