First OnePlus foldable flagship confirmed for US release
By Paul Ridden
October 20, 2023
OnePlus, subsidiary of Chinese multinational Oppo, has announced its first challenger for the flagship foldable phone space, throwing down the gauntlet to more established rivals like Samsung and Google. The Open rocks a durable hinge, 2K 120-Hz OLED displays and Hasselblad-branded cameras.
"The OnePlus Open provides unparalleled hardware, innovative software features and services built around the new form factor, continuing to live up to OnePlus' Never Settle belief," said company president and COO, Kinder Liu. "With the launch of the OnePlus Open, we are thrilled to bring an uncompromising flagship foldable experience to users worldwide. The OnePlus Open is a true flagship that will revolutionize the foldable market."
When folded ready for stowing in your pocket, the outer AMOLED (LTPO 3.0) screen measures 6.31 diagonal inches, has a 2,484 x 1,116-pixel resolution for a 20:09 aspect, a peak brightness of 2,800 nits, and a 10-bit color depth. There's also a 32-megapixel holepunch fixed-focus camera for 4K video at 30 frames per second.
OnePlus Will Reveal the OnePlus 12 on Dec. 5
The Chinese launch is just days away, but other markets will have to wait a bit longer.
By Ryan Whitwam November 27, 2023 https://newatlas.com/medical/lidocaine- ... k-cancers/
We've reached the end of 2023, a year filled with interesting mobile announcements—there was the first USB-C iPhone, Google's first foldable, and Samsung's decision to focus on AI for the upcoming Galaxy S24 family. There's still time for one more big reveal, though. OnePlus has confirmed on Weibo that it will announce the OnePlus 12 on Dec. 5, and it'll have the latest and greatest mobile system-on-a-chip (SoC). There are even some official images.
The device, which you can see above, is a dead ringer for the OnePlus 11. After changing up the shape of the camera module almost every year, OnePlus is sticking with the round design that flows into the frame. The most obvious change is that the camera module now matches the color of the rest of the chassis.
Inside, this phone will have a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, likely making it one of the first devices to go on sale with Qualcomm's new chip. It will also have a 1440p OLED display from China's BOE and a 64MP Sony image sensor, the latter of which is a partnership to advance Sony's Lytia imaging brand. Whether that will boost OnePlus' middling camera performance is anyone's guess.
The Dec 5 announcement will be for the Chinese market. While we'll learn more about the hardware, some specifics (including price) will be speculative until the international reveal. OnePlus says that date will be announced on Dec. 15, reports Engadget.
Hot on the heels of last month's launch in China, Vivo has announced that the follow up to February's photo-centric X90 series smartphones has been opened to international markets. The X100 features an upgraded Zeiss imaging system, Mediatek's flagship chipset and more battery life.
As before, the new flagship handsets come in two flavors: the X100 and X100 Pro. We'll focus on the Pro here, and kick off with the rear cameras. The main shooter shapes up with a 1-inch-type image sensor boasting 50 megapixels that's been treated to "Optical Precision Calibration" for the promise on "consistent image sharpness and quality" as well as "SLR-level" stabilization chops.
The other modules in the circular camera bump are also 50-MP snappers. The so-called floating telephoto is reported to be the first mobile imaging system to meet the Zeiss Vario-Apo-Sonnar standards for reduced chromatic aberration, and comes with a f/2.5 aperture "to ensure high image quality in various scenarios, even from 6x to 10x." The remaining camera is a super-wide angle unit.
The X100 Pro's main camera is built around a 1-inch-type sensor for the promise of pro-level imagery
New Leak Reveals Samsung Galaxy S24 Specs, Announcement Date
Samsung's AI-infused phones are coming soon.
By Ryan Whitwam December 22, 2023
https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/new- ... ement-date
With 2023 almost wrapped up, Samsung is no doubt preparing for its first 2024 smartphone launch. The new Galaxy S family always drops early in the year, and a new leak suggests we're less than a month away from the big reveal. If that's not enough, we also have what appears to be an official spec sheet for the Galaxy S24 family, revealing some of the core features of these Android smartphones.
The leak, courtesy of noted mobile leaker Evan 'evleaks' Blass, features an early look at a countdown clock that will hit zero at 1 p.m. ET on Jan. 17. On X (formerly Twitter), Blass posted the countdown and followed that up with a "F*** it" post that includes the spec sheet. This is not the full spec sheet you'd find buried on Samsung's site post-launch. It's a simplified comparison sheet that shows how the three S24 models and select features compare.
Minimal phone gets back to basics with E Ink display and real keyboard
By Paul Ridden
January 25, 2024
https://newatlas.com/mobile-technology/ ... -keyboard/
We've seen a number of handsets over the years that have been designed to cut down on over-stimulating distractions present on smartphones. The latest looks like a happy marriage between a Blackberry and e-reader, and goes by the name of Minimal.
Only very basic information has been shared on the startup's website so far, but founder and CEO of the Minimal Company Andre Youkhma recently took to Reddit to answer key queries.
The Minimal phone is going to be constructed using eco-friendly materials, though no specifics have been revealed as yet. It will boast a backlit monochrome E Ink display topped with a capacitive touchscreen, which will doubtless make it a per-charge warrior as well as being eye-friendly. In fact, the 4,000-mAh battery is reckoned good for four days of usage and there's support for rapid charging. Under this sits a full QWERTY keyboard for a "more satisfying and accurate typing experience."
Pixel Fold 2 Could Arrive Late, Featuring Tensor G4 Instead of G3
The new report suggests Google's second foldable is still early in development.
By Ryan Whitwam February 7, 2024 https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/pixe ... tead-of-g3
Google tried making a foldable phone last year, and the results were interesting. It doesn't feel quite right to call the Pixel Fold a success, but it wasn't a failure, either. Google is reportedly taking a little more time with the successor, which won't launch around Google I/O as previously believed. The device could instead arrive in late 2024 with a Tensor G4, skipping the current G3 entirely.
The Pixel Fold debuted in June 2023 after the I/O announcement, offering Google's first take on a foldable smartphone experience. This, after multiple generations of Samsung foldables, set the stage for Google's attempt. The Pixel Fold has a lot going for it, including a smooth, elegant version of Android and a thin chassis. However, the hinge didn't open completely flat, and the $1,800 price tag was hard to swallow.
Google Pixel Phone Sales Hit 10 Million Last Year
And Google hopes to do it again in 2024.
By Ryan Whitwam February 23, 2024
Google revamped its approach to making smartphones in 2016, and a new report says that change is finally bearing fruit. The Android maker reached a milestone in 2023 of 10 million Pixel phones sold. These numbers no doubt dwarf sales from the old Nexus phone program, but Google is still a long, long way from being a major player in the smartphone hardware market.
The report comes by way of Nekkei Asia, but Google doesn't typically announce official numbers for Pixel phones. Nekkei claims to have a source with direct knowledge of Google's plans, who says not only has Google reached 10 million sales, but it has set an "ambitious" goal of replicating that feat in 2024.
Huawei unveils Pocket 2, a stylish flip phone with satellite
Feb 23, 2024
On Thursday, Huawei launched the Huawei Pocket 2, a sleek flip foldable phone seemingly targeted at a young, predominantly female demographic, hitting the shelves after a 16-month gap since the previous generation. The Pocket 2 stands out as the industry’s first foldable flagship to support messaging via China’s Beidou satellite, facilitating communication in regions lacking ground network signal. The device also represents Huawei’s first foldable device equipped with its self-developed Kirin chipset.
Why it matters: Foldable smartphones, an emerging product range in the smartphone industry, have huge market potential in the Chinese market compared to traditional models – although overall phone shipments in China saw a decline in 2023, the foldable category experienced a sharp rise in sales.
