Month: March 2022

The Apple Watch Series 3 has been around for five years, but it seems 2022 will be the end of the line for the smartwatch. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that the Apple Watch Series 3 may be discontinued in the third quarter of 2022. Ming-Chi Kuo believes the watch is too old to run the latest version of WatchOS. In his words, the device “doesn’t have enough computing power to meet the requirements of the new watchOS.”

Originally released in 2017, the Apple Watch Series 3 is now 5 years old, which is pretty awesome for any wearable device. However, recently after a WatchOS 7 update, the device has experienced random reboots or freezes, low storage space, drained battery, and more. Users are also facing issues updating the Watch Series 3 to the latest version of WatchOS due to lack of storage, and the watch often requires users to reset the Watch to initiate the update. Surprisingly, despite Apple’s introduction of the Apple Watch SE, it has survived.
With the launch of WatchOS 9, the Watch Series 3 is expected to be phased out due to lagging hardware. Apple will launch WatchOS 9 at WWDC 2022, at which point it may drop support for the Watch Series 3. Rumor has it that Apple is expected to launch three new Apple Watch models this year — the Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Series 8, and the rugged Apple Watch Explorer for sports enthusiasts. Also, there may not be a place for the Watch Series 3 in the keynote.
The Apple Watch Series 8 is expected to get a new flat design consistent with the current iPhone and iPad. Also, it may have a body temperature sensor. The Apple Watch Explorer may have an impact-resistant and sturdy case.

The iPhone 14 series has not been released yet, and the news about the iPhone 15 series is coming! On March 23, foreign media TheElec learned that Samsung Display is currently developing a new under-screen camera technology for its client Apple to hide Face ID under the display of the next-generation iPhone.

According to the source, Samsung Display’s technology is expected to be applied first to the foldable phone Samsung Electronics will launch next year, and then to the Pro series of the iPhone 15 series. It is reported that Apple plans to use the hole display and Face ID under the panel on the iPhone 15 Pro model.
The punch-hole design is widely used in today’s smartphones, and Apple is expected to apply it to the iPhone 14 series later this year.
Apple currently installs various sensors, including Face ID, in the notch on the top of its iPhones. But with under-screen Face ID, the phone will hide the sensor when not in use. This is essentially the same under-display camera or UPC technology that Samsung Display applied on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 launched last year.
Samsung Display is reportedly working with Canada’s OTI Lumionics to develop its new under-screen camera technology. Meanwhile, Samsung plans to use laser drilling on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 to make the under-display camera, just like it did on the Fold 3. Apple has decided not to use laser drilling and is looking for an alternative. LG Display is also developing its own under-panel camera technology, aiming to increase the light transmittance of the hole to more than 40% after 2024.

Nowadays, folding screen mobile phones are in full swing, and new folding screen phones from various manufacturers have been sold out one after another. Recently, Samsung filed a patent for the horizontal and vertical hinge design.

When the user folds the phone vertically, the screen will be displayed on the outside, which is convenient for the user to operate with one hand; and when the user folds the device horizontally, the screen will be located inside, which makes the device not hurt the screen when carrying it.

At the same time, after the device is fully unfolded, users can get a fairly large front screen, providing a convenient operating experience. Thanks to the multi-hinge design, this device does not need to be equipped with a separate external secondary screen. After it is folded vertically, it will have a front and rear dual-screen device.
The source said that the overall size of the multi-folding phone currently under development is slightly larger than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. And Samsung is also considering designing a new system support for this device that can be folded in multiple ways, which will benefit the actual user experience.
On this basis, this multi-folding device will bring a variety of user modes. Users can perform upper and lower partition operations just like on a laptop, which is also supported by some current folding screen devices.

With the development of smart phones, the integration of mobile phones is getting higher and higher, and the replaceable battery design that was common in the era of feature phones has almost disappeared at present. And just recently, the European Union passed a new bill that prohibits phone makers from sticking batteries too tightly so users can replace them.

According to foreign media reports, the European Parliament recently passed a proposal to ban smartphone manufacturers from using firmly bonded batteries in smartphones. Now the proposal has finally passed 567 votes in favor, 67 votes against, and 40 votes not voted. . Next, the EU will negotiate with its member states to negotiate specific legislative matters. If successful, the bill will be implemented from 2024.
For many people, the battery wear and tear of the mobile phone after a period of use makes them have to replace the mobile phone battery, and the official after-sales replacement is more expensive and inconvenient. However, some mobile phone manufacturers will add more fixing glue to better fix the mobile phone battery, making it very troublesome for individuals to replace the battery. With the passage of the bill, it may be more convenient for users to replace the battery by themselves in the future.
It should be noted that this EU bill does not require mobile phone manufacturers to return to the previous state of replaceable batteries, but only prohibits manufacturers from gluing mobile phone batteries too tightly to make it easier for consumers to remove batteries. In fact, some mobile phone manufacturers have added the design of quick battery removal on the mobile phone for the convenience of replacing the battery. Whether it is the official maintenance personnel or the user themselves, they can easily remove the battery for replacement.
In addition to batteries, products that use batteries such as electric vehicles and electric skateboards are also subject to the Act. On the one hand, the EU’s move is to protect the environment and facilitate battery recycling, and on the other hand, it is also to reduce dependence on overseas regions. After all, many materials in batteries need to be imported overseas. .

 News on March 15th, it is reported that the iPhone 14 Pro series may be “longer” due to the new design, and the effect may be like this (for reference only, although imagine an “extended” version of the iPhone 14 Pro) :

According to earlier news, the iPhone 14 series entered the trial production stage last month, and the design of the entire series has been basically finalized. Among them, the basic iPhone 14 models may retain the Liu Haiping design, while the higher-positioned iPhone 14 Pro series will adopt a “pill + hole-digging” design with an “exclamation mark” arrangement. At that time, it was really not seen from the rendering that the iPhone 14 Pro series had become longer.
Recently, Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-known analyst at Tianfeng International Securities, said on Twitter that this year’s iPhone 14 series will cancel the 5.4-inch mini model, and the entire series will become the 6.1-inch iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Max and 6.7-inch iPhone 14. Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max. He also said that the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max may continue to be equipped with the A15 bionic chip, while the iPhone 14 Pro series will use the new A-series bionic chip.