OnePlus 7, 7 Pro get September patch and new Game Space features with latest beta

OnePlus has released OxygenOS Open Beta 18 for the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro, which bump up the Android security patch level on both smartphones to September 2020. OnePlus 7 Pro Additionally, the new build squashes bugs related to the screen recorder and notification bar and adds new features to Game Space. You can check out the full changelog of OxygenOS Open Beta 18 below for more details: System Fixed the known issues with screen recorder. Fixed the issue that the notification bar did not respond occasionally. Updated Android security patch...

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Huawei Mate 40 Pro granted Bluetooth certification

Huawei’s Mate 40 series currently faces uncertainty following recent reports that the smartphone won’t launch outside of China until 2021. The company also expects a 30% decline in shipments for the new flagship. Huawei Mate 40 Pro Gets NBTC, Bluetooth & Spare Parts Certified At EEC Certification.Bluetooth Certification Link https://t.co/Qg7IGKRkAY pic.twitter.com/clw5NCPGdb— Abhishek Yadav (@yabhishekhd) September 16, 2020 Filed back in late July, a Bluetooth certification was just posted at the NBTC (Thailand) and the Eurasian Economic Comission (Russia) for wireless components...

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Xbox Game Pass Ultimate now available in 22 countries

Microsoft’s xCloud gaming service has officially gone live in 22 countries. Among the 22 countries that the service is available include: US, Canada, most of Europe, UK, and South Korea. As of the initial launch, over 150 games that can be streamed directly over an Android smartphone, tablet, PC, or Xbox console. Officially called “Xbox Game Pass Ultimate”, the new service costs $14.99 per month and lets you stream games directly from Microsoft – and it does not require owning an Xbox console. You will, however, need to buy an Xbox or compatible controller. Microsoft reminds us that...

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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 pre-orders hit 60,000 in South Korea

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 has left its predecessor in the rear view mirror – a Korean publication is reporting that the new foldable flagship has scored 50,000 pre-orders already, a new record for foldables. And this doesn’t seem to include 10,000 or so units that can be swapped in exchange for the older Galaxy Fold 5G. People have until the end of today to bring in their old phone into a Samsung Digital Plaza store (more details here). This was a “first come, first serve” offer and all available spots have been filled. Samsung will start shipping pre-ordered phones today and...

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Sony denies cutting PlayStation 5 production targets

Just as Sony is preparing to officially announce the pricing of the upcoming PlayStation 5 console, Bloomberg reported that there might be potential trouble behind the scenes. According to its story Sony slashed its production forecast from 15 million units to 11 million. Poor yields of the custom SoC that powers the console were quoted as a reason, but Sony stepped in to deny the reports. While we do not release details related to manufacturing, the information provided by Bloomberg is false. We have not changed the production number for PlayStation 5 since the start of mass...

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Spotify doesn't like Apple One

Apple One was officially announced today - it's a bundle of Apple's various subscription services, and it starts at $14.95 per month. This entry-level tier includes Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, 50GB of iCloud storage, and, most importantly - Apple Music. The launch really isn't sitting well at all with Spotify, as the Apple Music competitor saw it fit to issue the following statement less than an hour after Apple's event ended: Once again, Apple is using its dominant position and unfair practices to disadvantage competitors and deprive consumers by favoring its own services. We call on...

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Apple details A14 chipset ahead of iPhone 12 lineup announcement

Normally Apple’s September event would give us the new iPhone lineup, but 2020 is unlike most years so new Apple Watches and iPads will have to do for now. However, we still got to see the debut of the Apple A14 Bionic chipset that will power the upcoming iPhone 12 smartphones. This is the first chipset globally built on the new 5nm process, outdoing Android competition that still uses 7nm SoCs. It comes with a six-core CPU and quad-core GPU, but oddly enough Apple chose to compare its performance numbers to the A12 rather than last year’s A13, quoting 40% CPU improvement and 30%...

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Apple unveils new iPad Air with A14 Bionic chipset, refreshes entry-level iPad too

Today at its dedicated online event, Apple took the wraps off its newest tablets. While the Pro family is staying the same, since it was refreshed not that long ago, it was time for the iPad Air as well as the entry level iPad to become better. And that they did. iPad Air Let's start with the new iPad Air. It has a fresh design, which is clearly inspired by the iPad Pro line. The screen bezels are smaller, the port is USB-C and not Lightning anymore (and you get a 20W charger in the box). The new iPad Air The tablet has the same footprint as its predecessor, but...

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The Samsung Galaxy Watch3 coming to the US and Korea, update improves sleep tracking

After its debut in Germany earlier this month, the Samsung Galaxy Watch3 Titan is preparing launch on the other side of the Atlantic – it will be available in the US starting on October 2. Then you will be able to find it on Samsung.com as well as major retailers. The price is set at $600. Note that the titanium version is available in a single configuration – Bluetooth only (so no LTE), 45 mm size and Mystic Black color. For comparison, the vanilla Watch3 with those specs sells for $430. The Samsung Galaxy Watch3 Titan is coming to the US on October 2 The Titan is also...

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AirPods Pro get Spatial Audio with latest update

The latest update for Apple’s Airpods Pro brings the long-awaited Spatial Audio feature which provides a 3D surround sound experience on supported content. The new firmware bears the 3A283 moniker and is seeding to AirPods 2 users as well. Both the Pro and non-Pro Airpods gain automatic switching between devices though the Spatial Audio bit is reserved for the higher-end earphones. Apple first detailed its Spatial Audio feature back in June, revealing it uses specialized directional audio algorithms and sensors built into the earphones to deliver a movie theater-like surround sound....

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Watch the Apple Time Flies Event here

Apart from marking the halfway point of this month, September 15 is the date of Apple’s Time Flies event. The show starts at 10AM PDT (5PM UTC) and you can catch the full keynote through the stream below. So what on the menu? The countless leaks in the past weeks suggest we’re in for an Apple Watch Series 6 as well as a new affordable Watch offering (possibly called Apple Watch SE). There’s also talks of a fourth-gen iPad Air and AirTags - Apple’s Bluetooth tracking Tile alternative. Other rumors suggest we could see a unified Apple One subscription service that combines all of...

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Entire iPhone 12 lineup will miss out on 120Hz displays, says Ming-chi Kuo

Ming-chi Kuo wrote in his most recent research note that the iPhone 12 models will not have 120Hz screens – due to battery life considerations, claims the analyst. An earlier report from another source pointed the finger at supply issues with the driver ICs. Anyway, Apple will reportedly wait until 2021 when it will use high refresh rate screens based on the more power-efficient LTPO technology. These are 5-15% more efficient than LTPS OLED panels, which should help offset the higher power draw (Apple already uses LTPO displays in its Watch). Kuo adds that the smallest phones in the...

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Poco X3 NFC review

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Camera-focused Samsung Galaxy F series incoming, user manual reveals details

According to a new rumor making rounds, Samsung is gearing to launch a new series of smartphones focused on photography in India under the Galaxy F moniker. These phones are expected to retail in the INR 15,000-20,000 ($200-$270) segment and could launch as early as next month as an online exclusive at launch. Samsung Galaxy F41 listing Ahead of the big announcement a user manual was posted on Samsung India’s support page and it gives us our first look at the first member of the new F-series - the Galaxy F41. It bears the SM-F415F model number which was previously believed to be a...

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New vivo Y51 announced with Snapdragon 665 SoC, AMOLED screen, and 48MP quad camera

Back in December 2015, vivo unveiled the Y51 with Snapdragon 410 SoC, 5" display, 8MP primary camera, and a 2,350 mAh battery. Today, vivo announced the new Y51, which is powered by the Snapdragon 665 SoC, runs Android 10-based Funtouch OS 10 and has 4GB RAM and 128GB expandable storage onboard. The new vivo Y51 is built around a 6.38" FullHD+ Ace AMOLED display that has a fingerprint reader underneath and a notch up top for the 16MP selfie camera. Around the back, you have a diamond-shaped plate housing four cameras - 48MP primary, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro, and 2MP depth sensor. These...

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Samsung unveils new 108MP sensor, new 48MP sensor for periscopes and ultrawide cams

Samsung released the first image sensor with 0.7µm pixels last year and is now introducing four new models based on 0.7 µm pixels. The goal is to create smaller, thinner camera modules. These sensors use ISOCELL Plus but the company plans to introduce versions with the new ISOCELL 2.0 later this year. Compared to 0.8µm sensors, the new ones are up to 15% smaller and camera modules using them will be up to 10% thinner, which will make for smaller camera bumps. The ISOCELL HM2 is Samsung’s third 108MP sensor. Like the HM1, it uses nine-pixel binning tech and can do up to 3x lossless zoom....

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Sony launches A7C, a compact $1800 full-frame camera

Sony has launched the Alpha 7C, also known as the A7C, which is the company's latest full-frame mirrorless camera. The main focus here is the size, and Sony claims that this is the smallest full-frame mirrorless camera on the market. For all intents and purposes, the Sony A7C is the A7 III but in a smaller body. This means it has the same 24.2MP 35mm full-frame back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor along with the BIONZ X image processor. Sony claims 15-stops of dynamic range and sensitivity up to ISO 51,200 along with 14-bit RAW images. The camera also retains the in-body image...

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Samsung One UI 3.0 fully detailed in beta changelog

Last week, Samsung tipped off its One UI 3.0 Beta program for developers on the Galaxy S20 series. Now, early builds of the beta are arriving for users in South Korea and the US and the folks over at XDA Developers are giving a look at the new additions in Samsung’s custom interface alongside its complete changelog. One UI 3.0 new additions (source XDA Developers) The new update comes in at 2.5GB in size and ships with the September 1 Android security patch. As a whole One UI 3.0 comes with a plethora of new additions based on Android 11 headlined by chat bubbles and one-time...

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vivo Watch teaser shows out its design and key features

Last week we got our first look at the upcoming vivo Watch and today we have another teaser in the form of a short product video. The wearable which is slated to debut on September 22 appears with a stainless steel body and round AMOLED screen with several watch strap varieties. According to the latest leaked specs the vivo Watch will come in 42mm and 46mm sizes with sport, calorie and SpO2 tracking as well as a heart rate sensor. It will also do sleep tracking, independent music playback and will support NFC and 5ATM water resistance. Rumors suggest it will last 18 days on a...

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Sony Xperia 5 II appears on TENAA with photos

Sony is introducing the Xperia 5 II on September 17 but the device has already been certified by TENAA for use in China, and the listing revealed some specs, as well as the official looks. The new phone will keep the triple-cam array on the back but this time it will sport the ZEISS T* anti-reflective coating on the lenses. Sony Xperia 5 II The phone will have a 6.1” screen, which is not that big, especially since the Xperia 5 II will keep the 21:9 CinemaWide ratio. In fact, it is the same diagonal as last year’s Xperia 5. However, this time we’ll have a tad smaller...

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Redmi 9i announced: A Redmi 9A with more RAM and storage

Xiaomi offshoot Redmi launched the Redmi 9 as Redmi 9 Prime in India last month, followed by the Redmi 9 which is similar to the international Redmi 9C. Today the Chinese phone maker launched the Redmi 9i in India, which is a rebranded Redmi 9A launched earlier this month in the country. The only difference between the Redmi 9A and 9i is that the latter comes with more RAM and storage, which makes us question the need for a name change. Redmi could have just announced it as a Redmi 9A with more memory. Anyway, the Redmi 9i is powered by the Helio G25 SoC and runs Android 10 with...

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LG teases upcoming phone with slide-out display

Yesterday LG announced its Wing 5G - a swiveling smartphone with two displays. It’s a different approach to dual-screen smartphones, to say the least, and LG is betting big on this innovative style of devices with its new Explorer Project range. As LG’s Andrew Coughlin explained the Explorer Project is about taking risks and pursuing new opportunities in smartphone design and functionality with practical innovations for consumers. And just as yesterday’s keynote came to its end, LG brought up “one more thing” giving us a teaser of its next Explorer Project device - a slide-out...

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Realme C17 to be announced on September 21, 90Hz display and quad camera confirmed

Realme introduced the C15 back in July and unveiled the C12 last month. Now the company is set to further expand its C series with the launch of Realme C17 on September 21 - the same day Realme's Narzo 20 series is arriving. This information comes from Realme's Bangladesh branch, which took to Facebook to announce the launch date, and said that the event will be streamed on YouTube and Facebook starting noon local time (6AM UTC). Additionally, Realme confirmed that C17 will pack a 90Hz display, which from a recent leak we know will measure 6.5" diagonally and have HD+ resolution....

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Oppo Reno4 SE arriving on September 21 with 65W charging

Oppo is launching its next phone, dubbed Reno4 SE. It looks a lot like the F17 Pro, sold on the global scene, but after further inspection, instead of having four shooters in a square setup, they are actually three with an LED flash in the fourth circle. The Oppo Reno4 SE is now listed on the company website, as well as appearing at some retailers, and will be launched on September 21. The phone will support 65W charging and have an OLED panel with a single punch hole in the upper left corner. There is a power key on the right side of the phone, the left is for the volume...

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