Code found in an iOS 27 beta would allow Apple to put a financed iPhone in “Restricted Mode” if it detects any missed payments, 9to5Mac reports. The finding follows a story from Bloomberg earlier this week claiming Apple is preparing to launch a new “Apple Upgrade” financing program for leasing new devices. 

iPhones in “Restricted Mode” would reportedly lose access to nearly all apps, except for basics like the Phone app, Settings, and the App Store. It uses a new “App Managed Features” system that allows financing or partner apps to continually check if a financed device is in good standing.

According to 9to5Mac, the code also includes a new “Partner Finance Lock” intended to block users from “erasing, reselling, or stripping a restricted device for parts.” While the feature is part of Find My, it reportedly doesn’t give financing partners access to the phone’s location. 

This is from a beta version of iOS 27, so it’s possible this code and the new “Restricted Mode” could get changed or removed before Apple officially releases iOS 27. The “Apple Upgrade” program hasn’t been officially announced yet, either. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Samsung’s annual summer event kicked off on Wednesday morning with the company unveiling a new lineup of watches and foldables. Following weeks of rumors and leaks, Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Fold 8 with a completely new design that’s shorter and wider than last year’s Fold, a new “Ultra” Fold, an updated Flip model, and refreshed versions of the Galaxy smartwatches.

If you weren’t able to watch the event yourself, you can catch up with all of this year’s biggest Galaxy Unpacked announcements below.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 launches with a new wide design

The highlight of Galaxy Unpacked was the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which got a major redesign from last year’s Z Fold 7. The new design is shorter and wider, with a 7.6-inch inside display and a 5.5-inch outside display. It’s a tad thicker at 4.5mm unfolded and 9.7mm folded, compared to 4.2mm and 8.9mm, respectively, for the Z Fold 7. 

The new Fold also features an updated hinge design with Samsung’s new Flex Titanium display tech. It doesn’t completely eliminate the crease on the inside display, but it does make it significantly less noticeable than the crease on Samsung’s previous foldables. The new Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Flip 8 also got the Flex Titanium display upgrade. 

The Z Fold 8 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The camera setup is a step down from the Z Fold 7 — the Z Fold 8 has two main cameras instead of three, a 50MP wide and a 50MP ultra wide. The cover screen camera and inside camera are both 10MP like the Z Fold 7, though. 

The Z Fold 8 starts at $1,899 and comes in four colors: lavender, graphite, cream, and pistachio (for online orders only).

Samsung introduces the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

While the standard Z Fold 8 got a revamped design, the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra inherited the design from last year’s Z Fold 7. Samsung’s new top-tier foldable is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

The Ultra features a larger 5,000mAh battery, compared to the 4,400mAh battery in the Z Fold 7. The phone also supports 45W wired charging and 20W wireless charging, an improvement over the Z Fold 7’s 25W wired / 15W wireless charging. The camera setup is similar to the Z Fold 7 with a 200MP wide / 50MP ultra wide / 10MP telephoto main camera and 10MP selfie cameras on the inside and cover displays.

The Z Fold 8 Ultra starts at $2,099 and comes in four colors: graphite, cream, violet shadow, and green shadow (for online orders only).

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 gets a refresh

Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Flip 8 with some spec bumps, but no major design changes. It now runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, an upgrade from the Exynos 2500 chip that powered the previous Z Flip 7. It also includes 12GB of RAM with options for 256GB or 512GB of storage (but still no 1TB option). 

Like last year’s model, it has a 6.9-inch inside display and a 4.1-inch cover display, with a 4,300mAh battery. While it looks the same overall, the cover display is a bit more versatile now thanks to a few new gestures and access to an app drawer. It’s also slightly thinner at 13.1mm folded and 6.1mm unfolded. Unfortunately, it’s also $100 more expensive than the Flip 7, starting at $1,199. The phone comes in four colors: pink, graphite, cream, and mint (for online orders only).

The Galaxy Watch 9 launches with new health features and a higher price

The Galaxy Watch got a refresh at Galaxy Unpacked with a new processor, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear Elite. It once again comes in two sizes, 44mm and 40mm. The larger 44mm model has a 1.47-inch display and a 445mAh battery, while the 40mm version includes a slightly smaller 1.34-inch display and a 390mAh battery. Samsung says both sizes can last up to 30 hours per charge with the always-on display turned on. Both also include 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. 

In addition to spec improvements, the highlight of this year’s Galaxy Watch refresh are four new preventative health metrics: Vitals, Heart Health Score, Daily Cardio Load, and Fitness Index. All four will also be available on the new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, and may help Samsung’s smartwatches compete with Apple’s wearables. 

Unfortunately, the Galaxy Watch 9 got a $30 price bump from last year, so it now starts at $379. The 44mm version comes in graphite and silver while the 40mm one is available in graphite and cream.

The new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 packs an impressive battery

Samsung announced the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, not to be confused with the second-generation version of the original Galaxy Watch Ultra from last year. The new Ultra includes a significantly larger battery at a whopping 800mAh, up from 590mAh in last year’s Ultra, which somehow fits into a case that’s 12 percent thinner than the previous model. Samsung says it can last up to 60 hours per charge with the always-on display turned on. The updated Ultra is also getting the same new preventative health metrics as the base Galaxy Watch.  

The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear Elite with 2GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Like the previous version, it’s available in just one size, 47mm, with a 1.52-inch display. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 also got a $50 price hike, bringing it up to $699, with two color options, titanium silver and titanium gray.

Google unveils two new smartglasses frames

Google also made an appearance at this year’s Galaxy Unpacked with a couple of new frames for the upcoming smartglasses it’s making in collaboration with Samsung. It unveiled new designs from Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, following two earlier designs from both brands announced in May at Google I/O. The first pairs of Google’s smartglasses are expected to launch later this year.

As component and RAM shortages drive prices higher, Apple is reportedly launching an “Apple Upgrade” program for leasing new devices. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, it will work similar to a car lease, with options to upgrade to a new device early, or keep or return the device at the end of the lease. Gurman says Klarna will be Apple’s financial backer for the new program, which will require a soft credit check to sign up.

Apple Upgrade is reportedly slated to launch on July 28th, replacing the current iPhone Upgrade Program and standard financing for new iPhones with a program available for most new iPhone, Mac, iPad, and Apple Watch purchases. Apple Upgrade will offer 24-month leases for iPhones and Apple Watches, and 36-month leases for iPads and Macs. 

Budget devices like the base iPad, iPhone 16, Apple Watch SE, and fast-selling MacBook Neo will reportedly not be eligible. Unlike the current iPhone Upgrade Program, Apple Upgrade won’t include an AppleCare subscription, which is also getting more expensive.

The new upgrade program would come just a month after Apple raised prices on nearly all of its products. While the iPhone wasn’t included in that round of price increases, the iPhone 18 Pro series could raise the bar on pricing when it’s expected to launch later this year.

Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky says buyers of its new e-paper smartwatches should know what they’re signing up for and trust Pebble to make things right if they run into issues, despite the short warranty. “I think the most important thing is trust,” Migicovsky told me in an interview this week. “Do people trust the product that we’re making and do they trust the company and the people behind it?”

Migicovsky revived Pebble early last year, after the original company shut down in 2016. The new generation of Pebbles has the same aesthetic, but with updated tech, including larger e-paper displays. I was excited about Pebble’s return after missing out on the originals, but hesitated after noticing their 30-day warranty. That’s about as long as the Pebble Time 2’s battery life, so you might not even need to charge it before it’s no longer covered. While I ended up ordering a Pebble Round 2 that I’m still waiting for, others have also raised concerns about the watch’s warranty. 

People have also reported running into hardware issues early on, like the front glass cracking on the Pebble Time 2. Earlier this week, Migicovsky addressed the issues in a blog post, saying Pebble has replaced 330 Time 2 watches for free so far, out of over 19,000 watches “in the field.” 

Pebble’s blog says it will “continue replacing reasonable reports of glass cracking for free as long as we can. At some point, we will shift to offering a replacement at a highly discounted amount.” Additionally, Pebble is “looking into” offering replacement parts so people can do DIY repairs on their watches. 

While Migicovsky hasn’t offered a timeline for when a shift might happen, he emphasized to The Verge that “an immensely small percentage” of watches have had this issue, adding, “It’s, for all intents and purposes, no skin off our back whatsoever to just offer straight up free replacements for anyone who has a problem.” 

“At every step of the way we’ve communicated, over-communicated about what to expect [and] what the product’s going to be like.” Pebble warned customers in its announcement for the Pebble 2 Duo and Pebble Time 2 that they shouldn’t buy one if they need a “perfectly polished smartwatch,” noting that “Things could not last as long as you’d like.” 

“This is effectively a grassroots, bottoms-up relaunch of something that we love, and really wanted to see exist in the world,” Migicovsky told me. “In terms of how we support the product, there’s just certain things that we could sign up to do, and there’s certain things that we couldn’t.”

“You can expect a product that’s going to work great, and something that will make you smile, but we can’t guarantee it for maybe the length that other companies or other consumer product companies could with their supply chains and networks of stores all around the world to help with replacements. We just don’t have that.”  

“It’s a Pebble, through and through,” Migicovsky says. “If you enjoyed the first go-around, you’re going to love the second go-around. But that having been said, it’s not exactly the same as the first era.”

Leaker Evan Blass shared images of Samsung’s redesigned Galaxy Z Fold 8 just days before the July 22nd launch event where Samsung is expected to officially announce the phone.

The leaked images show a shorter, wider foldable matching earlier leaks of the Z Fold 8. They also reveal some of its specs, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite For Galaxy processor, 50MP wide and 50MP ultra wide rear cameras, 10MP selfie cameras on the inside and outside screens, and an advertised battery life of “up to 26 hours of video playback.” 

Blass also posted images of the Galaxy Z Flip 8 and shared images of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra in an email received by The Verge. They match glimpses of both phones shown in a Spider-Man teaser Samsung released earlier this week, and include a few specs. According to the images, the Galaxy Z Flip 8 will have a 4,300mAh battery, a 10MP main screen camera, and a 50MP wide / 12MP ultrawide cover screen camera, the same as the current Z Flip 7’s camera setup. 

Blass’s images also show the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra advertising a 5,000mAh battery offering up to 27 hours of video playback. It also appears to have a 50MP ultra wide / 200MP wide / 10MP telephoto rear camera, along with 10MP cover and main screen cameras.

The iPad Mini could get an OLED display upgrade as soon as October, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. It would be the most significant refresh for the Mini since its 2021 redesign. An OLED iPad Mini has been rumored for months now, with Gurman previously reporting last year that it will also come with a price increase, and earlier this week he said the price of AppleCare Plus for Macs and iPads is going up. 

That iPad Mini price hike is even more likely now after Apple raised prices across its product lineup last month — including the current iPad Mini, which now costs $100 more. According to Tim Cook, the price hikes were in response to the ongoing RAM shortage, which could last for years, so the OLED iPad Mini will almost certainly be even pricier than its predecessor.

In addition to the OLED iPad Mini, Gurman says Apple is planning upgrades to the iPad Air and the base iPad, slated for early next year. The base iPad will reportedly get a relatively minor refresh with an updated processor but no major design changes. Gurman says Apple is planning an “eventual OLED upgrade for the iPad Air,” with earlier rumors pointing to that upgrade coming sometime next year. According to Gurman, iPad Pro and Apple Pencil updates could also arrive this coming spring.

Samsung’s next flip phone might be tough to tell apart from last year’s Galaxy Z Flip 7. As 9to5Google points out, leaked images and specs for the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 8 shared by WinFuture are nearly identical to Samsung’s current flip phone.

According to the leak, Samsung is not planning to upgrade the Z Flip 8 to one of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors. Instead, it will have a Samsung Exynos 2600 chip, the successor to the previous-generation Exynos 2500 in the Z Flip 7. The only other notable upgrade is support for 45W wired charging. 

Samsung is expected to officially announce the Z Flip 8, and the rest of its new lineup of foldables, at a Galaxy Unpacked event on July 22nd. Earlier this week, Samsung also gave a sneak peek at its new phones in a Spider-Man: Brand New Day teaser, which included a flip phone that’s indistinguishable from the Galaxy Z Flip 7, and matches the design shown in WinFuture’s leaked images. While the design overall appears unchanged, there will reportedly be a new pale pink color option, as well as “cream” white and “graphite” black. 

According to WinFuture, the displays are the same as the Z Flip 7’s, with a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED display inside and a 4.1-inch Super AMOLED display outside. The base storage and RAM are also reportedly the same at 256GB and 12GB, respectively.

An AppleCare Plus subscription for a Mac or iPad will cost more soon, with prices going up by $0.50 per month or $5 per year for new sign-ups while remaining the same for existing subscribers, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Gurman says that under the new AppleCare Plus pricing, “a plan for a new 13-inch MacBook Air increased to $7.99 from $7.49, or to $79.99 from $74.99 annually,” following a move last year that similarly raised the plan’s price on iPhones. We haven’t seen the new pricing reflected on Apple’s site in the US or terms of service yet, and Apple has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Last month, Apple announced that it’s raising prices on iPads, Macs, the Vision Pro, HomePod devices, and the Apple TV 4K. The increases range from $30 on the HomePod mini to $4,200 on the M3 Ultra Mac Studio. Tim Cook attributed the price hikes to the ongoing RAM shortage, saying Apple has been trying to “shield” customers but “the situation has become unsustainable.” 

Price hikes on services like AppleCare Plus could also mitigate the impact of higher component costs. Apple hasn’t raised iPhone prices yet, but the iPhone 18 Pro lineup could see an impact when it launches later this year.