Last week was not the busiest in the consumer technology world. However, we did witness multiple product launches in different markets though some of them had already gone official earlier.
The most notable events were hosted by OnePlus and Black Shark for the OnePlus 10 series and the Black Shark 5 series respectively. Then, there was also a Xiaomi conference at which the company introduced two more Redmi Note 11s.
Finally, as far as non-launches are concerned, we have selected two articles to complete our list. These are regarding Samsung’s self-repair program and Chrome v100.
With that out of the day, let’s take a look at the aforementioned stories one by one.
Top Stories from Last Week
1. OnePlus 10 Pro debuts globally
The OnePlus 10 Pro finally made its global debut on March 31. The smartphone was also accompanied by the OnePlus Bullets wireless Z2 neckband-style wireless earphones.
The handset has the exact same set of features as the original Chinese model, except for a couple of changes. The North American version is limited to 65W fast wired charging. Further, the T-Mobile variant has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
Interestingly, the device comes in a single 8GB + 128GB memory configuration in North America. While the rest of the world gets the handset in 8GB + 128GB as well as 12GB + 256GB memory versions.
The phone starts at $899/₹66,999/€899/£799, while the earphones are priced at ₹1,999.
2. Black Shark 5 series goes official offering 4 chipset options
The Black Shark 5 series was unveiled last week consisting of three models. Customers can select from four different chipset options and slightly varying specs.
The vanilla model is powered by Snapdragon 870, whereas the Pro model houses the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Then, there’s an RS model, which comes in Snapdragon 888 and Snapdragon 888+ variants.
The RS version looks identical to the Black Shark 4/4S series. On the other hand, the other two models sport a new design. Apart from the cameras, the rest of the specs are more or less the same on all three.
As far as pricing is concerned, the Black Shark 5, 5 Pro, 5 RS start at ¥2,799 ($440), ¥4,199 ($660), and ¥3,299 ($518) respectively in China.
3. Two new Redmi Note 11s and Redmi 10s
Xiaomi launched two new Redmi Note 11s called Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G and Redmi Note 11S for select international markets. The former is the same as the model sold in China, whereas the latter is a rebranded Redmi Note 11 5G from China and it also goes by the name of POCO M4 Pro 5G in some regions. Additionally, the vanilla Redmi Note 11 got a Xiaomi Fan Festival Special Edition.
The company also unveiled a device called Redmi 10 5G for global markets. This phone is called Redmi Note 11E 5G in China.
Last but not least, Xiaomi also took wraps off the Redmi 10A in China. It is nothing but a refreshed Redmi 9A with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and a different rear design.
4. Samsung partners with iFixit for a self-repair program
In November 2021, Apple announced a self-repair program for its iPhones. Following the trendsetter, last week, Samsung launched its version of the self-repair program in collaboration with iFixit.
The South Korean electronics giant’s initiative is currently limited to the Galaxy S20 series, Galaxy S21 series, and Galaxy Tab S7+. The program provides authentic parts, repair tools, and repair guides to the customers.
We expect more companies to introduce their self-repair program as part of the ‘right to repair.’
5. Chrome v100 is here
Last week, the world’s popular internet browser, Google Chrome, hit version 100 on all the platforms — Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux, At the same time, Chrome OS also got updated to version 100 since it is based on Chrome browser.
Talking about changes, the latest version of the browser arrives with new iconography, multi-screen window placement API, and no more ‘Lite Mode’ on Android as well as iOS.
On the other hand, Chrome OS gets a new launcher, search improvements, ability to edit text using voice, option to make GIFs using camera, and granular options for screenshots and screen recordings.
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