ROG Phone 6 Pro takes AnTuTu crown in July
Qualcomm introduced the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset as a mild upgrade over the regular 8 Gen 1, and the first phones with the new platform arrived in July. Antutu just released its monthly list of best-performing Android phones, and we are not surprised the see the top two occupied by devices with the new flagship chipset.
The ROG Phone 6 Pro with 18 GB RAM and 512 GB storage scored over 1.1 million points, closely followed by another Asus phone, the Zenfone 9. The Red Magic 7 by nubia completed the rostrum and become the leader among those with the non-Plus chip.
From Gsmarena
Motorola Edge 30 Neo’s key specs revealed by Geekbench
Motorola’s Edge 30 series consists of a vanilla and Pro model, and one of the smartphones it’s expected to add to the lineup soon is the Motorola Edge 30 Neo that has popped up on Geekbench with its key specs.
According to the benchmark database, the Motorola Edge 30 Neo is powered by an octa-processor clocked at up to 2.2GHz. The smartphone has 8GB RAM and runs Android 12, which will likely be marketed as a “near-stock” version of Android.
From Gsmarena
Oppo Reno8 Z 5G is official with a slighty refreshed design, familiar hardware
Oppo Thailand held an event today, introducing the Reno8 series, and alongside the vanilla Reno8 and Reno8 Pro with Marisilicon NPU, we saw an entirely new phone – the Oppo Reno8 Z 5G.
Well mostly new – it has the same specs as the Reno7 Z 5G, down to the chipset and memory configuration, but now it comes with a redesigned back and shiny Dawnlight Gold color.
The phone is powered by a Snapdragon 695 and is offered in Thailand with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. The 6.43” OLED screen with Full HD+ resolution and a fingerprint scanner underneath is retained.
The cameras are also the same – 64MP main, 2MP macro, 2MP depth sensor. The Reno8 Z 5G is advertised as a “Portrait Expert”, while the Reno7 Z 5G was sold in Thailand with the slogan “Frame yourself”, which is essentially the same – after all, even the front-facing camera is the same 16MP f/2.4 shooter.
From Gsmarena
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra battery and chipset details leak
The Galaxy S22 Ultra had the difficult task of joining the best of the Galaxy S and Note lineups into one device. The upcoming Galaxy S23 Ultra won’t be as big of a generational leap but should refine the current design formula. Similarly, some hardware components will get replaced and upgraded, while others won’t.
Samsung will stick to a 5,000mAh battery for the Galaxy S23 Ultra, similar to the Galaxy S22 Ultra. But even if the next flagship won’t upgrade the battery from the 2022 model, it should, in theory, offer higher performance and better energy efficiency thanks to other component upgrades. One of those components is the chipset. (via Weibo)
From Sammobile
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered gets itself verified for Steam Deck
There was a time when it was unthinkable that Sony’s smash hit, Marvel’s Spider-Man, would ever be available on other platforms. Now we live in a world where very soon we’ll be able to play it on a handheld game console. About a week before the long-awaited arrival on PC, developer Insomniac Games has shared that Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered is verified for Steam Deck.
From XDA
Next Entry-Level iPad Rumored to Feature Flat Edges, Camera Bump, and More
Apple is expected to update its entry-level 10.2-inch iPad later this year and newly leaked renders offer a look at what to expect.
The 10th-generation iPad could feature a design closer to that of the latest iPad mini, with flat edges, a rear camera bump, and more, according to renders of the alleged device obtained by MySmartPrice from a case maker.
The report also reiterates previous rumors about the 10th-generation iPad, including a larger display, a USB-C port, A14 Bionic chip, 5G support, and more.
Based on the renders, the 10th-generation iPad’s chassis would have rounded corners, but the display would stick with squared off corners. This less premium design would be suitable for the entry-level iPad, which currently starts at $329. Given the redesign, however, it is possible the 10th-generation iPad will see a slight price increase.
From Macrumors
Samsung could drop the Z branding from its foldable phones
Samsung has all its hands on deck for the upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event, and while we’ve seen a plethora of leaks about its next hardware products, it now appears that the company is also adopting a simpler name for its foldable phones.
According to reliable leaker SnoopyTech, Samsung will drop the Z branding from its upcoming foldable phones (via Phone Arena). This means that the devices will simply be called the Galaxy Fold 4 and Galaxy Flip 4.
It’s not exactly clear why the company may be planning to revamp the lineup’s branding. That said, this will not be the first time the company has done so.
Earlier this year, Samsung’s website removed the letter “Z” from its listing for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine. It was presumed to be tied with the use of the letter in a pro-Russian campaign. The letter Z has become a symbol of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and it can be seen spraypainted on the sides of Russian military vehicles deployed in the embattled country.
From Android Central
Google Meet and Google Duo begin confusing merger
Google has begun the next phase of merging its Duo and Meet video chat apps into one service.
The brand sent out an update on Wednesday, which will change the Google Duo icon to Google Meet. The update is largely aesthetic but is set to roll out for Android and iOS devices over the coming weeks. You can expect to receive a home screen notification explaining how Google Duo has been merged into Google Meet.
The brand detailed in June that it has plans to meld the two chat services into a more professional video meeting system, which will be branded under a single name, Google Meet. The transition quickly began in July with Google Google started making changes to the system, moving several Meet features onto Duo, including:
- Custom virtual backgrounds for video communication
- Meeting scheduling
- In-meeting chatrooms
- In-call live-share of content
- Real-time closed captions
- Video call limit increased from 32 to 100 participants
- Google tools integration with Gmail, Google Calendar, Assistant, Messages, and more.
- The brand also sent out an update, changing the app icon to “Google Meet (original).”
From Digital Trends
Chinese smartphone shipments set to fall to 10-year low, explaining Apple discounts
Chinese smartphone shipments fell dramatically in the first half of the year, according to official data, and look set to fall to a 10-year low by the end of this year.
The news sheds some light on Apple’s first-ever iPhone discounts on its official Chinese website …
Nikkei Asia reports.
Market saturation, longer waits between upgrades, and increasingly budget-conscious consumers combine for what could prove a prolonged downturn.
In the first half of the year, smartphone shipments in the world’s largest market sank 21.7% on the year to 134 million, according to the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.
This echoes a recent Canalys report:
“The full-year shipment projection could end up well below 300 million units, making for the worst performance since 2012,” the research company said in a report.
One Chinese smartphone maker says that people are keeping their existing phones for twice as long as they used to.
Consumers are upgrading handsets less frequently. “It used to be 16 to 18 months, but recently it’s been 36 months,” a Vivo executive said.
The global smartphone market has been badly hit by a combination of supply chain problems, high inflation, and economic uncertainty, leading many consumers to reduce spending on discretionary items like new phones.
From 9to5Mac
Scientists just detected dark matter that existed 12 million years ago
Scientists recently detected dark matter residing around galaxies that have existed for around 12 billion years. The discovery of this mysterious and vital universal substance has made it the earliest detected dark matter yet. Further, the discovery suggests that dark matter in our early universe was much less “clumpy” than we originally predicted.
From BGR
