Oppo A55s image leaks, Geekbench shows a Snapdragon 480 chipset
With an Oppo A53s 5G, A54, A54s, A54 5G, A55, A55 5G and A56 all having been unveiled this year, you’d think that the company is done with the A5x branch, at least for a little while. You’d be wrong – here are leaked images of the Oppo A55s 5G.
The show the phone in black and mint green. The rear camera design looks very similar to the A54s and A55, though it is not identical to any of the phones we listed above. While the image is a bit fuzzy, we should note that there are only two camera modules actually on there – the small circle in the middle is an “AI” label. Unfortunately, we can’t say anything about the two modules right now.
More is known about the interior of the Oppo A55s 5G, however. A phone with model number CPH2309 passed through Geekbench and was also spotted at the FCC and the Bluetooth SIG. It is thought to be the A55s 5G.
As far as we can tell, the phone is powered by the Snapdragon 480 chipset, which was already used in the A54 5G (the A55 5G got a Dimensity 700 instead). Judging by the clock speed detected by the benchmark, this is the vanilla 480 and not the new plus version. Anyway, it was hooked up to 4 GB of RAM and a 3,890 mAh battery with 18W fast charging support. It will support the n3, n28, n77 and n78 5G bands. The official announcement can’t be far away, but we don’t know when it is coming.
From Gsmarena
Upcoming Moto G Power 2022 leaks with renders and specs galore
Next year’s iteration of the Moto G Power changes the design, as you can see, moving the camera array on the back to the top left side from its more centered position on the 2021 edition. The bottom bezel seems oddly larger than that of its predecessor, which is not a great look in a world obsessed with shrinking those ever more.
The Moto G Power 2022 is said to sport a fingerprint sensor integrated into the stylized M logo on the back, IP52 certification for dust and splash resistance, and a “new Qualcomm budget SoC”, whatever that may mean. It’s fair to note that past rumors talked about Motorola going with a MediaTek chip, either the Helio G37 or G35.
Anyway, today’s leak goes on to claim that the phone will pack 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage, and the OS at the helm will be Android 11. On the front you’ll get a 6.5-inch 720×1600 LCD, with a 90 Hz refresh rate.
The main camera on the rear is rumored to be a 50 MP shooter with f/1.8 aperture, accompanied by a 2 MP f/2.4 depth sensor. No indication about what the third camera will be, but we’re going to assume a 2 MP macro. For selfies you get an 8 MP snapper, and keeping the lights on should be a 5,000 mAh battery with support for 10W charging. The phone will also have a 3.5 mm headphone jack and NFC. Leaked dimensions are 167.24 x 76.54 x 9.36 mm.
From Gsmarena
Valve delays Steam Deck launch by 2 months
Valve’s Steam Deck, its upcoming portable PC gaming device, has been pushed back by two months, according to emails the company sent out Wednesday to those who preordered the console. The company also updated its FAQ page about the Nintendo Switch-like device, confirming it will not ship until later in February 2022.
The Steam Deck made its debut back in July with initial plans to ship starting in December. Valve had an unconventional preorder process. The company allowed everyone who wanted a Steam Deck to preorder, but when your preorder would ship was determined by the order it was received. This meant a few people would receive their Steam Deck in December, while most would have to wait until 2022.
From Cnet
Hands-on: iOS 15.2 beta 2 changes and features – Legacy Contact, Hide My Email, and more [Video]
iOS 15.2 is a noteworthy release with several useful features, such as integrated Hide My Email in the Mail app, Digital Legacy, improved AirTags features, and a sorely needed updated TV app for iPad. Although we are likely several beta cycles away from an actual release.
From 9to5Mac
YouTube will start hiding dislike counts on all videos across the platform
YouTube says that by hiding the dislike count, it wants to “create an inclusive and respectful environment where creators have the opportunity to succeed and feel safe to express themselves,” and that this is just one of the many steps the platform is taking to protect the creators – especially the smaller ones – from harassment.
While that’s a valid reason, one might argue that dislike counts on a video are useful since they help viewers determine if the video’s worth watching. However, YouTube says that its research didn’t find any noticeable difference in the viewership regardless of whether or not users could see the dislike counts.
The most disliked video on YouTube right now is YouTube’s Rewind 2018, having 3 million likes and a whopping 19 million dislikes. But it won’t be too long until those numbers go private since YouTube has started gradually hiding the dislike counts across the platform.
From Gsmarena
Instagram tests Take a Break feature for better time management
Instagram has now said it wants to encourage you to think more about how much time you spend on the app. That’s right, folks, when the company itself suggests you might want to think about doing something besides staring at Instagram posts, it’s really time to take notice.
To encourage you to better manage your time on Instagram, the company is testing out a new feature called “Take a Break” with a select group of users.
So how does it work? Well, if you opt in to the feature, you can ask the app to remind you to take a break after 10 minutes, 20 minutes, or 30 minutes — the choice is yours.
Then, after the selected period of time passes, you’ll see a message appear on your screen saying: “Time for a break? Take a moment to reset by closing Instagram.” It then offers suggestions about what you might want to do, such as, “Take a few deep breaths; Write down what you’re thinking; Listen to your favorite song; Do something on your to-do list.” No, “delete Instagram” is not on the list.
From Digital Trends
Sony reportedly cuts PS5 production again as chip shortages and shipment issues bite
Sony’s PlayStation 5 may not be able to beat the PS4’s first year sales record due to an ongoing component shortage, according to Bloomberg. The company has reportedly cut its previous production forecast of 16 million down to 15 million, putting its target of 14.8 million PS5 sales by March in jeopardy, if the report is accurate. It also makes a bad situation worse in terms of consumers being able to pick up a PS5 over the holidays.
Sony is supposedly having trouble with not just parts supply but shipping logistics as well, according to Bloomberg‘s sources. The problems are due in part to uneven vaccine rollouts in nations where Sony builds chips, and shortages of essential parts like power chips.
The situation has affected other console makers like Nintendo and even affected the launch of an entirely new console, Valve’s Steam Deck — pushing the date back until some time in 2022. It’s got to the point that publishers are reportedly saying that sales are gradually shifting over to PC versions of games due to a lack of consoles.
From Engadget
Don’t redownload Android 12: Google accidentally pushes Verizon update to unlocked Pixels
Some Pixel owners probably experienced a severe case of deja vu on Wednesday, when Google pushed out an Android 12 update to their phones. An unexpected OTA update appeared “introducing Android 12,” listing out “new” features like Material You and scrolling screenshots that they’ve had access to for weeks.
If you yourself have received this update — which comes in at about 1.8GB — you should ignore it. While Google itself hasn’t commented on the situation as of publication, Android sleuths have determined that this was a Verizon Android 12 security update accidentally pushed out to non-carrier phones.
Esper Senior Technical Advisor Mishaal Rahman said that the update caused the build number to change from SP1A.211105.002/7743617 to SP1A.211105.002.A1/7807550. That latter number corresponds with the update recently found on Verizon-locked phones. We’re unclear what differences the Verizon build has compared to the unlocked build, but you probably don’t want to find out.
We’re uncertain of the scope of this error, but Pixel 3(a), Pixel 4(a), and Pixel 5 owners across a wide range of countries have reported the issue. It doesn’t appear that Pixel 6 phones were affected, however. A quick survey of the Android Central staff found that none of them had received the update, so we can’t experiment with downloading the mistaken patch for ourselves.
From Android Central
WhatsApp beta update brings new visibility option to let you hide your information from specific contacts
WhatsApp has been testing a new visibility option to let you hide your information from specific contacts for a while now. The feature was first spotted all the way back in September. At the time, we learned that it would let you hide your Last Seen, Profile Picture, and About info from contacts of your choice. The feature has now finally started rolling out with the latest WhatsApp beta update, and you can try it out if you’re enrolled in the WhatsApp beta program.
According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp beta v2.21.23.14 for Android introduces the new visibility option for a few users. To use the feature, you’ll first have to download the latest release from the Play Store or APK Mirror. Then, you can navigate to the Privacy Settings and select the new “My Contacts Except…” option to add contacts you want to block. The visibility option is available for your WhatsApp Status, Last Seen, and About info.
From XDA
US and China will cooperate to limit climate change this decade
The US and China are at odds on many fronts, but climate change might not be one of them. The Washington Post reports the two countries have issued a joint pledge at COP26 to limit global warming during the 2020s. Both nations said they recognized a gap between current actions and the Paris agreement target of keeping that warming below 2C, and ideally no higher than 1.5C.
The exact terms weren’t available as of this writing, but US climate envoy John Kerry said China committed to reducing methane emissions and coal use “as fast as is achievable.” China wouldn’t, however, join a US-Europe initiative to cut methane emissions by a third no later than 2030.
From Engadget
