At its second Unpacked event of the year, Samsung officially unveiled three of its next A-series phones: the Galaxy A52, A52 5G, and A72. While the company isn’t sharing US pricing or availability yet, it has confirmed European pricing: €349 for the A52 (about $415), €429 for the A52 5G (about $510), and €449 for the A72 ($534).
Key specs across the board include IP67 water and dust resistance, brighter screens with faster refresh rates, and a 64-megapixel main camera with optical image stabilization. All three models include a microSD card slot for expandable storage and will ship with a charging brick in the box — features that you won’t find in the S21-series flagships.
Each is built on an unspecified octa-core (dual 2.3GHz + hexa 1.8GHz) processor and will ship with Android 11 and Samsung’s One UI 3.0. Storage variants of 128GB and 256GB will be offered for all models, with RAM configurations that will vary by region. Like all recent Galaxy phones, these devices are guaranteed at least four years of security updates.
The Galaxy A52 and A52 5G will both feature a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED screens. As rumored, the A52’s display will offer a 90Hz refresh rate, while the A52 5G will have a 120Hz screen. Each will feature a rear “quad” camera array, though one of those four cameras is a 5-megapixel depth sensor. The main 64-megapixel f/1.8 camera is accompanied by a 12-megapixel f/2.2 ultrawide 5-megapixel macro and 32-megapixel f/2.2 selfie cam.
Samsung says the A52 models feature brighter screens — up to 800 nits as compared to last year’s 600 — and 4,500mAh batteries capable of two days’ use on a single charge. And naturally, the A52 5G includes 5G connectivity, though Samsung hasn’t confirmed yet which frequencies it will support in the US.
The Galaxy A72 offers a slightly larger 6.7-inch Super AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate. It offers the same basic rear camera array but includes an 8-megapixel f/2.4 3x telephoto camera instead of the depth sensor. The A72 is an LTE-only model; a 5G version is likely to come but Samsung hasn’t confirmed this.
We should find out US pricing and availability for these devices — and potentially other A-series models — in the next few weeks. Last year’s A51 and A51 5G were introduced at $400 and $500, respectively, with the 5G version of the A71 coming in at $600. If this year’s models are priced similarly, these devices will be well-positioned to tempt midrange shoppers with features like fast refresh rate screens, stabilized main cameras, and IP ratings, which aren’t common in this class.
The chip shortage has expanded to the smartphone market, Reuters said Thursday, with Qualcomm reportedly struggling to make enough processors for its clients. That struggle could affect the availability—and pricing—of Android phones in the future.
This shortage reportedly stemmed from two problems: increased demand for Qualcomm processors and decreased availability of the parts used to make them. Sound familiar? It’s the same duo affecting the automotive and tech industries.
Reuters said the increased demand was partly caused by companies rushing to fill the void left by Huawei after the U.S. government sanctioned it. The rise of 5G has also helped, according to IDC, as has “pent-up demand” caused by COVID-19.
5G phones need 5G-capable processors, of course, which is where Qualcomm comes in. The company announced the flagship Snapdragon 888 5G Mobile Platform in December 2020; numerous manufacturers have already built phones around it.
Reuters said that, per an anonymous source, there’s a Snapdragon 888 shortage. Other sources reportedly told the publication that Qualcomm hasn’t been able to meet the demand for the processors used in low-end or mid-range smartphones, either.
That essentially means the entire band of Android smartphones, from budget models to flagship products, could be affected by the Qualcomm processor shortage. But the problem might actually start with another company: Samsung.
Qualcomm used Samsung’s 5nm process in the Snapdragon 888; it’s possible that production of that process hasn’t scaled enough to meet demand. Reuters said the company also relies on a Samsung factory in Texas for some of its radio frequency transceivers.
You might have guessed where this is going. In February, Samsung was asked to shut down that Texas factory to conserve power while the state responded to a winter storm that left millions of people without electricity, heat, or running water.
Samsung has struggled to get that fab running again because it needs to inspect, clean, and reconfigure all of its equipment. (All while making sure COVID-19 safety protocols are being followed, of course.) This could lead to even more delays.
This means Samsung can’t make smartphones without Qualcomm’s products, but Qualcomm can’t make those products without Samsung, either. It’s like an ouroboros that’s starving even as it consumes itself, but with 5G networking.
LG’s German website has revealed its Android 11 update roadmap — at least for Europe — and the news isn’t too encouraging. With the exception of the LG Velvet 5G, most of the company’s phones won’t get Android 11 until the back half of 2021, with the vast majority of devices not seeing the update until at least Q4 2021 (long after Android 12 should be available, if Google’s release schedule is similar this year).
It’s worth noting that the released schedule is only from LG’s German site. It’s possible that time frames will be different in other regions, that LG could add more devices over time, or that the updates will simply take less time to develop than the company expects.
The slow update speed isn’t entirely surprisingly, though. LG’s phone business has been struggling for years, prompting reports that the company is considering exiting the smartphone space entirely this year, although the company told The Vergein January that nothing has been finalized yet.
LG has also denied rumors that its next major smartphone, the LG Rollable, has been canceled, although there’s still no firm release date for that device either outside of a vague 2021 window.
Gogo will be delaying the rollout of its 5G network, pushing it back from 2021 to 2022. According to LightReading, the global chip shortage is to blame for the delay, though Gogo didn’t provide any direct details about how the shortage was setting it back.
Gogo isn’t the only one feeling the sting of the global chip shortage: graphics cards, CPUs, and game consoles have become infamous for being in short supply, and car manufacturers are having to slow down production lines because of the supply constraint. The situation has gotten to the point where President Joe Biden has signed an executive order calling for a review of the chip supply chain.
The company, known for providing in-flight Wi-Fi, had a difficult 2020: it did several rounds of layoffs, pay cuts, and furloughs, as people stopped taking flights. The company also ended up selling its commercial in-flight Wi-Fi business to a bankrupt satellite provider, which makes it slightly unclear as to what the company plans to do with its 5G network when it eventually gets it rolled out. The company still provides internet and in-flight entertainment for smaller, more business-oriented planes, so it’s possible it’ll use the network to improve that service. Gogo wasn’t immediately available to comment on its future plans for the network.
The 5G network, when Gogo gets it rolled out, will be an upgrade to the company’s existing 3G cellular towers. Gogo gave up on its plans of upgrading the network to 4G with equipment from ZTE after the US government basically shut down the network equipment provider with a ban.
(Pocket-lint) – Oppo announced its 2021 smartphone Find X3 series with three models to choose from: Find X3 Pro 5G, Find X3 Neo 5G and the Find X3 Lite 5G.
We’ve compared the specs of all three models to help you figure out what’s different, what’s the same and which model is the right Find for you. See what we did there.
Design
X3 Pro: 163.6 x 74 x 8.26mm, 193g
X3 Neo: 159.9 x 72.5 x 7.99mm, 184g
X3 Lite: 159.1 x 73.4 x 7.9mm, 172/180g (colour dependant)
The Find X3 series differs quite a lot in terms of design. The Find X3 Pro is the most striking of the three devices, featuring a square rear camera housing on a smooth bump, offering something different from the norm.
There’s a curved display on the front with a punch hole camera in the top left corner and overall, it’s a solid, premium looking device. It’s also IP68 rated and the only one of the three Find X3 devices to offer water and dust resistance.
The Find X3 Neo is next in the range in terms of price but it shares a similar design to the Find X3 Lite, with both offering a rectangular rear camera housing with three prominent lenses. The Neo has an additional fourth smaller square lens within the housing, while the Lite has an additional circular smaller lens.
They differ slightly from the front too. The Neo has a curved display like the X3 Pro, while the Lite has a flat display. Both come with a punch hole front camera like the X3 Pro though.
Display
X3 Pro: 6.7-inch, 3216 x 1440 (525ppi), 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300nits
X3 Neo: 6.55-inch, 2400 x 1080 (402ppi), 90Hz, HDR10+, 1100nits
X3 Lite: 6.4-inches, 2400 x 1080 (410ppi), 90Hz, 750nits
The Oppo Find X3 Pro has a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a Quad HD+ resolution, offering a pixel density of 525ppi. It’s said to have a 1 billion colour display though, which the Neo and Lite don’t offer. It also has a 120Hz refresh rate, support for HDR 10+ and a maximum brightness of 1300nits.
The Find X3 Neo has a slightly smaller display than the Find X3 Pro at 6.55-inches, and while it sticks with OLED, it drops the resolution to Full HD+ instead of Quad HD+, offering a pixel density of 402ppi. It also has a 90Hz refresh rate instead of 120Hz, and drops the peak brightness to 1100nits, though it still supports HDR10+.
The Find X3 Lite meanwhile, has the smallest display of the three Find X3 devices at 6.4-inches. The OLED panel has a Full HD+ resolution like the Neo, though a slightly higher pixel density because of the size reduction at 410ppi. It too opts for a 90Hz refresh rate but doesn’t offer HDR10+ support and its peak brightness is 750nits.
All three of the Oppo Find X3 devices have a quad rear camera, but they are all made up of different lenses.
The flagship X3 Pro has a 50-megapixel wide angle camera with an aperture of f/1.8, optical image stabilisation and PDAF. There’s also a 50-megapixel ultra wide-angle camera with an aperture of f/2.2 and PDAF, as well as a 13-megapixel telephoto lens with a f/2.4 aperture, 5x hybrid zoom and 20x optical zoom. The fourth lens is a 3-megapixel Microlens with an f/3.0 aperture and fixed focus.
The X3 Neo has the same 50-megapixel wide angle camera as the X3 Pro and the same telephoto lens. These are paired with a 16-megapixel ultra wide-angle camera with f/2.2 aperture though, and a 2-megapixel Macro camera with f/2.4 aperture.
The X3 Lite meanwhile, has a 64-megapixel main camera with an aperture of f/1.7, an 8-megapixel ultra wide-angle camera with an aperture of f/2.2 and the same macro lens as the X2 Neo. Its fourth sensor is a 2-megapixel Mono camera with an aperture of f/2.4.
All three Find X3 devices have a 32-megapixel front camera with an aperture of f/2.4.
The Oppo Find X3 Pro runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It’s Dual-SIM, with support for eSIM and it comes with a 4500mAh battery that supports 65W fast charging and 30W wireless charging.
The Find X3 Neo runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 platform, with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. It too is Dual-SIM, though doesn’t support eSIM, and it also comes with a 4500mAh battery with 65W fast charging. It doesn’t offer the 30W wireless charging support though.
The Find X3 Lite runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G platform, has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Like the Neo, it is Dual-SIM but doesn’t support eSIM and it comes with a 4300mAh battery, that also supports 65W fast charging.
The Pro and Neo both have dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, while the Lite offers Dolby Atmos but not dual stereo speakers. None of the Find X3 models have microSD for storage expansion. All three are 5G.
Price
All three models in the Find X3 series will be available in the UK from 14 April.
The Oppo Find X3 Pro will start at £1099. The Oppo Find X3 Neo will start at £699. The Oppo Find X3 Lite will start at £379.
Conclusion
The Oppo Find X3 Pro offers a larger, brighter and sharper display with more colours, a more premium and different design, waterproofing, a more capable camera and more advanced hardware compared to the other two X3 models.
The X3 Neo makes a few compromises compared to the X3 Pro, but it is nearly half the price. It drops the display resolution and refresh rate, offers no waterproofing, drops to last year’s processor, doesn’t have support for eSIM or 30W wireless charging and changes up the camera specs slightly.
The X3 Lite meanwhile, makes a few more compromises on top of the Neo, but it is a third of the price of the Pro model, and almost half that of the Neo so the choice between the handsets will come down to what your budget allows and what features are most important to you.
Two versions of the OnePlus 9 flagship smartphone have been all but confirmed with the leak of a full set of press renders. The pictures purport to show a more premium OnePlus 9 Pro, with what appears to be a gently curved 6.7in screen, and a OnePlus 9 with a flat 6.5in display.
The leak comes courtesy of German website WinFuture and also confirms that both of these smartphone models come with Hasselblad camera arrays. They’re set to be available in three colours each, but there is no sign of the predicted third, cheaper OnePlus 9R device.
Sadly, the pictures don’t show the bottom or top edge of the phones but, judging by recent OnePlus mobiles, it’s not likely we’d find a 3.5mm headphone socket.
OnePlus 9: release date, price, leaks, and all of the news
Previous rumours have marked these slim bezel mobiles down as either Full HD+ or QHD AMOLED displays, with 120Hz refresh rates for better rendering of fast moving images. There’s no intel on HDR support of any kind but hopes are high given that the OnePlus 8 Pro is HDR10+-enabled.
What is clear in the photos is that, as predicted, the OnePlus 9 comes with a triple camera and the OnePlus 9 Pro with a quad set-up, with both including an ultrawide lens with a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 sensor, as confirmed on Twitter by OnePlus CEO, Pete Lau.
(Image credit: winfuture.de)
This leak comes approximately two weeks ahead of the 23rd March launch date for the OnePlus 9 range. Both phones are expected to be 5G-enabled as standard and feature 45W fast charging and reverse wireless charging too.
There are no prices available as yet but the predicated Astral Black, Arctic Sky, and Winter Mist (OnePlus 9) and Forest Green, Morning Mist and Stellar Black (OnePlus 9 Pro) colour options now appear to be confirmed.
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After almost a decade of total market dominance, Intel has spent the past few years on the defensive. AMD’s Ryzen processors continue to show improvement year over year, with the most recent Ryzen 5000 series taking the crown of best gaming processor: Intel’s last bastion of superiority.
Now, with a booming hardware market, Intel is preparing to make up some of that lost ground with the new 11th Gen Intel Core Processors. Intel is claiming these new 11th Gen CPUs offer double-digit IPC improvements despite remaining on a 14 nm process. The top-end 8-core Intel Core i9-11900K may not be able to compete against its Ryzen 9 5900X AMD rival in heavily multi-threaded scenarios, but the higher clock speeds and alleged IPC improvements could be enough to take back the gaming crown. Along with the new CPUs, there is a new chipset to match, the Intel Z590. Last year’s Z490 chipset motherboards are also compatible with the new 11th Gen Intel Core Processors, but Z590 introduces some key advantages.
First, Z590 offers native PCIe 4.0 support from the CPU, which means the PCIe and M.2 slots powered off the CPU will offer PCIe 4.0 connectivity when an 11th Gen CPU is installed. The PCIe and M.2 slots controlled by the Z590 chipset are still PCI 3.0. While many high-end Z490 motherboards advertised this capability, it was not a standard feature for the platform. In addition to PCIe 4.0 support, Z590 offers USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 from the chipset. The USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 standard offers speeds of up to 20 Gb/s. Finally, Z590 boasts native support for 3200 MHz DDR4 memory. With these upgrades, Intel’s Z series platform has feature parity with AMD’s B550. On paper, Intel is catching up to AMD, but only testing will tell if these new Z590 motherboards are up to the challenge.
The ASRock Z590 Steel Legend WiFi 6E aims to be a durable, dependable platform for the mainstream market. The ASRock Z590 Steel Legend WiFi 6E features a respectable 14-phase VRM that takes advantage of 50 A power stages from Vishay. Additionally, ASRock has included a 2.5 Gb/s LAN controller from Realtek as well as the latest WiFi 6 connectivity. The ASRock Z590 Steel Legend WiFi 6E has all the mainstream features most users need packaged in at a reasonable price. All that is left is to see how the ASRock Z590 Steel Legend WiFi 6E stacks up against the competition!
2x Antenna Ports 1x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port 1x HDMI Port 1x DisplayPort 1.4 1x Optical SPDIF Out Port 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A Port 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C Port 2x USB 3.2 Gen1 Ports 2x USB 2.0 Ports 1x RJ-45 LAN Port 5x HD Audio Jacks
Audio:
1x Realtek ALC897 Codec
Fan Headers:
7x 4-pin
Form Factor:
ATX Form Factor: 12.0 x 9.6 in.; 30.5 x 24.4 cm
Exclusive Features:
ASRock Super Alloy
XXL Aluminium Alloy Heatsink
Premium Power Choke
50A Dr.MOS
Nichicon 12K Black Caps
I/O Armor
Shaped PCB Design
Matte Black PCB
High Density Glass Fabric PCB
2oz copper PCB
2.5G LAN
Intel® 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E
ASRock steel Slot
ASRock Full Coverage M.2 Heatsink
ASRock Hyper M.2 (PCIe Gen4x4)
ASRock Ultra USB Power
ASRock Full Spike Protection
ASRock Live Update & APP Shop
Testing for this review was conducted using a 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10900K. Stay tuned for an 11th Gen update when the new processors launch!
The Galaxy A52 5G will likely be announced next week at Samsung’s second Unpacked event of the year, but thanks to an early unboxing video spotted by GSMArena, we won’t have to wait that long to see it in action.
The upcoming midrange device has been subject to plenty of leaks over the past few weeks, and the video from YouTuber Moboaesthetics seems to confirm many of them. The device in the video matches up with previously leaked renders and appears to be fully functional.
Specs featured in the lengthy video include a 64-megapixel main camera with OIS, a 120Hz display, IP67 dust and water resistance, under-screen fingerprint sensor, and a 4,500mAh battery. Unlike the S21 series, there’s a microSD card slot for memory expansion.
The A52 5G and also-rumored A72 5G are both expected to be accompanied by cheaper non-5G variants with other slightly downgraded specs, like a 90Hz screen rather than 120Hz. All told, they’re shaping up to look like highly competitive midrange phones.
Samsung has not confirmed exactly what it’s announcing at next week’s event, but given the appearance of this video and the recent leaks, it seems certain that the A52 5G will be making its debut soon.
The European Union wants to double its chip manufacturing output to 20 percent of the global market by 2030. The goal is part of its new Digital Compass plan, announced yesterday, which aims to boost “digital sovereignty” by funding various high-tech initiatives.
As well as doubling chip output, the EU also wants all households to have 5G access and gigabit internet connectivity by 2030; for “all key public services” to be available online in every member state; and for the bloc to have its first quantum computer. Funding for these and other projects will come from the EU’s €672.5 billion ($800 billion) coronavirus response fund, with 20 percent of this money ($160 billion) earmarked for tech investment.
The EU’s ambition to produce more semiconductor chips is particularly notable. Maintaining a steady supply of these chips has become a pressing concern for nations around the world as supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic and the US-China trade war have affected global supplies. As with the flow of key resources like oil, access to cutting-edge chips is essential for many industries and products, from iPhones to cars. Currently, the bulk of production is concentrated in Asia, particularly in Taiwan and Korea.
In February, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to investigate how the US can further support its own chip manufacturing industry. “This is about making sure the United States can meet every challenge we face in this new era of pandemics, but also in defense cybersecurity, climate change, and so much more,” said Biden at a press conference.
US President Joe Biden pledged in February to secure the United States’ “critical” chip supply chains.Image: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
The EU’s worries mirror those of America’s. “We need to become less dependent on others when it comes to key technologies,” vice president of the European Commission, Margrethe Vestager, said at the launch of the Digital Compass plans, reports The Wall Street Journal.
This dependency extends beyond chip supply, too. The last few years have seen the EU grapple with its relationship with Chinese tech giant Huawei, which supplies essential 5G components but has been hamstrung by US sanctions introduced over national security concerns. In related news, Apple announced this week that it will invest more than €1 billion ($1.2 billion) in a silicon design center in Germany. Its employees will focus on “5G and future wireless technologies.”
Building up the EU’s chip production, though, will be a difficult task. Manufacturing semiconductors is an extremely expensive business, and the main success of European companies has been creating machinery used in this process rather than the chips themselves. Dutch firm ASML, for example, has a majority market share in the production of equipment known as “photolithographic machines” that are essential for chipmaking.
“As China has shown, throwing money at chips does not guarantee success,” Dan Wang, a technology analyst at Gavekal Dragonomics, told the WSJ. “For the last few decades, Europe has seen its number of semiconductor companies shrink, and it will require a mighty effort to wrest leadership from the US and Asia, which are also investing heavily.”
Asus is going big with its latest gaming phones. The ROG Phone 5 lineup will start shipping this month across the globe, costing 799 euros (around $950) for the base configuration with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of fast UFS 3.1 storage. Every configuration has a 6.78-inch FHD+ OLED screen with a 144Hz refresh rate and a 300Hz touch sampling rate. Also, the headphone jack has made a comeback after being absent from the ROG Phone 3, this time with a quad DAC in tow for hi-res audio. (In case you’re wondering where the ROG Phone 4 went, Asus skipped over the number four, like OnePlus did, due to its similarities with the word “death” in some Asian languages.)
The most notable changes from the last generation are exclusive to some even more expensive configurations, the ROG Phone 5 Pro and Ultimate (which I published a review of) that release in April for 1,199 euros (approximately $1,420) and in May for 1,299 euros (about $1,583), respectively. Both of these models have double the storage and more RAM (starting at 16GB in the Pro and going all the way up to 18GB in the Ultimate); come in limited edition colors; and have two additional ultrasonic touch sensors than the standard model, located near where your ring fingers might rest while holding the phone in landscape mode. You’ll also get a case and a clip-on AeroActive Cooler 5 fan attachment with purchase with either the Pro or Ultimate phone (which adds two more buttons attached to the fan.)
The new Asus gaming phones aren’t huge departures from their predecessors, though the hardware and software are more refined. I reviewed the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate, and while it delivers on its promises to be a spec and feature juggernaut in some clever ways, paying $1,580 for it seems steep. Even the $950 base configuration isn’t what I’d consider affordable.
The Ultimate and Pro include “ROG Vision,” a feature that pushes premade or custom text or graphics to its rear-facing OLED screen. It’s a spin on Asus’ “Anime Matrix” effect used in the Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop, allowing you to personalize your phone if you want. The standard ROG Phone 5 simply has a backlit ROG logo, which some might find to be just enough pizazz.
I go into all of the features in the review. But if you’re just passing by and want to know all about the specs, I’ve attached a handy table just for you.
Asus ROG Phone 5 lineup specs
Comparison
ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
ROG Phone 5 Pro
ROG Phone 5
Comparison
ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
ROG Phone 5 Pro
ROG Phone 5
Colors
Matte white
Glossy black
Phantom black or Storm white
Price
1,299 Euros (approx. $1,583)
1,199 Euros (approx. $1,420)
Starts at 799 Euros (approx. $950)
Processor
Snapdragon 888
*
*
OS
Android 11 with ROG UI
*
*
Display
6.78-inch 2448 x 1080 OLED with 144Hz refresh rate
*
*
RAM
18GB LPDDR5
16GB LPDDR5
8GB,12GB or 16GB LPDDR5
Storage
512GB UFS 3.1
*
256GB UFS 3.1
Extra touch sensors
Yes
*
No
Rear-facing cameras
64-megapixel with F/1.8 aperture, 13-megapixel 125-degree ultra-wide with F/2.4 aperture, and a 5-megapixel macro lens with F/2.0
*
*
Front-facing camera
24-megapixel with F/2.45 aperture
*
*
ROG Vision support
Yes, monochromatic
Yes, color
No
Battery
6,000mAh
*
*
Included charger
65W
*
*
Dimensions
172.8 x 77.2 x 10.29 mm
*
*
Weight
238 grams
*
*
Connectivity
LTE and sub-6GHz 5G on AT&T and T-Mobile, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
Samsung has just announced an Unpacked event coming up on March 17th, 2021, its second for the year so far. The invitation calls the event “Galaxy Awesome Unpacked.” Between recent A-series leaks and the chaotic, “awesome”-themed promotional video for last year’s models, it seems safe to assume that we’ll see the Galaxy A52 and A72 devices debut.
An entire event dedicated to unveiling midrange devices is a little unusual, but the leaked information we’ve seen thus far has pointed to Samsung taking these phones very seriously. The A52 5G looks like it will receive monthly security updates — something Samsung has tended to reserve for higher-end phones — and spec leaks have indicated we can expect high-refresh rate screens.
If nothing else, we can hope that Samsung will bring the energy from last year’s unusual video to keep the event entertaining. You can watch by tuning in to Samsung’s YouTube channel on March 17th at 10AM ET / 7AM PT. And please accept our apologies for embedding last year’s ad for the A51 below.
(Pocket-lint) – Samsung introduced three different models of the Galaxy S20 in 2020. The models reflected an upgrade of the regular S10, the S10+ and the S10 5G, called the Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra.
Here’s a look at how these phones stack up to help you work out which one might be the right one for you.
squirrel_widget_184581
What’s the same?
Overall look and feel
120Hz Infinity-O display
Core Exynos/Snapdragon hardware and RAM
The Galaxy S20 devices all have a similar overall design with metal core and glass front and back, sporting a central punch hole camera in the display and minimal bezels. All the devices have this Infinity-O display, with curved edges.
Samsung has also put a 120Hz display in all these phones, although naturally, the sizes are all different. That 120Hz display only runs at 1080p however, rather than the full 1440p resolution, which is 60Hz.
On the rear of all the devices is a pronounced camera bump – there’s not even an attempt to blend in the cameras, they are designed to stand out on this generation of phones.
They all have the same core hardware too, either the Samsung Exynos 990 or the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, depending on the region you buy it in. This comes with 12GB RAM as standard across all three devices, but the Ultra offers a step-up to 16GB.
And that’s about where the similarities end.
What’s different?
Outside of those outlined details, these phones differ in many ways, seeing each slip into a different position. Here’s what’s different.
Build and dimensions
Samsung Galaxy S20: 151.7 x 69.1 x 7.9mm, 163g
Samsung Galaxy S20+: 161.9 x 73.7 x 7.8mm, 186g
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: 166.9 x 76 x 8.8mm, 220g
A glance over the dimensions shows the range of sizes these phones come in. While the overall build quality and look of the phones is the same, physically there’s a big range of size options – some 15mm in height.
That is almost the same as the size difference between the Galaxy S21 models released in 2021, which basically update all the S20 models. Generally, however, these phones are bigger than older models, but with smaller bezels. There’s also a healthy difference in weight and this mostly comes down to the battery and the amount of glass used in the build.
squirrel_widget_184580
Display
Samsung Galaxy S20: 6.2-inch, 120Hz
Samsung Galaxy S20+: 6.7-inch, 120Hz
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: 6.9-inch, 120Hz
The Galaxy S20 comes in at 6.2-inches as the smallest of the bunch, running up to a massive 6.9-inches on the S20 Ultra – which makes it a big phone. The Galaxy S20+ sits in the middle at 6.7-inches.
These displays are all AMOLED and they all offer a 120Hz refresh rate – although you’ll only get that refresh rate at Full HD+ and not the highest Quad HD+ resolution. (Full HD+ is the default most Samsung phones, with Quad HD+ an option you have to turn on.) In reality, the only difference is size, because they are all equally capable.
Battery
Samsung Galaxy S20: 4000mAh
Samsung Galaxy S20+: 4500mAh
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: 5000mAh
The Galaxy S20 has a 4000mAh battery, while the S20+ has a 4500mAh cell and the S20 Ultra has a 5000mAh battery.
The S20 Ultra sounds like it has a huge battery, but we’ve found the demand on the battery to be quite high, especially when using the camera, so it’s worth reading through reviews to get a full picture of the battery life.
The S20 and the S20+ seem to fair better. These aren’t the most efficient phones in their segment, but we’ve found the Galaxy S20+ and S20 to cope a little better with demand than the Ultra.
The big difference in these devices is pushed through the cameras. Firstly, the makeup of the Galaxy S20 and the S20+ are broadly the same – apart from the addition of the time-of-flight sensor in the S20+ – which makes little real difference.
The main cameras are the same – a new 12-megapixel sensor with massive 1.8µm pixels – while both have a 64-megapixel “telephoto” camera. In general, these cameras all perform well, although the telephoto isn’t as sharp out at 10x zoom as the Ultra is. Beyond that, quality starts to drop off on both rapidly.
The setup of the Galaxy S20 Ultra camera is almost completely different. The only thing in common on these cameras is the 12-megapixel ultra-wide angle, with the S20 Ultra sporting a 108-megapixel sensor for the main camera. This is paired with a 48-megapixel telephoto, which is a 10x hybrid optic periscope lens. That combination gives 100x zoom, although that’s mostly a gimmick, as photos at 100x zoom look poor.
Which is the best camera? The S20 Ultra is the best performer for zoom, certainly. But in normal shooting, the S20 and S20+ main camera will often be sharper and richer than the S20 Ultra’s pixel-combined 12-megapixel images. The S20 Ultra, of course, can capture more detail in 108-megapixel mode, but for most, the S20 and S20+ main camera might give better results.
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Prices
S20 Ultra: £1199, $1399.99 (at launch)
S20+: £999, $1199.99 (at launch)
S20: £799 (4G), £899 (5G), $999 (5G) (at launch)
There’s a big difference in the prices of these handsets and that’s broadly reflected in the screen size, but the core power for these phones is pretty much the same. The S20 Ultra is obviously a huge price and it might be that the Galaxy S20+ falls better into your price range for the performance and the features that it offers.
The Galaxy S20 comes in at a cheaper price because it comes as a 4G phone. The models and prices will obviously vary across regions and since launch, prices have dropped significantly, meaning these models are cheaper than the Galaxy S21 models that replaced them.
Conclusion
Samsung’s line-up of Galaxy S20 devices looks to cover all bases. The core experience of these phones will be similar – similar feel, the same software and with the same core hardware, all perform to a similar level.
All have great displays, with the Galaxy S20+ likely to be the sweet spot in terms of size and balance of features. The camera performance is variable, although the S20 Ultra has a natural advantage when it comes to zoom performance.
Ultimately, the S20 Ultra offers a huge amount, but comes at a high cost. We suspect that for those wanting a larger device, the Galaxy S20+ will be all the phone they want.
It’s worth considering, however, that the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE offers similar performance to the Galaxy S20+, but offers better value for money, so might also be worth considering.
Samsung Galaxy S21+ vs S20 FE vs Galaxy S20+: What’s the difference?
(Pocket-lint) – If you’ve looked at Oppo’s Reno family over the years, confused at exactly where it fits, which devices are in it, and if they’re even available where you live, then fear not – you’re not alone.
Since the first Reno phone (which was released in 2019), Oppo has expanded the range considerably. Among that product family is where you’ll find a particular gem: the Reno 4 Pro.
It’s a sleek, attractive and well-proportioned, but for a mid-range device it’s arguably a little pricey. Does that affect the overall proposition? Read on…
Design
Dimensions: 159.6 x 72.5 x 7.6mm / Weight: 172g
Monogrammed design on Space Black model
All glass front and back design
When 5G first hit the scenes – and just like when 4G became a thing – phones were pretty large. Not only did phones need an extra external chip to act as the modem, but space was required for cooling, while larger batteries were required to ensure longevity.
In 2020, however, thanks to the advancement of processors that have built-in 5G modems, that changed. Samsung showed it with the S20. And Oppo – having first shown it with the Find X2 Neo – does it again with the Reno 4 Pro. It’s impressively slim and sleek for a 5G-capable device.
In fact, it’s very similar to the Find X2 Neo in terms of size, shape and build. It’s got the glass on the front and back that curves towards the edges, making it look and feel really slim. It’s narrow, too, and has really skinny bezels on the front – ensuring the screen takes up the majority of the space (around 94 per cent of it, says the spec).
Where it differs is in the styling and finish of that rear panel. There’s a new Arctic Blue model that features a frosted glass finish, but unlike most other frosted glass phones, this has been created with an Oppo-designed technique using microscopic laser etchings along the surface. This way the finished product resists scratches and fingerprint smudges.
We were sent the Space Black model which has a much more traditional black, glossy look. However, even that’s unique. There’s a rainbow effect that appears when you angle it towards light, as well as a pattern of repeating monograms spelling out ‘OP’. Because, er, Oppo. The company says this is to make the phone something of a fashion statement. We feel you’ll either love it or hate it. Opinions are definitely mixed here at Pocket-lint.
The camera housing is among one of the most attractive we’ve seen on a smartphone. It’s a simple, glossy rectangle with rounded corners that protrudes from the back with three identically sized camera rings in a neat row. It’s compact, and pleasant to look at.
To pick up and hold the phone in the hand, the Pro is just a delight. Some of the rough edges we found between the glass and metal on the Find X2 Neo aren’t an issue here. This is one slim, smooth and sumptuous mid-ranger.
Those curved edges and the slim nature of the phone do mean there’s a tendency to accidentally touch the display though. We’ve often accidentally tapped an icon in the bottom corner of the display when it pressed into the base of our thumb. Similarly, with navigation gestures enabled, we’ve also often found ourselves trying to swipe away notifications only for it to launch the ‘back’ gesture instead.
Display
6.5-inch AMOLED display, 90Hz refresh rate
FHD+ resolution (1080 x 2400 pixels)
Punch-hole selfie camera
The screen on Oppo’s top mid-range phone is AMOLED, meaning you get plenty of benefits. It’s bright (at about 500 nits peak brightness), and features deep inky blacks and vibrant colours.
It also has the added bonus of a 90Hz refresh rate, which means animations stay smoother. When you’re switching between areas in the user interface or scrolling up and down menus it helps everything seem all that much more fluid.
Heading into 2021, the Quad HD resolution display seems to be on the way out in smaller devices for the sake of battery life. And so Full HD sharpness on the Reno 4 Pro is perfectly fine – and as much as expected. It’s still virtually impossible to see any individual pixels.
For the most part this is a bright and vivid panel. We put it side-by-side with the Samsung Galaxy S21, for instance, and – set to vivid mode – the Oppo more than pulls its weight for things like Netflix watching, general interface appearance, and photo viewing. Where it struggles a little is with games, but we’ll get more into that in the performance section.
It’s not quite perfect though. The curves in the corners, for instance, don’t quite match the more square corners of the phone, while the top and bottom bezels are noticeably thicker than the sides. Both combined makes for a slightly uneven look.
Performance
Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor, 12GB RAM
4,000mAh battery, 65W Super VOOC 2.0 charging
256GB storage, no microSD expansion
5G connectivity
Look at the current mid-range market and you’ll see Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 700-series is the most popular. Here, it’s the same 765G chip that’s inside the OnePlus Nord and a handful of other powerful mid-rangers.
Joining it, there’s a generous 12GB RAM and 256GB storage (in the UK variant), which is more than enough to keep the most demanding apps running smoothly and ensure you have enough space to store all of your photos, music and video for entertainment on the go.
Like the Nord, we’ve not had any issues with performance. In fact, for most tasks, the Pro will feel pretty much as good as any flagship would. It’s fast and responsive, partly down to the fluidity of the display, partly down to the 765G platform being plenty powerful enough.
Loading up games isn’t quite as quick as some of the more recent top-tier phones, but the difference isn’t remarkable. Where you do notice the difference is in the graphics quality. Details that might be smooth and sharp on higher-end phones seem a little rough around the edges. Lines look a bit jagged, almost like the game won’t run at its full resolution. At least, that’s what we found while playing Mario Kart Tour.
The 4,000mAh battery on board is about standard in terms of capacity these days. But what’s not standard is Oppo’s Super VOOC 2.0 flash charging technology. This particular flavour is the 65W variant – which we’ve seen on top-tier phones like the Find X2 Pro. With an empty battery, it’ll charge from 0-66 per cent in just 15 minutes and finish its charge completely in 35 minutes. Now that’s fast!
What we’ve found in the past with phones using this tech is that it changes your charging behaviour. You no longer have to charge it overnight. You can wait until it runs almost flat, plug it in, and even 10-15 minutes is enough to get through the rest of the day.
Oppo seems to have done something rather magical with battery life too. Its standby performance is pretty remarkable. If you’re someone who isn’t glued to your phone constantly then you shouldn’t have too much trouble making the Reno 4 Pro last two days between charges. We’ve left it overnight on many an occasion, in standby, and woken to find it only having lost five per cent of its charge. Impressive.
Cameras
Triple rear camera system:
Main: 48-megapixel, f/1.7 aperture
Wide/macro: 12MP, f/2.2
Zoom (2x): 13MP, f/2.4
32MP selfie camera
4K video at 30fps
The Oppo Reno 4 Pro’s 48-megapixel main camera is joined by a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 13-megapixel 2x zoom lens. What’s interesting here is that the 12-megapixel ultra-wide is also being branded as a ‘night’ camera. A lot of that is down to the fact that Oppo has boosted its night performance, especially when shooting video.
Pocket-lint
: Macro modeMacro mode
That ultra-wide doubles (triples?) as a macro camera, too, and that means not having to rely on a dedicated low resolution sensor for close-up shots – as is so prevalent in many rivals. And you can tell: the macro shots are actually decent, retaining good colour and depth, while avoiding suffering from that nauseating swirling bokeh effect we’ve seen from some of the poorer macro solutions.
As for that third lens, that’s a 5x hybrid zoom camera, so while it’s not quite as impressive as the high-end periscope-like lenses that go up to twice that, it’s still a very versatile system. At 2x optical zoom, images retain colour, sharpness and depth, but as soon as you push it up to 5x – which is where it’s using digital zoom – things can look a little ropey. Images lose sharpness as they tend to once you switch into digital zoom.
Transitioning between the four main focal lengths is easy enough though. There’s an icon on the screen that you can tap to quickly switch between 0.6x, 1x, 2x and 5x. Or you can tap, hold and drag it to use the smoother zooming interface – as it turns into a wheel on the screen.
Pocket-lint
: Ultrawide cameraUltrawide camera
What impressed us was that – while sometimes the images came out with slightly over-exposed highlights – the balance of colour and light between the three cameras was pretty uniform. Greens and purples look the same in all three in the collection above. While they all have a little over-sharpening in the darker areas, that evenness isn’t something you typically see when using three unique sensors.
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Laser detection autofocus ensures that the camera focuses quickly and reliably even when the light levels aren’t optimal. Indoors in dim conditions we found it to focus fast, which made it quick and easy to grab the shot we were after without repeatedly tapping the screen in frustration trying to get the camera to lock on.
There are plenty of shooting modes too. Open up the More tab in the camera app and you can shoot with stickers, shoot in ‘Pro’ mode to get fine-tuned control, shoot slow-mo, time-lapse, and even scan text or use Google Lens to assess the scene for text and everyday items. It doesn’t feel overly busy with options thankfully, and the main collection of shooting modes is where most people will spend their time.
Verdict
The Oppo Reno 4 Pro’s spec sheet may make it seem like a mid-range phone at a near-flagship price, but its performance and everyday reliability makes this one genuinely good phone – regardless of the price.
The camera system is strong and consistent, offering versatility without falling into the same traps as other mid-range phones with multiple cameras on the back. This has three cameras and all of them useful and actually decent.
A perceived lack of power could put off the smartphone enthusiasts when compared to similarly priced devices, but we’ve enjoyed almost everything that the Oppo phone has to offer. The only minor criticism is graphical performance compromises when it comes to gaming.
While the Oppo is considerably more expensive than the OnePlus Nord or Google Pixel 4a, for that extra money you get a more premium design, a more versatile and powerful camera, and a stupendously fast-charging battery. The Reno 4 Pro is an impressively slim and sleek device that still has all the functionality you’d expect from a top-tier phone.
Alternatives to consider
Oppo Find X2 Neo
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It’s not exactly the same, but it features similar build and performance. The only compromises you make, really, are a poorer camera system and slower charging speeds. But it’ll save you some money as a result.
Read our review
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
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Samsung hit all the right notes with the ‘Fan Edition’ of the S20. It’s got all the top features that matter – like a 120Hz display, flagship-spec processor, and a solid camera system. The price isn’t that much higher considering the spec bump either.
Verizon 4G appears to be getting even better than its nationwide 5G network, according to new tests conducted by PCMag’s Sascha Segan. After last week’s tweet suggesting that users turn off their phone’s 5G to conserve battery life, there seems to be a multitude of reasons for Verizon customers to stick with 4G right now.
Additional spectrum is making the difference for Verizon 4G right now, and not the C-band spectrum that’s been in the news recently. This is CBRS, a set of frequencies that sits near C-band. Verizon bid $1.89 billion on CBRS licenses last year and has been putting the newly acquired spectrum to work for its 4G service in certain locations (there are likely technical reasons, which Segan explains in his post, why Verizon isn’t using this spectrum for 5G just yet).
Segan found a couple of these spots and tested CBRS-assisted 4G speeds versus 5G. With the exception of range-limited, super-fast Ultra Wideband 5G, 4G won by a landslide. In one location, 4G download speeds reached 815 Mbps, while 5G based on Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (that’s the widespread but slower variety known as DSS) only hit 358 Mbps. This was a test of just a couple of locations of course, but Segan points out that it bodes well for the kinds of improvements we can expect when C-band becomes available.
So is there any reason for someone on Verizon to keep 5G active rather than switching to 4G? Maybe, Segan tells us. “If you’re in a spot with Verizon’s ‘UWB’ millimeter-wave 5G, it’s absolutely terrific. UWB is the fastest form of 5G available today. But the DSS ‘nationwide’ 5G just isn’t providing any advantage right now. I’d say, turn it off if you can and check back in a few months to see if they’ve improved the situation.”
The silver lining, of course, is that Verizon 4G is actually good — and getting even better for some. In the long term, it’ll be the C-band spectrum that will likely make the difference for Verizon 5G. “If you’re buying a Verizon phone soon and you’re interested in future performance, make sure it has C-band,” Segan says. In the meantime, unless you live next door to an Ultra Wideband cell site, you can probably turn off 5G and rest assured that you’re getting the best network performance possible for now.
The OnePlus 9 will launch on 23rd March, OnePlus has confirmed. The firm has sent out invites to an online-only event that kicks off two weeks tomorrow (Tuesday) at 10am EDT, or 2pm GMT.
It has also confirmed some of the phone’s features. For starters, there will be more than one handset, as the company refers to the “OnePlus 9 Series”. 5G will come as standard on at least one of the phones, while there’s also a tie-up with camera firm Hasselblad to boost the device’s imaging ability.
Given it was just an invite, OnePlus stopped short of delivering a full spec list. Recent rumours have included a curved 1440p screen with a refresh rate of 120Hz, 45W fast charging, and reverse wireless charging.
A 120Hz refresh rate would mean better fast-moving images with less blur. High refresh rates are becoming more common in smartphones, as seen in the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S21, and rumoured for the Apple iPhone 13. They’re becoming so commonplace that Samsung is even putting them in its mid-range smartphones.
We’re expecting the OnePlus 9 range to comprise the OnePlus 9, OnePlus 9 Pro and cheaper OnePlus 9R and we’ll be sure to give you a full rundown of all their respective features on the big day.
MORE:
Read the full OnePlus 8 Pro review
These are the best smartphones for music and movies
And here are the best Android phones
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