Highlights Intel makes the use of Thunderbolt 3 protocols royalty-free USB4 standard to be based on Thunderbolt 3 protocol USB4 to offer twice the speed of USB 3.2 over Type-C connector at 40Gbps Intel this morning announced that it has contributed the Thunderbolt 3 protocols to the USB-IF group which has announced the USB4 specifications, which in turn use the Thunderbolt 3 protocols as a base. Intel also announced that it will be releasing the Thunderbolt 3 protocols for anyone to use royalty-free. This is big news with maximum benefit for the end consumer. The Thunderbolt 3 protocol allows for data transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps. The protocol, in conjunction with the USB Type-C port, also enabled high-speed two-way transfer of not just data, but also video signal, power delivery and even audio signal transmission. The only problem was, that in order to offer a Thunderbolt 3 port on their machines, manufacturers had to pay a hefty royalty to Intel. This will no longer be the case. With Intel contributing the Thunderbolt 3 Protocol to USB-IF, there are two distinct benefits. First, the USB Type-C port will now be able to operate at Thunderbolt 3 speeds and offer all its features. Second, with Intel making the protocol’s use royalty-free, manufacturers of motherboards, desktop and laptops will be able to offer the high-speed Thunderbolt 3 or even the new USB-C port on their hardware. While having Thunderbolt 3 on more machines is definitely a boon, the 40Gbps capability will not come to existing USB Type-C ports, but instead be a part of USB4, whose protocols and architecture are expected to be finalised by mid-2019. This would mean that any USB Type-C port that is USB4 compliant, will essentially be the same as having a Thunderbolt 3 port. The decision to make Thunderbolt 3 protocol royalty-free is expected to provide a massive boost to the adoption of not just the Type-C port, but also bring many peripheral devices to a faster transfer standard. This adoption and change won't come overnight though. While we may see more displays and even laptops use the Thunderbolt 3 port for respective purposes, and we may even find the next generation of motherboards coming with Thunderbolt 3 ports, there are some peripherals that may not make the switch. For example, external hard drives are better off using the USB-A port as long as there is a spinning hard drive on the inside. Only when SSDs become cheaper, would it make sense for them to come with a Thunderbolt 3 interface, or even the newer USB4 compliant Type-C connector. The best part is, the new USB4 compliant ports will all be backwards compatible with USB 3.2, USB 2.0 and even USB 1.1. Intel has already announced at CES 2019 that the new Icy Lake line of processors will come with a Thunderbolt controller integrated into the chip. While we wait for the Thunderbolt 3-based USB4 architecture to be finalised and implemented, it should be exciting to see Thunderbolt 3 ports on more devices in the coming months. Related Reads: CES 2019: Intel Optane memory H10 with Solid State Storage unveiled
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Highlights: Google starts rolling out March 2019 security patches for Pixel 3 lineup. Essential Phone is also getting the latest security update. Just like every month, Google has commenced roll out the latest March Android security patch. The company has already dropped support for the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P, hence, only the Pixel smartphones by Google will be getting the latest security update. Though there are no Pixel security patches in the March 2019 Pixel Update Bulletin, Google has released a few functional patches for the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL devices. The functional patches are primarily related to camera and performance. The camera patch is said to improve the startup and responsiveness of the Camera app in Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL phones. As far as performance is concerned, there are two patches which improve recovery in the instance of an OTA update failure, and enhances storage performance on both the Pixel 3 devices. The Bluetooth patch improves Bluetooth reliability on Pixel 3 lineup and the Media patch improves playback of encrypted media on some video apps. The update is 60.6MB MB in size and, according to the changelog, the update fixes critical bugs and improves the performance and stability of the Pixel devices. Meanwhile, Essential Products has announced that the Essential Phone is getting the latest software release. “Check your Essential Phone for the update!” the company said on Twitter. Last month, Essential Phone got the Android 9 Pie update along with the latest February Security Patch. Related Read: Booze-delivery scams found running through Google Maps in India The latest software release is now available. Check your Essential Phone for the update! pic.twitter.com/dzlWIPduAN — Essential (@essential) 4 March 2019
Highlights: Nokia 9 PureView is now receiving its first software update. The update adds face unlock and camera improvements to the phone. It also updates the handset’s Android security patch to March. Nokia 9 PureView was finally announced at MWC 2019 and as expected, it came equipped with a penta-camera setup on the back. While the handset is yet to officially launch in India, it hit the shelves in the US on March 3. Now, a couple of days later, the company is rolling out a new update to the phone, which is said to fine-tune its imaging capabilities on the device. Chief Product Officer of HMD Global, Juho Sarvikas, had previously tweeted that the new over-the-air software update for the Nokia 9 “has ton of updates on image quality tuning.” The new patch is around 282 MB in size and along with some camera improvements, it also adds face unlock capability to the Nokia 9 smartphone or the TrulySecure facial recognition, to be precise. As per screenshots of the update posted by XDA Developers, the update also brings some user interface enhancements and also updates the Google security patch on the phone to March 2019. Do note that the update changelog doesn’t detail the camera improvements being done to the phone’s camera. The smartphone manufacturer had announced that the Nokia 9 will be manufactured in limited numbers and might not restock it once it's all sold out. Image Credits: XDA Developers The Nokia 9 PureView will retail for a global average price of $699 (roughly Rs 50,000). As mentioned earlier, it comes equipped with five cameras on the back, all of which have a 12MP resolution and are made by Sony. Two are RGB sensors, while the other three cameras employ monochrome sensors. A ToF depth sensor is used for additional depth information and there’s also a dual-tone LED flash. On the front, the device sports a 20MP f/1.8 aperture camera that supports 4-in-1 pixel binning and outputs photos in 5MP with reduced noise. The smartphone features a 5.99-inch P-OLED display with 2K resolution. It sports an 18:9 display that is HDR 10 certified and is protected by Gorilla Glass 5. It also sports an in-display fingerprint sensor. It comes equipped with 6GB RAM and 128GB of storage. It runs Android 9 Pie and is backed by a 3,320mAh battery that supports Quick Charge 3, USB Power Delivery, as well as 10W wireless charging. Related Reads: Here’s how the Nokia 9 PureView uses five cameras in tandem to create a single shot with crazy amount of detail Nokia 9 PureView with five-cameras is one of the most interesting Android phones in a long time 
Highlights A specification sheet said to be of the Samsung Galaxy A60 pops up online The phone is said to feature a 32MP+5MP+ 9MP triple-rear camera setup It is also expected to sport a 6.7-inch Infinity-U Super AMOLED display with an under display fingerprint sensor Looks like Samsung may have taken a liking to the triple-rear camera setup. A list of specifications said to be of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy A60 have been posted by Slash Leaks. As per the list, the smartphone may pack three cameras at the back, similar to the Samsung Galaxy A7, Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ smartphones. This may include a 32MP primary sensor, along with 5MP and 8MP units. The 8MP sensor is said to feature a wide angle lens, while the 5MP unit may be used to gauge depth. It is also tipped to features a large 6.7-inch Infinity-U Super AMOLED display with an under display fingerprint scanner. Other features that the Galaxy A60 is expected to feature include a single 32MP front camera and a 4500mAh battery. In terms of memory, Samsung is expected to offer users the choice between 6GB and 8GB RAM with 128GB storage for both. Interestingly, the phone is expected to be powered by the as of yet unannounced Qualcomm Snapdragon SM6150 chipset, which is expected to be a new mid-range octa-core chipset. Further, the phone is expected to be unveiled on April 19. As mentioned earlier, Samsung’s new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ also come with a triple-rear camera setup. This includes a 12MP standard wide and telephoto cameras as well as a 16MP ultrawide sensor. The ultra-wide sensor has fixed focus with f/2.2 aperture while the wide-angle sensor offers a f/1.5 and f/2.4 dual apertures, similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy S9. The 12MP telephoto lens has PDAF and OIS with a f/2.4 aperture lens. The more affordable Galaxy S10e smartphone doesn’t come with a triple camera setup and instead makes do with a dual-camera setup instead. Samsung is expected to launch the trio in India on March 6, i.e tomorrow. The Samsung Galaxy S10 will start at Rs 66,900, while the larger Galaxy S10+ is expected to start at Rs 73,900. The more affordable Galaxy S10e is expected to start at Rs 55,900. Related Read: Samsung Galaxy A10, Galaxy A30, Galaxy A50 launched in India
Highlights: New OnePlus hands-on image shows pop-up selfie camera The phone is seen sporting an edge to edge display with thin bezels It is said that the phone will come with a face unlock feature A day after famous tipster OnLeaks (with PriceBaba) leaked an image of the alleged OnePlus 7 with a pop-up display and three rear cameras, a hands on image of the phone is making rounds on the internet. Leaked by technology news platform TrueTech, the image shows the pop-up selfie camera attesting to the claims in the previous leak. The phone is also seen having some bezels and the image suggests that the next OnePlus will have the Face Unlock feature as well. The OnePlus 7 is slated to launch sometime in Q2 2019 while some say that it could get an official launch in May. If true, this launch will also fall in the lines of OnePlus’ six-month refresh cycle for its flagship smartphones. Moreover, there are whispers in media corridors that claim that the OnePlus 7 could launch alongside a 5G OnePlus device, which the company has promised several times over since December last year. Digit had also seen a prototype of its 5G smartphone at the MWC this year, showcasing low-latency cloud gaming on a functioning 5G network provided over Ericsson’s network technology. Now coming back to the details of what can be expected from the next OnePlus phone, OnePlus seems to have borrowed the pop-up camera mechanism from its sister brands Oppo (Find X) and Vivo (Nex). The leaked images and video of the alleged OnePlus 7 show that the smartphone comes bearing a 6.5-inch display, which could be an Optic AMOLED panel that appeared on the OnePlus 6T. At the back, three cameras are aligned vertically on the top-middle portion of the phone, with an LED flash resting underneath them. There are no details available on the camera specs of the smartphone. The volume buttons can be spotted on the left edge of the OnePlus 7, while a power button and alert slider are placed on the right edge. The leaked information suggests that there could be an in-display fingerprint scanner on the OnePlus 7, just like the OnePlus 6T. Previously, Chinese tipster @Steven_Sbw revealed the phone’s front panel without a notch or a punch hole camera suggesting a pop-up camera mechanism. Related Read: OnePlus 7 leak hints at fully bezel less design, slide out or pop-up front camera
Highlights Samsung Galaxy S10+ cost is estimated to be $420 in parts, based on a teardown. The display is the most expensive component of the phone. Flagship smartphones continue to get pricier each successive year. Part of this is, of course, each company’s need for more profit, but also the fact that newer technologies sometimes take a significant investment in terms of R&D. While we cannot determine the exact contribution of the R&D costs to the retail price of the phone, what we can quantify is the total cost of hardware. The Samsung Galaxy S10+ has been torn down by Tech Insights, who has revealed the estimated cost of each component. The Samsung Galaxy S10+ which has a retail price of $999 for the 128GB storage variant, costs about $420 in parts. That is roughly 44 percent of the price of the phone itself. The highest contributor to the cost is, of course, the display, which costs a whopping $86.50 (roughly Rs 6200), seconded by the applications processor and modems at $70. You can see the detailed cost breakdown of components in the chart below. The teardown also reveals that the Samsung Galaxy S10+ continues to use the UFS2.1 storage and not UFS3.0, as previously rumoured. Additionally, it also gives us our first, clear look at the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. The module is provided by Qualcomm and measures 4mm X 9mm. This is a considerably small sensor, although Qualcomm has said that bigger sensors are on their way. Lastly, the teardown also showed that the S10+ is using the second generation LPDDR4x RAM. The Samsung Galaxy S10+ sure is an impressive device, as are the Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10e. The phones are set to launch in India on March 6, with the phones being made available on store shelves around the country on the 8th of March. Related Reads: Samsung Galaxy S10e First Impressions: Compact and uncompromising
