European antitrust regulators are reportedly set to charge technology giant Apple with anti-competitive practices regarding the NFC chip inside iPhones and Apple Pay. It is said that the charges are being finalized and be sent to Apple sometime next year.
For those who are unaware, last year, the European Commission had opened an investigation into Apple Pay and the iPhone’s NFC chip last year. It was focusing on whether Apple unfairly locked out competition for contactless payment services by restricting the use of the NFC chip inside iPhones.
While details about the report remain unclear, it says that Apple is set to be charged with “anti-competitive practices related to its NFC chip technology.” Apple could be forced to “open up its mobile payment system to rivals.”
Apple has been slowly opening access to the NFC in the iPhone, but compared to its integration with Apple Pay, third-party services are still significantly hindered.
The development comes at a time when Apple has been found in breach of competition law related to its music streaming service in Europe earlier this year. Following complaints from Spotify, the EU competition commission said that Apple unfairly favors Apple Music over rival streaming services due to the fees imposed on App Store applications.
Acer on Wednesday launched six new laptops in the Indian market. It includes Acer Swift 3, Acer Swift X, Aspire 3, Aspire 5, Spin 3, and Spin 5. The laptops range from ₹55,999(~$749) to ₹99,999(~$1,337) and the major highlight of the laptops is the Windows 11 operating system.
Acer Swift 3 & Acer Swift X
Acer Swift 3 comes with a 14-inch IPS display with a Full-HD(1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution. Acer claims that it has an 85% screen-to-body ratio and has up to 300 nits of brightness. It has two models – an 11th gen Intel chipset or an AMD Ryzen 5000U processor. It comes with a battery that has 16 hours of battery backup with support for fast charging technology.
Acer Swift X comes with the same 14-inch FHD IPS panel. The screen supports 100% sRGB and has AMD’s Ryzen 5 5600U processor under the hood. It comes with a 4GB Nvidia RTX 3050 dedicated GPU and has 16GB of RAM. The laptop has a 59-Wh battery with support for fast charging.
The Swift 3 weighs 1.19Kg and starts at ₹62,999(~$868). The Swift X is priced at ₹86,999(~$1,161). Both laptops are already available from Acer’s e-store and other online and offline stores across India.
Acer Aspire 3 & Acer Aspire 5
Acer Aspire 3 comes with a 15.6-inch TFT display, whereas, the Aspire 5 has a 14-inch IPS panel. Both displays have Full-HD resolution and are powered by 11th gen Intel Core i5-11357 processor. There’s 8GB of RAM and 1TB of M.2 PCIe SSD storage. The laptops come with support for up to 1TB of HHD storage.
The Acer Aspire 3 starts at ₹55,999(~$749) and the Aspire 5 is priced at ₹57,999(~$570). The laptops can be purchased from Amazon, Flipkart, and even offline stores like Croma, Vijay Sales, and Reliance Digital.
Acer Spin 3 & Acer Spin 5
Acer Spin series is a convertible laptop series where the laptops can be used as a 2-in-1 machine. The Acer Spin 3 sports a 13.1-inch touchscreen display and is powered by the 11th gen Intel Core processor. The Spin 5, on the other hand, has 11th gen Intel Core i7 processor. The laptops are claimed to have up to 15 hours of battery life and support for fast charging support.
The Acer Spin 3 starts at ₹74,999(~$737) and the Spin 5 is priced at ₹99,999(~$1,337). Just like other Acer laptops, the Spin series will be available in both online and offline stores.
Nowadays, 5nm manufacturing is the most advanced technology when it comes to making modern chips. Now, companies are working on the next generation of chipset manufacturing tech and the next major thing could be 3nm manufacturing.
A couple of years back, Samsung had unveiled the 3GAE (3nm Gate-All-Around Early) and 3GAP (3nm Gate-All-Around Plus) nodes, promising substantial reduction in power consumption and enhancements in overall performance.
Now, the South Korean giant has announced the postponement of the 3nm chip manufacturing technology until 2022. Not just that, the company has also postponed the 2nm chip until 2025.
Samsung chip foundry uses cutting-edge technologies to manufacture chipsets and includes the likes of Qualcomm, IBM, and Samsung itself as its clients. The company competes against TSMC, which also announced a few months back that will postpone the launch of its 3nm chipset.
At the time of its announcement in 2019, Samsung had claimed that the 3nm process could offer a 35 percent performance jump, in addition to a 50 percent reduction in power consumption when compared with the 7LPP nodes technique.
Postponement of the newer technology makes sense given that the chip manufacturers are under immense pressure to keep producing chips as there’s currently a global shortage of chips and the company wants to go with the established process with a high yield rate compared to the experimental process.
Samsung Foundry is the second-largest smartphone chip-maker after TSMC. It is an independent arm of Samsung and continues to provide critical supplies which is the reason behind the South Korean technology giant weathering the global chip shortage without significantly affecting the business.
After unveiling the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro premium flagship smartphones a few weeks ago, the technology giant recently confirmed that it will be hosting a launch event on 19th October to officially announce the smartphones.
Now, ahead of the official launch, we know the phone’s pricing as well as release date, thanks to its listing in Germany. The Google Pixel 6 is said to be priced at €649 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage version.
It has also been revealed that those customers who pre-order the Pixel 6 series smartphones will get the Bose 700 Headphones which are worth €279.99. In the US, the phone will reportedly be priced at $749.
The offer is valid until 27th October which implies that the device will be available for purchase from 28th October, which is in line with the previous reports.
The listing further reveals that the smartphone will come powered by a 4,620mAh battery. In the camera department, there’s a dual-camera setup on the back that includes a 50-megapixel primary sensor and a 12-megapixel secondary snapper.
On the front side, the device will come equipped with an 8-megapixel snapper for taking selfies and video calling. The phone will also have an in-display fingerprint sensor as well as support for Face Unlock using the RGB camera.
Coming to the Pixel 6 Pro, previous reports have indicated that the device will be priced around €899 in Europe and between $1,049 and $1,099 in the United States. The phone will come with an additional 48-megapixel telephoto camera and pack a bit bigger 5,000mAh battery. It is expected to have up to 12GB of RAM and three storage options to choose from — 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB.
Both the smartphones will come pre-installed with the latest Android 12 operating system. The Pixel 6 lineup is expected to be among the best smartphones launching this year and the company is also at an advantage as iPhone 13 series doesn’t come with major updates, not enough to entice users to upgrade and many of them are waiting for the Pixel 6 lineup to switch instead of getting the iPhone 13.
Huami, a company which is known for making wearable devices, especially Amazfit series of smartwatches, is now gearing up to launch yet another product. The company has scheduled an event in China on 12th October.
The latest teaser shared by the firm confirms that the company is set to launch the Huami Amazfit GTR 3/Pro smartwatch. The teaser poster has revealed some information about the upcoming product.
It is being claimed that the upcoming Amazfit GTR 3 Pro will come equipped with a six-channel bio-tracking optical sensor. It is a high-precision sensor that can also continuously monitor blood oxygen, along with some key features.
A leaked render of the upcoming smartwatch reveals that the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro will come with a circular dial, featuring two physical buttons on the right. It will also be made available with Silicon and Leather straps.
Image Credit: @passionategeekz
While not yet confirmed, the smartwatch is expected to come with support for calls and a smart voice assistant. The device is expected to have support for more than 150 sports modes. Additionally, it will be running the company’s own Zepp OS in terms of software.
The retail price of the Huami Amazfit GTR 3 Pro is expected to be priced around $235 but to know for sure what the device packs, what versions of it are available, as well as its pricing details, we’ll have to wait for the official launch next week.
Even though the supply chain situation that affected Apple terribly has improved significantly, there can still be a hindrance to the iPhone 13 lineup’s production in Q4 2021, believes JP Morgan. Analyst Samik Chatterjee states that it has become a concern for Apple to look at supply constraints with the imminent Covid-19 resurgence and a terrible hit to production due to recent power usage restrictions in China.
The JP Morgan analyst notes the production ramping up process on iPhone 13 lineup is moving forward at a slower pace than it was on earlier iPhones and the main bottleneck behind this is the camera module issues.
While Covid cases and multiple restrictions have contributed to the sluggish production in Vietnam, the root cause revolves around the supplier ramp of sensor-shift optical image stabilization. But the situation will improve as restrictions will be relaxed and LG Innotek’s camera facility along with a secondary unit in South Korea is set to boost the production at a pace that is required.
There are more issues hovering over iPhone 13 supply as smaller components may be terribly impacted if the power shortage issues in China persist. However, larger components are out of trouble for now so that’s good news. The analyst believes 5-10 million units out of the 143 million planned units could be affected due to this. But despite that, Apple continues to stay in a comfortable position in terms of sales.
The analyst maintains his Apple price target of $180, based on a price-to-earnings multiple of 28x on JP Morgan’s 2023 earnings estimate of $6.55.
The much-awaited and the biggest transformation that was due from Microsoft has finally rolled out officially. Windows 11 is here and is living up to the hype. But the only set of users not happy with Windows 11 are the ones using AMD Ryzen processor-powered machines. The company has reported that AMD chips could face performance drops of up to 15 percent in some cases.
Source: Microsoft
Apparently, there are two issues that have troubled AMD-powered device owners with Windows 11. The first is that Windows 11 may triple L3 cache latency. AMD believes that this may lead to a 3-5 percent worsened performance and some games, specifically used for eSports, may see performance drops of up to 15 percent.
The second one targets AMD’s “preferred core” technology, which usually aims to shift threads over to the fastest core on a processor. AMD has cautioned users with more than 8 cores about TDP where performance issues are more noticeable.
Well, the good thing is that both AMD and Microsoft are already on to it and have stated that they are “actively investigating these known issues for resolution via software updates.” There are two updates, a Windows update and a software update, that are lined up for later this month to resolve the ongoing issues. In the meantime, sticking with Windows 10 appears to be the only wise option.
Apple has been facing several lawsuits in different regions around the world and the issues just keep increasing for the technology firm. In the latest development, it is said that Apple has to pay up to $46 million South Korea on benefits that it failed to declare.
Based on the data from Korea Fair Trade Commission, a lawmaker has come to the conclusion that technology giant Apple needs to pay $46 million. This is related to an investigation that found Apple guilty of antitrust behaviors.
In 2016, the US-based giant was accused of anti-competitive practices in South Korea. Given the popularity of its smartphones, the mobile carriers had to sell them and taking unfair advantage of its position, Apple was dictating terms. It was accused of imposing three onerous conditions on local carriers:
Carriers had to buy minimum quantities of each model, dictated by Apple
Carriers had to share the cost of warranty repairs or replacements
Carriers had to pay to run Apple’s own TV ads for the iPhone
While Apple had settled the case by proposing a series of measures but the issue of dictating mobile carriers to pay for TV ads for the iPhones is coming to haunt the company.
Carriers had to pay the full cost of running iPhone ads on TV and they were only allowed to use Apple’s own ads. The carriers were permitted to only add their own logo to the final frame. This effectively gave free advertising to Apple, amounting to a taxable benefit that the company failed to declare.
It appears that Apple made local mobile carriers in Korea pay 20 to 30 billion won, for which Apple needs to pay 28.8 billion to 43.2 billion won in corporate taxes. But the total amount of corporate taxes the company should pay comes to 36.6 billion to 55 billion won when including additional taxes imposed for failing to report the corporate taxes.
The claim is from a minority party so it remains to be seen if anything comes out of it. But the timing is crucial as it comes at a time when Apple is under pressure in the country as Apple and Google are now required to allow developers to use third-party payment platforms in their app stores in Korea.
Earlier today, the pricing and the launch date of the upcoming Realme GT Neo2 were leaked. Now, the smartphone has appeared on the Google Play Console listing revealing its key specs.
The Realme GT Neo2’s Play console listing confirms that the phone has a 1084 x 2400 pixels resolution screen. It runs on Android 11 out of the box. The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chipset paired with 8GB of RAM. We expect it to also arrive in a 12GB RAM variant with 256GB of onboard storage.
In addition to this, an earlier leak revealed that the Realme GT Neo2 could launch at the same price range as the Realme X7 Max. To recall, the X7 Max started at ₹26,999(~$361) for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant and ₹29,999(~$401) for the 12GB RAM + 256GB storage variant. That said, we can expect ₹26,999(~$361) starting price of the Realme GT Neo2.
Realme GT Neo2 launch Date and Specifications
The Realme GT Neo2 is expected to launch on October 13th in the Indian market. It will most likely have the same specs sheet as the Chinese edition. The smartphone sports a 6.62-inch Full-HD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It will feature a 64MP triple-rear camera system and a 16MP selfie camera lens. As learned from the Play Console listing, the phone has Snapdragon 870 SoC and a base 8GB RAM option.
It smartphone packs a 5,000mAh battery with 65W fast charging support. The smartphone features a side-mounted fingerprint scanner for added security. It runs on ColorOS 12 based on Android 11.
After launching the Realme GT Neo2 in China last month, Realme is ready to bring it to other markets. So far, it has been reported that the phones will be launched in India and Europe but Realme is yet to reveal the launch dates. However, a leaker has disclosed when the phone will be announced in India.
According to a tweet posted a few hours ago by the Indian leaker Abhishek Yadav, the Realme GT Neo2 will be announced on, Wednesday, October 13. That is exactly a week from today.
The Realme GT Neo2 has a 6.62-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a punch hole at the top left corner for a 16MP camera. There is a Snapdragon 870 processor under the hood and it draws juice from a 5000mAh battery. Earlier this week, a leak revealed the phone will be available in two configurations in India – 8GB RAM + 128GB and 12GB RAM + 256GB.
There are three cameras on the back – a 64MP main sensor, an 8MP sensor with an ultrawide angle lens, and a 2MP sensor for shooting photos in macro mode. The phone has an under-display fingerprint scanner, stereo speakers, NFC, and Bluetooth 5.1. It supports 65W fast charging via USB-C and runs Android 11. It will launch in Neo Black, Neo Green, and Neo Blue in India.
Samsung is working on a device called Galaxy A13 5G It is expected to be the company’s most affordable 5G smartphone to date. In the past few days, we learned about the existence of this handset along with some of its features. Today, the phone appears on Geekbench confirming the chipset powering it.
Samsung Galaxy A12
The upcoming Samsung Galaxy A13 5G with model number SM-A136U has been listed on Geekbench. According to it, the device will house a MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC.
Further, the variant that got benchmarked has 4GB RAM. However, we can expect versions with more RAM. Lastly, the listing confirms that the handset will arrive with Android 11.
Apart from that, the phone is said to draw energy from a 5,000mAh battery. Although its charging speed is not known, we can expect it to support 15W like most Samsung budget smartphones.
The South Korean tech giant may announce the Galaxy A13 5G before the end of 2021. However, the device will most likely see a wider availability in early 2022.
When Vivo announced the first iQOO smartphone in early 2019, it was marketed as the first phone under Vivo’s new gaming smartphone line. More than two years later, the iQOO line has gotten bigger and now includes mid-range and upper mid-range phones that don’t have the design we have come to associate with gaming smartphones. New info from China says that iQOO will become independent next year.
This should not be too surprising considering this is a common trend among Chinese manufacturers. Honor was originally Huawei‘s online brand targeted at a younger audience before it became an independent company. Redmi and POCO also started out as smartphone lines under Xiaomi before becoming independent in 2019 and 2020 respectively while Realme was under OPPO when it first began business a few years ago.
The info comes from the Weibo user @Arsenal who has a good track record when it comes to leaks. According to a post made earlier today, iQOO will become an independent brand in April 2022 which means it will now be another company owned by BBK.
Just like the other brands listed above, save for Honor, Vivo and iQOO should continue to share resources, though some departments such as sales may be separated. We may also see iQOO expand its product category to include other devices.
One question that arises from this new development is what exactly is BBK’s plan considering it just merged OPPO and OnePlus, the latter of which is a much bigger brand than iQOO. If it is merging some brands and separating others, there doesn’t seem to be a clear pattern regarding its mobile business. We hope more details surface soon.
Sony has launched its first neckband speaker with the Dolby Atmos feature. The Sony SRS-NS7 is the first neckband speaker in the world to feature Dolby Atmos. The SRS-NS7 comes with the WLA-NS7 Bluetooth transmitter which combines with BRAVIA XR television models to transmit Dolby Atmos audio to the speaker. The 360 Spatial Sound Personalizer app will assist users to take pictures of their ears to create an HRTF map of their ears. The HRTF map is then fed back into the system to customize the Atmos sound to your specific ear and head shape.
The SRS-NS7 can also minimize the latency in audio for an improved viewing experience. However, the low latency feature is only compatible with BRAVIA XR TV models. Unfortunately, even Sony’s TVs are not currently compatible with the low latency mode.
The SRS-NS7 can also be paired with a PC, smartphone, or any Bluetooth-enabled device source. Calls are also possible with the microphone. The SRS-NS7 can connect to two devices simultaneously, which is impressive.
The SRS-NS7 comes with a single active driver and one passive radiator on either side. Both are angled upwards for precise positioning of the sound outlay. The speaker has a fabric cover and a flexible neckband, and the device is IPX4 splash-resistant. Up to 12 hours of activity is guaranteed on a full charge, with fast charging also possible. A quick ten-minute charge can give up to an hour of battery life.
The WLA-NS7 wireless transmitter is sold separately for $60 and can be used with some Sony Bluetooth headphones.
The iPhone 13 went official and it is on sale since September. The design did not change so much, but the new series comes with a handful of upgrades in several departments. While the iPhone 13 Pro and the other variants went on sale for the first time, the price of the iPhone 12 series dropped and led them to offer a higher value for money. Is it worth spending more money on the new models or it makes more sense to save money to get a model from the previous generation? After comparing the vanilla iPhone 13 to the iPhone 12, we decided to publish a comparison between the specifications of the iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro in order to give you a complete idea even about the Pro variants.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
146.7 x 71.5 x 7.7 mm,
204 g
146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm,
189 g
DISPLAY
6.1 inches, 1170 x 2532 pixels (Full HD+), Super Retina XDR OLED
6.1 inches, 1170 x 2532p (Full HD+), Super Retina XDR OLED
As already mentioned, there are no big changes in the design of the iPhone 13 Pro, but there is an important optimization: the notch is smaller. Thanks to better management of the space, Apple was able to reduce the size of the notch by 20 percent. But not all that glitters is gold: the new iPhone 13 Pro is thicker and heavier than the older model. Further, the rear cameras are protruding more than the previous generation phone. That is why having a smaller notch does not necessarily mean having a more beautiful phone. Both the handset retain the IP68 certification making them waterproof and dustproof, as well as the Ceramic Shield.
Display
The displays of the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro have almost the same specifications. The only differences between these panels are the smaller notch on the iPhone 13 Pro and the refresh rate. They are Super Retina XDR OLED displays with the HDR10 certification, Dolby Vision support, and a Full HD+ resolution of 1170 x 2532 pixels. The iPhone 13 Pro adds a 120 Hz refresh rate, while its predecessor has a standard 60 Hz refresh rate. The Ceramic Shield allows for high resistance and an oleophobic coating. Unlike Android flagships, there is no fingerprint reader, but users can rely on 3D facial recognition for authentication.
Specs & Software
The iPhone 12 Pro is powered by the Apple A14 Bionic mobile platform paired with 6 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of native storage. With the iPhone 13 Pro, you get an Apple A14 Bionic chipset, 6 GB of RAM, and up to 1 TB of internal storage. The Apple A15 Bionic provides a CPU performance boost of up to 50 percent if compared to the Apple A14 Bionic, as well as 50 percent better GPU performance. That is why the hardware department of the iPhone 13 Pro is a significant upgrade over its predecessor. The Apple A15 Bionic has a higher 3.22 GHz clock frequency and the new iPhone 13 Pro ships with iOS 15 out of the box, while the 12 Pro ships with iOS 14. This means that the 13 Pro will most likely get longer software support.
Camera
Besides the performance improvement, the iPhone 13 Pro also provides a camera upgrade. You still get a triple camera with 12 MP resolution paired with a TOF 3D LiDAR scanner, but the new handset has brighter focal apertures (for the main camera and the ultrawide sensor) as well as more advanced features for video recording (such as ProRes and Cinematic mode with stereo sound).
In the design paragraph, we told you that iPhone 13 Pro is thicker and heavier than its predecessor. There is a reason for this and it is the presence of a bigger battery. The iPhone 13 Pro has a battery with a capacity of 3095 mAh, while the 12 Pro has just 2815 mAh. This means that the new model is able to provide a longer battery life in every scenario. Further, it also supports faster wired charging thanks to a power of 23W. So having a bigger battery does not mean way longer charging times.
Price
The starting price of the iPhone 13 Pro is €1149 in the European market and $999 in the U.S. and the iPhone 12 Pro started from a similar price tag, but now it has dropped and you can easily find it for less than €900 or $900. In my opinion, the upgrades of the iPhone 13 Pro make it worth spending more for the new model.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro: PRO and CONS
Realme first launched the Realme 8i along with the Realme 8s in India. The company has now revealed that the 8i will be released for the European market soon. A tweet by Realme’s VP Madhav Sheth indicated that the 8i will be launched in Europe on October 14th.
The tweet did not reveal other details of the product like the likely price in Europe. However, an earlier leak from popular tipster Sudanshu Amborhe suggests the Realme 8i will retail for €199 (~Rs 17,260) for the 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage version while the 4 GB RAM + 128 GB storage version will sell for €219 (~Rs 19,000). We’ll have to wait until the launch to find out the actual price.
As a reminder, the Realme 8i has a 6.6-inch IPS LCD screen punch-hole screen that delivers a 1080 x 2400 pixels Full HD+ resolution, a 20:9 aspect ratio, 600nits brightness, 100 percent DCI-P3 color gamut, 401ppi pixel density, and a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. It is equipped with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and face unlock security features.
It has arrived as India’s smartphone with the Helio G96 chipset. The handset offers 4 GB / 6 GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 64 GB / 128 GB of UFS 2.1 storage. It comes with up to 5 GB of extended RAM, and it runs on Realme UI 2.0 based Android 11 OS.
For selfies, it has a front camera of 16-megapixel. The squarish rear-facing camera module is fitted with a 50-megapixel main camera, a 2-megapixel macro camera, and a 2-megapixel depth assist lens.
The handset is packed with a 5,000mAh battery that supports 18W charging through USB-C. It offers other features such as dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, a microSD card slot, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Chinese tech brand realme sells a wide variety of products mimicking Xiaomi. One of these product categories is speaker. At present, the company sells two portable speakers, namely ‘realme Pocket Bluetooth Speaker’ and ‘realme Cobble Bluetooth Speaker’. There’s also a soundbar called ‘realme 100W Soundbar’. According to a new leak, the firm will be soon releasing its third portable speaker.
As per tipster Debayan Roy (@Gadgetsdata), realme’s next speaker will be called ‘realme Brick Bluetooth Speaker’. As the name suggests, the speaker will look like a brick. The leaker has partnered with RealmeTimes to share the features and the images of the product’s retail box.
The upcoming portable speaker from realme will be able to output 20W sound. It will feature a 2-speaker unit consisting of dynamic bass boost drivers. The product will be compatible with the realme Link app and will offer three EQ presets.
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It is also said to arrive with bass radiators. As far as endurance is concerned, the speaker will last for 14 hours on a full charge via a USB Type-C port. Last but not least, this entire package is IPX5-certified for water resistance.
The tipster says that the realme Brick Bluetooth Speaker will launch in India in the first half of October. This means it will likely go official by next week. Unfortunately, there’s no word on its price as of now.
OPPO announced the OPPO Reno 6 5G alongside the OPPO Reno 6 Pro 5G in India in mid-July. The device is on sale in the country since the end of July. It is ₹10,000 cheaper than the Pro model and offers almost all the features of its bigger sibling with some exceptions.
So is it really a better option of the two? Let’s find out the answer in my review.
OPPO Reno 6 5G Review
Disclaimer:
This review of OPPO Reno 6 5G is based on the author’s first-hand experience with a review unit loaned by OPPO India. The opinions stated here are the author’s alone.
The smartphone was running ColorOS 11.3 based on Android 11 with firmware version CPH2251_11_A.14 throughout the review period.
This review will be divided into the following two sections.
The usual vanilla model dilemma
Why does user experience matters?
The usual vanilla model dilemma
The OPPO Reno 6 5G is the smaller sibling of the OPPO Reno 6 Pro 5G that I reviewed back in July. The phone shares its DNA with the expensive model. However, to keep the price down, it arrives with an inferior set of specs.
Hence, there’s a dilemma whether you should save some bucks by opting for the vanilla model or go all-in for the Pro variant.
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The OPPO Reno 6 has a smaller 6.43-inch flat AMOLED display with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels (FHD+), a 90Hz refresh rate, and good sunlight visibility with up to 750 nits peak brightness. The panel resolution is fine for the asking price, but the refresh rate isn’t, given the competitors offer a 120Hz refresh rate.
Since the Pro model itself comes with the same refresh rate, I don’t find this as a con. Above all, 90Hz is enough to experience smoothness throughout the UI. A normal user won’t find a significant difference between 90Hz and 120Hz or more refresh rates.
Personally, I liked the curved display on the Reno 6 Pro as opposed to a flat-screen on the Reno 6. Because curved screens enable a better experience for gesture controls.
Talking about the design, although the vanilla Reno 6 features the same OPPO Reno Glow design as its costlier brother, there’s a distinction between the two. The AG glass on both phones look identical with a similar hue, but they feel different in your hand.
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Both devices have crystal structures on the rear, but the ones on the Pro variant are more prominent. In other words, you can sort of feel the crystals while holding the Reno 6 Pro. At least, that’s what I remember from my experience. The same cannot be said for the vanilla Reno 6.
Additionally, I felt more comfortable holding the Reno 6 Pro. Because the curved rear and front of the phone with a thin frame nested in my hands without the sharp sensation, which I felt while holding the Reno 6.
Though the iPhone 12/13 series-like metal frame on the Reno 6 offers good grip, my preference is towards the plastic frame on the Reno 6 Pro.
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But there’s one thing that I don’t like about these two handsets. That’s none other than their cameras. The Reno 6 not only has a near-identical camera setup, but also a very similar processing standard.
It features the same 64MP primary sensor, 8MP ultra-wide shooter, 2MP macro snapper, and 32MP selfie camera from the Reno 6 Pro. The only lens it misses is the 2MP monochrome sensor.
The output from these cameras is average, just like the cameras of Reno 6 Pro. This applies to both still photography and videography. Thankfully, OPPO appears to have fixed the issue with brightness with new system updates. Users need not fiddle with the slider to adjust brightness every time they click pictures.
Another noticeable improvement is in skin color tones. They are better than earlier, but not perfect. Hopefully, we will finally get to see true-to-life skin color tones from the cameras of Reno phones in the near future.
At the end of the day, the cameras need further improvements. Perhaps, we might see more refinements in the subsequent OTA software updates.
Coming to the performance, the MediaTek Dimensity 900 inside this handset is comparable to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 768G present inside the devices like iQOO Z3 5G. It is capable of playing high-end games in average graphic settings.
It has the same optimization issues in games as I faced on the MediaTek Dimensity 1200-powered Reno 6 Pro. This restricts the phone from utilizing the silicon’s true potential. However, I did not face any performance issues in day-to-day usage.
Now, as I am done talking about where the phone has cut corners, let’s take a look at why this smartphone matters despite its shortcomings.
Why does user experience matters?
A few years back, smartphones were all about specifications. When I was a high schooler and in my early days of college, even I was obsessed with specs. But I eventually realized that the decision of buying any device should not be solely dependent on specifications and features, rather it should be based on day-to-day user experience. Let me explain this using the OPPO Reno 6 5G.
The Reno 6 has its shortcomings, as discussed above, but that doesn’t make it a bad purchase. Because it offers certain things that can be experienced only by using the handset yourself.
The hardware powering the device is nothing without the software that users interact with. The Reno 6 nails this with ColorOS 11.3 based on Android 11. I never felt that I was using a mid-range smartphone. The phone felt as smooth as its more expensive OPPO Reno 6 Pro 5G sibling.
The only noticeable difference for me at least was the app opening times. A random user wouldn’t know this unless they have used smartphones with more powerful processors.
That said, the software is not perfect because of a few reasons. The ‘Browser’ and the ‘Theme Store’ throw push notifications every day though I have never opened these applications even once. Then, there’s the ‘Hot Apps’ apps recommendation folder that neither can be uninstalled nor disabled.
There are also several preloaded apps, in addition to Google Phone and Google Messages, instead of stock ColorOS Contacts and Messages applications.
I am not against OEMs using Google Phone and Google Messages because of the ‘call recording notification’ that most people detest. I don’t like them because they look out of place on an Android skin that’s not designed by Google.
As far as the connectivity is concerned, the device has a dual-SIM card slot that offers 5G connectivity. It has support for 13 5G bands and therefore, users need not worry about compatibility when the networks go live in India in the future.
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Then, there’s VoLTE, VoWiFi, dual-band WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and a USB Type-C port. The internet experience through both WiFi and 4G mobile data is seamless. I didn’t face any call drops either. Also, the connection with Bluetooth earphones remained stable without any issue.
The earpiece and microphone perform well, as they should. The performance of the mono speaker is good, but it could have been even better with a stereo setup.
The best thing about the OPPO Reno 6 5G is its endurance. The phone can easily last for two days on moderate usage that does not involve gaming.
The standby performance is also fantastic. It’s difficult to kill this handset’s battery in a day unless you game or use cameras extensively.
Even if it dies, the battery can be fueled up in around 30 minutes, thanks to SuperVOOC 2.0 fast charging protocol. The smartphone not only ships with the required charger and cable, but also a pair of USB Type-C earphones and a transparent silicone case.
In a nutshell, customers get everything out of the box. They even need not invest in a screen protector as soon as they make the purchase. Because the handset comes with a basic screen protector pre-applied.
The only thing that hampers user experience on the Reno 6 is its haptics. OPPO shouldn’t have cut corners on this one. The haptics from the Reno 6 Pro should have been retained.
Now you know why day-to-day experience matters more than the specs. It is not a pleasure to use a smartphone without these traits. Hence, I personally prefer using a mid-range device with a good user experience rather than investing in a phone with powerful specs that lack crucial attributes discussed above.
Conclusion
Just like the OPPO Reno 6 Pro 5G, the OPPO Reno 6 5G is not meant for everyone. If you are one of those customers who value user experience over specifications and features, then you should definitely consider checking out this handset.
On the other hand, I certainly do not recommend this phone to those looking for a device for gaming or cameras. There are better options in this price segment for these purposes.
This year is the 20th anniversary of Xbox, and the Microsoft-owned gaming division has been celebrating it in various ways. Back in May, it announced new official merch on its Xbox Gear Shop to celebrate the event. It also announced a custom Xbox Series X console in celebration of Halo’s 20th anniversary. Today, it has unveiled a pair of Xbox sneakers made in partnership with Adidas.
The new Originals by Xbox Sneaker called the Xbox 20th Forum Tech has a design inspired by the special edition Xbox console launched alongside Halo: Combat Evolved in 2001. The footwear has a translucent green sole while the upper part is a mix of green and black. While you can tell this is indeed made by Adidas, there is an Xbox logo on the tongue.
The press release says that the partnership kicks off the global launch of the “Always Played In. Never Played Out” program which celebrates popular eras of play over the last twenty years.
Will you be able to purchase the Xbox 20th Forum Tech? It doesn’t appear so. Xbox says this is the beginning of its partnership with Adidas as they will be announcing additional sneakers inspired by past and present Xbox consoles in the coming month in celebration of Xbox’s 20th anniversary. One of these new sneakers will be the first-ever sneaker available for purchase by fans later this year. It will also be running a competition where winners get to own a pair of the limited-edition sneakers.
Earlier today, we reported on an immature eCommerce listing of Motorola Moto E40 ahead of the device’s official announcement. Now, the company’s Indian arm is officially teasing the launch of this smartphone.
The official Motorola India Twitter account confirms the arrival of the Moto E40. The company is using the hashtag #PerfectEtertainer for promotion. The tweet suggests that the handset will sport a large screen.
Unfortunately, the firm is yet to reveal the launch date for the country. But we don’t need to wait for the launch of the phone to learn about its features. Because almost everything about it is already out via the retailer listing.
The Motorola Moto E40 will be a budget smartphone. It will flaunt a 6.5-inch IPS LCD panel with a resolution of 1600 x 720 pixels (HD+) and a 90Hz refresh rate. As per Geekbench, it will be powered by a UNISOC T700 SoC coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage.
Motorola Moto E40
Further, it will house a 48MP (wide) + 2MP (macro) + 2MP (depth) triple camera setup on the rear and an 8MP front-facing shooter inside the centered punch-hole. It will have support for dual-SIM, 4G, single-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, 3.5mm headphone jack, USB Type-C port, and rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.
Last but not least, it will run Android 11 and will draw energy from a 4,000mAh battery.
A majority of the participants of a survey said that the new Apple iPhone 13 lineup is “not very” or “not at all” exciting. The survey had sampled 5,000 iPhone users aged 18 and above in the United States between September 23 and 30.
It was conducted by SellCell (via: MacRumors) and revealed that 64 percent of users are “not very” or “not at all” excited about the iPhone 13 lineup. 21.5 percent felt that the iPhone 13 models are “somewhat” exciting, and only 14.4 percent said that they are “extremely” or “very exciting.”
The excitement for the new iPhone series was found to be higher prior to the announcement. This is apparent from the fact that just 23.3 percent of users intend to upgrade to an iPhone 13 model, which is a significant 20.5 percent drop compared to a pre-launch survey conducted two months ago.
Among the 23.3 percent from the survey that intend to upgrade to an iPhone 13 model, the iPhone 13 Pro was found to be the most popular choice with an overwhelming 42.5 percent of responses. This was followed by the iPhone 13 Pro Max at 26.3 percent, iPhone 13 at 22 percent, and finally the iPhone 13 mini with just 9.2% of votes.
Also among those that plan to upgrade, the primary reasons were the 120Hz display upgrade and longer battery life, as indicated in the graph below. 15.7% felt that there’s no particular reason and they were simply upgrading because it’s due.
Of the 76.8 percent of existing iPhone users not interested in purchasing a model from the iPhone 13 series, 29.3 percent cited the lack of a Touch ID fingerprint scanner. This was followed by 19.5 percent said that there were no major features to warrant an upgrade. Other criticisms included the lack of an always-on display, a notch-free design, 120Hz on the standard models, and a USB-C port.
36.8% of those with no plans to upgrade have stated that they will wait for the iPhone 14 instead. 16.1% are switching to an Android device, with 45.1 percent wanting to purchase a Google device, 41.8 percent wishing to purchase a Samsung device, and 8.4% planning to grab a OnePlus device.
Last but not the least, the Apple Watch Series 7 too has barely managed to grab much interest with just 7.5 percent of iPhone users saying that they are planning to buy one. This, despite the watch’s larger display, more durable design, and improved charging speeds.
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