Samsung Galaxy S10 could come with a newly unveiled 48MP camera sensor

Samsung already had some excellent smartphone chipsets under its belt, now the South Korean company is adding camera phone sensors to its repertoire – a market that has thus far been dominated by Sony.

The electronics giant has unveiled two new high-resolution Isocell Plus image sensors for multi-camera smartphones – Bright GM1 boasts a whopping 48MP resolution, while Bright GD1 is a 32MP sensor.

Image: Samsung Electronics

Both sensors have 0.8 micrometer pixels, allowing more pixels to be packed into a tighter space, which in turn gives manufacturers the liberty to design smaller camera modules.

Coupled with Isocell Plus technology – which enhances performance for smaller pixels sizes – Samsung says they’re “the ideal solution” for the three, and now four, lens setups arriving on the latest smartphones (like the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and Samsung’s own Galaxy A9).

A brighter future

For sensors it's typically the case that larger pixel sizes offer better light performance, but Samsung is also using Tetracell technology to manufacture these new sensors. This allows four pixels to work as one and deliver the same light sensitivity as a pixel four times its size. By this calculation, Samsung says the 48MP and 32MP sensors will perform as well as a 1.6micrometer pixel sensor at 12MP and 8MP resolutions respectively. 

Another feature that Samsung has included is gyro-based electronic image stabilization (EIS) for faster and more accurate shots.

The 32MP GD1 will also come with real-time high-dynamic range for better color and detail rendition in high contrast, low-light conditions.

Samsung plans on beginning mass production of the two sensors in the fourth quarter of this year, so we could potentially see the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S10 flagship, or the foldable Galaxy X, feature high-resolution camera systems.

Posted in Uncategorised

OnePlus 6T India price announced a day after the global launch

OnePlus has launched the OnePlus 6T in India. At the OnePlus 6T launch event in New Delhi, OnePlus announced that their latest smartphone will go on sale from November 1 and will be available exclusively on Amazon.in and OnePlus store. The smartphone was first unveiled yesterday in New York, and the OnePlus 6T starts at $549 for the 128GB/6GB variant in the US. 

OnePlus 6T, as the name suggests, is an upgrade to the OnePlus 6. For those unaware, it’s not the first time when the company has launched a ‘T’ variant of the phone. Soon after the OnePlus 3 launch, the company has been following a six-month cycle for every phone launch after. 

The company says the ‘T’ variant is to make sure that OnePlus phones are at par with the technological trends and in the best possible way. While the OnePlus 6 is still a great value for money, the OnePlus 6T brings some extras to offer with minor compromises. As the leaks suggested, it gets an in-display fingerprint sensor, a smaller notch, and a bigger battery. What’s missing this time is the headphone jack, that has to be dumped in favor of a bigger battery and “screen unlock”.

What's the upgrade?

The OnePlus 6T has a slightly bigger 6.41-inch full HD OLED display than the OnePlus 6. It’s also the first OnePlus phone to have an in-display fingerprint sensor touted as the ‘Screen Unlock’. OnePlus claims they’ve started testing the technology on the OnePlus 5T last year, but they waited for it to be in the best possible shape before putting them into their devices. They further claim that their version on screen unlock is the fastest performing implementation of the technology yet. 

Another welcome addition is a 3700mAh battery, which is a 23% bump over the 3300mAh on the predecessor. The OnePlus 6 offers a promising battery life already, so it’s fair to expect the 6T to last a day with ease. 

To accommodate a bigger battery, OnePlus has ditched the 3.5mm jack this time. Which also means that OnePlus 6 might be the last OnePlus phone to have a 3.5mm jack. The company is bundling a USB Type-C port to 3.5mm adapter in the box. Also, OnePlus sells their Type-C and Wireless Bullets headphones separately. 

The OnePlus 6T retains the optics of its predecessor, which is a 16MP and 20MP sensors and an aperture of f/1.7 for the primary lens. There’s also a new Nightscape mode in the camera for better low-light photography. The nightscape mode is preset of how we usually tune our cameras in the pro mode. It lowers the ISO and the shutter speed aided by AI for stability. Further, there’s a new Studio Lighting feature developed in collaboration with photographer Kevin Abosch to enhance portraits. 

The hardware inside the phone remains the same as on the OnePlus 6. However, the 6T ships with the latest Android 9.0 Pie running OxygenOS on top.

Price, variants and availability

The OnePlus 6T will be available in two color variants - Midnight Black and Mirror Black. It goes on sale from November 1 onwards on Amazon.in, OnePlus store.

The 6GB RAM/128GB storage variant is priced at Rs 37,999, 8/128 variant for Rs 41,999 and the high-end 8/256 for Rs 45,999.

The Type-C Bullets will cost Rs 1490. The OnePlus Explorer backpack will be available later on invite basis at Rs 4,990.

Posted in Uncategorised

The iPad Pro grows up with second-gen Apple Pencil, slimmer bezels

It's slimmer, brighter and has more intuitive design. The iPad Pro's power is also being utilized for the full Photoshop program and NBA 2K.

The post The iPad Pro grows up with second-gen Apple Pencil, slimmer bezels appeared first on Pocketnow.

Apple announces new MacBook Air: smaller bezels, smarter, faster, lighter

Apple has just announced the New MacBook Air, a faster, smarter, sexier, and lighter version of its notebook. Check out all the details.

The post Apple announces new MacBook Air: smaller bezels, smarter, faster, lighter appeared first on Pocketnow.

Etisalat announces e-SIM availability for the iPhone

Etisalat is positioning itself as one of the first telcos in the world to offer e-SIM support for the new iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR. The services will be available on these Apple phones following the release of iOS 12.1 later today.

The three new iPhone models launched this year support dual SIM technology on an iPhone for the first time and will allow consumers to have two active connections.

Such functionality has been available to Android users for many years though through physical SIM cards. Apple is the first company to introduce an unlocked version of eSIM that can be used by any global carrier supporting this technology.

Etisalat launched an eSIM with the Apple Watch LTE earlier this year and is now extending an updated version of this technology to the iPhone.

Posted in Uncategorised

Oppo wants to release the first 5G smartphone

Oppo is aiming to be the first smartphone manufacturer to launch a commercial 5G handset after achieving a significant milestone in its lab tests of next-generation mobile networks.

The Chinese phone maker was able to connect one of its devices to a 5G network for the first time, overcoming one of the final hurdles in development and paving the way for a release in 2019.

“Oppo made the connection successfully between an R15 smartphone terminal and the 5G network, in [its] 5G communication protocol laboratory environment,” the company said in a statement.

Oppo 5G smartphone

“The connection was carried out on a pre-commercially available 5G smartphone developed on the basis of Oppo [Release-15]. It was customized with fully integrated 5G components including Systemboard, RF, RFFE and antenna. The "5G" logo also appeared in the top right corner of the screen.”

It is keen to stress its contributions to the 5G standard and its R&D efforts, with its Oppo Research Institute exploring 5G applications in the fields of 3D vision, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented (AR) reality. It believes these three technologies will combine to create a ‘Ubiquitous Reality’ that will be used for 3D video calls and online gaming among other use cases.

On top of this, the firm is working with chip maker Qualcomm on a ‘5G Pilot’ programme to jointly investigate 5G innovations.

Oppo will have stiff competition to be first to market from LG, which has previously stated it plans to launch a compatible device with US operator Sprint. Oppo is one of the world’s leading device manufacturers, but its success has so far been limited to its homeland and emerging markets like India.

The first 5G network has already gone live in the US, offering Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) broadband in major cities, with others set to come online in 2019.

Posted in Uncategorised