Your weekly look at the world of smartphones and mobile technology, this is the Phone Buzz on Friday 26th February 2021.

This Week’s Top Story

• Gartner’s report on worldwide smartphone sales highlights a decline of five percent in the fourth quarter for the market as a whole. Given the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic this shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, but there’s an interesting changing of the guard when you look at the manufacturer breakdown… after a four year wait Apple is back on top, ahead of Samsung (Gartner Newsroom).

Apple Headlines

• There are some significant changes coming to the iPhone 13 family this year; a new design for the back that is ‘more grippy’, the long awaited 120 Hz always on display, and a new ultra-wide camera lens (Forbes).
• The iPhone 13 family is set to use Qualcomm’s X60 5G modem. This is a step up from the current X55 in use, but when September comes the X65 should be coming online. I presume Apple prefers having the extra time to optimise the currently under production chip rather than going for something on the bleeding edge (Gizmochina).
• Although Apple’s software to allow better FaceID unlocking while wearing a mask is still in beta, Jon Gruber has updated the OS on both his iPhone and Apple Watch (the latter being a requirement, as this is essentially a two-factor authentication) to test the feature. He’s not going back to the old way. Apple’s limited portfolio of phones and smartwatches compared to the Android landscape makes this much easier to implement than other manufacturers. (Daring Fireball).
• There has been a lot of discussion this week over the Silver Sparrow malware that is running on tens of thousands of Macs around the world. It’s ‘calling home’ but as it stands there is no payload to active; the malware has the ability to delete itself; and it runs natively on Apple’s M1 chip. Dan Goodin takes a comprehensive look at the code and its impact (Ars Technica).
• Three months after Apple released the M1 powered MacBook Pro, the ARM-powered laptops have reached Apple’s refurb store. Offering around $150 to $200 discount, which includes a full warranty and access to Apple Care, the refurb store generally offers a fifteen percent discount. At the moment it’s just the Pro, no word on refurb macMinis or MacBook Airs just yet… I suspect the latter will prove to be very attractive (Apple Store).
• The days of a stripped back minimalist MacBook port choice may be coming to an end. Noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is reporting that this year’s macOS laptops will bring back an SD Card reader and a HDMI out port (CNet). The supply chain is also gearing to provide 14- and 16-inch miniLED displays for the MacBook Pro line-up, suggesting a slight size bump in the smaller model (DIgiTimes).
• Meanwhile macOS users on the new M1 powered Mac laptops have found themselves in a bit of a pickle. The popular USB hubs that offer more I/O ports to users have been proving temperamental with the operating system. It’s one the areas that the release of macOS Big Sur 11.2.2 will address (MacRumors).
• As for the expected updates of the iMac that will support the ARM-based M1 chip, Jon Prosser is expecting a range of five subtle colours as part of the retail offering (Front Page Tech).
• Apple’s insistence that developers use its ’Sign In With Apple’ program if it offers the similar systems from Google or Facebook has drawn the attention of Antitrust complaints to the US Department of Justice (The Information).
• As for the other high-profile case (Epic vs Apple), the Californian Court has compelled Valve – which runs the Steam gaming library – to provide sales data from 436 games. Apple will use this data to help define the video games market that Epic’s store operates in (The Verge).
• New images of the potential AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro 2 suggest a smaller stalk, a tweak to the main body that sits in the ar, and changes to the battery case. It might be some time before they are released, with a September/October date being discussed (9to5Mac).
• Last week there was Buzz around a potential battery pack from Apple that would use the MagSafe rings on the iPhone 12 family to stay attached. If you can’t wait that long, then Anker’s take on the magnetically attaching power is now available (Amazon).
• Google is slowly working through its iOS and iPadOS apps to update them with the required ‘privacy labels’, with the Gmail app the latest to meet the App Store requirements. Gmail is the first of Google’s ‘major’ apps to pick up the update (MacRumors).
• And a closing shout out to Marco Arment on the latest update to, in my mind, the best podcast app for iOS. Overcast now has an ‘all new app’ so you can listen to your podcasts on your Apple Watch. (@MarcoArment).

Android Headlines

• With the continued interest in smartphones and tablets with foldable designs and bendable screens, Samsung Display is working hard on orders from Google, Oppo, and Xiaomi – and presumably the Samsung Mobile team as well- with a mix of inward- and outward-folding displays (The Elec).
• Samsung already has a number of folding Galaxy devices on sale, and if you’re looking to try one out, then the Samsung US team is offering a 100 day ‘buy and try’ scheme. Essentially extending the 14 day return window by another 86 days, it will be valid for the Galaxy Z Fold 2, Z Flip, and Z Flip 5G (Tom’s Guide).
• Steve Hemmerstoffer has an exclusive look at the presumptively named Pixel 5a from Google. How this is going to fit into the already messy mix of the Pixel 4, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 5 remains to be seen, because this looks remarkably like the Pixel 4a 5G, which itself looks like a larger Pixel 5. (Voice).
• Meanwhile, where is HMD Global’s next Nokia flagship? The last marquee came out in 2019, and Hadlee Simons examines the obvious question to find out what is going on (Android Authority).
• Sporting both a inward folding screen, and a single outward display, Evan Blass has an early look at Huawei’s Mate X2 third generation folding device (Voice).
• Realme has rolled out a number of new handsets In India; the Narzo 30A and the Narzo 30 Plus. The latter looks especially tasty given it is one of the cheapest 5G handsets available and comes with standout features such as a 120 Hz refreshing screen, a 5000 mAh battery, fast 30W charging. Given Realme’s parent company BBK Electronics also markets the OnePlus Oppo, and Vivo brands, don’t be surprised if we see similar handsets in other markets before the summer arrives (Android Police).
• Are we going to see three handsets in the OnePlus 9 family? Both the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro  are expected, but will a third handset appear? And if so will it join the Nord production line or step up to be the rumoured OnePlus 9E? (TechRadar).
• A curious interview answer from Bill Gates this week, as he talks about using an Android device; he doesn’t name the handset but does talk about some manufacturers pre-installing Microsoft’s Android apps. Occam’s Razor suggests he’s using a Samsung Galaxy in some form (Android Authority).
• The creeping updates to Android’s Dark Theme should reach every Google Maps install in the next few weeks following many months of limited testing  (9to5Google).

Mobile Tech Headlines

• Twitter moves into the ‘creator subscription’ space with the announcement of the Super Follower feature, which can put someone’s tweets behind a paywall. No date for the implementation, but it’s an interesting idea (The Verge).
• A closer look at misfortunes of Google’s streaming game service Stadia (Bloomberg).
• America says goodbye to retail giant Frys Electronics (CNet).
• An interesting take on ‘Facebook vs Australia’. After banning ’news’ for Australian Facebook users and bringing the Australian government to the debating, Facebook has accepted the law requiring it to pay news organisations for linking to them. Critically, Facebook has not given up any control of what appears on the platform (Niemen Lab).

And Finally…

• Apple memorabilia collectors should check out the latest lot from Nate D. Saunders Auction House. It’s one of the early Apple Computer Inc signs from 1978. Then it was sent out to stores for promotion. Now bidding starts at $12,000.

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.