Top Stories: iPhone Ultra Rumor, Reverse Wireless Charging Still Planned, and More
We’re in a bit of a quiet period for Apple after the flurry of product announcements and launches that kick off in 2023, but that doesn’t mean we’re not still seeing plenty of news and rumors about what’s to come.
iPhone rumors continue to circulate about both this year’s iPhone 15 lineup and possibly the iPhone 16 lineup for 2024, while we’ve also heard some rumors about Apple’s Mac plans and an upcoming return of the new Home app architecture pulled from iOS 16.2 due to widespread issue, so read on for all the details on these stories and more!
Apple is considering new high-end iPhone alongside Pro and Pro Max
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple has discussed selling a new top-of-the-line iPhone “Ultra” model alongside the Pro and Pro Max in 2024 at the earliest. Based on this time frame, the device will be part of the iPhone 16 series or later.
Gurman speculated that the Ultra model could have additional camera improvements, a faster chip, a larger screen and perhaps a portless design without Lightning or USB-C. He said the device will be more expensive than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which starts at $1,099.
Apple is still working on allowing the iPhone to charge AirPods and other devices wirelessly
Apple is reportedly continuing to develop a reverse wireless charging feature that will allow the iPhone to charge other devices such as AirPods.
With the iPhone 12, an FCC filing hinted at reverse wireless charging capabilities that could be hidden within the hardware, but Apple has never enabled this functionality in the years since and it’s unclear exactly when the feature would be available. if ever.
Apple may not launch new Mac Studio with M2 Ultra Chip due to similarity with upcoming Mac Pro
Apple released the all-new Mac Studio desktop computer in March 2022 with M1 Max and M1 Ultra chip options, which offer impressive performance. In fact, the higher-end model with the M1 Ultra chip is the fastest Mac ever, until the Apple silicon Mac Pro comes along.
Unfortunately, the Mac Studio may not be updated with an M2 Ultra chip this year, as that would make the computer too similar to the upcoming Mac Pro with the same chip. We also hear that a new 27-inch display with mini-LED backlighting and 120Hz ProMotion may not launch in the first quarter of this year as previously predicted.
iPhone 15 Pro ‘Buttonless Design’ Rumors: What We Know
The upcoming iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are rumored to feature a “buttonless” design with solid-state volume and power controls. Here’s everything we know about this rumor so far.
Instead of moving, the solid-state buttons will provide haptic feedback when pressed, like the trackpad on modern MacBooks. The devices will have two additional Taptic Engines to power this functionality.
Apple re-releases new HomeKit architecture in iOS 16.4
In its upcoming iOS 16.4 update, Apple will reintroduce the revamped HomeKit architecture that it originally pulled in December due to widespread problems.
Backend code for the Matter smart home standard indicates that Apple is ready to reintroduce the updated Home architecture in iOS 16.4. It was originally released with the iOS 16.2 update, only to be pulled a week after launch due to bugs and installation issues.
iPhone 14 Pro More than 20% faster than Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra in benchmarks
Samsung’s newly announced Galaxy S23 Ultra hasn’t quite hit the market yet, but unearthed benchmarks for the device suggest that Apple still has the world’s fastest mobile processor by a significant margin.
Geekbench scores show that the iPhone 14 Pro’s A16 Bionic chip offers up to just over 20% faster CPU performance than Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip.
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