Month: April 2022

2023 is the third year we’re seeing F1 Sprint, this time round making an appearance at Baku, Austria, Belgium, Qatar, USA and Brazil.

F1 Sprint is back for the third year in a row, and we’re seeing yet more changes to the adrenaline-filled format. Of course, purists are still pushing back, but this year’s updates look like they’ve addressed key concerns.

As the first change to the qualifying process since 2016’s short-lived and widely disliked Elimination Qualifying, F1 Sprint does have its fans. But to decide which side of the fence you are, you’re going to have to first fully understand what it is.

So, if you’re not yet well-versed in this F1 update, here we’ll be explaining exactly what F1 Sprint is, who gets Pole Position, how it differs from the system we’re used to, and how to watch an F1 live stream to catch F1 Sprint on the day.

What is F1 Sprint?

Regular qualification for a Grand Prix works on a knockout basis over three rounds, all held on a Saturday. 

All drivers take part in the first session, and the slowest five take places 16-20 on the final grid. The remaining 15 drivers take part in the second session, with grid spots 11-15 again taken by the slowest five. The last session sees the fastest 10 drivers compete for Pole Position, and the subsequent grid spots 2-10.

When Sprint Qualifying is on the cards, regular qualifying will still be held – although it will be moved back to Friday (in the place of Practice 2). 

This year, Qualifying will determine Sunday’s Grand Prix grid. This is a key change from 2022, where we saw Qualifying determine the Sprint’s grid, and Sprint determined the GP’s grid.

On Saturday we have two sessions. The first is the all-new Sprint Shootout, which is effectively a condensed Qualifying session that determines the Sprint race’s grid order. Sprint Shootout has three sessions, just like regular Qualifying:

SS1: 20 drivers, 12 minutes

SS2: 15 drivers, 10 minutes

SS3: 10 drivers, 8 minutes

The diminishing time on-track is intended to limit wear and tear on the cars, as well as impose a sense of urgency. Each driver is likely to only set two flying laps in each session, at best.

In the afternoon, the F1 Sprint race is held. Lining up in the order determined by Sprint Shootout, all drivers will race for 100km around the circuit in question, for a maximum of 8 points. 

The short length is intended to provide a flat-out, exciting race for both drivers and spectators, in which teams won’t have to contend with pit stops for fuel or tyres.

(Image credit: Jure Makovec/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

How has F1 Sprint changed from last year?

This year’s F1 Sprint changes are the biggest yet:

Friday’s Qualifying results determine the final grid order on Sunday. 
Sprint Shootout has been introduced
Saturday is now self-contained, resembling a full race weekend in miniature

Some things have stayed the same, though. For example, the top 8 drivers in Sprint will still receive 1-8 points, rather than the measly maximum of 3 in 2021.

The Sprint race itself is also unchanged, meaning that the exciting, flat-out racing we’ve enjoyed over the last couple of years is still on the cards.

Who gets Pole Position in F1 Sprint?

Before F1 Sprint, the meaning of ‘Pole Position’ was easy to define: first place on the grid on Sunday, earned by setting the single fastest lap around the circuit in Qualifying. However, things have got a little confusing in the last couple of years. Buckle up…

In 2021, Qualifying determined the Sprint grid, and the winner of the Sprint race was awarded Pole Position and first place on the grid on Sunday. However, this meant that the holder of Pole Position may not have set the very fastest single lap – and this is often seen as a very different skill compared to winning a lengthy race.

In 2022, this was addressed by awarding the title of Pole Position to the winner of Qualifying. However, if that driver didn’t win the Sprint race, they wouldn’t start the Grand Prix in first position, despite still carrying the now honorary title of Pole Position. So, Pole Position was no longer synonymous with starting first on the grid. Still with us?

2023’s changes appear to have returned a certain amount of logic to proceedings. Friday’s Qualifying session determines Pole Position and the grid for Sunday’s GP. F1 Sprint is now solely an entertainment and point-scoring activity, with neither of Saturday’s session’s results having any bearing on Sunday’s grid. 

Finally, ‘Pole Position’ now means what virtually everyone always assumed it to mean in the first place.

(Image credit: Clive Mason – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

Where is F1 Sprint Qualifying being held in 2022?

This year F1 Sprint will make an appearance at twice the number of races, totalling six over the season: 

Azerbaijan GP – April 29
Austrian GP – July 1
Belgian GP –  July 29
Qatar GP – October 7
US GP – October 21
Sao Paulo GP – November 4

How to watch Sprint Qualifying

To watch the third run of F1 Sprint Qualifying, you’ll need to get yourself a live stream. To find out global viewing options, we highly recommend checking out our dedicated articles for every race, which outline global viewing options.

If you’re outside your home country when the Grand Prix is held, you may find that you can’t access your regular streaming service you use to watch the F1. However, there’s a neat trick to get around this – using a VPN.

All you need to do is sign up to a quality VPN – our first choice is ExpressVPN – and then change your location to back home. So, for example, if you’re currently in the US and want to catch the coverage on Sky Sports, all you need to do is select a UK server on the VPN, head over to the website, and start watching.

Read More 

It may be some time before we see a foldable iPhone from Apple, but here’s all we’ve heard about what might come.

Rumors surrounding a foldable iPhone (sometimes referred to as the iPhone Flip) come and go, with fresh news and leaks appearing every few months, though some are lackluster compared to those that pop up for the iPhone 15. 

Apple has, unsurprisingly, kept very quiet about any plans it could have around what would be its first foldable phone. But the rumors provide more than just pure speculation that Cupertino could be working on a folding iPhone. And as Samsung forges ahead with its foldables, in the form of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5, there’s definitely an argument that Apple needs a folding phone in order to take on its big rival.    

But if and when it comes, the foldable iPhone could be a game-changer. There’s the old sentiment that the age of the smartphone didn’t truly arrive until the first iPhone came out in 2007. And while that oversimplifies phone evolution, it also speaks to how much Apple’s product designs influence the market at large. 

Those aforementioned phone makers still haven’t ironed out some of the bigger issues faced by foldable devices, like display durability and battery life, and it’s hoped that Apple’s offering could be the most refined version of a foldable we’ve seen yet.

Below, we’ve rounded up everything we’ve heard – which, admittedly, isn’t a great deal right now – and what we’d like to see in the first foldable iPhone.

All of the foldable phones we’ve seen so far

Cut to the chase

What is it? Potentially the first folding phone from AppleWhen is it out? Likely 2025 at the earliestHow much will it cost? Expect it to be expensive

Foldable iPhone release date and price

The working assumption (based on multiple rumors) is that the iPhone Fold – if indeed it is on the way – won’t land until at least 2025.

So, yes: we may be some time away from a commercially-available foldable iPhone – but given how well the company keeps its new designs under wraps, the device could be farther along than we suspect.

Naturally, we also don’t know how much the foldable iPhone might cost when it does land, but given that a lot of foldable phones demand well over the $1000 / £1000 / AU$2000 mark, it’s safe to expect a high price to pay. The one price leak we have seen so far points to a figure of $2,500 (which is around £2,220 / AU$3,970), so we’d recommend saving now. 

As for the name, we’ve heard mutterings that it could be called the iPhone Flip, likely referring to the Galaxy Z Flip-like patents we’ve seen that hint at a clamshell folding format. In truth, though, it could be called anything. 

Foldable iPhone leaks and rumors

At this point, foldable iPhone rumors fall broadly into two camps: those which suggests the device will have a true folding display, and others that point towards it having two distinct screens separated by a hinge.

Several designs were revealed in a patent dump back in February 2019, some with a large display on the inside of folding sections with a single hinge, while another had two hinges for a hypothetical three displays that fold in on themselves in a Z-shaped formation.

Other patents, like the one discovered in March 2020, reveal that Apple could be working on a foldable with two distinct displays separated by a hinge. While the patented design suggests the tech giant would attempt to minimize the bezel between the screens as much as possible, it would still be more noticeable than a truly folding long display.

That’s what leaker Jon Prosser suggested on Twitter in the same year: Apple’s foldable iPhone design (at the time) had two separate display panels on a hinge. 

While it’s purportedly just a ‘current prototype’ and not a final design, it’s described as having rounded edges like the iPhone 11, unlike the squared-off edges on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 ranges.

There’s also no notch for front-facing cameras: the sensors checking Face ID will be housed in a ‘tiny forehead’ on the outer display, according to Prosser.

(Image credit: Patently Apple)

This matches a later Prosser leak that suggested the iPhone Flip may come in a clamshell shape – similar to the Motorola Razr 2020 or the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip – and the same source said it’d be sold in “fun colors.”

We think that means you can expect some bold shades for the iPhone Flip when it lands.

We’ve seen another image of what the foldable iPhone could look like thanks to another patent, this one showing a device that folds out into a bigger device like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2. This device, which we’re dubbing the iPhone Fold, has one display that’s longer than the other, so when it’s folded shut you can see your notifications to one edge.

A separate leak suggests this folding iPhone could come with Apple Pencil support, and have a display measuring 7.3-inch or 7.6-inches across. We’d expect Apple to make a clamshell device first, but something like this could be on its way, too.

We’ve also heard from an analyst that Apple is testing an Electronic Paper Display (EPD) from E Ink for the cover screen of a foldable phone. This would be like an e-reader screen, but in color, and could be left on for long periods without draining much battery.

Apple’s foldable phone might also have a protective layer on top of the screen that can defend against cracks and fill in pre-existing micro-cracks, to help avoid fractures. Apple has a patent for this tech, so it’s certainly something the company is toying with, at least. 

Elsewhere, an Apple patent details a slim yet strong hinge that could be used with a smartphone with a flexible display. This doesn’t tell us much but it’s more evidence that an iPhone Fold or iPhone Flip might be in the works.

Plus, one report also suggests that Apple has two foldable iPhone designs that have already passed durability tests. That doesn’t mean this will be happening any sooner, but it’s a good sign that Apple is on the right track.

The most recent Apple patent we’ve seen details touch-sensitive, solid-state buttons that would allow users to navigate a foldable iPhone using its edges, rather than its display alone. Alongside basic illustrations of the device (below), Apple explains how touch sensors would sit within “sidewalls” (as opposed to conventional walls) made up of “thin metal lines that are sufficiently small to be invisible to the eye.”

This is a design element that’s been rumored to appear on the upcoming iPhone 15  line, too.

Apple illustrates how solid-state buttons might work on a foldable device (Image credit: United States Patent and Trademark Office)

Beyond all the leaks, we’ve also now seen essentially a prototype iPhone Flip made unofficially by a team in China. You can see some images of this below.

There were a lot of compromises involved in making it, but if Apple’s foldable is similar in design to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip line, then it could look like a much more polished version of this.

iPhone Flip: 5 things we’d like to see

(Image credit: Future)

1. Top-tier cameras

Foldables bridge the gap between phones and tablets, but the ones we’ve seen released, like the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate Xs, have packed the best cameras featured on those brands’ other flagship phones. 

While there’s no reason to guess Apple wouldn’t do the same, the tech giant hasn’t bothered to upgrade the cameras on its iPads in generations. What’s more, given that the iPhone SE 2020 didn’t improve upon the lens of its predecessor, the iPhone 8, Apple set a precedent that could see it give its foldable iPhone a single camera instead of the full suite seen in today’s best iPhones. 

(Image credit: Future)

2. Apple Pencil support

One way Apple could easily match other foldables: introduce Apple Pencil support. Samsung introduced stylus integration with its Z Fold series, and given how the Apple Pencil 2 attaches magnetically to the newest iPad Pro tablets, we’d love to see how Apple’s styluses could be integrated with its foldable iPhone.

(Image credit: Apple)

3. The old Apple polish

Yes, we’ll say it: even though the first few rounds of foldables have been impressive for simply pulling off folding screens, they’ve come with design weaknesses, from hinge issues to cracking screens. We’d love to see a design that makes everything move smoothly and stand up to punishment.

Not that Apple’s lineup is unimpeachable, as crackable iPhone displays, malfunctioning butterfly keyboards, and battery-throttling on older iPhones have shown. But in looks and function, at least, Apple has maintained a reputation for sleek and functional design.

(Image credit: Apple)

4. iPadOS integration

When iPadOS split off from iOS, we got excited for the possibilities of a new operating system forking off to truly take advantage of iPad screen real estate. Thus far, we’ve been pretty pleased with the multitasking features that let us pull up multiple apps at the same time, which we’ve found personally handy in writing in Google docs while looking up stuff in Safari, for instance.. 

We’d love to see a version of the OS in the foldable iPhone for the same reasons, though of course, there’s a lot of unknowns. Will the device’s display be large enough to properly handle the iPadOS controls? If it expands to 7.9 inches, the size of the iPad Mini’s screen, it conceivably could be able to, but until we know what the foldable will look like, it’s unclear how good a fit iPadOS will be. 

(Image credit: Future)

5. Strong battery life

Foldable phones like the Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X have had respectable battery life for first-generation devices, but we’d like more in Apple’s take on foldable phones. iPhones in general aren’t known for lasting longer than a day, and flagships from Samsung and Huawei pack larger-capacity (in sheer milliamp Hours) batteries that seem to take them past the one-day mark handily.

We’d like Apple to use the extra device space to keep its own foldable last longer than the competition.

Read More