Author: batteryforpc

There’s yet another OnePlus 8T leak today, and this time there’s a render of what the forthcoming Android phone will look like as well as the all-important specs.

This new OnePlus leak, however, is different from the recent outing of the 8T and 8T Pro, which was seemingly confirmed by the OnePlus website. The source, PriceBabain collaboration with reliable leaker @Onleaks, suggests that there’s no Pro version coming, contradicting what we heard just hours ago.

We’ll note that at least one rumor previously called into question the existence of the higher-specced OnePlus 8T Pro. Our theory? It may come down to availability, with the Pro only coming to certain regions. This wouldn’t be the first time that OnePlus has done this (the OnePlus 7T Pro didn’t launch immediately in the US).

The leak goes on to say that the OnePlus 8T will have a 6.55-inch 120Hz display – that’s the same size than the OnePlus 8 but with a snappier refresh rate. 

The included render suggests the display will be flat all the way to the edges, not curved as the OnePlus 8 models were. It’s a curious design downgrade, given the OnePlus 8T is meant to be a specced-up version of the OnePlus 8.

The unexpected design tweaks extend to the camera bump, which according to the images, is a chunky rectangular array at top right of the device, resembling the rear cameras on the Samsung Galaxy S20. Given the last few generations of OnePlus phone have had vertical and central camera strips, this again seems like another strange change.

It’s what’s inside that counts

Apparently the OnePlus 8T will have the same processor as the OnePlus 8: the Snapdragon 865. This is despite the existence of the superior Snapdragon 865 Plus. Given the OnePlus 7T had the Snapdragon 855 Plus, it seems curious the company wouldn’t opt for its 2020 equivalent.

There is some information provided that didn’t throw us for a curve ball. It’s said to have two storage options, one of which is 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, and the other which is 12GB / 256GB.

Similarly, the camera specs seems on-point. The leak suggests the phone will have a 48MP main, 16MP ultra-wide, 5MP macro and 2MP portrait snapper, with a 32MP selfie-cam. That’s a small step-up from the OnePlus 8, which had the same first two cameras but no portrait, a 2MP macro, and 16MP front-facing camera.

The battery will apparently be 4,500mAh, over 4,300mAh in the OnePlus 8, with a 65W charging speed which is faster than the 30W of the predecessor.

The OnePlus 8T, from the looks of things, is shaping up to be a minor upgrade, and maybe not the premium phone with a curved display you were expecting. But that could pay off is OnePlus is planning to position it as a more mid-range equivalent to the OnePlus 8. It’s a strange move, but maybe one that works in 2020.

The iPhone 12 is possibly (although unlikely) only hours away from being unveiled, but whenever it finally arrives it seems its screen won’t be as good as we hoped. According to noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via MacRumors), Apple’s new iPhone will have a 60Hz refresh rate, not 120Hz.

That would make it inferior in terms of display response and smoothness compared to the Samsung Galaxy S20, Note 20, the OnePlus 8 Pro and a handful of other high-end Android handsets.

A higher refresh rate makes fast-moving images like gaming and action movies look smoother. The iPhone 12 range was expected to have a variable refresh rate, meaning it could switch from the standard 60Hz to 120Hz as required. This was expected to feature on at least the pricier model(s) of iPhone 12. But if Kuo is correct, none of the new iPhones will have this ability.

Kuo reckons the feature won’t come to iPhones until 2021.

In the same research note, Kuo says that the 5.4in iPhone 12 will have a slightly narrower notch in order to adequately show info at the top of the screen like signal strength and the time. The other iPhone 12s, he adds, will have the same size notches as the iPhone 11 range.

There’s a chance we will see the iPhone 12 revealed today, although some industry watchers have poured doubt on that, saying that Apple’s Time Flies event will focus on the new Apple Watch and iPad Air instead.

Microsoft has launched dedicated webpages for both the Xbox Series X and its little sibling, the Xbox Series S. 

The difference in marketing language is stark, billing the Series X as “the fastest, most powerful Xbox ever” while pitching the Series S as packing “next-gen performance in the smallest Xbox ever” and calling it “the best value in gaming.” In creating two distinct pages for each console, Microsoft seems to be differentiating between the two consoles in an effort to clear up any confusion surrounding its next-gen hardware strategy.

The two updated pages for Microsoft’s next-gen consoles share a lot of similar language about Game Pass, the new controller, and some of the new hardware innovations like 3d audio and the storage expansion card. But it’s the big bold messaging at the top Microsoft wants you to hear: The Xbox Series X is the massive, powerful brute you need if you want the best of the best, and the Series S is the cute, compact alternative if you’re budget-minded and don’t care about 4K.

For the uninitiated, the Xbox Series S is Microsoft’s smaller, less powerful, all-digital next-gen console. While the Xbox Series X runs games in 4K resolution, the Series S caps out at 1440p. The Series S also has less internal storage and generally doesn’t match up to its bigger sibling in power, but will only cost you $299 / £249.99 compared to the Series X at $499 / £449.99. Regardless of which console you choose, rest assured in knowing that both will play all of Microsoft’s next-gen games.

South Korean tech firm LG has unveiled a smartphone with a larger screen which swivels out to reveal a second, smaller one underneath.

The Wing’s second screen can either act independently of the larger screen while it is displaying a film, for example, or can complement it as a controller for gaming and media.

However, some of this functionality relies on using pre-installed browsers.

One expert said it was one of the “more radical designs” he had seen.

“It’s a very tricky design to evaluate without using it – it is reminiscent of some of the designs we saw from Japan back in the late 2000s,” Ben Wood from the consultancy CCS Insight said, noting it was unlike any of the folding-screen designs that several of LG’s rivals have recently focused on.

“You have to applaud LG for experimenting. Ultimately it will be up to consumers to decide whether its an approach that works.”

The 5G device also has three cameras on the back and a fourth pop-up lens.

LG said the Wing phone would initially launch in South Korea next month.

North America and European launches would follow, it added, but the handset price has yet to be revealed.

The firm has taken some steps to reduce potential damage to the amount of moving hardware on the device.

The internal accelerometer, which monitors motion, detects if the smartphone is being dropped and the pop-up camera will retract if it is in use, LG says.

The hinge of the swivel screen is equipped with a hydraulic shock absorber, and the back of the main screen has a coating to prevent it scratching the smaller screen underneath.

LG claims the hinge is “still reliable” after 200,000 swivels, although it’s not clear how much time this would be likely to take.

The Chuwi Hi10x is, in our opinion, the best alternative to Microsoft’s Surface Go 2 – the recently released Windows-based tablet that goes head-to-head against the iPad with its 10.5-inch form factor.

The follow-up to the Chuwi Hi10 is a huge improvement on the original, which we reviewed it back in 2016, and makes for an enticing proposition indeed.

Including a capacitive stylus pen and original keyboard docking station, the Hi10X comes in at under $250 (£200/AU$350), which is still far lower than the 64GB version of the Surface Go 2 (which, as a reminder, comes without additional accessories).

For your money, you get a Gemini Lake-based Intel Celeron N4100 that is significantly faster than the Surface Go’s Pentium 4415Y (based on CPUBenchmark and Geekbench numbers).

The Hi10X also features a 10.1-inch Full HD display, 6GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD – twice the storage capacity of the Microsoft’s cheapest tablet. Using the keyboard dock makes the device thicker, but also provides two USB ports.

The Surface Go has a larger display size but a more petite footprint, which means the Chuwi device is slightly heavier. The camera sensors on Microsoft’s tablet also have a higher resolution, but the Hi10X has more connectors – including an HDMI port, which means you won’t need a docking station to connect up to a monitor.