OnePlus Nord Watch reportedly leaked, takes obvious inspiration from Apple Watch
OnePlus launched a smartwatch, simply called the OnePlus Watch, over a year ago in April 2021. While the smartwatch was affordable and had some solid hardware, we felt the software had a number of issues. Today, there are reports that OnePlus is going to try again, with perhaps an even cheaper device.
According to screenshots leaked by Mukul Sharma on his Twitter feed (via Digital Trends), the new wearable will be labeled as the OnePlus Nord Watch. Since the Nord branding is used by OnePlus for its budget smartphones, it stands to reason this smartwatch could be cheaper than last year’s OnePlus Watch.
A small and blurry image of the watch itself shows a square design, similar to the Apple Watch and very different than the circular design for the OnePlus Watch. The other screenshots, apparently taken from a OnePlus phone, show features like custom watch faces, outdoor workout modes, a SpO2 sensor, and other features, including heart monitoring.
From Android Authority
Moto Edge X30 Pro design revealed in official renders
Motorola is bringing the Edge X30 Pro smartphone on August 2. It will have a 200MP main camera and a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, and now we also know what the phone will look like. We have one big lens and two smaller ones below in a small rectangular setup on the back.
The new flagship will support 100W charging rates. Back in March, one GM at Lenovo posted a photo of a 125W adapter on their Weibo, revealing the brick weighs only 130 grams. We expect it to break ground next week and we could even see it in the retail box.
The phone is also reportedly on TENAA with up to 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. The OS will be Android 12, and Motorola listed the phone in nine colors but we doubt we’ll see all of them during the launch.
From Gsmarena
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 renders leave nothing to the imagination
As we inch closer and closer to Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event in August, more and more information has started to leak. Although we have previously seen renders, today, we get the full reveal, showing off the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 in an array of colors and from every angle.
The leak comes courtesy of Evan Blass who shared it on 91Mobiles and is our best look yet at the upcoming smartphones. Although there isn’t too much to get excited about regarding the design, it is nice to see each of the phones ahead of its official unveiling. From the renders, we can see the Galaxy Z Fold 4 in three colors: black, gold, and what appears to be a dark blue. Furthermore, we get a better look at the Galaxy Z Flip 4 in four colors: black, rose gold, light blue, and Bora Purple. The Bora Purple color was previously announced by Samsung when it introduced a new colorway for the Galaxy S22. It also teased that the color would arrive on future devices.
From XDA
New Infinix Smart 6 Plus announced with 6.82″ display, different design
Infinix today introduced a new Smart 6 Plus in India with a different design and specs compared to the original Smart 6 Plus available in other markets.
The Infinix Smart 6 Plus’s Indian version (X6823C) is built around a notched display like the original model (X6511G), but with a diagonal of 6.82″, it’s bigger than the original Smart 6 Plus’s 6.6″ panel. The Indian variant’s display is dimmer with a peak brightness of 440 nits (vs. 500 nits), but both screens have the same resolution (HD+).
The rear panel of the Indian Smart 6 Plus has a “mirror back design,” while the original model’s back cover flaunts an “Aura Waves textured design” and is coated with an anti-bacterial material.
From Gsmarena
Samsung and Qualcomm extend and expand their partnership, casting doubt on the future of Exynos
Exynos processors have definitely seen better days. Since the Exynos-only Galaxy S6 was released in 2015, Samsung’s chips have increasingly lagged behind Qualcomm’s Snapdragon SoCs year after year, something the company is undoubtedly aware of. Over the past few weeks, rumors arose that Samsung will go Snapdragon-only, at least for its flagships, starting next year. Adding weight to those initial reports is a newly expanded partnership announced by Samsung and Qualcomm that promises, among other things, more Snapdragon-powered devices.
In a joint press release from both companies, they announced that their long-standing partnership is being extended all the way up to 2030, alongside a broadening of its scope. It mainly cites the extension of their patent license agreement for 3G, 4G, 5G, and future 6G tech, but it also mentions an agreement to “expand their collaboration with Snapdragon platforms for future premium Samsung Galaxy products.”
The wording on that specific statement is vague on whether all premium Samsung phones going forward will use Snapdragon or not, but this does line up with previous rumors saying precisely that, so it’s very much a possibility. At the very least, we should expect to see more Snapdragon-powered Galaxy S23s next year — something Qualcomm’s CEO, Cristiano Amon, has all but confirmed. In an earnings call, he said that Qualcomm chips would power Samsung flagships next year, potentially phasing out any Exynos variants. The Galaxy S22 already used Snapdragon instead of Samsung’s in-house chips in more markets than usual — 75%, to be precise — but Mr. Amon says that you can expect that number to grow exponentially next year.
From Android Police
WhatsApp’s upcoming chatbot will tell you what’s new when you update
WhatsApp is almost always adding new features to the instant messaging app, and the latest addition will one day make it easier to understand what is new on the service. A new feature currently in development will introduce you to an official WhatsApp account within the app, and it’ll message you when new features land.
As spotted by WABetaInfo, the new feature is in the early stages of development, so you probably won’t see this land on your phone anytime soon. The report includes a screenshot of how the chat will appear from the verified chatbot. A notification when you open the chat says it’ll provide information about new features, tips and tricks for WhatsApp, and information about privacy and safety.
From Android Police
Samsung’s new ‘Repair Mode’ will keep sensitive data safe while your phone being serviced
It’s standard practice to reset your phone when dropping it off at the service center for repairs – otherwise you risk sensitive data (photos, accounts, etc.) getting into the wrong hands. This creates an additional hassle of having to back up your data first and restoring it after.
Samsung has introduced a solution to this problem – Repair Mode. This will be accessible through the Battery and Device Care screen in the Settings. Once activated the phone will reboot.
The mode will hide all personal data, including photos, messages, accounts and even apps (only the default installed apps will be active). Basically, it will be as if the phone has been reset.
After repairs are done and you pick up your phone, you will be able to deactivate Repair Mode using a fingerprint or pattern lock. This will reboot the phone again, this time with full access to all your data. Any settings that the technician changed during the repair will be restored as well.
From Gsmarena
Twitter is increasing its Blue subscription price, effective immediately
Twitter Blue brought new features to Twitter that were meant to enhance the user experience. Upon launch, the service was priced at $2.99 and offered a decent amount of incentives. But after a little over a year, it looks like prices will now be going up.
Matt Navarra, a Twitter Blue user, shared an email explaining that prices for the service will be going up immediately. The price will remain the same for those currently enrolled in Twitter Blue until October 2022. After that, the monthly price will increase by two dollars; while all new enrollments will see the new and higher pricing. Twitter will reach out one more time to current subscribers before the price hike. This should give users plenty of time to decide whether they want to continue the service. Unfortunately, increased prices for products and services are nothing new, with the trend likely to continue as the world recovers from the pandemic.
From XDA
YouTube’s new tool makes any video a TikTok-like Short
YouTube has introduced a new tool that makes it easier for creators to turn regular videos into Shorts, it announced in a community update. If you have any of your own videos loaded up, you’ll see a new tool under “Create” called “Edit into a Short” right inside the main app. It lets you select up to 60 seconds of the video and bring it directly into the Shorts editor, where you can add text filters, or additional video, then upload it as a Short.
After you upload the Short, it links to the full video it was taken from via “Created from” link at the bottom of the video. That lets creators use Shorts as promo tools for the main video, helping drive views and engagement. However, the tool only works on your own content, unlike Cut, which lets you remix content from any video.
From Engadget
Electric Rolls-Royce Spectre Undergoes Testing in Fancy France
Rolls-Royce’s first fully electric car, the Spectre coupe, is still working through its 2.5-million-kilometer testing process ahead of the first customer deliveries in late 2023. On Thursday it released a new set of images showing the Spectre on the lush roads of Southern France, and it confirmed a few new details about the electric coupe — some of which are pretty rad.
For starters, the Spectre will have a new take on electronic roll stabilization. Lots of cars have active anti-roll tech, but what sets the Spectre’s apart is the ability for the system to automatically turn itself on and off depending on the road condition.
Using the satellite navigation and Rolls-Royce’s road-scanning cameras, when the Spectre detects a turn, the car’s steering, braking, power delivery and dampers adjust so the coupe remains stable. When the road straightens out again, the system decouples the anti-roll bars. Rolls-Royce says this lets all four wheels act independently for a more solid straight-road ride.
From Cnet
