keyword: Qualcomm

asus-rog-phone-5-vs-rog-phone-3:-what’s-changed?

Asus ROG Phone 5 vs ROG Phone 3: What’s changed?

(Pocket-lint) – The ROG Phone 3 was revealed in July 2020 and it was October 2020 before that device spread its wings across the globe and landed in the US. It never reached some regions like the UK.

The ROG Phone 5 arrives pretty soon after, promising more versions, wider availability and a whole host of updates.

So what’s changed and if you’ve recently nabbed the ROG Phone 3, are you really missing out?

Release date and price

  • ROG Phone 5:
    • 8/128: €799
    • 12/256: €899
    • 16/256: €999
  • ROG Phone 5 Pro: €1199
  • ROG Phone 5 Ultimate: €1299
  • ROG Phone 3:
    • 8/128GB ‘Strix Edition’: €799
    • 12/256GB: €999
    • 16/512GB: €1,099

As we said, the ROG Phone 3 was available in China and India in July 2020 and eventually made its way to the US in October 2020, but international availability has never been great.

Although the ROG Phone 3 started at the same price as the ROG Phone 5, the step-up versions of the ROG Phone 5 are cheaper than they were for the ROG Phone 3. The 12/256 ROG Phone 5 is likely to be the most popular, and it’s €100 cheaper than the ROG Phone 3 was at launch.

However, the ROG Phone 5 adds the Pro and Ultimate versions providing those top prices, so it’s more expensive overall for those more advanced models, although the Ultimate comes with a complete box of extras.

The ROG Phone 5 is expected to be available in March, the Pro in April and the Ultimate in May 2021.

Design

  • ROG Phone 5: 173 x 77 x 9.9mm, 239g
  • ROG Phone 3: 171 x 78 x 9.9mm, 240g

The design of the ROG Phone 3 and the 5 is broadly similar. As the measurements reveal, these phones are closely matched in terms of size and weight – even through the ROG Phone 5 has a slightly larger display.

The shape and positioning of the cameras is similar, although the ROG Phone 5 is slightly more angular, while there’s an interesting change on the rear of the phone.

The ROG Phone 3 offered an RGB logo on the rear. There’s a similar RGB logo on the rear of the ROG Phone 5, but it’s now a dot display, to give it some retro charm, while also having two RGB zones for colour combinations – so it’s more dynamic.

The ROG Phone 5 goes further with the Pro and Ultimate versions, offering the ROG Vision display on the rear which can display animations and custom graphics, so it has a lot more to offer in terms of customisation.

While the standard ROG Phone 5 comes in black – like the ROG Phone 3 – the Ultimate edition comes in white.

All these phones have Air Triggers on the top, but the ROG Phone 5 Pro and Ultimate offers two more touch zones on the rear you can customise as game controls. The ROG Phone 5 also supports programmable gestures to further aid your gaming, as well as packing in a 3.5mm headphone socket!

Overall, while looking similar, the ROG Phone 5 has a lot more to offer on the design alone, but it’s a refinement – you can still see that these phones are related.

Display

  • ROG Phone 5: 6.78-inch AMOLED, 2448 x 1080 resolution, 144Hz
  • ROG Phone 3: 6.59-inch AMOLED, 2340 x 1080 resolution, 144Hz

The display on the ROG Phone 3 is very similar to the ROG Phone 5, supporting that 144Hz refresh rate and with a similar size and resolution.

But you’ll notice that the ROG Phone 5 gives you a little more display space in a phone that’s pretty much the same size as it was before, which is a win in our books.

Hardware

  • ROG Phone 5: Snapdragon 888, 8-18GB RAM, 6,000mAh, 65W charging
  • ROG Phone 3: Snapdragon 865 Plus, 8-16GB RAM, 6,000mAh, 30W charging

When it comes to the hardware, there’s been a fairly big switch up to the internals. Both phones sit on the top Qualcomm Snapdragon hardware for the year that they were launched. That gives the ROG Phone 5 and inherent advantage because it’s going to be more powerful.

But there’s a big design change on the interior too. While the overall battery capacity is the same on both phones – 6,000mAh – on the ROG Phone 5 this is split into two cells which means Asus can be more flexible with the design and also support 65W charging – a big jump over the 30W charging of the ROG Phone 3.

Splitting the battery means that the SoC – system on chip, the brains of the phone – can now sit in the centre of the ROG Phone 5, rather than off to the side where it was previously. Sound familiar? Yes, that’s exactly what the Legion Phone Duel offered too.

That is better for cooling, as the clip-on fan accessory can sit right over the part producing most of the heat. The slight downside might be that you feel the warmth with your fingertips, rather than just with one hand. Still, it’s likely to be an improvement for the better for the ROG Phone 5.

Both phones offer a range of RAM options, partly tied to the storage and in both cases this is used to leverage price. There’s actually not a huge difference here – both go up to 512GB storage – but to get that version on the ROG Phone 5, you’re looking at the Ultimate which also has 18GB of RAM.

Yep, we’re struggling to see that as anything other than a numbers game and we suspect most will be happy with the 12/256GB version – which is the model that’s actually €100 cheaper in the ROG Phone 5 and the ROG Phone 3 launch prices.

There’s also a small change on the side of the phone, switching the accessory port to a pogo pin system rather than a USB C, so now it’s clearer what you have to plug your charging cable into on the ROG Phone 5.

Cameras

  • ROG Phone 5: 64MP f/1.8 main, 13MP f/2.4 wide-angle, 5MP macro, 24MP selfie
  • ROG Phone 3: 64MP f/1.8 main, 13MP f/2.4 wide-angle, 5MP macro, 24MP selfie

There’s actually no change here. According to Asus there’s no difference in the cameras so you can expect the same performance.

Conclusions

It’s easy after a quick look through what’s on offer that the ROG Phone 5 has things stacked in its favour, which is to be expected being the newer device.

But there are some important fundamentals here: the display on both is similar, both have top quality Qualcomm hardware and options for big RAM, as well as custom gaming features, so the day-to-day experience between the two is probably not going to be that big.

But given that you seem to be getting a lot more for your money on the ROG Phone 5, with more options to choose from an wider availability, it seems like the one to choose.

Writing by Chris Hall.

samsung-galaxy-s20-vs-galaxy-s20+-vs-galaxy-s20-ultra:-what’s-the-difference?

Samsung Galaxy S20 vs Galaxy S20+ vs Galaxy S20 Ultra: What’s the difference?

(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.

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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.

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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.

Cameras

  • S20: 12MP main, 64MP telephoto, 12MP ultra wide
  • S20+: 12MP main, 64MP telephoto, 12MP ultra wide, DepthVision
  • S20 Ultra: 108MP main, 48MP telephoto, 12MP ultra wide, DepthVision

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?

Writing by Chris Hall.

oppo-reno-4-pro-5g-review:-classy-mid-ranger

Oppo Reno 4 Pro 5G review: Classy mid-ranger

(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. 



Best smartphones 2021 rated: The top mobile phones available to buy today


By Chris Hall
·

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.

  • Read our review

Writing by Cam Bunton. Editing by Mike Lowe.

the-most-powerful-wear-os-watches-are-held-back-by-wear-os

The most powerful Wear OS watches are held back by Wear OS

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For the past month, I’ve been testing the two most powerful Wear OS watches you can buy: the TicWatch Pro 3 from Mobvoi and the Fossil Gen 5 LTE. They’re not spec-for-spec identical, but they do share a basic shape: big, chunky, round, and black. If you’re using Android and want a smartwatch, they’re at the top of a persistently tiny list of top-flight smartwatches.

Despite Wear OS’s reputation, both watches are perfectly competent and can do the basics of what many people want out of a smartwatch. Both also offer what I’d characterize as acceptable battery life: a full day most of the time, two at a stretch. The TicWatch can actually go much longer, thanks to a clever second screen layered on top of the first one.

But Wear OS does have that reputation: for years, watches that ran it have been slow, ran out of battery life quickly, and suffered from a tiny ecosystem of apps. Some of those problems have been solved, but that doesn’t mean that these watches (or, honestly, any smartwatch available to Android owners) lives up to the polish and features iPhone users can get with the Apple Watch.

The Apple Watch comparison isn’t really useful for Android users — it’s not and probably never will be an option. Instead, let’s just look at these two watches on their own terms.

The Mobvoi TicWatch 3 Pro

TicWatch Pro 3 review

At $299.99, the TicWatch Pro 3 is not an impulse buy. But the price is about right for what Mobvoi has created. It has pushed the limits of what Wear OS can do in two ways.

First, it has crammed the best technology it could get for a Wear OS device in here. One big differentiator for the TicWatch Pro 3 is that it is the only watch using Qualcomm’s latest smartwatch processor, the Snapdragon 4100. (More from Motorola and possibly OnePlus have been rumored to be coming this year.)

That processor makes the watch faster than other Wear OS devices — though it still can sometimes feel a step behind both Samsung’s Tizen-based watches and even Fitbits. It also accounts for some of the TicWatch’s battery life, which I’ve found can last two and even three days with all the bells and whistles turned on.

The second thing Mobvoi has done to push Wear OS is add a bunch of bells and whistles to make up for the platform’s missing features. The main thing it’s done is put an LCD panel on top of the regular OLED screen. This allows the TicWatch to go into a low power mode when it’s on standby and a super-low power mode when you need it to last for more than a few days on a charge.

Wear OS powers its fitness offerings with Google Fit, which has seen a few updates but is very far behind Apple’s fitness offerings. Mobvoi can’t fix that, but it has tried to fill in the gaps with its own suite of fitness apps on the watch. It even includes a blood oxygen sensor — though it’s no more accurate than the norm for smartwatches, which isn’t very good.

However, using them requires you to place a large amount of trust in Mobvoi the company — as the watch makes perfectly clear when you try to launch these apps, there’s no way to do that without sharing a bunch of information with Mobvoi. I applaud the transparency, but that still wasn’t enough to make me comfortable with it.

One thing to keep in mind with the TicWatch Pro 3: its aesthetics. It’s unapologetically a big, chunky watch. I don’t have huge wrists and it absolutely feels dominated by this thing. It is “honest” in its design, at least, in that it isn’t trying to look like a fancier watch than it is — right on down to the matte plastic lugs that hold the replaceable straps in place. I also wish it had a rotating crown for scrolling.

I ended up using the TicWatch Pro 3 like a bog standard Wear OS watch in the end, turning off its extra screen and sticking to Google Fit for fitness data. It absolutely did the job, but at $299 I think most people would be better off considering other options.

There is only one spec that the TicWatch lacks: LTE. For that, you’ll need to buy the Fossil.

The Fossil Gen 5 LTE

Fossil Gen 5 LTE review

I reviewed the original Fossil Gen 5 smartwatch in 2019, and I called it the “best of a Wear OS situation.” I think that (dubious) honor now goes to the TicWatch Pro 3, but if you need LTE, the $349 Fossil Gen 5 is one of two options you’ve got on Android (the other is Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 3 LTE).

Fortunately, the Fossil Gen 5 is essentially unchanged by the addition of LTE. If you’re willing to pay your carrier the extra monthly charges to turn it on, using the Gen 5 with LTE felt virtually the same as using it with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

Even battery life didn’t seem to be a problem. I did notice the watch was more likely to hit two full days with LTE turned off, but I usually didn’t manage to drain it in a single day even when using mostly LTE. Sadly, Fossil also feels as though it needs to make up for Wear OS’s shortcomings by keeping its entirely too complicated battery saver features. A watch should never require users to dig into granular radio toggles.

It does still use the older Snapdragon 3100 processor, though it didn’t feel particularly slow as a result. Aesthetically, it’s very slightly different from the regular Fossil Gen 5 Carlyle that I own and it’s not that much smaller than the TicWatch, but subtle differences make it look just a little more premium.

All in all, if you must have an LTE smartwatch and you use Android, this is your best option if you really prefer Wear OS to Tizen. If you’re agnostic, I think the Galaxy Watch 3 with LTE is probably a better choice.

Wear OS watches

As I’ve been harping on for three years now, every smartwatch for Android involves some kind of compromise.

Samsung watches need a lot more apps and require you to install a lot of extra stuff on your phone to get them working.

Fitbits are great for fitness but not so great at integrating into Android. There’s also the not-so-little matter about the company now being owned by Google’s hardware division. The future of the entire Fitbit ecosystem is sort of up in the air right now.

And honestly, the future of Wear OS is also up in the air. There’s little movement lately in app support and though Google has done a decent enough job keeping the OS from falling into utter decay, it hasn’t done much more than that. It’s overdue for an overhaul.

There are likely more Wear OS watches coming that might be worth waiting for, but the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 remains the best option for traditional smartwatch stuff. At the end of the day, it’s difficult to recommend anybody spend three or four hundred dollars to get on board the rudderless Wear OS boat.

Both the TicWatch Pro 3 and the Fossil Gen 5 LTE are good enough smartwatches for what they are. It’s just that what they are is the best of an old platform with a questionable future.

Photography by Dieter Bohn / The Verge

qualcomm-unveils-snapdragon-sound-for-high-quality,-low-latency-wireless-audio

Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon Sound for high-quality, low-latency wireless audio

There are many ways for streaming audio to go wrong, especially if there is a wireless headset at the end of the chain. Qualcomm is aiming to address all of these issues with the new Snapdragon Sound platform.

On the phone end, the company has lined up the Snapdragon 800-series chips with the FastConnect 6900 connectivity system. For headsets and earbuds there are the QCC514x, QCC515x and QCC3056 series Bluetooth Audio SoCs.

Between them they support aptX Adaptive, which is capable of delivering high-quality 24-bit 96 kHz audio with very low latency – as low as 89 ms (45% lower than “a leading competitor”, says Qualcomm). For voice calls and teleconferencing there’s the aptX Voice codec. There is an Active Noise Cancellation system available as well.

The system has been designed to be resistant to interference from other Bluetooth or Wi-Fi signals, so that it can provide glitch-free audio even in busy environments. Qualcomm also designed things to make pairing easy after you take your new headset out of its box.


Standard Bluetooth audio vs. Snapdragon Sound vs. Wired headset • Super wideband voice

Xiaomi is the first smartphone maker to jump on the Snapdragon Sound train, headphone maker Audio-Technica is on board as well. A partnership with Amazon ensures that there will be no shortage of high quality content to listen to with the “genre-spanning” Snapdragon Sound playlist on Amazon Music HD.

If you don’t have an account for Amazon Music, you can check out this comparison on SoundCloud instead:

“Xiaomi is excited to be the first mobile manufacturer to bring Snapdragon Sound to devices. Snapdragon Sound will bring new high quality, seamless, low-latency audio experiences to our customers everywhere and provide better sound while engaging in voice calls, video conferencing, gaming and/or music listening.” said Lei Zhang, vice president of Mi Smartphone and general manager of Hardware R&D, Xiaomi.

“We believe that with Snapdragon Sound we get closer to our mutual vision of providing wired quality sound, wirelessly and are excited to be one of the first manufacturers to get our products to consumers,” said, Kotaro Narihara, director, general manager of marketing headquarters, Audio-Technica.

Source

realme-gt-neo-is-on-the-way-with-dimensity-1200-chipset

Realme GT Neo is on the way with Dimensity 1200 chipset

Less than 24 hours ago, Realme took the wraps off its latest flagship smartphone, the GT, at an event in China. At the end of the event, Realme VP Xu Qi also teased an additional member of the new GT family, which is supposedly coming soon.

We’re talking about the Realme GT Neo, and this one will have MediaTek’s Dimensity 1200 chipset at the helm, unlike the GT which uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888. That’s all we know about it so far, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see various leaks and rumors regarding the GT Neo in the coming days and weeks.

The Dimensity 1200 was announced back in January, and is MediaTek’s flagship chipset. It’s fabbed on a 6nm process, and its CPU has a 1+3+4 octa-core configuration, with one 3 GHz Cortex-A78, three 2.6 GHz Cortex-A78 cores, and four 2 GHz Cortex-A55 cores. This configuration makes it 22% above the Dimensity 1000+, its predecessor, in performance. The GPU seems to be the same from the Dimensity 1000+, a Mali-G77MC9. The SoC supports up to 168 Hz display refresh rate, and camera sensors up to 200 MP.

According to MediaTek’s information from the launch, Realme should out a device using this platform in late March or early April – and we’re guessing the handset in question is none other than the GT Neo.

Via

oneplus-9-pro-vs-oneplus-9-vs-oneplus-9r:-what’s-the-rumoured-difference?

OnePlus 9 Pro vs OnePlus 9 vs OnePlus 9R: What’s the rumoured difference?

(Pocket-lint) – OnePlus is expected to announce four devices on 8 March, including the OnePlus 9, OnePlus 9 Pro, OnePlus 9R – or OnePlus 9E as it as also been called in rumours – as well as the OnePlus Watch.

With three devices expected for the OnePlus 9 series this year though, what will be the differences between them and which one will be the right one for you?

We’ve compared the rumoured specifications for the OnePlus 9 Pro, OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9R to see how they are expected to stack up against each other.

Design

  • 9 Pro: Curved display, punch-hole camera, rectangular camera housing, waterproofing
  • 9: Flat display, punch-hole camera, rectangular camera housing
  • 9R: Flat display, punch-hole camera, rectangular camera housing

The OnePlus 9 Pro is expected to have a curved display, while the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9R are expected to come with a flat display.

Though the OnePlus 9R’s design hasn’t leaked as heavily as the OnePlus 9 Pro and OnePlus 9, all three are expected to come with a punch hole front camera positioned in the left corner, while a rectangular camera housing – like the OnePlus 8T and OnePlus Nord – are expected on the rear.

It’s been claimed two lenses will be larger on the rear camera, with the OnePlus 9 rumoured to have a triple rear camera and the OnePlus 9 Pro rumoured to offer a quad rear camera. It’s currently not clear what the OnePlus 9R could offer, with only a main camera detailed in leaks, so this could be the main point of differentiation between it and the other two OnePlus 9 models.

An IP68 water and dust resistance has been claimed for the OnePlus 9 Pro. It is thought the other two models will not offer official waterproofing. Based on the display size rumours, the OnePlus 9 Pro will be the largest of the three OnePlus 9 devices, while the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9R will be around the same size, with the 9 possibly fractionally larger.

Display

  • 9 Pro: 6.7-inch, Quad HD+, LTPO, 120Hz variable
  • 9: 6.55-inch, Full HD+, 120Hz
  • 9R: 6.5-inch, Full HD+, 90Hz

The OnePlus 9 Pro is rumoured to offer a 6.7-inch display and it’s been said it will have a LTPO display that supports a variable refresh rate. The OnePlus 9 is said to have a 6.55-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate, while the OnePlus 9R is said to have a 6.5-inch display with a 90Hz refresh rate.

It’s expected that the OnePlus 9 Pro will have a Quad HD+ resolution screen, while the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9R are more likely to offer a Full HD+ resolution. All are expected to have an AMOLED panel for bright and vibrant colours and deep blacks.

The OnePlus 9 Pro and OnePlus 9 are also expected to offer a peak brightness of at least 1100nits and support for HDR10+, like the OnePlus 8T. It is not yet clear if the OnePlus 9R will also offer these attributes. As mentioned, the OnePlus 9 Pro is expected to sport a curved display, while the 9 and 9R are expected to have flat displays.

Hardware and specs

  • 9 Pro: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, 8/12GB RAM, 128/256GB storage, 4500mAh
  • 9: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, 8/12GB RAM, 128/256GB storage, 4500mAh
  • 9R: Qualcomm Snapdragon 690, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage, 5000mAh

The OnePlus 9 Pro and OnePlus 9 are both rumoured to run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, while the OnePlus 9R is said to have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 under its hood – which is the same as the OnePlus Nord N10 5G.

In terms of RAM, the OnePlus 9 Pro and OnePlus 9 are expected to come in 8GB and 12GB options with storage options of 128GB and 256GB, while the OnePlus 9R has been rumoured to offer 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. 

Both the OnePlus 9 Pro and OnePlus 9 have been reported to offer 4500mAh battery capacities, while the OnePlus 9R is said to have a 5000mAh cell. It’s thought the 9 and 9 Pro will support 65W fast charging, but it’s not clear if this will also appear on the 9R model as yet. Wireless charging has also been mentioned, but again, it isn’t clear if this is just for the Pro or for the 9 Pro and the 9. We don’t expect it on the 9R.

Cameras

  • 9 Pro: Quad camera, Hasselblad partnership
  • 9: Triple camera
  • 9R: 64MP main camera

The OnePlus 9 Pro is rumoured to offer a quad rear camera and it has been suggested there will be a Hasselblad partnership for the Pro model. The OnePlus 9 is said to have a triple rear camera, and the OnePlus 9R is said to have a 64-megapixel main camera, but no further details have leaked.

For now, there haven’t been any leaks to suggest what the camera systems on these three devices will offer in terms of megapixels and sensors, but it’s likely the Pro will have a focus on the camera and offer more in this department than the other two 9 series devices.

As mentioned, all three OnePlus 9 devices are expected to have a punch hole front camera.

Price

  • 9 Pro: Around £799/$899
  • 9: Around £599/$699
  • 9R: Between $400/£400 and £599/$699

Pricing hasn’t been leaked for the OnePlus 9 devices as yet, but the OnePlus 8 started at $699 in the US and £599 in the UK when it launched, while the 8 Pro started at $899 in the US and £799 in the UK, so we would expect the OnePlus 9 Pro and OnePlus 9 to be priced similar.

The OnePlus 9R meanwhile will be cheaper than the OnePlus 9 Pro and OnePlus 9, but we would expect it to be more expensive than the OnePlus Nord. We therefore expect the OnePlus 9R to sit somewhere between £379 and £599 in the UK and $400 and $699 in the US.

Conclusion 

Based on the rumours, the OnePlus 9 Pro will offer a curved display, a larger display, variable refresh rate, more capable camera and waterproofing over the regular OnePlus 9. It might also have faster wired and wireless charging support.

The regular OnePlus 9 meanwhile, could offer a higher refresh rate display, possibly more capable camera, a higher RAM and storage option and a more powerful processor over the OnePlus 9R, based on the leaks.

The OnePlus 9R will no doubt be the cheapest of the three 9 Series devices, but it’s expected to be less powerful. It is rumoured to come with a larger battery capacity than both the OnePlus 9 Pro and the OnePlus 9 though. All three are expected to be 5G capable.

Writing by Britta O’Boyle.

tencent-branded-redmagic-gaming-phone-launched-with-165hz-screen

Tencent-branded RedMagic gaming phone launched with 165Hz screen

RedMagic, the gaming brand of ZTE subdivision Nubia, has launched a new smartphone in collaboration with Chinese tech and gaming giant Tencent. The RedMagic 6 and 6 Pro are high-end devices available to order now in China, with a global launch coming later this month.

The RedMagic 6 has an Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, active fan cooling, and a 6.8-inch 1080p OLED display with a refresh rate of 165Hz, making it the fastest phone screen on the market today. RedMagic is also claiming a single-finger touch sampling rate of up to 500Hz, or up to 360Hz with multitouch. The touch-sensitive capacitive “shoulder triggers” on the side, meanwhile, are sampled at up to 400Hz.

The RedMagic 6 Pro is mostly identical, but it comes with up to 18GB of RAM and has a faster 120W charging system that RedMagic says can fully charge the 4,500mAh battery in just 17 minutes. The non-Pro 6 has a bigger 5,050mAh battery but a slower 66W system that takes 38 minutes for a full charge.

The Tencent collaboration is quite unusual. RedMagic says that the phone’s software is optimized for Tencent apps like WeChat and QQ, with 50 percent faster read and write speeds. Tencent’s Solar Core gaming software is also preloaded, and the company promises it improves game response speed, frame rates, and network latency.

The RedMagic 6 starts at 3,799 yuan (~$585) for a model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, but you can pay almost twice as much for a fully loaded 18GB/512GB RedMagic 6 Pro — that’ll cost 6,599 yuan (~$1,020). Global pricing will likely be different, however; RedMagic will announce international release plans on March 16th.

the-realme-gt-5g-is-a-very-cheap-snapdragon-888-based-phone-on-sale-now-in-china

The Realme GT 5G is a very cheap Snapdragon 888-based phone on sale now in China

Realme has announced the GT 5G, built with Qualcomm’s top-tier Snapdragon 888 chipset. It comes with plenty of other flagship-esque specs, too, like a 120Hz screen, up to 12GB of RAM, and a 4,500mAh battery with 65W fast charger included. What it doesn’t have is a flagship-like price; it’s on sale in China for 2,799 yuan currently, or about $430.

The Snapdragon 888 is currently Qualcomm’s most powerful processor, announced in December of last year. Samsung has included it in its S21-series phones, and it’s expected to appear in many more Android flagships this year. At the moment, though, only a handful of (mostly pricey) devices are available with it, and with a 100 yuan introductory discount, the Realme GT 5G ties the Xiaomi Redmi K40 Pro as the least expensive of them.

The GT 5G offers a 6.43-inch OLED screen and a triple rear camera array with a 64-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide, and a 2-megapixel macro camera. It comes with 5G and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, and sells in three colors, including the striking “dawn” yellow version with a textured racing stripe down the back. While it’s not confirmed whether the GT will be sold outside of China, it might be telling that Realme UK retweeted coverage of the phone’s announcement.

bluetooth-24-bit/96khz-support-is-coming-via-qualcomm-snapdragon-sound

Bluetooth 24-bit/96kHz support is coming via Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound

(Image credit: Qualcomm)

Qualcomm has introduced a new system-on-chip platform that supports 24-bit/96kHz audio over Bluetooth. 

Currently, Qualcomm’s aptX HD and flagship aptX Adaptive Bluetooth codecs can transmit music up to 24-bit/48kHz, but the new Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound takes that to 96kHz – the sampling rate studio music is often recorded and, as digital hi-res files, distributed at. (That said, as Snapdragon Sound utilises aptX Adaptive codec technology, transmission is still slightly compressed – the bitrate scales dynamically from 279kbps up to 860kbps.)

Depending on manufacturer take-up, this means we could see 24-bit/96kHz Bluetooth passthrough between a variety of headphones and smartphones very soon.

This higher data transmission support is only one element of Snapdragon Sound, which is a package of audio-related technologies that promise to deliver high-quality wireless sound end-to-end across the chain, from source (a phone) to receiver (headphones).

Qualcomm’s goal here is to offer manufacturers of headphones, phones, tablets and other consumer electronics components a hardware and software solution that provides their products with best-in-class audio quality, latency and connectivity robustness.

(Image credit: Qualcomm)

In addition to expanding aptX Adaptive to support 96kHz with 89-millisecond latency (“45% lower than a leading competitor”, says Qualcomm), Snapdragon Sound also incorporates the company’s Active Noise Cancelling and aptX Voice wide-band technologies to offer its optimal noise cancellation and voice calling experience. 

Away from wireless device use cases and geared towards wired listening with a phone, is Snapdragon Sound’s incorporation of the Qualcomm Aqstic DAC, which supports native playback of PCM files up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM, as well as DSD.

Qualcomm says we should see the first products with Snapdragon Sound in the second half of this year, with phones and headphones to initially appear before PCs, watches and XR glasses. Presumably, they will be higher-end devices in their fields and, as confirmed by their launch partnership, Xiaomi phone(s) and Audio-Technica headphones will be in that first batch.

“We believe that with Snapdragon Sound we get closer to our mutual vision of providing wired quality sound wirelessly, and are excited to be one of the first manufacturers to get our products to consumers,” said Kotaro Narihara, Audio-Technica’s director and general manager of marketing headquarters.

Snapdragon Sound – available to OEMs from today – will be offered within Qualcomm’s latest QCC514x, QCC515x and QCC3056 series of Bluetooth audio SoCs, which have been geared to enhance the true wireless headphones experience. 

With 24-bit/96khz music increasingly prevalent thanks to the hi-res support from streaming services such as Tidal, Qobuz and Amazon Music HD, Qualcomm hopes to encourage and improve the hi-res audio listening experience. It has also partnered with Amazon to launch a collaborative (and celebratory) ‘Snapdragon Sound’ playlist of hi-res streams on the Amazon Music HD service, available today.

MORE:

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