TECH

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro: What does Apple have in store for its 2025 flagships?

The Apple iPhone 17 launch event is less than a week away, although the ever-so-restless rumor mill has already provided us with plenty of juicy details regarding the yet-to-be announced products. While the iPhone 17 Pro is expected to feature a truly massive redesign, the vanilla iPhone 17 will have to settle for a vastly improved display and new colors.

Apple iPhone launch season is just around the corner, and around 70% of current iPhone users are expecting to upgrade to the iPhone 17 that is set to see the light of day next week. Over the past few months, we have witnessed a plethora of leaks and rumors surrounding the upcoming iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro smartphones, granting us a relatively decent idea of what to expect from Apple's upcoming flagships.

For those who have been out of the loop, here is what we can expect from the Cupertino giant's next-generation smartphones.

Design - All eyes on the Pro...Of course, there is no doubt that the design is one of the hottest topics during almost any launch cycle. Smartphone design has remained very stable in the past few years, with the two biggest players - Apple and Samsung - repeatedly opting to play it safe and utilize traditional designs that their respective fanbases are used to.

This time around, however, the iPhone 17 Pro lineup is expected to witness a staggering redesign, perhaps the largest since the iPhone 11 Pro. The back of the iPhone Pro has remained almost identical since the iPhone 11 Pro, except for having grown in size every single year. The iPhone 17 Pro is widely expected to shake things up, opting for a massive camera bump which spans the entire width of the smartphone. The triple camera layout is here to stay, however, although the flash, mic, and LiDAR sensors relocated to the opposite end of the camera bump.

Surprisingly, the iPhone 17 Pro is also expected to make the switch to aluminium, instead of premium materials such as stainless steel or titanium, which is quite shocking to say the least. Traditionally, Apple has always treated premium materials as a selling point for its "Pro" iPhones. The Apple logo will also have to move around a bit, shifting downwards in response to the ginormous camera bump.

The iPhone 17, on the other hand, is not expected to feature any major design updates at all, unfortunately. A larger 6.3-inch display is expected, which is the same size as the iPhone 16 Pro as well as the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro. In terms of colors, the following are expected for the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro.

-iPhone 17: Black, white, steel gray, silver, green, purple, light blue

-iPhone 17 Pro: Black, gray, silver, dark blue, and an Orange-ish colorway

Camera - Good news for selfie enthusiasts...The vanilla iPhone 17, as well as the iPhone 17 Pro variants are expected to feature a massively improved 24 MP front camera. Moreover, the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro lineups have also been rumored to retain dual and triple-cameras on the rear. The vanilla iPhone 17 will feature wide and ultra-wide shooters, whereas the iPhone 17 Pro lineup will feature a wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto shooters.

All three of the iPhone 17 Pro's rear cameras are tipped to boast 48 MP sensors. 8K video recording, variable aperture, as well as dual-video shooting (front and rear) are also on the cards for the Pro iPhones.

Display and Performance - No surprises here...As mentioned previously, the iPhone 17 is rumored to feature a larger 6.3-inch display. Perhaps most importantly, the vanilla iPhone 17 is finally expected to sport a ProMotion display that can ramp up to 120 Hz - a feature which vanilla iPhone enthusiasts have been awaiting for over 6 years now. In fact, the iPhone 17 is tipped to utilize the same panel as the iPhone 16 Pro, which should allow for a much better viewing experience.

The iPhone 17 Pro is also rumored to feature a new coating which will reduce reflections and make the screen more durable. 

Unsurprisingly, the entire lineup is also expected to make the jump to Apple's upcoming A19 family of SoCs. The iPhone 17 Pro models will get the full-fat A19 Pro chip paired with 12 GB of memory, whereas the vanilla iPhone 17 will sport the standard A19 chip paired with just 8 GB of memory. Built on TSMC's N3P process, the A19 family is expected to bring the usual performance and efficiency improvements which we have come to expect.

The iPhone 17 Pro lineup is expected to utilize a vapor chamber cooling setup, which is certainly a welcome addition for iPhone gaming enthusiasts. The vanilla iPhone 17 is unlikely to receive the same treatment.

In terms of batteries, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is expected to boast capacity of around 5,000 mAh, roughly 6.7% higher than the current iPhone 16 Pro Max. The Pro variants are also rumored to gain a reverse wireless charging feature, which is good news for AirPods owners. Speaking of wireless charging, the iPhone 17 variants are also rumored to support up to the 25W Qi 2.2 standard.

Pricing...The iPhone 17 lineup's pricing is unlikely to witness any major changes, except for a possible $50 price bump due to the ongoing tariff wars. The iPhone 17 is therefore expected to arrive at a price of $849 onwards. The iPhone 17 Air, which we will cover in a separate article, will take the place of the iPhone Plus, and the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will command their usual price tags with a $50 bump, if the recent rumors are anything to go by.

All said, with less than a week remaining till Apple's "Awe Dropping" event, iPhone aficionados will not have much more waiting to do before the Cupertino giant reveals what it has in store for us.

mundophone

 

TECH

Canalys/Omdia: smartphone sales fall more in Europe than in the rest of the world

Europe was the region with the sharpest decline in smartphone sales during the first six months of the year, and the outlook for the near future is not bright. Among the manufacturers, Samsung stands out.

In the second quarter of this year, smartphone sales in Europe fell 9% to 28.7 million units, making it the region with the worst sales performance globally. The data, compiled by Canalys, part of the Omdia group, once again points to demand constraints associated with economic uncertainty as the main factor behind the subdued demand for new devices in the region.

"Players in the European smartphone industry had a difficult first half of 2025, marked by weak consumer demand and conservative inventory strategies," highlights Aaron West, senior analyst at Omdia.

The consultancy also highlights the impact of the ecodesign directive, which came into effect in June but has already influenced the European market and the sales of players operating in the region in the months leading up to it. Several operators began purchasing only devices that comply with the new rules early.

Canalys/Omdia also notes that, although 87% of sales in the quarter went to the five largest manufacturers, competition remains fierce and is especially strong in brands' indirect sales channels, such as operators. They continue to be strong partners in this area and continue to pressure margins.

The outlook for the second half of the year is more encouraging. Sales are expected to increase, but a more significant recovery is only expected in 2026. "The European smartphone market is going through a difficult period, but we expect growth to return in 2026, driven by the replacement of low-cost devices and the maturation of AI offerings." However, Canalys/Omdia estimates that the smartphone market will grow no more than 1.7% by 2029.

By manufacturers, Samsung maintained its sales leadership in Europe and a 36% market share. It sold 10.3 million units in the quarter, a figure that secured its top spot in sales, despite representing a 10% drop compared to the same period last year.

One of the factors contributing to the South Korean manufacturer's weaker performance in Europe was reportedly the inability to sell its new Galaxy A06 in the region, as it did not meet the requirements of the new eco-design standard.

Apple was the second-highest-selling smartphone manufacturer between April and June in Europe and also saw a 4% drop in unit sales compared to the same period last year, to 6.9 million units shipped to stores.

Xiaomi rounded out the top three, also down 4%, with 5.4 million units sold, saved by a sales increase of approximately 50% in Italy, which offset losses in other markets in the region. Motorola and Honor appear in the following positions, with shares of 18% and 11%, respectively, corresponding to 1.5 million and 900 thousand smartphones shipped.

mundophone

 

SAMSUNG

Samsung's One UI 8 beta arrives on the Galaxy A55 and other mid-range models

Samsung's One UI 8 operating system, which adds a new interface and features on top of Android 16, has debuted its beta on the manufacturer's flagship smartphones, such as the recent Galaxy Z Fold7 and Flip7 foldables, and the Galaxy S25. The system adds several artificial intelligence features and tools for assisting users on calls, recording videos, and capturing photos, among other new features.

Mid-range smartphones will also receive One UI 8, and beta testing has already begun. According to SammyGuru, the manufacturer has launched the beta program in India for the Galaxy A55, but it is expected to reach more devices by the end of the week, including the already confirmed Galaxy A54, A36, and A35.

Tests have also begun on the manufacturer's older smartphones, including the previous Galaxy S23 and S24, as well as the sixth-generation Fold and Flip. Still, these are all high-end models, now joining the more affordable mid-range models. The publication states that the update available for the A55, via OTA (over-the-air), was almost 1.9 GB in size. After beta testing, the update will arrive on these devices along with the security update.

With the One UI 8 update, smartphones will gain a new lease of life, not only in terms of a refined interface design, but also smoother performance. Through Galaxy AI artificial intelligence (on supported smartphones), devices gain multitasking capabilities, as well as interface customization. Improved efficiency, security, and longer battery life are promised.

The beta version is expected to arrive in other regions after India, but to access the update, users must register with the Samsung Members app and access the program through the menu. The final version of the operating system will arrive in September, starting with the Galaxy S25 models.

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DIGITAL LIFE

Anthropic's AI is already being weaponized by hackers in sophisticated cyberattacks

Artificial intelligence continues to prove to be an ambiguous technology, transforming businesses and people, while also reporting its use for more harmful purposes. As the BBC reports, Anthropic itself stated that its technologies, specifically the AI ​​model Claude, were being weaponized by hackers to carry out sophisticated cyberattacks.

The company claims the tools were being used by hackers to commit large-scale theft and extortion of personal data. According to Anthropic, artificial intelligence helped write the code used in cyberattacks, but there is also a record of another case, involving scams conducted in North Korea that used Claude to fraudulently obtain jobs at leading companies in the United States.

Despite this, Anthropic claims it was able to stop the hackers, having reported the cases to authorities, while also adding improved detection tools to Claude's AI tools. The model's advanced code-writing capabilities have become popular because they are accessible.

In advanced examples, the company cites a case called "vibe hacking," where AI was used to write code for an attack on 17 different organizations, including government agencies. In this case, it points out that AI was used at an unprecedented level, with Claude being used to make tactical and strategic decisions, including what type of data to exfiltrate and how to psychologically shape extortion demands from victims. He also suggested amounts to ask for from victims.

Regarding the use of AI for job applications, it was used to write letters, and after being hired, it was used to help translate messages and write code.

"Vibe hacking" and new forms of extortion... The report highlights the unprecedented sophistication of these actions. One of the techniques used, dubbed "vibe hacking," involved using AI to create psychologically impactful extortion messages to pressure victims into paying large ransoms in exchange for not disclosing sensitive data.

According to Anthropic, the tool was also used to make strategic decisions in real time, according to Engadget, such as what information to extract from compromised systems and how to maximize the impact of attacks. These capabilities demonstrate the potential of "agent" AIs, capable of acting semi-autonomously and quickly, without direct human supervision.

Transnational fraud and geopolitical implications...In another case described in the report, hackers linked to North Korea used Claude to fraudulently apply for remote jobs at major US technology companies. The AI ​​assisted with creating resumes and performing post-hire duties, including writing code and communicating with colleagues. These incidents raise serious concerns about violations of international sanctions and the use of AI to circumvent corporate and diplomatic security systems. According to cybersecurity experts, this type of operation represents a new phase in digital crime, in which technical knowledge is no longer an essential barrier.

Measures taken and implications for the AI ​​sector...After identifying the abuses, Anthropic stated that it had deactivated the accounts associated with the attacks and shared the information with the appropriate authorities. The company also developed an automated screening tool to detect misuse and announced improvements to its internal monitoring methods. However, technical details about these mechanisms were not disclosed.

Experts interviewed by outlets such as the BBC and Engadget emphasized that the use of AI by criminals represents a significant operational shift. According to cybersecurity consultant Alina Timofeeva, the time needed to exploit vulnerabilities has been decreasing with AI support, which requires defense mechanisms to become more preventative than reactive, she said in an interview with the BBC. Anthropic's report also reinforces that the use of generative models in fraud and attacks can reduce criminals' reliance on technical skills, making these crimes more accessible and widespread. The company claims to continue monitoring new abuse attempts in real time.

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DIGITAL LIFE

'Fueling sexism': AI 'bikini interview' videos flood internet

The videos are strikingly lifelike, featuring bikini-clad women conducting street interviews and eliciting lewd comments—but they are entirely fake, generated by AI tools increasingly used to flood social media with sexist content.

Such AI slop—mass-produced content created by cheap artificial intelligence tools that turn simple text prompts into hyper-realistic visuals—is frequently drowning out authentic posts and blurring the line between fiction and reality.

The trend has spawned a cottage industry of AI influencers churning out large volumes of sexualized clips with minimal effort, often driven by platform incentive programs that financially reward viral content.

Hordes of AI clips, laden with locker-room humor, purport to show scantily clad female interviewers on the streets of India or the United Kingdom—sparking concern about the harm such synthetic content may pose to women.

AFP's fact-checkers traced hundreds of such videos on Instagram, many in Hindi, that purportedly show male interviewees casually delivering misogynistic punchlines and sexualized remarks—sometimes even grabbing the women—while crowds of men gawk or laugh in the background.

Many videos racked up tens of millions of views—and some further monetized that traction by promoting an adult chat app to "make new female friends."

The fabricated clips were so lifelike that some users in the comments questioned whether the featured women were real.

A sample of these videos analyzed by the US cybersecurity firm GetReal Security showed they were created using Google's Veo 3 AI generator, known for hyper-realistic visuals.

'Gendered harm'..."Misogyny that usually stayed hidden in locker room chats and groups is now being dressed up as AI visuals," Nirali Bhatia, an India-based cyber psychologist, told AFP. "This is part of AI-mediated gendered harm," she said, adding that the trend was "fueling sexism."

The trend offers a window into an internet landscape now increasingly swamped with AI-generated memes, videos and images that are competing for attention with—and increasingly eclipsing—authentic content.

"AI slop and any type of unlabeled AI-generated content slowly chips away at the little trust that remains in visual content," GetReal Security's Emmanuelle Saliba told AFP.

The most viral misogynistic content often relies on shock value—including Instagram and TikTok clips that Wired magazine said were generated using Veo 3 and portray Black women as big-footed primates.

Videos on one popular TikTok account mockingly list what so-called gold-digging "girls gone wild" would do for money.

Women are also fodder for distressing AI-driven clickbait, with AFP's fact-checkers tracking viral videos of a fake marine trainer named "Jessica Radcliffe" being fatally attacked by an orca during a live show at a water park.

The fabricated footage rapidly spread across platforms including TikTok, Facebook and X, sparking global outrage from users who believed the woman was real.

                  AI slop is blurring the distinction between truth and fabrication, experts say(image above)

'Unreal'...Last year, Alexios Mantzarlis, director of the Security, Trust, and Safety Initiative at Cornell Tech, found 900 Instagram accounts of likely AI-generated "models"—predominantly female and typically scantily clothed. These thirst traps cumulatively amassed 13 million followers and posted more than 200,000 images, typically monetizing their reach by redirecting their audiences to commercial content-sharing platforms.

With AI fakery proliferating online, "the numbers now are undoubtedly much larger," Mantzarlis told AFP.

"Expect more nonsense content leveraging body standards that are not just unrealistic but literally unreal," he added.

Financially incentivized slop is becoming increasingly challenging to police as content creators—including students and stay-at-home parents around the world—turn to AI video production as gig work.

Many creators on YouTube and TikTok offer paid courses on how to monetize viral AI-generated material on platforms, many of which have reduced their reliance on human fact-checkers and scaled back content moderation.

Some platforms have sought to crack down on accounts promoting slop, with YouTube recently saying that creators of "inauthentic" and "mass produced" content would be ineligible for monetization.

"AI doesn't invent misogyny—it just reflects and amplifies what's already there," AI consultant Divyendra Jadoun told AFP.

"If audiences reward this kind of content with millions of likes, the algorithms and AI creators will keep producing it. The bigger fight isn't just technological—it's social and cultural."

© 2025 AFP

 

TECH

Pixel 10 XL tested running various games, but performance seems somewhat mixed

The Google Tensor G5 was tested running several popular games on the Pixel 10 XL. While the SoC performed well overall in a recent GPU stress test, gaming performance appears somewhat mixed in the new video.

Google's new Pixel 10 series comes with a few upgrades over the previous generation lineup, and the Tensor G5 is one of them. As Google previously revealed in August 2025, this is the company's first 3nm smartphone chip, which, compared to its predecessor, should offer a notable increase in power efficiency.

The brand-new SoC also features the PowerVR D-Series DXT-48-1536 GPU and, according to a recent stress test with the Pixel 10 XL, can deliver impressive stability. However, the synthetic benchmark results don't seem to reflect real-world gaming test results well.

A new video tests the Google Pixel 10 XL's Tensor G5 by running several popular games on the phone, and according to the video, gaming performance isn't as impressive as the synthetic benchmark. Of course, some of the games tested in the video ran reasonably well.

For example, the Pixel 10 XL ran Valorant Mobile with an average of 60 FPS on the High graphics setting, and the device managed to maintain the same average FPS in PUBG Mobile with the "Smooth + Extreme" preset. In Genshin Impact, however, the phone failed to maintain a smooth frame rate.

More specifically, the average was 29 FPS with the "Maximum" preset. The story is quite similar for Wuthering Waves, which ran with an average of 44 FPS on the highest graphics settings on the Pixel 10 XL. The most disappointing gaming performance was observed when running Fortnite on the Tensor G5.

There were very noticeable frame drops and stuttering, and the average frame rate during the 25-minute session was 25 FPS with the "Epic" preset. Additionally, while running Fortnite, the device's maximum temperature reached 42.9°C. In other games, by comparison, the maximum temperature was around 42°C or lower. Therefore, it's possible that the SoC experienced image throttling issues during the last session.

Of course, considering the Pixel 10 series has just been released (buy on Amazon and get a $200 gift card), it's highly likely that the Tensor G5's gaming performance will improve with future updates. Check out the videos below to learn more about how the SoC performs in its current state.

Abid Ahsan Shanto

 

DIGITAL LIFE

Free Starlink dish and 100 Mbps downloads trump fiber in federal subsidy push to cover rural areas

The SpaceX undertaking of Elon Musk is winning the federal government's Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program allocation with its offer of free Starlink Standard Kit. A recent change in broadband service definitions for rural areas paved the way for Starlink's federal subsidy success.

Starlink has won another state auction to provide broadband Internet to the so-called "underserved locations," mainly rural regions in sparsely populated states where laying costly fiber would not be economically viable if not for federal subsidies.

The government's Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program dispersed more than $42 billion to all US states and territories with the goal to provide broadband Internet access to every American, including those living in remote locations.

During Elon Musk's brief stint at the White House, BEAD tweaked its broadband Internet definitions to accommodate satellite Internet providers like Starlink. The controversial change was met with incredulity from terrestrial fiber optics Internet providers, as it puts their costly endeavors into funding disadvantage.

Ohio got $793 million allocated under the BEAD program, for instance, but will make do with only $227 million under the state's final proposal by paying Starlink $53 million to cover 43% of the Broadband Serviceable Locations (BSL) for which the government funding goes.

    Starlink won the highest number of the Broadband Serviceable Locations (BSL) in Ohio's proposal(image above)

In comparison, Ohio will pay Spectrum the highest share of allocated funds, or more than $80 million, to cover 14% of the BSL roster with fiber. Under the new BEAD guidelines, satellite Internet providers like Starlink could score every time, as they did in Montana, where Starlink got $119 million in federal subsidies for 28% of the local BSL portfolio, while Amazon's Project Kuiper got only $26 million of the local funding for 37% of BSLs.

States are understandably prioritizing ease and speed of rollouts rather than the quality of the Internet service that will go to rural and underserved locations. Satellite Internet providers would win every time against fiber under those metrics, as the requirement for Starlink in Ohio is to only provide a free dish and 100 Mbps download speed, rather than discount the monthly service fee. That is the cheapest way for Starlink to grow, as it often cuts the price of its Standard Kit to sell it at cost and use it as a gateway promo to collect hefty monthly fees anyway. 

In contrast, fiber can provide up to 1 Gbps speeds, a feat that will only be possible for Starlink next year when it starts launching its V3 satellites with the Starship 3 rocket, and only if one buys the pricey Performance dish that will certainly be out of reach for the federal BEAD program.

mundophone