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.
OnePlus is not new to making earbuds. The company has been releasing headphones for the past several years. However, when it comes to TWS earbuds, OnePlus hasn’t really been able to hit the mark with its previous products like the OnePlus Buds and Buds Z. They were pretty decent hearables but never really stood out in their price segments. However, the brand aims to change this consumer mindset with the OnePlus Buds Pro, its first premium earbuds with active noise cancellation.
OnePlus Buds Pro Review: Stand out Design
The OnePlus Buds Pro takes the right amount of inspiration from the industry leader for its design. While the basic form factor of the earbuds is pretty much identical to the Apple AirPods Pro, the company tries to distance itself from the Apple TWS with a fancy color style. Honestly, having used both the AirPods Pro and OnePlus Buds Pro on a regular basis, I can assure you that they are two very different earbuds.
Even in their designs, the Buds Pro looks a lot more young and stylish with its dual-tone matte finish. So even though AirPods Pro’s all-white design looks elegant, I personally like the dual-tone, matte + metallic combination. It’s unlike other earbuds in the market and stands out from the crowd in its price segment.
Each earbud weighs 4.35g, while the charging case weighs 52g. The earbuds have a good, tight fit in my ears and can be used during workouts as well. I have used the OnePlus Buds Pro during my workouts at the gym and even while running on the treadmill, and so far, I have been pretty confident that these earbuds won’t fall off during my runs.
Coming to the case, the OnePlus Buds Pro has a flat and squarish charging case, unlike the previous generation models. The matte finish on the case ensures it doesn’t attract fingerprints or scratches in your everyday use. The overall style looks pretty premium, and the fact that it’ll likely remain scratch-free over the course of time is reassuring. If you have used earbuds with glossy cases, you know how many scratches it can get overtime. So this is a definitive advantage for the OnePlus Buds Pro.
While the case looks premium, you might doubt the built quality at first. Initially, the lid of the case felt a bit weak and I wondered whether the case would survive a fall. But fortunately, the flat design gives a good grip and makes it less likely to encounter a drop. Over the course of time, I have grown to trust the quality of the case too, so I don’t really have any complaints about its design. For a pair of earbuds under ₹10,000 (€150), this design is extremely good.
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The case comes with a USB-C port and supports wireless charging as well.
As for the operations, once again, OnePlus has taken inspiration from the AirPods Pro. So you have to squeeze the stem for controls. I personally prefer this over other earbuds which support touch inputs. Squeezing the stem feels like a better way to control your earbuds and the implementation is pretty good. However, there’s a slight delay in the control response, which you’ll have to get used to. But apart from that, operations like single, double, and long presses work well without any glitches.
Note that the OnePlus Buds Pro is IP55 rated, so it is dust and water-resistant. What’s even more interesting is that the case also gets an IPX4 rating.
OnePlus Buds Pro Review: Sound Quality
The sound quality will always be the most important aspect of any earbuds. While the previous generation OnePlus earbuds were decent, the company seems to have hit the right mark with its new OnePlus Buds Pro.
The OnePlus Buds Pro puts the 11mm drivers to good use, generating deep bass and decent mids and highs. You may find that the earbuds rely a bit too much on the lower end spectrum, but for someone who prefers a good and tight bass output, these earbuds won’t disappoint.
Sometimes, the bass may overpower the highs and mids. However, unless you are a purist who absolutely needs crystal clear vocals and crisp treble, the OnePlus Buds Pro won’t disappoint. These earbuds are good for your typical EDM, hip hop music, so basically genres that enjoy a solid low-end grunt. However, if there are a lot of instruments involved, you might encounter some loss of details.
That said, for someone who has used AirPods Pro everyday, I still come back to the Buds Pro in between to appreciate the bass. A lot of premium headphones are tuned for balance, which often sacrifices on bass to focus more on the mids and highs. But there are some genres of music that can only be justified with a solid bass response, and for them, look no further than the OnePlus Buds Pro in this price segment.
To conclude, if I had to use two words for the sound signature of the OnePlus Buds Pro, it would be ‘Bass-heavy’ and ‘Fun’. These earbuds feels a lot more immersive than other balanced earbuds in the market.
Note that while the Buds Pro supports LHDC codec, there are very few smartphones in the market that support it. In fact, even OnePlus hasn’t yet rolled out support for LHDC on its latest smartphones. So right now, you’ll have to stick to AAC for listening to good quality music.
OnePlus Buds Pro Review: Noise Cancellation
Being the first Active Noise Cancellation earbuds from OnePlus, I was curious to see how good the noise cancellation would be. The Buds Pro is priced in a segment where there are pretty good competitors for this feature, so a sub-par experience would immediately put it at a disadvantage.
To start off, the Buds Pro features 3 modes for noise cancellation. Faint, Smart, and Extreme. Unfortunately, I couldn’t perceive any major difference when switching between these three modes. The adaptive smart mode implementation was also not very good.
In short, for all purposes, it’s safe to assume that there’s just one noise-canceling mode, much like the AirPods Pro.
The OnePlus Buds Pro manages to come close to the premium earbuds in the market with its noise cancellation. If I had to give a figure, I would say the Buds Pro cancels out around 80% of what AirPods Pro can do. For its price, this is already pretty good.
The earbuds can cancel out everyday noises like people’s conversation in the background, or your regular traffic. But it won’t be able to cancel out some higher frequency sounds.
While the ANC is not perfect, for its price, it’s still pretty good. With the ANC turned on, the earbuds definitely help you get an immersive music, audiobook listening experience.
The transparency mode is not as good as the Airpods Pro, but it’s fine as you can still have a decent conversation in this mode.
OnePlus Buds Pro: Battery Life & Operation
The OnePlus Buds Pro comes with a 520mAh charging case and 40mAh batteries inside each earbud. This is good enough for around 5 hours of playback time with ANC on at a moderate volume. The case will get you an additional 20 hours of playback time.
Overall, battery life is pretty decent on the Buds Pro and at par with other earbuds in the market with ANC.
Like most OnePlus devices, the OnePlus Buds Pro works best with the latest OnePlus devices. This is because some features like low-latency gaming and Dolby Atmos are limited to recent OnePlus models in the market, like the OnePlus 9 series.
The earbuds come with Bluetooth 5.2 support. If you are using a recent OnePlus smartphone, you can take advantage of Fast Pairing and the settings for the earbuds can be found right inside your Bluetooth menu. For others, you can go through the usual pairing process and the experience is pretty smooth. Further, you can download and install the Hey Melody app on non-OnePlus devices to tweak the earbuds settings.
I have paired my Buds Pro to an iPhone and a OnePlus device, and the connectivity and range are similar on both models. I would also like to point out that the OnePlus earbuds have a pretty good range, and it’s as good as my AirPods Pro.
The three microphones are good enough for voice and video calls. It’s not as clear as some premium earbuds in the market, but you shouldn’t have any major issues while talking through these earbuds.
OnePlus Buds Pro review: Verdict
OnePlus seems to have finally nailed it with the Buds Pro in this competitive earbuds landscape. The company’s decision to focus on the low-end grunt with its new earbuds helps it stand out from its competitors. A balanced output would have been good, but it’s already being offered by a lot of earbuds in the same price range.
The OnePlus Buds Pro focuses on being more fun and bassy, and will definitely cater to a set of audience who likes an immersive, exciting music experience every day.
What I miss though is an equalizer, which would have added a much wider sound range to these earbuds. Another drawback is the lack of support for other codecs like aptX and aptX HD.
But overall, I would recommend the OnePlus Buds Pro to anyone who loves a punchy, bass-heavy sound output, more so if you are an existing OnePlus user.
Note that in India, the OnePlus is offering a couple of Bank discounts on the Buds Pro as a part of its festive offers. Customers can get up to ₹1000 OFF via Kotak Mahindra Bank and ICICI Bank cards when purchasing it from OnePlus.in or authorized OnePlus retailers like OnePlus Experience store, Reliance Digital, Croma, Vijay Sales, Poorvika Mobiles, Sangeetha Mobiles, Bajaj Electronics, and other partner stores. If you are purchasing it from Amazon.in, you can get an instant 10% Bank discount using your HDFC card between October 2 to October 10.
The launch of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is still unclear. While various rumors believed that it would be launching soon, recent reports have stated otherwise. Now, new information has suggested that the smartphone will be arriving in January 2022.
Galaxy S21 FE
According to a SamMobilereport, the South Korean tech giant will be launching the Galaxy S21 FE in January 2021. However, the device won’t be announced in a major event or even a virtual Unpacked conference, rather it would quietly launched through a simple press release. On the other hand, this implies that the launch of the Galaxy S22 series, which was previously expected to launch in January, will likely be delayed.
It is highly unlikely that Samsung would launch to high end smartphones alongside each other, so a minimum gap of a month can be expected between the two releases. Notably, the report added that the Galaxy S21 FE might only be availability might be limited at launch, with some nations receiving units in January while the rest might face further delays for its sale.
Galaxy S22 Render
As of right now, the global chip shortage is expected to be the primary reason for the delayed launch of the Galaxy S21 FE. But a delay in the plan could be good for the company as it would be able to secure more chips for its next gen flagship lineup. Furthermore, Samsung might even conduct an Unpacked event for the Galaxy S22 series prior to MWC 2022 that is set to start from February 28. Although, this is still unconfirmed so take this report with a pinch of salt for now.
Acer has launched a new gaming laptop under the Nitro 5 series. The new Acer Nitro 5 comes with a 17.3-inch, 1080p display, 144Hz display refresh rate, and will have the Intel Core i7 11th Gen processor. The graphics chip for the new model is the Nividia’s RTX 3050 Ti, although the maximum graphics power and CPU model have not been specified yet.
The new model has a few tweaks from the earlier released Nitro 5 this year although it still retains its red and black design with edges that taper off. There is also the full-sized keyboard and the barrel plug charger can now be plugged on the side of the laptop instead of the back previously.
The Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop will be priced at $1,199.99. It offers 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of internal memory, which is a decent offering for a gaming laptop priced on the high end of the spectrum. The 17.3-inch Nitro 5 gaming laptop has an Ethernet port, a Thunderbolt 4 port, three USB-A ports, HDMI, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a Kensington slot.
The new Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptops will be available mid-October and will hope to have a great effect on the gaming community, given its impressive features. A smaller model is also scheduled for release in mid-October. The smaller model is priced at $769.99 and has a 15.6-inch screen with a 144Hz display refresh rate. It is powered by the 11th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB of RAM, and 256 GB SSD, with a Nividia Graphics GTX 1650 chip. The model also has similar ports to the 17.3-inch Nitro 5. Of course, the smaller model has reduced capacity across several aspects and will yield a much-reduced gaming experience.
Xiaomi India announced today that it has managed to sell over 2 million smartphones in just 5 days of the festive sales across Mi.com, Amazon’s Great Indian Shopping Festival, Flipkart’s Big Billion Days, and offline channels. All in all, the company recorded a 10x growth in the premium segment of above Rs. 20,000 when compared to last year. This has been made possible due to the ridiculously low rates offered as part of the ‘Diwali With Mi’ initiative.
The company only recently launched the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE and has been selling it for as low as ₹23,499 on Amazon, offers included. The Xiaomi Mi 11X has also seen major price cuts and currently sells at just ₹19,499 (again, offers included), which is down by over ₹10,000 from its regular rate of ₹29,999. A Snapdragon 870 chip paired with all of the other goodies that the device offers make it a must-buy.
The aforementioned is only a part of the more premium segment though and Xiaomi has also been shining in the budget segment. Offerings like the Redmi Note 10S, Redmi Note 10 Pro, and Redmi 9 series in the mid and budget segment also have a major role to play in helping Xiaomi reach the 2 million mark.
In addition, the company also has hourly deals coupled with exciting quizzes and bundle offers for consumers to get their hands on.
Marking the occasion, Raghu Reddy, Chief Business Officer, Mi India said, “At Xiaomi India, our top priority is to enable ‘Innovation for everyone.’ We thrive on offering products that are driven by technological innovation underpinned by great design that can help enhance the consumer’s product experience, lifestyle, and overall well-being. We are always focused on meeting our consumers’ and fans’ expectations by offering innovative products across myriad other categories.”
“We are extremely proud to see the amount of love, appreciation, and response that our fans and consumers continue to show us. Achieving such milestones helps us to push the boundaries of technological innovation and elevate the consumer’s smartphone experience with every product,” he added.
Earlier this year, the Vivo V21 series was launched in India, and included the V21e and V21 5G. While the base variant was available in three colors, namely Sunset Dazzle, Arctic White, and Dusk Blue, a new report has suggested that the company is planning on launching a new color variant of the device.
According to a MySmartPrice report, the Chinese smartphone maker will be launching the budget premium grade smartphone that costs under 400 US Dollars in a new color variant in India. As per sources close to the matter, the company is aiming on launching a new Neon Spark color of the V21 5G. Notably, the report has also shared an official poster image of this new color option that showcases the upcoming variant.
Looking at this poster, the overall design of the V21 5G Neon Spark version is the same with just a new paint job. Unfortunately, it is currently unknown at what price the upcoming version will launch for in the region, but it should be around the price tag that the device is sold in, as of right now. The 8GB + 128GB version is priced at 29,990 INR (roughly 400 US Dollars), while the higher end 256GB version costs 32,990 INR (roughly 440 US Dollars).
Samsung has taken extra precautions against false warranty claims for its Galaxy Z Flip 3 thanks to the implementation of an elaborate system that logs all acceleration-based free-fall events. Samsung engineers can then use these logs to determine if a phone has been dropped from a height over 1 meter or not, and verify if the damage is to be covered under warranty.
However, it is worth mentioning here that Samsung’s service centers seem to exhibit a varying degree of leniency when it comes to repairs (via: SamMobile). This is apparent from the various reports from Galaxy Z Flip 3 users.
In one of the cases, Samsung was willing to repair the phone under warranty even after engineers determined that the device in question was dropped three times, with the last drop taking place 10 hours before the screen broke.
Of course, not everyone will be as lucky as the said user, which is why it is advisable to exercise a degree of precaution. If you have a habit of tossing your phone onto the couch or mishandling it, then you can face difficulties trying to make a warranty claim in the event of an accident. After all, all of the free-fall data is likely being logged.
What remains unknown here is if the Galaxy Z Fold 3 logs regular accelerometer data as well – the kind that has not been triggered by falls. There does not seem to be any evidence of that but we’ll keep you posted if we come across anything as such.
In other news, Samsung has introduced the world of Material You colors with the latest Android 12-based One UI 4.0 beta 2 update. Head here to know more.
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