Latest 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro, Beats headphones and more on sale
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 bundles, Pixels, and more are on sale today
The Amazon Fire TV Stick, Smart TVs and more are also on sale today
The official news today begin, as always, with deals, and we’ve got some good ones to begin with. The M1 MacBook Pro that I’m currently using is $100 off, leaving the entry level model for $1200 shipped. You can literally saved an extra buck if you get the Space Gray variant, leaving it at $1199. If you’re looking for a good Intel model, the 16in MacBook Pro is $300 off, leaving the Core i9, 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage model for $2499. For those of you looking for Samsung deals, the company still has trade-in deals for devices like the Note 20 which starts at $449 or the Ultra at $750 . The S20 FE is also available, starting at just $425 but of course, you need an eligible device to trade in. By the way, there are still trade in deals for the Galaxy S21 series as well with store credit, I’ll be sure to link to those in the description, and don’t forget that SUPCASE is still our #1 choice for device protection. Use promo code 10POCKETNOW on Amazon to get 10% off the Award Winning UB Pro, or use promo code POCKETNOW15 on SUPCASE.com as well. If you move back to Amazon, you can get the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, along with a Galaxy Watch Active for $1299, meaning you get the Watch for free. Finally, if you’re looking for a Pixel, the 4XL is available for just $619 shipped, that’s a $280 discount from its original price tag. We have more deals on Logitech peripherals, other Samsung deals and more.
Could this be the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3?
Let’s move on to Samsung, as it seems the company is planning 2021 to be a big year for foldables now that, they’re a little more mainstream. Samsung is reportedly developing up to 3 foldables this year with the Z Fold 3, the Z Flip 3 and the Z Flip Lite. Well, we have some new renders of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 from Ben Geskin and disclaimer, on the tweet he mentions that these are how it imagines it but, they make a ton of sense. From the inside you get pretty much the same design with the punch hole however, you can’t really see it with the S21 Ultra’s Dark Mode Wallpaper. Speaking of the S21 Ultra, the outside now borrows the Ultra’s camera module, which could happen but, I think it’ll most likely use the S21’s design like what happened with the regular Note 20 and the Z Fold 2. Geskin also added an S Pen which has been heavily rumored for the smartphone like in the case of the S21 Ultra and we know how that went. Now, some recent rumors claim that the Z Fold 3 will bring a smaller main display when compared to its predecessors at 7.55in, with the outer panel shrinking down to 6.21in from 6.23in last year. Apparently this sacrifice in screen real estate is happening to add room, so that you can fit the S Pen inside the phone and I mean, I’m not complaining. Let us know how you guys feel about this possible design as, it looks pretty good, let’s just hope we get less of a crease as things keep evolving.
iPhone 13 series will upgrade low-light photography chops of the ultra-wide camera
Moving on to Apple, cause I gotta say, I’ve never seen the company take so much of the news cycle, so let’s begin with iPhone 13. So far, every rumor we’ve heard hints that 2021 will be more of an S Year with a ton of minor refinements. Now, we have a new report from Barclays Analysts that tells us more about what to expect from the camera. According to them, all 4 iPhone 13 models will feature an upgraded Ultra Wide camera lens with a wider f/1.8 aperture when compared to the f/2.4 on the iPhone 12 Series. Back in November, a report from Ming Chi Kuo also predicted that we’d be upgrading to f/1.8 aperture but only for the Pro models so, we don’t know what to expect just yet. Barclays also expects the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s upgraded Telephoto lens to expand to the regular 13 Pro, this means it will now bring a 65mm focal length and f/2.2 aperture. When it comes to the displays, the report mentions that Apple will stick to the same dimensions as last year, these includes 5.4in, 2 6.1in and 6.7in models. Now, even if this particular report doesn’t mention it, multiple sources claims that we should expect 120Hz, LTPO displays with a shorter notch. Finally, it also adds that that LiDAR and sensor shifting stabilization will be coming to other models, but who knows, we’re still kind of early.
Apple to invest $3.6 billion in Hyundai’s Kia, plans to debut electric car in 2024: Report
But ok, today for the first time ever, we have two hottest news segments, and this first one we chose simply because of how much its blown up on Reddit. I mean, we’ve been hearing rumors of an Apple car for a bit, but once there’s money involved, it’s no longer a joke. We have some trusted sources chiming in so, it looks like Apple is actually moving forward with this. About a month ago, Hyundai confirmed that Cupertino was working on an electric car project and since then, multiple reports have surfaced about a collaboration between the 2 companies. A new report from Ming Chi Kuo claims that the Apple Car will be based on Hyundai’s E-GMP platform for electric vehicles which they showcased back in 2020. According to the report, the production will be handled by Hyundai’s Kia subsidiary, but the production will be shouldered by Hyundai Mobis. However, a new report from Bloomberg claims that Apple is rumored to invest around $3.6B in Kia Motors as part of the planned manufacturing partnership. These cars will reportedly be manufactured in a US facility in Georgia, aiming to produce 100K vehicles once they actually start. Probably, the most important fact in the report is when Kuo mentions that the Apple Car won’t likely hit the road until 2025, which is not a bad thing at all. This car will apparently be priced significantly higher than a regular electric vehicle which goes along with the rumors that claim that this will be a very high-end machine. Guys, what more high end than Apple even hiring Porsche design expert Manfred Harrer to be part of this team. Apple is reportedly sourcing manufacturing and assembly hardware to other established names in the automobile industry. According to Reuters, production will begin sometime in 2024 so, let’s see if it happens.
Story of the day:
iOS 14.5 beta allows unlocking an iPhone with Apple Watch while wearing a mask
Yes, sticking to Apple and still on the hottest news number 2, how many of you hate Face ID right about now? Well, we just got the latest beta for iOS 14 where Apple is introducing a much needed feature. Ever since the pandemic started, Face ID is pretty much useless unless you’re in your house. Due to these pretty obvious reasons, Apple has been working on bringing an on-display fingerprint scanner to the next iPhones but, but we’re pretty far away from those. Well, with the iOS 14.5 Beta, Apple is allowing you to unlock your iPhone using your Apple Watch. Yes, this is the feature which has been available on Macs for a while. The way it works for the iPhone is, you need to have an Apple Watch paired, and if Face ID pops up and your Apple Watch is unlocked, Face ID will run a partial scan of your face and it will unlock your phone. And once Face ID unlocks your iPhone, the Apple Watch will send you some haptic feedback, letting you know that your phone was just unlocked. Apparently there’s also an option to lock the phone with your watch and for both of these to work, the Watch and the iPhone have to be close to each other so, no worries on that front. So far this is only available for the developer beta but, it should come to stable channels soon enough, we’ll keep you posted when the final update goes live. I guess the question is:Would you buy an Apple Watch just to improve Face ID?
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