Apple wins patent for foldable phone with flexible display
The tech giant's patent designs envision a device with an OLED screen you could purposely bend.
- Extensive journalism experience in digital media.
One of Apple's proposed designs for a device with a flexible display.
Apple was granted a patent on Tuesday for "flexible display devices," which could someday lead to a bendable iPhone .
The proposed designs envision a foldable device -- remember flip phones ? -- with an organic light-emitting diode screen. The company filed the patent application in July 2014 with the US Patent and Trademark Office. The news was reported earlier by AppleInsider.
In June, Lenovo showed off a flexible phone prototype that you could wrap around your wrist. Around the same time, Samsung was reported to be working on two bendable models.
Next year marks the 10th anniversary of the iPhone. There's already been speculation that at least one of the new models will get an OLED display.
Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Why You Can Trust CNET iPhone 16 Pro vs. 15 Pro vs. 14 Pro vs. 13 Pro: Does It Make Sense to Upgrade Now?
We've done the legwork to help you figure out if the iPhone 16 Pro is best for you.
- More than a decade of journalism experience
The iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max are Apple's newest high-end phones. They have a slightly different design from last year's iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, but in many ways remain very similar. Trying to figure out whether or not to get the iPhone 16 Pro can be tricky. Should you upgrade from the 15 Pro? What about if you have an iPhone 14 Pro or even a 13 Pro? Don't worry, we're here to help.
For starters, both the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max have larger screens, with the smaller Pro getting a larger 6.3-inch display (up from 6.1 inches on the 15 Pro) and the Pro Max getting even bigger with a 6.9-inch display (up from last year's 6.7-inch display).
The Pro model usually gets discontinued after a year while Apple keeps its base level iPhone on sale for two years after its initial launch. (Last year's iPhone 15 is now $100 less and the 2022 iPhone 14 is $599.) That doesn't mean you can't buy last year's iPhone 15 Pro -- it's likely still in stock at physical stores while supplies last or available as a refurbished model -- but the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max will otherwise displace 2023's iPhone Pro phones.
Read more: The iPhone 16 Pro's High-Res Slow-Motion Video Is the Best Apple Feature in Years
iPhone 13 Pro vs. 14 Pro vs. 15 Pro vs. 16 Pro
| iPhone 13 Pro | iPhone 14 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro | iPhone 16 Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate | 6.1-inch OLED; 2,532x1,170 pixels; 120Hz adaptive refresh rate | 6.1-inch OLED; 120Hz ; 2,556x1,179 pixels; 120Hz adaptive refresh rate | 6.1-inch OLED; 2,556x1,179 pixels; 120Hz adaptive refresh rate | 6.3-inch OLED; 2,622x1,206 pixels; 120Hz adaptive refresh rate |
| Pixel density | 460 ppi | 460 ppi | 460 ppi | 460 ppi |
| Dimensions (inches) | 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.3 in | 5.81 x 2.81 x 0.31 in. | 2.78 x 5.77 x 0.32 in | 5.89 x 2.81 x 0.32 inches |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | 147 x 72 x 7.65 mm | 147.5 x 71.5 x 7.85mm | 70.6 x 146.6 x 8.25 mm | 149.6 x 71.5 x 8.25mm |
| Weight (grams, ounces) | 204g (7.19 oz) | 206g (7.27 oz) | 187g (6.6 oz) | 199g (7.03oz) |
| Mobile software | iOS 15 | iOS 16 | iOS 17 | iOS 18 |
| Camera | 12-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 12-megapixel (3x telephoto) | 48-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 12-megapixel (3x telephoto) | 48-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 12-megapixel (3x telephoto) | 48-megapixel (wide), 48-megapixel (ultrawide) 12-megapixel (5x telephoto) |
| Front-facing camera | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel |
| Video capture | 4K | 4K | 4K | 4K |
| Processor | Apple A15 Bionic | Apple A16 Bionic | Apple A17 Pro | Apple A18 Pro |
| RAM/storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | RAM NA; 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Expandable storage | None | None | None | None |
| Battery | Undisclosed; Apple claims 22 hours of video playback | Undisclosed; Apple claims 23 hours of video playback | Undisclosed; Apple claims up to 23 hours of video playback | Undisclosed; Apple claims up to 27 hours video playback |
| Fingerprint sensor | None (Face ID) | None (Face ID) | None (Face ID) | None (Face ID) |
| Connector | Lightning (USB 2.0) | Lightning (USB 2.0) | USB-C (USB 3.0) | USB-C (USB 3.0) |
| Headphone jack | None | None | None | None |
| Special features | ProMotion technology with adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz; lidar scanner; 5G enabled; MagSafe; water resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM) | Dynamic Island; Always-On display; 5G enabled; MagSafe; water resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (e-SIM) | 5G (mmw/Sub6), Action Button, Always-On display, IP68 rating, MagSafe, Dynamic Island, 5x optical zoom (120mm equivalent), satellite connectivity, eSIM, Thread networking technology | Apple Intelligence, Action button, Camera Control button, 4x audio mics, Dynamic Island, 1 to 2,000 nits display brightness range, IP68 resistance. Colors: black titanium, white titanium, natural titanium, desert titanium. |
| US price starts at | $999 (128GB), $1,099 (256GB), $1,299 (512GB), $1,499 (1TB) | $999 (128GB), $1,099 (256GB), $1,299 (512GB), $1,499 (1TB) | $999 (128GB, $1,099 (256GB), $1,299 (512GB), $1,499 (1TB) | $999 (128GB), $1,099 (256GB), $1,299 (512GB), $1,499 (1TB) |
iPhone 16 Pro's cameras and AI
The iPhone 16 Pro has a trio of lenses on the back: wide, ultrawide and 5x telephoto.
The 16 Pro now has an identical camera to its corresponding Pro Max model, whereas typically the Pro Max would get a smaller enhancement. This includes a 5x optical zoom, which wasn't available on last year's 15 Pro (it had a 3x telephoto lens) but was on the 15 Pro Max. All of the iPhone 16 devices, including the base and Plus models, get a new Camera Control button that provides quick access to photo and video modes.
The iPhone 16 Pro has access to various AI features from Apple Intelligence, including a Visual Intelligence feature, which uses the camera and AI to identify objects and places around you. While the iPhone 15 Pro will also gain access to some of these features, the iPhone 14 Pro and earlier Pro models will not. These features will also include note summarization, an enhanced Siri assistant and Genmoji -- a method of generating new emoji using a prompt.
Read more: iOS 18 Gives You More Control Over How Your iPhone Looks and Works
iPhone 16 Pro design
From the back the iPhone 16 Pro looks nearly identical to previous Apple pro models.
Apart from AI-enabled hardware, iPhone 16 Pro also shares features with the iPhone 15 Pro that aren't available on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro. Those premium iPhones have a titanium finish introduced last year, which helps make the phones lighter than most earlier models despite their larger screen size. Both the 15 Pro and 16 Pro have USB-C ports with USB 3.0 data speeds instead of Lightning connectors with USB 2.0 data speeds, and both can record spatial video, which is a type of 3D video that you can watch on the Apple Vision Pro headset. An always-on display, Dynamic Island camera cutout and satellite connectivity for Emergency SOS are features available across all of these Pro models apart from the iPhone 13 Pro.
Should you buy an iPhone 16 Pro?
In recent years, upgrading year over year typically offers small differences. If you have an iPhone 12 Pro or older, we think upgrading to an iPhone 16 Pro makes a lot of sense. If you have an iPhone 13 Pro and the battery health is still good, it makes sense to wait another year to upgrade. And if you have an iPhone 14 Pro or 15 Pro, there's no need to buy an iPhone 16 Pro.
Mobile Guides
Here Are the Top 10 Passwords for 2024, and They're All Embarrassing
Maybe "secret" isn't the best word one could choose for a password. Ditto "123456."
- Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year" award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
Yes, people are still using the most basic passwords imaginable.
How do so many people get hacked? Apparently, many of them don't give much thought to choosing their passwords, both for personal and for work accounts. That's according to the sixth annual analysis of personal password habits from password manager NordPass in collaboration with threat-management software NordStellar.
"Guess what?" the report introduction asks. "(Passwords are) still really bad."
How bad? Bad enough that you might think Homer Simpson just mashed his hand on a computer keyboard to come up with a password. According to the report, the most popular password in the world for both personal and corporate accounts is 123456, and it's used by more than 3 million people for personal accounts and more than 1.2 million for corporate ones.
Read more: Best Password Manager of 2024
"'123456' has once again claimed the title of the world's worst password!" the NordPass analysis reports. "In fact, during this our six-year study, it topped the charts as the most common password 5 out of 6 times. 'Password' held this not-so-noble title just once."
Here are the top five passwords for personal accounts, according to the analysis.
- 123456
- 123456789
- 12345678
- password
- qwerty123
And here are the top five for corporate accounts.
- 123456
- 123456789
- 12345678
- secret
- password
According to the report, it takes less than a second to crack any of these 10 passwords.
The company reviewed and analyzed a 2.5TB database extracted from public sources, including those on the dark web. Data was organized by country of origin, covering 44 countries, and was separated by corporate and personal credentials by the use of related email addresses.
Tips for stronger passwords include making a lengthy password that steers clear of easily guessed information, such as birthdays, names and common words. Users should not reuse passwords for different sites. Password managers can also protect passwords without requiring the user to memorize dozens of complex passwords, since they will only need one password to log into the password manager itself.
Services and Software Guides
Today's NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Nov. 15, #523
Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections No. 523 for Nov. 15.
- Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year" award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
Read on for the Connections answer.
Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today's Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.
Need the answers for the New York Times Connections puzzle? To me, Wordle is more of a vocabulary test, but Connections is more of a brainteaser. You're given 16 words and asked to put them into four groups that are somehow connected. Sometimes they're obvious, but game editor Wyna Liu knows how to trick you by using words that can fit into more than one group. Read on for today's Connections hints and answers.
There's also news in the Connections world. The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one it's had for some time for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. And players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.
Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time
How to play Connections
Playing is easy. Winning is hard. Look at the 16 words and mentally assign them to related groups of four. Click on the four words you think go together. The groups are coded by color, though you don't know what goes where until you see the answers. The yellow group is the easiest, then green, then blue, and purple is the toughest. Look at the words carefully and think about related terms. Sometimes the connection has to do with just a part of the word. Once, four words were grouped because each started with the name of a rock band, including "Rushmore" and "Journeyman."
Read more: New NYT Connections Game for Sports Fans Lets Players Swing for the Fences
Hints for today's Connections groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today's Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest, yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Cavity or crater.
Green group hint: Paragraph is another one.
Blue group hint: Clarinet or flute.
Purple group hint: Out and wheel would also work.
Answers for today's Connections groups
Yellow group: Fissure.
Green group: Elements of writing.
Blue group: Instruments you blow into.
Purple group: ____ of time.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today's Connections answers?
The completed NYT Connections puzzle for Nov. 15, 2024.
The yellow words in today's Connections
The theme is fissure. The four answers are crack, hole, leak and puncture.
The green words in today's Connections
The theme is elements of writing. The four answers are letter, phrase, sentence and word.
The blue words in today's Connections
The theme is instruments you blow into. The four answers are jug, pipe, recorder and whistle.
The purple words in today's Connections
The theme is ____ of time. The four answers are nick, passage, sands and waste.
