The next Apple Watch and iPhone are reportedly going to offer big updates. Credit: Mashable / Kimberly Gedeon / Black Salmon
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Apple is one of the most hush-hush tech giants, doing whatever it takes to ensure that its plans and blueprints don’t leave Cupertino. However, it seems like there are cracks in its secrecy armor.
Whether it’s coming from Bloomberg Apple leaker Mark Gurman or Ming-Chi Kuo, two respected bean spillers, there are always leaks that flow from the iPhone maker, feeding the thirstiest Apple enthusiasts among us. However, some leaks are more fascinating than others. Let’s start with the iPhone 16.
1. iPhone 16 tipped to break a world record
Apple can’t get enough of “thinpossible” products, including the iPad Pro it recently launched.
Credit: Mashable composite; Shutterstock / Black Salmon
The Cupertino-based tech giant boasted that the tablet is the thinnest product it’s ever debuted. However, it looks like a new product is set to break a world record. According to reliable leaker IceUniverse, the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s bezels will be the world’s slimmest. A leaker from Weibo, a China-based social media website, corroborated this claim, adding that the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s bezels are 1.15mm slim.
2. Apple Watch X may be the greatest update yet
The next Apple Watch — reportedly called Watch X — will be the “biggest overhaul” for the wearable tech line, according to Gurman.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
The Bloomberg journalist hinted that the Cupertino-based tech giant is gearing up to celebrate the Apple Watch’s 10th anniversary. (The Apple Watch, as a category, was announced in 2014.) It will reportedly have a thinner watch case and a new way of attaching bands to the device.
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Interestingly, Gurman claims that the Apple Watch may have a sensor that monitors high blood pressure. Additionally, according to a recent report from The Elec, a South Korean media outlet, the Apple Watch X will have a more power-efficient OLED display.
3. AirPods 4
The AirPods 4, the alleged successor of the existing AirPods 3, will come in two variants, Gurman said in his Power On newsletter. Both will reportedly feature a new, redesigned form factor. Plus, they’ll purportedly offer a better fit for users. Unsurprisingly, they’re tipped to come with USB-C charging cases as opposed to the Lightning model.
Credit: Molly Flores / Mashable
The pricier model, however, will reportedly offer active noise cancellation (something the only AirPods Pro line has) and FindMy support with a built-in speaker.
4. AirPods Pro 3
The AirPods Pro line is the most premium earbuds offering from Apple.
Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable
And according to Gurman, the AirPods Pro 3 are in the works — and they will reportedly get an uptick in sound quality, new hearing-based health features, and a new chipset. Similar to the AirPods 4, they will also get a USB-C update.
5. Apple Smart Home Robot
Apple is reportedly working on a new smart home robot.
Credit: Phonlamai Photo / Shutterstock.com
There aren’t many details now, but according to Gurman, it will be a mobile, non-humanoid robot that can follow users around their homes. Plus, it may be able to mimic the head movements of FaceTime participants. And finally, it can reportedly lock to a single person among a crowd of people. As mentioned, information on this alleged smart home robot is scant, which means it’s likely quite far out from hitting store shelves. Like the Apple Car, it may be a project that will never see the light of day.
Want more of the best of 2024 (so far)? Join Mashable as we look back at all the internet slang, movies, memes, dating trends, hyped up hardware, scientific discoveries, social media apps, and more that have delighted and amazed us so far this year.
Kimberly Gedeon is a tech explorer who enjoys doing deep dives into the most popular gadgets, from the latest iPhones to the most immersive VR headsets. She’s drawn to strange, avant-garde, bizarre tech, whether it’s a 3D laptop, a gaming rig that can transform into a briefcase, or smart glasses that can capture video. Her journalism career kicked off about a decade ago at MadameNoire where she covered tech and business before landing as a tech editor at Laptop Mag in 2020.
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