Key Highlights: Google will reportedly launch its Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 XL Lite phones in Spring 2019 The phones could be launched in partnership with Verizon in the US The two handsets are speculated to be less powerful variants of the current Pixel 3 phones Google is reportedly working on a Lite variant of its Pixel 3 smartphones and could unveil them soon. However, there is no official confirmation of the same but Android Police reports, citing sources close to the development, that in the US, Google will be launching the Pixel 3 Lite and the Pixel 3 XL Lite smartphones by Spring 2019. As per the report, Google might be teaming up with Verizon for launching the smartphones but there’s no information on their pricing or exact launch dates. Some reports on the two phones suggest that they might be less powerful variants of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL with mid-range processors but could be announced with similar imaging capabilities. The Pixel 3 XL Lite was previously leaked in a video render that hints at a 6-inch display as compared to Pixel 3 Lite’s 5.5-inch screen. Both smartphones are expected to come with a full HD+ resolution screen with an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. The larger variant is also said to not feature a notch and could be announced with a 3.5mm headphone jack. Both the Lite variants of the Pixel 3 are said to be available in only white and black colours. The Pixel 3 XL Lite could be powered by the Snapdragon 710 SoC, while the Pixel 3 Lite might be launched running on Snapdragon 670 SoC, coupled with 4GB RAM and options of two storage variants, 32GB and 64GB. The Pixel 3 Lite is expected to have a 2915 mAh battery and there is no info on the battery capacity of the larger Lite variant. The Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 XL Lite are speculated to be priced between $400 and 500 (Rs 28,000 and Rs 35,000 approx). Related Reads: Leaked Google Pixel 3 Lite case reveal 3.5mm headphone jack, single colour finish Google Pixel 3 Lite XL leaked in a 360-degree video, shows notch-less display 
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Highlights: Oppo F19, Oppo F19 Pro may have 10x Hybrid Optical Zoom This technology may be showcased at CES or MWC Huawei may also bring 10x optical zoom in P30 Oppo has been in the news for several reasons, like getting separated from the online brand Realme, the launch of R17 and R17 Pro smartphones and recently, for the work done in the 5G space. The Chinese company is again in conversations after a tipster claimed that Oppo would release a 10x Hybrid Optical Zoom technology which may be showcased as early as at CES in January or at MWC in February. “The OPPO official said it will release a 10x hybrid optical zoom technology, which we will see at CES or MWC as early as possible,” Ice Universe tweeted. The rumoured Huawei P30 is also said to be one of the smartphones which will have a telephoto lens with 10X optical zoom. Huawei is expected to have a 38MP Sony IMX607 image sensor which the Japanese company is reportedly developing. According to SlashLeaks, Oppo F19 will have this technology. “The Oppo F19 integrates 10x lossless zoom technology with triple cameras on the back of phone. The attachments are the design and patents, leaked from the supply chain, of the 10x lossless zoom photography technology registered by Oppo,” a leak on the platform said. The post on the platform, however, is being disabled because SlashLeaks is apparently not allowed to leak patents. Recently, Oppo launched the R17 Pro in India. It features a 6.4-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a resolution of 2340x1080 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19:9. The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC coupled with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. There is a dual-camera system on the back and a single shooter in the front. The primary 12MP rear camera comes with variable aperture (f/1.5 and f/2.4) and the secondary 20MP camera helps in capturing portrait shots. On the front is a 25MP AI camera. The Oppo R17 Pro houses a 3,700mAh battery with SuperVOOC Flash Charge technology. The OPPO official said it will release a 10x hybrid optical zoom technology, which we will see at CES or MWC as early as possible. — Ice universe (@UniverseIce) 25 December 2018 Related Read: Huawei P30 Pro camera Sony 38MP IMX607 sensor
Key Highlights: Nokia 5.1 Plus is receiving Android 9 Pie update The update brings the Nokia Pro camera app, latest security patch and the option to hide the notch This is the sixth Nokia phone to receive the latest Android update HMD Global’s Nokia continues to keep to its promise of regular updates. Nokia 5.1 Plus (review) users are now receiving the update to Android 9 Pie, a few days after Nokia confirmed on social media that the update will roll out to users. The OTA update also brings the Nokia Pro Camera app to the phone which upgrades the camera UI to something more aesthetic and accessible. The Pie update also updates the security patch to December 2018. Even the Nokia 6.1 Plus users are now receiving the Pro camera app. The app earlier was seemingly reserved for phones that had Zeiss optics at the back. Furthermore, both phones once again have the option to hide the notch, after an earlier update took it away. Nokia has been quite consistent in pushing out the latest version of Android to phones launched this year. The Nokia 5.1 Plus is the sixth phone to receive the update after the Nokia 7 Plus, Nokia 6 (2018), Nokia 7.1, Nokia 6.1 Plus and Nokia 8. The newly announced Nokia 8.1 already comes with Android 9 Pie out of the box. The entry-level phones like the Nokia 3.1 Plus, Nokia 2 and Nokia 1 are yet to receive the update. Even the older Nokia phones like the Nokia 6, Nokia 5 and the Nokia 3, that launched in 2017 are yet to receive the update. With Android 9 Pie, the Nokia 5.1 Plus will have new gesture based navigation, adaptive battery and App Slices and App Actions (which are features of the app that are suggested based on your usage), quick replies from the notification bar and more. Also, after the update, users can download Google’s Digital Wellbeing app from the PlayStore. In case you haven’t already received the notification for the update, head to Settings → Software Update → Check for new updates. The update is about 1.2GB in size. The Nokia 5.1 Plus is a stock Android phone with a notch cut out in the display. It’s powered by a MediaTek Helio P60 chipset coupled with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. The phone is available both offline and online for a price of Rs 10,999. Related Links: Android 9 Pie updates: Here are all the phones in India that are running, or will get Android Pie in the future Nokia 6.1 Plus latest Android Pie update brings pro camera, notch hiding option Nokia 5.1 Plus (Nokia X5) Review
Key Highlights: Moto G7 series of smartphones could be announced in Brazil before MWC 2019 The G7 lineup is reported to consist of the Moto G7, G7 Plus, G7 Power, and the G7 Play Moto G7 and G7 Plus might feature waterdrop notch, while the G7 Power and G7 Play could sport regular notched display Motorola is speculated to be working on its G7 series of smartphones and a previous report suggested that the company might launch four phones under the upcoming lineup. Now, a new report by AndroidPIT, via GSMArena, claims that like last year, the smartphone manufacturer might announce its G7 series of handsets in Brazil, ahead of the upcoming Mobile World Congress 2019 event, which will be hosted from February 25 - 28. Motorola is speculated to announce four phones in its G7 lineup, the Moto G7, the Moto G7 Plus, the Moto G7 Power, and the Moto G7 Play. We’ve come across some reports regarding the upcoming Motorola handsets and it seems that two of the four aforementioned devices could feature a waterdrop notch, while the remaining two could sport a standard rectangular notched display. The Moto G7 and G7 Plus are speculated to come with a waterdrop notch design and as a result, are expected to offer higher screen-to-body ratio in comparison to their predecessors. However, leaked renders of the phones suggest that there might still be a considerable chin on the bottom of the phones, which could feature the company’s branding. The Moto G7 Power and G7 Play might feature a regular notch. The Moto G7 Power will reportedly feature a single camera on the back and a fingerprint sensor embedded inside the Motorola logo on the back. The smartphone’s notch is expected to house a camera and an LED flash along with other sensors and its highlight is said to be the 5,000mAh battery. The Moto G7 Play is also speculated to feature a single rear camera with an LED flash and a fingerprint sensor embedded within the Motorola logo. The Moto G7 and G7 Plus were previously spotted on FCC and the listing suggests that the phones might be launched in 3GB or 4GB RAM options with up to 32GB or 64GB of storage. The company might make the device’s variants available for different markets. As per a previous report, the Moto G7 might feature a Full HD+ 6.4-inch display with a 2340 x 1080p resolution and could be launched running on the Snapdragon 660 or the Snapdragon 710 chipset. The smartphone is reported to house a 3,500mAh battery. Related Reads: Moto G7 series devices leaked in press renders Moto G7, Moto G7 Plus renders hint at 'waterdrop' notch design, dual-rear cameras 
Here’s an Instagram story you don’t want to miss out on: the Facebook-owned company quietly switched the look of the app’s feed for some users last night. As part of the new look, it made the feed scroll horizontally instead of vertically. It even included a first-time tutorial to show users how to use the new look. When morning came, Instagram reacted to the severe public backlash by quickly rolling back to the old look and releasing a statement of apology on Twitter. In its tweet, the company said, “Due to a bug, some users saw a change to the way their feed appears today. We quickly fixed the issue and feed is back to normal. We apologize for any confusion.” While this was the company’s official explanation for the quiet server-side modification, Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, had a slightly different story to tell in his Twitter reply. “Sorry about that, this was supposed to be a very small test but we went broader than we anticipated.”, he tweeted approximately an hour before the company did. What this means is that Instagram’s new look is definitely no bug—the new horizontally scrolling feed came with a tutorial and everything, the way most apps do when they receive a major makeover. The company prematurely releasing the look for a wider audience than anticipated was the real bug. It’s not clear at the moment if Instagram plans to roll out the new look to all of its users in the near future. According to a video of Instagram’s new look shared by Senior Reporter Alex Heath, the Stories section of the app remains the same but the feed that has been scrolling vertically since the app’s launch in October 2010 now scrolls horizontally. Unlike the original look, where users could scroll down quickly and zip past posts they didn’t want to see or stop between posts, the new look shows one whole post after another, forcing users to take notice of every single post including ads. The description and comments still appear below the picture but take on an expanded look when pushed up. A definite scroll bar on top replaces the bottomless vertical feed but does not allow users to slide it around. Instagram’s midnight blunder was met with harsh criticism and mockery from users who received the new UI. Most of them indicated resistance to the new look (as is the case with most app refreshes) and took to Twitter to voice their thoughts. One can only assume Instagram is making such a change to display ads forcefully and for longer. For all we know, Instagram will still have a heart and not switch to the new look after all (given the backlash on Twitter). Keep your fingers crossed. Inline image courtesy: Alex Heath
Highlights: Asus rolls out a FOTA update to ZenFone Max Pro (M2) The update brings November security patch It also brings enhancements to camera and fingerprint sensor Asus has released an update for its ZenFone Max Pro (M2) smartphone that brings a number of upgrades to the smartphone. Most importantly, the phone brings the November Android Security patch to the device. Apart from that, the company says that the FOTA (firmware over-the-air) rollout will also bring updates to the camera, audio, fingerprint sensor among others. This will be a phased roll out and if you are one of the users of the phone, you'll have wait till it is made available to you In a press note, Asus said that it is constantly working towards ensuring improved performance on all ASUS smartphones.The FOTA update version IN-15.2016.1811.177 optimises the camera effects, brings updates to audio parameter, fingerprint firmware and touch firmware, and improves display edge. “Kindly note the current FOTA will be pushed batch by batch,” the Taiwanese technology company said in the press note. ASUS ZenFone Max Pro (M2) specifications The Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M2) sports a 6.26-inch full-HD+ display with a 19:9 aspect ratio. The notch on the display houses the front-facing camera LED flash, a notification LED, proximity and ambient light sensor. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor and comes in three variants: 3GB RAM and 32GB storage, 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage, and a third 6GB RAM coupled with 64GB of internal storage. The device is backed by a large 5,000mAh battery. The Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 is equipped with a dual rear camera with a 12MP primary sensor and an f/1.8 aperture, and a 5MP secondary depth sensor. It features a 13MP selfie camera and Earlier, Asus said that it will enable AI scene detection and EIS for the phone with an OTA update in December. The phone runs the stock Android operating system and Asus has promised an Android Pie update for it by January next year. Related Read: Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 Review Asus Zenfone 5Z 
