Thursday, 2 January 2020

DigiTimes: Apple Could Launch Two 'iPhone SE 2' Models in 2020

Apple could launch a second version of the so-called iPhone SE 2 before the end of the year, according to DigiTimes. The latest prediction from the hit-and-miss industry publication is said to come from sources in Taiwan's supply chain.

The latest news coming from the supply chain is that Apple is likely to add yet another LCD-based model to its iPhone lineup for 2020. This new member will be an upgraded version of the widely speculated ‌iPhone‌ SE2 featuring a 5.5- or 6.1-inch LCD display and available at the end of 2020 or in earlier 2021, said the sources.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects Apple to release five new ‌iPhone‌ models in 2020 – a so-called ‌iPhone SE 2‌ with a 4.7-inch LCD display in the first half of 2020, followed by a higher-end all-OLED lineup consisting of 5.4-inch, two 6.1-inch, and 6.7-inch models in the second half of the year.

However, some supply chain makers at ‌iPhone‌'s assembly partners claim to have received roadmaps showing production of "six items" of iPhones, claims DigiTimes. According to the report, Taiwan-based driver-IC backend firm Chipbond Technology is said to have landed COF packaging orders from Apple for both LCD devices.

The initial model of the so-called ‌iPhone SE 2‌ is expected to resemble the iPhone 8, including a 4.7-inch display with bezels and a Touch ID home button, but with a faster A13 chip and 3GB of RAM. The device will continue to have a single-lens rear camera, according to Kuo, like the original ‌iPhone‌ SE and the ‌iPhone 8‌.

Related Roundup: iPhone SE 2

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Stable Android 10 starts hitting the Galaxy Note10 and Note10+ (Update: Sprint, Star Wars edition)

Two weeks after the Galaxy S10 line received its stable One UI 2.0 build, it’s time for the Galaxy Note10 and Note10+ to get the latest Android flavor. According to a report by SamMobile, the two late-2019 Samsung flagships are receiving the Android 10 update in Germany, although the rollout is limited to a small group of beta testers.

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Graphene batteries: What are they and why are they a big deal?

standby battery usage - graphene batteries

Smartphone battery technology is pretty good these days. But if there’s one thing gadget lovers will never be able to get enough of it’s the promise of better battery life. Wouldn’t it be great if our handsets lasted two or three full days of heavy use with just a single charge? What about a whole week? With graphene batteries, this might not be such a pipe dream.

Graphene batteries aren’t powering smartphones and other gadgets just yet, but the technology is progressing. In the future, graphene could be the material that replaces the lithium-ion batteries that the technology industry has become so reliant on for decades.

We’ve written about graphene a few times before here at Android Authority. It seems like one of those technologies with heaps of promise but that’s perpetually just around the corner. While we’re still a ways away from the commercialization of graphene technologies, including batteries, it’s still something well worth keeping on your radar.

Here’s everything you need to know about graphene batteries.

What is a graphene battery?

Before delving into the graphene battery, it’s worth quickly recapping what graphene is and how it works.

Briefly, graphene is a composition of carbon atoms tightly bound in a hexagonal or honeycomb-like structure. What makes graphene so unique is that this structure is just one atomic layer thick, essentially making a graphene sheet two dimensional. This 2D structure produces very interesting properties, including excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, high flexibility, high strength, and low weight. What we’re particularly interested in is the electrical and heat conductivity, which is actually superior to copper — the most conductive metal element.

Supercapacitors enable batteries that last for much longer and charge almost instantly

When it comes to batteries, graphene’s capabilities can be used in a number of ways. The ideal use of graphene as a battery is as a “supercapacitor.” Supercapacitors store current just like a traditional battery but can charge and discharge incredibly quickly.

The unsolved trick with graphene is how to economically mass manufacture the super-thin sheets for use in batteries and other technologies. Production costs are prohibitively high at the moment, but research is helping to make graphene batteries are reality.

Back in 2017, Samsung announced a breakthrough with its “graphene ball.” Although we haven’t heard anything else since. More recently it emerged that Telsa is also reportedly interested in the technology for automotive batteries.

Graphene vs lithium-ion

lithium ion battery

Just like lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, graphene cells use two conductive plates coated in a porous material and immersed in an electrolyte solution. But while their internal make-up is quite similar, the two batteries offer different characteristics.

Graphene offers higher electrical conductivity than lithium-ion batteries. This allows for faster-charging cells that are able to deliver very high currents as well. This is particularly useful for car batteries, for example, or fast device-to-device charging. High heat conductance also means that batteries run cooler, prolonging their lifespan even in cramped cases like a smartphone.

Graphene batteries are also lighter and slimmer than today’s lithium-ion cells. This means smaller, thinner devices or larger capacities without requiring extra room. Not only that, but graphene allows for much higher capacities. Lithium-ion stores up to 180Wh of energy per kilogram while graphene can store up to 1,000Wh per kilogram.

Finally, graphene is safer. While lithium-ion batteries have a very good safety record, there have been a few major incidents involving faulty products. Overheating, overcharging, and puncturing can cause runaway chemical imbalances in li-ion batteries that result in fire. Graphene is much more stable, flexible, and stronger, and is more resilient to such issues.

You don’t have to have one or the other though. Li-ion batteries can use graphene to enhance cathode conductor performance. These are known as graphene-metal oxide hybrids. Hybrid batteries result in lower weight, faster charge times, greater storage capacity, and a longer lifespan than today’s batteries. The first consumer-grade graphene batteries are likely to be hybrids.

What graphene batteries mean for smartphones

Future smartphones packing graphene power cells would exhibit the benefits outlined above. Handsets would charge even faster, battery life would easily last a day or two, if not longer, and devices could be thinner and lighter.

The move to graphene could offer 60% or more capacity compared to the same sized lithium-ion battery. Combined with better heat dissipation, cooler batteries will extend device lifespans too. You won’t need to pay for expensive battery replacements after a couple of years to keep your old devices performing in top condition.

Don’t miss: How to extend your Android’s phone battery life

Graphene batteries would allow smartphones to be thinner or offer more battery capacity while keeping their current proportions. There are also interesting implications for fast device-to-device charging. With batteries able to support very high currents and blazing fast recharge and discharge times, gadgets could charge each other up at super-fast speeds.

Although graphene battery technology remains some years away, it’s a tantalizing prospect for future smartphones, gadgets, electric vehicles, and much more. It’s one to keep an eye on.



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Imagination Technologies Announces New Licensing Agreement With Apple

Imagination Technologies announced on Thursday that Apple has replaced a licensing agreement with the British chipmaker for access to its intellectual property in exchange for license fees.


In a brief statement on its website, the U.K. firm said that the substitute multi-use license agreement, first announced in February 2014, would allow Apple access to a "wider range" of Imagination's IP.
London, UK; 2nd January 2020 – Imagination Technologies ("Imagination") announces that it has replaced the multi-year, multi-use license agreement with Apple, first announced on February 6, 2014, with a new multi-year license agreement under which Apple has access to a wider range of Imagination's intellectual property in exchange for license fees.
The development marks a dramatic shift in relations between the two companies following three years of discord, beginning in April 2017 when Apple told the chipmaker that it planned to stop using its graphics technology in iOS devices within two years.

Imagination relied on Apple for up to half of its revenue and saw its shares fall by 60 percent on the news of Apple's plans. Imagination also publicly criticized Apple, claiming that it doubted the tech giant could go it alone without violating Imagination's patents, IP, and confidential information.

After entering a "dispute resolution procedure" with the company, Imagination accused Apple of unauthorized use of its IP. Apple hit back by claiming that the firm had known for nearly two years that it was winding down the relationship, and was only revealing the separation after Apple had invoked a clause in its contract to pay lower royalty rates.

Imagination lost 70 percent of its value following the dispute with Apple, and despite a successful restructuring and a return to profitability for the company, put itself up for sale in June 2017. Imagination was bought by the Chinese-funded private equity firm Canyon Bridge in November 2017.


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Facebook’s a mess, but it doesn’t mean backdoors are the answer


It’s been a tough year for Facebook. It has faced international scrutiny, from its role in elections to the potential regulation of its cryptocurrency Libra. However, perhaps the most contentious argument for the social media giant, that is sure to rage on into 2020, is one of its longest fought. How to protect the privacy of users on its messaging platforms, whilst navigating the demands of governments who want backdoor access. What should we most prize? Consumers’ privacy or national security? Currently, the solution proposed by governments internationally is a backdoor to allow access into messaging platforms — one that…

This story continues at The Next Web


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