TCL P725 running Android TV 11 launching today: How to watch the live stream

The TCL P725, the successor to 2020’s TCL P715, will launch today at 11 AM via a live stream online. This will be the first TV to run on Android TV 11 to launch in India. TCL first announced the P725 at CES 2021 along with other TCL TVs such as the C825 and C725. 

How to watch the TCL P725 event live

TCL will broadcast the launch of the P725 live online. Those interested can watch the live broadcast here. In addition to the P725, the company will also showcase its smart AC. TCL has been teasing the launch of the P725 on Twitter for some time now. You can learn more about the TV here.  

TCL P725 Android 11 TV Features and Specifications

The TCL P725 is a 4K TV with support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. The TV does not have QLED backlighting like its higher-end siblings but supports hands-free commands. It is an LED-backlit LCD TV with support for all popular streaming services. The TV will run on Android TV 11 out of the box, but it isn't clear whether the TV will have the new Google TV UI. 

TCL also launched a bunch of TVs running on Android 11 at CES 2021, and it isn't clear if these TVs will launch in India as well today. At CES 2021, TCL showed off the C825 which is TCL’s second-generation mini-LED TV. It also announced the TCL C725, the successor to the TCL C715 we reviewed in 2020.  

What is the newest version of Android TV?

Android 11 is the newest version of Android TV. It was launched back in September 2020. We are yet to see Android TVs in India get Android 11. The TCL P725 will be the first TV in India to launch with Android 11. The Mi QLED TV 4K (review) was the first TV to launch with Android 10. 

How do I upgrade to Android 11?

The TV manufacturer needs to release the update for the TV. If your TV manufacturer has released the update, then you should be able to check for the update by going into the settings of the TV, just like you would on an Android smartphone.

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Asus ROG Phone 5 launching today in India: Watch the launch event live here

Asus ROG Phone 5 is all set to launch later today in India along with some accessories. Asus has scheduled the launch date of ROG Phone 5 for March 10 and it will be live-streaming the virtual event. The ROG Phone 5 is also launching globally at the same time so India is amongst the first wave of countries to receive the phone. Asus ROG Phone 5 is confirmed to go on sale on Flipkart.

Asus ROG Phone 5 launch: How to watch the event live

Asus is hosting the ROG Phone 5 launch event on March 10 starting from 4:15 PM in India. The phone is launching globally at the same time with events scheduled in Taipei, Berlin and New York.

Asus will be live-streaming the announcement across its social media channels, and you can catch it there. Additionally, we have embedded the YouTube live stream link for the launch of ROG Phone 5 below, and you can enable the reminder to alert you for when it begins.

Asus ROG Phone 5 leaked specifications

Asus ROG Phone 5 could feature a 6.78-inch Full HD+ display with an AMOLED panel and 144Hz high refresh rate. The rear panel of the phone has an AniMe dot matrix panel allowing users to personalize it to display any image or text message.

The Asus ROG Phone 5 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset. The chipset is expected to be paired with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The phone is expected to run on Android 11 out of the box.

The ROG Phone 5 will likely have 64MP triple cameras on the back as seen in the image released by DxOMark. The phone is expected to sport a dual 3,000mAh battery that totals to 6,000mAh of charge with support for 65W fast charging. 

We can also expect the company to introduce some gaming accessories along with the launch of the phone on March 10 in India.

 

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Will Bethesda Softworks games be Xbox exclusives We could find out more on Thursday

One of the biggest acquisitions of last year was Microsoft outright buying up Zenimax media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks. This meant that studios like Arkane and iD would be included in the purchase as well. Microsoft basically bought Zenimax Media for a whopping $7.5 billion, which is essentially the largest acquisition of its kind in the gaming industry. So what does it all really mean? Well, we’re here to try and sort a few things out for you. 

Microsoft's plans for Bethesda Softworks

The latest piece of news to come out of the acquisition is that regulators have essentially cleared the purchase. This means that Microsoft should be able to make a few new announcements regarding future projects concerning Bethesda. In a report on VentureBeat, it seems that Microsoft will announce the availability of a bunch of Bethesda games on Game Pass. The report goes on to state that future games and contracted titles from studios such as iD and Arkane will be available on Game Pass at launch. But, what does it mean for Xbox specifically? Will we finally see exclusives for the Series X? One of the major complaints of the Xbox Series X was that it had no exclusive games on it! Sure, we got Gears 5 (review) and Forza, but apart from that Halo Infinite seems to be stuck in development hell. The impressive Scalebound has been curb stomped by Microsoft. So, right now we’re not left with much. 

Another pertinent question is when can we expect a proper, fully-fledged games showcase? Microsoft have already shot down rumours of a March presentation for games. So, maybe we’ll actually find out when they plan on showing off some games? As of right now, Arkane Studio’s Deathloop and Tango Gameworks Ghostwire: Tokyo will be PS5 exclusives for a limited time. Who knows what the future will hold, but with the purchase of Zenimax finally going through, let’s hope Microsoft has something up its sleeve. But, do take this news with a bit of trepidation as Microsoft have bought a prestigious game developer like RARE back in the day, and literally turned them into a studio for the terrible Kinect. So, do temper your expectations, is all we're saying. 

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OnePlus and Hasselblad partnership: What it means for the future of OnePlus cameras

OnePlus has inked a three-year partnership with the iconic Swedish camera-maker Hasselblad that begins with the OnePlus 9 series, due out on March 23. Hasselblad brings its 180-year-old legacy in imaging as it looks to redefine smartphone photography with OnePlus and its cameras. Having said that, this isn’t the first time a smartphone company is partnering with a popular camera-maker for delivering a better photography experience for mobile phone users. Such collaborations have often been a hit or a miss situation with Huawei and Leica being one of the few long-standing collaborations between a phone and camera maker.

Hasselblad has a cosmic history as it made the first cameras to leave planet Earth as part of several Apollo space missions by NASA. When he landed on the Moon, astronaut Neil Armstrong had a Hasselblad camera strapped to his chest to document history and the giant leap that he took as he set foot on the lunar surface. 

For Hasselblad, it’s the last outing with Motorola for the True Zoom Moto Mod that didn’t exactly turn out to be that exciting after all. The modular point-and-shoot add-on allowed users to snap it on the back using pogo pins connectors, but the quality did not match up to the standards of Hasselblad.

Being a first-gen product, it had tons of shortcomings and the fact that it had to be purchased separately put off a lot of users given its steep price at the time. This time, however, Hasselblad is in a different race altogether as it works with OnePlus to shape their smartphone cameras.

What does Hasselblad’s partnership with OnePlus mean?

While we are still weeks away from the launch of the OnePlus 9 series, there is a lot of intrigue around how this collaboration between Hasselblad and OnePlus will turn out. OnePlus has revealed that its partnership with Hasselblad extends to three years and will start with software improvements, colour tuning, sensor calibration and more. 

Both companies have been working to develop the Natural Color Calibration with Hasselblad which is a new colour calibration solution that will help create more natural-looking images from OnePlus cameras going forward. What’s more, there is a new Hasselblad Pro Mode that brings advanced sensor calibration to the cameras on the upcoming OnePlus 9 series. The mode has been revamped with a new interface that is more in line with Hasselblad cameras with features like 12-bit RAW format that allows users to create pictures with rich details and dynamic range. 

OnePlus has also confirmed that the OnePlus 9 series uses a custom Sony IMX789 sensor that can record 4K UHD at 120FPS, improved HDR recording and more. The company says it has also worked on a new panoramic camera that provides 140-degree field-of-view and a free-form lens for removing edge distortion from the ultra-wide-angle camera, going as low as one per cent. 

The new primary sensor on OnePlus 9 smartphones also features Digital Overlap HDR (DOL-HDR) which is usually seen on high-end cameras by Sony. In essence, it helps in creating multiple frames of a scene for reducing unnecessary blur in pictures caused due to movement in the scene.

The selfie cameras on the upcoming OnePlus 9 series are also expected to be snappy. There’s a new autofocus system in place that the company has developed which takes just one millisecond to get a focus lock and the minimum focusing distance has also been lowered to 15 centimetres.

While those are some rather important updates to OnePlus’ camera system it remains to be seen how much influence Hasselblad has in the final product that will be released later this month. 

Also Read: OnePlus 9 series India launch: Everything we know so far

 

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AmazonBasics 55-inch 4K Fire TV Edition TV Review

The AmazonBasics Fire TV edition TV is priced competitively when looking at the 55-inch budget TV space. The most significant advantage this TV has over its competition is the UI. We have seen Android TVs in the budget space lag with some heavy multitasking, and while the AmazonBasics TV isn’t perfect, its UI brings a bit more fluidity than some of the competition. The TV’s picture quality is acceptable and at par with what the competition offers in this price segment. However, the audio left us wanting more. There is some input lag when gaming on this TV, making it hard to recommend for gamers who want to play competitive games. But for the casual gamer, this TV should work fine. We haven't reviewed all the budget 55-inch TVs out there, but from the ones we have, we can safely recommend the AmazonBasics TV as a contender for those looking for a budget smart TV for their movies and TV show needs.

     

The AmazonBasics brand has made a name for itself when it comes to accessories such as charging cables, batteries, laptop stand, HDMI cables and more. One can also expect a certain level of quality and durability of these products. Recently, Amazon launched the AmazonBasics TVs in 32, 43, 50 and 55-inch screen sizes. The 32-inch TV is an HD ready TV, while the 43-inch variant is available in FHD and 4K options. The 50 and 55-inch variants are available in 4K with support for HDR, HDR 10+ and Dolby Vision. Priced at Rs 39,999, the 55-inch AmazonBasics TV competes with the likes of the Mi TV 4X, Hisense 55A71F (review), and the Realme SLED TV (review), to name a few. The TV’s biggest USP is that it runs on the Fire TV UI found on the Fire TV stick. Is it a worthy contender to consider?

AmazonBasics 55-inch 4K Fire TV Edition TV: Key specs at a glance

Panel Size: 55-inch  Panel Type: IPS LED Panel Resolution: 3840 x 2160 - 4K Panel Refresh Rate: 60Hz HDR 10 support: Yes HDR 10+ support: Yes Dolby Vision Support: Yes Weight: 10.3 kgs HDMI Ports: 3 USB Ports: 2 Bluetooth: Yes Wi-Fi: Yes Ethernet: Yes Speakers: 20W Built-in storage: 8GB Price: MRP: 39,999

AmazonBasics 55-inch 4K Fire TV Edition TV: Display and picture quality

Kicking things off with the display, the AmazonBasics Fire TV Edition TV has an IPS panel which means you can expect good viewing angles with some compromise to the black levels. However, if there is some bias lighting in the room, the blacks look quite alright. It is a 4K panel with support for HDR 10, HDR 10+ and Dolby Vision. We do not know the panel’s maximum brightness, but we peg it to be in the ballpark of 350 nits. It also does not appear to have any dimming zones. Based on the content played (HDR, SDR or Dolby Vision), there is a healthy mix of picture presets to choose from, which we will discuss in the following sections. Let's take a look at the picture performance of this TV in detail. 

4K and HDR performance

As we’ve mentioned above, the AmazonBasics 55-inch 4K TV supports all popular HDR formats - HDR 10, HDR 10+ and Dolby Vision. There is a decent catalogue of HDR content available via streaming services such as Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar In India.

Let’s start with Dolby Vision content. Playing content like Our Planet and Altered Carbon on Netflix was quite a pleasant experience. Even in some of the darker sequences, the content was still visible on the screen. In bright sequences in some of the content, you can view the details in the bright highlights before it clips or appears burnt, and while this threshold is relatively low on all budget TVs, it’s not something we can complain about, as you will only notice it when you know what you are looking for. Content in Dolby Vision from Netflix looks good with rich colours. 

For Dolby Vision picture presets, we have Dolby Vision Bright, Dolby Vision Dark, Dolby Vision Standard, Dolby Vision Dynamic and Custom. I recommend switching between Dolby Vision Bright and Dolby Vision Dark based on the lighting in the room for consuming Dolby Vision content. Dolby Vision Standard and Custom has a very cool bias making the content look a bit off. The difference between Bright and Dark preset is the dimming of the backlight and brightness to enjoy content in a darker room, but in our opinion, the Dolby Vision Bright preset seems to work the best. 

Moving over to HDR content, and this is where things get a little confusing. Consuming HDR content on YouTube works fine with content looking lush, especially movie trailers and the demo clips used to showcase the capability of a TV. However, it's with HDR 10+ content on Prime Video that we saw a few misses. A show like The Boys Season 2 Episode 8 towards the end, where we have a lot of bright lightning and some good shadows in the forest, it's a fun watch on this TV. But a show like Jack Ryan Season 2 Episode 2 and the Grand Tour Season 1 Episode 1 had a slight green bias. We saw the same content on a laptop (MacBook Air) and an LG B9 OLED TV, and while the green bias was there as a part of the colour pallet, it was a bit more pronounced on the AmazonBasics TV. Changing the picture presets didn’t help in this case. The sequence in the Grand Tour Season 1 Episode 1 has all the cars driving across the desert; the desert has a green tint to it which looks a little unnatural. 

With HDR 10 content, we have picture presets like Bright and Dark, which, just like the Dolby Vision presets, increases and decreases the brightness and backlighting. You can change these settings based on the room’s lighting and how grey the blacks look to you when consuming content. 

When it comes to 4K HDR content, the AmazonBasics TV’s performance is at par with what the competition is offering, and that’s not a bad thing. We have seen a slew of homogenous performing TVs, and having one more means consumers have more options to choose from. 

FHD performance

We played a lot of FHD content on the TV like Young Sheldon, Mission: Impossible, Spider-Man Homecoming, some trailers and clips from YouTube and more. A show like Young Sheldon has a vibrant colour pallet, and it looks good on this TV. Even Spider-Man’s suit has the punchy blue and red you’d expect. There are some night sequences where the content can get a little muddy, but nothing that’s out of the ordinary for this price segment. 

I would recommend sticking with “Standard”, and “Movie” from all the presets on offer for SDR content. Be it for watching regular TV shows or Movies or even content on YouTube. For me, Dynamic made the content look slightly overexposed in some situations, and I don't recommend that preset, especially for movies.

Gaming performance

We played our standard slew of games from the Xbox One X, including Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla (review), Forza Horizon and Gears 5 (review). The TV doesn’t have a “Game Mode” in its picture presets and resorts to the standard HDR presets found when consuming HDR content from the built-in apps. The lack of a “game mode” would mean that the input lag is relatively high. While we don't know the exact input lag on this TV, we can tell you that if you play games like Call of Duty competitively online, this TV isnt for you. Even in an action-packed single-player game like Gears 5, there was a hair's delay when commanding an action and its execution on screen. While this shouldn’t affect those looking to play single player games or couch co-op, it will hinder your performance in the online arena. 

As for visuals, the HDR bright settings was the best for a good visual experience. A game like Gears 5 has lush environments, and it shows on this TV. Forza Horizon, on the other hand, looked a tad dimmer than I’d like. In some TVs like the Mi TV 4X, you can change the HDMI input from HDMI 2.0 to HDMI 1.4, ensuring the console is outputting in SDR. On the Mi TV, this means we got a slightly brighter image in SDR. In the case of the Amazon Basics TV, we can switch from HDMI 2.0 to 1.4 in the settings, but changing this had no noticeable impact on the gaming performance. Needless to say, if gaming is a priority, there are other TVs to choose from. 

Audio performance

The AmazonBasics TV has 20W of sound output and is enough to fill the average living room with sound. The speakers do a decent job in content like news and TV shows, and one can even enjoy a movie or 2. But for complex action sequences with background score, onscreen action and dialogue, the speakers left me wanting more. The audio performance from the Hisense 55A71F was better than the AmazonBasics TV. 

On the AmazonBasics TV, you can enjoy the sound of breaking ice in a movie like Togo, just don't expect to really 'feel' it. 

UI

The AmazonBasics TV is running on the Fire TV OS, and it is identical to the one on the Fire TV Stick, with the addition of source selection and picture settings. You can switch HDMI sources as well using Alexa on this TV which is pretty cool. 

The UI is as smooth as we have seen on the Fire TV Stick, and the UI supports all the popular streaming service available, including Apple TV. So, if you have a library of movies on your Apple TV account or would like to stream Apple TV Plus shows, you can do so from the comfort of this TV. This is not an app most budget 55-inch TVs support, so it is a thing to consider if you are invested in Apple’s streaming service. Overall, the UI barely lagged, making me feel like a Fire TV stick was connected to the TV. Alexa also works like a charm. From saying things like “Play Stranger Things on Netflix” to “play Mandalorian on Hotstar” and even switching HDMI sources, it obeyed my commands with ease. 

With the launch of the third-generation Fire TV Stick (review), we have seen the new Fire TV UI, and we hope it makes its way to this TV soon. Overall, the Fire TV UI is more fluid than what we have seen on some budget Android TVs and has the potential to give the likes of Xiaomi’s PatchWall and OnePlus’ Oxygen Play a run for its money.

Remote control

The remote control on the AmazonBasics Fire TV is identical to the one we saw on the 43-inch Akai TV, and if the branding was removed from the two remote controls, they’d be identical twins. The remote control is ergonomic, and just like the Fire TV remote control has all the buttons neatly laid out. We have dedicated hotkeys for Prime Video, Netflix, Amazon Music and a dedicated button to bring up your apps. The playback controls, menu options, and more are the same as the Akai TV (review) and even the Onida Fire TV (review), so there are no complaints there. 

Build and design

Coming to the AmazonBasics TV build, the display has relatively slim bezels all around, and two metal feet hold the TV in place when kept on a table-top. The feet have a slightly circular arch design which is a departure from the sharp angular feet we have seen on other TVs like the realme SLED TV (review) or even the OnePlus U1 (review). The feet are wide, but the TV isn't tall enough to let you keep the OG PS4 or Xbox One below it. You may be able to fit a set-top-box below it. 

The AmazonBasics Fire TV has an AV-in port, IR pass-through, antenna, 2 USB ports, 3 HDMI ports, optical port and a LAN port for connectivity options. The TV also supports Bluetooth and dual-band Wi-Fi. 

Bottom Line

The AmazonBasics Fire TV edition TV is priced competitively when looking at the 55-inch budget TV space. The most significant advantage this TV has over its competition is the UI. We have seen Android TVs in the budget space lag with some heavy multitasking, and while the AmazonBasics TV isn’t perfect, its UI brings a bit more fluidity than some of the competition. The TVs picture quality is acceptable and at par with what the competition offers in this price segment. However, the audio left us wanting more. There is some input lag when gaming on this TV, making it hard to recommend for gamers who want to play competitive games. But for the casual gamer, this TV should work just fine. We haven't reviewed all the budget 55-inch TVs out there, but from the ones we have, we can safely recommend the AmazonBasics TV as a contender for those looking for a budget smart TV for their movies and TV show needs. It's also the only 55-inch TV at this price that we’ve tested that supports the Apple TV app.

   

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Carl Peis Nothing shares a glimpse of Concept 1 earbuds

Nothing has officially unveiled a picture of its upcoming earbuds that gives us a glimpse at its transparent design. Carl Pei left OnePlus last year to start Nothing, which was announced earlier this year. Since its announcement, the company has been generating a lot of interest as it received backing from investors like GV, Tony Fadell, Casey Neistat and more. 

There have been rumours that Nothing is working on wireless earbuds as its first product, but the company has also confirmed that it will launch smart devices in the first half of 2021. Nothing has revealed some design principles that went into making Concept 1 which looks quite compact and elegant. It neatly ties into the company’s mission which it says is to remove barriers between people and technology. 

Concept 1 design inspired by tobacco pipe

The design of Concept 1 takes inspiration from “grandmother’s tobacco pipe” that the company feels looks appealing. “We try to ground our objects in something familiar, which we hope will allow them to feel fresh for many years,” the company says.

As one can see from the image, the device is transparent and has a black label that says ‘Nothing’ along with white, black and red accents. This, however, is not the final design of the much-rumoured earbuds. “While the same designs principles will be followed and there will be similarities to Concept 1, the end product will look different,” a Nothing spokesperson told The Verge.

Furthermore, the image released today gives us an overview of the design philosophies that Nothing is picking up going forward, all across its products line. This hints at the likelihood of Nothing making transparent designs for more of its upcoming products. 

“We look forward to showing you how this comes to life through our first products this summer,” said Carl, hinting at the launch of multiple products.

Carl’s new venture Nothing has secured investments to the tune of $22 million from key players including GV (Alphabet’s venture capital arm), Steve Huffman (Reddit), Kevin Lin (Twitch), Tony Fadell (inventor of iPod), Youtuber Casey Neistat and Kunal Shah (CRED).

Carl has previously confirmed that wireless earbuds will be the first product to launch by Nothing sometime in summer. The company also announced its partnership with Sweden-based Teenage Engineering recently, and you can read more about it here.

 

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Apple said to start manufacturing the iPhone 12 in India at the Foxconn facility

Apple already manufactures the iPhone SE, the iPhone XR, and the iPhone 11 in India, thanks to its Indian production partners. Now, it looks like the company is planning to start manufacturing the iPhone 12 in India too for domestic and export purposes. If the reports are something to go by, then it looks like the iPhone 12 will be manufactured at the Foxconn facility in Tamil Nadu.

Apple is expected to take advantage of the Indian government's production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for production. The Indian government apparently approved a proposal to offer an incentive of about $1.02 billion to give a push to local manufacturing and exports.

Besides the expected partnership with Foxconn, Wistron and Pegatron are also going to be the production partners of the iPhone 12. In fact, there are some reports about the company planning to manufacture the iPhone 12 mini here locally, but there's no official confirmation on the same. It is possible that they're holding back due to the weak demand for the smaller iPhone.

In addition to the existing line-up of iPhones that are locally being made here, Apple is also expected to start manufacturing some iPads in India. If the company ends up manufacturing these devices in India, then we could be looking at price drops for customers in the country. Both the iPhone SE and iPhone XR saw price cuts as soon as the locally manufactured units started shipping out.

It will be interesting to see if Apple ends up manufacturing new iPhones in India as soon as they launch. This could be huge for their sales as they might end up launching at a relatively lower price. We are currently hearing a lot of rumours around the upcoming iPhone 13, but there seems to be no plan in place for manufacturing newer models here in the country.

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