Oppo Reno 10X Zoom Edition teardown reveals camera details

The Oppo Reno 10x Zoom Edition has only gone on pre-order in China, and even before any customers could get their hands on the phone, a teardown has already been performed on it. The Oppo Reno sports a number of interesting features, two of which revolve around the camera. The first is the shark-fin style pop-up camera for selfies and the other is the periscope-style 5x optical zoom lens in the back.

The teardown was performed by ithome and reveals several details about the phone and its construction. First off, the back of the phone appears to be made of plastic and not glass.  For managing heat, Oppo seems to have made grooves for accommodating heat dissipation gel, along with using silicone grease to the front and back of the SoC in addition to the uniform copper foil. Oppo, it seems, is focusing a lot on improved heat management here.

Coming to the pop-up shark-fin which houses the front facing camera, the earpiece, soft light, and even the rear flash, the mechanism is definitely an interesting one. A stepper motor is used to push the fin upwards, with the motor utilising a 7-tooth cog for minimal sound. The 10x hybrid zoom setup is very much like the one found on the Huawei P30 Pro. It has a 48-megapixel primary sensor with a 13-megapixel sensor for the 5x optical zoom lens. The telephoto lens is housed in its own casing, featuring a prism to redirect light onto the 13MP sensor. The periscope style telephoto lens measures 11.5 x 5.7 x 24.5 mm and also incorporates optical image stabilization.

The teardown concludes that the internal structure of the Oppo Reno 10x Zoom Edition is rather dense, suggesting good use of the limited space that’s present inside any smartphone. The Reno has not yet been announced in India, but we do expect Oppo to bring the phone to the Indian market soon.

Teardown Images Courtesy: ITHome

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PlayStation Store is letting you try out these three games before purchasing

It's always nice to get a game to play for free for some time, especially if it's a game you want to try out before purchasing. The concept isn't new and a lot of games, including popular titles, have been known to go free for a couple of days to give players a taste of what they get for their money. There are a new bunch of games that you can enjoy on the PlayStation Store before deciding if you want to purchase them. Some of these games are available for a limited amount of time in the trial/free to play status.

One of the games available for play as a demo is Zanki Zero Last Beginning. The trial of the game is a demo, so there is no time limit until when you can play it. To enjoy the full game, you will have to purchase it. The game will take players to ruins, dungeons, and islands in this post-apocalyptic world. The player will play the game through the eyes of eight protagonists as they fight for survival. The demo is available to download today.

Next up is Street Fighter 5. The trial of the game is available till May 5.  The trial gives players access to all the modes in the game as well as access to content from the Arcade Edition of Street Fighter 5. The trial of Street Fighter 5 gives players access to popular characters like Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li and more. If you decide to buy the game, all your progress from the trial is carried forward to the main game you purchase ensuring you don't have to go through the grind again.

Last but not least we have World of Warships: Legends. The game released this month and is free to play. If you want access to a lot of content from the get-go like new ships, in-game credit and 30 days of Premium Account time, then you may want to consider the paid version of the game. The game is a “massively multiplayer online game where you can master the seas.” In the game, players will recruit legendary commanders, upgrade vessels, and rise to naval supremacy. A thing to note is that PS Plus subscription is not necessary to access multiplayer in the game. The game supports up to 18 players online. 

While the PlayStation Plus free games for May are yet to be revealed, these three should keep you occupied till we know the free games coming with the subscription. If you are looking to pick up the recently launched PlayStation Exclusive, Days Gone, you may want to check out our review before purchasing. If you have purchased the game, you may want to check out our tips that will help you play the game like a pro.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2DEM2hF

Nubia Red Magic 3 gaming smartphone with Snapdragon 855, 90Hz display, active fan cooling launched in China

Nubia has confirmed that it will be launching some of its latest gadgets in India, including the Red Magic 3 gaming smartphone, truly wireless Nubia Pods earphones and the Nubia Alpha wearable smartphone. However, before the India launch, the company has announced the Nubia Red Magic 3 smartphone in its home country, China, revealing the phone’s complete features and specifications. Key highlights of the phone include a Snapdragon 855 SoC and a full HD+ display panel with 90Hz refresh rate. It also sports a 48MP single sensor on the rear and comes equipped with liquid cooling technology with an internal turbo fan, whose speed can also be manually adjusted. 

Nubia Red Magic 3 specifications and features

The Nubia Red Magic 3 comes equipped with a 6.65-inch FHD+ HDR AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. The phone’s display sports a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and comes with HDR support. In terms of design, the handset looks quite similar to its predecessor with a hexagon shaped rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and a geeked out rear-panel designed to entice gamers. Alongside employing liquid cooling to keep temperatures at bay duing intense gaming sessions, the Red Magic 3 also comes equipped with an active fan cooling system that is said to consume really low power of about 1 percent when running continuously for an hour. The fan’s speed is also adjustable and is touted to reach max speeds of 14000 rpm. 

The Red Magic 3 is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC, and comes with up to 12GB RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage. The handset runs on Redmagic OS 2.0, which is based on Android 9 Pie and is backed by a 5000mAh battery that supports 27W fast charging.

Further, it comes equipped with a software dashboard called “Red Magic Game Space 2.0”, which enables shortcuts to quick-launch games and tweak the fan speed. It is also equipped with two touch-enabled shoulder trigger buttons, similar to the ROG gaming phone. These can be customised and mapped as per user's requirement. 

In terms of optics, the smartphone features a single 48MP rear-camera that utilises Sony IMX586 sensor. It is paired with an  f/1.7 aperture lens and the sensor has a pixel pitch of 0.8μm. The Nubia Red Magic 3 sports stereo front-facing speakers with DTS:X sound support and is said to feature 3D sound technologies as well. 

Nubia Red Magic 3 Price 

In China, the Nubia Red Magic 3 was announced in Red, Camouflage, Black, and Blue with Red gradient colour models. The 6GB+64GB version of the handset is priced at CNY 2,899 (Rs 30,000 approx), while its 6GB+128GB configuration costs CNY 3,199 (Rs 33,100 approx). The phone’s 8GB+128GB version that also comes in Red colour is priced at CNY 3,499 (Rs 36,290 approx). Finally, the 12GB+256GB model of the handset will be available for CNY 4,299 (Rs 44,500 approx). We can expect the smartphone to be priced around the same or slightly lower in India. 

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from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2L7nXGl

Reliance Jio effect: Hathway offering complimentary Play Box Android TV dongle with select broadband plans

Reliance Jio played an important role in fixing the affordability factor of data plans in the Indian telecom space, and after buying stakes in major broadband service providers, the company had sounded the bugle of its entry into this space. Keeping in mind the competitive pricing that Jio's fiber to the home broadband service is expected to bring, internet service providers have already started rolling out offers to increase their subscriber base. Hathway Broadband and Cable is now offering a complimentary Play Box Android streaming device to those who opt for 100 Mbps or above broadband data plans.

Telecom Talk reports that those who subscribe to a 100 Mbps plan or above, for two months or more, will get a Hathway Play Box - an Android TV based OTT box, as well as Ultra Smart Hub that combines linear TV with Android TV. The telecom news platform says that the offer is running in Hyderabad and Chennai, where the company offers four fiber-based plans providing 100 Mbps to 300 Mbps speeds. These plans start from Rs 949 per month.

Subscribers can buy a plan of a minimum of Rs 2,847 that will give them 100 Mbps speed for three months and 1TB FUP monthly limit. Those who want higher speeds, can opt for other costlier plans. Further, Hathway is providing attractive offers with its Play Box Android TV STB, such as Rs 1,000 off in total on Netflix subscription for two months. Additionally, users will get 12 months of free Sun NXT subscription, and two months of complimentary YUPP TV and ZEE5 subscription.

Hathway launched the Play Box in October last year. Along with support for upto Full HD 1080p playback, the device comes with a remote that has dedicated buttons on it for popular services like YouTube, Netflix and Google Play, allowing consumers to directly install apps from Google Play as well. Priced at Rs 2,999, the box also supports Google Assistant and comes with a voice functionality on the remote - like the Amazon FireStick remote.

What’s noteworthy is that Reliance Industries Limited acquired 51.34 percent shares in Hathway and 58.92 percent stake in Den Networks last year.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2PBZ44d

Intels leaked product roadmap shows no signs of 10nm desktop CPUs till 2022

By now, numerous news reporters should have got their hands on the leaked Intel product roadmap that was discovered and shared by Dutch website Tweakers some five days ago. The leaked roadmap image, if believed to be authentic, reveals a few key plans Intel has in store for the next couple of years. For one, the chip maker doesn’t plan on making a 10-nanometre desktop CPU until 2022 or later. It will also release a refreshed series of Coffee Lake CPUs later this year and follow it up with the Comet Lake series of CPUs early next year.

Intel’s desktop CPU range is often referred to as S-series. If you examine the leaked image, you’ll notice that Intel has only 14-nanometre S-series CPUs planned for desktops all the way till the end of 2021. On the other hand, the company has 10-nanometre “Tiger Lake” chips under the U-series and Y-series planned for laptops and other mobile devices sometime in the second quarter of 2021. They’re the only ones in the leaked roadmap marked “TBD”, which means Intel could have different plans  with them altogether.

On the bright side, Intel’s desktop product range (S-series) will get a Comet Lake CPU with 10 cores even though it uses a 14-nanometre fabrication process sometime in the second quarter of next year. A year later, Intel will refresh it and give it the moniker Rocket Lake. Since all of these plans are found only in a leaked roadmap claiming to be from Intel, it’s best to take them with a pinch or two of salt. For all we know, Intel is actually working on a 10-nanometre CPU for its desktop range but hasn’t marked it in this roadmap.

The reason we believe Intel might be having plans outside the ones mentioned in this leaked roadmap is because it’s marked SIPP, or Stable Image Platform Program, which is Intel’s initiative to ensure “virtually zero changes to key platform components and drivers for at least 15 months or until the next generational release”. According to Intel, SIPP is designed to reduce the number of upgrades needed in end-user systems in an enterprise and keep image management complexity to a minimum. Only time will tell what Intel really has in store for the next generation of desktops, laptops, and other mobile devices.

Inline image courtesy: Tweakers

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2vqe7EW

Sony Mobile may lay off 50 percent workforce after selling 7 million fewer units in 2018 versus 2017

Sony’s poor performance in the smartphone market is nothing new, but just how bad is it is something we weren’t privy to before. Turns out, Sony sold seven million smartphones lesser in 2018 than it did in 2017. The latest financial statements from the Japanse company that’s credited for introducing cool features like super slo-mo and 4K displays on a smartphone, indicate that the smartphone division of Sony has been bleeding money for quite some time now. Now, a new report claims Sony is ready to lay off half its workforce in the smartphone division to offset the losses.

According to the financial statements released by the company, Sony sold around 6.5 million units in 2018 which is half of what it sold the previous year, and just one-fifth of what it sold five years back. To put the performance into context, Xiaomi managed to sell over a million units of the Redmi Note 7 series in India alone. That’s just one phone series in one country in one month. Compared to that, Sony’s 6.5 million units sold in a whole year comes off as paltry, to say the least.

To make matters worse, Sony is expected to post operating losses again in 2019 for the third straight year. The company has been trying to cut down its operating expenses from its 2017 level, to meet the rapidly declining sales, and the company hopes that it will come around to making profits again in 2020.

To hit profitability, however, Sony will have to cut down its workforce working in the smartphone division by half, according to the report. By the end of the year, only 2,000 employees out of the 4,000 employed in the smartphone division will remain. Employees in Japan who will be laid off, will be shifted to other divisions, while employees in Europe and China will be offered voluntary retirement.

The company is also expected to restrict its smartphone sales in Southeast Asia, where mid-range and budget devices perform well in the market while in Europe and East Asia, Sony will increase its efforts to sell its high-end flagship devices.

All said and done, Sony’s downfall is a painful sight to watch over the years. The company went from being one of the most innovative and popular brands during the early days of Android to now becoming a footnote in the history of smartphones. Whether the company will be able to turn around depends on how well it manages to tackle severe competition from Chinese brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and the likes. Furthermore, a global slowdown in smartphone sales isn’t going to favour Sony’s fate.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2PBZ2cB

OnePlus 7 Pro scores A+ grade in DisplayMate test, could deliver same viewing experience as iPhone XS Max, Samsung Galaxy S10

OnePlus is all set to unveil its OnePlus 7 series of handsets on May 14, which is confirmed to feature the OnePlus 7 and the OnePlus 7 Pro. As always, the company has commenced teasing its upcoming phones before the official launch. OnePlus CEO Pete Lau previously teased that the OnePlus 7 Pro will feature an all-new “super-smooth” display but refrained from dropping details about it. Now, Lau reveals that the phone has received an A+ display rating in DisplayMate's Lab Tests, which was confirmed by DisplayMate in a tweet. Pete Lau tweeted the information saying, “Can't wait for you to experience our A+ rated display (there is no A++ so we hit the ceiling) by the renowned independent research and test lab - DisplayMate.” 

The company also claims that its OnePlus 7 Pro scored “exceptionally well” across parameters like colour accuracy, brightness, contrast accuracy, pixel density, among others. The display on the OnePlus 7 Pro is said to deliver a sharper viewing experience and enable users to adjust the display colour gamut and colour temperature to calibrate the phone’s screen as per their requirement. Additionally, the DisplayMate grading suggests that the display panel on the OnePlus 7 Pro can be expected to deliver the same level of viewing experience as other premium flagships like the iPhone XS Max, Samsung Galaxy S10 and the Pixel 3 XL. 

“Not only does the display on the OnePlus 7 Pro provide an impeccable viewing experience, but it also better protects your eyes even after prolonged hours of use. Our display has also received the ‘Safety for Eyes’ certification from the independent and neutral VDE Testing and Certification Institute for its ability to better filter out harmful blue lights. Its upgraded eye protection features allow for an adjustable temperature and brightness to enhance eye comfort,” says OnePlus.  However, we will be sure to test the phone' display, and every other aspect of the device, when we put it through our testing process for review. 

OnePlus has again reiterated a “smooth” display on the OnePlus 7 Pro, which reports suggest is a hint towards higher refresh rate. A previous report about the phone claims that the OnePlus 7 Pro will come equipped with a 6.64-inch curved Quad HD+ Super AMOLED “90hz” display with a pop-up front camera. The company also recently teased the presence of triple-rear cameras on the smartphone, which is reported to consist of a 48MP main camera with f/1.6 aperture and OIS support. It could also be equipped with an 8MP sensor that is paired with f/2,4 aperture lens, which is capable of 3x zoom and a 16MP wide-angle camera with a 117-degree field of view. 

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2L8iPBW