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Yup, it’s the Nothing Phone 2a again.

As usual with the drip, drip, drip of teases that heralds any Nothing product announcement, we’ve now got not one but two official “Fresh Eyes” glimpses at the Phone 2a ahead of its March 5th launch at 11:30 GMT.

Yes, it matches the renders.


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Apple Arcade could be rotting.

According to a report in Mobilegamer.biz, Apple Arcade maybe in trouble. Sources speaking to the website said that payouts to developers are declining and that Apple is difficult to work with. Others said the service has, “the smell of death” about it.

Apple Arcade has been around since 2019 with The Verge’s Andrew Webster once calling it a “no-brainer” if iOS gaming was your thing. Since then it’s become the home hundreds of exclusives, including Sonic Dream Team and the South Park-joke-turned-real Hello Kitty Island Adventure.


This is not the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4.

But it is the modem-RF chip that’s likely to be paired with Qualcomm’s next-gen processor in 2025’s big Android flagships. The Snapdragon X80 5G modem is an update to the X75 and supports six-carrier aggregation, 5G Advanced standards, and certain satellite-based non-terrestrial communications. And there’s a bunch of new AI optimization, because it’s 2024 and of course there is.


Rendering of Snapdragon X80 modem chipset.
Image: Qualcomm
A phone that bends over backwards for you.

I got to check out Motorola’s concept phone with a bending display. Is it impractical? Yes. Is it cool as hell? Also yes.

I was allowed to put it on my own wrist with a special magnetic bracelet keeping it in place. Can you imagine just casually checking the time on your bendable slap bracelet phone in the middle of a meeting? The ultimate flex!


Photo of bending concept phone worn on the wrist showing a watchface.

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A short gif of Infinix’s color-changing charging E Ink phone concept.

Plug in Infinix’s E-Color Shift phone, and its E Ink back rapidly cycles between different colors, and only stops when you unplug it again. Infinix hopes to one day let you choose between different colors in software (you can see less flashy design options here), since the process is far from practical in its current form.


Gif of Infinix concept phone E-Ink display changing colors.
When plugged in, the rear of the concept phone cycles through a series of colors.
Video by Jon Porter / The Verge
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Here’s five bucks for your trouble.

Following its hours-long nationwide disruption on Thursday, AT&T has announced it is reaching out to “potentially impacted customers” and is slapping a whole $5 credit on their accounts, which it says is the “average cost of a full day of service.”

Hooray?


The future of phones depends on the future of apps

It’ll be hard to evolve today’s smartphone unless manufacturers can get an ecosystem of apps on board with their new ideas. Could AI offer a way forward?

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Did today’s update improve your Samsung Galaxy S24’s camera?

Inquiring minds would like to know. Officially, there’s a new “vividness” option, and “image quality and sharpness optimization code has been applied” as well.

Unofficially, SamMobile says it “improves text clarity while using high zoom ranges,” improves “the exposure of dark parts of a scene while capturing images indoors,” helps with backlit photos, improves colors and exposure in various photo modes, and more.


X is starting to roll out search filters.

Premium users on iOS will see the feature first, according to X designer Andrea Conway. The feature will let you sort through posts based on the date, language, location, and more.


Image: Andrea Conway via X
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The App Store verification prompt in iOS 17.4 is just a bug.

Earlier today, iSoftware Updates (via MacRumors), spotted a new prompt in the iOS 17.4 beta 4 that asks EU users to “verify the information before installing” an app on the App Store. However, Apple spokesperson Peter Ajemian tells The Verge the feature is just a bug, and it will be disabled before iOS 17.4 rolls out.

Update February 23rd, 3:16PMET: Noted that this notification is a bug.


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AT&T says its massive wireless outage was probably not due to a cyberattack.

After AT&T wireless service went out for many customers and even first responders across the US Thursday morning, one of the concerns was that the problem, and AT&T’s long delay before making a public statement about it, indicated a possible security breach.

However, according to this tweet, the company thinks it has identified the cause, described as “ the application & execution of an incorrect process used as we were expanding our network.”


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Huawei’s latest foldable is the Pocket 2.

Despite US sanctions the company continues to pump out interesting (HarmonyOS 4) handsets including this new clamshell with folding 6.94-inch 2690 × 1136 (420ppi) OLED display and a cluster of four cameras on the outside, one of which measures UV light for sun protection. It’s got satellite messaging, 66W wired and 40W wireless fast charging, and hands-free gesture controls.

Prices start at ¥7,499 (about $1,000) for the 12GB/256GB model.


A better look at Nothing’s Phone 2A.

Not all renders are the same and the latest batch posted (and removed) to the Nothing Community site are labeled “official press renders.” While they mostly align with previous renders from Onleaks, the side buttons are different here and we’re now seeing it in white. Of course, it’s still just rumor until this thing gets official on March 5th.


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Federal agencies are investigating whether this morning’s AT&T outage was a cyberattack.

ABC News reports the FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and other federal agencies, are “urgently investigating” the nation-wide outage to determine if it really was a cyberattack, or a not-so-nefarious technical mishap.

Reuters also has notes from White House spokesperson John Kirby’s comments to reporters:

When asked if government communication was disrupted by AT&T outages, Kirby said: “There was some impact to Commerce (Department) but I don’t know the extent of that, I don’t think it was crippling.” He added that the FirstNet nationwide public safety network was hit but had been fully restored.

U.S. officials have been told that AT&T had no reason to think this was a cybersecurity incident, Kirby said.


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T-Mobile says we should stop looking at Down Detector.

The site, which tracks web service outages, is showing blips for Verizon and T-Mobile. Turns out... those are probably just from Verizon and T-Mobile customers trying to call AT&T users.

“We did not experience an outage,” T-Mobile writes.


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Verizon says it’s doing just fine.

Its wireless network “remains fully operational,” the company wrote this morning. But its customers could have issues connecting to users of “another carrier” — AKA AT&T, which is suffering a widespread, ongoing outage.


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The Verge
How’s your AT&T connection right now?

The nationwide AT&T outage that began early, early this morning is still wreaking havoc on the network and has left many customers without mobile service. But there are sporadic reports of people regaining voice and data.

So, how are things looking in your area? Has this totally messed with your day? Is a disruption like this enough to get you thinking about switching providers?


One official and one unofficial peek inside Nothing’s Phone 2A.

Nothing has confirmed that its next phone will be powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro processor, a custom version of the Dimensity 7200 made specifically for the device. The announcement comes on the same day SmartPrix and OnLeaks published a series of unofficial renders of the Phone 2A showing its potential design. Other rumored specs include dual 50-megapixel cameras, and an IP54 rating for dust and water resistance.


Phone 2A from the front and back.

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Renders suggest the phone will have a centrally-oriented pair of cameras.
Image: SmartPrix / OnLeaks
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Xiaomi teases a new flagship smartphone for MWC.

As well as bringing its currently China-exclusive 14 smartphone to a global audience, Xiaomi is announcing a completely new device at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona later this week. CEO Lei Jun has teased the design of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra phone on X, and announced its telephoto camera specs. It’ll also be Xiaomi’s latest device to use a massive 1-inch-type sensor for its main camera.


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Is the iPhone 16 getting a redesigned camera module?

Leaker Majin Bu has shared an image of what they claim is the new camera module on the iPhone 16. This design appears to stack the camera sensors vertically, similar to the module on the iPhone 12. The leak lines up with some other recent rumors, too, which also indicate a shift away from the diagonal camera placement we’ve seen on the last few iPhones.