Your weekly look at the world of smartphones and mobile technology, this is the Phone Buzz on Friday 2nd April 2021.

Apple Headlines

• More details on the upcoming screen in the iPhone, with the geekerati obtaining images of iPhone parts showing the new design of the notch at the top of the iOS-powered smartphone. As expected the speaker is moving up into the top bezel, reducing the amount of screen real estate that needs to be sacrificed for the other sensors (9to5Mac).
• Apple currently has two ‘small’ iPhones in the iPhone SE and the iPhone 12 Mini. With the iPhone 13 Mini expected to launch this year, you might think the Mini is the winner given the lack of updates to the SE, but the latest analyst reports suggest the iPhone 13 Mini will be the last in the line and the iPhone SE will be updated in 2023 to be the ‘small iPhone’ of choice (CNBC).
• Details published by Apple have brought to light last year’s ‘secret’ upgrade to the hardware design of older iPhones. Apple made the decision to upgrade the Secure Enclave section of the A12 and A13 processors; the presumption being that significant security issues were discovered int he hardware that could not be negated by a software update (Forbes).
• This week saw Windows 10 arriving on the Apple Silicon flavour of the Mac. Yes, the ever popular Parallels Desktop virtual machine software released a native version for the M1 Macs. Admittedly you need the ARM versions of Windows, so you’ll have the same restrictions as Surface Pro X users, but this potentially offers Microsoft far more ARM users of Windows 10 than anything the Surface range can offer this year (ZDNet).
• The worldwide component shortage is impacting consumer electronics across the board, and Apple is no exception. While the size of its order books grants it priority, many believe that Apple’s output is going to be impacted, including the iPad and MacBook ranges (Nikkei Asia).

Android Headlines

• Next year’s Galaxy S22 may see Samsung follow Apple’s lead to improve the camera, at least in the higher specced models. Currently featuring in the iPhone 12 Pro Plus, will sensor-shift come to the Android flagship? (Galaxy Club via Tom’s Guide).
• Meanwhile Samsung’s cutting edge range of folding smartphones will see a unification of the numbering, with this year’s Z Flip and Z Fold handsets picking up the same modifier (Let’s Go Digital).
• Alongside the launch of the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro, the Shenzhen based company announced the OnePlus Watch. The first reviews of the smartwatch are in, and OnePlus’ unique approach to the software and functionality is on show; and it’s closer to a supercharged fitness band (The Verge).
• Sony has announced two new Xperia handsets this week; the Xperia 1 III and the Xperia 5 III. Both retain Sony’s wonderfully brutalist style, but also comes with a first in smartphone camera technology (Android Police).
• In a ‘hands on’ early review of Xiaomi’s Mi 11, Tom Bedford picks out not just the huge camera array, but the even larger camera island… and the secondary screen mounted beside the rear camera (Tech Radar).
• The Australian Competition and Commerce Commission has found that Google “misled consumers about personal location data collected through Android…”, specifically that users would believe that the Location History option presented during initial set-up was the only setting that controlled location data in the platform (The ACCC).

And Finally…

• Next week will see Apple’s ‘Spring Loaded’ event. The traditional ‘first half of the year’ launch typically brings with it the new iPads and educational focused products. Last year saw the iPhone SE and the final Intel powered MacBooks launched around the same time. What can we expect this year? Will we finally see the Air Tags?

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.