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What started as an Apple Intelligence feature exclusive to the Camera Control-endowed iPhone 16 line is coming to older iPhones, and soon. We already knew that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max would get Visual Intelligence at some point in the future, and thanks to 9to5Mac, we now know it's one of several options you can assign to the Action Button in the second iOS 18.4 beta. That likely means the feature could end up in the final release of the update. Visual Intelligence lets you draw on AI models from Google and OpenAI to find information (and websites) about anything you point your iPhone's camera at. You can also use the feature to add information from a flyer to your calendar and oddly, identify dog breeds. Until recently, the feature had to be summoned with a long-press of Camera Control on an iPhone 16, but as of the release of the iPhone 16e, Apple made it possible to use an Action Button to pull it up, too. Considering the iPhone 15 Pro's A17 Pro chip offers enough RAM to enable other Apple Intelligence features, it makes sense that its ACtion Button shouldn't be left out of the fun. iOS 18.4 is currently in beta and is expected to launch in early April. Alongside expanding the number of phones that can run Visual Intelligence, Apple is also using the update to launch a new recipe section in Apple News called Apple News+ Food. Previously, Bloomberg reported that iOS 18.4 was supposed to also mark the launch of Apple's upgraded Siri, which is supposed to have the ability to see and take action inside of apps, but that feature is now coming later. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-iphone-15-pro-will-get-visual-intelligence-with-ios-184-204658321.html?src=rss
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Mobile World Congress is taking place in Barcelona this week, offering manufacturers an opportunity to show off new gear without needing to hold their own splashy event. So far, we've learned about some new laptops and phones, as well as upcoming AI updates to Android. Here's a look at everything announced at Mobile World Congress that caught our eye. We'll update this story throughout the week. Lenovo Sam Rutherford for Engadget Among the bigger-name manufacturers, Lenovo has arguably had the busiest MWC so far. The company has revealed a whole bunch of laptops, including upgraded ThinkPads and several intriguing concept models. The ThinkPad T14s 2-in-1 has a design thats more aligned with the convertible format of the Yoga lineup than a typical ThinkPad. The 14-inch machine can be equipped with a 400-nit WUXGA touch display. Other ThinkPads are getting spec upgrades, while Lenovo claims the new ThinkPad X13 Gen 6 has one of the lightest ThinkPad designs ever. The company has a fresh slate of laptops with generative AI capabilities as well. Some of Lenovos concepts have certainly caught our attention. Its a bummer that the company doesnt currently plan to turn the Yoga Solar PC Concept into a commercial device. Thanks to the solar cells on the casing, the laptop can soak up enough energy from the sun in 20 minutes to play an hour of videos. As little as 0.3 watts of light is enough to juice up the battery. While solar-powered laptops aren't exactly new, the Yoga Solar PC feels polished. Here's hoping Lenovo does more with the notion in the future. Sam Rutherford for Engadget In addition, Lenovo showed off some conceptual display accessories for a ThinkBook laptop. There's an eight-inch screen that attaches to the side magnetically to help you, for instance, keep up with notifications and widgets. The Magic Bay Dual Display Concept adds a 13.3-inch panel to either side of the main display. There's also a slim second display that's designed to sit above your laptop screen and provide quick access to things like the time, weather, notifications, a focus mode timer, an AI assistant and notifications. Sam Rutherford for Engadget On top of all of that, Lenovo offered a look at a new prototype laptop with a flexible display. Building on the tech the company used in the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable, the ThinkBook codename Flip AI PC Proof of concept (to give its full name) has a fold-out screen. This allows Lenovo to double the panel's size from 13 inches to 18.1 inches. The ThinkBook Rollable's display, on the other hand, can extend to 16.7 inches. Again, Lenovo doesn't currently plan to release a commercial version of this fold-out laptop, but it's an interesting idea. Samsung Photo by Mat Smith for Engadget. The main MWC news from Samsung this year is the company's latest midrange and budget phones. The Galaxy A56 has a larger screen than its predecessor at 6.7 inches, but it's thinner too at 7.44mm vs. 8.2mm. There's now a small bump where the volume and power buttons are a tweak that we feel makes the A56 easier to handle. Samsung has switched up the camera array in the A56. On the front, there's a lower-res 12MP lens. On the other side, you'll find an upgraded 12MP ultrawide, 50MP main sensor and a 5MP macro lens. The A56 has a bunch of AI-powered camera and image editing features, such as enhanced subject detection in portrait mode and an object eraser. Pre-orders are open in the UK for the Galaxy A56, which costs $499/499. It will hit the UK on March 19, but folks in the US will have to wait until "later this year" for it. Samsung also revealed the Galaxy A36 5G and Galaxy A26 5G. Both devices have a 120Hz, 6.7-inch display with brightness of up to 1,200 nits. They also share an IP67 rating and 5,000mAh battery with the A56. However, the base models of each only have 6GB of RAM (compared with the A56's 12GB). In addition, the A36 has the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor instead of the Exynos 1580 that the A56 boasts, while the A26 has a Exynos 1380 chipset. Xiaomi Sam Rutherford for Engadget Unfortunately, Xiaomi doesn't have plans to bring a handset it showed off at MWC to the US. That's a real pity, because no other companies are selling phones quite like the Xiaomi 15 Ultra in the country these days. Xiaomi teamed up with Leica to make a smartphone that leans heavily into photography. The camera array includes a 1-inch 50-megapixel Sony main sensor, an f/2.2 50MP ultrawide cam, a 50MP midrange lens with a 70mm focal length and a 200MP periscope array with a 100mm focal length that equates to a 4.7x optical zoom. Some preset Leica filters help to tie the two brands' knowhow together. That's not all that might be interesting to mobile snappers. Xiaomi's separate Photography kit includes an add-on camera grip with a physical shutter button, an adjustable dial and dedicated video button. You'll have the option to attach a standard 67mm filter adapter to a case as well in other words, some of the equipment you might use on a dedicated camera is compatible with the Ultra 15 as part of this setup. Moreover, the Ultra 15 has a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and up to 3,200 nits of brightness to help you get a good look at your captures. Plus, unlike some other Chinese phones (like Huawei's), Xiaomi supports Google services in HyperOS 2, which is an Android skin. The Ultra 15 starts at about 1,499 (around $1,572). Android Speaking of Android, Google announced two new AI-powered features for the operating system at MWC. The Live Video function, which Google first previewed at I/O 2024, allows you to share what your phone's camera sees with Gemini so you can ask the chatbot questions about the footage. The new screensharing function works in a similar way. You can ask Gemini questions about whatever's on your phone or tablet's display. If they work as well as advertised, these features could be a boon for accessibility. Google will first offer them to Gemini Advanced subscribers starting later this month. Those with a $20 per month Google One AI Premium membership, which is included with some Verizon plans, have access to Gemini Advanced.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/mwc-2025-everything-announced-in-barcelona-so-far-185656341.html?src=rss
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We already suspected that Apple was planning to announce a new MacBook Air in March, and now we have it from the horses mouth. Company CEO Tim Cook took to social media to post a tease-heavy video, along with the caption this week. The video itself plays music as the text theres something in the air crawls along the screen. Finally, a tell-tale ultra-thin swoosh interrupts the text. Its incredibly likely that the swoosh is being used to represent the forthcoming M4 MacBook Air. We dont know when this week the announcement will take place, so hold tight. This week. pic.twitter.com/uXqQaGNkSk Tim Cook (@tim_cook) March 3, 2025 The M4 MacBook Air is expected to come in two sizes, 13-inch and 15-inch, according to Bloombergs Mark Gurman. Apple introduced the M3 MacBook Air last March, so a yearly refresh is certainly in order. The M4 chip, on the other hand, just came to Mac computers a few months ago. It first showed up in the iPad Pro before coming to the iMac, Mac mini and MacBook Pro in October. Could the "there's something in the air" refer to a refresh of the iPad Air? Maybe, but probably not. A new design came out back in May. The base iPad, however, is due for an update. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/tim-cook-teases-m4-macbook-air-reveal-for-this-week-180949211.html?src=rss
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