ICYMI: The week’s biggest tech news, from iPhone 15 leaks to Netflix controversies
September is shaping up to be a huge month for tech fans, with Apple, Microsoft, Meta and more all planning major launch events. And judging by this week’s news, we’re now in the warm-up phase of that tech marathon – with plenty of big stories hinting at the upcoming gadget festival.
In this article, our weekly ICYMI (or ‘in case you missed it’) recap, we’ve rounded up all the big stories of the week. From iPhone 15 leaks to the future of portable audio through the viral success of To take on Netflix this week there have been stories across the board, whatever your technical taste.
So if you missed this week’s news and want a quick recharge, here’s everything that happened while you were at the beach…
8. PSA: It’s a good time to trade in your old iPhone
Thinking about upgrading to the iPhone 15? According to a report from price comparison site SellCell, you could save some money by trading in your current iPhone (or at least locking in some rates). Based on historical trade-in data, it says the sweet spot is somewhere between August 19 and August 26 – which is, well, now.
While price drops vary by model, SellCell generally believes that prices for existing iPhones could drop by as much as $261 (around £205) in the month before a major launch. With the iPhone 15 expected to launch on September 12 or 13, we’re now starting the countdown – so it’s worth checking out, especially as some trade-in sites offer lock-in periods for their quotes.
7. Samsung’s underheated XR headset is leaking
Images of a supposed Samsung XR headset leaked this week – revealing a gadget that combines the look of the Oculus Quest 2 with many of the features of the Apple Vision Pro.
The prototype apparently features four tracking cameras, dual RGB cameras, and a depth sensor for full-color mixed reality passthrough. Interestingly, it’s also controller-less; like the upcoming Apple headset, you interact with virtual objects using hand and eye tracking controls. The headset also seemingly runs on a Samsung Exynos 2200 rather than the Qualcomm XR chip found in most headsets such as the Pico 4, Meta Quest Pro, and HTC Vive XR Elite, to name a few.
While this is just a prototype rather than a finished product, it doesn’t look that impressive. Perhaps that’s why the speakers say Samsung abandoned this prototype to develop something better instead, though we’ll have to wait and see what Samsung finally reveals to know what’s really going on with its XR efforts.
6. We got a glimpse into the future of portable audio
You may remember the unveiling in April of the world’s first solid-state loudspeakers, tiny devices intended to replace the voice coils and magnets that have dominated your sound system since loudspeakers were invented more than a hundred years ago. A potential portable audio game changer, yes, (they’re really small), but the technology had yet to make its way into a real product.
Well, the big news we heard this week is that this will all change in the coming months. It’s all thanks to a company called Creative Technologies, a Singaporean tech outfit that promises to pack these solid-state drivers into a set of true wireless earbuds – and by using xMEMS’ tiny advanced microelectromechanical system (MEMS) solid-state speaker technology, the collaboration is making waves in the audio industry. Big. Enormous.
5. A Pixel Watch 2 leak hints at a missing feature
Another Google Pixel Watch 2 leak adds more credence to the arrival of a new wearable from the tech giant this year, to fit neatly alongside the theoretically upcoming Pixel 8 range. The Pixel Watch 2, spotted through a Federal Communications Commission filing database, was tested with four different types of bands: a plastic active band, a metal mesh band, a metal link band, and a metal thin band.
Unfortunately, something is missing here. The ultra-wideband technology (UWB) is not included in the wearable as far as the FCC filing is concerned. UWB is not a physical band, but a frequency-based band that helps in communication between devices. It can be found in current-generation Pixel devices, but as far as we know, the Watch won’t pack it.
4. The next DJI drone flies in while Skydio checks out
It’s been a week of opposing fortunes in drones — just as new leaks revealed that DJI’s next flying camera (the DJI Mini 4 Pro), one of its main rivals, Skydio, announced that it was ending consumer drones.
Skydio said it was discontinuing completed models like the X2 to put everything into its “business and public customers.” That’s a shame, but DJI won’t shed too many tears – it’s clearly been too busy building the successor to the popular Mini 3 Pro, which is still one of the best drones out there.
The leaks suggest the Mini 4 Pro won’t be a huge upgrade, with the main improvements being better obstacle detection (similar to the DJI Air 3), OcuSync 4.0 connectivity, and a new DJI RC 2 controller. But in a world with so few consumer drone manufacturers, we’re taking whatever new models we can get.
3. An unexpected Garmin treat breaks coverage
While we all wait for Garmin’s next release (most likely a new version of our best garmin watchthe Garmin Venu 2) a surprising release has been found on a regulatory website: a new heart rate monitor, the HRM-FIT.
Other than the name, little is known about it. Some early speculation suggests it was a stripped down version of the Garmin HRPro that could be strapped to your arm instead of your chest, but that’s just hearsay. Still, it makes sense: as we mentioned during our coverage, it’s odd that Garmin hasn’t explored this form factor yet, especially since competitors like Polar have been doing it for years.
2. Suits becomes a viral Netflix hit, leaving the writers feeling shortchanged
Six weeks after joining the Netflix library, To take has become Netflix’s latest TV hit – and perhaps it has TikTok to thank, with the show appearing regularly in clips on the videos app. Whatever the reasons for the To take comeback, the success is undeniable – it has spent four of the last seven weeks Netflix’s Global Top 10 TV Show List and is the fourth most popular show on Netflix in the US at the time of writing.
So why aren’t the writers happy? Frankly, they are not very well compensated To takehuge viewing figures. To take writer and producer Ethan Drogan revealed he received a paltry $259.71 in scraps — essentially a fee for reusing a writer’s credited work — for “Identity Crisis,” the Season 1 episode he wrote for the past three months). In conversation with DecideLilla Zuckerman also confirmed that she’s only received a paltry $414.26 so far this year for Season 5 episode “Blowback.”
This is a fraction of the numbers they got back when the show originally aired, all against the backdrop of the writers’ strike, which started on May 2 and forced production on May 2. Stranger things 5, deadpool 3 and numerous other Hollywood productions are shutting down. All with hints of courtroom drama that wouldn’t look out of place on the show.
1. The iPhone 15 hints at its USB-C port
No one doubts that the iPhone 15 will swap its lightning-fast charging port for a USB-C port when the phone launches in September. But there are some real questions about the technology behind that widely used port standard.
This week we heard rumors that it could be Thunderbolt standard, promising much faster data transfer speeds (at least for the Pro models). Yes, many still use that port for charging And facts.
However, there are also new concerns that some components behind the expected port upgrade could lead to slower charging speeds for third-party chargers. However, we won’t have any answers until Apple announces next month.