Here are the Apple products rumored for 2022: iPads, Macs, and more

2021 has been a year packed with Apple products. We saw the new MacBook Pro 2021, Apple Watch Series 7, iPhone 13 lineup, and much more. The year has almost ended, and we aren’t expecting any new hardware from the company in 2021. However, rumors have surfaced regarding next year’s releases. They highlight some of the expected specifications of upcoming Macs, iPads, and Apple Watches in 2022.

Macs

Redesigned MacBook Air concept.

According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman (via MacRumors), we’re expecting Apple to release five new Macs in 2022. These models will likely include:

• A high-end iMac powered by Apple’s system-on-chip (SoC).
• A completely redesigned MacBook Air powered by Apple’s “M2” chip.
• An upgraded Mac Mini.
• An upgraded entry-level MacBook Pro.
• A Mac Pro powered by Apple’s SoC.

Apart from the listed specifications, the rumors don’t share much regarding the upcoming Macs. Apple released fully revamped MacBook Pro models this year — which feature more ports, as well. It’s unclear whether the new MacBook Air will follow the same design language and have a notch or not. The newsletter doesn’t mention if the upgraded entry-level MacBook Pro will have a Touch Bar either.

iPads

Current iPad Air design, which could potentially be adopted in upcoming affordable iPads.

MacRumors has also shared that Gurman’s newsletter mentions some potential updates coming to the iPad. If these rumors materialize, we could be seeing a redesigned iPad Pro with wireless charging support in 2022. The newsletter also mentions that there could be upgrades to the iPad Air and the affordable iPad. The rumors don’t share much regarding what to expect in terms of design and specs, but it’s likely that Apple will be releasing updated models of these devices. Initial rumors had pointed towards a redesigned affordable iPad with thinner bezels and a bigger display for this year. However, that turned out to be false. It’s yet to be seen if next year’s affordable iPad will adopt the iPad Air’s design or not. Apple is also expected to be sticking to LCD displays on the iPad Air for the time being.

Apple Watches

The flat-edged Apple Watch redesign which was initially rumored for the Series 7.

Finally, MacRumors has also highlighted the Apple Watch 2022 lineup rumors, stated in Mark’s newsletter. Apple is expected to release an updated version of the SE model next year. The company doesn’t usually release SE device upgrades yearly. Considering the last Apple Watch SE was introduced last year, it’s possible that the Cupertino giant will release a new one in 2022.

The report additionally shares some details about a brand new, rugged Apple Watch model. This watch is said to be more durable and resistant to scratches, dents, and falls. This model would be aimed at athletes who find current Apple Watches too fragile for the sports they practice. Apple currently sells a Nike edition of its smartwatch. However, it features the same durability and overall design of regular Apple Watches. It’s unclear whether the potential rugged, “Sports” edition would replace the Nike lineup or not.

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Apple typically releases new Macs around October, iPads in March and September, and Apple Watches in September — during the iPhone event. We could see some of the rumored, upgraded products around these months, if Apple sticks to its usual annual release schedule.

Which 2022 Apple product are you looking forward to the most? Let us know in the comments section below.

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LG will shut down its bootloader unlocking service on December 31

When LG officially announced its exit from the smartphone market earlier this year, it reassured LG smartphone users that it would continue to provide software updates for some devices. However, this software update commitment only applied to a few of LG’s recent smartphones. Users with older LG phones were left with no option but to install a custom ROM to get the latest Android releases on their devices. However, that option might not be available for long, as LG has now announced that it’s shutting down its bootloader unlock service next month.

A new notice from LG (via Liliputing) reveals that it plans to terminate the LG Mobile Developer website services on December 31 at 00:00 (KST, GMT +9). The notice states that following the termination, “all information provided on the website and issuing the bootloader unlock key will not be available,” making it difficult for users to unlock the bootloader of their devices to install a custom ROM. The notice further states that all personal information collected to provide the services will be destroyed. However, LG might store some personal information for a fixed period of time if required by relevant laws and regulations.

If you own an LG phone and plan on prolonging its life with a custom ROM, you should go ahead and unlock its bootloader before LG terminates the service next month. In case you own an LG G8, G8S, G8X, or V50 ThinQ, you can use the unofficial universal bootloader unlock method to unlock your phone’s bootloader. Note that the unofficial method is a bit tricky and requires flashing via Qualcomm SoC’s Emergency Download Mode. It’s not meant for beginners, so you should make the most of LG’s official tool while it’s still available.

Do you own an LG phone with a locked bootloader? Do you plan on unlocking it before LG shuts down its bootloader unlocking tools? Let us know in the comments section below.

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YouTube Music will soon let you “save” your queue as a playlist

Over time YouTube Music has brought over many useful features from the now-defunct Play Music service. And this trend continues as YouTube Music is picking up yet another Play Music feature that makes it easier to save songs in your queue.

As spotted by 9to5Google, YouTube Music is rolling out a new “save” button in the app that lets you save your song queue as a playlist. When you’re playing an album or a playlist, YouTube Music’s Now Playing screen shows an “Up Next” tab in the bottom left corner that reveals the list of upcoming songs. The new save button appears in the Next Up tab and will allow users to save the entire song queue as a playlist in a few taps.

Tapping on the “save” button brings up the “Add to playlist” dialogue, allowing you to save the queue to one of your existing playlists or create a new one. The feature should also work on radio queues.

Screenshots credit: 9to5Google

The new save button in the Up Next tab hasn’t started rolling out widely. It’s most likely a server-side rollout as it wasn’t available for me on the latest version of YouTube Music. We’ll update this post with more details, once this feature starts rolling out to more users.

YouTube Music recently received a new widget that lets you access playback controls and recently played tracks right from your home screen. The app has also picked up a new Energize mood filter to help you boost your energy when you’re having a long day or feeling unmotivated. Other noteworthy features that YouTube Music has received over the past few months include free background playback in select regions, community-generated playlists, a Material You widget, and more.

Have you received the new save queue as playlist feature in YouTube Music? Let us know in the comments below. 

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Leaked renders suggest that the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra will feature a notch

Over the last few months, we’ve seen several leaks about Samsung’s upcoming flagship tablet lineup. The leaks have revealed that Samsung will likely launch three Galaxy Tab S8 models next year, including a new ‘Ultra’ variant with a massive battery and display. Rumors claim that Samsung could launch the Galaxy Tab S8 lineup alongside the Galaxy S22 series in February next year and leaked renders suggest that the tablets will sport a familiar back panel design. While Samsung hasn’t shared any official details so far, Evan Blass has now posted more renders that give us a closer look at their displays.

The new renders showcase the displays and surrounding bezels of all three Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 models. As you can see in the attached images, the top-of-the-line Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra appears to have the slimmest bezels out of the lot and two front-facing cameras housed within a relatively small notch in the top bezel. The render also reveals that the tablet’s power button and volume rocker will reside on the top edge.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8, S8 Plus, and S8 Ultra. pic.twitter.com/tQZNW30Dn1

— Ev (@evleaks) December 6, 2021

The Galaxy Tab S8 Plus render suggests that it will also feature two front-facing cameras like the Ultra variant. However, one of its cameras will reside in the top bezel, while the other will be on the left bezel. In addition to the two front-facing cameras, the Galaxy Tab S8 Plus looks to have an additional sensor in the top edge, possibly for face unlock.

Lastly, the vanilla Galaxy Tab S8 will have thicker bezels like the Plus variant, but with only one front-facing camera on the top bezel. The power button and volume rocker on both models will be on the top edge. Although the renders don’t reveal much else about the tablets, previous leaks suggest that the Galaxy Tab S8 lineup will pack 8,000mAh, 10,090mAh, and 11,500mAh batteries, respectively. The Ultra variant will likely feature Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, while the other two models will pack the Snapdragon 888.

For more information about the upcoming Galaxy Tab S8 lineup, check out our previous coverage by following the links above.

Featured image: Leaked render of the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra via @evleaks

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This graphene battery pack is my new favorite portable charger

I love a good portable charger – I spend enough time on the go that keeping all my tech charged is an absolute nightmare. But until now, all battery packs have had one big issue: they just took way too long to charge. In a few years, we’ve gone from 5W charging in our mobile devices to over 100W in some phones. While all smartphones now include some form of fast charging, and battery packs themselves support fast charging output, this technology never really transitioned to charging the things that keep our tech charged on the go. What good is a battery pack that takes hours to charge, only to deplete with a few charges of your mobile device? This is where Elecjet enters the conversation with the Apollo Ultra graphene battery pack.

Elecjet Apollo Ultra: What I like

Elecjet – which just sold to Alpine 4 holdings who plans to add production sites in the US eventually, albeit we’re not sure if this includes this battery pack – has returned to Indiegogo with a product that sets the standard for portable battery packs.

After using the Elecjet Apollo Ultra, I have no intention of going back to other power banks

I’ve used the Elecjet Apollo Ultra for a couple of months now. I have zero intention of ever going back to the battery packs I was using before. The Elecjet Apollo Ultra is a 37Wh (10,000 mAh) power bank that can be charged at 100W and outputs 87W across the USB-C and USB-A ports. By far, my favorite part – aside from the super-fast input charging – is the digital display that tells you the percentage. Still, when you’re charging, it also lets you see just how fast it’s charging by displaying the percentage to one decimal place. It also has passthrough charging, so you can charge devices while you charge the power bank.

Most power banks charge between 15W and 20W, although some go as high as 40W, but this is the fastest power bank I’ve ever had to charge. This fully charges its 10,000 mAh capacity within a couple of hours and is ready to go. Before using this, I used Samsung’s 10,000mAh USB-C wireless power bank, and I love that, but it now sits looking at me forlornly whenever I open the drawer it’s in. The Elecjet Apollo Ultra also makes me think graphene is the future to faster charging of traditional power banks, albeit it comes with its own set of caveats that we need to go into.

I spent almost a month in the hospital in September and October and wouldn’t have survived without the Elecjet Apollo Ultra. In the second room that I spent about ten days in, an entire bank of outlets didn’t work, so I was charging this once or twice per day and using it to charge all my mobile devices. Without the 100W fast charging, this wouldn’t have been possible.

I can’t begin to count how many times I’ve gone to leave my house and picked up a battery pack only to discover it was empty. The Elecjet Apollo Ultra solves this as charging it for 10 minutes is enough to charge my iPhone 13 Pro to full or Galaxy Z Fold 3 to a considerable amount. Regardless of which device I’m using, it ensures I have enough power to get through most of the day. This pre-production unit I’ve been using is limited to 87W input, so it takes about 37 minutes to charge to full, but the final retail unit should charge in full in just under half an hour. Either of those numbers is pretty insane for 10,000 mAh.

Elecjet Apollo Ultra: The bits to be wary about

The USB-C port can provide up to 65W of power, while the USB-A port supports 18W output. If your device supports the PPS power spec, it can output at 68.25W, but regardless of which devices you’ve connected, it doesn’t quite add up to the 87W that Elecjet claims.

At 10,000 mAh, the Elecjet Apollo Ultra also has a smaller capacity than we’d have liked to see. Ideally, I would have wanted a 55Wh capacity or even 70Wh, which would result in a bigger size but provide the capacity needed to power all the devices we use today. For example, the Apollo Ultra can only charge my Macbook Air to about two-thirds, and charging at the full 65W speed will deplete the battery in 35-40 minutes. It’s less of a problem than other devices as you can charge it quickly, and I’m yet to be in a position where I need the charger and it’s empty, but as we all return to traveling, it’s worth keeping in mind.

It’s also worth mentioning that Elecjet doesn’t have the best reputation amongst crowdfunding backers. Previous campaigns have left backer questions unanswered, and there were some quality assurance problems. Still, the Elecjet Apollo Ultra has been pleasantly surprising, and I have no doubts about the company’s ability to deliver on its crowdfunding campaign promises. If you’d rather wait, the company has a sizeable array of products on Amazon, so you can always wait for the Apollo Ultra to be listed there.

Elecjet Apollo Ultra: Setting a new standard in portable chargers, somewhat

The Elecjet Apollo Ultra has changed what I expect from a portable charger. Instead of blindly accepting that I’ll have to judge the battery based on four or five LED lights and hoping it’ll charge quickly, I’ve now begun checking these two ‘specs’ as part of how I judge any portable charger. Similarly, any portable charger I buy or recommend now has these features: easy battery level indication and really quick charging.

The Elecjet Apollo Ultra is priced at $65 for Indiegogo backers, which is one of the more expensive portable chargers compared to the generally accepted <$50 pricing depending on features. Take, for example, my Samsung’s wireless portable charger: it charges within a couple of hours, has two USB-C ports, the same capacity, and a wireless charging pad, and costs less than $50. That said, this isn’t egregiously expensive, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone who needs a new portable charger and can spare the cash.

Elecjet Apollo Ultra

The Elecjet Apollo Ultra is the only power bank I recommend now. With 100W fast charging, you can recharge it in under 30 minutes and it supports up to 87W total output through the USB-C and USB-A ports. It's good enough to power all your devices, and after a couple of months with it, I don't want to use any other power bank!

View at Indiegogo

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OPPO shares exact ColorOS 12 stable/beta release dates for some devices

OPPO first showcased ColorOS 12 based on Android 12 in China back in September. The company then rolled out the first beta build to Find X3 Pro users in Indonesia and Malaysia in early October. Shortly thereafter, OPPO shared the release timeline for several more devices, including the Reno 6 series, the Reno 5 series, the Find X2 series, etc. But the release timeline didn’t include exact dates for the rollout. OPPO has now shared more details about the ColorOS 12 beta rollout in India, highlighting specific rollout dates for the Find X2, Reno 6 series, F19 Pro+, A74 5G, and more.

In a recent press release, OPPO revealed that it will start rolling out ColorOS 12 betas based on Android 12 to the OPPO F19 Pro+ and the Reno 5 Pro 5G in India on December 10. The beta build will also roll out to the OPPO A74 5G starting December 28. In addition, the company has announced that it will start rolling out the stable release to the Find X2 on December 20, the Reno 6 Pro 5G and Reno 6 Pro 5G Diwali Edition on December 22, and the vanilla Reno 6 5G on December 28.

OPPO notes that the ColorOS 12 update for the devices mentioned above will start rolling out in batches on the given dates. So you might have to wait for a few days if you don’t receive the update on the first day. If the update notification doesn’t pop up automatically on your phone, you can manually check for it by heading over to the Software Update section in device settings and tapping on the cog icon in the top-right corner.

At the moment, OPPO hasn’t shared a similar release timeline for other regions. But we expect the company to release more information in the coming days. Until then, you can learn more about ColorOS 12 and all the new features included in the release by checking out our hands-on preview of the software.

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Alleged Pixel Watch renders reveal its round, bezel-less design

It was just a few days ago that we learned about Google reportedly developing its own smartwatch that could launch next year. Now a fresh leak has added further weight to that report while also revealing the watch’s design.

YouTuber John Prosser has shared renders of the so-called Pixel Watch, giving us our first look at the smartwatch’s overall design. John says these images are official Google marketing images and not 3D CAD renders. As you can see in the images, the watch is being referred to as the Google Pixel Watch and features a round, bezel-less design. It also has a crown on the right side as well as what seems to be a microphone. In one render, the watch has Google Maps navigation open while another one showcases what seems like a calling UI.

As 9to5Google points out, the renders that John shared back in April were probably created based on these images. That would imply that the images that we’re seeing today are eight months old and may not be representative of the current hardware design. As such, take this leak with a pinch of salt.

According to John, the Pixel Watch isn’t in danger of being canceled and is “getting closer and closer to an official launch.” Exactly when that official launch would happen, we don’t really know at this point. All reports so far point at a 2022 launch.

As revealed in multiple previous reports, the Pixel Watch is internally codenamed “Rohan.” The new renders are in line with the recent report from Business Insider, which said the Google-made watch would feature a circular design with no physical bezel. The report also noted that the smartwatch would require daily charging and use proprietary watch bands similar to Apple Watch. The Pixel Watch is expected to run the latest version of Watch OS.

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