Smartphones

HMD announces 1st line of own smartphones

The HMD Pulse collection and HMD Vibe

Published

on

HMD Pulse Plus

HMD Global’s new era has finally arrived. The long-time partner of Nokia has released its first line of original Android smartphones, the HMD Vibe and HMD Pulse.

The HMD Vibe will be available in the United States, while the HMD Pulse collection will be sold in international markets. The Finnish smartphone manufacturer positions the Pulse series in particular as “mid-range, affordable phone options” although they are much more affordable than that branding suggests.

HMD Vibe: More bang for your buck

The HMD Vibe houses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processor. It runs on Android 14, supports 4GB of virtual RAM on top of 4GB of base RAM, and has a 128GB internal storage capacity.

It has a 13MP AF main camera, along with a 2MP depth sensor and a 5MP selfie shooter. The phone uses an IPS LCD panel for its 6.56-inch display. This has a 90Hz refresh rate and up to 600nits of brightness.

The HMD Vibe will be available from May at US$ 149 on HMD.com and major retailers like Amazon and Best Buy.

HMD Pulse collection

Meanwhile, HMD’s midrange collection comes in three variants: The HMD Pulse, HMD Pulse+, and HMD Pulse Pro.

All three come in Glacier Green, Twilight Purple, and Black Ocean color variants. All three also come in a sleek, modern design. The rear cameras packaged in a rectangular formation on the upper left and the selfie cameras in a middle punch-hole.

A Unisoc T606 processor powers all phones under the Pulse series. The series-leading Pulse Pro supports configurations of up to 8GB+8GB RAM and 256GB storage. It features a 50MP selfie camera, complementing an identical 50MP rear camera.

On the other hand, the Pulse+ and Pulse both have 13MP main cameras and 5MP selfie shooters which has AI HDR and optimization. The Pulse+ has up to 8GB+8GB RAM and 128GB storage, while the Pulse can support up to 6GB+6GB RAM and the same storage capacity.

All handsets offer up to 59 hours of battery life. The Pro supports 20W of charging, while the other two’s chargers have a lower output at 10W. The only downside for all three is arguably their HD+ display with “just” a 90Hz refresh rate.

The HMD Pulse is priced starting at £99.99 on the HMD website, while the Pulse+ and Pulse Pro are to be made available soon.

News

Next year’s iPhone might have a curved Liquid Glass screen

A lot of plans are in store for the iPhone’s 20th anniversary.

Published

on

Apple’s Liquid Glass design marked a return to the three-dimensional aesthetic of Windows Vista. Not content with letting the new design thrive solely on the software side, Apple is reportedly bringing “Liquid Glass” to the iPhone’s hardware.

Next year is important to the history of the iPhone as the ubiquitous phone will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Apple will definitely have major plans to herald the milestone.

According to rumors (via Ice Universe on X), the 20th anniversary iPhone will have a “curved display,” much like the aesthetics of Liquid Glass. However, the device will not be “anything like the curved screen solutions we have seen on Android phones over the years.”

Instead, the iPhone’s curve will be subtle and will rely on “optical refraction” to produce the illusion of a truly curved screen. The ultimate goal is to reduce the bezel as much as possible, creating an all-screen iPhone.

Naturally, such a form factor comes with questions. For example, where will Apple store the Dynamic Island and its hardware underneath? How will cases work if there are no bezels?

It’s still very early in the news cycle of next year’s iPhone. In fact, reports about the iPhone 18 series are just getting started. As with all rumors this early on, take it with a grain of salt. However, if anything, incorporating “Liquid Glass” into the iPhone’s hardware feels poetic.

SEE ALSO: Foldable iPhone might be called the iPhone Ultra

Continue Reading

News

Foldable iPhone might be called the iPhone Ultra

Goodbye, iPhone Fold.

Published

on

With so many rumors coming out as of late, it’s fair to assume that the first foldable iPhone is really coming this year. Right now, there’s still so much time before its projected launch date in the fall, meaning a lot of chances for more rumors to pop out. Case in point, today sees the rumored name for this upcoming device show up: the iPhone Ultra.

We’ve been calling the foldable iPhone as the iPhone Fold for a while now. After all, what else would you call a foldable in a world dominated by the Galaxy Z Fold and Flip series?

According to a new rumor from Macworld, Apple will resurrect the Ultra moniker, which last made an appearance in the Apple Watch Ultra series, for its upcoming premium iPhone model. The foldable iPhone will be called, very simply, the iPhone Ultra.

Much like the iPhone Air, the iPhone Ultra will not have a number in its name, making it distinct from the upcoming iPhone 18 series. As a foldable, it makes sense for Apple to establish its own series for the form factor.

Additionally, Apple will reportedly use the same Ultra naming convention for a new series of MacBooks with a touchscreen OLED display. The MacBook Ultra might come out next year.

Both the iPhone Ultra and the MacBook Ultra will likely occupy top spots in Apple’s gallery of devices. Apple has even reportedly pushed the regular iPhone 18 duo’s launch to next year, clearing the room for the Pro duo and the Ultra for this fall’s event.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s iPhone Fold reportedly hits engineering delays

Continue Reading

News

This rumored iPhone 18 color will make you switch phones

The rumored Dark Cherry color looks so premium.

Published

on

Image source: Macworld

(Cosmic) orange is the new black. With the iPhone 17 series, Apple introduced the color as the next fashion statement for the ubiquitous phone. If you see an orange phone today, chances are that it’s an all-new iPhone 17 Pro Max. This year, the series might get another new statement color: Dark Cherry.

Though the usual suspects of colors will always be there, Apple often leaves a bit of room for more experimental options for those who want to stand out with their new phone. As you can probably tell from the ongoing deluge of orange, the strategy is working well for Apple.

According to Macworld, Apple is working on a Dark Cherry option for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.

Red isn’t a color foreign to the iPhone. In the past, several generations included a limited red colorway option. If the reports are true, red might be a standard option, rather than a limited edition.

But, of course, Dark Cherry is different from the red that we’re used to. Instead of the bright red, the new option will be more similar to the color of wine.

Besides Dark Cherry, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will also have Light Blue, Dark Gray, and Silver as options. Though Light Blue also looks great, the wine-like color looks like a personal highlight for me. I didn’t know I wanted a wine-colored iPhone until I saw the renders for this.

SEE ALSO: iPhone 18 may have lower specs and a delayed launch, rumor says

Continue Reading

Trending