OnePlus appears to have new affordable TWS earbuds in the pipeline called the OnePlus Nord Buds 2. We say that as the gadget has already appeared on IMDA, CQC, and BIS certification websites. As the name suggests, these earbuds will succeed the current OnePlus Nord Buds.
OnePlus Nord Buds
Now, more information on the Nord Buds 2 has been revealed as the gadget has appeared on the Bluetooth SIG website. The listing has the device marked with the model number E508A. It reveals that the earbuds will be using Bluetooth 5.3 for connectivity.
OnePlus Nord Buds 2 Bluetooth SIG
We know that the OnePlus Nord Buds uses Bluetooth 5.2. Upgrading to Bluetooth 5.3 on the Nord Buds 2 will likely increase the battery life of the gadget. For those unaware, Bluetooth 5.3 offers faster switching between low-duty and high-duty cycles, which makes it more energy efficient than Bluetooth 5.2. Other than that, we can also expect better signal quality on the Nord Buds 2.
The recent CQC listing has revealed that the earbuds will have a charging rate of 1.5W, while the case will charge up to 4.5W. There will be a standard USB Type-C connector for charging. Other than that, we don’t know any further details regarding these upcoming earbuds. However, assuming that we are getting more than just a Bluetooth version upgrade, we can expect the earbuds to feature improved hardware and specs compared to the current Nord Buds.
When it comes to the Nord Buds, the TWS earbuds have a 12.4mm titanium dynamic driver. The 41mAh battery in each earbud, according to the company, can play music for up to 7 hours. The case extends the battery life by 30 hours. The earbuds are sturdy, with a flat stem design and an IP55 rating for sweat and dust protection.
Realme GT Neo 5 is the next major Realme phone to look out for. Last month, two Realme devices with model numbers RMX3706 and RMX708 were certified by the TENAA authority of China. Except for housing different-sized batteries with varied charging capabilities, both models were found to be equipped with identical specs. The RMX3708 variant was spotted at Geekbench earlier this month, and the RMX3706 model has also appeared on the benchmarking site.
Like the RMX3708 variant, the RMX3706 is powered by the 3.00GHz Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset and 16 GB of RAM. The device is expected to arrive with a Realme UI 4.0-based Android 13 OS. The RMX3706 scored 1277 in the single-core test of Geekbench 5. In the multi-core test, it achieved a score of 3917.
Realme RMX3706 Geekbench listing
The Realme GT Neo 5’s TENAA listings reveal that it will arrive with a 6.74-inch OLED panel with a punch-hole design and an under-display fingerprint reader. The screen will support a 144Hz refresh rate and a 1.5K resolution of 2772 x 1240 pixels.
The OPPO Reno 9 Pro+, which debuted in November 2022, was the first phone to feature the underclocked edition of the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip. The same SoC will power the Realme GT Neo 5. The device will arrive with up to 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 1 TB of storage, according to TENAA listings of both variants.
The GT Neo 5 variant with model number RMX3706 will have a 5,000mAh battery, whereas the RMX3708 variant will pack a 4,600mAh battery. Both models will support 150W and 240W charging, respectively. On the back, it will have a 50-megapixel Sony IMX890 main camera with OIS support. It will be coupled with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens and a 2-megapixel macro camera. On the front, it will have a 16-megapixel selfie camera. The GT Neo 5 is expected to launch in February in China and other markets.
It’s been almost two months since the Vivo X90 series made its domestic debut in China. We will finally see the X90 series launch globally on February 3. There have been many leaks regarding the X90 and the X90 Pro, the two models which are likely coming to the global market.
Tipster Paras Guglani has now shared what appears to be a promo poster summarising all the specs and features coming with the Vivo X90 Pro.
Vivo X90 Pro specs
The poster confirms that the device will come with a MediaTek Dimensity 9200 chipset at its heart. This chipset will be aided by Vivo’s self-invented V2 chipset, which will aid in photography, gaming frame rates, and graphics. These chips will be cooled by an extra large VC liquid cooling setup with a surface area of 4002mm square.
The device will have cutting-edge camera hardware fitted onto the back. The primary sensor will be a 50MP Sony IMX989 1-inch sensor. A 50MP Sony IMX758 portrait camera sensor and a 12MP ultra-wide camera sensor will be included with it. With Zeiss’ assistance, the camera system has been fine-tuned. A T* coating will be applied to the camera lenses of the device. Five additional portrait mode filters for the front camera will also be included with the new Vivo flagship device. Additionally, a 4K Super Night Mode video will be supported.
Moving on, there will be a 4,870mAh battery inside the smartphone paired up with 120W fast charging. The brand claims that the battery can be filled up to 90% in just 8 minutes. Last but not least, the 9.34mm-thick Legend Black color option will be the only one available at launch. For water and dust resistance, the phone has an IP68 certification.
Honor is gearing up to launch the Honor Magic 5 series of smartphones in China and on the global market. The lineup is expected to include flagship models, such as the Honor Magic 5, Magic 5 Pro, and Magic 5 Ultimate / Prestige Edition. Recent reports have revealed that the lineup will also include a midrange model named the Honor Magic 5 Lite. This device is likely to rival the midrange Galaxy A series from Samsung in the global market. A recent report from Winfuture.de has revealed what to expect from the Magic 5 Lite.
Honor Magic 5 Lite specifications (rumored)
Honor Magic 5 Lite
As per the report, the Honor Magic 5 Lite will have a 6.67-inch AMOLED panel that offers a Full HD+ resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The screen will offer up to 800 nits of peak brightness and an in-display fingerprint scanner. As can be seen in the leaked renders, it sports a punch-hole display with curved edges.
The Snapdragon 695 chipset will be present under the hood of the Honor Magic 5 Lite. It will arrive with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. The device will lack a microSD card slot. It will come preloaded with the Honor Magic UI 6.1-based Android 12 OS.
The Magic 5 Lite will have a 16-megapixel camera on the front. Its back panel will have a 64-megapixel primary camera, a 5-megapixel wide-angle lens, and a 2-megapixel macro camera on the back. The device will pack a 5,1000mAh battery with 40W fast charging. It will arrive with other specs, such as dual SIM with 5G support, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, and a USB-C port. The Magic 5 Lite is nothing but a rebranded version of the Honor X9a 5G, which debuted last month in Malaysia.
Honor Magic 5 Lite price (rumored)
The report states that the Honor Magic 5 Lite will be priced at 389.90 euros ($424). As can be seen, the device will arrive in green and black shades.
[Update] The Oppo Reno 8T 5G has been officially confirmed to launch on February 3, 2023, in India. The original story continues…
The Oppo Reno 8T series will soon be launching in India. We recently reported on the leaked pricing, launch date & sale date of the Reno 8T 4G. Now, new reports have surfaced online hinting at the launch date, RAM, storage, and color options for the 5G variant.
Tipster Paras Guglani has revealed that the Oppo Reno 8T 5G will be launching on February 3 in India. The tipster reports that the device will come in two color options – Sunrise Gold and Dynamic black, both of which will offer an 8GB RAM + 128GB storage configuration. Other than that, a tweet from known tipster Abhishek Yadav states that the first sale of the device will begin on February 7, and it will come with a price tag of Rs 29,990.
A leaked promo poster has also been shared in the tweet by Paras, however, if you want a look at the device from all angles, you can check out this recently leaked video of the Reno 8T 5G.
Oppo Reno 8T 5G specs
The Reno 8T 5G will debut with a 6.7-inch Full HD+ OLED display with 10-bit color depth, and 120Hz refresh rate. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset will handle the computing on the smartphone. It will be aided by 8GB of RAM & 128GB of internal storage. Currently, it is unclear if there will be a higher storage version coming to India.
The phone will have three cameras on the back. The 108MP primary sensor on the back will be aided by a 2MP depth sensor and a 2MP microscope camera sensor. It is quite peculiar that the brand is opting to replace the ultra-wide camera on the device with a depth sensor. On the front, however, there will be a capable 32MP selfie snapper.
Moving on, a 4,800mAh battery will power the device. It will have support for 67W fast charging using a USB Type-C port. As for audio, a dual speaker setup will be available with an Audio jack for people who still prefer wired earphones.
Last year, Oppo unveiled the Oppo Pad tablet alongside the Find X5 series of smartphones in February in China. Several reports have claimed that the Chinese manufacturer is working on its successor edition. A new leak that has surfaced on Weibo (via. TechGoing) has revealed key information on its display, battery, and charging capabilities.
According to tipster Digital Chat Station, the Oppo Pad 2 will arrive with an 11.x-inch screen. To recall, the original Oppo Pad came equipped with an 11.0-inch display that offered 1600 x 2560 pixels resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. As per the leak, the successor edition’s LCD panel will offer a higher resolution of 2800 x 2000 pixels and a 144Hz refresh rate. It will come equipped with support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+.
OnePlus Pad teaser
The Oppo Pad 2 will be powered by a 9,500 mAh battery. It is likely that the device will support 67W fast charging. DCS has previously revealed that the Oppo Pad 2 will be equipped with the Dimensity 9000 chipset. The device is expected to run on the ColorOS for Pad-based Android 13 OS.
As far as design is concerned, the Oppo Pad will look similar to the OnePlus Pad, which is set to launch on Feb. 7 in India. It remains to be seen whether the OnePlus Pad ends up as a rebranded version of the Oppo Pad 2. It is advisable to wait for more reports to confirm the other specs of Oppo’s next flagship tablet.
There is a possibility that Oppo may announce the Oppo Find X6, X6 Pro, and X6 Pro Dimensity Edition in February in China. The same event could see the arrival of the Oppo Pad 2. The original Oppo Pad was priced at 2,299 Yuan (~$340) at launch. A similar price can be expected for its successor.
On Feb. 7, OnePlus will hold its next global launch event to announce a slew of new devices, namely the OnePlus 11 5G, the OnePlus 11R 5G, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 TWS earbuds, the OnePlus TV 65 Q2 Pro, the OnePlus Pad tablet, and the OnePlus mechanical keyboard. Several reports have claimed that the OnePlus 11R 5G will be rebranded as the OnePlus Ace 2 in China. Today, the Chinese wing of the company confirmed that it will unveil the Ace 2 on Feb. 7 in the home market.
Shown below are the official images of the OnePlus Ace 2. As can be seen, the handset is equipped with a punch-hole display with curved edges. It features an alert slider and a power key on the right edge, whereas a volume rocker is located on the left.
OnePlus Ace 2
The Ace 2’s back panel has a circular camera module, which fuses with the frame of the device. It features three cameras along with an LED flash. The Ace 2 will arrive in green and black color variants. In all likelihood, the OnePlus 11R 5G heading to India may sport the same design.
OnePlus Ace 2 specifications (rumored)
The OnePlus Ace 2 will feature a 6.7-inch AMOLED display that offers a 1.5K resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. Under the hood, it will have the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset. It will be equipped with up to 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 512 GB of UFS 3.1 storage. The device will run on the Android 13 OS, which will be overlaid with the ColorOS 13 UI.
OnePlus Ace 2
For selfies, the Ace 2 will have a 16-megapixel front-facing camera. On the back, it will be equipped with a 50-megapixel Sony IMX890 primary camera. It is likely to be coupled with a 12-megapixel or 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens and a 2-megapixel macro camera. The Ace 2 will house a 5,000mAh battery that supports 100W charging.
Xiaomi has slowly started to bring the MIUI 14 update to its smartphones in the global market. The brand recently updated the Xiaomi 12 series and a couple of other phones. In the latest development, the firm has started seeding the Android 13-based update to the Xiaomi 11T as well as the Poco F4. Here are the details.
The MIUI 14 update for the Xiaomi 11T comes with firmware version MIUI 14.0.3.0 TKWMIXM, while the Poco F4 is receiving the software with firmware MIUI 14.2.0 TLMEUXM. The update package has a size of 3.5GB, so you might want to download it over Wi-Fi. Do note that the rollout is currently limited to users enrolled in the Mi Pilot program. The 11T is receiving the Android 13 update globally but the Poco F4 is only getting it in Europe. It should extend to other regions pretty soon.
The new update brings all the new features introduced with Android 13 as well as the December security update. Xiaomi says the MIUI 14 is the lightest version of MIUI so far. It brings several new improvements, including a photon engine to help speed up the third-party apps. The software will also allow you to uninstall almost any app you want, with an exception of 8 system apps.
It is worth noting that Xiaomi is pretty slow with its update program. Brands like Samsung and Oppo have already updated the majority of their eligible smartphones with Android 13. OnePlus isn’t behind either, in fact, the firm did an impressive job this time by quickly updating its devices. We hope Xiaomi will take notes and step up its software game.
Samsung Galaxy S23 series is just around the corner and while we wait, some interesting information about the standard Galaxy S23 has appeared online. A new report by a popular leakster suggests that the cheapest version of the vanilla model will be equipped with a slower storage technology than the rest of the members in the series. This suggests the brand is going to put a stronger focus on the higher storage models in the future.
The information comes through leakster Ice Universe, who is known for his accurate Samsung-related leaks. Ice says that the 128GB variant of the Galaxy S23 will be equipped with a slower UFS 3.1 technology. The rest of the models— 256GB and 512GB— will likely flaunt the latest UFS 4.0 storage. While there’s not much difference in the performance of both technologies, it shows Samsung is trying to create more differentiation between vanilla and higher-end models.
The 128GB Galaxy S23 will, however, come with the LPDDR5X RAM like other models in the series. The Cat says Samsung is not planning to manufacture 128 GB UFS 4.0 this year. It’s probably because the Galaxy S23+ and S23 Ultra will only be available with 256/512GB storage. Apparently, only Japanese manufacturer Kioxia produces 128 GB UFS 4.0 units, but they offer no notable performance improvements compared to Samsung’s UFS 3.1 modules.
The Galaxy S23 is expected to arrive with a 6.1-inch Infinity-O display offering FHD+ (2,340 x 1,080) resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and HDR10+ support. Powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, the handset could pack a 3,900mAh with 25W charging. There will likely be a 50MP primary camera, a 10MP telephoto lens, and a 12 MP ultra-wide-angle unit. The front could feature a 12MP selfie camera.
Yamaha has just launched the third entry in its TW-E3 series of truly wireless earbuds, the TW-E3C, which promises to offer audiophiles impressive performance without breaking the bank. The Yamaha TW-E3C Earbuds have a feature set that rivals some of the best wireless earbuds on the market and they are priced at just $79.95.
The TW-E3C earbuds come with aptX Adaptive Hi-Res sound, a codec that allows the earbuds to stream at a higher quality than regular Bluetooth. This codec also helps maintain a stable connection even when there is interference. The earbuds also have what Yamaha calls “True Sound”, which is a combination of acoustic features designed to produce a realistic soundstage with clear midrange and high frequencies, as well as solid bass notes.
In addition to the high-quality sound, the TW-E3C earbuds also offer a few smart extras. There is a low-latency gaming mode that reduces audio lag, making them ideal for gaming on the go. The earbuds also have multipoint connectivity, which allows them to be connected to two devices simultaneously, making it easy to switch between them. The TW-E3C earbuds also have a pair of mics that are designed to isolate your voice during calls, even in noisy environments.
The Yamaha TW-E3C Earbuds are a good option to consider for workouts. They have an IPX5 water-resistant rating, meaning they can handle sweat but are not suitable to be used for swimming.
In terms of battery life, the new Yamaha earbuds have a battery life of nine hours, which is nearly on par with the best in the market. The battery life is even extended by a further 14 hours via the charging case, bringing the total battery life to 24 hours.
The AOC P3 lineup of monitors has been announced. The new monitors range from 24 inches to 34 inches in size and offer up to 100Hz refresh rate. The AOC P3 series is a new lineup of professional monitors with three sizes. There are seven models in the series and the top pick is the AOC CU34P3CV with a 1440p display, 1500R curvature, and 100Hz refresh rate.
The new AOC monitors share several common features but are also differentiated in several dimensions. Only the QW models feature a built-in 2MP webcam with Windows Hello compatibility and 5W stereo speakers.
The CW models are equipped with a 5MP webcam and the same sound architecture as the QW models. The CW monitors also have a USB-C docking station for recharging connected devices up to 65W. The CV models retain a docking station and built-in speakers but omit a webcam.
All the monitors come with HDMI ports but the top model uses a KVM switch in place of the DisplayPort present in the other P3 models. The CU34P3CV model also features a VA panel unlike the IPS panels present in the other models. It has a more powerful display resolution than its siblings, as well as its refresh rate.
AOC says the P3 series professional monitors will be available in February 2023. The prices of the models are between £229.99 (~$285) for the 24P3CV/24P3QW and £439.99 (~$545) for the CU32P3CV. The specific release date for the new AOC P3 professional monitors is not known. The global availability details of the new monitors are not clear at this time.
Fire-Boltt has a sizeable number of smartwatches in the Indian market and the latest one to join its ever-growing portfolio is the Fire-Boltt Cobra. It is a new rugged outdoor smartwatch from the brand that should serve the adventure freaks out there. The wearable brings a strong build, an AMOLED display, an IP68 rating, and much more. Let’s look closely at its pricing and specifications.
Fire-Boltt Cobra features a 1.78-inch AMOLED display that produces a 368 x 448-pixel resolution, 500nits brightness, and 60Hz screen refresh rate. There’s also support for Always on Display. As mentioned, the smartwatch comes with a rugged build. It has a three-layer body shield and robust construction to help withstand tough outdoor conditions. In addition, there’s an IP68 dust and water resistance rating.
The wearable has all the basic health monitoring features, including an SpO2 sensor, HR sensor, sleep monitoring, and female health tracking, and more. Furthermore, it supports up to 123 sports modes with an intelligent sports algorithm to even track workout sessions.
According to Fire-Boltt, the new wearable will last up to 15 days of typical usage and 10 days of heavy use. This can be extended to up to 30 days with the battery-saver mode. The watch also boasts a Bluetooth calling feature with support for Hi-Fi audio quality.
Other notable features of the watch include support for voice assistants like Siri and Google Assistant, smart notifications from multiple apps, camera control, alarm, sedentary reminder, flashlight, music control, and more.
The Fire-Boltt Cobra comes in three color options— Black, Camo Green, and Green—with a skin-friendly silicon strap. It carries a price tag of Rs 3,499 and will go on sale through Flipkart starting January 31.
OnePlus is expected to announce the OnePlus Ace 2 in February in China. Based on reports, it can be said that the Ace 2 will be a rebranded version of the OnePlus 11R 5G, which is set to go official on Feb. 7 through a global launch event. Ahead of its expected launch, the Ace 2 with model number PHK110 has surfaced in AnTuTu benchmarks with an impressive score.
As can be seen in the screengrab, the OnePlus Ace 2 has scored 1,149,494 on AnTuTu. The listing confirms that it will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, which includes the Adreno 730 GPU. The device received 272,214 and 486,502 points in the CPU and GPU tests, respectively.
The OnePlus Ace 2 is equipped with LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. It scored 202,614 points in AnTuTu’s memory test. The variant that has surfaced on the benchmarking site has 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage.
The Ace 2 scored 188,164 in the UX test. It is already known that the device will have a 120Hz AMOLED display and will run Android 13 with ColorOS 13 UI on top.
Reports suggest that the Ace 2 may arrive with a 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED 1.5K resolution screen integrated with a fingerprint sensor, a 16-megapixel front camera, and a 50-megapixel (main) + 12-megapixel (ultra-wide) + 2-megapixel triple camera unit. It will pack a 5,000mAh battery with 100W charging support. The device is expected to feature an IR blaster and an alert slider. At present, there is no word on the price of the Ace 2. The original OnePlus Ace was priced at 2,499 Yuan (~$368). Hence, it is likely that the Ace 2 may carry a similar price.
Apple’s Emergency SOS via satellite feature has been available for some time. This feature, which has resulted in numerous survival stories, is almost a game changer. A recent case confirms this, as two women who went missing in Canada were found with the help of the Emergency SOS via satellite feature. Here are the details…
iPhone 14’s Emergency SOS via satellite feature saved two women in Canada
Recently, it was reported that two women were traveling home after visiting Alberta when they became lost near McBride, a small village in British Columbia, Canada. Unfortunately, while trying to find their way back, they had a car accident and became stranded in an area with no cell phone reception.
They made it around 20 kilometers down the road before hitting a “wall of snow,” indicating where the plow had stopped, and getting stuck. The two women were in a rather desperate situation. Fortunately one of the women had an iPhone 14 and thought to use the new Emergency SOS via satellite feature. Using the iPhone 14, they were able to send a message and their location to an Apple call center.
From there, the Apple call center contacted the “Northern911” call center in Canada, which then activated a call to emergency service. Rescue teams pulled the vehicle out of the snow and helped it get turned around and headed back toward the highway. Dwight Yochim, a senior manager with British Columbia Search and Rescue, said he believes this is the “first use” of the new feature in British Columbia.
“There’s no cell service there but one of them happened to have the new Apple phone that has the SOS in it and activated the SOS and to my knowledge, that’s the first use of the SOS in British Columbia. If they didn’t have this, what would have happened is eventually the family or their work would have said “hey, they didn’t show up” and so the search area would have been from wherever they were last seen to where they’re supposed to be, and that could have been several hundred kilometres.”
For context, Yochim estimates that his team does around 1,700 to 1,800 searches a year. Emergency SOS via satellite on the iPhone 14 can significantly cut down on the number.
Purchasing an Apple product can be expensive these days. It is important for users to conduct thorough research and consider factors beyond just the product’s features before making a substantial investment. One aspect to consider is the upgradability and repairability of the product. To assist users with this issue, iFixit, a company dedicated to helping users, disassembled the new MacBook Pro and evaluated Apple’s official repair guides. Here are the details…
iFixit tear down the new MacBook Pro and test Apple’s official repair guides
iFixit, which took apart Apple’s new MacBook models, didn’t uncover any big surprises. Continuing to use the interior design that’s familiar to many, Apple managed to achieve an engineering feat with this model as well. iFixit’s main focus in this video was Apple’s official repair guides, which provide users with the tools needed to repair their own devices.
The program covers most recent iPhone models and the entire M1 Mac lineup. However, since the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros have the same design as the previous generation, iFixit used the repair guides for the 2021 MacBook Pro models. At the end of the day, it was as expected. Apple’s manual is reportedly “quite comprehensive and easy to follow,” but there’s one intriguing aspect: the instruction to drape the MacBook’s screen over the edge of a table so the user doesn’t touch the battery during repair.
The repairability score of the new MacBook Pro was 5 out of 10, which is not a high score. This is because many critical parts, such as RAM and processor, are soldered to the Logic Board.
This raises the issue of upgradability, as the chances of replacing parts on newer MacBook models are low. When purchasing, it’s important to consider your needs and make a decision accordingly.
If you’ve watched the phone reviews we uploaded these few weeks, you might understand our concerns about gaming phones in 2023. Our concerns are not unfounded. In fact, the niche market for gaming phones has been cooling down. You may even find some famous gaming brands would stop updating their lineups in 2023. But this doesn’t seem to affect the brand RedMagic. Surprisingly, the latest Red Magic 8 Pro in my hand is one of the best gaming phones we’ve ever reviewed. It really looks cool with a brand-new design, and I was attracted to it at first sight.
Design
This is probably my favorite phone look this year. The RedMagic 8 Pro goes beyond its traditional e-sports fancy heritage with a more streamlined futuristic design. It’s much sharper, like a much low-profile iron plate, which reminds me of the black monolith in 2001 Space Odyssey.
But when got my hands on the phone, I immediately felt its weight and the slightly big body size. Although it’s not a big deal as a gaming phone, the sharp edges and frame make it hard to operate with a single hand. On the other hand, the sharp edges make the thickness more perceptible when held in hands.
But when I lit up the screen for the first time, these discomforts were instantly replaced by the joy of the whole screen. It’s a truly all-screen display with super narrow edges. And visually there’s no visible hole-punch selfie camera, which is hidden down below the display. It’s so elegant that I began to imagine how exciting it would be if it were a new model of famous gaming handheld series.
In fact, if not considering the platform, it’s also far more powerful than Nintendo Switch over performance. But of course, back to reality, among only a few excellent handheld platforms, we have no choice. Anyway, this is just some of my ridiculous imagination. Latter I will show you more detail about this display.
On the back there’s a whole metal cover with a matt finish, texturing a few mech-style patterns. And there’s a light strip hidden below the RedMagic text logo and the shoulder-trigger indicators. I pretty like the smart design, which reminds me from time to time that this is a gaming phone.
We’ve seen too many phones made extra bloated to emphasize their camera modules, whether that’s necessary or not. However, the RedMagic 8 Pro doesn’t do that. The cameras do not bump up a lot. They’re just right there in a vertical sequence, without disrupting the overall design of the phone. Personally, I would say that the RedMagic 8 Pro is a machine that allows us to miss the orderly industrial era, although it doesn’t add to actual uses.
No-hole-punch Display
The front face is the biggest surprise for the RedMagic 8 Pro. The 120Hz AMOLED display is jointly created by RedMagic and BOE, with an FHD+ resolution, 10bit colors, 1440Hz PMW dimming, and a 1300nits peak brightness.
But in our test, we couldn’t get its advertised peak brightness. It achieved around 600 nits of manual overall peak brightness, and the maximum adaptive brightness in a 20% window is about 1000 nits. But the results are already close to the best results that we got on a gaming phone.
In addition to gaming, the display is also perfect for watching videos or movies as the big display achieves an almost perfect screen-to-body ratio without any punch hole. And the area of the under-screen camera doesn’t look different from the rest of the screen unless you check it very closely when displaying pure white.
But I’m sure most users wouldn’t do that. Then you might wonder how the selfie camera performs. Well the 16MP lens can shoot but does suck. But if you are a gamer, it shouldn’t be a big deal.
For daily use, the display’s sampling rate is about 350Hz. But if you add any apps or games into the Game space, its sampling rate can go up to around 500Hz. And you can even boost it up to 960Hz in the software, where we tested a result close to 900Hz.
900Hz touch sampling rate
Sound & Vibration
As for vibration and audio, the phone still has a 3.5mm headphone jack and is equipped with dual speakers. You can check the vibration and sound here.
Shoulder triggers
The shoulder buttons are preserved like other gaming models. The capacitive triggers feature an excellent sampling rate of 520Hz, which did feel near instantly responsive, especially in some FPS games like PUBG Mobile. The red switch next to the shoulder button is for triggering the game space.
Gaming features
The new game space has been greatly improved along with rich gaming plug-ins and in-game overlay. The overlay now can display CPU and GPU frequency in a better alignment, and you can access almost all the plug-ins from it, such as hunt mode, scout mode, 4D Vibrate for FPS Games.
Multiple notification options and three gears of performance modes can be found easily. There’s a shortcut list to open up a small window for most apps while gaming, which can be moved around, resized, and opened in full-screen.
Return to the Game Space and there’re more gaming-related features to unlock the potential of the gaming phone. Like a true game console, the phone offers wide connectivity with wired and wireless gaming accessories, such as a Keyboard and mouse, game controller, and display.
The gaming experience with the input accessories is great. In some games like Genshin Impact and PUBG, the phone provides convenient mapping solutions, so you no longer need to set up the key functions manually.
Projection
To support wired projection via DP or HDMI cables, the phone’s charging port features USB3.2 connection. It can offer up to 1080P resolution at 240Hz or 2k at 120Hz, which is the best projection capacity we saw on a smartphone. If you only got a display offering USB connection, it still supports a 1080P resolution at 120Hz.
On the other hand, the phone also supports decent wireless projection via WiFi or millimeter-wave projection. The easiest way is to install the RedMagic Studio software on your Windows PC. It can cast up to 1080P streaming at 120Hz without any cables. Meanwhile, the software also supports key mapping with PC’s keyboard and mouse. And the mouse movement is even got optimized in FPS games. But here I don’t really recommend that you play competitive multiplayer games in this way, since it feels like cheating.
And if you still like to have gaming operation on the phone, please note that the latency is about 50ms here, which is fine for most games. But in shooting games like PUBG Mobile, the lag could be a big problem.
Performance & Gaming
The last thing you need to worry about is the phone’s performance. Generally speaking, you’ll hardly encounter performance bottlenecks on a phone with a Snapdragon 8Gen2 chipset, let alone the RedMagic 8 Pro with a built-in cooling fan.
It achieved the best results in almost all the benchmarks. And in all stress tests and gaming tests, it maintained good stability while offering high performance, and never had overheating problems. The highest surface temperature we tested is only 43.8℃ if we turn on the cooling fan. Even without fan-assisted cooling, its temperature didn’t exceed 46℃. The fan usually achieved a cooling effect of 1 to 3℃.
benchmarksGPU Stress testCPU Stress test
Red Magic has also made power-saving optimizations for Genshin Imapct. The phone would automatically reduce the framerate to 30fps when it detects the player not operating. When the player continues to operate, the frame rate will instantly increase to a stable 60fps. In Genshin Impact, it can run at the most stable 60fps we have ever seen, which is even more stable than the Xiaomi 13 series that we tested last month.
Upgraded Main Camera
As for the phone’s camera module, the main camera is upgraded with a Samsung GN5 sensor, followed by an 8MP wide-angle lens and a 2MP macro lens. The samples shot on the main camera have pretty natural colors and rich detail, and it’s the only lens that supports night mode. Surprisingly its night shooting has been greatly improved with much better exposure.
Since we are not particularly concerned about the camera performance of the game phone, you can just check the samples we shot here, including the other two lenses.
[envira-gallery id=’511889′]
Battery & charge
The phone is insanely equipped with a 6000mAh battery with 80W fast charging, which is also the only difference from the RedMagic 8 Pro +, which comes with a smaller 5000mAh battery with 165W fast charging.
But personally, I preferred the Pro version, as the long battery life for gaming is obviously more important than faster charging. And actually, the Pro model’s charge is already fast enough. It only took us 37 mins to collect back the full power of the 6000mAh battery.
Verdict
So that’s all about the RedMagic 8 Pro. I must admit that the phone made me a bit embarrassed as I expressed the view that ‘Gaming phones are about to become history’ last month. Now the RedMagic did hit me hard in the face with its great industrial design, long-lasting high performance, long battery life, and wide connectivity. And we noticed that the brand also released an adapted gamepad for the new series, which would make the phone become a switch-like game handheld. But unfortunately, it’s not available yet.
Once we get it, we will update its experience for you guys. Another feature to look forward to is that RedMagic will update a cloud gaming platform called X Gravity for the 8 Pro series in the future, where gamers can remotely run PC games via streaming. But I’m not too optimistic that the could platform can run smoothly in regions beyond China.
Anyway, though it got a few drawbacks like the absence of NFC, it’s still the best gaming phone I’ve ever reviewed.
At the beginning of this month, Just Corseca announced Skyraptor Smart Eyewear and Pro Smart Eyewear. I thought I should try this device because I was curious about what low-cost smart glasses could do. So, I used the Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear for over 10 days, and here are my first impressions about it.
Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear: What’s in the box?
Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear
The retail package of the Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear includes the following items:
Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear
Charging cable
I felt that the brand should have provided a carry case or a sleeve in the retail package.
Comfort and Controls
Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear (left frame)
The Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear has a thick frame made of ABS material. Since it has an IPX rating, it is protected from damage by rain and sweat. The spectacles look trendy and will go well with casual outfits.
Each handle has a power on/off button, a charging point, a light indicator, a microphone, and a speaker. Long pressing either power button will turn the device on or off. Double pressing the left side button will increase the volume, and pressing the same button three times will play the previous song. In the same way, double pressing the right button will decrease the volume, and pressing it three times will play the next song.
Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear (right frame)
After phone calls, one needs to press either the left or right button to answer the call. A long press on either button terminates the call. Long pressing any of the buttons during an incoming call will reject it. To increase the volume during a call, one needs to double-press the left button and to decrease it, the right button needs to be double-pressed.
Lastly, to access the voice assistant, one can press either of the buttons for a second.
During my use of Just Corseca’s Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear, I experienced no discomfort or pain in my nose or behind the back of my ears.
User Experience
Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear (front)
The Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear has a pair of open-ear speakers, meaning it does not have earbuds that can be inserted inside the ears. In addition, it has a pair of omnidirectional microphones placed on each handle. The speakers are visible only when the eyewear is placed upside down.
Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear
Readers should note that since it is equipped with open-ear speakers, the audio will be discreetly audible to others who are very near to the user. Hence, when a song or video is played, the sound will be audible to others. The same thing applies to phone calls, and the experience is similar to Bluetooth voice calling on a smartwatch or talking to someone on speaker mode on a smartphone. However, the audio is more audible to the person wearing the Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear than to others.
Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear comes with support for Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. Once paired, it can be used for calls and listening to music. I did not face any hiccups in connectivity when pairing with my Galaxy S22 Ultra and iPad Pro. It can be paired with only one device at a time.
Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear
The company claims that the Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear is equipped with UV400 lenses. The lenses are removable, which means users can add their own prescription glasses to the smart eyewear. As far as built-in lenses are concerned, Just Corseca claims that they are scratch-resistant polarised lenses that are meant to reduce glare and enhance visibility. When it comes to UV protection, the UV400 offers 99 percent protection against harsh sunlight (99 percent UVA and UVB). It can be worn indoors as it cuts down harmful blue light by 35 percent while working on a PC / phone or watching movies.
The Skyraptor Pro smart eyewear is powered by a pair of 100mAh batteries. Each handle houses a battery. Charging can be done using the magnetic charging cable provided in the package. The charging cable bifurcates into two wires, each with a magnetic charging pin. In order to charge the device, one magnetic pin needs to be connected to the left handle, and another one is required to be connected to the right handle.
Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear
It takes around 2 hours to charge the Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear. Once charged, it can last for up to 6 hours. It goes without saying that once the battery runs out, it can be used as regular sunglasses or spectacles. To save on the battery, one can either turn on only the right or left frame of the device.
The Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear offers 60ms Bluetooth connectivity. So, I did not experience any lag while watching movies or listening to music.
As mentioned at the beginning of this post, the brand is also offering a non-pro version called the Skyraptor Smart Eyewear. Here is a look at the differences between the two models:
Specifications
Skyraptor Smart Eyewear
Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear
Bluetooth
V5.0 (Calling and Music)
V5.0 (Calling and Music)
Speakers
8Ω / 0.6W (left and right temple)
8Ω / 0.6W (left and right temple)
Microphone
Single (right temple)
Dual (right temple)
Battery
120mAh (Auto power off)
110mAh * 2 (with auto power off)
Playback time
Up to 5 Hours
Up to 7 Hours
Charging port
Micro USB (Right temple)
Magnetic (Right temple)
Control buttons
V-/ Prev | V+/Next | Power (right temple)
Single button on each temple to change tracks, answer calls, adjust volume
Lens Material
Sunglass
UV400 lenses
Price and Availability
Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear
Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear can be purchased through Just Corseca’s online store and Flipkart. On the official website, it is listed for Rs 5,499 (~$67), whereas Flipkart is selling it for Rs 5,699 (~$70). It comes in black only. The company is providing a 1-year warranty for the buyers of Skyraptor Pro Smart Eyewear.
Smartphones are an indispensable part of our lives. We now rely on them to complete most of our daily tasks. One of the biggest problems we face is running out of battery. Our phones, which used to last almost a day and a half when we first bought them, are no longer able to maintain this battery life. This decline is mainly due to the apps we have installed and use. But did you know that one app, commonly used by almost everyone, can quickly drain your battery without you realizing it? Here are the details…
Former Facebook Employee Accuses Company of Illegally Draining Phone Batteries”
George Hayward, a former Facebook employee, recently made a scandalous claim. He alleges that Facebook and Messenger have the ability to purposely drain the batteries of their users’ smartphones. This process, referred to as “Negative Testing,” enables technology companies to secretly run down the batteries of a user’s phone in order to test features within an app.
The former Meta employee, who said he refused to do these tests, describes the dialogue with his boss as follows: “I said to the manager, ‘This can harm somebody,’ and she said by harming a few we can help the greater masses. Any data scientist worth his or her salt will know, Don’t hurt people,”
Hayward, who was soon terminated, filed a lawsuit against the company in the Manhattan Federal Court. The primary basis of the lawsuit is that Facebook users may not have access to their phones when they need it the most. Dan Kaiser emphasized that draining users’ smartphone batteries poses a danger to them. The lawyer added, “It’s illegal and it’s outrageous that anyone can manipulate the battery of my phone.”
At one point during his employment at Meta, the company provided Hayward with an internal training document titled “How to run thoughtful negative tests,” which included examples of how to conduct such tests. This suggests that the social media giant has carried out similar tests in the past. However, Meta has not yet released a statement on the matter, but one is expected to be issued in the near future.
The countdown has begun for the Samsung Galaxy S23 series. The smartphones, which will be introduced on February 1, will come with new accessories and software. One of the software in question is One UI 5.1. Lastly, a couple of days before the official announcement of the Galaxy S23, One UI 5.1 features have leaked. The leaked One UI 5.1 changelog highlights improvements and innovations. Here are the details…
One UI 5.1 features leak ahead of Galaxy S23 launch
Camera
Changing the hue for a selfie just got easier: Easily change the hue of your selfies with the Effects button on the side of the screen.
Quick access to Expert RAW: The Expert RAW app allows you to capture high-quality images without any processing or compression, which is perfect for those who want to edit their photos later. Accessing Expert RAW is now easier from the Advanced menu.
Gallery
Common family album: With Shared Family Album, sharing photos with your family is easier than ever. Gallery recommends adding photos to your shared family album by recognizing your family members’ faces. You also get 5GB of storage per family member (up to 6 people).
Improved handling: Processing automatically removes shadows and reflections to make your photos look great. You can also recreate GIFs for better resolution and clarity.
Convenient information display: If you swipe up when viewing a picture or video in your gallery, you can see at a glance when and where the picture was taken, on which device, where it’s stored, and more.
Search has become more powerful: You can now search for more than one person or item at a time. You can even search for people without tagging their names, just by clicking on their faces.
Choose a location to save screenshots: Now, you can save screenshots and screen recordings in a folder of your choice by setting it up in the advanced features.
AR Zone and AR Emoji
Use 3 Emojis in AR Emoji Camera: Take fun photos and videos with friends (up to 3 people) in mask mode. You can replace your friends’ faces with other characters by clicking the emoji.
Layout and editing improvements in AR Doodles: The brushes are now available on the main AR Doodle screen for quicker access. You can also resize and move drawings after you create them, and the new eraser tool lets you erase just a portion of your drawings without completely erasing them.
Widgets
New battery widget: With the new battery widget you can check the battery level of your Galaxy devices. Right from the home screen, you can see how much battery your smartphone, Galaxy Buds, Galaxy Watch, and other supported devices have left.
Intuitive weather widget: The new illustration style and a summary of the current weather conditions make it easy to know the weather information, whether it’s sunny, cloudy, raining, or snowing.
Modes and Scenarios
Different wallpapers depending on the mode: Set different wallpapers on the lock screen and the home screen depending on your current activities. Choose a background for work, one for sport, and more by setting different modes.
More conditions and actions for scenarios: Run scripts automatically when you turn on airplane mode or mobile hotspot. Scripts can now open some apps, adjust left/right audio balance, and more. New actions now let you control Quick Share and touch sensitivity and change the ringtone and font style.
Connectivity
Collaboration in Samsung Notes: Create a shared note that multiple people can edit simultaneously. Write a report with colleagues, take notes for a study group, or draw a picture with a friend. The possibilities are endless.
Inviting to shared apps made easy: Now you can easily invite people to shared albums, notes, and calendars using a link that can be shared across apps like messenger, email, and social networks.
Advanced multiple controls between Galaxy Book and smartphone: Now you can use your Galaxy Book’s mouse, keyboard, or trackpad not only with your Galaxy tablet but also with your Galaxy smartphone. You can easily copy and paste text and drag and drop images from one device to another as if it were the same device. (1)
Media output for WiFi speakers: If you want to continue listening to music on Wi-Fi speakers via Spotify Connect and the built-in Chromecast, simply open the media output from the quick access toolbar, not the music apps. (2)
Continue surfing on the PC: If you surf the Internet on your smartphone with Samsung Internet and then continue browsing on your PC, you can find the websites you opened on your smartphone and continue browsing them with the PC browser. (3)
Samsung DeX
Improved multitasking in DeX: In split screen mode, you can now drag the splitter in the middle of the screen to resize both windows. You can also snap a window to one of its corners so that it takes up a quarter of the screen.
Settings
Settings suggestions: Suggestions are now displayed at the top of the settings screen, letting you know about useful features to try or settings that need your attention so you can enable or try them immediately.
Samsung Internet
Improved search: You can now search by a folder name in bookmarks or by group name in tabs. Improved search logic allows you to find what you’re looking for, even if something is misspelled.
Setup Wizard
Faster and easier initial setup of your new Galaxy: If you’re switching to a new Galaxy from a Galaxy or other Android device, simply scan the QR code on your old device to automatically migrate your Wi-Fi networks, Samsung account, and Google account to the new one Device to transfer without typing anything. (4)
Weather
Detailed weather information at a glance: Useful weather information is now displayed on the Weather app’s main screen. You can check severe weather alerts, daily weather reports, hourly precipitation, and color temperature charts.
Calls
Bixby Text Call: Use Bixby Text Call to automatically answer calls and find out the purpose of the call. You’ll see what the caller is saying in a text chat, and you can tap or type replies to have them read aloud to the caller. Bixby text calls are only available in English and Korean.
Footnotes:
The Multicontroller is only available on select Galaxy phones, Galaxy Tabs, and Galaxy Book devices. It works on tablets with One UI 4.1 or later, phones with One UI 5.1 or later, and the Galaxy Book series released in 2021 or later with Samsung v1.5 (Intel) or Samsung Settings v3.3 (ARM). Feature availability may vary by device model.
The Wi-Fi speaker needs to be configured in advance to connect the Wi-Fi speaker. Chromecast Built-in is a trademark of Google LLC
This function requires a PC running Windows 20H1 or later, and the phone connection and Windows connection need to be updated to the latest version.
Only available for Galaxy S23 series and above with BLE technology.
OnePlus 11 will be announced globally at Cloud 11 event in India on February 7. While it will be the star of the show, some attention will also be drawn to the more-affordable OnePlus 11R, which is debuting on the same day. The two handsets will be arriving with different hardware specs, but aesthetically they may look very similar, at least that’s what a new leaked image suggests.
Popular leakster Ice Universe has shared an image of the alleged OnePlus ACE 2, which should be called the OnePlus 11R in the global market. We are saying this because the OnePlus ACE was rebranded as OnePlus 10R internationally. As can be seen in the image, the 11R looks essentially the same as the standard OnePlus 11 with a few differences here and there.
For instance, there’s no Hasselblad branding on the camera island and the telephoto camera appears to be missing. Also, the glittery texture on the back has been replaced with a matt finish. These changes are understandable as the brand aims to make OnePlus 11R a more affordable device. OnePlus reserves Hasselblad-tuned cameras for premium devices to create differentiation and to decrease the cost of affordable devices.
According to recent reports, OnePlus 11R will have the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor at the helm. The OnePlus 11 gets the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which is comparatively more powerful and efficient. 11R is expected to get a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with curved edges, an HD+ resolution, and a 120Hz refresh rate.
For photography, the handset may feature an OIS-enabled 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and a 2MP macro camera. On the front, there may be a 16MP selfie sensor. It could run Android 13 out of the box and pack a 5,000mAh battery with 100W charging support.
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