Apple: iPhone 17 Rumors and iOS Updates
Apple’s fall iPhone event (reportedly set for September 9) is looming, and leaks are painting a picture of the iPhone 17 as the “thinnest iPhone ever” with some major changes techcrunch.com. According to TechCrunch and Bloomberg, the iPhone 17 lineup is expected to introduce slightly larger displays (rumors point to a 6.3-inch base model, up from 6.1) and bring high-refresh-rate 120Hz screens even to the standard iPhone 17 techcrunch.com techcrunch.com. Notably, this launch is believed to kick off a three-year redesign cycle for Apple’s flagship – year one (2025) brings a new design language and an ultra-thin “iPhone 17 Air” model to possibly replace the Plus techcrunch.com, year two (2026) is rumored to debut Apple’s first foldable iPhone techcrunch.com, and year three would refine these innovations. In other words, Apple appears to be planning its most significant iPhone shake-up in years.
Hardware leaks: Alleged schematics of the iPhone 17 Pro Max suggest Apple will continue to offer both eSIM-only and physical SIM variants in different regions. A leaked internal design shows two battery shapes: an L-shaped battery for models with a SIM tray and a more rectangular battery for eSIM-only models (like those in the U.S.) macrumors.com macrumors.com. Interestingly, the battery is covered with a metal plate (for heat dissipation), a technique Apple already used on the iPhone 16 Pro and now possibly expanding to all 17 Pro models macrumors.com. Another leak – courtesy of the prolific Majin Bu – claims Apple has developed new “TechWoven” fabric cases to replace last year’s poorly received FineWoven material bez-kabli.pl. These TechWoven cases are said to be more durable and even support a “Crossbody Strap” accessory, essentially a lanyard that lets you wear your iPhone around your neck or across your body macrumors.com macrumors.com. Packaging prototypes for these cases show tiny attachment holes and mention the crossbody strap, aligning with a recent trend of folks literally wearing their phones macrumors.com. It’s a niche but growing fashion-tech crossover that Apple may officially embrace (and it would make your iPhone harder to pickpocket). Color options for the new cases have also leaked (Black, Brown, Blue, Green, Purple – with fancy names like “Sienna”), suggesting Apple is prepping a full suite of new accessories alongside the iPhone 17 launch macrumors.com.
On the software side, Apple has been busy squashing bugs and polishing iOS ahead of the next release. The company pushed out iOS 18.6.2 in an urgent update, patching a zero-day exploit related to malicious images after reports of it being used in the wild bez-kabli.pl. Meanwhile, the iOS 19 beta (which corresponds to iOS 26 in Apple’s odd new naming scheme) is on its final legs and has added a few small but handy features. Testers note an adaptive power mode prompt – the system can suggest power-saving mode based on usage patterns – and integration of Apple Watch health features (like blood oxygen sensing) directly on the iPhone bez-kabli.pl. These are incremental upgrades as Apple fine-tunes iOS 19 for its official release next month.
Beyond phones, Apple is also widening its ecosystem. Mark Gurman at Bloomberg revealed Apple is developing an all-new home-oriented operating system code-named “Charismatic.” It’s essentially a smart home OS that blends elements of tvOS and watchOS, designed to run on an upcoming home hub device (think something like an iPad-like smart display or even a home robot) bloomberg.com bloomberg.com. This “homeOS” project underscores how Apple’s September announcements might not just be about iPhones and Apple Watches – we could see new accessories or platform previews as well. As Apple’s CFO Luca Maestri reminded investors, despite new product categories on the horizon, the iPhone remains Apple’s “crown jewel” and “an extremely important business for us… we will continue to grow this business” bez-kabli.pl. In short, Apple isn’t taking its foot off the gas: expect the iPhone 17 to come with not just the usual annual upgrades, but to kick off a multi-year innovation cycle that resets the iPhone’s identity (and keeps Apple devotees and investors excited).
Google: Pixel 10 Launch and Bold Moves
Google dominated headlines in late August with its Pixel 10 launch event, which took place on August 20 in New York. The company officially unveiled four new phones – the Pixel 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL, and 10 Pro Fold – continuing the multi-form-factor strategy (standard, large, XL, and foldable) it introduced last year bez-kabli.pl. All the devices are powered by Google’s in-house Tensor G5 chip and come with iterative hardware upgrades. For example, the base Pixel 10 finally gains a telephoto lens, giving even the non-Pro model a triple-camera setup for the first time bez-kabli.pl. The foldable Pixel 10 Pro Fold got a camera boost too, adopting a 50 MP main sensor (slightly better than the last gen Fold’s camera) bez-kabli.pl. Otherwise, Google didn’t drastically redesign the hardware – the phones’ exteriors and displays are quite similar to the Pixel 9 series, as leaks had suggested theverge.com theverge.com. In fact, Google itself had teased the Pixel 10’s look weeks prior, and it closely resembles the Pixel 9 Pro (Google seems confident in its design language, camera bar and all) theverge.com.
The most radical change in Pixel 10 isn’t visible from the outside: Google removed the physical SIM card slot on the flagship models – at least in the U.S. market bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. Like Apple’s recent iPhones, the Pixel 10 lineup is going eSIM-only in the U.S. Google confirmed that users will be able to seamlessly transfer eSIM profiles between Android and iPhone – hinting that with iOS 17 (a.k.a. iOS 26) this fall, Apple’s devices will support a similar cross-platform eSIM transfer ability bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. “Going eSIM-only makes it faster and easier to connect to a network… you can download a plan in minutes without fiddling with a tiny SIM card, which is a huge win for convenience,” explains Sarah McGarr, CEO of mobile carrier Sim Local, applauding Google’s move techradar.com. For frequent travelers, Pixel 10 phones will let you hop between carriers or international plans entirely digitally. Google says initially it’s limiting the eSIM-only Pixels to the U.S. bez-kabli.pl – likely to gauge consumer reaction – whereas international Pixel 10 versions may still include a SIM tray for markets that aren’t eSIM-ready. Nonetheless, Google’s decision signals that the era of the physical SIM card is winding down in high-end phones. (Apple made the same bet in 2022 for U.S. iPhones, and now Google has validated that trend.)
Google’s launch event itself was quite the spectacle and very much on-message: AI, AI, AI. The presentation deemphasized raw specs and instead highlighted how Google’s latest Gemini AI model is woven throughout the Pixel 10 experience reuters.com reuters.com. The company even brought out celebrities (Jimmy Fallon, the Jonas Brothers and more) to demo real-life use cases of its AI features reuters.com. “There has been a lot of hype about AI in phones – and frankly a lot of broken promises too – but Gemini is the real deal,” said Google’s hardware chief Rick Osterloh on stage, referring to the powerful new AI model running on the device reuters.com reuters.com. The Pixel 10 introduces an AI “photo coach” in the camera app that can detect if you’re taking a bad shot (blurry, bad lighting, etc.) and give you tips to improve it reuters.com. It also has a more proactive Google Assistant that can surface information without you even asking – for instance, if you open your phone after landing in a new city, it might automatically show your hotel reservation or a flight delay email without prompt reuters.com. These features build on Google’s federated AI capabilities, many of which were previewed at Google I/O in May (like the real-time call translation feature that also made an appearance in the demo) reuters.com.
Crucially, Google kept prices the same as last year. The base Pixel 10 starts at $799 and the top-tier Pixel 10 Pro Fold is $1,799, essentially unchanged despite concerns earlier this year about inflation and tariffs potentially driving up smartphone costs reuters.com reuters.com. Google is likely eating some costs to stay competitive with Samsung and Apple. Osterloh cheekily pointed out on stage that many Pixel 10 features would “run almost exactly the same on last year’s hardware”, underscoring that “it’s not about just the hardware anymore” reuters.com. Instead, Google is positioning its AI software as the differentiator – “We’ve got the best models, we’ve got the best AI assistant, and [that] can unlock so much helpfulness on your phone”, Osterloh said reuters.com. In other words, Google knows the Pixel 10’s design isn’t a radical departure; the wow factor is meant to be what the phone does with AI. Early hands-on reports agree the phones look and feel similar to last year, but the new AI tricks are genuinely useful reuters.com reuters.com.
Google is also breaking new ground in satellite connectivity. In a surprise announcement (via a post on X/Twitter during the Pixel event), Google revealed that the Pixel 10 series will be the first smartphones to support WhatsApp voice and video calls via satellite 9to5google.com 9to5google.com. Starting August 28 – the day Pixel 10 phones begin shipping to customers – Pixel 10 owners who are off the grid (no cellular or Wi-Fi coverage) can use emergency satellite links to make a WhatsApp call. A brief demo video showed a Pixel display the satellite icon while receiving a WhatsApp call in a no-signal area 9to5google.com androidauthority.com. This goes beyond the SOS text messages that Apple’s iPhone 14 and 15 can send via satellite. In fact, iPhones still limit satellite use to emergency texts, while Samsung’s latest Galaxy S25 supports basic satellite SMS – so WhatsApp calls over satellite is a big step forward in making satellite a consumer feature, not just an emergency lifeline androidauthority.com androidauthority.com. (As one tech site quipped, being truly unreachable might become a thing of the past for Pixel users bez-kabli.pl.) There are caveats: Google noted the service will only work with participating carriers and might incur extra fees 9to5google.com. It likely piggybacks on partnerships like T-Mobile’s upcoming “T-Satellite” service and similar initiatives. Also, satellite calls require a clear view of the sky and can have latency delays. Still, it’s a notable first – WhatsApp itself partnered with Google on this, making the Pixel 10 series a launchpad for a feature we might see other phones adopt in the future 9to5google.com androidauthority.com.
In terms of product strategy, Google gave some candid insight during press interviews around the launch. Rick Osterloh and other Google hardware executives outlined what Google isn’t working on right now, and it’s telling. Despite the growing popularity of flip-style foldable phones, Google “intends to sit out [the flip-phone] race” for now – meaning don’t expect a Pixel Flip anytime soon bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. (Google’s foldable effort remains focused on the book-style Pixel Fold.) They also paused development of a new Pixel Tablet after just releasing one in 2023; Osterloh admitted Google needs to “figure out a meaningful future” for tablets before trying again bez-kabli.pl. And on AR glasses – a category many thought Google would re-enter – Osterloh said it’s still “TBD” if Google will ever sell its own AR eyewear again bez-kabli.pl. Google had shown off an AR glasses prototype last year, but unlike Meta and others, Google seems content to let partners explore that space for now bez-kabli.pl. Intriguingly, Osterloh hinted that if Google does revisit AR glasses, they might work in tandem with “a smaller phone that could unfold for entertainment” – a speculative glimpse at a potential future ecosystem of mini devices – but for now Google is doubling down on core Pixel phones and wearables instead of experimental gadgets】 bez-kabli.pl. As one senior Googler put it, Google tries bold new phone designs “every two to three years.” They introduced a foldable last year, so by that logic we might not see another form-factor shake-up from Google until 2026 bez-kabli.pl. In short, Pixel fans shouldn’t hold their breath for a Flip or new tablet – Google’s 2025 lineup is all about the phones (and accompanying Pixel Watch/Buds), with the company’s energy directed at making its AI and connectivity features stand out.
Samsung: Refined Foldables and Market Momentum
While Google and Apple spar over AI and ecosystem, Samsung has been busy refining the hardware side of things – especially in the foldable phone category it pioneered. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 hit the market earlier in August (after a late-July Unpacked event), and they have been earning praise as the most polished foldables yet from the company. Now in their 7th generation, Samsung’s foldables have achieved a level of maturity where reviewers say they “approach perfection” for this form factor bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. Both devices are thinner, lighter, and more durable than their predecessors, addressing many early-adopter complaints. The Z Fold 7 (book-style foldable) is Samsung’s thinnest ever – just 8.9 mm thick when folded – and managed to pack in serious upgrades like a 200 MP main camera sensor (a first for a Samsung foldable) ts2.tech ts2.tech. It’s powered by a bespoke Snapdragon 8 “Elite” chipset customized for Galaxy, ensuring top-tier performance ts2.tech. The unfolded inner display is slightly larger and more tablet-like, thanks to slimmer bezels and hinge refinements, making productivity and media consumption even better. The Z Flip 7 (clamshell-style) also got notable improvements: Samsung finally gave it a bigger cover screen (about 4.1 inches) that vastly improves usability when the phone is closed bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. You can now do much more from the outside screen, addressing a long-standing user ask. The Flip 7’s hinge and folding display were improved as well, and when open, the device is flatter with a less visible crease. One UI 8, Samsung’s latest software update (based on Android, with Samsung’s AI enhancements), comes preloaded on both the Fold7 and Flip7, bringing new AI camera features and personalization options to complement the upgraded hardware.
Early reviews note that Samsung’s iterative approach – making incremental upgrades each year – has really paid off in this generation. The Fold 7 and Flip 7 feel less like experimental gadgets and more like mainstream premium phones, just ones that happen to fold bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. Wired went so far as to say they’re “easier to recommend than ever” because most of the quirks have been ironed out bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. That said, there are still a few caveats: the Flip7, with its compact form, can run a bit hot under heavy use and still has limited battery life (a common tradeoff for the petite flip form factor) bez-kabli.pl. And Samsung continues to limit what the cover screen can do by default – out of the box, you can’t run full apps on the Flip7’s front display except a few widgets, though savvy users have found workarounds bez-kabli.pl. But these niggles aside, the consensus is that Samsung has set the bar high for foldables. With nearly 20% of global smartphone market share last quarter, Samsung’s overall phone business is in a strong position bez-kabli.pl. In Q2 alone, Samsung shipped around 58 million smartphones (up ~7.9% year-on-year, significantly outpacing Apple’s growth) bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. This includes both foldables and traditional phones, but it shows Samsung is managing to grow even in a tepid market. Analysts attribute some of that to Samsung’s foldable head start: while other brands are just launching their first or second-gen foldables, Samsung’s on generation seven and it owns the lion’s share of the foldable niche for now bez-kabli.pl. As foldables inch toward mainstream, Samsung’s years of refinement give it an edge in user trust and brand recognition.
It’s worth noting Samsung did implement a slight price bump on the Fold 7 – it launched at $1,999, which is $100 more than last year’s Fold 6 ts2.tech. Samsung is pitching it as a true multitasking productivity device (almost a phone-tablet hybrid), and the added polish might justify the premium for enthusiasts. The Flip 7, on the other hand, retained a more accessible pricing (relative to other flagship phones) and continues to be marketed in trendy colors and styles, which seems to be resonating especially with younger consumers and fashion-conscious users. In fact, analysts note the flip-style foldables (from Samsung and others) are gaining popularity. “It’s cheaper and has captured the imagination” of users looking for something different than the typical black slab smartphone ts2.tech ts2.tech. Flip phones bring a nostalgic form factor with modern tech, and at ~$1,000 they compete with standard high-end phones – a combination that appears to be working, as evidenced by strong pre-orders for devices like the Flip 7 in some regions.
In other Samsung-related news, the ever-colorful intersection of tech and politics gave us a story: the launch of Trump Mobile. Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s family business announced a licensing deal to launch a new mobile service in the U.S., complete with a self-branded smartphone called the “T1 Phone.” The plan, dubbed the $47 “Freedom” plan, promises service on a major network (they claim it uses the same coverage as AT&T/Verizon/T-Mobile) for $47.45 a month reuters.com. The T1 Phone itself is priced at $499 and runs Android – but beyond that, details are sketchy. What caught the tech world’s attention (and amusement) was the promotional imagery. Initially, Trump Mobile’s marketing showed what looked like a gold iPhone with a Trump logo, leading to confusion and ridicule theverge.com theverge.com. And just when we thought it couldn’t get stranger, this week the company shared a new ad for T1 pre-orders featuring a render that is clearly a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra doctored to be gold with an American flag and “T1” slapped on it theverge.com theverge.com. They didn’t even remove the Spigen case branding – the image was literally an S25 Ultra in a Spigen Thin Fit case, lifted from an accessory listing theverge.com theverge.com. The dupe was so obvious that case-maker Spigen responded on X with a baffled “??? bro what” theverge.com theverge.com. Samsung, for its part, has stayed silent (probably content to watch the comedy). Suffice to say, Trump Mobile’s phone is not actually a rebadged iPhone or S25 Ultra – those were apparently “illustrative” renders – but the whole rollout has been thoroughly mocked in tech circles bez-kabli.pl theverge.com. Whether any significant number of people will sign up for Trump Mobile remains to be seen, but it provided an odd little sideshow in the smartphone news cycle. (If nothing else, it’s a reminder that in the smartphone world, truth can be stranger than fiction – and marketing teams should maybe double-check their Photoshop work.)
Chinese Brands and Foldable Innovations
August 24–25 also brought a flurry of news from Chinese smartphone makers, who are aggressively pushing design innovation – especially in foldables – and posting big numbers in the market.
Huawei made waves with a device that sounds straight out of science fiction: the Huawei Mate XT, the world’s first tri-folding smartphone. While this phone was technically announced a little earlier, it quietly became available in limited quantities – and one tech journalist in Shenzhen got a hands-on that left him stunned bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. The Mate XT starts as a chunky 6.4-inch smartphone, but it unfolds, then unfolds again thanks to a dual-hinge design, expanding into a 10.2-inch tablet when fully open bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. Imagine a device that folds in a Z-shape – that’s Huawei’s tri-fold. It uses three OLED panels that are hinged together with a sophisticated mechanism and held closed magnetically when folded bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. Initial hands-on reports say the build feels “remarkably sturdy” despite the complexity bez-kabli.pl. The Mate XT is extremely premium in price – around $4,000 (yes, four thousand) in China – and Huawei produced only a small batch. Yet, enthusiasts snapped them up immediately, showing there is demand for this kind of bleeding-edge tech bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. Globally, the Mate XT is more a technology showcase than a mass-market product (U.S. sanctions severely limit Huawei’s ability to sell phones internationally, especially with 5G). But it’s a statement: despite geopolitical challenges, Huawei is still innovating at the cutting edge of hardware. Some observers called the Mate XT “a show of defiance amid US curbs” – Huawei leveraging its engineering prowess to stay relevant in the smartphone conversation bez-kabli.pl. It’s also a hint at a possible future where foldables aren’t limited to a single bend – we could have devices that fold twice or more for extra screen real estate. For now, Huawei has the bragging rights of the first tri-fold phone you can actually buy (if you have very deep pockets and live in China).
Honor, the brand that spun out of Huawei a few years back, is also doubling down on foldables – but with a more global approach. Honor confirmed it will hold a global launch event on August 28 in London to debut the Honor Magic V5 internationally bez-kabli.pl. The Magic V5 (a book-style foldable) launched in China last month and is marketed as the world’s thinnest foldable to date. How thin? Just 4.1 mm thick when unfolded, and about 8.8 mm when folded closed bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. For context, 8.8 mm is slimmer than many regular smartphones in cases, and roughly 0.1 mm thinner than even the svelte Galaxy Z Fold7 (Samsung’s Fold7 is ~8.9 mm) – though Honor cheekily notes that spec ignores the camera bump 😅 theverge.com theverge.com. Still, it’s an impressive engineering feat. The Magic V5 is also light for a big foldable, around 217 grams bez-kabli.pl, and it doesn’t skimp on specs: it reportedly runs on the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and packs a beefy 5,820 mAh battery (far larger capacity than Samsung’s foldables) bez-kabli.pl. Leaked info suggests it has a large 7.9-inch inner display and a robust camera system, essentially aiming to challenge Samsung’s Galaxy Fold head-on bez-kabli.pl. Honor’s strategy seems clear – take on Samsung in Europe and other markets by offering a foldable that’s thinner and potentially cheaper. If Honor prices the Magic V5 aggressively below the Galaxy Fold, it could tempt buyers who want the wow factor of a foldable without Samsung’s premium price. We’ll know full details at the August 28 launch, but the mere fact Honor is bringing the V5 outside of China is significant. It shows foldable competition is heating up globally, and Samsung’s not the only game in town. Not long ago, Samsung’s foldables had virtually no rivals in most Western markets; by late 2025, consumers might also choose from Honor (and perhaps others like Google’s Pixel Fold in some regions, and Motorola/Lenovo foldables as well). The foldable race is entering a new phase, and thinness is a major bragging right – expect marketing to revolve around who can make the slickest foldable that doesn’t feel like a brick in your pocket.
Over in the Oppo/OnePlus camp (both brands are under the same parent company BBK Electronics), there’s been an interesting strategic pivot. Oppo has its own flagship foldable – the Find N5 – which is a very slim book-style foldable that just launched in China. Traditionally, OnePlus (which shares R&D with Oppo) might have taken that design and rebranded it as a OnePlus device for global markets (similar to how last year’s Oppo Find N3 was sold as the OnePlus Open in some regions). In fact, fans were expecting a OnePlus Open 2 this year based on the new Oppo design. However, OnePlus officially announced it won’t release a new foldable in 2025 bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. In a candid forum post titled “A Note About Our Foldable Strategy for 2025,” OnePlus’s foldable product manager Gu “Vale” G. explained that Oppo will “take the lead in the foldable segment” for now, while OnePlus “pauses on foldable for this generation.” He stressed, “This is not a step back, it’s a recalibration,” assuring OnePlus fans that the brand isn’t giving up on foldables long-term bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. Essentially, OnePlus is skipping a year – there will be no OnePlus Open 2 in 2025, so the ultra-thin Oppo Find N5 will remain under the Oppo name when it comes to Europe/UK (Oppo has confirmed a launch in those markets) techradar.com techradar.com. U.S. customers, unfortunately, won’t get an Oppo or OnePlus foldable at all this cycle, since Oppo doesn’t officially sell phones in the U.S. and OnePlus isn’t rebranding it bez-kabli.pl. It’s a bit of a letdown for North American foldable enthusiasts – the OnePlus Open last year was one of the few Samsung alternatives and even broke OnePlus’s sales records for a debut product in North America bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. OnePlus’s decision likely comes down to focusing resources (foldables are expensive to develop and support) and not wanting to cannibalize Oppo’s efforts. Industry analysts read it as a sensible consolidation: why release two “sister” devices (Oppo N5 and OnePlus Open 2) that are nearly identical? Better to back one and avoid confusion. The silver lining is Oppo’s Find N5 will carry the torch – and by all accounts, it’s an outstanding foldable, “almost as thin as a regular phone” when open, which gives a glimpse of where foldable tech is headed bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. As for OnePlus, it’s playing the long game – presumably planning a more differentiated foldable or waiting for a market that can support a unique OnePlus foldable later. The company teased, “Stay tuned for what’s next… we can’t wait to share it with you soon!” in its announcement techradar.com, suggesting maybe 2026 will bring something new (perhaps a rollable or another surprise). For now, fans of the brand will have to be content with the original OnePlus Open (2023) or look to Oppo’s offering if available.
Other Notable Brands: Sony Stays Committed, Nothing Gets Weird
Two other players made news in different ways. Sony, which has been very quiet in mobile lately, felt compelled to reaffirm its commitment to Xperia smartphones after some turbulence. Over the summer, Sony had to recall its Xperia 1 V flagship in Japan due to a software bug that caused overheating and sudden shutdowns – a PR black eye for a niche product. This sparked rumors that Sony might finally exit the phone business, as its Xperia sales are tiny globally and many have assumed it’s only a matter of time before the plug is pulled. But Sony came out swinging against that narrative. In an early August earnings briefing, Sony CFO Lin Tao explicitly stated that smartphones are an “extremely important business” for Sony and a core part of its long-term strategy bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. She apologized for the Xperia 1 V’s issues but made clear that Sony is not giving up on Xperia. “The telecom technology is one we’ve been nurturing for a long time… we will continue to grow this business,” Lin Tao said, as reported by Android Authority bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. In other words, Xperia phones aren’t going extinct; on the contrary, Sony views them as strategically valuable, not just for direct sales but because they tie into other divisions (Sony’s phone expertise benefits its camera sensor business, its gaming integration, etc.). Insiders even leaked that Sony’s next Xperia flagship is on track for release in the coming months – and yes, likely will still feature beloved “Sony-isms” like a 3.5mm headphone jack and microSD slot that few other flagships have bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. For the Xperia faithful, this was welcome news: their niche Android option isn’t dead. Sony’s challenge, of course, is to deliver devices with better quality control (no more recalls, please) and perhaps expand distribution beyond the limited regions they currently serve. But at least now we have it on record: Sony insists it’s not quitting the smartphone race yet theverge.com theverge.com. Xperia may be niche, but it’s here to stay for the foreseeable future.
On the flip side, Nothing, the London-based startup led by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, is proving that there’s room for oddball creativity in smartphones. Nothing launched its Phone (3) in late July – its third-gen handset and first true attempt at a U.S. flagship (it’s fully compatible with U.S. carriers). Priced at $799, the Phone 3 is going right up against base iPhones and Galaxies bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. What sets it apart is Nothing’s trademark transparent design and some new quirks that have tech reviewers talking. First, the rear camera module breaks from every design convention: instead of neat rows or a grid, Nothing arranged the Phone 3’s triple cameras in a zig-zag pattern down the back bez-kabli.pl. It’s deliberately asymmetric and can be almost jarring to look at if you’re used to the tidy camera bumps on other phones. “It might make you mad if you have OCD about alignment,” one review joked bez-kabli.pl. Carl Pei’s philosophy seems to be that phones have become too boring, so Nothing will make them weird on purpose. The second twist is on the lighting interface. Nothing’s previous phones had the “Glyph” interface – LED strips on the back that would flash in patterns for notifications. It was cool but somewhat limited and gimmicky. With Phone (3), Nothing revamped Glyph into a mini LED dot matrix display on the back, called the “Glyph Matrix.” It’s essentially a small, low-res screen composed of multiple LEDs that can display pixel-art style shapes and information bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. For example, it can show an 8-bit scrolling marquee for an incoming notification, a simple animation for a timer or battery charge status, etc. Nothing even built mini-games and apps for it – you can play a tiny game of “Spin the Bottle” or “Rock-Paper-Scissors” with friends using the back of your phone as the display bez-kabli.pl. It’s utterly whimsical – the kind of thing no big manufacturer would bother with. Moreover, Nothing is opening up an API so developers can create custom interactions with the Glyph Matrix bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. Imagine an Uber app that could show a little car icon when your ride’s arriving, or a music app that could display a retro equalizer – the possibilities are there, if developers embrace it. Will they? That’s uncertain, given Nothing’s still a small player. But the fact that this phone has back-of-device apps at all is delightfully offbeat.
Of course, the Phone 3 also had to check the standard boxes to justify its price. Spec-wise, Nothing stepped up to the big leagues: it sports a Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 processor, a 6.7-inch 120Hz OLED display, and a trio of 50 MP cameras (main, ultra-wide, and a periscope telephoto with 3× optical zoom) bez-kabli.pl. These specs put it on par with many 2025 flagships. The camera system, interestingly, goes for a high-megapixel approach and even the selfie camera is 50 MP – quite a jump from the 32 MP on the Phone 2 techcrunch.com techcrunch.com. Nothing is also promising 5 years of OS updates for the Phone 3, signaling confidence in their longevity bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. Alongside the phone, Nothing has been expanding its ecosystem of transparent-tech gadgets. In July they also revealed the Ear (2) wireless earbuds and even a set of over-ear headphones called the Nothing Head(1), made in partnership with audiophile brand KEF bez-kabli.pl. The over-ear Head(1) continues the see-through aesthetic – you can literally see the drivers and circuitry through the cups – and aims to deliver premium sound for $299 bez-kabli.pl. It shows Nothing’s ambition isn’t limited to phones; they’re building a boutique tech brand that stands out visually. TechCrunch noted that while some of Nothing’s “innovations” might be skin-deep novelties, the company has undeniably gotten us talking about phone design again bez-kabli.pl. In a sea of lookalike black rectangles, Nothing’s approach is refreshing. Time will tell if the Phone 3’s eccentric features are useful or just gimmicks, but the phone has reviewed fairly well – “eccentric, quirky, and I really quite like it,” wrote one reviewer currently.att.yahoo.com. For a startup to go toe-to-toe with Apple and Samsung on a flagship (and in the U.S. market, no less) is impressive by itself. At the very least, Carl Pei has succeeded in giving tech enthusiasts something to argue about that isn’t just CPU speeds or camera sensors – instead, we’re debating transparent gadgets, weird cameras, and LED games on a phone. That’s an achievement in its own right.
Market Trends and Financial Outlook
The mobile industry in August 2025 finds itself at an inflection point: innovation is high, but overall market growth is low. New data from research firm IDC suggests the global smartphone slump is finally easing – if only just. In Q2 2025, worldwide smartphone shipments ticked up about 1% year-over-year to roughly 295 million units bez-kabli.pl. That may sound anemic, but notably it marks the 8th straight quarter of year-on-year growth bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. After the downturn of the early 2020s, the industry has now strung together two years of slow recovery. The gains are far from uniform, though. Developed markets like North America and Europe are largely saturated; for instance, the U.S. market grew only ~1% last quarter amid economic pressures bez-kabli.pl. Emerging markets, however, saw better growth, and “premiumization” – consumers buying higher-end models – helped lift revenue even where unit sales were flat bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. In Q2, Samsung and Apple both saw shipment increases globally (Samsung up 7.9%, Apple up 1.5% in units) bez-kabli.pl, largely due to strong sales of their premium devices bez-kabli.pl. Many budget and midrange-focused brands, in contrast, continued to struggle as inflation-weary consumers either hold onto phones longer or save up for pricier models that feel more worthwhile upgrades. The average selling price (ASP) of smartphones has risen, and devices that offer something genuinely new – be it a folding screen, a great camera, or AI features – are enticing enough for people to splurge despite economic headwinds bez-kabli.pl. In short, the high end is propping up the market, while the low end is still soft. This aligns with guidance from companies like Xiaomi (more on them in a second) which are refocusing on premium segments.
One of the most fascinating shifts is happening behind the scenes: the smartphone supply chain is rapidly reorienting due to geopolitical forces. A new Canalys report revealed that in Q2 2025, India overtook China as the #1 exporter of smartphones to the United States reuters.com. Specifically, 44% of smartphones imported into the U.S. in Q2 were made in India, a massive jump from just 13% a year earlier reuters.com. Meanwhile, China’s share of U.S. phone imports plummeted to 25%, down from 61% a year ago reuters.com. This is a direct result of companies like Apple shifting more production to India to diversify away from China and mitigate tariff risks reuters.com reuters.com. Apple has been accelerating its India assembly (Foxconn and others now build a significant chunk of iPhones there), and it paid off: Indian-made smartphone volume to the U.S. grew 240% year-on-year in Q2 reuters.com reuters.com. “India became the leading manufacturing hub for smartphones sold in the US for the very first time in Q2 2025,” noted Canalys analyst Sanyam Chaurasia, citing Apple’s “accelerated supply chain shift to India amid an uncertain trade landscape” between the US and China reuters.com reuters.com. This is a historic realignment – for over a decade, China was the undisputed center of smartphone manufacturing. Now, geopolitical tensions (and heavy U.S. tariffs on China-made electronics) have sparked a migration. Vietnam, Thailand, and others are also getting slices of the pie, but India is the big winner so far. The impact goes beyond bragging rights: this diversification could make the supply chain more resilient (e.g., less disruption from any one country’s lockdowns or policies), but it also poses new challenges in logistics and quality control as production spreads out. Interestingly, despite these supply shifts and vendors front-loading inventory to beat tariff deadlines, the U.S. smartphone market only grew ~1% in Q2 reuters.com reuters.com – indicating consumer demand in the U.S. remains lukewarm. There’s also political pressure: President Trump (back in office in this scenario) has been vocal about wanting companies to manufacture in the U.S. and even threatened more tariffs on firms like Apple if they don’t produce domestically reuters.com reuters.com. In that context, the India move is a balancing act for Apple: keeping costs down without incurring Washington’s wrath. How this triangle between the U.S., China, and India plays out will be a defining storyline for the tech supply chain in the coming years.
Turning to company financials, Xiaomi – often called the “Apple of China” – delivered a blockbuster earnings report that made headlines on August 24. Xiaomi’s Q2 2025 revenue jumped 30.5% year-on-year to ¥116.8 billion (~$16.2 billion) bez-kabli.pl reuters.com, handily beating analyst expectations. It’s a huge surge, especially considering the global market was flat-ish. What drove it? Xiaomi saw strong smartphone shipment growth in several markets, notably in Southeast Asia where Xiaomi has now become the #1 smartphone brand bez-kabli.pl. The company said it is now the world’s third-largest phone maker with a 14.7% global market share, and it even climbed to #2 in Europe last quarter (leapfrogging Apple in some European markets) bez-kabli.pl. This growth spurt comes as Xiaomi aggressively expands overseas while maintaining its value-for-money appeal. However, Xiaomi’s president Lu Weibing struck a cautious tone. On the earnings call, Lu noted “the overall smartphone market [will] see little to no growth this year… around 0.1% to 0.2%,” which is far below what Xiaomi had anticipated in January bez-kabli.pl. As a result, Xiaomi trimmed its 2025 handset shipment target from 180 million to 175 million units bez-kabli.pl reuters.com. That’s still slightly up from ~163 million last year, but it shows even Xiaomi is acknowledging the demand softness globally. Lu’s quote, “different from the growth we had anticipated,” reflects how 2025 has been more challenging than many phone makers hoped bez-kabli.pl reuters.com.
It wasn’t all about phones for Xiaomi: the company is highly diversified. Notably, Xiaomi’s fledgling electric vehicle (EV) business is gaining traction. In Q2, Xiaomi’s EV division generated ¥20.6 billion in revenue (that’s from selling about 81,000 of its new electric cars in the quarter) reuters.com reuters.com, and is on track to achieve its first quarterly profit later this year bez-kabli.pl. Xiaomi has poured over ¥30 billion into EV R&D so far, but they’re confident the auto unit will turn profitable soon reuters.com reuters.com. The synergy of phones + EVs might sound odd, but Xiaomi sees cars as essentially big gadgets on wheels – and it’s leveraging its software and supply chain expertise to enter that market. Furthermore, Xiaomi confirmed it’s developing a next-gen in-house smartphone chipset, code-named “XRINGO1.” This would follow up its prior Surge chips and underscores Xiaomi’s ambition to join Apple, Samsung, and now Google in having proprietary silicon bez-kabli.pl. Designing chips is hard (ask Google, which still relies on Samsung for a lot of Tensor’s IP), but it can give Xiaomi more control over features and costs in the long run.
Drilling down on Xiaomi’s phone business: in Q2 it shipped 42.4 million smartphones, a modest 0.6% increase year-on-year bez-kabli.pl. So unit-wise, flat-ish – but remember, revenue was up 30%. That implies a big increase in higher-end phone sales or other revenue. Indeed, Xiaomi’s average selling price (ASP) fell only 2% bez-kabli.pl, which is not bad considering they’re pushing into more premium models that often carry lower margins initially. Xiaomi is known for its aggressive pricing (undercutting Samsung and Apple while offering high specs), and that formula has helped it gain share in price-sensitive markets. But the slight ASP dip suggests Xiaomi is managing to sell more expensive models without tanking its overall price too much – likely thanks to devices like the Xiaomi 13 Ultra and folding phones which are pricier than its old budget mainstays. Xiaomi execs admitted the low-end market is slumping (budget Android sales are down as many consumers hold off on any new purchase) bez-kabli.pl. This mirrors industry data showing that the <$200 segment is shrinking in many regions due to economic pressures bez-kabli.pl. To weather that, Xiaomi is trying to “premiumize” – focusing on mid-to-high end phones, and diversifying into new categories like EVs, tablets, wearables, etc., to reduce reliance on basic phones bez-kabli.pl. So far, it’s working – growing revenue 30% in a near-zero-growth market is quite the feat, making Xiaomi an outlier among major manufacturers this quarter bez-kabli.pl reuters.com. It shows that aggressive expansion (geographically and into new product types) can yield rare growth in this climate.
Another notable market trend is the rise of AI-centric chips and features in phones, which ties into both hardware and software developments. For instance, Qualcomm quietly unveiled a new mid-range mobile chipset in August: the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 (an update in the Snapdragon 7 series, which powers many upper-midrange phones) rcrwireless.com. This might not grab mainstream headlines like a flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, but it’s significant for what it brings downmarket. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, built on a 4nm process, offers modest performance gains (~7% faster CPU/GPU than its predecessor) rcrwireless.com rcrwireless.com, but more importantly, it includes elite gaming features (like 144Hz display support and advanced GPU optimizations) and on-device AI capabilities that were previously reserved for top-tier chips rcrwireless.com rcrwireless.com. Qualcomm says it can run generative AI models like Meta’s Llama 1B and perform real-time translations and voice transcriptions thanks to an upgraded Hexagon NPU (AI engine) rcrwireless.com rcrwireless.com. It also supports cameras up to 200MP and 4K HDR video, and modern connectivity like mmWave 5G and Wi-Fi 6E rcrwireless.com rcrwireless.com. In essence, features that would’ve been headline-worthy on a flagship two years ago are now coming to midrange phones. The first device confirmed to use this Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 is Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 15 Pro+ rcrwireless.com, a newly launched phone in China that turned heads by offering a giant 7,000 mAh battery with 90W fast charging and a bright high-refresh display – all in a mid-tier device ts2.tech. This reflects a broader trend: Chinese brands are pushing the envelope in battery life and specs at lower price points, forcing chipmakers to deliver silicon that can handle advanced features cheaply. It’s a cycle – better chips enable better budget phones, which pressures everyone to raise their game. For consumers, it’s great news: even non-flagship phones released at the tail end of 2025 will feel snappier, last longer, and have AI smarts that once required a $1,000 phone.
TL;DR on the market: The smartphone arena is seeing intense innovation amid intense competition. Companies are betting on AI features, foldable form factors, and other new tricks to spark consumer interest in upgrades. At the same time, they’re grappling with slow market growth and shifting supply chains. That dynamic was encapsulated well by Xiaomi’s Lu Weibing in his caution that growth is minuscule (0.1% range) bez-kabli.pl – yet someone will capture that tiny growth, and everyone is vying to be the one. In August’s news we see different strategies: Apple leaning into a multi-year design refresh cycle to reignite excitement, Google leaning into AI to redefine what a phone can do, Samsung refining hardware to maintain its lead, and Chinese brands innovating on form factors and value propositions to grab share wherever they can.
Commentary and Outlook: AI Ascendant, Form Factors Evolving
The late August developments underscore a key theme: smartphones are at an evolutionary crossroads. On one hand, hardware is becoming fantastically experimental – folding twice? displaying pixel art on the back? – signaling that manufacturers are willing to take risks to stand out. On the other hand, many insiders argue that raw hardware specs are taking a backseat to software and AI-driven experiences. As Bob O’Donnell, chief analyst at Technalysis Research, observed after Google’s Pixel event: “A lot of the stuff they showed today would probably run almost exactly the same way on last year’s hardware. Their point is it’s not about just the hardware anymore.” reuters.com. That sentiment was echoed by Google’s Osterloh on stage – and even by Apple’s relatively muted approach to hardware changes this year (focusing more on what iOS and the Apple ecosystem bring). AI integration is emerging as the real arms race: every platform is infusing AI assistants, generative AI features, and smarter camera/software processing to differentiate. It’s a shift from the days when the battle was over who had the most megapixels or the fastest processor. Now, it’s about who has the smartest assistant, the most helpful on-device intelligence, the ability to do new things like predict what you need before you ask. This could fundamentally change how we evaluate “the best phone.” We’ll ask not just how fast is it, but how smart is it?
That said, cutting-edge hardware isn’t going anywhere – it’s just taking new forms. Foldables are the clearest example. We’re witnessing rapid progress as companies iterate towards making foldables as thin, durable, and affordable as regular phones. Samsung’s year-over-year improvements and Honor’s ultra-thin Magic V5 show the trajectory: in a few years, folding phones might be hardly thicker than slab phones and priced not much higher. New form factors like Huawei’s tri-fold Mate XT hint at a future where a single device could transform from phone to tablet to maybe even a mini-laptop with multiple folds. It’s early and such devices are expensive, but innovation at the high end eventually trickles down. The fact that consumers dropped $4000 on Huawei’s experiment demonstrates a hunger for transformative features – there’s a segment of users who will pay top dollar for significant functionality gains (in this case, a screen that triples in size). As manufacturing scales and more players enter the space, prices will come down. By 2026, who knows, perhaps we’ll see a tri-fold from Samsung or Apple at half that cost (rumors already suggest Samsung is exploring tri-fold prototypes, and Apple’s foldable plans are in motion for 2026) techcrunch.com.
Another backdrop to all this is the geopolitical and regulatory environment. Government actions are increasingly shaping the tech landscape – from the U.S.–China trade war driving production to India reuters.com reuters.com, to regulatory scrutiny of mobile ecosystems (e.g. the EU’s pressure on Apple to open up iOS and the UK’s CMA eyeing mobile OS duopolies youtube.com youtube.com). Even the quirky Trump Mobile launch is a reminder of the intersection of politics and consumer tech. We may see more nationalist pushes for on-shore production (India’s rise is partially thanks to its government’s incentives too), and possibly even app store and OS changes if regulators force Apple and Google’s hand in certain markets. These moves could have long-term impacts on which phones succeed where (for instance, Apple being forced to allow third-party app stores in Europe next year could alter the iOS experience and perhaps level the playing field for Android a bit).
For now, the consumer takeaway from the news on Aug 24–25 is that big changes are coming soon. In the next month or so, we’ll see Apple’s iPhone 17 family officially revealed – with design tweaks, possibly new materials (there are whispers of Apple switching back to aluminum frames on some models to save weight techcrunch.com), and features like periscope zoom cameras on the Pro Max. Google’s Pixel 10 will actually hit stores (and we’ll find out if its AI tricks truly deliver on the hype in day-to-day use). Samsung’s foldables will start getting into more hands and we’ll see if mainstream consumers beyond enthusiasts are adopting them. New challengers like Honor will attempt to steal some thunder in the foldable space. And companies like Xiaomi will continue pumping out value-packed devices (the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ being one example that could set a new bar for midrange battery life).
The industry’s competitive balance is also interesting at this moment. Samsung is riding high as the global leader, Apple is gearing up for a big upgrade cycle, and China’s OEMs (Xiaomi, Oppo, Honor, etc.) are aggressively expanding overseas to fill any gaps. With OnePlus pulling back in the U.S. and Huawei still handicapped by sanctions, the likes of Xiaomi and Honor see opportunity, and carriers in Europe/Asia are eager to offer alternatives to the Big Two. For consumers, that competition is largely beneficial – more choices, often at better prices. Even in the U.S., Google’s increased push with Pixel (and Nothing’s entry) means there’s more competition now than in previous years.
To wrap up, the smartphone news from August 24–25, 2025 illustrates an industry in flux but full of vitality. As one era of straightforward slab phones plateaus, a new era of AI-enhanced, shape-shifting, boundary-pushing mobile tech is beginning. It’s telling that executives from different companies are converging on the same message: this isn’t just about hardware specs now. “We’ve got the best models, we’ve got the best AI assistant… it’s not about just the hardware anymore,” Google’s Osterloh emphasized reuters.com, and you can imagine Apple and others thinking along similar lines. Meanwhile, hardware itself is morphing – sometimes literally – in ways we haven’t seen before. The phone in your pocket in 2026 or 2027 could be as different from today’s as the first iPhone was from a flip phone. It might fold multiple times, or project holograms, or serve as an intelligent agent that anticipates your needs. The pieces of that future are all present in the news we’ve just rounded up: the daring form factors, the AI brains, the new players and shifting geographies. Mobile tech is gearing up for its next leap, and if August’s flurry of developments is any indication, we’re in for an exciting ride. Stay tuned – September (and beyond) promises even more mobile mayhem, and we’ll be here to cover it. 📰📱🚀
Sources: Major tech publications and company statements were used to compile this report. For Apple leaks and iOS updates: MacRumors and TechCrunch techcrunch.com macrumors.com. Google Pixel 10 information and quotes: Google’s event coverage by Reuters reuters.com reuters.com, TechRadar (on eSIM) techradar.com, and 9to5Google/Android Authority for the satellite calling feature 9to5google.com androidauthority.com. Samsung foldable details from PhoneArena, The Guardian, and Wired via summary reports ts2.tech bez-kabli.pl. Market figures and quotes from Xiaomi’s earnings and Canalys came via Reuters reuters.com reuters.com. Honor/Oppo foldable news from AndroidHeadlines and The Verge bez-kabli.pl techradar.com. Sony and Nothing updates from The Verge and TechCrunch theverge.com techcrunch.com. All specific attributions are cited in-line above for reference macrumors.com reuters.com, ensuring an accurate and up-to-date roundup of mobile phone news as of August 25, 2025.
