Technologies
Better Than Ray-Bans? Meta Could Unveil ‘Hypernova’ Glasses Next Month
Not only could the new AR glasses arrive sooner than expected, they’re rumored to be cheaper than expected.

September is gearing up to be one of the most exciting months of the year for new technology launches, with Meta reportedly set to unveil its next-generation smart glasses. Codenamed Hypernova, according to Bloomberg, the glasses are set to start around $800 for the basic model — that’s at least $200 less than previously thought.
This pair of glasses will reportedly differ from the current Meta Ray-Bans due to the addition of a small augmented-reality display in the right lens of the glasses, which will only be visible to the wearer. On this display you’ll be able to see mini apps and alerts, and you’ll have control over the content with assistance from the same neural input wristband used to operate Meta’s Orion AR glasses.
When CNET Editor-at-Large Scott Stein tried out the concept wristband with Orion earlier this year, he noted that the gestures «weren’t perfect yet,» but that he could see their potential.
The Hypernova glasses will cost around $500 more than the Meta Ray-Bans, but Meta has apparently managed to slash that price from $1,000 by accepting lower margins. It hopes that this will help boost demand for the glasses, but you’ll likely pay more for prescription lenses or style variations.
Technologies
You Could Be Streaming the Oscars on YouTube or Netflix by 2029
Reports suggest streaming services are vying to air the Oscars after ABC’s deal ends in 2028.
Will we be watching 2029’s Academy Awards on YouTube?
That’s one possibility as streaming and broadcast giants position themselves to potentially take over as the streaming/broadcast home of the Oscars after ABC’s contract ends in 2028. According to a Bloomberg newsletter, Google’s YouTube is now in the running as a potential Oscars suitor, joining companies such as Netflix and NBCUniversal as a possible new home for the awards.
Like Netflix, YouTube has been increasingly become interested in hosting major live events such as the NFL Sunday Ticket, which moved there in 2023. Of course, it’s also possible that ABC, which is owned by Disney, will renew its contract. The network has aired the Oscars since 1976.
But reports since earlier this year have suggested that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been exploring other options, either to find a new place for the Oscars or as a negotiating ploy.
While it’s still a big live event, the awards show has had diminishing ratings over the last 10 years, though the 2025 ceremony had the highest viewership in five years. The Oscars were shown on Hulu as well as ABC.
Technologies
Time Is Running Out to Save $300 on the New Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
This deal on the latest Samsung foldable phone is the best direct discount we’ve seen since its release in late July.
The next generation of foldable phones give you all the portability of a mobile phone with the screen size of a tablet. The Galaxy Z Fold line from Samsung is generally considered to be one of the best available, and the latest model — the Z Fold 7 — is currently on sale with the biggest direct discount we’ve seen since its release.
Right now, Amazon has a limited time offer of $300 off the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 256GB phone. Available in any of the three colorways (blue, silver or black), this drops the price down from $2,000 to $1,700.
Samsung’s unique foldable phones had a bit of an awkward adolescence, but after getting her hands on the new lineup, CNET reviewer Abrar Al-Heet confirms that the latest Z Fold 7 «just feels right.» For one, it’s incredibly sleek at just 8.9mm thick when closed or 4.2mm thick when open, which is so thin you may even forget that it’s a foldable.
Despite weighing in at just 215 grams, this new foldable features some serious hardware. It’s got a 6.5-inch cover screen and an 8-inch interior display with a fluid 120Hz refresh rate. It’s equipped with a cutting-edge Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and 12GB of RAM to support tons of helpful AI features and functions, and comes with Android 16 and Samsung One UI 8 right out of the box. The camera system is also pretty impressive, boasting a 200MP rear camera, 12MP ultrawide shooting and a 10MP front camera on both the cover and interior screens. Plus, it’s equipped with a 4,400-mAh battery for all-day use.
MOBILE DEALS OF THE WEEK
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$920 (save $280)
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Why this deal matters
With an unbelievably sleek design and some cutting-edge hardware, the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is one of the most advanced phones on the market. Unfortunately, it also comes with a staggering $2,000 price tag. If you’re hoping to get your hands on one, this $300 discount is a way to rack up some serious savings and help cushion the blow of its considerable cost.
Technologies
iPhone 17 Rumors: Everything to Know, From Redesigned Cameras to an Upgraded Display
Apple’s upcoming phone could be slighter bigger and more powerful — and potentially pricer.
The anticipated reveal of Apple’s newest iPhone is just weeks away. Rumors have been swirling about what the upcoming device, likely called the iPhone 17, could look like, from a redesigned camera module to fresh colors and a higher refresh rate. The phone is expected to debut in early September, although Apple hasn’t confirmed anything yet. You can also check out our rumors on the iPhone 17 Pro and the thinner iPhone 17 Air.
Perhaps the biggest looming question is whether iPhones could get pricier, especially with tariffs. President Donald Trump has said Apple will have to pay a 25% tariff on iPhones made outside the US. This would almost certainly lead to a price hike for consumers. We’ll have to wait to see how Apple responds and if shoppers really do end up shouldering that extra cost. But even without tariffs, the iPhone may be due for a markup, as it’s been years since Apple raised prices on its handsets.
Here’s everything analysts and leakers predict about the baseline iPhone 17.
See also: Thinking About Buying a New iPhone? Here’s Why You Should Wait
Camera bump redesign
It’s not an iPhone release without a camera upgrade, and there have been plenty of rumors about what the camera module could look like on Apple’s upcoming phones. In January, a leaked image from Majin Bu on X suggested the phone could feature a pill-shaped camera bar, essentially resembling what you’d find on Google’s Pixel 9 phone. In February, Bu followed up with CAD renders of what’s said to be the iPhone 17 lineup, featuring horizontal camera bars, as well as larger rectangular bars on the iPhone 17 Pro models.
iPhone 17 Lineup CAD pic.twitter.com/xednTkpJnq
— Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) February 23, 2025
In April, Bloomberg reported the «iPhone 17 Pro will look a lot more like the 16 Pro than anticipated,» adding, «From the front, the 17 Pro will appear quite similar to the 16 Pro. It’s the back camera that will look meaningfully different.» The latest rumors suggest the iPhone 17 Pro’s three-lens camera arrangement will be maintained but will sit on a new panel that stretches across the phone’s width and is the same color as the rest of the phone.
Later in April, Bu again posted an image of the purported iPhone 17 lineup, showing those wider camera bars with the stacked lenses still configured to the left.
iPhone 17 Lineup pic.twitter.com/oUEEH9bJn5
— Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) April 22, 2025
A more recent post from August supposedly shows the full lineup, with those redesigned camera bars:
Which model and color will you choose this year? pic.twitter.com/AtDFutgSX0
— Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) August 3, 2025
Not until next year, for the 20th anniversary of the iPhone, will Apple be «preparing a major shake-up» for the phone’s design, Bloomberg says. That includes a (long-rumored) foldable version and a «bold new Pro model that makes more extensive use of glass.»
Another camera-related rumor is that the selfie camera on all iPhone 17 models will be upgraded to 24 megapixels, according to analyst Jeff Pu. That’s a decent bump from the current 12-megapixel front-facing camera on the iPhone 16 lineup, although it’s important to remember that more megapixels don’t automatically mean better photos. Still, given how much people increasingly rely on their front cameras to snap selfies and record videos for TikTok and Instagram, this surely will be a welcome advancement.
iPhone 17 display upgrade
The iPhone 17 could have a slightly larger 6.3-inch display, instead of the 6.1-inch one on the iPhone 16, tipster Digital Chat Station said in June. That means it could be the same size as the iPhone 16 Pro, as well as the rumored iPhone 17 Pro, 9to5Mac reported.
Rumor has it that all models of the iPhone 17 will feature a 120Hz display, bumping the non-Pro models up from their current 60Hz refresh rate. That could be a welcome change, as the discrepancy between the Pro and non-Pro refresh rate is surprising; when Apple debuted the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus with a 60Hz display, there was a bit of an outcry from folks who expected more in 2024. This rumored update could remedy that — and possibly bring the always-on display to the baseline model.
There’s been a lot of back-and-forth about whether the latest iPhones will have a scratch-resistant, anti-reflective display. A July report from MacRumors suggests that feature will in fact be arriving on the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, just not the baseline iPhone 17 or the Air. This would make the Pro models the first iPhones with an anti-reflective screen, giving them a feature that CNET’s Patrick Holland deemed one of the best attributes of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
There also have been contradictory reports on whether the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 17 lineup will look any different. In May, Pu said all iPhone 17 models will use a new metalens technology for the proximity sensor, which could allow Apple to reduce the size of the Face ID sensor and the Dynamic Island, according to 9to5Mac. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, on the other hand, said in January that the Dynamic Island would remain «largely unchanged» in the iPhone 17 lineup compared to the iPhone 16. We’ll have to see what ends up being true.
Rumors on what frames the iPhone 17 lineup will feature have gone back and forth. In February, Pu suggested the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all have aluminum frames. He noted that the iPhone 17 Air could be the outlier with a titanium frame.
New chipset
In May, Pu noted the iPhone 17 would have the same A18 chip used in the iPhone 16, while the iPhone 17 Air could have an A19 chip and the Pro models would feature an A19 Pro chip.
But a conflicting rumor from leaker Fixed Focus Digital on Weibo suggests the baseline iPhone 17 will have an A19 chip as well. (The leaker also suggest the iPhone 17 Air could have the more advanced A19 Pro chip). Ice Universe also said the iPhone 17 will have an A19 chip, 9to5Mac reported in July.
It’s possible the phones could also include the Apple-developed 5G modem, called the C1 chip, which debuted on the iPhone 16E.
In February, Kuo noted Apple will swap out Broadcom’s Wi-Fi chips for in-house chips across the iPhone 17 lineup, stating this would «enhance connectivity across Apple devices.» It’s not yet clear what exactly this would mean, but it would be interesting if Apple’s C1 chip was also accompanied by its own Wi-Fi chip.
iPhone 17 battery
So far, rumors suggest only the pricer iPhone 17 Pro Max could get a bigger battery, according to Ice Universe. The leaker says the top-of-the-line phone could go from 8.25mm on the iPhone 16 Pro Max to 8.725mm on the iPhone 17 Pro Max as a result. In addition, leaker Instant Digital suggests the high-end phone could have about a 5,000 mAh battery, a notable increase over the 4,685 mAh on the iPhone 16 Pro Max, according to third-party tests.
But that doesn’t mean the baseline version won’t get any boost. Even if battery capacity stays the same (which it may not), the AI-powered Adaptive Power feature arriving with iOS 26 can help extend battery life. The feature automatically adjusts your iPhone’s performance based on how you’re using it at the moment, according to Apple. This could especially be helpful with the slimmer iPhone 17 Air, which will likely also have a thinner battery.
iOS 26 brings a fresh look
Apple has revamped its mobile operating system with iOS 26 (not iOS 19), which is named after the last two digits of the upcoming year. And with iPadOS, MacOS, WatchOS, TVOS and VisionOS following the same naming convention, the move is designed to bring more uniformity — naming-wise and appearance-wise — across the operating systems.
The new Liquid Glass interface brings a more transparent, lens-like look to the iPhone and other Apple devices. With iOS 26, the Camera app also adopts a more minimalistic design and Photos once again makes it easier to find your albums by adding separate tabs for your Library and Collections, instead of forcing you to scroll through a single cluttered screen. Updates to Messages include being able to add backgrounds to chat windows and create polls in group chats, and a new screening tool can better detect spam texts and move messages from unknown senders to a dedicated folder. You can read more about iOS 26 features here.
In April, tipster Digital Chat Station noted that given the use of Apple Intelligence and AI on a «large scale,» the iPhone 17 lineup will come with 12GB of RAM, instead of the current 8GB. Kuo noted the iPhone 17 Air and Pro models would sport that increased 12GB of RAM, but that Apple was still deciding whether to equip the baseline model with 8GB or 12GB of RAM. In May, Pu noted the baseline would remain at 8GB.
Price and release date
We expect the iPhone 17 to become available in September, although it’s not yet clear exactly when, as Apple hasn’t confirmed anything.
Historically, Apple has unveiled its new iPhones on the first Tuesday of September after Labor Day. However, the first Tuesday in 2025 is the day after Labor Day, so it’s possible Apple could either push its iPhone event to Wednesday, Sept. 3, or hold it the following week on Tuesday, Sept. 9.
That would mean the phones could then become available on either Sept. 12 or 19. Preorders would kick off a week before general availability, on either Sept. 5 or 12.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has said that the new iPhone announcement should come Sept. 9 or 10.
Price is also a big unknown. Jefferies analyst Edison Lee has said the iPhone 17 Air, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max will get a $50 price increase to offset tariffs and the higher cost of components, but didn’t mention the baseline iPhone 17. If that’s true, the starting prices for the full lineup could be:
- iPhone 17: $829
- iPhone 17 Air: $979
- iPhone 17 Pro: $1,049
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: $1,249
Regardless of higher component costs or tariffs, the iPhone is overdue for a price increase, because the last price hike was five years ago.
The latest rumors suggest the iPhone 17 could be available in black, blue, silver, purple and green.
In late July, Bu posted a photo on X of the predicted color lineup across the iPhone 17 series:
iPhone 17 Lineup Colors pic.twitter.com/Np86kDD7Fj
— Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) July 30, 2025
We’ll continue to update this piece as more rumors surface, so be sure to follow along.
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