In the past week’s top tech news, Vivo’s iQOO sub-brand is considering larger batteries over faster charging, while Oppo’s Find N3 marks its first horizontal folding smartphone launched globally. Samsung reveals a competitively priced Galaxy S23 FE for China, and Huawei teases an entry-level foldable phone, possibly rivaling Samsung’s future offering.
Honor’s Play 8T debuts with impressive specs at an affordable price, and Xiaomi’s HyperOS hints at a clean break from MIUI. Huawei’s Mate 60 Pro+ showcases exceptional macro photography capabilities, and Apple’s iOS 17 FaceTime reactions stir discussions. Lastly, Minecraft cements its legacy, reaching a whopping 300 million copies sold, becoming the best-selling video game of all time.
Dive into these stories and more in our comprehensive roundup below.
OnePlus Open Finally Debuts With Dual LTPO Displays, Hasselblad Cameras
The OnePlus Open is finally here. The company took the wraps off of its first-ever foldable phone at a global event held in Mumbai, India last week. Leaks and rumors leading up to today’s launch event left nothing about the device to the imagination. Notably, the OnePlus Open is for the global markets what the OPPO’s Find N3 (that was also announced last week) is for the Chinese market. In short, both are the same devices.
Future iQOO flagships may opt for larger 6,000mAh batteries over 200W fast charging
Vivo and its sub-brand iQOO may not offer 200W fast charging in their upcoming smartphones, instead focusing on enhancing battery capacity. The iQOO 12 Pro is expected to have a 120W/100W fast charging system and a 6,000mAh battery, with a 5,000mAh battery and 50W wireless charging only on the 12 Pro.
Oppo Find N3 launched with Hasselblad Camera, SD8Gen2, & tall 7.82″ main display
Following various rumors and teasers, the Oppo Find N3 has finally been unveiled in the Chinese and the global markets. This announcement also marks the first time the brand has launched a horizontally folding smartphone outside of its home market, so here are all the details in the article above.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE price confirmed for China, more affordable than India
Samsung has officially announced the price of its Galaxy S23 FE in China, available in two configurations with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage. The device comes in four colors and runs on Android 13 with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip. It features a 10-megapixel front camera and dual speakers.
Huawei’s entry-level foldable phone in works, Samsung’s rumored Galaxy Z FE may rival it
Huawei is working on an entry-level foldable phone with expected pricing of $735 or lower, likely unveiled in the first half of 2024. The device is likely to come in multiple shades, similar to the affordable Huawei Pocket S. Samsung is also developing a similar device, the Galaxy Z FE.
Honor Play 8T launched with 6.8-inch LCD display, Dimensity 6080, 50MP dual cameras
The Honor Play 8T is a mid-range smartphone launched in China, featuring a 6.8-inch IPS LCD panel, a 6,000mAh battery, and a 50-megapixel primary camera. It has a 6,000mAh battery, 12GB LPDDR4x RAM, 8GB virtual RAM, and 256GB storage. The device is priced at 1,099 Yuan (~$150) and 1,299 Yuan (~$178) in China.
Oppo Find N3’s “Boundless View” Feature coming to Tablets and previous-gen Foldables
Oppo Find N3 is a premium horizontal foldable device with sophisticated features like Boundless View, Canvas Shift, and Smart Split Screen. The device is Oppo’s first horizontal foldable device to launch outside its home country, and will be available on Oppo tablets with slight changes. The device features a 6.31-inch AMOLED panel, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 16GB LPDDR5X RAM, and 512GB storage.
Google Pixel 8 Series bundles support for display output via USB Type-C, despite Google’s Denial
Google has disabled DisplayPort Connection on the Pixel 8 Series, despite its potential benefits. The feature works on the device, but the DP Alt Mode is disabled with a firmware update. The feature could be introduced via a QPR1 or QPR2 update next year.
Redmi Note 13 4G could be powered by the Snapdragon 685 chip like last year
The Redmi Note 13 series, including the Redmi Note 13 Pro, Pro+, and Redmi Note 13 Pro+, is set to launch globally, with the 4G model running on a Snapdragon 685 SoC. The phone features a 6.67″ AMOLED display, dual camera setup, 5000 mAh battery, and up to 12GB RAM and 256GB storage.
Xiaomi HyperOS leaked screenshots show a cleaner interface than MIUI 14
Xiaomi is ready to replace MIUI with a new operating system, HyperOS. MIUI currently powers all Xiaomi, Redmi, and Poco devices, and has seen 14 iterations so far. The custom software is known for its heavy customizations and an overall look inspired by Apple’s iOS. However, MIUI will soon be a thing of the past, as the company will introduce the new HyperOS with the Xiaomi 14 series. While we wait, some leaked screenshots of the upcoming OS reveal some nitty-gritty details.
Huawei continues to make waves in the smartphone world with its Mate 60 series, particularly with its camera capabilities. We recently told you about how the Huawei Mate 60 takes surprisingly good photos of the Moon and outperforms the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Now, the phone’s macro photography abilities have been revealed. Photos taken by a social media user with the Huawei Mate 60 Pro+‘s macro lens vividly capture the detailed feeding process of a mosquito. Details in the link above.
Apple’s New Facetime Reactions are Getting Triggered during FaceTime Calls
Apple’s recent update for iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma is full of fresh additions to make your device more fun and interactive. While these updates promise to make communication more lively, they’ve also been causing quite the stir, especially in settings where a more somber tone is required.
Minecraft is the best selling video game of all time, over 300 million copies shipped
Minecraft, the world’s best-selling video game, has sold over 300 million copies since its launch 15 years ago. Mojang Studios announced the milestone during a Minecraft Live event, revealing new features like a trial chamber and upcoming DLCs. The game’s success is a major milestone for the company.
Upcoming Smartphones: Xiaomi 14, Vivo Y200, and more
Based on leaks, three new phones could go official next week. Out of these three, two of them will be flagships from Xiaomi — Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Pro. Whereas, the third one will be a budget model from Vivo. The Vivo device will succeed the Vivo Y100 from earlier this year. On the other hand, the Xiaomi handsets will replace the Xiaomi 13 models from late last year.
Redmi Note 10 Pro has not received MIUI update in India for 6 months
Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 10 Pro and Redmi Note 10 Pro Max have been experiencing issues in India, with both running the same software builds and not receiving system updates for months. The lack of updates could be due to hardware issues caused by new MIUI updates. Xiaomi has offered an additional year of warranty in May, but the hardware failures remain unresolved.
