Author: RSS Feed

  • |

    iPhone 17e may ditch the notch for the sleeker Dynamic Island, but I want MagSafe

    Apple’s iPhone 17e is set to drop the outdated notch for a sleek Dynamic Island, and get an A19 chip, but don’t expect it to arrive before spring 2026.

    Leaker “Digital Chat Station” shared in a post on the Chinese social network Weibo some hardware upgrades that are apparently slated for the iPhone 17e coming next spring, and they include a more modern display appearance because the old notch (cutout at the top edge the screen) begin replaced with the Dynamic Island, which combines a pill-shaped cutout for Face ID components near the top of the screen along with a circular hole for the selfie camera.

    The Dynamic Island is also more functional than the notch thanks to Apple’s software magic that morphs the perceived shape and size of the Dynamic Island area to dynamically display controls for compatible apps, notifications, system alerts and real-time information via the Live Activities feature.

    Rumor: iPhone 17e to get Dynamic Island, Apple A19 chip

    Other claimed upgrades coming to the iPhone 16e, according to “Digital Chat Station,” include Apple’s upcoming A19 chip (the A19 Pro will power the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models).

    In comparison, the iPhone 16e runs a binned version of the Apple A18 chip (six CPU cores, five GPU cores) from the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus models that has one GPU core disabled. The leaker wouldn’t say whether the A19 powering the iPhone 17e will also be a binned variant.

    The phone should also bring a significant design change, but the leaker didn’t say what that might entail. In our view, this likely refers to minor changes stemming from replacing the notch with the Dynamic Island.

    Similar to the current iPhone 16e, which launched in February 2025, Apple is rumored to release the iPhone 17e by the spring of 2026, a few months after the iPhone 17, ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max launch sometime next month. The iPhone 17e apparently won’t get better cameras, so you’ll have to do with the same 12MP selfie shooter out the front and a 48MP camera out the back as the iPhone 16e.

    Unfortunately, none of the rumors about the iPhone 17e mentions MagSafe, the beloved wireless charging feature that’s also great for attaching accessories such as wallets, charging stands and such which magnetically alight and attach securely, as well as software features like StandBy, which turns an iPhone into a smart display when it’s charging in landscape orientation.

    Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/08/18/apple-iphone-17e-dynamic-island-rumor/

  • | |

    Apple Card users who buy gas or EV charges at preferred stations can get 5% cash back for a limited time

    Apple Card users who open the Wallet app on their iPhone this week will find that the company has started rolling out a limited-time perk for drivers of both gas and electric-powered vehicles: a fancy 5% cash back at Exxon and Mobil gas stations, as well as qualifying ChargePoint EV charging stations or the purchase of a ChargePoint home-installed charger.

    The aforementioned promotion imposes a reward limit of up to $500 in combined purchases and will last until September 15th, 2025.

    Typically, Apple Card users who use Apple Pay to check out get 2% cash back every time they make a purchase, with the percentage changing to 3% when purchasing from a very short list of preferred retailers. That said, this is an excellent opportunity to earn cash back while buying a necessity that most people use on a regular basis: fuel or battery charge for their vehicle.

    It’s worth noting that obtaining the promo requires the use of Apple Pay, so swiping the physical titanium Apple Card doesn’t count.

    To learn more about the promotion, you can head over to Apple’s dedicated web page.

    We should also mention that anyone thinking about signing up for an Apple Card can currently earn up to $75 in Daily Cash Back bonus after meeting certain criteria. So this is a good time to splurge!

    Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/08/17/apple-card-promo-5-percent-cash-back-gas-and-electric-vehicle-charging-stations/