Another week in the books, so let’s do a recap. Apple had packed a few days, announcing new MacBook Pro models with OLED touchscreens, an OLED iPad Mini, and a major Creator Studio update. The iPhone Duo also drew attention for reports of internal display damage, while Poco unveiled the X8s.
The new MacBook Pro models add tandem OLED displays and touchscreen support to the Mac lineup for the first time. Apple calls the panels PROLED XDR; they support refresh rates from 10Hz to 120Hz and peak brightness of up to 2,000 nits. The new models keep the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips and replace the notch with a Dynamic Island. They start at $2,899 and go on sale November 6th.
Features a smaller and lighter design and better speakers.
Apple’s updated iPad Mini gets an 8.5-inch OLED display and the A20 Pro chip. There is a catch: the 128GB and 256GB versions use a binned chip with one less CPU core and half the NPU power of the 512GB model. The screen still runs at 60Hz.
It brings an 8.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display and IP67 ingress protection.
The iPhone Duo’s internal display problems were another big story this week. Apple acknowledges reports of damage on a small number of units and advises affected owners to contact AppleCare for a replacement. A separate report claims that Apple lowered its quality inspection standards to get more units to retailers before the holiday season. The claim came from an unnamed Foxconn employee; the same report said that a number of components were replaced, while quality control standards did not change.
Says it is aware of the problem.
Apple probably knew about the Duo’s fragile hinge but didn’t change its design.
Poco introduced the X8s for global markets with a 6.35-inch 1.5K LTPO AMOLED display, a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 3,500 nits of peak brightness. It runs on Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 with up to 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. The phone also has a 6,330mAh battery with 100W charging, an IP68 rating and three rear cameras: 50MP main, 50MP telephoto and 8MP ultrawide.
The phone gets a triple camera on the rear.
Apple rolls out iOS 27.2 with fixes for more than 160 security vulnerabilities. The update expands Siri AI to French, Korean, Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese on supported iPhone models, and adds Apple Pencil USB-C support to iPhone Duo. It also brings new features for Messages, Photos, FaceTime and Apple TV.
The update also brings Apple Pencil support for iPhone Duo.
And many other new features as well.
Apple’s subscription bundle for creative apps is getting its biggest update since launch. Final Cut Pro for Mac now integrates MotionVFX tools, including templates, graphics, transitions and tools for rotoscoping, tracking and color grading. The app also gets Apple’s Content Hub, new Pixelmator Pro integration and 23 additional transcription languages.
A new leak claims that the iPhone 18e will have a 6.12-inch LTPS OLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate and the Apple A20 chipset. A spring 2027 launch is possible, based on the timing of the debut of the iPhone 17e, although these details remain unconfirmed.
Apple’s budget model reportedly has a sharper selfie camera on the way.
A Portuguese retailer has listed the Motorola Signature 27 with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage for €1,594.90, although it is currently marked as out of stock. The list also mentions the upcoming Razr Flex. The Signature 27 is described with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chipset, a 200MP periscope camera and a 50MP main camera.
The Razr Flex has a very strange description, and a rather unrealistic price.
Users can upload up to 90 minutes long horizontal videos on the platform.
Instagram is testing a new format called Features that allows users to upload horizontal videos up to 90 minutes long. The process is aimed at select creators, including podcasters, and starts by showing clips in Explore with an option to watch the full video. Instagram also plans to bring the format to its TV app at a later date.