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Google mocks Apple Intelligence in Pixel 10 ad

“Just change your phone,” Google said

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If the past two years are any indication, AI-powered assistants aren’t going away anytime soon. Despite how arguably ostentatious they are, the likes of Gemini, Copilot, and ChatGPT want to prove that they can fit in today’s society. Apple users, however, can’t accurately form an opinion on their chosen brand’s AI yet because of delayed features. A year since Apple Intelligence’s debut, Google is now making fun of Apple for it.

Apple launched Apple Intelligence last year. Despite how many months it’s been, the software is in a perpetual “coming soon” state. Some of its long-advertised features have not dropped for users yet. If you’re in the market for an AI assistant, you might be better off with the more fully formed options besides Apple Intelligence.

Now, the troubles of Apple Intelligence haven’t escaped the eyes of Google. As the brand has done for years, Google is using Apple’s shortcomings to advertise the latest Pixel series.

Today, to promote the upcoming Pixel 10 lineup, Google released a short teaser for the flagship. But it doesn’t showcase the new smartphone except for a vague silhouette. Rather, the 30-second video makes fun of Apple for promoting “a feature that’s coming soon, but it’s been coming soon for a full year.”

If you got an iPhone because of that delayed feature, Google’s narrator suggests either changing your definition of soon or “just change your phone.” Besides referencing Apple Intelligence’s delay, “change your phone” seemingly alludes to Tim Cook’s previous “just buy an iPhone” comments in response to his company’s past refusal to adopt RCS messaging.

As much as the video is about Apple, it’s also about the Pixel 10, believe it or not. The upcoming flagship is set to launch on August 20.

SEE ALSO: Google shows off Pixel 10 before launch

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Apple raises the prices of iPad and MacBook lineups

Price hikes start at $100.

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Hey, remember when Apple launched the MacBook Neo, and it had the most attractive price for an Apple-branded laptop? Those were good times. Unfortunately, it was too good to be true. Responding to the ongoing RAM crisis, Apple has now increased the prices of its hardware, starting with the MacBook and the iPad lineups (via Reuters).

The “highlight” here is the price of the MacBook Neo. To be fair, the affordable MacBook is still the cheapest one of the lot, but that’s not saying much. From a starting price of US$ 599, the Neo now costs US$ 699.

Now, we’d love to say that a US$ 100 price hike is the most you can expect across the board. But that’s not true at all. Most will bring up the price by a few hundreds and up to a whopping US$ 1,300. Here’s a list of devices you’re going to see changes for:

Model Original price New price
MacBook Neo $599 $699
MacBook Air (13-inch) $1,099 $1,299
MacBook Air (15-inch) $1,299 $1,499
MacBook Pro (M5) $1,699 $1,999
MacBook Pro (M5 Pro) $2,199 $2,499
MacBook Pro (M5 Max) $3,599 $4,099
iMac $1,299 $1,499
Mac Studio (M4 Max) $1,999 $2,499
Mac Studio (M3 Ultra) $3,999 $5,299
iPad $349 $449
iPad mini $499 $599
iPad Air (11-inch) $599 $749
iPad Air (13-inch) $749 $949
iPad Pro (11-inch) $999 $1,199
iPad Pro (13-inch) $1,299 $1,499
Vision Pro $3,499 $3,699

 

The current price hikes do not include the iPhone lineup. It might only be a matter of time, though. Recently, Tim Cook confirmed that Apple can no longer shoulder the expenses of the RAM crisis by themselves, essentially signaling a huge wave of price hikes. The brand will likely continue the increases heading into the iPhone launches in September.

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Honor is reportedly working on a 14000mAh battery

How much is too much?

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Nothing goes together more than a Chinese smartphone brand and the relentless pursuit for a bigger battery. For years, Chinese brands have engaged in a war for this particular component. Now, the latest salvo has been fired. Honor is reportedly working on a phone with a gigantic 14000mAh battery.

Today, the biggest battery capacity you can find on an Honor phone is 11000mAh. The Honor X80 Pro Max already offers a battery that can last you more than a single day. At this point, it’s certainly more than enough for our daily needs.

According to Digital Chat Station on Weibo, a smartphone brand is currently working on a 14000mAh battery. Though the leak does not explicitly pinpoint Honor, the emoji used (a wolf) is historically used to imply the Chinese brand in Weibo parlance.

A 14000mAh is just absurdly huge. With a battery larger than some powerbanks, battery anxiety becomes moot. It’s bordering on “can we bring this on a plane” territory.

As with all rumored features, the next question is when this battery will arrive on a consumer-ready device. Given how serious the battery wars are for the Chinese market, it’s only a matter of time.

SEE ALSO: HONOR continues APAC expansion, to launch 600 series in Taiwan

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Nothing Phone (4b) shows up online, spoils some specs

It’s a step below the Phone (4a) series.

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Yesterday, Nothing officially teased the Phone (4b), an all-new line positioned below the Phone (4a) series. At the time, the teaser revealed nothing but the design of the upcoming phone. However, ahead of its July 7 launch, the Phone (4b) suddenly appeared on Geekbench, spoiling a few of its mysterious specs.

According to the listing, the Phone (4b) will run the SM6650, more popularly known as the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4. It’s a modestly powered processor built for the budget to midrange segments of the performance spectrum. Having this processor does confirm that the phone belongs to the step below the Phone (4a), bringing affordability to a name other than CMF.

Besides the processor, the new phone will come with an Adreno 810 GPU and 8GB of RAM. Inside, it will ship with Android 16 out of the box, but this will likely be upgradeable to Android 17 later this year.

It’s already confirmed that the Phone (4b) will be quite the looker. The phone will slightly depart from the design philosophy of the Phone (4a) series. Though it will still have a sizable rear island, the camera setup will just be a small vertical strip on the top-left corner. Additionally, the lighting element typical of all Nothing phones will be a small horizontal strip on the bottom-right corner.

Thankfully, the wait for more specs won’t be long. Nothing has confirmed that the phone’s launch is set for July 7.

SEE ALSO: Nothing will launch the Phone (4b) next month

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