Meta’s impressive demo of its Orion AR glasses has got us interested in augmented reality specs again, and a small tidbit of rumored information has come our way that suggests Apple could have its own device in this category by 2026 – with microLED tech included.
This comes from tipster @Jukanlosreve (via Wccftech), who has a decent record for leaks (though that was under a different username). The source says Apple “has not given up” on microLED tech, which it’s been exploring for several years now.
The tech combines the brightness of microLED with the deep blacks of OLED, making it superior to both existing display technologies. It’s also very difficult and expensive to manufacture, which is why we haven’t seen it on smaller gadgets to date.
As our feature on microLED TVs will tell you, this is an innovation that has shown potential for years – but again the problem is in getting the prices down to a point where people are actually going to be available to afford these devices.
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Specs appeal
Apple has not given up on Micro LED technology.1. They are preparing Micro LED for AR glasses, with mass production expected in 2026.2. The plan to include Micro LED in the Apple Watch Ultra is also still in place, with a target launch in 2026.October 5, 2024
The Apple Watch Ultra should also get a microLED display, according to this tipster. Somewhat surprisingly, we didn’t get an Apple Watch Ultra 3 this year, so we’re not sure what number Apple might be up to in a couple of years.
When it comes to the Apple Glasses, we’ve had several waves of rumors around these AR specs in recent years. The previous estimate for a launch window was 2027 – so it’s possible that Apple has accelerated development on this new device.
Last year there was word that Apple’s AR glasses had been delayed indefinitely, with focus switching to a cheaper VR headset. It’s possible that Meta’s success with the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses have shifted Apple’s thinking in this respect.
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There’s also the Apple Vision Pro of course: the mixed reality headset is very powerful and very expensive, and hasn’t sold in huge numbers, and perhaps Apple wants to get something smaller and more affordable out of the door next.
Xiaomi 15 Pro has just leaked in all of its glory. The leaked renders of Xiaomi’s upcoming flagship smartphone reveal its design, color options, and rear camera module.
Xiaomi 15 Pro renders leak, reveal design and other details
Smartprix, in collaboration with X user Kartikey, has leaked renders of the Xiaomi 15 Pro before it launches next month. As the images confirm, the Xiaomi 15 Pro will retain the design of its predecessor, with the iconic square-shaped triple rear camera module.
The LED flash array is now relocated outside of the camera island. Xiaomi may have tweaked the design to accommodate a powerful Laser AF module.
𝗘𝗫𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗩𝗘: Here is a comprehensive look at the renders of the upcoming Xiaomi 15 Pro in collaboration with @Smartprix.
Featuring a triple camera set-up in square camera deco with four circles and flash outside of the deco. pic.twitter.com/9S1SZDVlO9
The upcoming flagship smartphone from Xiaomi will reportedly be available in three colors: black, white, and silver. Xiaomi would surely name these colors a little differently. The smartphone seems to have a sleek glass sandwich construction with a flat metal frame.
Some reports also claim the Xiaomi 15 Pro would be available in a special titanium edition as well. Perhaps the Chinese company intends to compete with the Desert Titanium version of the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
What are the specifications of the upcoming Xiaomi flagship phone?
There have been several leaks and rumors about the Xiaomi 15 Pro. They claim the flagship smartphone will have a 6.78-inch quad-curved AMOLED from TCL. The display would have a 2K resolution, 500+ PPI, and a 120Hz refresh rate.
The triple rear camera module is rumored to feature a 50 MP main camera with a 1/1.3″ sensor and f/1.4 aperture. There would be a 50 MP ultrawide and a 50 MP 5x Tele-macro camera with a 30cm minimum focus distance accompanying the main camera. There will be a 32MP front-facing camera.
Besides the professional-grade imaging hardware and stunning display, the Xiaomi 15 Pro would also pack a massive 6000mAh battery with support for 90W wired, 80W wireless, and 10W reverse wireless charging.
Xiaomi may announce its upcoming flagship smartphone will get five Android OS updates. The Titanium edition could also have satellite connectivity.
Amazon Prime Day is nearly here, but you can already save on one of this year’s newest OLED TVs. The LG C4 OLED smart TV lineup has dropped in price, bringing the 55-inch model down to a record low of $1,297 — that’s roughly $700 off. It’s typical to see TV prices fall consistently throughout the year, but this is the steepest discount we’ve seen since the C4 launched. You’ll see discounts of hundreds of dollars on most other sizes as well.
This is the company’s mid-grade line of OLED TVs. Each model includes the updated Alpha 9 Gen 7 chip, which makes menu navigation much snappier. They also boast improved brightness when compared to previous models. These TVs almost hit 1,000 nits of brightness, which is a little dimmer than a Mini LED panel but better than many OLEDs.
LG
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There’s a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz, which is perfect for gaming. To that end, these sets are compatible with G-Sync and AMD Freesync. The PC gaming bona-fides are strong with this one.
One of the cool features of this smart TV is enhanced compatibility with LG soundbars. Newly-released soundbars will connect wirelessly to the television, clearing away the endless clutter of cables from the living room.
The 65-inch model is also on sale for $1,697, which is a discount of over $1,000. For the big spenders, the massive 83-inch version is available for $4,297. This is 20 percent off the typical price.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice, and stay tuned to Engadget.com for all of the best tech deals coming out of October Prime Day 2024.
In this video I walk you through all (or at least most) of the steps I took to build my own rack mounted 4u server chassis from scratch!
Check out my IG! – https://www.instagram.com/central.maker/
Leave a comment below if you have any ideas for future videos!
Camera and lens – LUMIX G95 w/ 12-60mm f3.5-5.6 .
Well, it’s finally happening. Qualcomm could be merging its Snapdragon processors for mobile and PC under one consolidated ‘Elite’ brand, bringing us one step closer to the product I’ve always wanted – the perfect union of phone and PC.
Despite the sad downfall of Windows Phone, the divide between phones and PCs has been getting less and less rigid over the years, with the introduction of Windows- and ChromeOS-powered tablets further muddying the waters. The smartphone in your pocket is almost certainly more powerful than a desktop PC from 20 or even 10 years ago, and today’s top-end mobile chips are even more impressive.
Doing work on a phone is pretty common nowadays – especially for crowded commutes. (Image credit: Shutterstock)
Plenty of us – myself included – have grown more comfortable with working from phones and tablets, and software has also evolved to meet these needs: when I was in school, the idea of being able to edit Microsoft Word documents on my crappy flip-phone felt like a distant dream, yet now I’m able to work in Google Docs on my Pixel 8 with ease.
It makes me excited for an entirely new type of product, something that doesn’t exist yet, but could: a device that I can carry around with me and use like a phone, but then slot into a display or keyboard and use as a fully-fledged PC at home.
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Strategy shifts
As reported by Wccftech, Qualcomm evidently isn’t the only company working on this, either – since divorcing itself from Intel CPUs for Mac devices, Apple has been hard at work behind the scenes unifying its M-series and A-series chips (the latter of which power the best iPhones). Although Intel remains the dominant force in the PC processor market, it doesn’t make chips for phones, and Qualcomm is coming for Intel’s lunch – even if it won’t be buying Intel out any time soon.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chip is plenty powerful, even capable of some light gaming. (Image credit: Future)
Thanks to Qualcomm’s impressive Snapdragon X Elite chip, Microsoft has finallymanaged to make Windows on Arm-based chips work, with Prism emulation working wonders for x86 app support (even though it’s not perfect yet). We called the Snapdragon-powered Surface Pro 11 ‘the best Surface ever’ in our review, and I’m here to stand on that.
In fact, Microsoft and Qualcomm’s recent successes mean I’m going to go one step further with my predictions about the future of phone/PC technology: it’s time for Windows Phone to make a comeback, baby!
Rise from the grave, Windows Phone
Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon described the Snapdragon X Elite chip as ‘the most disruptive thing in computing since Windows 95’ when he unveiled a new range of Windows laptops with Snapdragon chips at Computex 2024, and I’m inclined to say that he was absolutely right: being able to run Windows on Arm (properly, not the terrible watered-down Windows RT seen on older Surface devices) really is a game-changer.
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That’s what I’m asking for, Microsoft: I want a phone that runs a sleek, tile-based Windows OS, preferably with an app store that isn’t totally awful this time around, with the ability to plug it into any monitor (or a specialized docking station) to transform it into a tiny desktop PC capable of doing all my regular daily work tasks. Yes, you can arguably already do this with some finagling, but I want it to be a seamless, effortless switch.
I’m thinking of something like the classic iPhone speaker docks, but for work instead of music. Well, maybe both?
I know that’s a big ask. For starters, the app store is an immediate stumbling block; asking Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella to kiss and make up so I can have a full-fledged Google Play Store on a Windows device probably isn’t going to happen any time soon. We’re also not about to see Qualcomm putting the X Elite chip in a smartphone; the merging I mentioned earlier is likely more of a branding maneuver and an effort to bridge the gap between Qualcomm’s internal chip development teams, probably with the goal of bringing better AI performance to its upcoming Snapdragon phone processors.
Of course, Google has the opportunity to do something absolutely hilarious here and steal this concept right out from under Microsoft. Some of the best Chromebooks already use mobile-standard chips; the rather excellent Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook, while sadly now discontinued, used a Snapdragon 7c chip – essentially a modified version of the Snapdragon 7 chip found in many smartphones released around the same time. ChromeOS is already well-suited to lower-powered touchscreen devices, too, and Play Store access wouldn’t be an issue.
So the ball’s in your court, Google. I’ll be waiting…
“HBO’s The Franchise is a smart, appropriately absurd takedown of the Marvel-ification of Hollywood.”
Pros
An exceptionally capable ensemble cast
Daniel Brühl’s revelatory performance as a weak-willed director
Sharp, deliciously acidic writing throughout
Cons
Several forgettable, one-note supporting characters
One or two unfocused, dull-edged midseason episodes
The Franchise is about as inside baseball as it gets. The new HBO series from executive producers Jon Brown, Armando Iannucci (Veep), and Sam Mendes (1917) satirizes the soulless inner workings of a modern-day superhero movie set. Its episodes concern themselves with, among other things, the interchangeability of crossover cameos, morally questionable instances of product placement, and the death threats that overqualified actresses get these days whenever they decide to dip their toes into a sci-fi or comic book franchise. Will these issues be interesting to casual viewers? It’s impossible to say, but there’s no doubt that they are compelling to Brown and his collaborators.
Colin Hutton / HBO
The Franchise isn’t just darkly funny and quick-witted; it’s also well-researched. The problems that its fictional film crew faces while trying to bring the latest installment of a massive, Marvel Cinematic Universe-esque franchise past the finish line aren’t just believable most of the time but often feel ripped straight from past trade headlines. This gives The Franchise a chance to tap into the very real contemporary frustrations of Hollywood crew members and reveal the dangers of an entertainment industry that cares more about brand management and corporate synergy than quality or creativity.
The Franchise does so, of course, while also lampooning the absurdity of the trends that have brought Hollywood to such a disconcerting place to begin with. The series is a satire with a very clear, obvious point — one that it hits repeatedly over the course of its eight episodes — but its genuine concerns about the future of its industry don’t stop it from having a helluva fun time. “Rome’s getting hot these days,” one crew member says to another in a midseason episode. It’s to The Franchise‘s credit that it always feels like it is simultaneously trying to put out the fires and dance amidst the wreckage.
Colin Hutton / HBO
At the center of The Franchise is Daniel (Himesh Patel), the beleaguered First Assistant Director of Tecto: Eye of the Storm, a new spinoff in an extremely MCU-coded superhero franchise. Daniel’s days are spent not only overseeing Tecto‘s set but also managing the egos of its director, Eric (Daniel Brühl), and its two stars, an arrogant British thespian who is literally begging to be canceled (Richard E. Grant) and an insecure wannabe movie star (Billy Magnussen) who believes he is on the “cusp” of finally becoming a member of Hollywood’s A-list. When Pat (Darren Goldstein), one of the brutish heads of Tecto‘s parent studio, arrives unannounced on set one day, he brings with him a new, pressurized status quo, as well as Anita (The Boys star Aya Cash), an ambitious up-and-coming producer who used to date Daniel.
The Franchise‘s eight episodes follow Daniel and the other members of Tecto‘s crew as they painfully make their way through the film’s 117-day shoot. Various absurd problems inevitably arise. Eric is repeatedly steamrolled by Pat and the director of a nearby, bigger sister production, while the last-minute cancellation of another film results at one point in Pat demanding that Anita solve their studio’s “woman problem.” Her solution ends up involving a magical stick from comic book lore and Tecto‘s sole female character, a purple-skinned phantom played by Quinn (Katherine Waterston), an Academy Award-nominated actress who can’t wait to get as far away from Tecto and its rabid base of misogynistic fans as she can.
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Colin Hutton / HBO
The Franchise tackles all of its corporate-driven issues with a straight enough face and dry enough wit to effectively emphasize just how ridiculous and soul-killing the day-by-day goings-on of a contemporary franchise production have become. The series does, however, falter a bit in its actual depiction of Tecto and its fellow superhero films. The Franchise and its makers have such a clear contempt for the superhero genre as a whole that the show’s more pointed critiques of the current Hollywood studio system are sometimes undercut by how unbelievably bad its central fictional studio’s movies are made out to be. While The Franchise rarely ever drifts too far away from its core ideas, a few of its midseason episodes, including one chronicling a night shoot that is sent into chaos by an impending visit from Christopher Nolan, feel less focused and exacting than the rest.
Colin Hutton / HBO
The show’s missteps are largely offset by the performances given by its cast. Cash and Patel capably emerge as The Franchise‘s de facto leads and effortlessly conform to its rapid-fire pace and acidic sense of humor. Magnussen and Grant’s characters never really develop beyond their one-note archetypes, but the two actors nonetheless prove to be reliable sources of comedy as well. The same is largely true of British TV vets Jessica Hynes and Lolly Adefope, who play Eric and Daniel’s right-hand assistants, respectively, though The Franchise struggles to consistently justify their characters’ roles in the show.
Ultimately, no one stands out more in The Franchise‘s cast than Daniel Brühl. The actor, who has some experience working in the superhero genre, is a comedic revelation as Eric, an egotistical filmmaker who fancies himself an auteur and yet lacks the spine to do anything more than throw the occasional temper tantrum in order to protect his “vision.” The Franchise is, frankly, worth seeking out just to see how Brühl takes lines like, “I really do want to say something about fracking!” and manages to make the absolute most out of them. In the actor’s capable hands, Eric transforms into both a ridiculous send-up of a visionary artist and a sympathetic portrait of a man who doesn’t yet realize that his ideas don’t actually matter at all to his employers.
The Franchise | Official Trailer | Max
It’s this line between parody and real pain that The Franchise manages to ride exceptionally well across its first season and what may make it more accessible to viewers who aren’t as in-the-know as the Hollywood insiders who made it. For those who are, The Franchise may not come just as a welcome laugh, a traumatizing reminder of past experiences, or a much-needed wake-up call, but all of the above. It’s a TV series that scorches just about everything it puts in its wake, and it’s both a good and bad thing that it still feels by the end of its first eight episodes like it has only barely scratched the surface of Hollywood’s current problems.
The Franchise premieres Sunday, October 6 on HBO. New episodes air weekly on Sundays. Digital Trends was given early access to the series’ entire eight-episode first season.
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