News

ZTE Blade Z Max comes with dual cameras, super-affordable price

Published

on

The big players may be grabbing all the headlines, but ZTE is discreetly building a lineup of smartphones with excellent value. The Blade Z Max is the newest of which, and it offers features you’d normally find in handsets more than twice its price.

You wouldn’t think the Blade Z Max could offer anything substantial with its US$ 129 price tag, but all that changes at the first glance alone.

The back shows off a dual-camera setup composed of a 16-megapixel sensor coupled with a secondary 2-megapixel shooter to help with portrait duties. Below that, you can find the fingerprint scanner — another feature that was once reserved for much more expensive phones.

You can’t tell by the renders above, but the Blade Z Max has a massive 6-inch Full HD display and 8-megapixel selfie camera up front, as well as a 3.5mm audio port at the bottom. While the large screen would suck more energy out of the battery, the capacity is a healthy 4080mAh, and unlike most entry-level phones, this one has the more future-proof USB-C connection.

To keep things efficient, this ZTE model has a Snapdragon 435 processor and a decent amount of memory at 2GB. This means it’ll struggle to play graphics-intensive games, but running several light apps simultaneously should be manageable. On the bright side, its 32GB of storage can be expanded using a single microSD card.

All these are encased in a metal frame and textured back — again, not bad for a Android Nougat-powered smartphone costing less than US$ 150! The official release date is August 28; if you want it earlier, you may pre-order through MetroPCS in the US starting today.

SEE ALSO: Best Budget Smartphones below $300 (August 2017 Edition)

[irp posts=”16997″ name=”Best Budget Smartphones below $300 (August 2017 Edition)”]

News

Apple has essentially confirmed the launch of the iPhone Fold

Some hidden references were not hidden enough.

Published

on

No, Apple did not officially launch the iPhone Fold yet.

However, WWDC 2026 had a few surprises for those attentive enough to go deeper into the event’s announcements. And it all revolves around iOS 27.

Of course, the main event of WWDC 2026 is the first peek into the upcoming mobile operating system. Though we already covered everything that Apple visibly announced, something hidden has essentially confirmed the band’s first foldable phone.

On X, Sam Henri Gold, an engineer, spotted a few crucial references to a foldable form factor. Hidden underneath the recently released iOS 27 beta are mentions of “foldState” and “angleDegrees.” The code also includes references to the number of displays a single device has.

Notably, iOS 26 did not include such mentions. It can’t be purely coincidental. Unless Apple is suddenly shipping iOS 27 out to foldables from other brands (highly unlikely), this is the prelude to an iPhone Fold coming later this year.

Now, rumors of an iPhone Fold have been making the rounds for a while now. But they haven’t been as strong as this year. There’s heavy speculation that the brand’s first foldable phone is coming later this fall.

There’s still a nonzero chance that it makes an appearance during WWDC 2026, but don’t put all your eggs in this basket. Apple traditionally reserves the conference for software developments. Fall is the usual playing ground for Apple’s hardware.

Continue Reading

News

Apple Intelligence gets smarter across apps

Beyond Siri AI

Published

on

Apple Intelligence

Alongside the debut of Siri AI at WWDC26, Apple also unveiled the next generation of Apple Intelligence, bringing new AI-powered features to Photos, Safari, Messages, Shortcuts, Home, and other apps across its ecosystem.

Powered by a new privacy-focused architecture, Apple Intelligence now integrates more deeply across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods, and Apple Vision Pro. The company says the update makes everyday tasks easier with smarter editing tools, improved web browsing, more capable communication features, and expanded automation options.

New AI editing tools come to Photos

Apple is introducing several new editing features to Photos.

Spatial Reframing lets users adjust the composition of a photo after it has been taken. The feature uses AI to generate only the parts of an image needed to accommodate the new perspective while keeping the original scene intact.

The Photos app is also gaining an upgraded Extend tool, which can expand images, straighten horizons, and adjust aspect ratios without cropping out important elements. Meanwhile, the Clean Up tool now delivers more realistic results when removing unwanted objects from photos. Apple says AI-edited images will automatically include a hidden SynthID watermark.

Safari gets smarter browsing features

Apple Intelligence is also changing how Safari works.

A new feature automatically organizes tabs into topics, making it easier to manage research, trip planning, and other projects spread across multiple pages. Safari can continue grouping new tabs into existing topics as users browse.

Another feature called Notify Me can monitor webpages for changes, such as product restocks or price drops, and send notifications when updates occur. Safari can also generate custom browser extensions through a new Describe an Extension tool that builds extensions based on a user’s written instructions.

Apple is also expanding the capabilities of the Passwords app. Eligible accounts can now be automatically upgraded to stronger passwords, with Apple Intelligence handling the process on a user’s behalf.

Messages, Calendar, and Shortcuts gain AI assistance

Messages and Mail are becoming more proactive with contextual suggestions.

Users can receive one-tap recommendations to create reminders or notes based on conversations. Messages can also help locate specific photos by recognizing people, locations, and keywords mentioned in chats. Smart Reply can now adapt responses based on a user’s writing style.

Apple is also bringing AI assistance to Calendar and Shortcuts. Users can create calendar events simply by describing them, while a new Describe a Shortcut feature can automatically build automations based on natural language instructions.

The Phone app is gaining Call Context, which can surface information such as reservation numbers and confirmation codes when users contact a business. Apple says the feature runs entirely on-device and does not share information with the company.

New features for Home and accessibility

The Home app is becoming smarter with AI-generated video descriptions and improved search tools for HomeKit Secure Video cameras.

Users can search security camera footage using natural language and review automatically highlighted noteworthy events. Apple Intelligence can also group related notifications into a single activity to reduce clutter.

Accessibility features are also receiving upgrades. VoiceOver can provide richer image descriptions, while Voice Control allows users to describe onscreen controls instead of memorizing exact button names. Accessibility Reader now supports more complex documents and can provide summaries and translations on demand.

Availability

The new Apple Intelligence features are available for developer testing starting today through the Apple Developer Program. A public beta will launch next month through the Apple Beta Software Program.

Apple plans to release the features this fall as part of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 for supported Apple Intelligence-compatible devices.

Continue Reading

News

Siri AI can now understand your screen, apps, and personal context

Apple’s new assistant

Published

on

Apple is giving Siri its biggest upgrade yet.

At WWDC26, the company unveiled Siri AI, a rebuilt version of its digital assistant powered by Apple Intelligence. The new experience can understand personal context, answer questions about content on a user’s screen, and perform actions across apps.

Apple says Siri AI can search across messages, emails, photos, and other personal information to help users find what they need. Users can ask Siri to locate a restaurant recommendation from a friend, retrieve a hotel confirmation from an old email, or find photos from a recent trip. These capabilities can also extend to third-party apps through Spotlight integrations.

Siri can understand what’s on your screen

Beyond personal context, Siri AI can also understand content currently displayed on a device.

For example, if a user receives a message about a potluck, Siri can help brainstorm what to bring and save a recipe to Notes without requiring users to switch between apps. The assistant can also access information from the web and support more natural conversations through follow-up questions.

Apple is integrating Siri AI throughout its ecosystem. iPhone users can access it through the side button or Dynamic Island, while iPad and Mac users can use it through Spotlight. On Apple Vision Pro, Siri appears as a spatial interface that users can place anywhere in their environment.

Visual Intelligence expands across devices

Apple is also bringing Visual Intelligence to more products.

On iPhone, a new Siri mode inside the Camera app lets users ask questions about what they see. Siri can identify objects, provide nutritional information about food, and perform actions such as splitting a bill using Apple Cash.

Visual Intelligence is also coming to iPad and Mac. Users can select content on their screen, ask questions about it, and perform actions directly through Siri. Apple Vision Pro users can ask Siri about both digital content and physical objects around them.

Conversations follow you across Apple devices

Apple is introducing a dedicated Siri app that stores conversation history across devices through private iCloud syncing.

Users can start a conversation on Mac and continue it later on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Apple Vision Pro. Siri AI also includes new writing tools that can generate drafts, revise text, and provide writing suggestions across Apple’s apps and supported third-party apps.

Availability

Siri AI is available for developer testing starting today across iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, and visionOS 27. Apple plans to launch the feature as a beta later this year for supported devices set to English, with additional language support arriving afterward.

Continue Reading

Trending