keyword: Snapdragon

oppo-find-x3-neo-review:-can-it-compete?

Oppo Find X3 Neo review: Can it compete?

(Pocket-lint) – There will always be those who clamour for the latest specs, studying all the latest flagships to ensure that when they eventually part with their hard-earned cash it goes on the device that has the top numbers. Those phones will come with the highest resolution screens, the latest processor, and the most cameras on the back. 

But here’s the thing: you don’t necessarily need all of those things. Which, if you’re looking to save a bit of cash, is where the likes of Oppo’s Find X3 Neo comes in. Unlike its predecessor, the Find X2 Neo, Oppo’s second-in-command phone from its Find X series has a previous flagship chip instead of a current mid-range processor. Does that make it the perfect balance of power to price?

Design & Build

  • Dimensions: 159.9 x 72.5 x 7.99mm / Weight: 184 grams
  • Finish options: Galactic Silver / Starlight Black 

In a market filled with big-scale devices, it’s always a relief – specifically for the hands – when a smartphone comes along that’s noticeably more nimble. That’s the Neo through and through.

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The Find X3 Pro was noticeably more comfortable to hold than most of its competitors, and the Neo is smaller and therefore feels even more compact in the palm. 

It’s about 8mm thick, which is technically thicker than an iPhone 12, but its curved edges on the front and the back make it feel sleek and slim when you actually hold it. The camera protrusion on the back is fairly minimal too. Despite featuring four cameras, it retains that compact rectangular design of the phones that came before it, not the more heavily protruding set – like you’ll see in, say, Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra.

Captured in the right kind of light, the Find X3 Neo’s shape and overall design has a minimalist quality about it. The dark blue/black model we were sent for review – that’s where the Starlight Black name comes from – has an unmistakeable glittery quality to it. It also has a soft almost-grippy texture to the glass on the back, but a visual sparkle whenever it catches the light. We have a feeling you’ll either love or hate this. 

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Still, that texture on the back means it’s refreshingly non-slippery. It won’t fall from your hand, it doesn’t randomly slide off flat surfaces and – more crucially – struggles to pick up fingerprints. It’s a great finish, whether or not you’re a fan of the twinkly quality.

Display & Software

  • 6.55-inch FHD+ (1440 x 1080 resolution) AMOLED display
  • 90Hz refresh rate, 120Hz touch sampling rate
  • 1100 nits peak brightness

We’ve seen more than one manufacturer opt to put a Full HD display into its phones in 2021. In fact, where QHD+ resolution used to be the norm for flagships, it now seems having that 1440p panel is reserved for only the ultimate, top tier devices.

That’s the same for Oppo. The Find X3 Pro is the one with the higher resolution, 120Hz high frame-rate display. That means the Neo has the lower Full HD+ resolution and mid-level 90Hz with this one. 

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We find the 90Hz refresh is more than adequate for pretty much everything. In our testing we’ve not seen too much to suggest that 120Hz is an absolute must from any phone. In fact, even those that can push 120 frames every second have recently opted to use adaptive rates as to not waste battery life.

In reality, 90hz means that all your animations – whether they be general interface or during gaming – will be smooth and respond quickly to your gestures on screen. 

As for the display’s visual properties, those a decent too. Granted, you don’t get the same eye-popping brightness and colours as you might from the Pro, but it’s certainly not a dim screen. The Neo’s smaller panel is bright and vivid, with deep blacks lending a hand to make visuals pop. 

If there’s any criticism it’s that it seems to suffer a little with excessive contrast, most notable when the brightness is low. Some colours at these times seem a bit too dark and unnatural. Once you have your favourite show on, or you’re smashing the latest levels of your favourite game, you don’t particularly notice any real issues though.

Software-wise, it’s practically identical to what we saw on the Pro model. Here you’ll find Oppo’s ColorOS 11, based on Google’s Android 11, which means lots of useful and fun features. We like the customisation interface that lets you see your changes in real-time on the home screen as you pick the wallpaper or adjust the shape and design of the icons. 

Other highlights include the completely customisable always-on display. There’s also the Relax app that plays soothing sounds to help you get rest or fall to sleep at night – this includes nature sounds and relaxing music as well as sounds recorded in cities around the world. 

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As well as the same software benefits as per the Pro, the Neo experience similar quirky issues. There’s some inconsistency in the way it handles notifications, in that visual alerts don’t appear everywhere you’d expect. For instance, you might have icons on the always-on display and in the status bar, but not on the lock screen. It made it impossible for us to see what a notification was without opening the app and checking. It’s little irks like this that hold ColorOS back a mite.



Apple’s spring product line-up special – Pocket-lint Podcast 100


By Rik Henderson
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Performance & Battery

  • Snapdragon 865 processor, 12GB RAM
  • 256GB storage, no microSD
  • 4500mAh battery capacity
  • 65W Super VOOC 2.0 flash charging

As we alluded to at the beginning of this review, this phone isn’t equipped with 2021’s top-tier Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. It’s not got a step-down Snapdragon 700 series chipset either. Instead, Oppo opted for the last-gen top-tier option, the Snapdragon 865.

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By going down this route, Oppo has effectively skipped the ‘almost-flagship’ range and gone with a proper flagship one instead – albeit from 2020. And when you consider the Neo’s screen refresh rate tops out at 90Hz and it’s a Full HD+ resolution, that processor choice is more than enough to make it feel like a properly fast phone. 

As you’d expect, the resulting experience is one that’s quick and responsive. Because, after all, a processor which was the fastest and most powerful just a few months prior to launch hasn’t suddenly just become slow and sluggish over night. 

Settle into your daily routine and there’s just no trouble from the Oppo phone. It loads games and apps without a care in the world. Loading screens transition quickly, graphics start sharp and remain that way while the high refresh touch sampling rate ensures that your gestures on screen result in quick animations from the display. 

It’s a similar situation with battery life. Having a Full HD+ display and a relatively large 4500mAh battery capacity means you can easily get through a full day with the Neo, even on really busy days. Oppo’s battery optimisation is famously quite aggressive – and that means for some moderate/light users that two days on a full charge isn’t out of the question. We’d often get to the end of a day with more than 40 per cent left over. 

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The other plus side to this battery is that it features Super VOOC 2.0 charging, which makes it possible to refill it really quickly. It uses the 65W wired flash charging tech that can completely fill the battery in around 35 minutes. It’s not quite as speedy as the updated OnePlus 9 Warp Charge, but it’s still fast enough to make battery anxiety a thing of the past. 

Cameras

  • Quad rear cameras:
    • Main: 50-megapixel, f/1.8 aperture, optical image stabilisation (OIS)
    • 2x optical zoom: 13MP, f/2.4
    • Wide-angle: 16MP, f/2.2
    • Macro: 2MP
  • 32MP front-facing selfie camera
  • Video: 4K up to 60fps

Like its internals, the camera makeup is of a flagship level too. Or, at least, the primary camera is. It uses the same 50-megapixel sensor as its more expensive sibling, the Find X3 Pro. 

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: Primary lensPrimary lens

That means when you’re taking photos in the ‘1x’ mode you’re going to get great-looking pictures, especially when there’s good light. Shooting outside will get you sharp images with great colour and a lovely natural depth – more pronounced when shooting objects that are close to the camera. 

However, the supporting act cameras just aren’t quite as strong. The ultra-wide camera sometimes left us with pictures that looked a little flatter in terms of colour and depth, and it’s not as strong at focussing on nearby subjects. Similarly, the overall look of those pictures was just a tad rough compared to the main camera. 

As for that 2x optical zoom camera, that’s similar to the ultra-wide – in that it can capture decent enough pictures, but again they lack some of that crispy vibrance you see from pictures from the primary sensor. 

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: 1x Primary1x Primary

Still, while they’re far from perfect, those additional focal lengths do at least mean the camera system is versatile. They add an extra dimension to the photography experience and will let you capture those wide landscapes or zoom in on something a little further away to good effect. 

The one camera that really isn’t up to scratch is the macro sensor. It’s baffling that instead of equipping the system with an ultra-wide camera that can also be used for macro, Oppo utilised a 2-megapixel macro sensor – the kind we’d expect to see in a much cheaper phone. 

Shots from camera’s dedicated macro mode are really quite harsh. Details are lacking, there’s a real lack of decent colour, and the background blur is awful looking.

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: Macro Macro 

In our testing we found it was better just to switch to the main camera in regular photo and get close up to a subject. If you want a tighter shot, simply crop the photo afterwards – as that way you get far better detail, colour and depth. 

Verdict

It’s easy to see the appeal of the Find X3 Neo. It’s a slim and nimble phone with great battery life, flagship speeds, and a very good main camera. The Snapdragon 865 processor inside means it’s not just an over-priced mid-range device.

However, the Oppo’s biggest challenge will likely be competing with other similarly priced phones. The OnePlus 9 is technically more powerful and costs less, while the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is a phone powered by the same chipset but for less money.

For many, we suspect it might come down to the battle of the cameras. And with the Neo’s primary camera sensor delivering great results – not that can be said about its other cameras – it’s in with a shot.

On the whole, the Oppo Find X3 Neo is a refined experience – one that offers an appealing alternative to the much bigger and much more expensive premium devices on the market. 

Also consider

Pocket-lint

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE

It may have a plastic back, but the ‘Fan Edition’ was one of the surprise hits of 2020 – and is still a great buy. It has a fluid and smooth display, IP68 water- and dust-resistance and similar internal hardware to the Oppo. Crucially, it’s also cheaper. 

  • Read our review

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Pocket-lint

OnePlus 9

If your main aim is getting the top-tier processor for as little money as possible, the OnePlus 9 is a great shout. It’s not quite as nimble and thin as the Oppo, but it’s got a Snapdragon 888 processor, fast charging, and great software. Also at a lower price. 

  • Read our review

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Writing by Cam Bunton. Editing by Mike Lowe.

asus-teaser-reveals-punch-hole-in-zenfone-8-display

Asus teaser reveals punch hole in Zenfone 8 display

We have our first look at the upcoming Zenfone 8 from Asus and it seems the device will skip the flip up camera of its predecessors. The short teaser video posted on the brand’s official Twitter handles details a screen with a punch hole cutout in the top left corner. The top and bottom bezels appear symmetrical and the teaser suggests a high refresh rate.

Is it just us or are there a lot of ‘o’s in ‘smooth’? How many, exactly? 😉

Know more:https://t.co/ig6Hay5mlo#Zenfone8 #BigonPerformanceCompactinSize

— ASUS (@ASUS) April 27, 2021

Based on past leaks, we’re expecting Asus to bring more than one Zenfone 8 model which still leaves the possibility of a flip camera. We’re also expecting a compact flagship offering this year which was teased in the official event invitation.


Zenfone 8 display teaser

We’re expecting the Zenfone 8 series to offer Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 as well as 120Hz AMOLED displays. The launch event is scheduled for May 12 which leaves more than two more weeks time for additional teasers and leaks.

xiaomi-mi-11-ultra-review

Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra review

Introduction

Now that the Pro moniker has gone mainstream, it’s Ultra that has come to represent the cream of the crop, and the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra can wear that badge proudly. Limited to its home market last year, the ultimate Mi has gone global this time around, and we’re happy to have it for review today.

We’re torn whether it’s the camera system’s physical appearance that is more striking or the hardware inside. A simply massive raised area on the back looks bolted on, almost after the fact, it’s hard to miss, and it’s a great conversation starter even if it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

But its size is warranted – the main camera packs the largest sensor used on a modern-day smartphone, and next to it – two more modules unmatched in their own fields, in one way or another. Oh, and yes, there’s also a display here – because why not, but also because it can be useful.

There’s a lot more than 1.1 inches of OLED on the front. The 6.81-inch Super AMOLED is all kinds of great – high resolution, high refresh rate, high brightness, HDR, a billion colors, you name it. Meanwhile, the Snapdragon 888 underneath is second to none as chipsets go this year and with 256GB of base storage, should we even mention the lack of expansion capability as a con?

Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra specs at a glance:
Body: 164.3×74.6×8.4mm, 234g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), ceramic back, aluminum frame; IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins).
Display: 6.81″ AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 900 nits, 1700 nits (peak), 1440x3200px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 515ppi.
Chipset: Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm): Octa-core (1×2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4×1.80 GHz Kryo 680); Adreno 660.
Memory: 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
OS/Software: Android 11, MIUI 12.5.
Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/2.0, 24mm, 1/1.12″, 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 48 MP, f/2.2, 12mm, 128˚, 1/2.0″, 0.8µm, PDAF; Telephoto: 48 MP, f/4.1, 120mm, 1/2.0″, 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom.
Front camera: 20 MP, f/2.2, 27mm (wide), 1/3.4″, 0.8µm.
Video capture: Rear camera: 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS, HDR10+ rec; Front camera: 1080p@30/60fps, 720p@120fps, gyro-EIS.
Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 67W, 100% in 36 min (advertised), Fast wireless charging 67W, 100% in 39 min (advertised), Reverse wireless charging 10W, Quick Charge 4+, Power Delivery 3.0.
Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); NFC; Infrared port.Xiaomis don’t normally have dust and water protection, but that’s changed this year with the Mi 11s – both the Pro and the Ultra have an IP68 rating, and that’s a most welcome development. Conversely, a staple of the brand’s handsets, both affordable and expensive, the IR emitter remains. Stereo speakers have been making their way to the Xiaomi midrange, so it’s only natural that the high-end models have them, and these have been tuned by Harman/Kardon, that couldn’t hurt.

An increase in battery capacity compared to last year’s model is another upgrade we can appreciate. On the other hand, they did downgrade the charging – instead of the Mi 10 Ultra’s 120W, you only get 67W here. Tsk-tsk.

Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra unboxing

The packaging has lost the flair of the Mi 10 Ultra’s presentation, and the Mi 11 Ultra showed up in a standard black box with copper lettering (or is it rose gold?). What’s inside that?

Our EU-bound retail bundle includes the 67W charger – that’s not the case in all markets with chargers coming as a free-of-charge option in some places (China, maybe other parts of Asia). It’s a proprietary adapter with a USB-A output, so it won’t please USB PowerDelivery die-hards. There is a USB cable included too.

A headset may be missing, but there is a USB-C-to-3.5mm dongle included so you can use your own. Also inside the box is a transparent soft silicone back cover. While the (free) protection is appreciated, the look and feel of the thing is no match for the phone itself.

samsung-galaxy-m42-5g-listed-on-google-play-console

Samsung Galaxy M42 5G listed on Google Play Console

We’re expecting Samsung to debut its Galaxy M42 5G tomorrow and just before the event the device was spotted in a Google Play Console listing. The new information reveals that the M42 5G is simply a rebranded Galaxy A42 5G with matching Snapdragon 750G chipsets, HD+ screens and even a42xq device codes.


Samsung Galaxy M42 5G Google Play Console listing

The Galaxy M42 will bring 6GB RAM and boot Android 11, presumably with One UI 3.1 on top. We can also expect a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display, 48MP primary camera and 5,000 mAh battery. The Galaxy M42 5G is expected to retail between INR 20,000($270) and INR 25,000($335) in India.

Via

vivo-v21-series-unveiled-with-44mp-selfie-camera-with-ois-and-led-flash

vivo V21 series unveiled with 44MP selfie camera with OIS and LED flash

The vivo V21 trio may have the best selfie camera we’ve seen in recent years, perhaps apart from phones that can use the main cam for the job (those pricey foldables and phones with a second screen on the back). But this is a mid-ranger – actually, three mid-rangers. Meet the vivo V21, V21 5G and V21e. The first two are essentially identical besides the network connectivity, the e model switches over to a Snapdragon chipset and has some additional differences.

The V21 and V21 5G share a 44MP front-facing camera. It has OIS, which we haven’t seen for years on this side. And it also features EIS for extra smoothness in handheld videos, which can be recorded in 4K resolution.

The vivo V21 and V21 5G have dual LED flash on the front to help out the OIS-enabled selfie camera

The front camera lives inside a notch, no fancy pop-up mechanisms here. And it has two LEDs embedded in the top frame to help out after dark, plus an AI Night Portrait mode. This camera also features autofocus – something not all flagships have.

The vivo V21e also has a 44MP selfie camera with autofocus, however the OIS system is gone (there is electronic stabilization, however). The dual LED flash is also missing in action, at least the Night Portrait and Super Night Selfie modes remain.

The three models feature the exact same triple camera setup on their backs. It starts with 64MP main camera, which has OIS. The front and the rear cameras can be used for split-screen vlogs. The main camera is joined by an 8 MP ultra wide-angle camera and a 2 MP macro module.

The three V21 models аре impressively thin, one of them is vivo’s thinnest 5G phone yet. Note that the different colorways have different finishes on the back and slightly different thicknesses and weights. Either way, you’re looking at 7.29mm or 7.38mm. There’s a camera bump on the back of course, but the impressive part is that this frame fits a front camera with OIS (and, thankfully, there’s no such thing as a selfie camera bump).

Going back to the front, there is a 6.44″ AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate. The panel has 1080p+ resolution (20:9) and is built using the older E3 emissive material from Samsung. The V21 and V21 5G support HDR10+, the V21e model takes a step back to HDR10. The e model has a dimmer display too, with 430 nits typical brightness, compared to 500 nits for the other two. All three have a fingerprint reader built into the display.


6.44″ AMOLED displays on both, with some differences: vivo V21 and V21 5G • vivo V21e

Both the vivo V21 and V21 5G are powered by the same chipset, the Dimensity 800U, a 7nm chip with two Cortex-A76 cores (2.4GHz) plus six A55 cores (2.0GHz) and a Mali-G57 MC3 GPU. On the 5G model, it will deliver (theoretical) peak download speeds of up to 2.3 Gbps, the 4G model will, of course, be slower.


vivo V21 and V21 5G are powered by a Dimensity 800U • The vivo V21e gets a Snapdragon 720G instead

The vivo V21e switches things around and comes equipped with a Snapdragon 720G chipset – an 8 nm chip with two Cortex-A76 derived cores (2.3GHz) and six A55 derived cores (1.8GHz), plus an Adreno 618 GPU and a X15 LTE modem (Cat 15, downlink speeds up to 800Mbps). Either way, you get 8GB of RAM and 128GB storage. vivo’s Extended RAM feature promises to make the system feel like it has 3 extra gigs of RAM.

All three phones have 4,000 mAh batteries can be topped up quickly with support for 33W FlashCharge.


vivo V21 (and V21 5G) in Sunset Dazzle, Dusk Blue and Arctic White

The vivo V21 and V21 5G will be available soon in three colors: Sunset Dazzle, Dusk Blue and Arctic White. The vivo V21e comes with Diamond Flare and Roman Black.


vivo V21e in: Diamond Flare • Roman Black

In Malaysia, the vivo V21 and V21e can be pre-ordered today, the two will be available on May 5 at MYR 1,600 and MYR 1,200, respectively. The V21 5G isn’t coming to Malaysia.

oppo-k9-5g-key-specs-revealed-in-an-official-listing-ahead-of-may-6-launch

Oppo K9 5G key specs revealed in an official listing ahead of May 6 launch

Oppo will introduce the K9 5G on May 6 in China, and the company has already confirmed the smartphone will come with a Snapdragon 768G SoC, 64MP triple camera, and 65W charging. Now we learn more about the K9 5G as the smartphone has been listed on Oppo’s Chinese website.

The Oppo K9 5G will sport a 6.43″ Samsung-made OLED having a 90Hz refresh rate and 180Hz touch sampling rate. The screen will also have a sixth-gen fingerprint scanner underneath for biometric authentication, with the punch hole in the upper-left corner housing a 32MP selfie camera.

The 64MP primary camera on the rear will be joined by an 8MP ultrawide module, with the third camera likely being a depth or macro unit.

Fueling the entire package will be a 4,300 mAh battery, which will go from flat to 100% in 35 minutes when charged with the 65W bundled adapter.

The Oppo K9 5G will have two color options, and JD.com revealed it will come in two memory configurations – 8GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB. The K9 5G’s pricing is unknown, but we’ll learn more about it and the availability next Thursday.


Oppo K9 5G

Source (in Chinese) | Via

honor-50-pro+-specs-revealed-by-benchmark:-6.79″-amoled-120-hz-display,-s888-chip,-triple-camera

Honor 50 Pro+ specs revealed by benchmark: 6.79″ AMOLED 120 Hz display, S888 chip, triple camera

Honor will skip the 40 series and jump straight to the “Honor 50”. The series will be unveiled in May and the top of the line model should be the Honor 50 Pro+. The team behind the Master Lu benchmark has discovered the phone’s specifications and shared them with the world.

This will be a proper flagship. It will have a 6.79” AMOLED display with 1440p+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate (with HDR10+ support to boot). It will run the Magic UI 4.0 software, though at this point it is not clear if it will have Google services on board or not.


Honor 50 Pro+ specs by Master Lu

Anyway, the Pro+ will be powered by the Snapdragon 888 chipset (note that the GPU is misidentified as a Mali-G78). The chip will be hooked up to LPDDR5 RAM (8GB seems to be the base) and UFS 3.1 storage (starting at 128GB).

Moving on to the camera, the rear will feature a 50MP main, 13MP ultrawide and 8MP telephoto (50 mm, or 2x magnification) modules. There will be a 3D ToF sensor too. The front will be home to a dual camera 32MP + 8MP.

The 4,400 mAh battery will support 66W wired and 50W wireless charging. There’s no word on pricing yet.

Source (in Chinese) | Via

google-pixel-4-vs-pixel-4-xl:-what’s-the-difference?

Google Pixel 4 vs Pixel 4 XL: What’s the difference?

(Pocket-lint) – The Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL were announced in October 2019, succeeded by the Google Pixel 5 in September 2021. There’s also the Pixel 4a and the Pixel 4a 5G to consider. If you’re choosing between the Pixel 4 and 4 XL and you want to know which might be the right choice for you though, you’re in the right place.

This is a comparison of the Pixel 4 against the Pixel 4 XL. You can also read our Pixel 4 vs Pixel 3 feature to find out how they compare to their predecessors and our Pixel 5 vs Pixel 4 feature to see how they compare to their successors.

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What’s the same?

  • Design
  • Rear and front camera
  • Processor/RAM/Storage
  • Software and features

The Google Pixel 4 and 4 XL both feature the same design – aside from physical footprint – with a contrasting power button and three colour options. They both have a black frame, a glass front and rear and a rear camera system within a square housing. They also both have gesture controls and Face unlock thanks to Google’s Soli motion-sensing radar chip.

The two devices also feature a bezel at the top of their displays and they both run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 platform. Neither offers microSD support, as has been the case on all Pixel devices, and neither has a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The software experience is identical, with both launching with Android 10.

What’s different between the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL?

Plenty transfers between little and large in the case of the Pixel 4 devices, but there are a few differences too.

Physical size

  • Pixel 4: 147.1 x 68.8 x 8.2mm
  • Pixel 4 XL: 160.4 x 75.1 x 8.2mm

Unsurprisingly, Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL differ in terms of physical size.

The Google Pixel 4 measures 147.1 x 68.8 x 8.2mm and weighs 162g, while the Google Pixel 4 XL measures 160.4 x 75.1 x 8.2mm and weighs 193g.

Display 

  • Pixel 4: 5.7-inches, Full HD+, 90Hz
  • Pixel 4 XL: 6.3-inches, Quad HD+, 90Hz

As with the physical footprint, the display size differs between the Pixel 4 and 4 XL. The Pixel 4 has a 5.7-inch screen, while the Pixel 4 XL offers a 6.3-inch screen.

The Pixel 4 has a Full HD+ resolution, while the Pixel 4 XL has a Quad HD+ resolution, meaning the larger device offers a sharper screen. Both have a 90Hz refresh rate though, both are OLED panels and both support HDR.

Battery

  • Pixel 4: 2800mAh
  • Pixel 4 XL: 3700mAh

The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL offer different battery capacities, like the older the Pixel 3 and 3 XL. The Pixel 4 has a 2800mAh battery, while the Pixel 4 XL has a 3700mAh battery.

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Conclusion

The Google Pixel 4 and 4 XL offer identical designs, hardware and software experiences, though there are differences in battery capacities, price, displays and footprint sizes.

You don’t compromise much by opting for the smaller device though, and you save a few pennies too – especially now these models have been succeeded. Some will want the higher resolution display and larger battery capacity offered by the XL model, but if you aren’t bothered by those, the Pixel 4 is a great option.

  • Google Pixel 4a review

Writing by Britta O’Boyle.

xiaomi-mi-11-lite-5g-review:-chic-and-unique

Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G review: Chic and unique

(Pocket-lint) – The Xiaomi Mi 11 range spans a significant spectrum from top-tier flagship, in the Mi 11 Ultra, to the standard Mi 11, down to the more entry level – which is where this, the Mi 11 Lite 5G, finds itself.

Despite plonking ‘Lite’ into its name, however, the Mi 11 Lite 5G really is not a low-power phone by any means. It’s just not as crazy-powerful as the upper echelons in the range. The second clue to that regard is the ‘5G’ aspect of the name – because, yes, there’s also speedy connectivity.

So if you’re not looking to spend a fortune on a phone, want 5G connectivity, and having a slimmer and easier-to-manage handset is high up your list of appeals, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G ticks a lot of boxes. But then so do a bunch of competitors. So can this entry-level 5Ger deliver?

Design & Display

  • Display: 6.55-inch AMOLED panel, 90Hz refresh, 1080 x 2400 resolution
  • Finish options: Truffle Black, Mint Green, Citrus Yellow
  • Dimensions: 160.5 x 75.7 x 6.8mm / Weight: 157g
  • Side-mounted fingerprint scanner
  • No 3.5mm jack

Upon pulling the Mi 11 Lite 5G from its box we let out a rare gasp. Because, shown here in its apparent ‘Mint Green’ finish – it looks more ‘Bubblegum’ to us, which is the name for the non-5G variant – this handset looks really fresh and standout. Very dapper indeed.

That’s partly because Xiaomi has redesigned the range, so the Mi 11 Lite looks way more evolved than the previous 10T Lite version. Look at those side-by-side and the older model looks rather dated – it’s quite a stark difference. Yet there’s mere months between them in terms of release cycle.

That said, the Mi 11 Lite 5G is only a little like other Mi 11 handsets in terms of design. The cameras are far different to the Ultra’s “megabump”, arranged in a really neat format that, although similar to the Mi 11, doesn’t protrude to the same degree from the rear.

The rear finish is good at resisting fingerprints too, which is a breath of fresh air (minty fresh, eh!), while the branding is subtle and nicely integrated.



Motorola’s new Moto G9 Plus is a stunner of a phone – find out why, right here


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But above all else, it’s the Mi 11 Lite 5G’s thickness that’s its biggest take-away point. By which we mean thinness: because this handset is far slimmer than, well, pretty much anything we’ve used for months and months. We can’t think of a slimmer 5G smartphone. That, for us, has bags of appeal – it’s been really refreshing not carting a brick around in the pocket for the couple of weeks we’ve been using this phone.

Such a svelte design means the 3.5mm headphone jack has been binned, though, so it’s wireless connectivity only in that regard. But we can take that – it makes the design look more enclosed and complete anyway. There’s also no under-display fingerprint scanner here, with a side-mounted one in the power button a perfectly acceptable alternative – that operates speedily and we’ve got very much used to using it.

The display, at 6.55-inches, is still large despite the phone’s overall trim frame. It’s flat, with the phone body curving gently at the edges to make it really comfortable to hold. And there’s no teardrop notch to cry about this time around either – it’s a single punch-hole one to the upper corner, which is fairly inconspicuous.

That screen, an AMOLED panel, delivers on colour, brightness and verve, while a 90Hz refresh rate can deliver a little added smoothness to proceedings. There’s not a 120Hz option here – kind-of odd, as the 10T Lite did have that – but, really, most eyes aren’t going to tell the difference. We’d take the battery life gains every time instead, thanks.

Performance & Battery

  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 780G, 8GB RAM
  • Software: MIUI 12 over Google Android 11 OS
  • Battery: 4250mAh, 33W fast-charging
  • Storage: 128GB/256GB, microSD

Speaking of battery, that’s the first thing we assumed would be poor in the Mi 11 Lite 5G – because of how slim it is. But how wrong we were. For starters the 4,250mAh capacity cell is pretty capacious – and in our hands was easily able to deliver 16 hours a day with around 25 per cent battery or more remaining.

That’s been irrelevant of what we’ve asked the phone to do in a given day. Strava tracking for an hour and an hour of gaming in the evening, in addition to hours of screen time, calls and so forth. It’s no problem for this device. Note, however, that we’ve been unable to locate a 5G signal area during testing – lockdown and all that – so whether that would adversely affect battery life is for debate. What we do see in the settings, however, is a 5G option to toggle the connectivity off when it’s not needed, to further extend battery life.

However, while battery life ticks along just fine, part of the reason is down to the rather hardcore software approach. Xiaomi’s MIUI 12 – skinned over the top of Google’s Android 11 operating system – by default has a lot of “off” switches selected. Seriously, MIUI is hell-bent on ensuring battery lasts and lasts – sometimes to the detriment of the experience and use of apps.

As such, you’ll need to investigate individual apps within the settings and permit them to self wake as and when they need, removing any automated battery restrictions from the important ones that you have and would, say, expect push notifications from. In the past we’ve had MIUI cause delays with notifications in other Xiaomi phones. In the Mi 11 Lite 5G, however, that’s been no problem whatsoever – perhaps because we’re so used to it and in setting the software in how we want to conduct our business; or, perhaps, because Xiaomi has sorted that issue out in an incremental update!

Otherwise the software is pretty robust. There are some oddities, such as an additional Xiaomi store as an addition to Google Play, but the two hardly interfere too much. And having copied over a bumper crop of apps, it’s clear to see that there are Xiaomi pre-install favourites and various not-needed staples – browsers, calendars, that kind of stuff – that just clogs up the home screen to start with, but is easily replaced with Chrome and your other favourites.

Regarding the phone’s innards, there’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 780G platform handling proceedings, putting the Mi 11 Lite 5G one step down from the top-tier 800 series platform. Does that really matter? We’ve not found it to at all. From general user interface use, to app opening time, fluidity has been high throughout.

Besides, a 700 series chipset is more than good enough to run your more demanding favourites too. We’ve been plugging away at South Park: Phone Destroyer and PUBG: Mobile without hindrance, showing just how good the balance of power and battery life can be in devices such as this.

Cameras

  • Triple rear cameras:
    • Main: 64-megapixel, f/1.8 aperture, 0.7µm pixel size, phase detection autofocus (PDAF)
    • Wide-angle (0.5x):  8MP, f/2.2, 1.12µm, 119-degree angle of view
    • Macro: 5MP, f/2.4
  • Single front-facing punch-hole selfie camera: 20MP, f/2.2

Buy a ‘Lite’ phone and you’re never going to expect too much from the cameras, right? However, Xiaomi has done a reasonable job here of balancing things out. For starters all three lenses are actually useful – there’s not a lens here for the sake of number count, like with so much of the competition.

The main 64-megapixel sensor uses four-in-one processing to output 16-megapixel shots as standard, which hold enough colour and detail. Even in low-light conditions we’ve found the quality to hold up fairly well, too, so this sensor delivers the goods.

It’s a shame that there’s no optical stabilisation on the main lens, because holding it steady – especially when shooting Night Mode shots – is tricky and can result in a little softeness in dim conditions if you’re not careful.

Pocket-lint

: Wide-angle – full shotWide-angle – full shot

The wide-angle, however, is a weaker sensor. It’s just 8-megapixels in resolution, can’t deliver the fidelity of the main one by any means, and displays some blur to the edges. That’s pretty common for wide-angle cameras, sure, but there are better iterations around. Still, there’s practical use from a sensor such as this, so it’s a positive to have it rather than not.

Last up out of the trio is a macro sensor. Now, typically, these are throwaway afterthoughts. But, actually, the one on this Mi handset is acceptable – probably because it’s a 5-megapixel sensor, not the 2-megapixel type that too many other budget handsets opt for. That means images are of a usable scale, and you’ll get a little extra something out of super close-up shots from this sensor. We doubt you’ll use it a lot, though, as it’s hardly a practical everydayer, plus its activation is tucked away in settings – but there’s fun to be had from it nonetheless.

What we like about the Mi 11 Lite 5G’s camera setup is that it’s not trying to oversell you a bunch of pointless lenses. It doesn’t protrude five miles from the back of the phone, either, delivering a neat-looking handset that, while hardly reaching for the stars in what it can do, is perfectly capable. And, compared to the likes of the Moto G100, for example, the Xiaomi actually has the upper hand in its image quality delivery.

Verdict

Although the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G looks and feels different to the rest of the Mi 11 family, there’s something refreshing about its design. It’s really slim, light, and that colour finish looks super. We can’t think of a slimmer, tidier-looking 5G handset – which makes this something of a unique proposition.

Despite being called a ‘Lite’ phone, it shouldn’t be seen entirely in that regard either. With the Qualcomm Snapdragon 780G handling everything, there’s ample power to keep that 90Hz AMOLED screen ticking along, for battery life to last surprisingly long – we didn’t expect it, given the trim design – and software that, if you tend to it with a bit of pruning from the off, has been more robust here than many other Xiaomi handsets we’ve seen in the recent past.

However, forego the 5G need, and there are lots of cheaper competitors that might also appeal, such as the Redmi Note 10 Pro. Similar grade handsets, such as the Moto G100, may also appeal – but, as far as we understand it, the Xiaomi undercuts that device’s price point, asserting its position as one of the top dogs in the affordable 5G market.

Also consider

Moto G100

A near-ish comparison in that there’s 5G and gaming-capable power for less than a flagship price. We prefer the Moto’s software, but the Xiaomi’s design has the upper hand in our view.

  • Read our review

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Writing by Mike Lowe.

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Motorola is once again announcing a low-cost phone with a 90Hz screen and a huge battery

Motorola has announced several low-cost devices with big batteries and fast-refreshing displays this year, and now it’s offering its least expensive model yet: the Moto G20. Launching in Europe this week for €149 (about $180), it includes a 6.5-inch 720p LCD with a 90Hz refresh rate and a 5,000mAh battery. It’s the latest in a series of budget devices from Motorola targeting slightly different price points in the budget range, and it would likely have a place in the US market if the company chose to offer it in the States.

The G20 features a 48-megapixel main camera, 8-megapixel ultrawide, 2-megapixel macro and depth-sensing cameras, and a 13-megapixel selfie camera. Unlike other Moto G-series phones launched this year, the G20 does not use a Snapdragon chipset, offering instead a Unisoc T700 processor with 4GB of RAM. The device’s built-in storage of 64GB or 128GB can be expanded via microSD, and it will ship with Android 11.

The Moto G20 includes a 48-megapixel main camera along with an ultrawide.
Photo: Motorola

There’s no indication whether the G20 will be sold in the US — the G100, G50, and G30 introduced earlier this year haven’t been offered stateside as of yet either. Motorola’s current US offerings are largely situated above the $200 mark, and there are rumblings that high-end Edge devices may be coming next. But with the void LG is leaving at the budget end of the market, Motorola certainly has a full portfolio of devices it could offer if it wanted to try to fill the gap.

Pixel 5A camera sample leaks, hints at similar specs to the Pixel 5

Google seems to have accidentally shared a photo sample from its upcoming Pixel 5A, giving us some hints about what to expect from the barely announced device. The photo appeared in an album posted alongside a blog post about Google’s HDR+ Bracketing technology, which aims to reduce noise in HDR photos (via Android Police). The EXIF data for most of the photos said they were captured by existing Pixel phones including the Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, Pixel 4, and Pixel 4 XL, but in among them was one image apparently taken with a Pixel 5A.

Google recently confirmed the existence of the Pixel 5A 5G in response to rumors that the device had been cancelled. However, beyond confirming that the device will be available later this year in the US and Japan, it didn’t offer any more details about the phone’s specs or cameras.

The image labeled as coming from a Pixel 5A has since been removed from the album, but offered several details about the camera performance of the upcoming device while it was up. First is that it appears to have been taken with an ultrawide camera, which corroborates previous reports that the 5A will have two rear cameras — a main camera and an ultrawide. That’s similar to the Pixel 4A 5G, while the Pixel 4A had just the one rear camera.

A screenshot of the photo’s EXIF data before it was removed.
Screenshot: Google Photos

Its resolution is also listed as 12.2 megapixels, which is similar to the photos we saw from the Pixel 5. Although the sensor in the Pixel 5’s ultrawide camera is technically 16 megapixels, it produces 12.2-megapixel shots by default. The 5A’s EXIF data also shows it has the same f/2.2 aperture as the 5. Given that the photo was attached to a blog post about HDR+ Bracketing, it seems likely that the 5A will also offer support for the technology.

Combined with previous rumors, it looks like the Pixel 5A could be a very similar device to last year’s Pixel 5. Reports suggest it’ll use the same Snapdragon 765G processor, and have a similar design with a 6.2-inch OLED display with a hole-punch selfie camera. Like Google’s previous A-series devices, however, the rear panel is expected to be made of plastic rather than glass, and the phone will also reportedly feature a 3.5mm headphone jack.

According to the leaked photo’s EXIF data, the photo itself was taken last October just before the Pixel 5 was released. Without official confirmation from Google there’s no guarantee it’s representative of the 5A’s final camera hardware, but the fact that the photo has now been removed suggests it wasn’t a simple labeling mistake.

samsung-galaxy-a52-5g-review:-a-midrange-phone-that-will-last

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G review: a midrange phone that will last

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If a $100 budget phone is the fast-food dollar menu and a $1,000 flagship is a steakhouse dinner, then the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G sits comfortably halfway between the two: the laid-back all-day cafe with surprisingly tasty food.

It’s good. More importantly, it’s good where it matters. Sure, you have to order your food at the counter and get your own water refills, but it’s worth it because brunch is fantastic and the prices are reasonable.

The A52 5G is the highest-specced of the budget A-series Galaxy phones we’ll see in the US this year, offering all of the basics for its $499 price tag along with a few good extras. Its 6.5-inch screen comes with a fast 120Hz refresh rate that’s scarce at this price point. Its main camera includes optical image stabilization, something I missed when I used the more expensive OnePlus 9. The A52 5G is rated IP67 waterproof for some extra peace of mind. And hey, there’s still a headphone jack! In this economy!

Still, this isn’t a flagship, and costs had to be cut somewhere. The device’s frame and back panel are plastic, and while I like the matte finish on the back, there’s a certain hollowness when you tap on it that’s not very reassuring. There’s also no telephoto to complement the wide and ultrawide cameras, just digital zoom plus a depth sensor and macro camera of dubious usefulness.

The important stuff is here, though. Samsung has the A52 5G on its list for monthly OS updates currently, and it says it will offer three years of major Android OS updates and at least some security support for four years. That will go a long way toward making the most out of your investment in this phone, and it will help you take advantage of its headline feature: 5G — Sub-6GHz, specifically, with hardware-level support for the C-band frequencies carriers will start using in 2022.

It’s getting more common to see 5G offered in midrange and budget phones, but in this country, it’ll be a couple more years before our 5G networks are truly good. Healthy device support for the next few years makes it more likely that the A52 5G will actually last long enough to make it to that 5G promised land.

The A52 5G offers solid everyday performance with a Snapdragon 750G chipset and 6GB of RAM.

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G performance and screen

The A52 5G uses a Snapdragon 750G processor with 6GB of RAM, and the combination feels like a good fit here. You can certainly push it out of its comfort zone with heavier tasks like webpages with JavaScript, and I noticed it hesitating a moment too long when opening the camera app from the lock screen. But for day-to-day tasks and social media scrolling, it keeps up well.

As in last year’s model, the screen is where the A52 5G (and Samsung generally) really stand out. This is a 6.5-inch 1080p OLED panel that’s rich, bright, and generally lovely to look at. Plus, it offers all of the velvety smoothness that comes with its 120Hz refresh rate. Swiping between home screens, opening apps, scrolling through Twitter — it all just feels nicer with a fast refresh rate.

Even considering the additional power needed for the 120Hz screen, the A52 5G’s 4,500mAh battery consistently lasted well into the next day in my use. I managed to get two full days out of it when I forgot to charge it overnight and decided to embrace chaos and just plow through on the remaining charge. This was with light to moderate use, and I was down to low double-digit battery percentage by the end of day two, but my gamble paid off.

One feature I continue to fight a losing battle with on the A52 5G is the in-display optical fingerprint sensor. I’ve been chastised by the phone many times for not leaving my finger on the sensor long enough, and I almost always need at least two tries to get it to register. That hit rate goes down significantly outside in bright light.

These problems aren’t unique to this device, and you can just opt to use (less secure) facial recognition or a plain old PIN to lock and unlock the phone. But there are nicer in-display fingerprint readers in pricier phones like the OnePlus 9 and Samsung’s own S21, so it’s a trade-off to be aware of.

The Galaxy A52 5G ships with Android 11, which is great. The less good news is, as we saw in the S21 devices earlier this year, Samsung’s latest take on the OS stuffs a lot of unwanted apps, ads, and general clutter into the UI. I see enough ads throughout my day as it is, and I do not appreciate seeing one more when I check the weather on my phone’s own weather app.

If there’s a positive way to look at this situation, it’s that it feels more forgivable on a budget phone than on a $1,000-plus flagship. But I’d rather not have the ads at all. If you buy the similarly priced Pixel 4A 5G, you give up a lot of other features from the A52 5G, but you get an ad-free experience.

Housed in the rear camera bump are a standard wide, ultrawide, macro, and depth sensor.

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G camera

The A52 5G includes three rear cameras, plus a 5-megapixel depth sensor. You get a 64-megapixel standard wide with OIS, 12-megapixel ultrawide, and the seemingly obligatory 5-megapixel macro camera. There’s also a front-facing 32-megapixel selfie camera.











  • Taken with 2x digital zoom


  • Taken with ultrawide




  • Taken with ultrawide



The 64-megapixel main camera produces 16-megapixel images in its standard photo mode that are bright with the very saturated colors you’d expect from a Samsung phone. Sometimes the look is pleasant, but more often than not, it’s a little much for my taste. The good news is that this sensor is capable of capturing lots of fine detail in good lighting, and it even does well in dim to very low-light conditions.

I put its night mode up against the Google Pixel 4A, which is still the low-light champ in the midrange class. There’s more noise visible in the A52 5G’s night mode shot, and details have a watercolory look, but while the 4A hangs on to its title, the A52 5G is quite close behind.

Left: Galaxy A52 night mode. Right: Pixel 4A night mode.“,”image_left”:{“ratio”:”*”,”original_url”:”https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22465175/samsung_night_crop.jpg”,”network”:”verge”,”bgcolor”:”white”,”pinterest_enabled”:false,”caption”:null,”credit”:null,”focal_area”:{“top_left_x”:0,”top_left_y”:0,”bottom_right_x”:2040,”bottom_right_y”:1580},”bounds”:[0,0,2040,1580],”uploaded_size”:{“width”:2040,”height”:1580},”focal_point”:null,”asset_id”:22465175,”asset_credit”:null,”alt_text”:””},”image_right”:{“ratio”:”*”,”original_url”:”https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22465178/pixel_night_crop.jpg”,”network”:”verge”,”bgcolor”:”white”,”pinterest_enabled”:false,”caption”:null,”credit”:null,”focal_area”:{“top_left_x”:0,”top_left_y”:0,”bottom_right_x”:2040,”bottom_right_y”:1580},”bounds”:[0,0,2040,1580],”uploaded_size”:{“width”:2040,”height”:1580},”focal_point”:null,”asset_id”:22465178,”asset_credit”:null,”alt_text”:””},”credit”:null}” data-cid=”apps/imageslider-1619271003_9454_116978″>

Left: Galaxy A52 night mode. Right: Pixel 4A night mode.

The Pixel 4A is still the better camera in good lighting, too, but the differences are more subjective here. The 4A goes for more subdued color rendering, and the A52 5G’s images lack a little contrast in comparison.

Left: Galaxy A52 5G. Right: Pixel 4A.“,”image_left”:{“ratio”:”*”,”original_url”:”https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22465190/samsung_goodlight.jpg”,”network”:”verge”,”bgcolor”:”white”,”pinterest_enabled”:false,”caption”:null,”credit”:null,”focal_area”:{“top_left_x”:0,”top_left_y”:0,”bottom_right_x”:2040,”bottom_right_y”:1530},”bounds”:[0,0,2040,1530],”uploaded_size”:{“width”:2040,”height”:1530},”focal_point”:null,”asset_id”:22465190,”asset_credit”:null,”alt_text”:””},”image_right”:{“ratio”:”*”,”original_url”:”https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22465193/pixel_goodlight.jpg”,”network”:”verge”,”bgcolor”:”white”,”pinterest_enabled”:false,”caption”:null,”credit”:null,”focal_area”:{“top_left_x”:0,”top_left_y”:0,”bottom_right_x”:2040,”bottom_right_y”:1530},”bounds”:[0,0,2040,1530],”uploaded_size”:{“width”:2040,”height”:1530},”focal_point”:null,”asset_id”:22465193,”asset_credit”:null,”alt_text”:””},”credit”:null}” data-cid=”apps/imageslider-1619271003_1919_116979″>

Left: Galaxy A52 5G. Right: Pixel 4A.

So the A52 5G can’t beat the generation-old imaging tech in the 4A, but that might say more about the Pixel than anything else. Aside from that, the A52 5G turns in good all-around camera performance. Images from the ultrawide sometimes have a little cooler color cast but are generally good. The selfie camera offers two zoom settings: a slightly cropped-in standard wide view and an ever-so-slightly wider angle. The “focal length” difference between the two is almost laughably small.

At its default settings, the selfie camera does a fair amount of face smoothing and brightening. I don’t think it quite crosses the line into hamcam territory, but it certainly has that telltale “maybe it’s AI, maybe it’s Maybelline” smoothed look to it.

If you want to go full hamcam, there’s a new mode just labeled “fun” in the camera app with AR face filters brought to you by Snapchat. There’s a different selection of them every day, and you don’t need a Snapchat account to use or share them.

I’m tempted to dismiss them as “for the youths,” but maybe this is really for the olds like me who would rather not join another social platform if I can possibly avoid it, thank you very much. At last, I can transform my face into a piece of broccoli and share it with the world without logging in to Snapchat — three years after the kids have all moved on to something else. Anyway, it’s there, it works, and you can indeed turn your face into broccoli.

Good hardware and healthy software support make the A52 5G worth spending a little more on.

There’s a lot that the Galaxy A52 5G gets right. Maybe the most important feature is one that sounds much less exciting than cool headline specs: security updates for at least the next few years. At $500, this is the higher end of the budget market, but a few extra hundred dollars is likely easier to swallow if you know you’ll get a couple more years out of your investment.

Samsung has invested in hardware in all the right places: the 120Hz screen makes for an elevated user experience, battery life is good, camera performance is strong, and a healthy processor / chipset combination handles daily tasks well.

What I didn’t love — the cluttered software, fussy fingerprint sensor, a tendency toward oversaturated color in photos — feels more forgivable when the phone gets the nonnegotiable stuff right. The Pixel 4A 5G is probably this device’s closest competition, and it beats the A52 5G on camera quality and a cleaner UI, but it’s a smaller device without a fancy fast refresh rate screen. Depending on how you feel about either of those things, the 4A 5G might be the better pick for you.

In any case, the A52 5G is a good midrange phone today. But just as importantly, it will be a good phone a few years from now. With solid hardware and a software support system to back it up, this is a pricier budget phone that’s worth budgeting a little extra for.

Photography by Allison Johnson / The Verge

samsung-galaxy-z-flip-3-foldable-phone-with-virtual-buttons

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 foldable phone with virtual buttons

The Samsung Z Flip 3 foldable smartphone will be greatly improved. With larger cover display, a 120Hz flexible screen, a triple camera and stereo speakers.

After the introduction of the Galaxy S21 series in mid-January this year, we now have to wait for the successor to the Galaxy Z Flip. This clamshell smartphone was announced simultaneously with the S20 series. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is expected to be released in the summer of 2021. As time goes by, more and more details are known about the new folding phone from Samsung. In this publication, we take a closer look at the expected specifications and improvements over its predecessor.

To start with the name, it remains unknown for the time being under which name the successor to the Z Flip will be marketed. LetsGoDigital has recently learned from several sources that Samsung does not opt ​​for the model name Galaxy Z Flip 2, but for Galaxy Z Flip 3. This is in line with previous rumors on the internet.

This allows the company to align the names of the Z Fold and Z Flip devices. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is also expected in the second half of the year – both foldable phones will probably be announced simultaneously. The Z Flip 5G, which was introduced a few months after the 4G model, can then go down in history as the “Z Flip 2”.

Samsung Z Flip 3 foldable smartphone

Based on all the information already available about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, in-house graphic designer Giuseppe Spinelli, aka Snoreyn, has created a series of digital product images showing the possible design of Samsung’s new clamshell smartphone.

The most important changes from its predecessor are the larger cover display and the triple camera. The hinge will also be renewed and the bezels will be further reduced. Over time, several media have reported about these improvements, Samsung was also awarded a patent for such a Galaxy Z Flip design with triple camera at the end of 2020.

This patent does not stand alone, however, because recently – on March 11, 2021 – Samsung Electronics was awarded a patent for a “Foldable electronic device and control method therof”. It is a clamshell phone, comparable to the Galaxy Z Flip. This time, however, Samsung has integrated a significantly larger cover display. Giuseppe’s renders are based on this patent.

In addition, Samsung seems to want to pay extra attention to the thickness of the device. Making the device thinner improves portability. However, there is also a downside, because the frame becomes so narrow that operating the physical buttons also becomes more difficult, Samsung describes in the in-depth documentation. The South Korean manufacturer has come up with the following solution.

Samsung seems to want to significantly increase the touch-sensitive area around the buttons, making it easier to use the buttons – regardless of whether you’re using the phone open or closed.

The physical buttons are placed on one frame part. In the folded position, Samsung wants to enlarge the touch area exactly opposite the buttons, so that the user does not have to work very accurately during operation. Even in the unfolded position, this enlarged touch area remains usable – as illustrated in the image above.

The question remains whether this technology will already be applied to the Z Flip 3. Nevertheless, it is interesting to see what Samsung’s spearheads are for future folding models.

In any case, Samsung seems to intend to revise the smartphone frame. Last week, LetsGoDigital discovered that Samsung has registered a trademark for the name ‘Armor Frame‘, which seems to indicate that the Z Flip 3 and / or the Z Fold 3 will feature a renewed and sturdier frame – which may also be thinner and lighter.

This does not seem to be the only point on which Samsung wants to improve sustainability. SamMobile recently announced that Samsung will provide its upcoming foldable smartphones with an IP rating for the first time. In other words, the Z Flip 3 is likely to be dust and water resistant. It is still unknown whether it is an IP68 rating. The folding devices may not be completely waterproof, but only splash-proof. Last year, Samsung was already awarded a patent for a waterproof Galaxy Fold.

Larger cover display, new hinge and smaller bezels

There is still some uncertainty about the size of the cover screen. Many hope for a screen size similar to that of the Motorola Razr – as Samsung has also patented several times. However, according to the latest information, the cover display is becoming significantly smaller than hoped and expected. It would be a 1.83-inch display.

“The Z Flip 2 will have a 6.7-inch main display and a 1.83-inch cover display,” display analyst Ross Young reported on Twitter earlier this month. Shortly before, Chun reported on the same social media platform that the new Z Flip will feature a 1.9″ cover display and a 6.8″ main screen.

Although the cover screen appears to be significantly larger than the current 1.1 ”display, a 1.83” display is still quite limited. For comparison, the Motorola Razr features a 2.7-inch front display. You can undoubtedly use the cover screen to see the time, answer calls and view incoming notifications. For other things you will probably be forced to open the device, after which a 6.7-inch screen unfolds.

The 6.7” format corresponds in size to the flexible screen of the current Z Flip. Nevertheless, Samsung seems to make some changes to the main screen. Some time ago Ice Universe reported via Weibo that the refresh rate will be increased to 120 Hertz. This is also the case with the Galaxy Z Fold 2, which makes it very likely that this information is correct.

Samsung also intends to reduce the bezels. In addition, the new model would be marketed more cheaply. However, no price indication was issued – we will get back to this later.

Rumors have been circulating for some time that Samsung will also renew the hinge. Based on the design of the current Flip, this also seems to be necessary to be able to reduce the bezels, and thus to align the design more with regular smartphone models in 2021. Perhaps the renewed hinge will also make it possible to close the device completely – without a gap, where dust and dirt can accumulate.

Samsung will probably also make the hinge available in different colors. For example, with the Z Fold 2 you can choose from four color variants: silver, gold, blue and red. These special editions are only available via Samsung’s website. For the time being, this personalization option is not available for the Z Flip, but it is in line with expectations that Samsung will also make additional color variants available for the Z Flip 3 exclusively through its website.

Speaking of colors, the Samsung Z Flip 3 is expected to be released in four colors at launch: black, beige, green and violet purple. These are the colors that we have reflected in the product renders. The beige and green variant are completely new, the black and purple colorways are also available for the original Z Flip – presumably Samsung will add a little twist to this and link it to a new name. In addition, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is expected to appear in the same new colors: beige and green – besides a black variant.

Hardware & Software

Naturally, Samsung will also install a new chipset. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset will probably be placed under the hood. Presumably two memory variants will be made available this time: 128GB and 256GB.

Its predecessor was only available with 256GB of memory. By also offering a 128GB variant, Samsung can lower the entry-level price to make the foldable smartphone accessible to a wider audience. Samsung is expected to release both a Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G and 4G model.

Naturally, the new Galaxy Z-series smartphone will run on the Android operating system. Android 11, in combination with the One UI 3.5 interface. This is an updated user interface compared to the One UI 3.1, with which the S21 series debuted.

Renewed camera

Much remains unclear about the camera. Various patents have shown that Samsung is considering implementing a triple camera. Thus, the camera system would also be more in line with that of regular smartphones. The Z Flip has a 12 megapixel wide angle and a 12 megapixel ultra wide angle camera. A telephoto zoom camera may be added.

In addition, an extra camera is available when you use the device in open position. Handy for taking selfies or making a video call. The punch-hole camera will most likely also be retained in the new model. Presumably the same 10 megapixel image sensor is used – which is also used in the S21 / S21 +. As an alternative, Samsung could also opt for a dual punch-hole camera – the manufacturer recently filed a patent for this.

Another point Samsung is likely to improve is audio quality. The Samsung Z Flip 3 will probably be equipped with a stereo speaker, which would be a good step forward. Its predecessor was equipped with a single speaker – which is very minimal for a high-end phone. It seems that this is about to change with the new generation.

Battery and charging options

With regard to the battery, last year Samsung opted for a dual battery with a total capacity of 3,300 mAh. Two recent certifications from Safety Korea and Dekra Certification have shown that the Z Flip 3 also comes with two batteries, with the total battery capacity remaining unchanged. It concerns a 2,300 mAh battery (EB-BF711ABY) and a smaller 903 mAh battery (EB-BF712ABY).

It is expected that the larger battery will be placed in the bottom half of the device, the smaller battery will be integrated in the top part to drive the cover display. Many hoped that Samsung would increase the battery capacity, as the battery performance of the Z Flip was rated as “poor” in many expert reviews. However, increasing the battery capacity would also contribute to making the device thicker, it seems that Samsung is simply not willing to make this concession.

Regarding the charging options, just like its predecessor, the Z Flip 3 is expected to be able to be charged wired and wirelessly. Reverse wireless charging will also be supported. The smartphone can probably be charged faster than its predecessor, with a max. charging power of 25W – instead of 15W. Wireless charging will likely be supported up to 15W.

Price & Availability

Samsung will most likely host a Galaxy Unpacked event in July. During that event the Z Flip 3 5G will be introduced – one year after the introduction of the Z Flip 5G. Pre-order will likely start directly after the event. The clamshell phone will then be released approx. two weeks later, on a Friday.

There are increasing signs that the Z Fold 3 will be announced simultaneously with the Galaxy Z Flip 3. Around the same period, the Galaxy S21 FE is also expected, as the cheapest member of the S21 line-up. Unfortunately a Galaxy Note 21 is no longer expected this year.

With the Galaxy Z Flip, Samsung is targeting a different audience than with the Z Fold. The prices of both folding devices also differ considerably. Samsung is expected to maintain this differentiation. The Z Flip will remain the cheap model, meant for those who want a compact device. While the Z Fold is aimed at people who want to work extra productively, on an extra large screen.

While the Z Flip 3 will feature the same powerful chipset and latest software as the Z Fold 3, Samsung will most likely make concessions in terms of camera, memory and battery.

Last year, the Galaxy Z Flip got a suggested retail price of € 1500. The Z Flip 5G, introduced a few months later, went on sale for the same price. Although it is still unclear what the Z Flip 3 will cost exactly, several sources have indicated that the new model will be marketed more cheaply than its predecessor. This may result in a starting price of approx € 1350 – This would close the gap between regular and foldable smartphones. However, there is one more possibility …

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Lite

In the meantime, the thought has arisen on the internet that Samsung is working on an extra cheap model. A kind of “Galaxy Z Flip 3 Lite”, which may be marketed as “Galaxy Z Flip 3 FE”.

However, it remains unknown whether this device will be introduced at the same time. Details about this model are still very scarce, which suggests that this model will not be released until a later date. Perhaps the chip shortage, caused by the corona crisis, is the cause of this.

Initially, it was thought that a Galaxy Z Fold 3 Lite is also in development, but this model seems to have been canceled. Instead, Samsung first wants to release a cheap version of the Z Flip. The clamshell is of course about € 500 cheaper than the Z Fold variant. By releasing a Lite model of this device, Samsung can make the foldable smartphone accessible to a wider audience. Moreover, the competition is not standing still either…

Alternative choices for Samsung foldable smartphones

Last year, the Motorola Razr was the main competitor of the Z Flip. However, more and more Chinese manufacturers are now also preparing for the introduction of one or more foldable phones.

Earlier this year, the Huawei Mate X2 was announced for the Chinese market, last month the Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold was also released. Both are competitors to the Z Fold. In all likelihood, Oppo and Vivo will soon be added to the list.

Chances are that it will not stay with one model, Xiaomi seems to want to release three foldable models this year, including a clamshell phone. A clamshell model is also expected from Oppo this year.

All in all, Samsung cannot afford to sit back, the South Korean manufacturer is in the lead and will certainly try to maintain this position in the future. Therefore, we are already looking forward to the Galaxy Unpacked 2021 Summer event!

Here you can take a look at the patent documentation of the Samsung Z Flip including additional images.

Note to editors : The product images in this publication are created by in-house graphic designer Giuseppe Spinelli (aka Snoreyn). The presented concept renders are for illustrative purposes only. The images are copyright protected. Feel free to use the pictures on your own website, please be so respectful to include a source link into your publication.

oneplus-9

OnePlus 9

Our Verdict

Flagship features and a big, clear screen make this mid-priced mobile a good option for your pocket

For

  • Good for gaming
  • Detailed picture performance
  • Decent built-in speakers

Against

  • Screen could be subtler
  • Flat audio performance

Alec Baldwin may be the best known, and arguably most talented, of his siblings but as Trey Parker and Matt Stone once wrote: you know what sucks about being a Baldwin? Nothing! Thankfully for Billy, Daniel, Stephen and the OnePlus 9 smartphone, life always has room for a little brother.

With only two members of the OnePlus 9 family, finding a niche as the more affordable smaller sibling should be no problem at all. The OnePlus 9 is still a big phone and its 6.55-inch display means it can bring some serious scale to your portable viewing.

Not only does the OnePlus 9 have an HDR10+-supporting, 120Hz AMOLED screen, it also has a Hasselblad camera set-up on board too. And it charges so quickly that by the time you remember that you plugged it in, it’s probably full and ready to go.

Granted, there are a few nips and tucks to the specs compared with the OnePlus 9 Pro but, with around a quarter off the Pro’s price tag, this Android handset has the tempting promise of a flagship phone at a mid-range price.

Pricing

The OnePlus 9 is priced at £629 for the Astral Black and Arctic Sky versions, which come with 128GB of storage space and 8GB of RAM in the UK and Europe. The Winter Mist OnePlus 9 is £729 and comes with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM.

In the US, only the Astral Black and Winter Mist finishes are available, but both come with 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage. The US OnePlus 9 is priced at $729.

Features

(Image credit: OnePlus)

A phone with a 6.55-inch screen is just about small enough to carry out most of your operations one-handed without fear of dropping it, although swiping from the top and bottom without adjusting your grip makes for some pretty intensive thumb yoga. Laid next to the OnePlus 9 Pro, the standard OnePlus 9 is just 4mm shorter at 160mm long and a little thinner at 8.7mm rather than 9mm, but has the same 74mm width.

Despite its fibreglass polymer frame, the finish still feels premium for a non-metal phone. The three-way sliding switch for the silent, vibrate and ring profiles is a particularly nice touch. Underneath that, there is the power button, on the opposite side is the volume rocker with the USB-C port and SIM tray on the bottom edge. Sadly, there’s no 3.5mm headphone socket.

OnePlus 9 tech specs

(Image credit: OnePlus)

Screen 6.55in AMOLED

Resolution 2400 x 1080 (402ppi)

Rear camera 48MP, 50MP, 2MP

Front camera 16MP

Dolby Atmos Yes

Finishes x3

Dimensions (hwd) 16 x 7.4 x 0.9cm

Weight 192g

For wireless audio, there’s Bluetooth 5.2 with aptX and aptX HD included as well as LDAC technology, which allows hi-res audio streaming over Bluetooth at up to 24-bit/96 kHz.

As for that screen, it’s a 2400 x 1080 AMOLED panel with a fixed 120Hz refresh rate and a pixel density of 402ppi. Compared with the 9 Pro (525ppi), it’s a little less sharp and slightly dimmer too, with a peak brightness of 1100nits rather than the 1300nit display on the Pro. On top is a flat piece of Gorilla Glass, under which is a hidden fingerprint reader, though you can also unlock the phone using face recognition.

Those looking to dive into some on-the-go TV and film watching will appreciate the HDR10+ and HDR10 support with plenty of HDR compatibility to be found on Netflix and others. You can play locally stored MKV, MOV, MP4, H.265 (HEVC), AVI and other video file formats. The display proportions offer a maximum possible 20:9 aspect ratio, but while most content is edged by a pair of black bars, premium gaming titles use the whole screen width.

Game Mode Pro is a handy feature of Oxygen OS – an otherwise light skin on top of Android 11. It shuts off notifications from popping up on your screen, restricts background app use to divert as much processing power to your gaming as possible and prioritises your network use for game data. We also like the way it brings quick access to options such as WhatsApp messaging, Instagram and screen recording with a small, pull-down menu at your thumb.

(Image credit: OnePlus)

The gameplay itself is well handled. The fast refresh rate of the display helps your gaming feel lag-free, both on and off-line. OnePlus has installed its Cool Play vapour cooling system, but even after one round of PUBG Mobile, the handset still feels pretty warm.

Despite that, and the fixed 120Hz rate, the 4500mAh battery takes us well beyond a day of heavy use. Should you need to recharge more regularly, you’ll be pleased to note that the Warp 65T charger included in the box takes just under 30 minutes to fill your phone.

As with the OnePlus 9 Pro, owners of this handset benefit from a Hasselblad-calibrated camera array. Here, it is a three-lens set-up, with a main 48MP camera, a 50MP ultrawide and a monochrome shooter, but no telephoto. There is 12-bit colour depth stills imaging available in Pro Mode for RAW files and you can capture 8K video at 30fps and 4K video at 60fps.

Telephoto aside, the performance of the camera is right up there with that of the 9 Pro’s. The optical image stabilisation works a treat for the handheld tracking shots around our test facilities. The results look almost as if they were shot using a camera dolly and there’s the odd jump only with fast pans. The colours are bright and rich, if not quite as real-world accurate as the best smartphones.

As with its bigger brother, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip orchestrates the action with great aplomb. There’s barely a glitch or stutter in our time with the phone and we’d expect it to stay that way with regular updates and fixes to the OS, the UI and third-party apps.

Screen

(Image credit: OnePlus)

If you’re expecting the performance of the OnePlus 9 to match that of the OnePlus 9 Pro, think again – that extra spend goes on more than just an aluminium frame and some curved glass. But there is a lot to like about the OnePlus 9’s picture performance.

It’s easy to lose ourselves in the story of The Witcher in HDR on Netflix. It’s a bright and engaging image with a decent degree of punch and no wanting for detail in light and dark areas of the screen. The opening shots across the shaded interior of a barn reveal lots of detail in the shadows without doing much damage to the black depth. Even when the frame becomes split between that darkness and the bright daylight on the faces of the young lovers outside the barn, the overall exposure levels remain well pitched.

We’re just as pleased with how the OnePlus 9 handles SDR. The Display P3 mode brings a good blend between the natural look of the Missouri countryside and the exciting colours of sci-fi space as we watch Guardians Of The Galaxy 2 in Full HD. If you’d rather not get your hands dirty in the settings, pull the colour temperature towards ‘cold’ or use the Natural preset.

As with the OnePlus 9 Pro, though, there’s room for improvement. The very best handsets maintain a slightly inkier black depth and add a bit more of a dynamic HDR feel, while some displays are a touch more careful with shading. It’s most apparent when looking at faces – the skin complexion of the lovers in The Witcher episode, for example, are fairly uniform in their production, when colour and lighting could be handled a little better.

But these performance compromises are in line with the 9 Pro, which also favours dark detail over black depth. The 9 Pro is sharper, a little brighter and the colours go a touch further before starting to look artificial but, given the difference in price, this is to be expected. The OnePlus 9 still makes for some worthy big-screen viewing at this point in the market.

Sound

(Image credit: OnePlus)

But while the screen can be classed as ‘good’, the audio performance of the OnePlus 9 is firmly in the average category. It plays your favourite tracks faithfully enough but is never going to thrill you. That doesn’t mean that it’s not without its charms, though.

OnePlus’s ‘Dual stereo speaker’ set-up is fine for listening to music or watching a film without headphones. Dialogue is clear and sound effects are identifiable, while music is balanced and not without a sense of presence. We’d recommend listening without the Dolby Atmos music processing, but both ‘Film’ and ‘Music’ modes come across well.

Listening to Biffy Clyro’s Many Of Horror, the OnePlus 9 conveys that powerful sense of emotion. There’s definition and clarity to the vocals and the squeaky slides up the guitar strings of the intro, even if it’s not the most detailed delivery we’ve heard. The volume on the device doesn’t go particularly high but reaches the top with hardly any distortion.

For headphones listening, it’s best to axe the processing and set the OnePlus 9 to ‘None’ under ‘Style Preference’ in the sound settings. It doesn’t do much to make up for this phone’s underwhelming dynamics but keeps music as rhythmic as possible. We play Blue Monday by New Order and the impact of the electro beats and synth sounds is in line with the OnePlus 9 Pro’s performance. The more expensive model has a better stab at organising the sounds but, paired with a decent set of headphones, there’s still plenty to enjoy here.

But with busier tracks, there’s more of a sense of what could have been, sonically. We hit play on Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden, hoping for a taste of moody grunge. But while all the instruments are there and tonally in balance, Chris Cornell’s voice comes across flat and expressionless. Nor is there a change of gear when the drum fills announce the chorus. Ultimately, this phone plugs the music gap while we’re out and about, but not an awful lot more.

Verdict

There aren’t many smartphones that offer so much screen real estate at this price. The fact that it’s such an involving picture performance is a compelling reason to buy the OnePlus 9.

Our doubts are mostly on the audio side, as some rival phones make music on the go a more exciting affair. If you use a dedicated music player or are looking for a mobile phone primarily for its video performance, then don’t let its sonic drawbacks put you off. Between the high-performing chipset, the lag-free gaming, the Hasselblad camera and the scale and quality of the screen, there are plenty of reasons why the OnePlus 9 is a good idea.

SCORES

  • Screen 4
  • Sound 3
  • Features 5

MORE:

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