Spotify is reportedly on the verge of launching a high-fidelity audio add-on for its streaming service according to a Bloomberg report. This premium tier is expected to cost an additional $5 per month and will come with several new features besides improved audio quality.

Spotify previously announced its hi-fi audio plans for 2021

Existing Spotify Premium subscribers will have the option to add the HiFi tier to their current plan, bringing the total monthly cost to $16.99 (considering the upcoming base price increase to $11.99 for Premium). Bloomberg’s report suggests this add-on will also include playlist creation tools designed for specific activities, dates, or times of year. Spotify originally announced its HiFi audio plans for 2021, but the launch never materialized. Since then, rumors have swirled about the specifics of this premium tier. Last year, Bloomberg reported on a potential “Supremium” HiFi plan with a higher price point. Another report, from The Wall Street Journal, suggested the add-on might bundle a remix feature allowing users to adjust the playback speed of tracks.

Code discovered within the Spotify app in 2023 offered further clues about the potential features of the HiFi add-on. This leaked code hinted at the inclusion of 24-bit lossless audio, AI-powered playlist creation, and a mood-based song filtering tool for playlists. More recently, a Reddit user discovered code mentioning “lossless has arrived” within the app, followed by another user sharing leaked UI elements that referenced lossless quality reaching up to 2,117kbps and the availability of 24-bit/44.1kHz for specific songs using the FLAC audio format.

(Via)

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Meizu has been dropping teasers for a product launch on Thursday, February 14. We originally thought it would be the Note 9 but today’s teaser poster revealed that it isn’t it. Now, live images have leaked that provide more details about the device.

The images were shared on Weibo by Ice Universe and they seem to have been taken at Meizu’s own office. The first photo shows a graphics designer working on a poster. We can make out the Meizu logo at the top left corner and the words “Hi-Fi” which confirms the product is audio related. However, the big reveal is the price of the device which is a whopping ¥6999 (~$1033). But that’s not all.

The second photo shows the product in a retail box with a blue-pink gradient design. Written on the box is “Meizu x Astell&Kern”. This means the product is a collaboration between Meizu and Astell&Kern.

Astell&Kern is a South Korean-owned electronics company owned by Iriver. Iriver itself was formed back in 1999 by seven former Samsung employees. The company manufactures media players, headphones, portable Hi-Fi audio players, and home theater products. We checked out their site and then we understood why Meizu’s product costs over $1,000.

READ MORE: Meizu Note 9 full specifications leaked on TENAA; Launch date imminent

We are still not sure yet but we think it is a special Hi-Fi edition of the Meizu 16 (or 16 Plus). However, we are not too surprised as Meizu actually started its business as an MP3 player manufacturer before switching to smartphones years later.

(Source)

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A week ago, a source leaked that Vivo was planning a launch for two new phones: the Vivo X9 and Vivo XPlay 6. An official poster released by the phone maker already confirms that of the Vivo X9.

The image which shows two camera sensors verifies the info provided by the source that Vivo is also going the dual camera route with their new phone. Quite a number of manufacturers based in China have released dual-camera phones this year. Some have been spectacular and others have been sort of just there. But it’ll be interesting to see how Vivo’s new device performs against the competition.

The text on the poster when translated features two prominent words the words ”Jiu” and ”Mirror”, the first which means nine hints at the model of the phone and the latter which is most likely describing the cameras’ prowess, since only a mirror has the ability to perfectly reproduce what is in front of it. And since the dual-cameras are in front, it could mean they’ll provide mirror quality selfies.

Another detail leaked is that the Vivo X9 will feature smart Hi-Fi audio to provide owners with top notch music experience.

READ MORE: Vivo Comes in Second in Q3 2016 Sales

The Vivo X9 is expected to launch on the 17th of November and feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 653 chip. Other details haven’t been made known yet, but be rest assured we’ll keep you informed once they are revealed.

Renders of the upcoming Vivo X9 have been posted online. There is a larger version said to be called the X9 Plus beside it. The render shows four circles in pairs of two flanking the top speaker: two of which are the dual cameras; the third should be the proximity sensor; and the last is most definitely a front flash.

We can also see that the Vivo X9 has it’s audio jack at the bottom, left of the charging port. The rear camera and LED flash are positioned on the top left corner of the phone and there are antenna lines running along the curves on the top and bottom.

An image of the specification of one of the cameras has also been released. The sensor is said to be a  20MP snapper supplied by Sony. The other one is rumoured to be an 8MP shooter.

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All this while, Ulefone has marketed the Vienna as a cheap Hi-Fi equipped device. The phone’s unique selling point was always going to be the high-quality audio output that it aims to provide. However, the latest video from Ulefone wants to show that the Vienna is more than a Hi-Fi device. The video focuses on the phone’s performance and claims that it is the fastest phone from the company so far.

Ulefone has quite the experience when it comes to Mediatek’s Mt6753 octa-core 64-bit chipset. The company has used the same chip on multiple phones in the past including the Ulefone Paris and Ulefone Power. With the same Android 5.1 Lollipop OS on top, and nearly half year worth optimizations, the company has reportedly managed to master the OS for fluidity.

In the video, Ulefone shows that its Vienna is super smooth, opening up applications, gallery, and playing games without any hiccups. In the AnTuTu benchmark, the phone managed to score above 39,000, which may not be much according to this year’s chipset standards, but it’s good enough to drive your everyday needs. The MT6753 chip along with 3GB of RAM on board should provide fluid performance on the device. Further, you get a large 32GB storage as standard to store all your Hi-Fi audio files.

Other features of the Vienna include a 5.5-inch 1080p display, fingerprint sensor, 2.5D glass with gorilla glass panel, infrared port, 3250mAh battery and a 13MP Panasonic camera. You can check out the direct comparison of the camera quality of the Vienna and the S7 Edge from here. And yes, given that this phone is marketed as an audio-centric device, it comes with an NXP audio chip and Box sound chamber for a superior audio experience.

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Vivo is going big with its upcoming Vivo XPlay 5 flagship. The phone is confirmed to be the first 6GB RAM smartphone in the market. Along with such a large RAM module, the XPlay 5 will also feature one of the fastest chips this year, the Snapdragon 820. What’s more, the company has also confirmed that the phone will come with dual curved edge display, adding to the beauty of the device. As you can see from the specs, the phone is really going to be extraordinary.

Now, we might have a first look at the phone, thanks to the leaked Vivo XPlay 5 renders. To be honest, they look quite good and if the phone is anything like the one in the renders, then Vivo has done a very good job with its upcoming flagship. The phone features a borderless design, with the edges curved on both the sides like the Galaxy S6 Edge.

Taking these Vivo XPlay 5 renders into consideration, the phone most likely comes with a beautiful design. Plus the specs are powerful as confirmed by the company in the past few days, which is a deadly combination.

In fact, Vivo is sticking with its tradition of revealing a new feature every day, as a few hours back, the company confirmed that the Vivo XPlay 5 will come with Hi-Fi 3.0. In case you follow the brand, you would know that Vivo’s smartphone have always been known for their Hi-Fi audio, so its no surprise that the company decided to use the new Hi-Fi 3.0 standard in its flagship device.

Vivo XPlay 5 is turning out to be a beast with these features and we are now all the more excited to meet the device at the launch on March 1. However, considering Vivo’s pricing strategy, don’t expect this beast to be cheap. You might want deep pockets if you are planning to get hold of this device sometime in the coming weeks.

But if the phone is priced somewhere around $500-$600, would you be interested?

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