Balmuda, a Japanese design company known for its stylish appliances, has announced plans to make a smartphone. There aren’t many details on the device itself yet, but it’ll be a 5G handset that’s expected to be released in November. SoftBank will sell it as a carrier model, while Balmuda will also offer an unlocked version.
In its announcement, Balmuda notes that since the smartphone business is getting increasingly commoditized, the company wants to provide an experience that only it can. However, the actual manufacturing is out of Balmuda’s wheelhouse, so it’s partnering with Kyocera on the phone.
Balmuda has a fairly limited product line for the home including air purifiers, humidifiers, lights, speakers, rice cookers, and so on. Its best known product is a toaster called “Balmuda The Toaster,” which sells for 25,850 yen (about $235, though it’s available in the US for $329 through the MoMa Design Store) and uses steam to ensure your shokupan, among other things, is perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Bloomberg reported five years ago that it had become a cult hit in Japan with a three-month waiting time to buy one.
I have the toaster, and while I’m not sure I would necessarily recommend anyone spend $235 or $329 on a toaster, it is a pretty great toaster. The neat design touches everywhere, from the tiny little mug you use to pour in water for the steam to the cute noises it makes when you turn the timer dial, do make me somewhat curious as to what Balmuda could bring to a phone. We’ll let you know when we find out.
ZTE announced the Axon 30 Ultra alongside two other devices last month, and today reveals that the Ultra will go on sale June 4th starting at $749 / €749. Preorders begin directly through ZTE’s website on May 27th and include a free pair of ZTE’s Livebuds TWS earbuds.
While ZTE has tried some more adventurous things in its other devices that have missed the mark — an early attempt at a dual-screen phone and the world’s first under-display selfie camera for starters — the company is playing it straight with the Axon 30 Ultra. The phone is outfitted with cameras aplenty and high-end features, including a top-shelf Snapdragon 888 processor and a large 144Hz fast refresh rate display.
The Axon 30 Ultra’s sub-$800 price tag positions it to undercut the $800 Samsung S21 and $1000 S21 Plus by a little or a lot, depending on which model you’re looking at and how deeply it’s discounted. Buyers in the US should be aware, though — the Axon 30 Ultra will only work on AT&T and T-Mobile, not Verizon, and its 5G connectivity is limited to one band (B41) on T-Mobile.
(Pocket-lint) – When it comes to compact phones with plenty of power, there aren’t a huge number of choices in the Android space. Sony has long operated in this area, offering a compact version, with the Xperia 5 III being the latest model in this range.
Asus has joined the fray with the Zenfone 8, taking its phones in a different direction and wanting to offer a compact powerhouse of its own. Here’s how the two phones compare.
Design
Zenfone 8: 148 x 68.5 x 8.9mm, 169g
Xperia 5 III: 157 x 68 x 8.2mm, 168g
Sony’s Xperia 5 III will look familiar, because it follows similiar design lines as previous models, most notably defined by the 21:9 display, meaning it’s a tall handset. Well, tall for something that’s compact.
It’s almost 1cm taller than the Zenfone 8, while these phones are otherwise a similar width, so theyt are equally easy to grip. Asus has the advantage in that you’re more likely to be able to reach the top of the phone, but Sony Mobile’s counter argument would be that it’s offering you more screen space without increasing the width, an argument that has merits.
Sony has a flatter design, with Asus using curves to the rear of the phone; we think Sony’s device looks more interesting, but that comes down to personal preference. Both have IP65/68 water protection which is a real benefit, but Asus uses Gorilla Glass Victus while Sony has Gorilla Glass 6 – so Asus’ device might have greater scratch resistance.
Both come in at the same weight, but Sony’s phone is a little slimmer.
Display
Zenfone 8: 5.9-inch, AMOLED, 2400 x 1080, HDR, 120Hz
Xperia 5 III: 6.1-inch, OLED, 2520 x 1080, HDR, 120Hz
Both these phones feature and AMOLED display, both have Full HD+ resolutions, but the Sony phone is taller, so it offers 6.1-inches of screen space compared to 5.9-inches on the Zenfone.
The aspect is the big difference with a 21:9 aspect on the Sony deivce making it a little more distinct. Reletively Sony packs in a few more pixels with a pixel density of 449ppi compared to the Zenfone’s 446ppi which is essentially the same.
Both phones support HDR, both also claim really accurate displays and both offer 120Hz refresh rates. There’s not going to be much to pick technically between these displays – again, it’s whether you want that taller Sony screen.
Both these phones offer the same core hardare, with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G delivering the latest power. Both start at 8GB RAM, but Asus offers up to 16GB (depending on the region). That means both will offer 5G – and the performance of these phones should be similar. In our testing, we’ve noted that the Zenfone 8 gets pretty hot when gaming – we’ve not been able to test the Xperia 5 III yet, but this wasn’t a problem we encountered on the Xperia 5 II.
Both also come with 128 or 256GB options, but the Xperia 5 III offers microSD expansion up to 1TB, so might be the better device for those who crave physical storage.
Sony has the advantage when it comes to battery capacity, with a 4500mAh battery and 30W charging. The Asus comes in with a 4000mAh battery and 30W charging, so it’s likely that Sony will offer slightly longer endurance – but Sony also offers wireless charging which Asus doesn’t.
Both phones have a 3.5mm headphone socket and stereo speakers.
Camera
Zenfone 8: Douple rear camera
Main: 64MP, 1/1.7in, f/1.8, 0.8μm
Ultra-wide: 12MP, 1/2.55in, f/2.2, 1.4μm
Selfie: 12MP, 1/2.93in, f/2.2, 1.22μm
Xperia 5 III: Triple rear camera
Main: 12MP, 1/2.6in, f/2.2
Ultra wide: 12MP, 1/1.7in, f/1.7
Telephoto: 12MP, 1/2.9in, f/2.3-f/2.8
Selfie: 8MP , 1/4in, f/2.0
Wading through the mass of camera specs, the big difference is that Asus offers 8K video recording on the Zenfone 8, thanks to that 64-megapixel main sensor, while Sony manages to offer a whole additional camera – and it’s a periscope-type telephoto, offering lossless zoom at 3x and 4.4x thanks to the variable focal length in the lense.
That gives Sony an immediate advantage here: it’s offering a wider range of cameras and lenses – and although we’ve not seen the performance from that camera, just offering an optical telephoto will deliver images that Asus won’t be able to match on quality.
Asus’ play comes from video, promising 8K video which Sony can’t match. Both offer 4K at up to 120fps for slow motion, while Sony also offers HDR video capture at 4K.
From the spec sheet it’s impossible to judge the performance of the cameras, with Asus putting in a good showing from what we’ve seen from it so far. But Sony is likely to emerge as the favoured model because of the additional zoom.
Price and availability
Zenfone 8: from £599/€599
Xperia 5 III: TBC
The prices aren’t known for all models, but the Zenfone 8 will start from 3/€599, which is likely to be cheaper than Sony – who hasn’t confirmed the pricing of the Xperia 5 III. The 16/256GB version will cost £699.
The Sony phone will be available in summer 2021, and the Zenfone 8 will be available in May 2021.
Conclusion
Both these phones sit in the compact phone space and share a lot in common: both have similiar core hardware, and the same power and both are likely to offer a similar experinece from Android 11 so in normal day-to-day use, there’s probably little between them.
Both come well packaged, with the Sony the more interesting phone to look at (although you may disagree), but the Zenfone 8 is shorter, so some might prefer it from a usability point of view. Technically the displays are closely matched, the only real difference being the aspect – with Sony’s 21:9 being more unique, but leading to a taller phone.
Sony is expected to have the longer battery life thanks the physically larger cell, while it also packs in a variable focal length periscope zoom on the rear, so will offer a range of photography choices that the Zenfone 8 can’t match – and that’s likely to come at a cost, with Sony expected to have a higher price.
As a daily driver, the Zenfone 8 looks like a great choice for those wanting something compact and not too expensive – but Sony’s display might be preferred by those who want to watch more movies or play more games.
If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.
After a couple of generations making phones with flip-out cameras and increasingly large displays, Asus has taken the ZenFone 8 in a totally different direction: small.
The flipping camera concept lives on in the also-new ZenFone 8 Flip, but it’s no longer a standard feature across this year’s ZenFone lineup. Instead, priced at €599 (about $730), the ZenFone 8 lands in the upper-midrange class with a conventional rear camera bump and a much smaller 5.9-inch display. As a side note, final US pricing is TBD — Asus says somewhere between $599 and $799 — but it will be coming to North America, unlike last year’s model.
Rather than an attention-grabbing camera feature, the focus of this design has been to create a smaller phone that’s comfortable to use in one hand, which Asus has done without skimping on processing power or higher-end features.
It’s an Android iPhone mini, and it’s fantastic.
Asus designed the ZenFone 8 with one-handed operation in mind.
Asus ZenFone 8 screen and design
The ZenFone 8 may be small, but that hasn’t kept it from offering the latest flagship processor: a Snapdragon 888 chipset, coupled with 6, 8, or 16GB of RAM (my review unit has 16GB). I can’t find fault with this phone’s performance. It feels responsive, animations and interactions are smooth, and it keeps up with demanding use and rapid app switching. This is performance fitting of a flagship device.
The display is a 5.9-inch 1080p OLED panel with a fast 120Hz refresh rate that makes routine interactions with the phone — swiping, scrolling, animations — look much more smooth and polished than a standard 60Hz screen or even a 90Hz panel. By default, the phone will automatically switch between 120 / 90 / 60Hz depending on the application to save battery life, but you can manually select any of those three refresh rates if you prefer.
The display’s 20:9 aspect ratio was carefully considered by Asus. The company says it settled on this slightly narrower format so the phone would fit more easily into a pocket, and it does. I can’t get it all the way into a back jeans pocket, but it mostly fits. More importantly, it fits well inside a jacket pocket and doesn’t feel like it’s going to flop out if I sit down on the floor to tie my shoes. The ZenFone 8 is rated IP68 for dust protection and some water submersion.
The front panel is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus and houses an in-display fingerprint sensor, while the back uses Gorilla Glass 3 with a frosted finish that’s on the matte side of the matte / glossy spectrum. The front panel is flat, but the rear features a slight curve on the long edges for an easier fit in the hand. At 169 grams (5.9 ounces), it’s heavy for its size, and it feels surprisingly dense when you first pick it up. The phone’s frame is aluminum, giving the whole package a high-end look and feel. There’s even a headphone jack on the top edge as a treat.
The power button (an exciting shade of blue!) is well-positioned so my right thumb falls on it naturally with the phone in my hand. Same for the in-screen fingerprint sensor: the target appears to be positioned higher on the screen than usual, but that actually puts it within a comfortable reach of my thumb.
I’ll admit up front that I have a personal bias toward smaller phones, but the ZenFone 8 just feels great in my hand. I’ve spent a lot of time using big devices over the last six months, and I’ve gotten used to it. But the ZenFone 8 is the first device that feels like it was adapted to me, not something I’ve had to adapt to using.
A smaller phone means a smaller battery.
Asus ZenFone 8 battery and software
The phone’s small size makes a smaller battery a necessity — 4,000mAh in this case, much smaller than the ZenFone 6 and 7’s 5,000mAh. I felt the difference in using this phone versus a battery-for-days budget or midrange phone, but I had no problem getting through a full day of moderate use. I even left Strava running for 20 hours by accident, and the battery still had some life in it the next morning. The ZenFone 8 supports 30W wired charging with the included power adapter, which takes an empty battery to 100 percent in a bit more than an hour. Wireless charging isn’t supported, which makes the ZenFone 8 a bit of an outlier in the flagship class.
Asus offers a ton of options to help stretch day-to-day battery life as well as the overall lifespan of your battery. There are no fewer than five battery modes to optimize phone performance or battery longevity on a daily basis, and different charging modes let you set a custom charging limit or stagger charging overnight so it reaches 100 percent around the time of your alarm for better battery health. You won’t find class-leading battery capacity here, but rest assured if you need to stretch the ZenFone 8’s battery, there are plenty of options.
The ZenFone 8 ships with Android 11, and Asus says it will provide “at least” two major OS with security updates for the same timeframe. That’s on the low side of what we’d expect for a flagship phone, especially compared to Apple’s typical four- or five-year support schedule. An important note for US shoppers is that the ZenFone 8 will only work with AT&T and T-Mobile’s LTE and Sub-6GHz 5G networks; you can’t use this phone on Verizon, and there’s no support for the fast, but extremely limited, millimeter-wave 5G networks.
The ZenFone 8 offers standard wide and ultrawide rear cameras.
Asus ZenFone 8 camera
There are just two cameras on the ZenFone 8’s rear camera bump, and they are both worth your time. Rather than cram in a depth sensor, macro, or some monochrome nonsense, Asus just went with a 64-megapixel main camera with OIS and a 12-megapixel ultrawide. They’re borrowed from last year’s model, minus a telephoto camera and the flipping mechanism.
As in the ZenFone 7 Pro, the 8’s main camera produces 16-megapixel images with vibrant color and plenty of detail in good light. Images can lean a little too far into unnatural-looking territory, and some high-contrast scenes look a little too HDR-y for my liking. But overall, this camera does fine: it handles moderately low-light conditions like a dim store interior well, and Night Mode does an okay job in very low light, provided you can hold the phone still for a few seconds and your subject isn’t moving.
Ultrawide camera
Ultrawide camera
Ultrawide camera
A skin-smoothing beauty mode is on by default when you use portrait mode, and it is not good. Skin looks over-smoothed, unnaturally flat, and brightened, like your subject is wearing a couple of layers of stage makeup. Turning this off improves things significantly.
The ultrawide camera also turns in good performance. Asus calls it a “flagship” grade sensor, and while that might have been true in 2018, it’s at least a step up from the smaller, cheaper sensors often found in ultrawide cameras. Likewise, the front-facing 12-megapixel camera does fine. Beauty mode is turned off by default when you switch to the selfie camera, and thank goodness for that.
There’s no telephoto camera here, just digital zoom. On the camera shooting screen, there’s an icon to jump to a 2x 16-megapixel “lossless” digital zoom to crop in quickly, which works okay, but it isn’t much reach, and it just makes the limitations of the small sensor and lens more obvious.
On the whole, the camera system is good but not great. The lack of true optical zoom or a telephoto camera is a disappointment, but you can’t have everything on such a small device, and I’d personally take an ultrawide before a telephoto any day.
The ZenFone 8 doesn’t sacrifice a flagship experience to achieve its small form factor.
The ZenFone 8 fills a void in the Android market for a full-specced, small-sized device. The Google Pixel 4A is around the same size, but it’s decidedly a budget device with a step-down processor, plastic chassis, and fewer niceties like an IP rating or a fast-refresh screen. Aside from battery life, which is manageable, you give up very little in the way of flagship features to get the ZenFone 8’s small form factor.
You have to look to iOS for this phone’s most direct competition: the iPhone 12 mini, which it matches almost spec-for-spec from the IP rating down to the camera configuration. The 12 mini is actually a little smaller than the ZenFone 8, and when you factor in storage capacity, it’s likely to be the more expensive choice at $829 for 256GB. However, when you consider that the 12 mini will probably get a couple more years of OS and security support, it may be the better buy in the long run, if you’re flexible in your choice of operating system.
I like the ZenFone 8 a lot, but I’m not sure it’ll find a big audience, at least in the US. Apple is having trouble selling the iPhone 12 mini, and if there’s one thing Apple is good at, it’s selling phones to US customers. As much as I hate to entertain the idea, maybe we’ve gotten used to giant phones. I love how the ZenFone 8 feels in my hand and in my pocket, but I do notice how much smaller the screen and everything on it seems compared to the bigger phones I’ve used recently.
There are also a few important considerations, like the lack of compatibility with Verizon and the comparatively short support lifespan of the phone. If you need the absolute best in battery life the ZenFone 8 can’t offer that, and if you want a class-leading camera, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
All that said, the ZenFone 8 will be the right fit for a specific type of person, and I can heartily recommend it to my fellow small phone fans. You’ll get flagship-level build quality and performance quite literally in the palm of your hand.
Asus is taking a slightly different turn with this year’s ZenFone series. While the ZenFone 8 Flip looks a lot like previous years’ phones, with its large screen and flip-out camera mechanism, the company went back to the drawing board for the flagship ZenFone 8 and redesigned it as a smaller one-hand-friendly device: kind of an Android iPhone mini. The two phones make their global debut today, priced at €599 for the ZenFone 8 and €799 for the ZenFone 8 Flip. Asus says that only the ZenFone 8 will come to North America; it is expected this summer. The US price is still being finalized, but the company says it will cost somewhere between $599 and $799.
The ZenFone 8 and 8 Flip both use a Snapdragon 888 chipset, but that’s about as far as the similarities go. The ZenFone 8 features a 5.9-inch 1080p OLED display with a fast 120Hz refresh rate. It will be sold in configurations of up to 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage and includes an IP68 waterproof rating. Both the 8 and 8 Flip support 5G — but when the ZenFone 8 arrives in the US, it will only work on AT&T and T-Mobile’s LTE and sub-6GHz 5G networks.
The ZenFone 8 offers just two fixed rear-facing cameras.Photo: Asus
The ZenFone 8’s two rear cameras are borrowed from the ZenFone 7 series: a 64-megapixel standard wide with OIS that kicks out 16-megapixel images and a 12-megapixel ultrawide. Since the camera array doesn’t flip forward to play the role of a selfie camera, there’s now a 12-megapixel camera under an off-center hole punch on the front panel.
The phone’s compact size is reflected in its 4,000mAh battery, which is much smaller than previous years’ 5,000mAh cells. It supports 30W wired charging with the included charger, but it doesn’t offer wireless charging. There are dedicated dual stereo speakers and even a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The ZenFone 8 Flip’s rotating camera housing features a stronger, more durable motor this year.Photo: Asus
The ZenFone 8 Flip is, by necessity, a much larger device with a 6.67-inch screen — a 1080p OLED panel with a 90Hz refresh rate. It offers a bigger 5,000mAh battery with 30W wired charging, includes up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, but it lacks an IP rating.
The main attraction, of course, is its flip-out camera array. The triple-camera hardware is borrowed from the ZenFone 7, including a 64-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide, and an 8-megapixel telephoto with 3x optical zoom. Asus says the module itself has a stronger motor with better endurance; users can expect to get up to 300,000 “flips” out of it. A custom RhinoShield case will be sold separately in some markets with a sliding cover to protect the housing and a sensor that automatically activates the camera when the cover is opened.
(Pocket-lint) – Gaming phones have become something of a fixture in the Android space; while many flagship devices push their gaming prowess, for a select few, gaming is their raison d’être, their everything.
The ROG Phone is one such device, pushing Asus’ Republic of Gamers brand and weaving into that the experience Asus has gained from its regular phones. And in the fourth-generation of this phone Asus is more ambitious than ever.
Here’s why the Asus ROG Phone 5 is not only a great gaming phone, it’s a great phone outside of that too.
Design & Build
Dimensions: 173 x 77 x 9.9mm / Weight: 239g
Under-display optical fingerprint scanner
3.5mm headphone jack
ROG Vision rear display
Gaming phones often show their colours when it comes to the design. Aside from being large – which the ROG Phone 5 definitely is – you’ll often find more overt graphics and emotive finishes rather than just being a safe black or grey.
Pocket-lint
The ROG Phone 5 doesn’t go to an extreme though: from the front it just looks like a normal phone. Flip it over and you’re treated to subtle design touches etched into the rear glass, which also gives some indicator of where the touch points are for the AirTriggers (which Asus describes as “ultrasonic sensor zones that can be customised to perform different functions, such as reproducing actions in specific games and launching specific apps”. We touch upon these in more detail in the last section of this review).
The thing that gives the game away is the ROG Vision display on the rear of the phone. There are two different versions of the display, with a dot display on the regular ROG Phone models and a slightly smaller but more sophisticated display panel on the Pro and Ultimate models – the Pro is shown in this review.
ROG Phone 5 comes in regular, Pro and Ultimate editions
Pocket-lint
That blows the subtlety out of the water, allowing you to have RBG illumination on the back of the phone – with the Pro and Ultimate models offering a wider range of graphics and animations – all of which can be controlled through the Armoury Crate app on the phone, just like Asus PC components.
That control includes turning the Vision display off if you don’t want it – but you’ll soon forget it’s there until people mention it. It’s on the back of the phone and it’s rare to be looking at the back of the phone when you’re doing something, so let’s not dwell on it.
There are a couple of other quirks around the body: The USB-C on the base of the phone is offset to one side rather than central (and we don’t know exactly why), while there’s a secondary USB-C on the side of the phone. This secondary USB sits alongside the contact point to power the AeroActive Cooler 5 – the clip-on fan – and both have a rubber seal that presses into the side to keep out dust.
Pocket-lint
This cover is probably the worst piece of design implementation on the ROG Phone 5. The fact that there are a couple of spares in the box tell you everything you need to know: you’re going to lose this cover, because it’s a separate piece of rubber.
Motorola’s new Moto G9 Plus is a stunner of a phone – find out why, right here
By Pocket-lint Promotion
·
We’ve found it flapping off when pulling the phone from a pocket, and just when handling the device. We’re constantly pushing it back into place and a couple of times we’ve found it missing and then located it in the bottom of a pocket.
An out of box experience all phones can learn from
One of the great things about gaming phones is what you get for your money. There are a whole range of phones on offer and none are really expensive compared to flagships from brands like Samsung and Apple. The ROG Phone 5 starts at £799 in the UK – and that’s for a 12GB RAM model with 256GB storage, not the bottom of the range loadout.
Pocket-lint
But it’s not just about the core device, it’s about the rest of the experience. Lavishly packaged, opening the ROG Phone 5 is an event. From the cool comic book graphics of inside of the box, that flow through into the startup process for the phone, there’s a sense of theatre. It’s a reward for your custom and it’s so much better than just sliding a phone out of a box.
You also get more in the box: the 65W charger that will deliver a fast charge; the case that brings some grip to what is, admittedly, a slippery phone given its massive size; and the clip-on AeroActive Cooler 5 fan, which integrates a kickstand, two physical buttons, and another RGB logo.
Pocket-lint
Some might baulk at this as more landfill, but some companies will make you pay for the charger – and here you’re getting a powerful charger you can use with your other devices too.
Display
6.78-inch AMOLED panel
Up to 144Hz refresh rate
2448 x 1080 resolution
There’s a 6.78-inch display in the ROG Phone 5. It’s big by any standard, with Asus hanging onto the bezels top and bottom. The top bezel integrates the front-facing camera, so there’s no need for a notch or punch-hole.
It’s also a flat display, all practical design decisions made to give you the best gaming experience, ensuring that you get as much visual space as possible. Given how problematic we found the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra’s display, we’re just fine with the ROG Phone 5 going flat.
Pocket-lint
The ROG Phone 5 models all stick to a Full HD resolution and while devices like the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra can technically produce finer detail, generally speaking that makes little difference. We can’t fault the ROG Phone’s display for detail.
It also offers refresh rates up to 144Hz (if you have any games that support that, there’s a full list on the ROG website), with options to select 60 or 120Hz – or Auto, which will pick the refresh rate based on the content.
HDR 10+ is supported to bring pop to the visuals for high dynamic range content, while that AMOLED panel provides rich colour visuals, with the option to tune that to your preferences.
It’s a great display and about the only thing that separates it from the best displays on the market is the peak brightness. It offers 800 nits, which is still bright enough for most, but Samsung’s top-end offerings will outshine this model – most notable when outside in sunny conditions.
Pocket-lint
Flanking the display top and bottom are dual stereo speakers, while there’s also a 3.5mm headphone socket for those wanting to go wired. The speaker performance is stellar, amongst the best you’ll find on a smartphone. It’s rich and immersive, with substantial bass and volume that means you don’t need headphones to get the most from your content.
Hardware & Performance
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 platform
8GB-18GB RAM, 128GB-512GB storage
6000mAh battery, dual USB-C 65W wired charging
The fact the ROG Phone 5 houses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 platform makes it especially good value for money – as you’re getting the latest flagship hardware that will embarrass some other phones.
Of course it comes in at different price points, with RAM and storage leveraging the price, although not all models will be available in all regions. We actually tested the 16GB/512GB model (the ROG Phone 5 Pro – a model that isn’t planned for the UK; although there’s a 16GB/512GB version of the standard ROG Phone 5, the only difference being the type of display you get on the back of the phone).
The performance is also exemplary. There are a number of elements to this. It’s got that great hardware and, as a result, we’ve found the gaming performance to be outstanding.
Pocket-lint
This is a phone that eats hours of Call of Duty Mobile or PUBG Mobile, giving solid gameplay, combined with those design elements and some software enhancements that feel like they give you edge, or at least give you the opportunity to establish new preferences thanks to the bespoke gaming options offered.
We also didn’t find the ROG Phone 5 to get excessively hot under load, despite the option of the clip-on fan.
But the important point about performance is that the ROG Phone 5 also runs fast and smooth outside of gaming. We’ve seen gaming phones that drop the ball when it comes to simple tasks, because of poor software. The ROG Phone 5 is stable, which makes for a great experience.
There’s a huge 6000mAh battery, which is fitting for a phone of this size, again with Asus splitting the battery and enabling 65W wired charging. That makes for really fast charging, with the option to bypass charging – and just have the power used for the system rather than recharging the battery.
Again, this is an option for gamers, so you’re not charging (which produces heat) and loading the system (which produces heat) and could potentially lead to a drop in performance.
Pocket-lint
A big battery means big battery life. In regular use the ROG Phone 5 will easily see you through the day and into the next. It’s not a charge every night type of phone. Even with a couple of hours of gaming thrown in – at top brightness and max settings – battery life isn’t a worry. That’s a great position not just for a gaming phone, but any smartphone.
There are power modes available, with X Mode firing up full power to let things rip, and a Dynamic Mode to keep things balanced. You can customise the power modes to suit your preferences with things like network, display, performance, and other controls all selectable.
There’s an under-display fingerprint scanner that’s fast to unlock, while calls comes through loud and clear too – with no detected problems with Wi-Fi or 5G connectivity.
The camera on any gaming phone is often something of an afterthought. The focus is on the experience of gaming – so the camera is seen as less of a focus. Despite that, Asus is pushing the ROG Phone 5 as having a triple camera system.
Pocket-lint
The main camera is a 64-megapixel sensor, using pixel combining to produce a 16-megapixel image as standard. You can shoot in full resolution, but you have to dig into the menu to find that option, which no one is ever going to do.
There’s an ultra-wide lens, giving the equivalent of 0.6x, although the quality isn’t great, with visible blurring around the edges if there’s any detail there – but fine for open shots of expansive landscapes.
Pocket-lint
1.0X MAIN CAMERA
The final camera is a macro camera, which we’re generally non-plussed about. As on other devices, macro cameras seem to be thrown in to make up the numbers – and that’s what it feels like here too.
So back the main camera and the performance is reasonable, producing naturally balanced pictures, although perhaps not getting the most out of scenes and not showing as much pop as other cameras we’ve seen can offer.
Low-light shooting offers that slow exposure so you can watch the image get lighter, which we like – and it will take those shots automatically in low light, which means people will actually use it.
There’s a portrait mode for blurring the background that works well enough, although it seems to soften the background with over-exposure which makes results look a little clumsy.
Portrait works on the front and back cameras and we generally prefer the results without portrait mode – and you can’t adjust the levels of blur after the fact, so it’s worth taking a few photos and figuring out what gives you pleasing results so you can change the settings before you take the picture. The selfie camera is generally good, although images quickly get softer in lower light conditions and aren’t good when it gets dark.
There’s no optical zoom on offer here, although you can pinch-to-zoom from the main camera out to 8x. It’s not an especially elegant system and the results are typical of digital zoom, with quality dropping as you increase the “magnification”.
Pocket-lint
One of the reasons for the high-resolution sensor – apart from for the benefit of the spec sheet – is to allow 8K video capture, on top of the 4K 60fps option.
The important thing about the camera is that it gets the job done: while other phones will sell themselves on camera features above all else, that’s not really the ethos behind the ROG Phone 5. This phone is all about the power and the gaming experience. So, yes, there are more engaging cameras elsewhere, but at the same time, this Asus will give you perfectly good results in most situations.
Software and custom gaming options
Android 11
Armoury Crate
Custom gaming controls
As we’ve said previously, the software on the ROG Phone 5 runs smooth and fast. We’ve experienced no problems with the tweaks and changes that Asus has made over Google’s Android operating system, and it’s easy to swing in with Google versions of apps rather than supplied alternatives.
It’s running Android 11 too, so the latest version of Google’s OS – although Asus doesn’t quite have the update record that a company like Samsung now offers, so there’s no telling how long it would be before it moves to Android 12 once that’s released later down the line.
Pocket-lint
What’s more relevant here is the gaming software and the options that controls. We’ve mentioned Armoury Crate, which will let you control things like the ROG Vision display on the back of the phone, and act as a launch pad for your games.
Within each game you can see how long you’ve spent playing that game, but more usefully you have a record of profiles for that game. You can, for example, restrict background CPU usage when playing a particular game, change the touch performance, turn off background network syncing – all designed to ensure you have the optimal gaming experience.
That you can customise this to each game is great. For something like a shooter where connection and touch matters more, you might want to restrict everything else. For something casual like Pokemon Go, you might be happy to have everything else on your phone happening. It’s freedom to choose, rather than one gaming mode fits all.
Pocket-lint
Within games you have access to the Game Genie dashboard too, allowing you to perform essential things, like tweak the brightness, turn off alerts or calls, speed up your phone – and block navigation gestures so you don’t accidentally exit the game.
There’s the option to have stats always showing – CPU and GPU usage, battery, temperature, fps – and you can drag these to anywhere on the screen so they are out of the way.
But it’s the AirTriggers that are the biggest differentiator from other phones, giving you a range of touch zones around the body of the phone that you can customise. That also includes two physical buttons on the AeroActive Cooler accessory too – which might convince some people to use it, as those buttons feel more positive than the touch areas of the phone’s casing.
Pocket-lint
The Cooler buttons are great for things like dropshotting in shooters, because you can hit the deck while still firing, and get back to your feet, all without having to touch anything on the screen – which is a real advantage during games.
There are two ultrasonic buttons on the top of the phone, like shoulder buttons, with haptic feedback. These can offer a full range of programmable options – taps, swipes, slides – and they can be divided into two buttons each side, or you can programme and assign a macro to that button for a sequence you might use in a game.
Then there’s motion support, which you can assign to controls in the game – like forward tilt to reload, or whatever you like.
There’s also (on the Pro and Ultimate models only) rear touch zones you can use for slide input for your fingers on the rear of the phone.
Pocket-lint
The challenge is how you incorporate all these tools to make things easier for you during games – although setting them up is easy enough and each setup is unique to each game.
Even if you just find one thing that’s useful, then you’re a step ahead. That might be using an additional AirTrigger for an on-screen control you find hard to hit – or that you can then remove from the display so you have less UI in the way of the game.
Verdict
The thing that really hits home about the Asus ROG Phone 5 is that it’s not just a great gaming phone: it’s a great phone full stop.
Yes, you can’t avoid the fact that the majority of phones are now based around the camera experience – and that’s one area that the ROG Phone 5 doesn’t really go to town on. But with huge battery and display, this is a great media phone in addition to a gaming delight.
For keen gamers, there’s a market of phone choices out there – and the ROG Phone 5 should definitely be high up your shortlist. For everyone else, if you can accept that this Asus is designed for gamers first, it’s still an awful lot of phone for the money.
Also consider
Pocket-lint
Nubia Red Magic 6
This gaming phone attempts to steal the show with a 165Hz display. Despite being a powerful device that’s good value for money, it does oversell the cameras and also brings with it some software quirks you’ll need to work around.
Home/Lifestyle/Mobile/Apple/Apple could use its own 5G modems for iPhone starting in 2023
Matthew Wilson 4 hours ago Apple, Featured Tech News
Apple’s first attempt to get out of its partnership with Qualcomm did not go to plan, with the company eventually agreeing to continue to use Qualcomm’s chips for iOS devices. However, Apple did buy Intel’s modem business to kickstart development of its own chips in-house, and now, it looks like Apple will switch to its own iPhone modems in 2023.
According to researcher and Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is developing its own 5G modem. Apple will be able to start shipping iPhones with its own modems under the hood starting in 2023 ‘at the earliest’.
As pointed out by 9to5mac, Apple’s legal settlement with Qualcomm included a six year supply agreement, giving Apple the time to develop its own modem and baseband – something that will take the company several years to finalise.
If Apple is ready to begin producing its own modems for iPhones in 2023, then we may see a split, with some iPhones featuring a Qualcomm modem and some using Apple’s own until the supply agreement with Qualcomm runs its course, which should happen in 2025.
KitGuru Says: Apple has been working to rely less on third-party suppliers for years now, culminating in the launch of Apple Silicon in 2020. Next, Apple will have its own wireless chips, which will likely end up in multiple Apple products, not just the iPhone.
Become a Patron!
Check Also
Sony may finally be making a black DualSense controller
When the PS5 was first revealed, one of the most controversial aspects to the console …
(Pocket-lint) – We’ve compared the three iPhone 11 devices against each other elsewhere, as well as the iPhone 11 and the iPhone XR in separate features, but here we are looking at how the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max compare to the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max to help you work out what the differences are.
Keep in mind that the iPhone 11 series has been succeeded by the iPhone 12 series, and if you want to know how the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 compare, then we have a separate feature for that too.
squirrel_widget_167226
Design
iPhone XS: 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7mm, 177g
iPhone XS Max: 157.5 x 77.4 x 7.7mm, 208g
iPhone 11 Pro: 144 x 71.4 x 8.1mm, 188g
iPhone 11 Pro Max: 158 x 77.8 x 8.1mm, 226g
The Apple iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max share several similarities in design compared to the iPhone XS and XS Max. They all have stainless steel frames, glass rears and a large notch at the top of their displays, though their colours differ and the iPhone 11 Pro models have a matte glass rear rather than glossy, which is beautiful in the flesh.
Naturally, the iPhone 11 Pro Max and iPhone XS Max are larger than the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone XS but there isn’t much difference between the models with the XS and 11 Pro similar, and the XS Max and 11 Pro Max measuring around the same too. The Pro models are a little heavier than the XS models though and the matte finish does make the Pro Max appear smaller than the XS Max did but it is of course just an illusion.
Where the main differences can be seen is the rear of the devices. The iPhone XS and XS Max both have a dual rear camera situated in the top left of the device, while the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max have a somewhat polarising square camera housing sporting three camera lenses, also in the top left, like the iPhone 12 series also does.
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max review
Display
iPhone XS: 5.8-inch, HDR, True Tone, 3D Touch, 625nits
The Apple iPhone XS and iPhone 11 Pro both come with a 5.8-inch Super Retina OLED display that has a 2436 x 1125 pixel resolution, delivering a pixel density 458ppi. The iPhone XS Max and iPhone 11 Pro Max meanwhile, have a 6.5-inch Super Retina OLED display with a 2688 x 1242 pixel resolution, also delivering a pixel density of 458ppi.
The technology changes for the Pro models though, despite them offering the same size and resolution. The screens are much more efficient, offering big battery life improvements and they are brighter too, delivering between 800nits and 1200nits of brightness compared to the XS models that offer 625nits maximum brightness, which is apparent when placed side-by-side.
The Pro models also opt for Haptic Touch like the iPhone XR, rather than 3D Touch like the XS models. All four models have mobile HDR compatibility, coupled with Apple’s True Tone technology and a P3 wide colour gamut however.
squirrel_widget_148319
Cameras
iPhone XS/XS Max: Dual rear (12MP wide-angle+12MP telephoto), 7MP front
iPhone 11 Pro/11 Pro Max: Triple rear (12MP wide-angle+12MP ultra-wide+12MP telephoto), 12MP front
The Apple iPhone XS and XS Max both offer dual rear cameras, comprised of two 12-megapixel sensors, one wide-angle and one telephoto. The wide-angle lens has an aperture of f/1.8, while the telephoto lens has an aperture of f/2.4. The two devices have 2x optical zoom and digital zoom up to 10x.
The Apple iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max both have a triple rear camera, made up of a 12-megapixel ultra-wide angle sensor with an aperture of f/2.4, a 12-megapixel wide-angle sensor with an aperture of f/1.8 and a 12-megapixel telephoto sensor with an aperture of f/2.0. The Pro models have dual optical image stabilisation, 2x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out and digital zoom up 10x.
On the front, the iPhone XS models have a 7-megapixel TrueDepth camera, allowing for Face ID, and offering 1080p video recording at 30fps and 60fps. The iPhone 11 Pro models bump the front camera resolution up to 12-megapixels and offer 4K video recording at 24fps, 30fps and 60fps and they also feature a slow-motion video mode for what Apple calls Slofies. It’s another gimmicky feature like Animoji and Memoji but they can be quite fun.
All four devices have Portrait Mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control, Portrait Lighting and they all have Smart HDR. The Pro models have an extra Portrait Lighting effect though, as well as a brighter True Tone flash, Night Mode and Auto Adjustments.
It’s Night Mode that really sets the iPhone 11 Pro models aside from the XS models though – offering significant improvements in low light environments. The third ultra-wide angle lens is great too though, enabling you to get more in your shot.
Apple iPhone 11 Pro cameras explained: Why three and what does each do?
The Apple iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max have Apple’s A13 chip under their hoods, offering a power boost compared to the iPhone XS and XS Max that have the A12 chip. All four models originally came in 64GB, 256GB and 512GB storage options when they launched and none of the devices have microSD for storage expansion.
Apple doesn’t talk about specific RAM and battery capacities, but the iPhone 11 Pro models offer some great improvements on their predecessors in terms of battery. The iPhone 11 Pro is claimed to last up to four hours longer than the iPhone XS , while the iPhone 11 Pro Max will last up to five hours longer than the iPhone XS Max and we found those numbers to be pretty accurate in our experience.
Apple Pay is on board all four devices, as you would expect, and all offer dual-SIM capabilities with nano-SIM and eSIM. All four models are also 4G capable but none offer 5G capabilities, like the iPhone 12 models.
Both the iPhone 11 Pro models and the iPhone XS models offer wireless charging and support for fast charging. Only the iPhone 11 Pro models come with an 18W fast charger in the box though.
Price
squirrel_widget_167227
The Apple iPhone 11 Pro started at $999/£1049 when it first launched, while the iPhone Pro Max starts at $1099/£1149, which is similar to what the iPhone XS and XS Max started at when they launched in 2018.
The Apple iPhone XS and XS Max aren’t available through Apple anymore – and neither are the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max (though the standard iPhone 11 is) – but you might find them cheaper elsewhere if you’re considering these models over the latest iPhone 12 models.
Apple iPhone 11 review
Conclusion
The Apple iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max look similar to the iPhone XS and XS Max, at least from the front, but they offer big camera and processor upgrades, material upgrades, display and battery improvements and they trade 3D Touch for Haptic Touch.
If you have an XS or XS Max, the upgrade to the respective 11 Pro model will offer several improvements, especially in terms of camera, design finish and battery capacities, but you’ll need to decide if these are enough to warrant the expense, and whether it might be worth stretching to buy the 12 Pro instead.
If you’re making a choice between the iPhone 11 Pro models or XS models, you’ll save some cash buying 2018’s models, but you’ll miss out on a couple of the features offered by the 2019 models – predominantly camera and battery. It just depends how important these features are to you and your wallet.
Ayaneo announced Sunday that 2,000 units of its handheld gaming device would soon reach Indiegogo backers with a surprise inside: The new AMD RZ608 Wi-Fi 6E module that, before yesterday’s announcement, hadn’t even been revealed to the public.
“The RZ608 announced today has never been revealed on the Internet,” Ayaneo CEO Arthur Zhang said in the announcement, “so many of you don’t believe it.” But he assured Indiegogo backers that his company’s “cooperation with AMD allows us to be the first to get the latest CPU and technical support among handheld consoles.”
For anyone unfamiliar with Ayaneo: The device is essentially a Nintendo Switch based on the AMD Ryzen 5 4500U APU, commonly known as Renoir, paired with a proprietary cooling solution that’s supposed to enable improved performance. It debuted on Indiegogo in March with a variety of configurations starting at $789.
Now it seems that Ayaneo will rely on AMD for more than just the Renoir APU. Zhang said in the announcement that the AMD RZ608 module offers support for Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, and their predecessors. (Not everyone has a Wi-Fi 6E router, of course, especially since the global chip shortage has limited router supplies.)
Zhang also shared a screenshot of the AMD RZ608’s specs:
(Image credit: AYANEO)
The Wi-Fi Alliance said Wi-Fi 6E brings the “higher performance, lower latency, and faster data rates” offered by Wi-Fi 6 into the 6GHz band. This is supposed to “enable high-bandwidth applications that require faster data throughput, as well as lower latency connectivity that is specifically well suited for next generation uses.”
Zhang said yesterday that Bluetooth 5.2 is supposed to offer “faster connection speed, lower latency, faster transmission speed, longer distance, lower power consumption, and better user experience compared to Bluetooth 5.0.” More information about the spec can be found in this overview from Bluetooth SIG.
Ayaneo users will likely appreciate both improvements. There just seems to be one point of contention: AnandTech reported that the AMD RZ608 is “actually a rebranded MediaTek MT7921K module with an AMD logo on it.” The performance should be the same, naturally, but the hype surrounding the module won’t be.
Not that AMD rebranding MediaTek parts should necessarily come as a surprise. The companies reportedly started working together in September 2020 with plans to develop Wi-Fi 6 networking parts and, sometime in the future, 5G modems. It seems the AMD RZ608 could be the first product of that relationship to reach the public.
JBL’s Charge 5 hails from a victorious and dominant product line, and the winning trend does not stop here
For
Clearer and more detailed sound
Wider soundstage
Updated dustproofing
Against
Nothing at this level
When it comes to rugged, portable, no-nonsense Bluetooth speakers, some product lines have consistently impressed us under review. JBL’s Charge is as good an example as any, and so the fact it’s now entering its fifth generation is big news. Anyone looking for substantial on-the-go sound from something roughly the weight and size of a bottle of wine should take note.
The new JBL Charge 5 is, the US audio specialist claims, even more durable and better sounding than the four Charges before it. Its predecessor carried an IPX7 rating, meaning it could handle being submerged in water to a depth of 1.5m, but the IP67-rated Charge 5 builds on that durability by also being fully dustproof.
The iconic aesthetic, available in eight different finishes including our review sample’s navy blue, has been tweaked to introduce a bolder JBL logo and an extra dollop of rubberised reinforcements, too. So, is the Charge just as recommendable as ever in its latest guise?
Build and features
(Image credit: JBL)
Sitting our Charge 5 sample next to its older sibling, the Charge 4, we play a quick game of spot the difference. The logo is now bigger but looks classier and less like a badge than the branding on its predecessor, with simple metallic accents around the letters rather than a block frame.
The rubberised underbody now comprises pleasing diagonal lines for traction when you set it down, as first seen on the Go 3, rather than a block of opaque rubber.
Gone is the 3.5mm port for wired listening, and the new USB-C charging port is uncovered this time. Under a smaller rubber cap, you still get the useful USB-A port for using the Charge 5 to charge your devices.
JBL Charge 5 tech specs
(Image credit: JBL)
Finishes x8
Battery life 20 hours
Bluetooth version 5.1
Dimensions (hwd) 22 x 9.6 x 9.4cm
Weight 960g
The ends of the Charge 5’s trademark barrel-like bodywork boast a slightly more robust rubberised reinforcement, while the speaker itself is a whole 1mm taller, 2mm deeper, 3mm wider and 5g heavier than its older brother – although there’s little in that to the naked eye.
Under the hood, however, are plenty of improvements. The 52 x 90mm bass driver is a couple of millimetres wider than before, and there’s a new 20mm tweeter. These units both have dedicated power amplification – 30W for the woofer and 10W for the highs. There is also Bluetooth 5.1 rather than 4.2, but the same 7500mAh battery offers the same 20 hours of playback from a single charge.
The Charge 5 now features a JBL PartyBoost button on the control panel on top of the speaker, too, where the Connect+ button sits on the Charge 4. JBL’s updated daisy-chaining tech means you can beef up your portable sound by linking the Charge 5 with up to 100 other PartyBoost enabled JBL Bluetooth offerings, although that is currently limited to the Boombox 2, Flip 5 and Pulse 4. What you can’t do is link the Charge 5 to the older Charge 4, or any older Connect+ enabled JBL speakers for that matter.
There is support for the Charge 5 on the JBL Portable app, formerly called JBL Connect. It’s good for firmware updates and to deploy PartyBoost from your phone, where other app-supported JBL speakers (including the Flip 5) will appear ready to link. With another Charge 5, you can create a stereo pair by toggling across from “Party” (mono sound) to Stereo when hitting the PartyBoost button, but the app is otherwise basic and doesn’t offer anything by way of EQ optimisation.
Leaving the app, we press the PartyBoost button on the Charge 5, then on our Flip 5, and sound dutifully comes from both, clearly and with no notable lag. It’s a neat feature, although some existing JBL owners may be irked by PartyBoost’s inability to play nicely with the older Connect+ tech.
Sound
(Image credit: JBL)
We cue up Chamillionaire’s Ridin’ on Tidal and the Charge 5’s extra ounce of prowess over the Charge 4 reveals itself. It’s a fairly minor upgrade, but the hip-hop riff intro is marginally more impactful – the leading edges of notes through the low end are crisper, resulting in a more agile performance. Vocals are also more energised and feel well-placed in what is an expansive mix for a portable speaker of this size.
Erykah Badu’s voice in Tyrone is emotive and as much celebrated through the treble frequencies as through her juicy lower registers. The walking bass guitar that underpins the track feels three-dimensional and is just one of several instruments held in check, alongside whoops from the crowd and occasional drum fills within a cohesive mix.
Bowed strings in British Sea Power’s melancholy soundscape, Tiger King, are detailed and accurate around the track’s sporadic cymbals and drum crashes, proving the Charge 5 is capable of delicacy and nuance as well as oomph and bass clout.
Any brightness in the Charge 5’s new tweeter melts away once the speaker is run in, leaving only cleaner, clearer treble frequencies. Prince’s vocal in Sometimes It Snows In April veers between his trademark head and chest voices and both are equally as impactful through the Charge 5, alongside the pared-back keys and guitar. Female backing vocals in the later choruses are as present and as ethereal as Prince intended.
Verdict
The Charge 5 is currently as good a sound as you can get in a portable Bluetooth speaker design for under £200 ($200, AU$300). It boasts marginal improvements, both sonically and aesthetically, over its predecessor, the five-star Charge 4. One day JBL may produce a Charge that can be outdone by a new and plucky rival, but rest assured, that has not happened yet with the rather splendid Charge 5.
SCORES
Sound 5
Features 4
Build 5
MORE:
Read our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers
Read our JBL Flip 5 review
Read our Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (2nd gen) review
Xiaomi is still the dominant maker in our trending chart in week 18, although the order of the phones has shifted significantly.
It’s Redmi Note 10 Pro that took the lead this time, followed by the non-Pro Redmi Note 10 and the Poco X3 Pro.
Last week’s leader, the Redmi K40 Gamin is down to fourth ahead of the Poco F3.
The quartet of Samsung phones retains formation with the Galaxy A72 ahead of the A52 5G, S21 Ultra and the vanilla A52. Only this time they have each gained a position and occupy positions sixth through ninth.
The big loser is the Mi 11 Ultra flagship that spend several weeks at the top before plummeting over the past fourteen days and it now finds itself at the foot of the chart. Interestingly however, this time we have the exact same 10 phones as last week, with no newcomers or relegations.
Last week we got three new vivo V-series phones and the V21 and V21 5G in particular brought something you don’t see that often – optically stabilized selfie cameras. We asked your opinion on the matter in our weekly poll and you selected the V21 5G as the most exciting device from the lineup.
Most of you aren’t sold on the utility of OIS selfie cameras to begin with and a solid number believe other phones offer better front facing cameras. The 44MP shooter on the new V21 and V21 5G sits behind a standard f/2.0 lens and brings autofocus (a proper rarity in this price segment) and dual LED flash sensors above the screen. You can capture up to 4K video at 30fps though you don’t get OIS. Some of you would have preferred an ultrawide cam on the front though.
The rest of the specs are more or less in line with midrange offerings from other brands. There are 6.44-inch AMOLEDs with 90Hz refresh rates, triple rear cameras with a 64MP main shooter and 4,000 mAh batteries with 33W fast charging.
The big difference between the three phones comes down to the chipset department where the V21 and V21 5G pack MediaTek’s Dimensity 800U while the V21e relies on the Snapdragon 720G. Given the regional discrepancy in pricing and availability, we can see why their appeal might be limited amid the extra competitive midrange segment.
It seems Lenovo is working hard on a new batch of tablets. Hot on the heels of the alleged Yoga Pad Pro leak form a couple of days ago, detailing a intriguing tablet, with HDMI input support, we are now seeing a more-traditional form-factor tablet also pop-up in various places. As per the name suggests – the Tab M10 5G is a more budget-friendly model, with a display diagonal around 10 inches. It now has is own page in the Google Play console, complete with a small and not particularly telling render, as well as a TB-X607Z model number.
Lenovo Tab M10 5G on the Google Play Console
The listing also mentions the Qualcomm SM6350 chipset, which is the Snapdragon 690 5G – an 8nm chipset, with six Kryo 560 Silver cores, clocked at up to 1.7 GHz and two Kryo 560 Gold ones, at up to 2.0 GHz, plus an Adreno 619L GPU and an integrated X51 5G modem. A nice step up from the Helio P22 chips found in earlier Tab M10 models. It is paired with 6GB of RAM and is pushing pixels to a 1200 x 1920-pixel panel.
The same TB-X607Z model number can also be found in a few recent GeekBench listings online. These don’t provide any additional info and simply reaffirm things like the Snapdragon 690 5G chipset, 6GB of RAM and Android 11 OS.
Lenovo Tab M10 5G GeekBench listing
We have no info on pricing or availability for the Lenovo Tab M10 5G yet. Though, in light of the recent Yoga Tab Pro rumors and leaks, we already mentioned, it is possible to expect an event or at least announcement for a few devices from Lenovo shortly.
Asus will be introducing the Zenfone 8 and Zenfone 8 Flip in just a few days, on May 12. Thanks to some pretty-extensive leaks, we already have a pretty good idea what to expect, as well as how the two phones will look. Even more so now that a very detailed specs sheet for the vanilla Zenfone 8, previously referred to as the “Mini” has surfaced online.
12MP front
EIS on both cameras
8K
4K slow-mo at 120fps
Hi-Fi audio playback via headphone jack
USB Type-C, 3.5mm jack
dual speakers
5G, BT 5.2, Wifi 6, FM
ZenUI 8 on Android 11
linear vibration motor#Asus #asuszenfone8
— Mukul Sharma (@stufflistings) May 7, 2021
Most of the basic hardware was already known and is merely being re-affirmed here, like the Snapdragon 888 chipset, up to 16GB of RAM (with 6GB and 12GB variants also potentially a thing) and up to 256GB of storage. Apparently, of the UFS 3.1 variety. The display on the Zenfone 8 was already know to have a 5.92-inch diagonal and FullHD+ resolution. As per the new info, it will also sport 120Hz refresh rate and will be manufactured by Samsung, using the trendy E4 AMOLED technology. Covering it – Gorilla Glass Victus.
We aren’t exactly sure what materials the rest of the body is made from, but an educated guess would be a metal middle frame and an additional Gorilla Glass sheet of some sorts for the curved back. Another recent rumor also mentions IP68 certification. As per the leaked specs, the body measures 148 x 68.5 x 8.9mm and tips the scale at 169 grams. That includes the 4,000 mAh battery, capable of up to 30W charging.
Also crammed inside the fairly-compact body – a stereo speaker setup, as well as a 3.5mm audio jack, with Hi-Fi audio output, in typical Asus fashion. Apparently, there are also three mics on the Zenfone 8, leveraged for OZO audio recording. We can hance expect pretty solid video capture performance from the main 64MP IMX686 camera on the phone, as well as the 12MP ultrawide snapper. Apparently, video capture can go up to 8K, with 4K@120fps slow-mo also an option. Like we’ve already seen from renders, the Zenfone 8 only has two rear cameras. As per the new leaked specs – both equipped with EIS and if we are reading this correctly – autofocus on the ultrawide, so it can double as a macro snapper. Neat! Finally, some other details are also mentioned, like Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6 support, courtesy of the Snapdragon 888 chipset. Also, 5G and an FM radio receiver. Not too shabby for a compact flagship.
No word on pricing yet, but then again, the announcement event is just around the corner anyway, so we won’t have to wait long.
The OnePlus 7, 7 Pro, 7T, and 7T Pro got the Android 11 update in March, and later in April, units locked to T-Mobile’s network also received the latest version of Android. Now it’s time for T-Mobile’s OnePlus 7T Pro 5G to get a taste of Android 11.
OnePlus 7T Pro
The Android 11 update for the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G carries build number 11.0.1.2.HD61CB and comes with the April 2021 Android security patch. We don’t have the new firmware’s detailed changelog yet, but you can expect it to bring the usual Android 11 goodies to the 7T Pro 5G, such as chat bubbles, notification history, and one-time permissions.
If you don’t get an update notification on your OnePlus 7T Pro 5G in a few days, you check for the update manually by heading to the phone’s Settings menu.
Source | Via
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
