O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: screen

  • Rumor: Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro models to incorporate under-screen Face ID system, other new features

    Rumor: Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro models to incorporate under-screen Face ID system, other new features

    If this leak is even partially correct, there’s some interesting stuff en route for the iPhone 18 Pro models this year.

    Per MacRumors, Digital Chat Station has posted a new series of potential specs for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Pro Max handsets on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. The leak indicates that the units will have the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes as the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but will also feature a breakthrough new feature in the form of under-screen Face ID.

    This jibes with a previously published report from December in which The Information stated that the handsets would be equipped with an under-screen Face ID system. The publication also stated that the front camera would be moved to the top-left corner of the screen on the devices. As a result, the report said the devices would no longer have a pill-shaped cutout in the screen.

    Should the under-screen Face ID system surface this year, it’s unknown as to whether the iPhone 18 Pro models would offer a Dynamic Island feature, which could still be used for notifications such as low battery alerts and Live Activities.

    Where the standard iPhone 18 and iPhone Air 2 handsets are concerned, Digital Chat Station stated they expect those devices to have a Dynamic Island, and the same 6.3-inch and 6.5-inch display sizes as the equivalent previous-generation models, respectively.

    Here is what the leaker expects on a model-by-model basis:

    • iPhone 18: 6.3-inch display (120Hz/LTPO) and Dynamic Island
    • iPhone Air 2: 6.5-inch display (120Hz/LTPO) and Dynamic Island
    • iPhone 18 Pro: 6.3-inch display (120Hz/LTPO) and under-screen Face ID
    • iPhone 18 Pro Max: 6.9-inch display (120Hz/LTPO) and under-screen Face ID

    Apple is expected to release the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in the typical September timeframe this year, but rumors suggest the standard iPhone 18 and the iPhone Air 2 will not launch until around March 2027.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors, Weibo, and The Information

  • Rumor: Apple may have resolved iPhone Fold crease issue, entered new stage of development and production

    Rumor: Apple may have resolved iPhone Fold crease issue, entered new stage of development and production

    Apple’s purported iPhone Fold project may have hit a new milestone, as the creasing issue that is said to have plagued R&D may have been resolved.

    Per supply chain sources close to the story, the iPhone Fold, which is anticipated to launch in either 2026 or 2027 and have a book-like flexible screen, could have seen a breakthrough in the issue. If so, this would make the iPhone the first with a true crease-free design.

    The crease issue has long been an issue in the existing foldable smartphone market, wherein a frequently flexed section of the screen develops a visible crease, which can lead to cracking and eventually break the screen entirely. Solving the creasing problem will increase the life of the iPhone Fold as well as improve the user experience. Previous reports had indicated that Apple was making progress on improving the issue.

    Where production is concerned, longtime Apple manufacturer Foxconn has reportedly created a production line for the iPhone Fold. If true, this would indicate that the handset has exited the prototyping phase and entered the engineering verification process.

    While it’s unknown as to exactly what Apple’s done to fix the crease problem, it’s thought that this may involve a component that relies on supply chain partners to produce. Samsung is reported to have supplied the folding inner display, while Apple is claimed to have actually designed the panel structure, material processing, and lamination method.

    Apple also worked with two suppliers, Shin Zu Shing and Amphenol, to integrate the panel and the bearing for the hinge. There is also the belief that Apple has included high-strength hinge components produced using liquid metal, minimizing deformation compared to other materials.

    The current rumors for the iPhone Fold handset include a 7.8-inch folding display, accompanied by a 5.5-inch external display for use while the smartphone is folded up.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and money.udn.com

  • Rumor: Folding iPad Pro may have been pushed back to 2029 or later

    Rumor: Folding iPad Pro may have been pushed back to 2029 or later

    If you’re hankering for the folding iPad, you may have to wait until 2029 or later.

    According to a Tuesday report from Bloomberg, the folding iPad may have been pushed back to 2029 at the earliest. According to sources familiar with the device, Apple is working with Samsung Display to create the 18-inch display panel. As usual for Apple, and like the iPhone Fold, the project aims to minimize the chance of creases developing in the middle of the display. The sources have also stated that the large screen has become a complex issue to solve, and may have forced an extended delay in its development.

    The folding iPad price may have also ballooned to approach $3,000, making it three times as expensive as the 13-inch iPad Pro. Engineers are also rumored to be worried about the weight ot the prototypes, which have gone up to 3.5 pounds, or the weight of a MacBook Pro, when the typical iPad Pro weighs in around one pound.

    While the weight is an issue, it’s something that can certainly come down as development progresses. Sources say the current prototype is reminiscent of the Huawei MateBook Fold, an 18-inch folding tablet. The Huawei version allegedly weighs less than a pound, but comes in at a street price of about $3,400.

    The rumors about a foldable iPad have circulated for quite some time. In part, this has been buoyed by patent filings by Apple for products that are fairly close in concept. The patents have mentioned a hinged OLED screen that could turn a large iPad into a MacBook, as well as a “keyless keyboard” for a dual-screened MacBook. Apple has even envisioned improving the design by using actuators to change the physical shape of a screen’s surface to raise “keys.”

    Though Apple is seemingly having trouble with a large-screen folding iPad, it’s not the only foldable that it’s apparently having trouble with. On October 17, Apple was reportedly still working on designing the hinge for the iPhone Fold.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and Bloomberg

  • Rumor: Apple to deliver touchscreen-enabled MacBook Pro by the end of 2026

    Rumor: Apple to deliver touchscreen-enabled MacBook Pro by the end of 2026

    Although it’s been predicted just about every year, per the mighty analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is slated to deliver a MacBook Pro by the end of 2026.

    Writing on Twitter/X, Kuo has stated that adding a touchscreen would blur the line between a MacBook and an iPad, something that Apple does intentionally.

    Kuo’s post states that this shift “appears to reflect Apple’s long-term observation of iPad user behavior, indicating that in certain scenarios, touch controls can enhance both productivity and the overall user experience.”

    Should Kuo be right about this, the action would mark a signficant change from Apple’s previous statements.

    “We really feel that the ergonomics of using a Mac are that your hands are rested on a surface, and that lifting your arm up to poke a screen is a pretty fatiguing thing to do,” Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering said in 2018. “I don’t think we’ve looked at any of the other guys to date and said, how fast can we get there?”

    Kuo went on to state that the OLED MacBook Pro predicted for late 2026 will mark the first MacBook Pro to receive a touchscreen display, and that the more afforable MacBook, which is rumored to be powered by an iPhone processor, will not receive it.

    According to Apple’s patent filing history, the company has been researching the possibility of a MacBook Pro with a touchscreen for years. The company has filed an assortment of patent applications and received multiple patents around the topic, something that indicates it’s not averse to the idea.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and @mingchikuo

  • Code references indicate that a next-gen MacBook could be powered by the A18 Pro chip

    Code references indicate that a next-gen MacBook could be powered by the A18 Pro chip

    A next-gen MacBook could be powered by an A18 chip.

    On Monday, noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo posted that code references had been discovered that indicated that an upcoming MacBook could be powered by the iPhone’s A18 Pro chip.

    Earlier today, Ming-Chi Kuo reported that a new, cheaper MacBook would include the iPhone’s A18 Pro chip. Now, the first reference to the device has been discovered in Apple’s macOS 15 code.

    According to MacRumors, a new device, listed as “Mac 17, 1,” has now been discovered to be running an A18 Pro chip. The code seems to be from 2024, and no other details as to the notebook have been published.

    Apple debuted its A18 Pro chip last fall in the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. As a result, it seems odd that the new, cheaper MacBook would include it rather than this fall’s A19 Pro.

    Kuo says the MacBook will have a 13-inch screen, similar to the smaller MacBook Air, and come in four potential colors: silver, blue, pink, and yellow. Release is expected in late 2025 or early 2026.

    It’s unknown as to how exactly Apple intends to brand this product, and the standard “MacBook” naming scheme was discontinued when the 12-inch MacBook stopped being produced.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac and MacRumors