Galaxy S21 Ultra: specs fest!

S Pen support and full-on refresh rate

To start off, the 6.8″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display of the Galaxy S21 Ultra runs at Quad HD+ resolution with a variable 120Hz refresh rate. Interestingly, the Infinity-O panel does support a full refresh rate at the max resolution of 1440p+. The panel is HDR10+ certified.

Speaking of the display, the company has carried over the S Pen functionality of the Note line to the S series. The S21 Ultra gets support for S Pen or any Wacom-based Stylus. However, the stylus is a separate purchase and on top of that, the S21 Ultra has no compartment for parking the stylus when not in use.

Quad-camera

Now, coming to the main highlight, which happens to be the camera on the S21 Ultra resting on the new camera island. We do get a quad-camera system. A large 108MP wide camera + a 12MP ultrawide along with two tele units both featuring a 10MP resolution. The fifth module is a laser auto-focus module. As for the selfie cam, a 40MP unit is at the front of the Galaxy S21 Ultra. 4K @ 60fps videos can be captured using each and every camera module.

S21 Ultra with S Pen | Source: Samsung

Processing

Running the show is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 or Exynos 2100 SoC depending upon the country of purchase. Storage capacity starts from 128GB on the 12GB memory model all the way up to 512GB on the 16GB unit. A storage expansion slot is absent.

Power, OS, price, and availability

A 5000 mAh battery is embedded inside the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Charging is rated at 25W wired and 15W wireless and reverse-wireless charge at 9W. On that note, a power brick is not included in the box. All you do get is a USB-C cable.

One UI 3.1 based on Android 11 boots up the Galaxy S21 Ultra. The Note line’s S Pen-specific features have trickled down to this device too.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra will start reaching stores by 29th January and will retail for a starting price of €1,250.

Images: Samsung

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OnePlus 9 Pro

Source: OnePlus

This top handset from the series starts with the elephant in the room, the Hasselblad-powered camera setup. A quad camera sits at the back of the device. We get a 48MP Sony IMX 789 main sensor that can produce 12-bit RAW images. Also, there is a natural color calibration feature with the Hasselblad Pro mode that retains the natural look and feel of photos.

The main cam has got OIS and can record videos at a resolution of up to 8K at 30fps. Next up we have a 50MP ultra-wide shooter. The sensor size is 1/1.56″. The freeform lens used here reduces distortion near the edges to 1-degree as opposed to typical 10 to 20-degree ones. Moving on, there is a 2MP sensor to capture monochrome shots. The camera system is concluded by an 8MP telephoto unit capable of 77mm magnification and features OIS. A selfie camera is a 16MP unit located in the punch-hole cut-out of the display.

Source: OnePlus

The snapdragon 888 chip sits at the helm of the device along with up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM. On that note, we now have a Cool Play feature that ensures the temperature is in check during intensive gaming sessions. Storage capacity on offer is 128GB and 256GB of the UFS 3.1 variety.

Powering up the device is a 4,500mAh battery and topping it up has become much faster thanks to Warp charge 65T (65W). OnePlus claims that a full charge takes around 29 minutes now. OnePlus also introduced the 50W wireless charging dubbed Warp charge 50 wireless taking the battery 43 minutes to charge from empty to full. Connectivity-wise, there’s 5G, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.2 onboard.

Visuals are provided by a 6.7″ AMOLED display of the LTPO variety. The refresh rate is a variable 1Hz-120Hz for maximum efficiency and performance. The resolution is QHD+ here. The display boats 1300 nits of brightness and is HDR10+ certified.  And yes, an Always-on display is here too. Residing inside the screen is a fingerprint scanner for biometric authentication purposes.

Hasselblad Pro mode in the camera app | Source: OnePlus

The OnePlus is IP68 certified for water and dust resistance. With that said, the phone is built entirely from glass and aluminum. Available colors are Stellar Black, Pine Green, and Morning Mist. Prices start from $970 (INR 65,000).

OnePlus 9

Source: OnePlus

This one is sort of a dialed-down version of its Pro sibling. The camera system now comprises only three shooters (no 8MP telephoto camera) but is still powered by Hasselblad’s expertise. The main sensor is a 48MP one again but is the IMX689 sensor sans OIS. The 50MP ultra-wide sensor from the Pro model is retained here as is the 2MP monochrome unit. 8K video recording with the main camera is possible at 30fps. The same 16MP front-facing camera from the Pro model is seen here.

Source: OnePlus

The chipset, RAM, and storage configurations remain exactly the same here as on the OnePlus 9 Pro. The battery capacity has been retained and the same Warp charge 65T is here. Wireless charging maxes out 15W though.

The vital change here is the display. It is now a 6.55″ flat display with a 120Hz refresh rate (not adaptive like on the Pro). The brightness tops out at 1100 nits. It is HDR10+ certified and it too received an A+ from Displaymate. The vanilla OnePlus 9 is IP68 sealed for protection.

Available paint jobs are Winter Mist, Arctic Sky, and Astral Black. The OnePlus 9 will retail for a starting price of $730 (INR 50,000).

Images: OnePlus

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OnePlus 9R

At the front of the smartphone is a flat 6.55″AMOLED panel that’s lifted off the vanilla OnePlus 9 featuring a Full HD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. The display is of the punch-hole kind with the 16MP selfie camera situated in it. Running the show is a Snapdragon 870 SoC featuring a vapor chamber cooling system for gaming sessions. With that said, this phone is considered by OnePlus as sort of a gaming smartphone.

OnePlus 9R | Source: OnePlus

And yes, the announced OnePlus Gaming Triggers will be available as an accessory (purchased separately for INR 999). The triggers attach to the side of the phone, in fact, any of three OnePlus 9 series smartphones and there you have two tactile buttons to elevate the gaming experience. The two triggers feature capacitive sensing technology. Meaning, the display of the phone is used as a power source with the help of capacitive conduction.

The Warp charge 65T makes its way from the OnePlus 9 series to the 9R which is impressive. However, wireless charging is not available here. And yes, the 4500mAh battery is also carried over from the flagship devices.

OnePlus Gaming Triggers | Source: OnePlus

The camera system consists of three sensors. As in, a 48MP main wide camera (OIS) along with a 16MP ultrawide unit concluded by a 5MP macro and 2MP depth camera make up the camera setup on the OnePlus 9R.

Pricing starts from INR 40,000 for the 8GB+128GB model to INR 44,000 for the 12GB+256GB variant. The OnePlus 9R is an India-only device, at least for now. It comes in Lake Blue and Carbon Black finishes.

The post The OnePlus 9R is an updated 8T for 2021 appeared first on PhoneGlide.

Source: Samsung

Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus: Design extravaganza!

Design

Right off the bat, we can see the brand new camera module housing the three sensors with the flash sitting outside all alone. Upfront, an Infinity-O display with minimal bezels compared to the previous generation. Interestingly, this time around, the company has employed a dual-tone color combination for the camera island and rear panel.

Great display with a great catch!

The vanilla and Plus Galaxy S21 phones make do with flat 6.2-inch and 6.7-inch punch-hole displays. Both have support for HDR 10+ and feature a variable 120Hz refresh rate Dynamic AMOLED panel (48Hz-120Hz). However, bizarrely, all of this comes at a cost of sacrifice. Yes, you guessed it right there, we only do get a Full HD+ panel which does no justice to the flagship status of the Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus.

Camera system

A triple-shooter setup is onboard the Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus. As in, seated on the new camera island are two 12MP units that are ultrawide and wide-angle respectively. The third unit is a 64MP telephoto module. As for the selfie clicks, a 10MP camera does the job.

Source: Samsung

Chip, memory, and storage

As usual, Samsung is bringing in the latest and greatest in-house and Qualcomm chipsets to run the show which is all built on the 5nm process. Speaking of which, the brand’s Exynos 2100 and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon powers the Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus. These chips feature full 5G connectivity and support. Memory-wise, you just get 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and the storage options available are 128GB and 256GB sans storage expansion slot.

Battery, OS, price, and availability

Both the Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus pack in a 4000 mAh and 4800 mAh respectively. Wired charging is capped at 25W, while wireless charging is rated at 15W with reverse wireless going up to 9W. And yes, in typical 2021 fashion, there is no charger bundled with the two flagship devices, all you get is a USB-C cable.

Android 11 based Samsung’s own One UI 3.1 drives the hardware. As far as pricing is concerned, the S21 starts at €850, and its taller twin S21 Plus at €1,050. Pre-orders begin as soon as January 15 with the units hitting stores starting January 29.

Images: Samsung

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Mobile gaming is about to level up. Get your game on this Tuesday, March 23. #OnePlus9R5G

Click “Notify me” and stand a chance to win a #OnePlus9Series device: https://t.co/1emddhngnx pic.twitter.com/MFXKmXcCkK

— OnePlus India (@OnePlus_IN) March 19, 2021

As you can from the teaser above, the OnePlus 9R will feature two gaming triggers attached to the sides of it. Notice the power button located at the side of the device. Hang on, courtesy of @thebookisclosed on Twitter, we now can see how the device actually will look like in reality, at least with the gaming triggers attached. It looks like these triggers are just an added accessory that may as well work with the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro.

Let’s wait and watch out on Tuesday (2:00 PM, GMT) to learn more about the OnePlus 9 series.

OnePlus 9R 5G gaming triggers | Source: OnePlus

The post OnePlus 9R 5G will be OnePlus’ first gaming phone, launch set on March 23 appeared first on PhoneGlide.

The refresh rate is set at 90Hz and the resolution is Full HD+. With that said, the fingerprint scanner is integrated within the display itself.

The performance is handled by a MediaTek Dimensity 800U processor. Coming to storage and memory, there is 128GB and 256GB on offer both featuring 8GB of RAM. At the rear, a quad-camera setup comprises a 64MP main sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide camera concluded by two 2MP units that are capable of macro and depth shots respectively.

Honor V40 Lite (aka Lite Luxury Edition) | Source: Honor

On the software side of things, Honor’s Magic UI 4.0 based on Android 10 is pre-installed. Yes, Android 10 which is strange. Speaking of which, we are yet to confirm whether the Honor V40 Lite supports Google Play Services or not. Anyways, a 3000mah battery runs the show, and an impressive 66W fast charging is present here. On that note, Honor does bundle a charger in the box.

The Honor V40 Lite will go on sale on March 26 in China. Pricing is set at CNY 2,999 ($460) and CNY 3,299 ($506) for the 128GB and 256GB variants respectively.

Images: Honor

The post Honor V40 Lite is Honor’s first phone after Huawei split appeared first on PhoneGlide.

The screen measures just 4.9″ carrying with it a Full HD+ resolution and the good old 16:9 aspect ratio. Thankfully the screen tries enough to stretch to all four corners for a bezel-less experience. Speaking of which, the front-facing 8MP camera is situated in the punch-hole cut-out.

Balmuda Phone with a pebble-like design | Source: Balmuda

Processing on this compact smartphone is handled by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765 chipset paired with 6GB of RAM. The internal memory available is 128GB of storage with no memory card slot for storage expansion.

The primary camera is a modest 48MP unit complete with an LED flash to boot. And as such is nothing to write home about.

Connectivity-wise, we have Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB-C port for charging, and 5G to keep up with the times. Interestingly Qi-wireless charging is also present here to top-up the meager 2500 mAh battery.

Being an Android smartphone, we expected Android 12 to make it here, however, Bermuda has stuck with version 11. This is not okay but at least Balmuda has made sure it has provided some custom experience on top of vanilla Android. For instance, system apps like calendar, camera, and more are Balmuda’s own along with a few system-wide gestures to enlighten the overall experience.

Few Balmuda-made apps to boot | Source: Balmuda

All of this will be up for purchase for JPY 104,800 which translates to USD 912.43 making it quite expensive for what’s on offer.

Know more about Balmuda Phone here.

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE – 20/03/21: Smartphone maker OnePlus entered the entry-level and mid-range segment last year with the Nord series. We saw the OnePlus Nord, Nord N10, Nord 100 models in the series. We feel OnePlus hasn’t cracked it in the mid-range segment.

The specs weren’t really all that compatible for the price range. Anyways, today we have got some high-quality renders of a possible successor to the OnePlus Nord N10, internally called ‘Ebba’. The model name and number are unknown as of now, but we have some supposed specs of the same. let’s jump right in…These first-look details were obtained from renowned leaker @Onleaks over at Voice.com.

What to expect?

The upgrade to the OnePlus Nord N10 is expected to feature a plastic rear panel and mid-frame (although the source points out to a metal frame). Speaking of which, the dimensions as per the report appears to be 162.9 x 74.7 x 8.4mm (10.3mm including the triple camera bump). The front is home to a 6.49″ flat display. The selfie camera resides around the screen in a punch-hole cut-out.

The bezels are fine for the segment it’s destined for with the chin being a tad thicker than normal. As for biometrics, a fingerprint scanner is integrated into the power button. For audiophiles, the OnePlus Ebba (we would like to call it for now) is expected to retain the 3.5mm audio jack.

Source: Voice.com Source: Voice.com Source: Voice.com Source: Voice.com

All in all, we feel the camera island resembles that of the vanilla Samsung Galaxy Note 20. We can help but wonder why OnePlus has gotten inspired by Samsung’s design. Where has all the originality gone? And that’s all regarding the OnePlus Nord N10 upgrade. Thank you for reading.

The post A 360-degree view of the OnePlus Nord N10 successor appeared first on PhoneGlide.

Source: OnePlus Source: OnePlus Source: OnePlus Source: OnePlus Source: OnePlus Source: OnePlus

Right off the bat, we feel the look of the OnePlus 9 Pro is inclined towards the Samsung territory, albeit sleek. Lately, we have been noticing that the company has been imitating its Korean rival both when it comes to UI and hardware design. In our opinion, the OnePlus 6 and 6T are OnePlus’ best designs to date.

RELATED: Download OnePlus 9 leaked wallpapers.

Inspired by a bright new dawn. Meet the #OnePlus9Pro Morning Mist and #OnePlus9 Winter Mist on March 23.

— OnePlus (@oneplus) March 15, 2021

Going by the tweet above, we can see the OnePlus 9 Pro will come in Morning Mist finish which simply put is just silver color. The vanilla OnePlus 9 will make it in Winter Mist paint job, a fancy name for something as minimal as lavender.

Anyways, the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro will come with a triple and quad-camera system respectively. We will cover every detail of the smartphones upon launch. So stay tuned for the same.

The post OnePlus shows off the OnePlus 9 Pro design, to launch on March 23 appeared first on PhoneGlide.

We’ll look at their specs, new features, camera capabilities, pricing and availability, and how they compare to other premium phones. Read on to learn all about Google’s latest and greatest smartphones.

Design & Display

Starting with the design, the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro carry on the iconic two-tone color scheme synonymous with Pixel phones. The color extends around the aluminum frame for a more seamless, almost bezel-less look. The rear camera visor blends smoothly into the back glass.

Both models feature nearly identical 6.7-inch OLED displays with slim bezels all around. The Pixel 8 display has Full HD+ resolution (2400 x 1080 pixels), while the Pro version bumps this up to a sharper QHD+ (3120 x 1440 pixels). The displays can reach brightnesses of up to 1500 nits, with up to 120Hz refresh rates for smooth scrolling and animations.

Performance & Battery Life

Under the hood, the latest Pixel phones are powered by Google’s newest Tensor G3 chip. Built on a 4nm manufacturing process, this new chip delivers up to 30% faster CPU and GPU performance versus last year’s Tensor G2.

The Tensor G3 enables advanced AI capabilities, including speech recognition and photography features. It works together with the Titan M3 security chip to safeguard sensitive data like passwords.

For memory and storage, both phones come with 12GB of RAM. The Pixel 8 has 128GB or 256GB storage options, while the Pro goes up to 512GB. This abundant memory will let you run multiple apps smoothly while storing plenty of photos/videos.

Sustaining these premium internals is a large 5000mAh battery. Combined with optimizations from Android 13 and the power-efficient Tensor G3, the Pixel 8 series promises all-day battery life. 30W wired charging allows a 50% charge in about 30 minutes. Wireless charging support is also included.

Camera Upgrades

One of the biggest areas seeing improvement is the camera system. The Pixel phones have always been photography powerhouses, and the Pixel 8 lineup aims to continue that legacy with its triple rear cameras.

The main wide camera uses a 50MP sensor behind an f/1.85 lens with OIS. This enables detailed 12.5MP photos through Pixel’s signature pixel-binning method. The sensor also has fast autofocus thanks to dual pixel PDAF.

Ultra-wide photography gets a boost from a 12MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture lens capable of 125-degree FOV. This allows for creative shots with exaggerated perspective.

Finally, there’s a 10MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom paired with 20x “Super Res Zoom”. This lets you get much closer to subjects without losing quality. The telephoto lens has OIS too for steadier long-range shots.

Features like Real Tone, which accurately captures all skin tones, are also included. New this year is support for 10-bit HDR video recording for richer colors/contrast in clips. Night Sight sees improvements as well for low-light shots.

On the front is a 12MP f/1.85 selfie camera with 4K video. All cameras across both models are identical.

Unique Features

Some neat Pixel-exclusive features make a return with the Pixel 8 models. These include the Recorder app’s ability to transcribe speech recordings. Face Unlock via the selfie camera is present too.

The Pixel 8 series also brings back handy capabilities like Direct My Call. This lets Google Assistant handle phone menus for you to get to an actual human faster when calling businesses.

Another neat perk is VPN by Google One coming built-in with Pixel phones. When enabled, this encrypts all device traffic for more secure web browsing on public networks.

Other details like dual stereo speakers tuned by Grammy-winning engineers are included too. These provide balanced and immersive sound while watching videos or gaming.

Of course, being first-party Google phones, the Pixel 8 models launch with the latest Android 13 OS. This brings conveniences like improved privacy controls, a refreshed UI design, and more customization options. Faster updates to future Android versions are guaranteed as well.

Pricing & Availability

The Google Pixel 8 starts at $749, while the Pixel 8 Pro costs $999. Both phones are already up for pre-order in select markets like the US and will launch on October 13th.

Color options for Pixel 8 include Snow, Obsidian, and Lemongrass. The Pixel 8 Pro comes in Snow, Obsidian, and Hazel. Certain colors may be carrier/retailer-exclusives.

As you’d expect, Google is offering some tempting preorder bonuses. These include a Pixel Watch or $200 gift card with Pixel 8 Pro purchase. Overall, the pricing stays consistent with last year’s models.

How Pixel 8 Series Compares to Competition

So how does the Pixel lineup fare against other Android flagships in 2022? The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro match or beat top phones like Galaxy S22 and OnePlus 10 Pro in areas like premium design, vibrant OLED displays with high refresh rates, powerful custom chipsets, ample memory configurations, and extended software support.

Cameras have always been excellent on Pixels, and the Pixel 8 series doubles down on photography prowess with its upgraded triple rear camera array. From everyday shots to low light and telephoto zoom, these cameras hold up against the best from Apple, Samsung and others. Video enhancements like 10-bit HDR recording gives them an edge too.

Unique Pixel features like Recorder transcription, Direct My Call, VPN by Google One, and Face Unlock give the Pixel 8 models functionality you won’t easily find elsewhere. Add to that Google’s promise of fast and regular Android OS updates, and the Pixel phones have strong value.

Of course rivals like Galaxy and iPhones boast their own perks too, whether it’s higher resolution displays in the case of the S22 Ultra, longer battery life with the iPhone 14 Pro Max, or wider ecosystem integration. Still, if you want one of the best balances of premium design, performance, software, cameras and security in an Android device, the Pixel 8 series shines as excellent high-end options for 2022.

Conclusion

With notable upgrades across the board – from displays, power, and battery to cameras, AI features, and more – the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro represent Google’s best and most advanced smartphones yet. If early impressions are any indication, Google’s got another Pixel pair of winners on their hands with these new flagships.

Between the top-tier power packed into a refined design, intelligent software capabilities enabled by the new Tensor G3, and photography chops to rival the best camera phones out there, the Pixel 8 series has plenty to love for Android users. Pre-orders are open now for those eager to get their hands on Google’s latest Pixel phones. I sincerely hope you find this “Exploring the Google Pixel 8 & 8 Pro- Specs, Features, Cameras, Pricing, and Beyond” article helpful.

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