Your weekly look at the world of smartphones and mobile technology, this is the Phone Buzz on Friday 28th May 2021.

This Week’s Top Story

• Strictly speaking it’s not mobile tech news, but come on… Amazon buying James Bond (and the rest of MGM)? Think of the ‘Q’ gadgets that are going to be on Prime. Okay, I’ll shoe-horn something in. This could mean the new Bond film premieres on Amazon Prime and I can watch it on my phone. Will that do? (CNBC).

Apple Headlines

• With the iPhone 13 family expected in September, the production lines will need components, so it will come as no surprise that TSMC has started production on the new A15 processor which will power the new smartphone (Digitimes).
• There’s going to be a lot of software action at next week’s WWDC, with the next versions of iOS, iPadOS, WatchOS, TvOS, and macOS all expected to be in show. There might be some mention of user privacy as well. The wider community is also curious to see if any new hardware will be announced, with many in the geekerati expecting an ARM-powered 16 Inch MacBook Pro to arrive (Forbes).
• As well as the two ARM-based MacBooks, last November also saw an ARM powered Mac Mini debut, bringing Apple Silicon to the desktop. This was he first new Mini since October 2018.Now that Apple controls the silicon release schedule (rather than Intel) it has much more control… so the news of an M1X Mac Mini to be released later this year does not come as surprise (Apple Insider).
• A new hack is impacting macOS users and it is recommended that users update to the latest version of the desktop OS as quickly as possible. The hack gets round macOS’ ability to alert users that their privacy might be at risk – eg a screen recorder or webcam is running (Forbes).
• Three weeks ago, Apple was alerted to a vulnerability in the WebKit browser engine that lies at the heart of the Safari browser engine – the only engine available to any browser on iOS. Although the details on the patch are public, it has not been applied via any Apple update, and the vulnerability remains (Ars Technica).
• Will we see a new 16 inch MacBook Pro at WWDC next week? That’s what the geekerati think (AppleTrack).
• Will we see a new iPod Touch this year? It was curiously prominent in the promotion of Apple Music last year, and while the
• What would you think of an iOS app that forced you to review it positively on the App Store before it would open up its functionality to you? App hunter Kosta Eleftheriou has found another example of ‘bad apples’ getting into Apple’s app store (The Verge).
• If the iPad Pro is running the same M1 processor as a deskbound Mac, can it be as flexible when making a podcast? Stephen Robles finds out (Apple Insider).
• Apple is looking for staff with experience of alternative payment systems to work with the Apple Pay team, specifically with experience in cryptocurrencies. This wouldn’t be the first smartphone to deal with crypto – Samsung’s Blockchain Wallet being one notable – and I’m curious as to Apple’s plans in this space (9to5Mac).
• And to finish up this week’s Apple headlines… everyone has noticed the nod towards the colour scheme of the iMac G3 in the new iMacs, but how do they compare specs wise? Can the classic still keep up with the challenger? (YouTube).

Android Headlines

• Following on from the success of its ‘Fan Editions of the Galaxy S20, Samsung has brought the FE brand to its tablets with the launch of the Galaxy Tab S7 FE, which follows the launch of the base Tab S7 in April (SamMobile).
• Xiaomi has released it’s Q1 earnings estimates. The Chinese manufacturer is expecting $1.2 billion profit on $12 billion earnings (South China Morning Post).
• Xiaomi’s lifestyle brand Redmi has finally released the Redmi Note 10 Pro into the Chinese market. Sporting a MediaTek Dimensity 1100 system-on-chip, back up by 6 GB and 8 GB memory options (with 128 GB and 256 GB of storage), plus a 5000 mAh battery. Michail Atanassov reviews the phablet sized smartphone (GSM Arena).
• That’s not the only news for Redmi fans, as the Redmi Note 10S and Note 10 5G have been launched in the UK (TechRadar).
• When Honor left Huawei to become a standalone company, many masked if the new Honor handsets would ship with Google Mobile Services support – after all Honor was not on the US Entities list. Honor’s Germany Twitter account indicated that the upcoming Honor 50 would offer this support. Although the tweet has since been deleted, it does offer hope that Western markets will be able to fully embrace the smartphones when they arrive (Gizmodo China).
• Android 12 is going to simply the look of the emoticons. Currently in beta, and expected to see a full release (to manufacturers) in the last quarter of the year. One fun change, noted by Ben Schoon, is that the smartphone icon, which previously saw a UI looking a lot like Android, now looks a little more like iOS (9to5Google).
• If you’re looking for a deeper look at the Android 12, Harish Jonnalagadda has spent time with the beta to get to grips with the new code and UI (Android Central).
• Android users who make use of Google Photos should be aware of the changes to the free storage tier. They’ve been trailed heavily, but will kick in next week (Google’s Keyword Blog).
• What connects OnePlus, Realme, Vivo, Oppo, and IQoo? They’re all marketing brands of BBK, and if you combine those brands the company has a 25 percent worldwide share. How did the BBK empire reach this point? Over to TechAltar’s latest ’The Story Behind…’ video (YouTube).

Mobile Tech Headlines

• Steam owners Valve could make a ’SteamPad’ later this year for portable gaming? Curiously, I think this has potential, especially if you can get your PC games on it via the game streaming already built into the client (Ars Technica).
• USB-C 2.1, unveiled this week, to support up to 240W from 100W in the current standard. Given the number of high-end laptops using USB-C for charging, as well as high draw devices like 4K monitors, this will be welcome (CNET).

And Finally…

• The closing arguments in Epic Games vs Apple are here, and it looks like Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers is trying to define which market is being damaged (if any) in the case (Stratechery). is it the entire smartphone market? Mobile Games? Just Fortnite? With the car now argued we await the decision… which could take months to arrive (The Protocol).

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.