OPPO launches the OPPO Band smart band and teases the OPPO TV smart TV

Following in the footsteps of most other smartphone manufacturers, Chinese OEM OPPO has now launched its own fitness band. Unlike the budget-centric fitness band launched by its subsidiary Realme, the new OPPO Band is a premium offering that features a 1.1-inch AMOLED display in a pill-shaped body. The display is covered with a 2.5D scratch-resistant glass and covers 100% of the P3 color gamut for accurate color reproduction.

In terms of features, the OPPO Band packs in almost everything you’d expect from a premium fitness band, including continuous blood oxygen monitoring for up to 480 minutes/28,800 times, sleep tracking, 12 different sports modes, continuous heart rate monitoring, over 160 watch faces, NFC support, and 5ATM water resistance. Powering the band is a 100mAh battery which is rated for 14 days of use on a single charge and can be topped up in just 1.5 hours.

The OPPO Band is being offered in three different variants — the vanilla OPPO Band, a Fashion edition, and an EVA limited edition. The standard OPPO Band has been priced at CNY 199 (~$28) and features a plastic body which comes in two color variants — Quiet Night Black and Mist Purple. The Fashion edition features a metal body that is available in two color variants — Starry Sky Black and Quicksand Gold (with real 24K gold) — priced at CNY 249 (~$35). And finally, the EVA limited edition features a design based on the popular anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, much like the recently launched special edition OPPO Ace2, which has been priced at CNY 299 (~$42).

As of now, it isn’t clear if the OPPO Band will launch outside of China but we’ve recently seen OPPO expand its presence in India and Europe, so it’s quite possible. The band has also been spotted in multiple certification filings which suggest that it will launch outside of China.

Alongside the launch of the new OPPO Band, the company has released a poster that hints at an upcoming Android TV. The poster in question was shared on OPPO’s official Weibo account and it primarily highlights the company’s history and successes with 5G. The poster touts that OPPO has 30+ operators worldwide carrying their 5G products, that they have 3000+ global patents related to 5G, that they are beginning to explore 6G connectivity (already?), that they were involved in 8 major 5G breakthroughs, and that they sell multiple 5G smartphones at many different price points.

The poster continues to highlight OPPO’s strategy in IoT centering around connecting the following: Personal, Family, Travel, and Office. Then, it points out how OPPO has met these goals with the release of the OPPO Enco W51, OPPO Watch, the new OPPO Band, OPPO 5G CPE T1, OPPO AR Glasses, and (soon) the OPPO TV. It’s worth noting that OPPO’s subsidiary Realme has already launched its own TV product in India. The Realme TV runs Android TV and we can expect the same to be true for the OPPO TV. Currently, the company has released no further information about the smart TV, but we expect to learn more in the coming weeks.

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Source: Weibo(1, 2)

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OnePlus is making new, cheaper smart TVs for India

The OnePlus we’ve known since 2014 began its journey with smartphones, starting off with the OnePlus One and keeping up with their formula until this day with the OnePlus 8 lineup. But down the road, they decided that they didn’t want to be known only as a smartphone company. OnePlus is still far from a household name globally even though their phones sell pretty well in markets such as India, and branching out to other ventures might make global brand recognition and easier target to achieve. This is why they launched the OnePlus TV back last year as an exclusive for the Indian market. It was pretty decent for being the company’s first TV, but it leaned towards the more premium side of the spectrum. If you can’t go premium, though, don’t fret: OnePlus is now going to launch new, more affordable TVs.

OnePlus TV XDA Review: Bells and Whistles With Practical Awesomeness

OnePlus’ CEO, Pete Lau, took to Twitter to confirm the news himself. He tweeted out a teaser of the device itself accompanied by a date: July 2nd. This means that we’re still at least a month away from knowing more about the upcoming TV. It doesn’t give us any other hint in this regard, though: only that it will be more affordable.

It's official. We're making our premium smart TV experience more accessible to our Indian community. #SmarterTV pic.twitter.com/gc7WUcVIxJ

— Pete Lau (@PeteLau) June 8, 2020

Other reports help shed a bit more light on this, though: according to Economic Times, OnePlus’ newest TV’s could start at just ₹15,000 (~$200) for the cheapest model. The same report also talks about a possible mid-range line with prices ranging from ₹20,000 to ₹40,000—the regular OnePlus TV Q1 started at a hefty ₹70,000 with the Pro model setting you back roughly ₹1,00,000, so these new TVs would be much more affordable.

As for how these TVs would look like, we can only guess that they would probably feature specs such as lower resolution  — 1080p, perhaps, or 1440p (the current OnePlus TVs are 4K). We could also see weaker internals, a cheaper display technology, or smaller screen size. We’ll get to know more about them on July 2nd, or maybe earlier if they get leaked.

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Source: Economic Times

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AT&T enables Dynamic Spectrum Sharing in some areas to boost 5G speeds, starting with the Galaxy S20, LG V60, and Note 10+

As the 5G race heats up in the U.S., AT&T just became the first carrier to launch Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) in some markets.

Dynamic Spectrum Sharing is a technology that allows operators to operate both 4G LTE and 5G NR simultaneously on the same network band. That means carriers don’t have to rush to erect new 5G NR cell sites or dedicate a chunk of the spectrum for either 4G or 5G. DSS provides a practical and cost-effective way for carriers to bring 5G to the masses without spending millions of dollars in building new infrastructure, which will ease the transition for carriers from non-standalone 5G networks (NSA) to standalone 5G (SA).

Unlike T-Mobile, AT&T doesn’t have any surplus mid-band spectrum on which it could expand its 5G network. This is where DSS technology will come handy for AT&T as it will enable the company to serve both 4G LTE and 5G NR users using its existing mid-band airwaves.

In the first phase, AT&T is enabling DSS in parts of North Texas and will be gradually expanding its use to more markets in the coming months. The LG V60 ThinQ 5G, Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G, and Samsung Galaxy S20 series are among the initial list of devices that will support DSS. AT&T says it will be adding support for more phones later on.

“DSS allows carriers to share the same channel between both 4G and 5G users simultaneously. It turns up 5G without turning off LTE – creating a seamless experience for users, and a graceful spectrum transition for carriers.”

Igal Elbaz, SVP of Wireless Technology, AT&T

Apart from AT&T, Verizon is also planning to make use of DSS to expand its 5G coverage to more markets. The company hasn’t yet shared a concrete date about when it will make a move, but it did promise it will happen sometime in the second half of 2020.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Forums ||| Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ Forums ||| LG V60 ThinQ Forums

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Source: AT&T Via: PCMag

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Last year’s flagship parts make this year’s “flagship killers”

It’s no mystery that 5G has a big impact on the prices of premium smartphones. Carriers see 5G as a marketing term they can tout even before it’s actually widely available, resulting in manufacturers being pushed to include a feature not many people can use. 5G and the many components that are needed to support it are undoubtedly raising prices of flagship phones, but we’re starting to see some OEMs balk at this trend. What might be considered a “flagship” just last year can now be considered a “flagship killer.”

Our own Aamir Siddiqui wrote a great editorial about how the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 and mandatory 5G may have temporarily killed the idea of a flagship killer this year. In a nutshell, Qualcomm’s decision to not integrate a modem into the Snapdragon 865 SoC means that every company that wants the best processor for their smartphone must also purchase the discrete Snapdragon X55 5G modem. It’s not just the modem that OEMs are usually purchasing, though. The complexity of 5G has made many OEMs turn to Qualcomm’s entire modem-RF suite which involves a lot of different parts to support sub-6GHz and mmWave frequencies on many different bands. (Check out this Galaxy S20 Ultra teardown from Informa Tech just to see how complex it is).

Combine that with the push for 5G (led by carriers) and better display and camera technology necessitating more powerful processing, it’s no surprise that most OEMs have gone with the Snapdragon 865 simply because there aren’t many other viable choices. Hence we see the trend of flagship smartphones having higher prices in 2020, with a few exceptions like LG.

Device	Processor	Initial Announcement Date	Starting Price
LG V50 ThinQ	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855	February 24, 2019	$999
LG V60 ThinQ	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865	February 26, 2020	$950
Samsung Galaxy S10	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855	February 20, 2019	$899
Samsung Galaxy S20	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865	February 11, 2020	$999
Xiaomi Mi 9	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855	February 20, 2019	€449
Xiaomi Mi 10	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865	February 13, 2020	€799
Sony Xperia 1	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855	February 25, 2019	$950
Sony Xperia 1 II	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865	February 24, 2020	$1,200
Realme X2 Pro	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+	October 15, 2019	€399
Realme X50 Pro	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865	February 24, 2020	€599
Red Magic 3S	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+	September 6, 2019	$479
Red Magic 5G	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865	March 12, 2020	$579

Fortunately, another trend may be developing that will hopefully keep prices in line with last year.

We’re seeing more and more companies opt to use components that would be considered high-end just last year, and we’re even seeing companies experiment with opting out of the flagship “battle” in the first place. Google’s Pixel 5 is rumored to be using the Snapdragon 765 with its integrated Snapdragon X52 modem, which could lend to its rumored price of $699. Likewise, LG opted to use the Snapdragon 765G in its new LG Velvet smartphone. Realme, on the other hand, is going with last year’s flagship processor, the Snapdragon 855+, in its Realme X3 SuperZoom. While these smartphones may not be considered “flagship” by some as they lack the most powerful chipsets from the available SoC vendors, they are able to undercut the big dogs by eliminating the need to purchase a discrete component (the modem) and opting for less expensive connectivity components overall.

Out of the aforementioned examples, the Realme X3 SuperZoom is the most interesting to look at. Realme is using last year’s flagship Snapdragon processor, which was considered the best not that long ago, and it’s still more than capable of powering a “flagship killer.” The lack of 5G access is, frankly, not a big deal right now. The fastest 5G speeds, especially in the U.S., are not that accessible to many users yet.

The Realme X3 SuperZoom’s Snapdragon 855+ isn’t the only part that Realme compromised on to keep prices down. The X3 SuperZoom has a 120Hz LCD panel instead of a 120Hz OLED one, 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM instead of LPDDR5 RAM, and 30W wired charging instead of Realme’s insanely fast 65W “SuperDart” charging. These little sacrifices won’t make a big difference in how the phone performs, and it makes for a great “flagship killer” in 2020.

Companies like OnePlus made a name for themselves by coupling high-end processors with other decidedly mid-range components to create lower-priced “flagship killers.” Now, components have driven up OnePlus’ smartphone prices to nearly match if not exceed the flagships they were trying to topple. Meanwhile, companies like Realme are using last year’s flagship chips to undercut them, essentially becoming this year’s true “flagship killer” brand. In response, OnePlus may be going back to their roots by making more affordable smartphones again, and there’s a decent chance their first such device won’t have the flagship Snapdragon 865.

How do you feel about buying a smartphone with last year’s flagship specifications as a cheaper alternative to this year’s premium smartphones? Is that a sacrifice you’re willing to make, or do you need the best processor with concessions made in other areas?

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Retailer leaks the full specifications and features of Xiaomi’s Redmi 9

Xiaomi is preparing to launch the successor to its budget Redmi 8 smartphone: the Redmi 9. There will apparently be 3 devices in the new budget lineup, but so far we know the most about the standard model. Thanks to a Filipino retailer, we now know even more about the Redmi 9, including almost all of its specifications, features, and even pricing.

For the most part, the new Redmi 9 appears similar to the Redmi Note 8 Pro, at least on the design side. Case in point: The vertically-mounted quad rear camera setup looks identical with the three main sensors and the fingerprint scanner on the main module and a secondary module holding the macro lens and the LED flash. The device has the same size and resolution display (6.53″ FHD+ teardrop notch LCD) and even similar dimensions. Notably, the whole device is made of polycarbonate, just as we’ve known about for a while from earlier leaks.

The retail listing mentions that the phone’s processor is fabricated on a 12nm FinFET process and has 2 big ARM Cortex-A75 cores and 6 small ARM Cortex-A55 cores, all of which run at 2.0GHz. The phone also has an ARM Mali-G52 GPU. These specifications match the MediaTek Helio G80 chipset, which is mentioned by name in one of the promo images—there were conflicting reports on whether the device would launch with the Helio G80 or the Helio G70, but those rumors should now be put to rest. This also continues Xiaomi’s trend of using MediaTek processors on some of its cheaper Redmi phones; the Redmi Note 9 has the Helio G85 while the Redmi Note 8 Pro used the Helio G90T, for instance.

Other specifications include LPDDR4X RAM, eMMC 5.1 storage, and a 5,020 mAh battery. Then we have the things that don’t need double-checking such as the fact that the phone will launch with MIUI 11 based on Android 10, though it will probably receive an update to MIUI 12 soon.

The Redmi 9’s full specifications as shared by the retailer are as follows:

• CPU: 12 nm FinFET, Up to 2.0 GHz; 2 ARM Cortex A75 + 6 ARM Cortex A55, Octa-core CPU
• GPU: Mali-G52 MC2, 950 MHz
• RAM: LPDDR4X RAM
• ROM: eMMC 5.1
• Display: 6.53” FHD+ Dot Drop display
• Battery: 5020mAh (typ)
• Rear Camera: 13MP+8MP+5MP+2MP quad camera
• Front Camera: 8MP selfie camera
• Unlock: AI Face Unlock, Rear Fingerprint sensor
• Network & Connectivity: 2+1 card slot design
• Height: 163.32 mm
• Width: 77.01 mm
• Thickness: 9.1 mm
• Weight: 198g

We don’t know yet when the Redmi 9 will launch, but given that a listing has already gone up and it actually seems like you can buy it (we haven’t tried, though, so don’t take our word for it), it’s safe to assume that an announcement is very, very close. The Redmi 9 starts at 6,990 Philippine pesos (~$140/₹10,603) for the 2/32 variant and goes up to 7,990 Philippine pesos (~$160/₹12,120) for the 4/64 variant. You can check out the retailer listing right here for more details.

Via: @Sudhanshu1414

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Google’s return to Android TV hardware is long overdue and I’m here for it

Google’s relationship with media streaming hardware is a bit haphazard. While the company has sold several generations of Chromecast devices, they’ve had a mostly hands-off approach to Android TV. Interestingly, Google actually released the very first Android TV device, the Nexus Player, which stopped receiving support back in early 2018. We’ve been waiting ever since for a new Google-branded Android TV device (and one that’s not a developer device). Thankfully, it appears that time may finally be coming, as can be seen in the renders we exclusively obtained of Google’s upcoming Android TV dongle.

To talk about Google’s approach to media hardware, we have to go all the way back to Google TV, the precursor to Android TV. Content providers like NBC, ABC, CBS, and Hulu never embraced Google TV, limiting the content that was available. Users found the Google TV experience to be quite clunky as many devices came with a large controller that included many buttons and even a QWERTY keyboard for navigation. What did Google think people would use a keyboard for? Browsing the Internet on Google Chrome and watching web video content with Adobe Flash. Clearly, that isn’t how people are actually watching content on their TVs these days.

Google TV was on the market for 4 years from 2010 until 2014, but Google never made its own device using the platform. In hindsight, that was a smart decision. Instead, Google pursued its phone-based, remote-less media streaming platform: Google Cast. In 2013, Google released the first Chromecast, kicking off a series of media streamers that have been perceived to be quite successful. After all, they’re cheap, very abundant, and are supported by a wide range of services thanks to Android integration through Google Play Services. They’re essentially plug-and-play media streamers that can turn a “dumb” TV into a “smart” TV, and app-based controls are fairly well understood by most smartphone users.

Unfortunately, the Chromecast is a victim of its own simplicity. The fact that you don’t need a physical remote to navigate a UI can be very convenient, but there are times when it feels limiting. If you a group of people is trying to decide what to watch, then have fun huddling around a tiny smartphone trying to pick content that you’ll all enjoy. Have a friend or babysitter over? Have fun getting them onto your network and maybe installing an app or two just so they can watch something on your TV. And then there are all the times when the Chromecast controls just disappear because your phone killed the controlling app’s notification in the background.

For some people, a Chromecast can never be a replacement for a full-blown OS like Android TV. I guess that’s why Amazon Fire TV and Roku have seen such great adoption at the expense of the Chromecast.

That brings us to now, nearly 6 years after the Nexus Player. It finally looks like Google is ready to launch another Android TV device and give the platform more attention. I’ve been an Android TV user since nearly the beginning and my trusty NVIDIA SHIELD TV has been arguably the best Android device I’ve owned. But it’s sad for the scene that NVIDIA’s 2015 SHIELD TV is still a top contender nearly 5 years later, which is why I feel that Google’s return to Android TV hardware is long overdue and I couldn’t be more excited about it.

I’ve been using the NVIDIA SHIELD TV for a long time and it’s truly a wonderful product. The most recent refresh of the series is great, too. The thing is that I’m not a gamer and many of the features that NVIDIA boasts about are wasted on me. Do they interfere with my experience? No, but I look at it the same way I think about Samsung phones: I don’t want a bunch of extra features I’ll never use. That’s why I like Pixel phones and it’s why I’m interested in Google’s Android TV dongle.

Google’s “less is more” design philosophy doesn’t speak to everyone, but it’s something I really appreciate. The sharp, angular design of many TV boxes don’t fit into my life as well as a Google Nest speaker with rounded edges and fabric. Hardware design is important, but a TV dongle is barely ever going to be seen. The design of the remote, on the other hand, matters quite a bit.

This could be the remote for Google’s Android TV dongle.

NVIDIA thankfully updated the design of the SHIELD TV remote this year. The older remote is nearly impossible to keep out from couch cushion crevices. We don’t exactly what Google’s remote will look like, but the leaked design so far seems promising. We can expect a smooth, matte finish and well-thought-out button placement. Physical volume buttons are also a nice touch (which is something the old SHIELD remote lacked).

I guess all of this is to say I’m excited to see Google’s vision for Android TV hardware and software working together. Google has made a ton of strides in hardware production since the Nexus Player was released.”Made by Google” has pumped out some excellent devices from smartphones to smart speakers to smart displays. These are products that fit seamlessly into my daily life. Compared to the early days of Android TV, Google is not so afraid to take the lead in how hardware should look. And Android TV itself has matured significantly over the years, with most major content providers offering support for it, many TV makers integrating it into their televisions, and many operators distributing white label set-top boxes to customers.

It’s been a long time since Google made an Android TV device, but it’s better late than never.

Note: The featured image is a mockup of what I think Google’s Android TV may look like based on the leaked renders we published.

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Workout Timer is a free Android app that helps you stay fit with interval timers

If you’re someone who does a lot of exercise, you may understand the importance of having a good workout timer. When it comes to interval workouts especially, a timer is needed to keep track of your reps and progress. Since everyone already has a smartphone, it makes sense to use an app to keep track. Workout Timer is an app that does exactly that.

Created by XDA Recognized Developer Paget96, Workout Timer is a simple timer app for your various workouts. You can easily create workout sets, work and rest timers, HIIT timers, and more. Presets can be saved so you can easily use them over and over again. The design is very clean with big numbers that are easy to read from across the room/gym. Workout Timer is free to use and supported by ads. Download the app from the Play Store below.

Easy to use workout timer suitable for every day workouts at the home or in the gym.

You can easily set your workout sets, work and rest timers and start your training.

Tabata Timer: Workout Timer is a free interval workout timer app for high intensity interval training (HIIT timer).
It is more than a countdown clock!!!

If you are looking for a good sports interval timer app, you’re in the right place!

Workout Timer (Free, Google Play) →

Read more about Workout Timer in the Apps and Games forum

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