WhatsApp explains what happens to people who won't agree to its privacy changes

Back in January, WhatsApp stirred up a huge backlash after announcing that it would be forcing its users to agree to new terms and conditions for its privacy policy. The updated wording made people think Facebook would get the contents of their chats, or something like that - which is funny because while that's not true for WhatsApp, it is for Facebook Messenger, and there was never a backlash about that service, was there? Anyway, after the internet exploded and people started moving to services like Telegram, which are actually less privacy-secure than WhatsApp (if we're talking access...

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Apple may launch a MagSafe battery pack for iPhones

According to Bloomberg sources, Apple is working on a new MagSafe accessory for the iPhone 12. A magnetically attached battery pack would let iPhone users easily piggyback a battery pack to juice up the battery. The advantage with MagSafe is that magnets would easily align the charger pack to the back of the phone. With the iPhone 12, Apple brought back the MagSafe name sake to use on a new ecosystem of iPhone accessories from wireless charging pads, to cases and wallets that are held to an iPhone by magnets. All four iPhone 12 variants support MagSafe. According to the source,...

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Android 12 Developer Preview arrives with a bunch of UI changes, new features, and improvements

As of Thursday, the next version of Android has official begun its cycle, though it’s still in the earliest stage: the first Developer Preview build of Android 12 has arrived and it reveals much about the next major update to Google’s smartphone OS. Frankly, there are too many new features to cover in a single post, but we’ll make some notable mentions here. There’s a one-handed mode that’s not enabled just yet, but the feature seems to be on its way to the final version of Android 12. First look at One-Handed Mode settings on Android 12 - confirmed it's in the works!...

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Nikkei: Huawei will cut phone production by more than half in 2021

Huawei is resolved not to sell its phone division, but it will not be easy going – the company is preparing for tough times ahead. Nikkei reports that the telecommunications giant has notified its component suppliers that it will build far fewer phones this year than it did in 2020. Huawei will reportedly order enough components for 70-80 million for the whole year. That’s a 60% drop from the 189 million units it shipped last year, which was already a sizable decrease from the 240 million phones sold in 2019. The product mix will be affected as well, skewing away from the high end....

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YouTube for Android now giving 4K playback option even if don't have a 4K screen

An interesting change in the YouTube Android app now lets some users playback videos at up to 4K resolution at 60FPS with HDR on devices with lower res-displays. The new feature is seemingly a server-side update as I’m using version 15.05.35 of the YouTube app and not the latest 15.06.35 build which released on February 13. Last year the iOS YouTube also app gained 4K playback with the rollout of iOS 14. Newly added 2160p playback option in YouTube app In my personal testing with a Galaxy S10e playback at 2160p worked well though when I switched to a Galaxy Tab S5e playback fared...

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Microsoft Office 2021 is coming for Windows and macOS later this year

Microsoft has announced that its next installment of Office is coming later this year. Microsoft Office 2021 is coming to Windows (32-bit and 64-bit) and macOS devices and is the pay-once-and-have-for-life office suite, not the subscription-based Office 365, where Microsoft invests most of its time and energy. While Microsoft didn't detail all the changes to Office 2021 just yet, it did mention that Dark Mode will be supported and it will add Dynamic Arrays and XLOOKUP to Excel. Both Office 2021 and Office LTSC (long-term servicing channel) for businesses will be supported just 5...

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vivo iQOO Neo5 live image leaks, reveals a waterdrop notch

The vivo iQOO Neo5 smartphone was said to arrive next month with a Snapdragon 870 chipset, and today a live image of the phone appeared online. The device runs Origin OS, based on Android 11, and will have an 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. The image also reveals the selfie camera on the flat front is mounted on a waterdrop notch. The image also says the iQOO Neo5 will have "8+3GB RAM". Sources claim vivo managed to develop a so-called “fusion technology” that is dumping some of the RAM-allocated memory to the storage chip, freeing up space when needed without losing the state of the...

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Apple TV app now available on Google TV

Google has announced that the Apple TV app is coming to the Google TV platform. The app is currently available on the recently launched Chromecast with Google TV media player, along with Google TV models from Sony and TCL. Android TV models will get it in the future. The Apple TV app includes all of Apple's online video streaming content, including movies and TV shows purchased from the iTunes store as well as the Apple TV+ streaming service. If this app is anything like on other non-Apple devices, then you won't be able to purchase any new content but you can access everything in your...

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ZTE will debut second-gen under-display camera at MWC Shanghai

After bringing the first mass-market smartphone with an under-display camera, ZTE is gearing up to showcase its second-gen implementation at the upcoming MWC Shanghai. The conference will take place between February 23 – 25 and ZTE’s rumored Axon 30 Pro could very well be the device to showcase the new UD development. Ni Fei post on Weibo The news was announced via a Weibo post by ZTE's President of Mobile Devices Ni Fei and also mentions that ZTE will present the world’s first under-screen 3D structured light technology. It remains to be seen how this implementation will be used...

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Key OnePlus 9 specs confirmed in AIDA64 screenshots

There are OnePlus 9 units out there and that has been the cause of constant leaks. The latest comes from @TechDroider who posted screenshots of AIDA64 running on one of those units, which confirms the key specs of the phone. The vanilla OnePlus will feature a 6.55” display with 1080p+resolution (20:9). The screen will support 120 Hz refresh rate – basically, not much will change compared to the 8T. The chipset will change though, it’s the brand new Snapdragon 888 (code name “Lahaina”). This particular unit was equipped with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB storage. The Pro model is expected to...

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Samsung may be making an Android Wear smartwatch

A controversial new rumor has been shared by typically reliable tipster Ice universe that Samsung's next watch will replace Tizen with Android. This isn't the first time we're hearing of Samsung using Android Wear OS in place of Tizen - Evan Blass reported Samsung employees using Wear OS watches back in 2018. But all the watches that have come from Samsung since have been Tizen-powered and the consensus has been that they're better than their Android counterparts. So we are seriously doubting that Samsung is working to replace its successful Tizen OS for Wear OS. Samsung's new watch...

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Huawei P50 supply reduced and delivery delayed, reports reveal

Huawei traditionally unveils the P series in the first quarter of the calendar year, but according to recent reports, this might not be the case in 2021. An insider from the Huawei supply chain revealed orders for components are lower this time, and also there are delays in supplying them, which will affect the overall availability of the devices. Huawei P40 Pro, P40 Pro+, and P40 The Huawei P50 lineup is going to include at least three phones - a vanilla P50 with a Kirin 9000E chipset; a P50 Pro and a P50 Pro+, both running the Kirin 9000 chip, manufactured with Arm...

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DxOMark: ZTE Axon 20 5G selfie cam is a big letdown

ZTE made headlines last year when it announced its Axon 20 5G - the first commercially-available phone with an under display selfie camera. Being a first-gen product one could imagine that the implementation is far from perfect when it comes to image quality and the latest DxOMark review certainly confirms this. The Axon 20 5G scored a measly 26 points, the second-lowest score seen in DxO’s database. ZTE Axon 20 5G scorecard The only bright spots for the Axons 20’s 32MP f/2.0 selfie snapper are that it delivered stable exposure and focus. Everything else was various levels of...

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Realme Buds Air 2 specs confirmed: 25 dB ANC, 25-hour battery, low latency mode

Realme is drumming up a lot of buzz for the February 24 launch of its Buds Air 2 TWS headset. They will be tuned by electronic DJs The Chainsmokers and promise the best in class active noise cancellation (ANC). Here’s an overview of the headset from the event page. Realme Buds Air 2: 25 dB ANC and 88 ms low latency mode • 25 hour battery life and 10 mm drivers The ANC is rated at 25 dB, compared to 35 dB for the Realme Buds Air Pro. Of course, the Pro are priced INR 5,000/€90 and the Air 2 will be more affordable (the actual price will be announced at the event). The original Air...

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vivo is entering the Romanian and Czech markets, Serbia and Austria to follow

Late last year vivo announced that it is entering six European markets, the plan for 2021 is to double that and have official vivo presence in 12 countries. Romania and Czechia are first in line and will be followed by Serbia and Austria before the end of June. The company is promising to bring premium smartphones, ones with advanced camera systems co-designed with ZEISS. No names were named in the press release, but there are really only three options – the vivo X60 and X60 Pro and the X60 Pro+. vivo X60 5G • vivo X60 Pro 5G • vivo X60 Pro+ 5G Of course, there’s no guarantee...

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Oppo Find X3 Pro to have two Sony IMX766 sensors, Find X3 incoming with SD870

Oppo is going to introduce the Find X3 lineup next month. Latest rumors from China claim the Find X3 Pro flagship will have two custom-made IMX766 sensors by Sony - one for the main wide-angle camera, the other for the ultra-wide-angle shooter. The phone will also boast some impressive macro photography credentials, a leaked image suggests. The Find X3 Pro, hidden behind the model number PEEM00, appeared on Geekbench, revealing a 12GB RAM option - nothing extraordinary, since the Find X2 Pro also had it. Oppo Find X3 Pro on Geekbench At the same time, what is likely the Find X3...

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Xiaomi Mi 11 to hit its first overseas markets on February 25

Originally announced in December of last year for the Chinese market and then globally earlier this month, Xiaomi’s Mi 11 flagship will go on sale in the first wave of Asian countries next wek. Xiaomi’s Facebook pages in Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam confirmed first sales will commence on February 25. Each country’s page will hold an online conference which you can tune in and follow live. Xiaomi Singapore post In the meantime, you can check out our Xiaomi Mi 11 written review for our detailed impressions of this year’s Xiaomi flagship. Source

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Motorola Moto E7 Power announced with 6.5" screen and 5,000 mAh battery

The Motorola Moto E7 Power we've been hearing about for a few weeks made its debut today in India. The Moto E7 Power is built around a 6.5" 20:9 HD+ display with a waterdrop notch for the 5MP selfie camera. It is powered by the Helio G25 SoC, boots to Android 10, and has two memory options - 2GB/32GB and 4GB/64GB. It also has a microSD card slot which allows storage expansion by up to 1TB. The Moto E7 Power's rear panel is home to a fingerprint reader and a dual camera setup comprising a 13MP primary and 2MP macro units. The Moto E7 Power also has a dedicated Google Assistant...

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