Your weekly look at the world of smartphones and mobile technology, this is the Phone Buzz on Friday 4th June 2021.

This Week’s Top Story

• Shruti Shekar wonders why Apple does not seem to be worried that 25 percent of iOS users witch to Android. The question comes from, you guessed it, internal Apple documents on show in the Epic Games vs Apple trial. Phone prices, ecosystem, and user lifestyles are all discussed (Android Central).

Apple Headlines

• Who’s ready for a terabyte of storage on their new iPhone? In which case, good news! The once-ridiculous levels of storage will soon be in your pocket with all the iPhone 13 Pro models set to offer this option (Wccftech).
• Also on the iPhone 13 family specs front is the LIDAR sensor, which is now expected to be a feature on all four models come the September launch. This will aid the iPhone’s understanding of the local environment’s depth and shape, leading to improved photos – at least that’s the hope (GSM Arena).
• More evidence that Apple is preparing to launch a new Apple Silicon powered MacBook Pro at WWDC next week. The latest comes from regulatory filings in China. The model number and battery specs match that of the current 16-inch MacOS laptop, but with a slightly smaller capacity – likely down to the flatter design expected in the new device (MacRumors).
• China has overtaken Taiwan as Apple’s biggest supplier source, even in the current frosty relations between China and the US (Nikkei Asia).
• Your AirTags are getting a software update that will increase the privacy of the geo-locators. This includes changes to the ‘I’m separated from y owner’ timers, when there is an unexpected AirTag in the local area, and the launch of an Android client in the near future (Cnet).
• An Apple commissioned study into the App Store economy has found that the App Store has many economic benefits as in its current shape. I’m trying to work out if I should be surprised at the conclusion. It’s certainly curious timing given the Epic Games vs Apple lawsuit (MacRumors).
• A Facebook commissioned study into Apple’s new privacy opt-in system has found that the tracking transparency option is “an anti-competitive strategy” that “harms consumer choice and [devastates] the free-app ecosystem.” I’m trying to work out if I should be surprised at the conclusion (iMore).
• What is HomeOS? Ahead of WWDC, has some Apple marketing revealed one of the one more things from next week’s big event (Applesfera).
• As the world moves away from an almost total ‘work from home’ model over the last year, Apple has asked staff to return to their offices for three days a week starting in September (The Verge).
• Following some trademark hunting, Parker Ortolani is wondering if the next MacOS version will be called Mammoth, or Monterey (9to5Mac).

Android Headlines

• Samsung has announced two new Galaxy A handsets. The Galaxy A22 5G (pictured above) continues to build up the South Korean company’s 5G enabled portfolio (there’s an 4G LTE version in the Galaxy A22 also available). Priced at £199 here in the UK, it will be Samsung’s cheapest 5G handset so far (Pocket Lint).
• Looking further ahead, the teams at Let’s Go Digital and Yanko Design have sat down with the various patents, leaks, and announced displays to put together their concept images of the ‘Galaxy Z Fold Tab, a phone/tablet combo with a double-hinge ‘winged’ display (Let’s Go Digital).
• Google has released a new set of Pixel Buds… the A-Series. In broad strokes these offer a premium audio experience for $99. They come with adaptive sound to tune the audio to your environment, bass boost for lower frequency sounds, hand hands free access to Google with the classic ‘hey Google’ voice activation (Google’s The Keyword blog).
• Developers who use Google’s ‘Advertising ID’ can expect to see a lot of identifiers along the lines of ‘0000000000’. Google is adding in new advertising privacy controls, and if users opt-out, developers will get an empty field. It’s worth noting this is an opt-out system, rather than Apple’s opt-in system, but it’s a solid step forward towards controlling your own information (FT.com).
• Three new handsets from Oppo this week, as the Reno 6, Reno 6 Pro, and Reno 6 Pro+ arrive. Priced in the $600-$750 space, these are solid mid- to high- smartphones with faster refreshing 90 Hz displays and 65W wired charging (GSM Arena).
• Walmart is getting ready to launch an Android TV dongle. Although not yet announced, the web page for the stick popped up on its own website earlier this week (TechCrunch).
• Huawei has announced a slew of new products using Harmony OS 2. With more than 100 product to choose from, the highlights include a new smartwatch (the Huawei Watch 3 and 3 Pro), a new tablet (the MatePad Pro), and a wide range of smart home devices. Built on top of the Android Open Source Project, this should provide compatibility with the wider Android ecosystem, while giving Huawei more control over its destiny following its inclusion on the US Entities list (Ars Technica).
• Following the launch of the Zenfone 8 and Zenphone 8 Flip, a new Asus smartphone has popped up in China’s TENAA certification site. With the model numbers matching up to the codename ‘Vodka’ previously sighted in the kernel source code, it looks like the Zenfone range will continue to grow (XDA Developers).
• Chrome may have pole position as the Android browser of choice, and Microsoft’s Edge is gaining popularity, but let’s not forget Firefox has an Android browser as well. Version 89.0 has just hit the release channel, and is available for download now (Mozilla).

Mobile Tech Headlines

• Samsung is hold an event on June 22 to talk about its network technologies, specifically 5G, and how it will be connecting society in the future (Samsung Newsroom).
• The ’next generation of Windows’ is expected to be announced at a Microsoft event to be held later this month. With the news last month that Windows 10X was being cancelled, a new UI being mooted for desktops, a new app store, and the ecosystem shake-up Apple’s new ARM chips has started, there’s a lot that could be said. June 24th is the date (The Verge).
• Speaking of Windows 10 on ARM, Samsung has announced the Galaxy Book Go and Galaxy Book Go 5G laptops. Using the mid-range Qualcomm 7c Gen 2 platform, these Windows ARM books start at $349 for the 4G LTE Book Go Details on the Book Go 5G (which will use the more powerful 8cxGen 2 processor) are not yet known. Expect these laptops to lead a Windows 10 charge against the Chrome OS platform (Thurrot.com).

And Finally…

• And finally, everyone loves a look at the products that never made it to the market. Right now the geekerati are trying to work out what Steve Jobs’ ’Super Nano’ could have been (9to5Mac).

Ewan Spence

Ewan is the editor at Phone Buzz News. For over 30 years he has been covering the worlds of media and technology, from the early days of the first smartphone through to their essential role in today's society.