OnePlus Nord users face display tinting issues, and its not surprising

Some early buyers of the OnePlus Nord are complaining of green, purple or yellow screen tints. As per 9to5Google, users on the official OnePlus forum and Reddit are reporting of these colour tints at low brightness levels.

As per the report, the early adopters of the Nord have been complaining about multiple display issues. One of the most common ones is the tinting. Nord users report when the display brightness dips below 25%, the darker portions of the display exhibit colour casts or coloured tinting towards the lower half.

In its statement to 9to5Google, OnePlus states, "under specific circumstances of low brightness, slight discolouration may occur due to the properties of the AMOLED display – this is characteristic of all OLED displays, and the degree of discolouration will vary depending on other properties of the display. This is not a quality issue and will not affect daily usage or the durability of the screen. OnePlus will continue to look into cutting-edge display technologies and strive to deliver the best user experience possible." 

While it's true that it's a trait of OLED panels and can't be avoided, but it can also be possible that these users are facing a higher degree of tinting that is more prominent. But as of now, Nord users will have to live with it. 

OnePlus Nord display issues: It's not the first time

The OnePlus Nord isn't the only handset from the company that is facing display issues. Quite recently, some OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro users also reported similar tinting issues that were later addressed through OTA update. The company confirmed that it's a hardware issue and a common one for AMOLED panels. But then there was another report of a black-crush problem, which is characterized by blocks of different shades of black when a pure black image is displayed on the screen. 

OnePlus later issued an official statement on the OnePlus Reddit forums, confirming that the black crush issue is a hardware problem and cannot be fixed via a software update. The company is giving consumers three options if they face this issue on their devices; repair, refund or replacement.

OnePlus users are not alone; many other OEMs get to see complaints from their early users, but it's OnePlus has a consistency. Looking at the past, we can see flickering screen issue, battery issues, black bar issue, and others. OnePlus is usually quick at addressing these issues through its community forum but having such serious faults in newly released models is not something that can be ignored, especially when the company explicitly calls it a key feature. 

We were at the OnePlus image lab in Taiwan last year, where the company's co-founder Carl Pei was gathering feedback on the OnePlus 7-series camera from a bunch of Indian journalists and reviewers including me. A fellow journalist asked Carl "what's the point of releasing a smartphone with tons of issues and fix it later?". He had a fair point. Why can't the company release the phone after a proper QA testing rather than handing over faulty devices to the early adopters? Don't forget these guys are the ones who had high expectations and pre-booked the handset without even knowing its price.

Having teething issues at launch is very common across OEMs, but faulty displays are not that common. I am not sure where the gap is in OnePlus' case, but it creates an image as if the company is either rushing the production and not spending resources on Quality Testing or both. 

With OnePlus' re-entry into the sub 30K or $500 price segment with the OnePlus Nord, people now have an affordable option to own an OnePlus smartphone that promises to retain the user experience it is known for. In a price-sensitive yet huge market like India, phones like the OnePlus Nord manage to defy the norms. All of that is great, but a product should function as it is intended when it reaches the customer.

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Asus adds new ZenBook and VivoBook laptops to its arsenal in India: Specifications and pricing

Asus ZenBook 13, ZenBook 14, VivoBook S14 and VivoBook Ultra K14 have launched in India as the Taiwanese company’s latest thin and light laptops. These laptops are powered by 10th generation Intel Core i7 processors with upto 16GB RAM and have been designed as a compact and powerful machine. These laptops are also lighter on pockets so consumers now have more options in this thin and light segment of laptops that have seen a lot of new launches in the past few months from companies like Xiaomi, Lenovo and more.

The ZenBook 13 and 14 are arguably the world’s thinnest laptops by Asus and comes in two classic colours. The VivoBook S14 and VivoBook Ultra K14 are affordable laptops that don’t compromise on performance and come in different vibrant hues. Let’s take a brief look at all the four new laptops by Asus.

Asus ZenBook 13, ZenBook 14, VivoBook S14 and VivoBook Ultra K14 pricing

Asus ZenBook 13 and ZenBook 14 starts at Rs 79,990 and are available on Amazon India, Flipkart and offline retailers. The VivoBook S14 is priced starting at Rs 67,990 and will be available in offline retail stores while the VivoBook Ultra K14 starts at Rs 39,990 and is selling on Amazon India and offline channels.

Asus ZenBook 13 and ZenBook 14 specifications

Asus ZenBook 13 and ZenBook 14 are thin and light laptops with metal chassis and measures 13.9 millimetres in thickness. The ZenBook 13 weighs 1.07 kilograms and the ZenBook 14 weighs 1.13 kilograms. The laptops have the company’s signature spun-metal finish and come in two colours, Lilac Mist and Pine Grey.

Asus ZenBook 13 features a 13.3-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution display that supports 100% sRGB gamut and is surrounded by thin bezels on three sides, measuring 2.9 millimetres. This gives it an 88% screen-to-body-ratio. The ZenBook 14 has a 14-inch Full HD resolution display with even thinner bezels that measure 2.5 millimetres, giving it a 90% screen-to-body-ratio.

Both the laptops are available in two configurations-- either with 10th gen Intel Core i5-1035G1 processor or with Intel Core i7-1065G7 processor backed by Intel Iris Plus Graphics. This is paired with upto 16GB LPDDR4X RAM and upto 1TB SSD storage options to choose from. The laptops come with support for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 along with a suite of I/O ports including two USB Type-C ports, one Type-A USB port, an HDMI port and a microSD card reader. The touchpad also doubles up as a numeric keypad, thanks to NumberPad 2.0.

The ZenBook 13 and ZenBook 14 come with a 67Wh battery that’s claimed to provide upto 22 hours of backup on a single charge. The laptop also supports 65W fast charging and the Type-C power adapter is provided in-the-box.

Asus VivoBook S14 specifications

The VivoBook S14 features a 14-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution display with narrow bezels on three sides and a 178-degree wide-angle view. The S14 measures 15.9 millimetres in thickness and weighs 1.4 kilograms. 

The VivoBook S14 is available in two configurations-- with 10th gen Intel Core i7-10510U processor or with Intel Core i5-10210U processor. This is paired with upto 8GB of DDR4 RAM and upto 512GB SSD storage that’s upgradable to 1TB. It also has NVIDIA GeForce MX250 graphic with 2GB memory. The S14 also supports Wi-Fi 6 standard like the ZenBook series.

As for the I/O, we have a Type-C port, a Type-A USB 3.2 port, two Type-A USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI port, a headphone/microphone audio jack and an SD card reader. The S14 has a full-size keyboard and the touchpad is embedded with a fingerprint sensor.

The S14 comes with 50Wh battery and comes in four colours-- Gaia Green, Resolute Red, Dreamy White and Indie Black.

Asus VivoBook Ultra K14 specifications

The VivoBook Ultra K14 measures 17.9 millimetres in thickness and weighs 1.4 kilograms. It features a 14-inch Full HD display and has noticeable bezels on all sides. The K14 comes in two variants-- with Intel Core i5-10210U or with Intel Core i3-10110U processor with Intel UHD Graphics. This is paired with upto 8GB of RAM and upto 512GB of SSD storage options to choose from.

The K14 comes with a single USB 3.2 Type-A port, one Type-C port, two USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI port, a microSD card reader and an audio jack. It is equipped with a 42Wh battery and comes in three colours, Gold, Silver and Black.

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Vodafone Idea Rs 819 plan brings with it 2GB data per day and a validity of 84 days

Vodafone has introduced the Rs 819 prepaid plan that brings with it benefits like 2GB data per day, a validity of 84 days and subscription to Vodafone Play and Zee5. Like most other Vodafone prepaid plans, the Rs 819 prepaid plan brings with it unlimited voice calls and a limit of 100 SMSes per day. Let’s take a look at everything you get with the Vodafone prepaid plan in detail.  

Vodafone Rs 819 prepaid plan details 

As the name suggests, the price of the Vodafone plan is Rs 819. With this plan, users get a validity of 84 days which is almost 3 months. For that period, users have access to 2GB data per day along with unlimited local and national calls. There is however a limit of 100 SMSes per day. Additional benefits of the Vodafone prepaid recharge include Vodafone PLAY subscription worth Rs 499 and a ZEE5 subscription worth Rs 999. With the Rs 999 ZEE5 plan, users get access to content on the OTT platform for 1 year. With one account, users can watch content on 5 devices at a time. 

If 2GB data is the sweet spot for you, then you can check out our comparison between different service providers offering 2GB data per day and their different plans here. If more data is something you need, then you can check out the large amount of data different service providers offer for Rs 251 here. If you are a Vodafone postpaid user then you can check out the details of the Vodafone Red Together M and Vodafone Red Max postpaid plan here. Vodafone postpaid users also have the option to apply for an eSIM and you can get all the details on how to do that here. 

In other telecom news, Airtel is reportedly giving some prepaid users 1GB data free with a validity of 3 days. You can read more about it here.

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Thomson launches a new range of certified Android TVs starting at Rs 10,999, also launches 75-inch Android TV priced at Rs 99,999

Thomson recently launched their OATH range of Android TVs bringing with them 4K resolution and support for HDR. You can read more about those TVs here. Today Thomson has announced a new lineup of TVs starting at Rs 10,999. These TVs also run on Android TV and are available ins screen sizes ranging from 32 to 55-inch. Thomson has also added a 75-inch TV to its OATH lineup. 

Excited about the brand’s expansion, Avneet Singh Marwah, CEO, Super Plastronics Pvt. Ltd., (SPPL) and India Brand Licensee, Thomson TV, said; “Our mission is to maximize the value addition of manufacturing Android TV in the next 5 years in India, we are proud to start our partnership with Google. PATH 9A and 9R series have been completely developed and tested in India; this is the beginning of the vocal for local Android TV. All our customers should feel honoured while buying this tv, as its completely developed and tested under make in India initiative. Google has just announced they will invest 10 billion dollars in India, this will assist the Android TV  ecosystem as well. With this launch, we expect to gain our market share by 7% by the end of 2021-22."

Thomson Path 9A and 9R TVs specifications and features

Thomson’s Path lineup of TVs is divided into two ranges - 9A and 9R. Put simply, the 9A has HD ready and FHD TVs while the 9R has 4K TVs. Let’s take a look at the TVs in detail. The 9A has 4 TVs - 32-inch HD Path, 32-inch HD bezel-less, 40-inch FHD and 43-inch FHD. The 9R, on the other hand, has 43-inch 4K Path, 50-inch 4K Path, and 55-inch 4K Path. 

The entire 9A and 9R series from Thomson run on Android TV 9 out of the box giving users access to the Play Store, Chromecast built-in and streaming services. They also have an IPS panel giving it wide viewing angles. The 9R TVs which have a 4K resolution also support HDR. 

Under the hood, the TVs are powered by a quad-core 1GHz CPU and Mali quad-core GPU. According to the press release, “remote features dedicated hotkeys for your preferred apps (Sony Liv, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube). You can even use your voice to navigate through, as the remote is equipped with Google Assistant”.

Thomson Path 9A and 9R TVs Price and Availability

The Thomson 9A and 9R series will be available on Flipkart starting August 6. Coming to the price, of the 9A series, the 32-inch HD Path is priced at Rs 10,999, 32-inch HD bezel-less is priced at Rs 11,499, 40-inch FHD and 43-inch FHD are priced at Rs 16,499 and Rs 19,999 respectively. The 9R series, on the other hand, has the 43-inch 4K Path at Rs 21,999, 50-inch 4K Path at Rs 25,999, and 55-inch 4K Path at Rs 29,999. 

Thomson OATH Pro TVs specifications and features

Moving to the OATH series, Thomson previously launched a 43-inch, 55-inch and 65-inch screen sizes. Today the company has added a 50-inch and 75-inch screen size option to the portfolio. The 50 and 75-inch TVs have the same features as the TVs launched earlier. They bring with them support for 4K and HDR including Dolby Vision. They also support 2.4GHz Wi-Fi only and not the 5GHz band. For a wired connection, all three TVs support ethernet connectivity. The TV has a refresh rate of 60Hz. 

Under the hood, all three screen sizes have a quad-core processor coupled with the Mali-450 GPU. The TVs come with 8GB storage for you to download and store apps. 

Coming to audio, all three screen sizes support DTS TruSurround, Dolby digital plus and have two 15W speakers giving you a total sound output of 30W. The remote control that accompanies the TV comes with a Google Assistant button and voice controls. The remote control comes with dedicated hotkeys for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Google Play Store. Users can also bring up the Google Assistant from the convenience of the remote control. 

Thomson OATH Pro TVs price and availability

The 50 and 75-inch Thomson OATH TVs will be available starting August 6 on Flipkart and will be priced at Rs 28,999 and Rs 99,999 respectively.

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Marvel’s Avengers Beta to Offer Over 20 Missions, Hawkeye DLC Post-Launch

Marvel’s Avengers beta — which begins August 7 — will offer more than 20 co-op and single-player missions. You’ll have access to four heroes: Iron Man, Kamala Khan, Black Widow, and Hulk. Hawkeye is coming to the Avengers game after launch.

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Hisense set to launch its LED and QLED TV range on August 6 in India

Hisense is set to launch its range of QLED and LED TVs in India on August 6 with features like Dolby Vision HDR, Dolby Atmos, Google Assistant support and more. The television range by Hisense is confirmed to go on sale across Amazon, Flipkart, Tata Cliq and Reliance Digital stores from August 6. This comes after our exclusive report on Hisense TV launch plans and now the company will officially sell its TVs in India from the next week.

These televisions run on Android 9 Pie-based Android TV with built-in Google Chromecast and Assistant. These initial TVs will serve as a precursor to the company’s Laser TV and 8K TV range which is expected to arrive in India sometime later this year. The first few TVs from Hisense are expected to be 4K UHD televisions that are made keeping in mind the preferences of the Indian consumers. These televisions feature minimal bezel design and are available in screen sizes of up to 70-inches. Later, Hisense will bring its 100-inch Laser TV and 86-inch 8K UHD television range accompanied by smart Air Conditioners and refrigerators.

Announcing the launch, Rishi Tandon, COO at Hisense India said, “We are extremely excited to be a part of one of the biggest growing markets in the world. Our goal is to become an aspirational premium brand offering niche, innovative products and solutions at very competitive prices. Our new Made in India range of Smart 4K televisions are fully loaded and enhancing consumer delight to make their life better will be a key focus area for us. Our products offer uncompromised quality with a seamless, smart and enjoyable viewing experience.”

Hisense also recently acquired Toshiba’s television business and is expected to relaunch it in the coming months with more smart televisions. The company has also announced that it is offering a five-year warranty on the television panel for all its TVs going on sale on August 6 in India along with some great discounts. Hisense claims to provide after-sales support through its network of 400 service centres across 18,000 pin-codes of India.

Hisense TVs run on Android TV 9.0 Pie and supports voice commands along with Google Assistant. It comes pre-loaded with Play Store which lets you download different entertainment apps on the TV from a selection of 5000+ apps. These upcoming televisions will come pre-loaded with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, Zee5, ErosNow, Hungama, Voot, SonyLIV and more.

 

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Black Shark 3S teasers reveal motion controls and screen mirroring

Black Shark 3S is set to launch on July 31. The company yesterday took Weibo to tease a few details of the upcoming gaming smartphone. Today again, Black Shark has shared official teasers revealing that the 3S will feature screen mirroring, motion controls, and mouse and keyboard input support via USB connection.

Previous teasers confirmed that the Black Shark 3S to have a 120Hz display refresh rate and 270Hz touch sampling rate for ultra-smooth gaming graphics. Another teaser video confirmed that it would have a 6.67-inch AMOLED display and MEMC 3.0 technology to deliver a smooth performance at a higher frame rate by interpolating additional frames.

The Black Shark 3S is a tweaked variant of the Black Shark 3, which was launched in March alongside the 3 Pro. These gaming smartphones are only launched in China as of now, there's no update on when they are going to hit the Indan shores. 

Teasers reveal a set of new features on Black Shark 3S

The new teaser video confirms three highlighting features of the Black Shark 3S. While screen mirroring and keyboard/mouse support are features that don't seem very modern, motion controls do look like an exciting addition. 

The phone runs on JOYUI 12, which now comes with support for the new features through USB 3.0. It will allow users to plug the phone using USB to a laptop or a PC to mirror the phone's screen using the Black Shark app. Mirroring supports up to 60fps of output on the external device. Interestingly, you can also attach a keyboard and mouse and map buttons on the PC without needing a third party emulator. 

As mentioned, the most interesting feature that could actually help in gaming is the added motion control. Users can assign a specific motion command to a particular action as per the game. For example, you can assign tasks like jumping, reloading or opening scope to specific motions like tilting left, right, downwards or raising the phone while playing. It makes it easier to take control of the gameplay by eliminating the need for tapping the screen. If it works as intended, it should help FPS lovers to upgrade their battle skills.

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