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New iOS 18 features that Android phones have for years!
Apple iOS 18 will be the biggest upgrade for iPhone users in years. As always, Apple managed to take all the credit for changes it made in the iOS 18, but many of the new features have been available in Android phones for years.
iOS 18 is going to be a big upgrade for Apple iPhone users. However, the features are not so innovative as Android users have had most of them for years. Let’s have a look at the most notable ones!
Homescreen personalization
iOS 18 will enable homescreen customization on iPhone, which was not possible till v17. While Android vendors continued to make homescreen and lockscreen heavily personalizable, Apple realized it too late.
Static app grid is gone, and app icon movement is no longer limited. The iOS 18 also introduces custom color palettes that turn app icons into different shades – a similar approach to Android’s Material You.
Feature-packed Gallery
Android’s Google Photos and Galaxy’s Samsung Gallery are equipped with advanced editing features. Taking inspiration, Apple also made some fruitful changes to its Photos app to uplevel user experience.
iOS 18 improves the search system of Photos app, allowing users to search for details in photos, including numbers, places, and other identifiers. Magic/Object Eraser is also added in the Photos app to remove unwanted objects.
On-device AI
Google introduced Pixel 8 Pro as the first on-device AI-powered smartphone. Later, Samsung launched the Galaxy S24, S24 Plus and S24 Ultra – all are equipped with Gemini Nano AI innovation.
Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence, which is arriving on iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max with iOS 18. The company partnered with OpenAI to fuel ChatGPT in products ranging in iPhone, as well as iPad and Mac lineups.
RCS
Google has been criticizing Apple over the lack of RCS messaging in the iMessage app. The iPhone maker was forced by the European Union to adopt RCS messaging innovation, which is debuting with the iOS 18 upgrade.
The integration of RCS tech will allow users to see delivery and read receipts, theoretically typing indicators, and much richer images. Notably, RCS has been available in Android’s Google Messages for several years.
Emoji generator
iOS 18 has a powerful emoji generator functionality, which is better than Android’s emoji kitchen. It lets users generate bespoke emojis with AI in the style of Apple’s existing library of emojis.
Android has an Emoji Kitchen feature, which allows you to create unique stickers. However, the power of artificial intelligence gives an edge to Apple’s version of emoji creator functionality.
Samsung might soon launch Galaxy S24 Ultra in a new Titanium Yellow color in India. The company has recently teased the forthcoming colorway of its latest flagship through a cryptic post. A related report claims that a Yellow variant of the S24 Ultra is coming.
The company hasn’t revealed such details in its Instagram post. The post, in particular, has an image showing a girl holding a Sunflower in her hands. Additionally, the Instagram post caption “All set to welcome a fresh new look for something (already) epic.”
Since the flower is only highlighted in that color pop image, it aligns with the Yellow color arrival. TheTechOutlook claims that Samsung may launch the Titanium Yellow colorway of the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Besides, its sale in the offline channels will likely start on June 21.
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The Galaxy S24 Ultra sports a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen with a QHD+ resolution. The display features 120 Hz refresh rate, 2,600 nits peak brightness, and HDR10+ support. The phone is equipped with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, paired with up to 12 GB RAM and 1 TB internal storage.
Under the hood, the S24 Ultra packs a 5,000mAh battery that supports 45W fast charging. The smartphone runs Android 14-based OneUI 6.1 and will get 7 years of Android upgrades. It also features a large vapor chamber cooling technology for a seamless gaming experience.
In terms of optics, the S24 Ultra boasts a 200MP OIS-enabled primary, a 50MP Periscope with 5x optical zoom, a 10MP telephoto with 3x zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide camera on the back. The front side of the smartphone sports a 12MP front camera for selfies and video calling.
Samsung Galaxy may end up canceling the AMD partnership for Exynos GPU. Following reports of Snapdragon exclusivity in Galaxy S25, another input suggests Samsung considering investing in GPU. A flagship chip for Galaxy with an in-house GPU is expected to debut in 2026.
According to Bloter, a Samsung executive of the management committee within the board of directors has decided to invest in GPU. It’s a move likely to strengthen Samsung’s “GPU-related business competitiveness or to expand its internal information technology (IT) infrastructure.”
With the Exynos 2200, Samsung debuted the Xclipse GPU made in partnership with AMD. There was no Exynos 2300, while the second-gen Xclipse GPU has been integrated with Exynos 2400. The partnership may continue with AMD for another SoC, i.e. Exynos 2500.
In the recent past, a trusted insider also claimed that the Samsung-AMD partnership may be discontinued for Galaxy GPU after 2025. The South Korean tech giant may introduce a powerful processor featuring its in-house graphics processing unit in 2026.
This is the first time that Samsung Electronics has decided to invest in GPUs at the management committee since 2012. Meanwhile, there is an interpretation that Samsung Electronics decided not to develop and manufacture GPUs, but to utilize them internally.
Ming-Chi Kuo revealed that Qualcomm will be the sole supplier of the Galaxy S25 series. Snapdragon’s share in the Galaxy S24 series is just 40%, which will jump to 100% next year. Samsung is unlikely to ship Exynos 2500 due to 3nm yield and power efficiency concerns.
TSMC managed to secure its lead in the latest 3nm foundry process. It would further widen the gap with rivals such as Samsung and SMIC. Samsung failed to win orders for its most advanced 3nm foundry process due to yield and efficiency concerns.
Global semiconductor vendors could opt for the TSMC 3nm process this year. After Apple, Qualcomm, Nvidia, AMD, Intel, MediaTek, and Google will be joining the Taiwanese chip maker. Samsung missed orders from Qualcomm and Google for their next-gen chips.
Samsung’s contract manufacturing division’s prototypes have lagged behind TSMC. The company’s foundry yield and power efficiency concerns offered an early lead to TSMC in the 3nm race. Google and Qualcomm ultimately chose TSMC after careful consideration for their 2025 chips.
Samsung Foundry had been working hard to secure Qualcomm and Google orders for next-generation chip. The next generation Tensor processor will be manufactured by TSMC. Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is also being produced in Taiwan on a 3nm process node.
The Korean tech giant was the first to commence (in June 2022) mass production of the 3nm process using the GAAFET process. Despite entering its third year since introducing the 3nm process semiconductors, the OEM has struggled to secure customers.
The Exynos 2500, developed in-house and produced using Samsung Foundry’s 3nm process, has faced similar yield issues. The efficiency is still 10-20% lower compared to TSMC, suggesting a potential cancellation to be used in the Galaxy S25 series next year.
Also Read | No Exynos in Galaxy S25, Samsung may go all Snapdragon again!