Virgin Mobile Memo Says Apple Will Announce (PRODUCT)RED Edition iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus on Monday

iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus models in a limited edition (PRODUCT)RED color will be unveiled as early as tomorrow, according to an internal memo distributed to Virgin Mobile employees and obtained by MacRumors.

(PRODUCT)RED edition iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
Virgin Mobile states that it will add the new smartphone models to its inventory system on Monday, April 9, coinciding with a launch announcement from Apple, which would likely be in the form of a press release. The memo doesn’t mention a (PRODUCT)RED edition iPhone X, so there might not be one.

The memo notes that there will be pre-orders, so it’s unclear if the new color would be available immediately or begin shipping later in April, but it does appear that Apple will introduce the models this week.

The information lines up with rumors about new red-colored iPhones from both Rosenblatt Securities analyst Jun Zhang and Steve Hemmerstoffer, who leaks information about mobile devices through his Twitter account OnLeaks. Ben Geskin also said the new color might be (PRODUCT)RED, after initially saying Blush Gold.

Mark Gurman, a very reliable Apple reporter at Bloomberg News, has also corroborated this story in a follow-up tweet.

Indeed should be this week. Nice scoop @rsgnlhttps://t.co/kdUxA2UzEp

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) April 8, 2018

Apple unveiled a (PRODUCT)RED edition of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in March 2017, but it may have decided to wait until April this year so that sales of the red iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus models are fully reflected in its earnings results for the third quarter, generally a slower period of its fiscal year.

A recent report said Apple will also unveil a gold iPhone X, which the Virgin Mobile memo does not mention. It’s certainly possible Apple could have a wave of press releases tomorrow detailing availability of the (PRODUCT)RED edition iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, gold iPhone X, and its AirPower charging mat.

Related Roundup: iPhone 8Tags: (PRODUCT)RED, Virgin MobileBuyer’s Guide: iPhone 8 (Neutral)
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PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?

Which PlayStation 4 should I buy?

Anyone looking to buy a PlayStation for family now have three options that look very similar. You’ve got the original PlayStation 4, the new slimmer PlayStation 4 with the exact same branding on the box as the original, and the new PlayStation 4 Pro. Do they all offer similar experiences? Is there a downside to buying the original over the slim? There are a lot of unanswered questions here.

It’s confusing by anyone’s standards, so your best bet is to know what you need before you head into the store.

What’s the difference?

Sony has a history of releasing a “slim” version of the PlayStation a couple of years after its initial release. In the past, those consoles have been labeled a little differently at launch to make it easier to tell the new version apart from the old one. These slimmer versions typically offer more a physical difference than a functionality difference, and this year is no different. The significant feature and performance difference comes with the PlayStation 4 Pro, and even then the difference isn’t huge unless you own a 4K television with HDR support.

The biggest functional difference between the original PS4 and the new slimmer PS4 is power consumption. Sony claims the new PS4 has a max power draw of 165 watts, which sounds impressive next to the original 250w max of the first PS4 until you see most benchmarks. The original PlayStation 4 had an average power draw of 150w during its heaviest gameplay sessions, and never pushed anywhere near that 250w max. It is slightly smaller though, so there’s that.

PlayStation VR performance is something altogether different.

As you can see, Sony is using the same CPU and a GPU that’s a little more than twice the performance in the new PlayStation 4 Pro. There’s also an updated version of the HDMI standard in the PS4 Pro, but there’s no immediate difference in performance out of the box for video output. Games that struggled in the past to maintain 30fps or 60fps on a standard PlayStation 4 will be able to offer a more consistent experience with the PlayStation 4 Pro through its “boost mode” feature. This basically means games that appear a to stutter a little on a normal PS4 will look and play smoother on a PS4 Pro.

PlayStation 4 Pro also offers 4K video streaming and enhanced graphics on supported titles. Game developers will have the option to offer higher quality graphics to PlayStation 4 Pro gamers, which will be clearly labeled with PS4 Pro Enhanced on the box. Not only are most new PlayStation games being made to support this Enhanced ability, many of the more popular games from the past year are releasing updates to look better through the more capable console.

Take a look at every PS4 Pro Enhanced game you can buy today!

As for HDR support, while all of these consoles are technically capable of outputting HDR visuals thanks to a software update from Sony, the HDR content offered by almost every app and game doesn’t apply to anything but the Pro. HDR is typically tied to either 4K content or PS4 Enhanced content, neither of which will play on these older consoles.

PlayStation VR performance is something altogether different. PlayStation 4 Pro was built to better support PlayStation VR (You know, Project Morpheus and PlayStation Neo kinda go together and all that) but even here the differences are subtle on many titles.

Most titles that were available before the Pro was released look slightly better on the Pro, and those titles updated to support the enhanced graphics in the Pro are noticeably better looking than on the standard PS4. Because of the high focus on framerate in PlayStation VR, what you’ll see in Pro Enhanced titles is more detail, not smoother transitions like you’d see on the television.

Which should I buy?

Now that you know everything you need to know about the differences between these consoles, lets break it down!

• PlayStation 4 — This is the PS4 most likely to be available at a considerable discount, or the option you’re most likely to find used or certified refurbished. If you’re on a tight budget, this is still a great modern console.

See at GameStop

• Slim PlayStation 4 — This is the PS4 you will see the most of on shelves this year, and it’s the nicer looking of the three. This is also the most likely to be found in a bundle with free games and extra controllers if you’re looking to get more than just the console.

See on Amazon

• PlayStation 4 Pro — If you own a 4K HDR television, or you’re interested in the best possible gaming experience from your PlayStation, this is the console for you. Also, if you’re looking to go all in on PlayStation VR, you’ll want this version of the console.

See on Amazon

Update April 2018: This article has been updated with new information on PlayStation 4 updates and new bundles available for the current models.

PlayStation 4

• PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?
• PlayStation VR Review
• Playing PS4 games through your phone is awesome

Amazon

Grab a four-pack of the Tile Mate key and phone finder for $40

25% smaller than previous generations.

The Tile Mate key and phone finder comes in a four pack for $39.99 on Amazon. After dropping from $70 to $50 way back in November, this 4-pack has sold steadily at that price ever since. This is the first time we’ve seen it drop as low as $40.

The Tile Mate is the best Bluetooth tracker around. Each one can be attached to keychains or anything you don’t want to lose. You can use your smartphone to make the Tile Mate sing when you’ve lost what it’s attached to or use the Tile Mate to find your phone when all you’ve got is the tracker itself. If you aren’t close enough to the thing you’ve lost, you can use the community functions to elicit help from other Tile Mate owners to find it, too. The battery life lasts one year. More than 8,200 reviews give the Tile Mate 3.9 stars out of 5.

See on Amazon