Sony slashes PlayStation 4 Pro price, reportedly throws in Death Stranding

If you’re in the market for Sony’s high-end gaming console, you’re in luck. Sony has dropped the price of the PlayStation 4 Pro by a couple of thousand rupees, which means you can get one with 1TB storage from Amazon.in today for Rs 36,899. But that’s not all. According to a report by The Mako Reactor, Sony’s new PlayStation 4 Pro bundle will now ship with a free copy of Death Stranding. You should be able to see the new bundle with the updated price on online retail sites and offline game stores in the next few days.

Though the new Sony PlayStation 4 Pro bundle appears to offer better value at a reduced rate, it actually doesn’t. The previous bundle on Amazon.in was priced at Rs 38,710 but it shipped with an additional DUALSHOCK 4 wireless controller, which is worth close to Rs 4,000, as opposed to a copy of Death Stranding, which is currently priced at Rs 1,840 on Amazon.in. The new bundle is expected to do away with the additional controller but include a copy of the new Hideo Kojima action game instead.

The bundle currently spotted on Amazon.in features the updated price tag but does not carry the new bundle information that swaps the extra controller for a copy of Death Stranding, which means you could get the old bundle (console + two wireless controllers, that is) at the updated price if you place an order today. The report, which claims that the source of the new information is part of the supply chain, says Sony is expected to make the price update official in the next few days. 

Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding went live for the PlayStation 4 platform in November last year and is expected to make it to PC in June later this year. Starring Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, and Léa Seydoux, Death Stranding is an open world game that revolves around a courier who is tasked with the delivery of essential supplies in a world that no longer has a wireless communications network. The game has several asynchronous online functions. Read our review of it here.

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Nokia 52 becomes Nokia 53, reveals quad cameras, 4000mAh battery in leaked specs

With HMD Global all set to unveil its new Nokia 5G smartphone (Nokia 9.2) on March 19 in London, we’re seeing an increase in the number of Nokia leaks and rumours. The latest leak, reported by NokiaPowerUser, suggests that the company’s new mid-range offering will be called not Nokia 5.2 but instead Nokia 5.3. The leak also suggests that the handset will feature as many as four cameras on its back panel, a large 6.55-inch screen, and a 4000mAh battery. We expect the Nokia 5.3 to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600-series chip.

The leak suggests that the Nokia 5.3, which was previously thought to be the Nokia 5.2, is a dual-SIM mid-range smartphone bearing the model number ‘TA-1234’. Though the leak claims to confirm the change in the handset’s name, it fails to mention why HMD Global is skipping a number. Nonetheless, the Nokia 5.3 is expected to replace the quickly aging Nokia 5.1 that is currently on sale for Rs 8,727. Going by a recent Geekbench listing, it will be powered by either a Snapdragon 660 or Snapdragon 665 chip with up to 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage capacity.

The leak not only gives us a glimpse of the new handset but also reveals some key specs. For example, the Nokia 5.3 is expected to feature a large 6.55-inch screen with an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. As is the case with many modern Nokias, the top section of the handset’s screen will house a circular notch for the single 8MP selfie camera. On the back panel, the Nokia 5.3 should pack four camera sensors of varying resolution (16MP + 5MP + 8MP + 8MP). It’s also expected to feature a 4000mAh battery. Colour options include Cyan and Charcoal with the possibility of a third.

The outgoing Nokia 5.1, which was launched in India in mid-2018, features a much smaller 5.5-inch Full HD+ display with fairly thick horizontal bezels. It’s powered by a MediaTek Helio P18 Octa-core chip with up to 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage capacity. It has a single 16MP camera sensor on the back with phase-detection autofocus and dual-tone flash. On the front, it sports an 8MP selfie unit. The battery inside the handset is a much smaller 2970mAh unit. The Nokia 5.1 runs Android 9 Pie out of the box.

Inline image courtesy: NokiaPowerUser

Note: Cover image depicts Nokia 5.1

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Report reveals more than a billion Android devices vulnerable to security lapse

A new report by Which? Has revealed that over a billion Android devices are now vulnerable because they do not get security updates by Google. The report states that these devices are vulnerable to all sorts of threats, including those that can lead to the theft of personal data. The report paints a rather grim picture for the fate of Android users, but there is another perspective to the story.

The report goes on to paint a scary picture to a considerable length of the story, to finally reveal that the devices in question are Android devices launched in 2012 (or before). That’s devices more than seven years old.  Typically, Google, and other OEMs promise security updates for up to 2 years. Google formally made this practice mandatory in 2018. The report also states that if a smartphone is running a version of Android released earlier than Android 8, the devices would be vulnerable too.

If we consider the state of iOS devices, it was the iPhone 5 that was released in 2012 and Apple’s current version of iOS does not support it. In fact, iOS 10, which was released in 2016, was the last version of iOS to support iPhone 5, mean that the device (and those before it) have been without security updates for 3 years or more. In fact, Apple’s current iOS 13 only goes as far back as the iPhone 6s, launched in 2015, leaving all phones launched before it, without any updates, security-based or otherwise.

The report by Which? does also mention that they acquired Android devices that were only three years old, but were not eligible to run anything higher than Android 7, leaving them devoid of the newest security patches. However again, it was in 2018 that Google mandated OEMs to provide a minimum of two years worth of security updates to Android devices. What has become clear, however, is that people are either still holding onto their old devices or buying older smartphones, to begin with. This means that the two-year guarantee of security patches is just not long enough. Given that smartphones are fast become the centre of all our activities, personal, financial and even professional. Securing them should be the foremost priority of those making them.

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Android to soon have face unlock more secure than iPhone

Apple’s FaceID has been one of the most secure ways of biometric authentication implemented on smartphones, but the implementation is far from perfect. However Android still struggles with an authentication method as secure as FaceID, but all that may be changing soon. Trinamix, a division of chemical company BASF has come up with a way to authenticate living tissue itself.

The problem being solved by Trinamix is a rather novel one, but definitely legitimate. The current ways in which facial recognition works is by projecting a three-dimensional dot matrix around the face, making it secure. However, if the person was deceased, his face could still be used to unlock the iPhone, as long as the eyes are open. As morbid as it may seem, the challenge to the security of facial recognition is real. Trinamix has come forth with an additional layer of security to facial recognition which is capable of also scanning the skin tissue and identify whether it is living or dead. The method uses a combination of patented algorithms that process image backscatter data that can distinguish between a large number of materials, including living and non-living tissue.

Turns out, Trinamix’s way of making facial recognition more secure than it currently is relies purely on software. What that means is that any OEM with access to a 3D-dot projector-based facial recognition system could make their implementation even more secure than Apple’s FaceID. This is why Qualcomm has gone ahead and struck a deal with Trinamix, bringing the technology to Android smartphones. The processing will be taken care by Qualcomm’s Hexagon digital signal processor, which means it will be available to every Android smartphone manufacturer. Now all they have to do is figure out how to pack a dot-projector-based facial recognition hardware into the smartphone. Apple is also rumoured to be working on improving the security of its FaceID hardware, so it would appear that both the Android and iOS ecosystems are working towards making their respective devices more secure for users.

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Apple iPhone 12 could finally bring these big upgrades to the iPhone camera

Rumours around the Apple iPhone 12 have started picking up pace. The newest in the line of rumours centres around the camera upgrade that will bring the iPhone 12 in sync with modern trends. The new rumours come courtesy of Max Weinbach, who shared some details on the upcoming iPhone. The biggest stand-out feature appears to the primary camera.

According to Weinbach, Apple is going to use a 64-megapixel large-format sensor for the primary camera, a huge departure from the 12-megapixel sensor found on the current iPhones. Apple has in fact stuck to the 12-megapixel count for its iPhones for a number of years, not giving in to the high-resolution trend even last year with the iPhone 11 (Review). However, that may change this year. Weinbach says that Apple will still feature a triple camera setup on the back but may also add a Time of Flight sensor for better collection of depth information. He also says that with the iPhone 12, users will be able to use all three lenses in night mode. Lastly, the main camera will finally see an upgrade to the aperture on the main camera’s lens, going from the current f/1.8 to f/1.6.

Weinbach says that other aspects of the iPhone 12 that will also be upgraded are the battery, which is to be slightly bigger than the one on the iPhone 11 Pro Max. Other rumours have consistently pointed to Apple using a 120Hz display, in line with the latest trends on the Android side of things, but again, given Apple’s penchant for not following trends, this one could be a maybe. Irrespective, it would be nice to see Apple finally upgrade the aperture on the primary lens, as they did with the telephoto lens with the iPhone 11 Pro (Review) and iPhone 11 Pro Max.

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Oppo launches Apple Watch competitor with eSIM support: Everything you need to know

Oppo has launched its first smartwatch. The company is calling it the Oppo Watch. It comes in two sizes of 41mm and 46mm. The watch runs on a custom version of ColorOS, tailored for smartwatches and based on Google's Wear OS. Moreover, it supports the proprietary Watch VOOC Flash Charge fast charging technology. 

The Oppo Watch features a curved flexible AMOLED display and has two physical buttons on the side. The 41mmm variant has a 1.6-inch AMOLED display with 320x360 pixels resolution. In contrast, the 46mm model packs a 1.91-inch display with 402x476 pixels resolution and 326ppi pixel density. It is only compatible with Android phones as of now. However, work on adding support for the iOS ecosystem is currently underway.

The watch is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2500 SoC, but there is an Apollo co-processor as well. Oppo says it can switch from the Qualcomm chip to the Apollo chip when it needs to save power. It comes with a wide range of workouts and also has an AI-based fitness regime feature. As for water resistance, the 46mm variant comes with a 5ATM water resistance rating, while the 41mm variant is rated 3ATM. It includes sleep monitoring as well.

The Oppo Watch also supports eSIM. Users can choose to link their existing number or independently use the eSIM facility on the watch with a different number. The 41mm Oppo Watch comes equipped with a 300mAh battery, while the 46mm model packs a 430mAh unit. It comes with 1GB RAM and 8GB of storage. 

Oppo claims the watch can fully charge in just 75 minutes, while 15 minutes of charging will provide enough juice to last for up to 18 hours. 

The 41mm variant is priced at CNY 1,499 (Rs 15,000 approx) and comes in three colour options of black, gold, and silver. The 46mm variant’s aluminium model is available in black and gold colours with fluoro rubber straps and carries a price tag of CNY 1,999 (Rs 20,000 approx).

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Oppo launches Find X2, Find X2 Pro with 120Hz QHD+ display: All you need to know

Oppo has taken wraps off its latest flagship duo. The Find X2 Pro and Fin X2 are powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset, combined with the 5G X55 modem and paired with Adreno 650 GPU. The Pro variant includes a periscope-shaped lens that enables 10x hybrid zoom and up to 60x digital zoom. Here’s all you need to know about the duo.

Oppo Find X2 Pro specification

The Find X2 Pro features a 6.7-inch QHD+ (1,440x3,168 pixels) Ultra Vision display along with up to 120Hz refresh rate, up to 240Hz touch sampling rate, and 100 percent P3 colour gamut. It has a pixel density of 513 PPI. Also, the display is protected by the Corning Gorilla Glass 6. It is powered by the  Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC, paired with Adreno 650 GPU and 12GB LPDDR5 RAM. It runs Android 10 with ColorOS 7.1 on top.

As for the optics, it sports a triple rear camera setup: a 48MP wide-angle Sony IMX 689 lens with an f/1.7 aperture + a 13MP periscope telephoto camera with a 10x hybrid zoom and up to 60x digital zoom + a 48MP Sony IMX 586 ultra-wide-angle camera with f/2.2 aperture, 120-degree field of view and 3cm macro mode. Plus, there’s a color temperature sensor as well. On the front lies a 32MP selfie shooter.

It packs a 260mAh battery that supports 65W fast charging technology called SuperVOOC 2.0. It is claimed to charge the handset fully within 38 minutes.

Oppo Find X2 specifications

It features a 6.7-inch QHD + (1440×3168) 513ppi curved AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and 5,000,000:1 contrast. The handset also has the Corning Gorilla Glass 6 and is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC, paired with Adreno 650 GPU and 12GB of RAM. It comes with 256GB of internal storage that doesn't support expansion. 

On the optics front, it sports a triple rear camera setup: 48MP Wide Angle Camera (with its Sony IMX586 sensor) with an f/1.7 aperture + a 12MP Ultra Wide Angle Camera (Sony IMX708 sensor) with 1/2.4″ sensor size, f/2.2 aperture, 3cm macro shooting + a 13MP telephoto camera with f/2.4 aperture, 5P lens, 5x hybrid zoom, up to 20x digital zoom, and Ultra Night Mode 3.0. On the front lies a 32MP shooter. 

The Oppo Find X2 packs a 4200mAh battery (two series-connected cells of 2,100mAh capacity each) that supports 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 Flash Charge fast charging technology.

Oppo Find X2 series price

The Oppo Find X2 Pro price is set at EUR 1,199 (Rs 1,67,300 approx) for the single 12GB + 512GB variant. It will come in Black (Ceramic) and Orange (Vegan Leather) options. On the other hand. Oppo Find X2 carries a price tag of EUR 999 (Rs 83,400 approx) for the 12GB + 256GB option. It comes in Black (Ceramic) and Ocean (Glass) versions.

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