“Rumor has it”: The fine line between fact and fiction in mobile tech

Leaks, much like leeks, are great – they add flavor to the main ingredients. Leaks, in principle, are very different from rumors and, naturally, from hoaxes.

All in all, a leak can be considered every unauthorized release of information that’s before its intended official announcement (a.k.a. what many X/Twitter users are posting on their accounts, often behind funny pseudonyms). Also, leaks can be findings in certification sites and listings, where obscure model numbers and monikers are used to represent devices that are later known as “Galaxy S24” or “Google Pixel 8 Pro”.

While leaks are grounded in more or less tangible information, rumors are not-so-rarely made up of equal parts hearsay, conjecture, and Homo sapiens sapiens’ ineradicable tendency to fill in the blanks. Yes, rumors do tend to turn up true, but can also fail spectacularly.

Like the Nothing Phone (2a) design controversy: some days ago, it became known that the first image renders of Carl Pei’s upcoming budget champ are dead wrong; a second round of renders showcased the device in its real form.

Google’s Pixel Fold 2 had something similar happen to it: last week, new leaked renders showed the upcoming book style handset will feature a significant design shift from earlier reports towards a rectangular camera bump.

From hype to hoaxes

Sometimes, a mountain is made out of a molehill. Sometimes, a grain of truth is mixed with a load of junk, and a hoax is born: just the other day, somebody saw that Google is set to eclipse the Basic HTML view on Gmail in 2024. This was immediately turned into a “Google is killing Gmail in 2024” hoax that spread over the social media networks, and many fell for it.

“Coincidence? I think not.”

Sometimes, the leaked information is just another marketing strategy from the phone maker itself – the controlled spewing of information can stoke the public’s attention and interest. If brands are rational about it, such company-driven leaks can be of great help. If they are not, however, things could go south.

Leaks can be great for publicity. On the other hand, if the rumors are too hot, they could, in theory, jeopardize the current models on sale by overshadowing them. Some people, caught in the wave of excitement, may choose to delay their purchase: if rumors about the “next big thing” are so enchanting, they could just wait for what’s about to launch in a few months’ time and not get the current thing.

Or, teased and thrilled by leaks and rumors, some people can simply not have the nerves to wait any longer, and they buy the current thing. I think companies don’t care that much if you buy their 2023, or 2024 model – hey, as long as you’re purchasing their product and not the competitor’s!

This waiting game is purely a psychological one – the thrill of getting the latest and greatest is not to be underestimated as a market driver.

It's not like the brands themselves haven't spilled the beans on their own products. Just to name a few examples:

•  Before this year's Galaxy Unpacked started, the Galaxy S24 and the S24 Ultra appeared on an official Samsung website... in the Caribbean;
• Almost a month ago, the Galaxy Fit 3 appeared in all its glory on an official Samsung website;
• In April 2020, the Apple Store did a no-no and showed the iPhone SE (2020), but the information was quickly taken down;
• In 2016, about 45 minutes before the Apple bosses would reveal it onstage, the iPhone 7 was showed in Twitter by Apple's official account;
• Google showed the Pixel 8 Pro in 2023 in their website.

Being rational with the irrational

I genuinely think that leaks and rumors – even the dubious ones – can be useful (given that they don’t cross the line and go over to the hoaxes' territory).

Rumors and leaks are an attempt of future-reading; they contain useful information, they can be thought of as a sort of gold vein.

And just as the gold doesn’t come up from the earth by itself and has to be processed, the same rules apply in the mobile tech realm.

It’s up to us as logical creatures to sift through the news cycle and to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Avoiding clickbait leaks is easy – I’m sure you can spot it from miles. The hard part is resisting the urge to succumb to the addictive nature of the leaks.

That being said, did you check the latest rumor about the iPhone 16 Pro’s camera design?

It’s wild.