So, the saga of Apple’s first over-ear headphones – the AirPods Studio – has been a pretty confusing one. We first heard about them back in May, then the renders were leaked, alongside some of the key features and even an approximate asking price. However, their launch timeline has been still a mystery. Now, the latest iOS 14.3 beta for developers has given us hint regarding the AirPods Studio’s design. And from the looks of it, the fundamental design elements appear quite similar to the leaked renders.
First spotted by the folks over at 9to5Mac, who extracted the icon from system files of iOS 14.3 developer beta, we see what appears to be two swiveling parts just above the earcups for making adjustments. Additionally, iOS developer Steve Moser shared a New Pairing screen video from the Find My app in the latest iOS beta. The magnifying glass animation, which you can see in the video below, shows the same icon for over-ear headphones – allegedly the AirPods Studio.
New Pairing video in the Find My app in iOS 14.3 beta 1 with the codename Hawkeye hints at Apple Tags support and new Apple over ear headphones. pic.twitter.com/oVdCLQcaWc
Apple was rumored to have started the production of AirPods Studio all the way back in May. Later in September, we got our first look at the AirPods Studio renders, allegedly showcasing their clean metal and leather-heavy design. However, it was later speculated that the renders were we saw were of the premium version that would cost somewhere around $599. There will also be a more affordable version that would ditch the premium metal and leather design in favor of cheaper materials.
Talking about features, the AirPods Studio are rumored to come equipped with the in-house U1 chip for spatial awareness, paving the way for a more immersive music listening experience. Tipster Jon Prosser has also claimed that the AirPods Studio will rock a reversible design, which means you can wear without worrying about matching the L and R earcups.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Pro and more on sale today
The official news today begin with deals and since we’ll be discussing Galaxy S later, you can only expect for those deals to also intensify. Currently the Galaxy S20 Ultra is $200 off, that leaves the entry level variant in Cosmic Black for $1200. Disclaimer, you can buy it but you’ll have to wait a couple of weeks for it to be back in stock. The Galaxy Note 20 is $200 off, leaving it at a more reasonable $800 price tag for the unlocked variant. Finally, the Sony Xperia 1 is $400 off, that leaves the entry level variant for $549 from the original price. We have more deals on the LG G8X ThinQ, the Apple Watch Series 6, iPads and more in the links in the description.
Huawei could be working on a foldable phone with clamshell design
Now let’s talk Huawei as the company has launched two different foldables with the Mate X and the Mate Xs but, the company really hasn’t tried a different form factor. Well, according to a new patent from April, it looks like they’re ready to compete with the Z Flip and the RAZR. This new patent shows a clamshell foldable with a main display and frame that looks pretty similar to the Z Flip with the sort of boxy design and bezels. Really, where the differences kick in is when you close it as, it brings a significantly larger outer display, right next to the dual camera module. Again, the hinge design also looks like the Z Flip but, I think this cover display makes much more sense than the viewfinder we get for the Z Flip, let’s see if Huawei manages to pull this off because it would be cool to see. I think there are certain things that are more important than having a phone fold right now, but we’ll see how that evolves.
Apple to launch AirPods and AirPods Pro upgrade in 1H 2021: Report
Up next is Apple, and this time because we have to admit it’s been a bit since we’ve seen a new pair of AirPods. We were hoping to see something at the past couple of events and that seems delayed. Now we have a new report rom Bloomberg that claims that we’ll get the 3rd Gen AirPods and the 2nd Gen Pros in 2021. The report claims that Apple is working on two new models of the current AirPod line up, meaning this isn’t about the Studios. Apparently the regular ones will be getting redesigned to look more like the Pros with a shorter stem and the replaceable ear tips, but sadly there will be no noise cancellation and “Pro” features. Moving on to the Pros, they’re working on making them more compact, probably by removing the Stem and giving them a more rounded shape, similar to what we get from Samsung. Cupertino is apparently putting a brand new chip in these, and working to improve battery life. Finally, the report mentions we will be getting these in the first half of 2021. You already know me, I hate the first gen AirPods, but actually love the AirPods Pro so I am looking forward to some new ones.
Patents reveal possible uses for Apple’s upcoming AirTags
Speaking of things from Apple that we might be close to, let’s move on to the AirTags. These were heavily rumored before Apple’s iPhone Event but, due to different reasons they did not make the cut. Well, now we have two patent applications filed by Apple for “Wirelessly Locatable Tag” and a “Fastener with a Retention Ring”. The patents reveal that this is a “small, conveniently shaped device that can be attached to objects which features a robust design that ensures reliable use in different conditions and environments.” The design pretty much looks like if the Apple Watch charger was a Tile tag with a metallic disk at the bottom, if that makes sense. The patents also show different usage scenarios, like for AR gaming, to monitor your posture and more by putting it on a watch-like casing. There’s no true way to know if these are specifically for the AirTags but, the similarities are definitely there. LoveToDream also shared that we would be getting these in two sizes, one small and a bigger model. But, finally moving on to some new Jon Prosser tweets, he mentioned that the final Performance Testing for AirTags will finish on November 6th and after this, products usually ship within 30 days. This makes it look like we’ll be getting these at Apple’s November Event which will focus on ARM Macs. Not exactly sure if both products will be related, but it only that November event more interesting.
Two budget OnePlus Nord phones make their way to Europe and North America
Now let’s talk OnePlus. You saw my review of the 8T, there’s a lot to love, but then a lot that’s hard to forgive for the price at least in the US. That said, if you remember the company went back to the mid-range segment earlier this year with the Nord and now, they’re expanding the line up. The company just announced two new phones with the Nord N10 5G and the Nord N100 which will be available in North America and Europe. Let’s start off with the Nord N100 which is the lower end model. It brings a 6.52in display, powered by the Snapdragon 460, as well as 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and a 5000 mAh battery. It rocks a triple camera setup at the back which consists of a 13MP main sensor, a 2MP bokeh lens, and a 2MP macro, yay I guess. The good thing is that this phone will go for £179, yeah you heard that right. But, let’s move on to the Nord N10 5G which brings a 6.49in FHD+ display running at 90Hz. It is powered by the Snapdragon 690 SoC which is a 5G chip, along with 6GB of RAM, 128GB of expandable storage and a 4300 mAh battery. This one brings a quad camera array with a 64MP main lens, an 8MP ultra wide and two 2MP sensors. This one will cost you a crazy £329, and I say crazy because those are some pretty good specs. We still don’t have pricing for North America as well as availability dates so, we’ll keep you posted.
Samsung Galaxy S21 will arrive with new color options
And finally the hottest news today have to do with stuff from 2021, because it seems Samsung is planning to hit the ground early with either the S21 or S30, whatever that name is going to be. Now, we have a full list of leaked specs for the S21 Ultra from 91Mobiles. According to the, it will bring a 6.8in AMOLED display with 2K resolution, and either running at 120Hz or 144Hz. It’ll be powered by the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 875 or their own Exynos 2100 SoC along with a 5000 mAh battery, no word on RAM and storage just yet. Moving on to the cameras, we should be getting an updated version of the 108MP lens, but it doesn’t mention any of the other sensors at the back. However, it does say we’ll be getting a 40MP selfie shooter. According to Ross Young, the color variants for the S21 line will be Gray, Pink, Violet, White, Black and Silver, with some of them being exclusive to certain models. Multiple rumors hint to this phone bringing S Pen support, at least for the Ultra variant. Remember we should be getting these around late January, early February, which is why the leaks are ramping up so quick.
Ever since renders of Apple’s (allegedly) upcoming over-the-ear headphones – the AirPods Studio – surfaced online, there’s been a lot of chatter about them. There were rumors aplenty, claiming that the AirPods Studio will debut alongside the iPhone 12 series during Apple’s October 13 event, but that never happened. Well, it appears that you’ll have to wait a bit longer for them. Until March next year, that is.
Okay, how about “One More Thing” ?
After this November ARM Mac event, the next Apple Event (currently a digital event) will happen on Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Noted tipster Jon Prosser has tweeted that Apple will host an online event on March 16, 2021. And that the event will be headlined by AirPods Studio. The upcoming Apple headphones will reportedly come equipped with the in-house U1 chip. And thanks to this chip, the AirPods Studio will be able to identify the left and right ear of users on their own. What this means is they have a reversible design and can be worn without thinking about the L and R earcup alignment.
Reversible design and U1 chip inside
Interestingly, Apple is working on two versions of the AirPods Studio – a luxury model that we saw in the leaked renders flaunting a sleek design, and a more affordable sports model that will be made out of cheaper materials. The luxury variant of the AirPods Studio will reportedly be priced at an eye-watering $599, while the sports model might cost a tad less at $350.
In-display Touch ID coming to iPhones?
Earlier today, reliable leakster @L0vetodream tweeted something cryptic – “MESA uts for iPhone.” Yeah, doesn’t really make sense to me either. That is when Prosser again put on his Apple tipster shoes and explained that “MESA” might be the internal codename for Touch ID and that “uts” stands for “under the screen.”
In-display Touch ID unlikely to happen anytime soon
So essentially, we are looking at the possibility of Apple finally implementing an in-display fingerprint sensor on its smartphones. However, it is unclear if we are going to see an in-display Touch ID next year, or the one after that. But given Apple’s newly-discovered love for a side-mounted fingerprint sensor (look at the 4th gen iPad Air), we hope this trend will continue, and as a result, in-display Touch ID might take a little while to arrive.
A few weeks ago, we got our first look at Apple’s upcoming wireless over-the-ear headphones – rumored to debut as the AirPods Studio. Looking at the renders, I quite liked the minimalist design, which doesn’t deviate much from Apple’s preferred industrial aesthetics language. The AirPods Studio appear to predominantly employ leather and metal, but it appears that the device we saw in the leaked renders was the luxury version of Apple’s upcoming wearable that would command an equally premium price tag. Now, tipster Jon Prosser claims that Apple is also working on a more affordable pair that costs a few hundred dollars less than what you would pay for the luxury version.
AirPods Studio
The renders that I shared last month seem to be the luxury variant — made of leather/metal.
I’m being told they’ll retail for…. $599
There will be another sport-like variant made of cheaper materials for $350.
Prosser, citing sources, tweeted that the luxury variant of AirPods Studio will be priced at $599. There will also be a “sport-like variant” that would use cheaper materials and will reportedly cost much lower at $350. While the leaked price will dissuade many to scratch the AirPods Studio off their holiday shopping list, they aren’t launching anytime soon. Contrary to what many have been speculating, Prosser claims that the AirPods Studio won’t debut at Apple’s October 13 event that will also be the launch platform for iPhone 12 series.
Another oft-leaked and highly anticipated gadget that won’t be a part of Apple’s launch event next week will be the AirTags, the company’s own Tile-like tracking device. Prosser claims that Apple has pushed back the launch and release of Apple AirTags until March next year.
Prosser also dished out some details about the release cycle of the iPhone 12 series, which falls in line with another comprehensive leak that surfaced earlier today. He tweeted that pre-orders for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro will kick off on September 16, and they will hit the shelves on October 23. As for the iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max, they will ship next month.
Earlier this month, we got out first look at Apple’s upcoming AirPods Studio headphones via leaked renders. The leak, which came courtesy of renowned Apple tipster Jon Prosser, also mentioned that the upcoming Apple headphones will be reversible, which means they can be worn from any side without worrying about the L and R earcup matching. And that is because the headphones will be able to identify the left and right ear of users on their own. Now, another leak from a prolific Apple leakster claims that this feature will be brought to life by Apple’s in-house U1 chip.
Now, the U1 chip is already fitted inside the iPhone 11 trio and it employs the Ultra Wideband technology for spatial awareness. A tweet from Twitter user @L0vetodream mentions that the U1 chip will be used to determine distance and direction, similar to AirPods’ spatial audio function that arrived with iOS 14. If that turns out to be true, the AirPods Studio will also be able to accordingly adjust how the touch or swipe inputs are processed based on how the headphones are worn. Additionally, it may also be able to improve upon the spatial audio feature by offering a more effective channel switching experience.
Plus, directional and spatial awareness will also allow the AirPods Studio to deliver a more immersive media consumption experience by offering tighter directional audio output. However, a big piece of the puzzle that still remains to be solved is whether the AirPods Studio will bring Active Noise Cancellation to the table, but given their premium look and advanced features, we are inclined to believe that ANC will be a part of the pricey package. As per rumors, the AirPods Studio will make their debut alongside the iPhone 12 series in October this year, but so far, Apple is yet to confirm their existence.
The Google Pixel 4, several Apple products and more on sale today
Deals. Let’s start today off with the Google Pixel 4 which is currently $250 off, that leaves the entry level variant for $549 shipped on Amazon. The 4 XL is $297 off, that leaves it at $602 for the same amount of storage. To conclude with the Pixels, the 3a is also $90 off, leaving it at $389. Moving on, the 16in MacBook Pro is $300 off, that leaves the Intel Core i7, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for $2099. Finally, the Motorola Edge is currently $200 off at B&H, which means you can get the 256GB of storage variant for $500. We have more deals on other Apple products, Fitbits, and more in the links in the description.
Sony’s PlayStation 5 starts at $399.99 and is releasing on November 12
Of course, earlier we had some announcements from Xbox as we were getting a pretty major Playstation Showcase. Yes, the company just announced that the regular PS5 will cost $499, and the Digital Edition will cost $399, retaining the PS4’s original price tag. They will be available on November 12th, with pre-orders being available on September 17th on “select retailers”. Oh, and by the way that November 12th date applies to the US, Japan, Mexico, Australia and a few more countries, the rest of the world will have to wait an extra week. We also got a lot of interesting trailers and announcements like the PlayStation Plus Collection which is a subscription that let’s subscribers play a range of PS4 games on their Ps5. We also got trailers for a new God of War, a new Final Fantasy, Spiderman and more. We’ll let you know if we get any more announcements before November, as competition will most likely get intense.
Facebook’s new Oculus Quest 2 VR headset is sharper, faster and also cheaper at $299
Keeping up with the official news, Facebook had their Connect Event today and we got the Oculus Quest 2. This new VR headset is smaller and 10% lighter than the original Quest, it’s also sharper, with a resolution of 1832 x 1920 pixels per eye, meaning a 50% increase over its predecessor. Some of the specs include the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2, 6GB of RAM and it offers 90Hz refresh rate support across their Home Environment, and Oculus TV sections. Facebook will be shipping this product with new Touch Controllers which offer better ergonomics and more efficient controller tracking to preserve battery, lasting 4x longer than the previous one. It’s priced at $299 which is cheaper than it’s predecessor and it’s currently available for pre-orders with shipments starting on October 13th. Now tell me, do any of you actually care about VR, cause this really reminds me the old days of 3D on everything.
New Huawei Mate 40 series may launch until 2021
There was some interesting things that we weren’t able to cover yesterday due to the Apple Event. We usually expect Huawei to announce their new Kirin chip at IFA, followed by the release of the Mate 40 flagship. Well, we all know how this year is going so we thought we could get them at HDC but that obviously didn’t happen. A couple of days ago Evan Blass tweeted out that if you’re waiting on the Mate 40 Series, you won’t be able to get your hands on it until next year. After that Ross Young said that the Huawei Mate X’s official successor was set to launch this year but due to difficulties with the hardware sourcing, the release will be postponed until 2021. Now, the reasoning behind this isn’t 100% clear yet but, we know that the company was cut off from TSMC yesterday and starting today they wouldn’t be able to get OLED displays from Samsung and LG. They have reportedly stocked up on chips from TSMC and they’ll be using BOE Display, but this could have delayed production significantly and they’re still trying to figure out their next move. Let’s just say that this whole mess is quite epic, but we’ll keep you posted on how it evolves.
Here’s your first look at Apple’s upcoming AirPods Studio wireless headphones
One of the things we’ve been expecting from Apple are the AirPods Studio. It’s also one of those things we were expecting in yesterday’s event, and nothing happened. We knew that we wouldn’t be getting those at yesterday’s Event but they have been in the rumor mill for a long time. Well, now we have some renders from Jon Prosser and Concept Creator, which were reportedly made based on a video of the actual product. They bring a pretty sleek and minimalistic metal and leather design. According to a tweet from Prosser, they’re codenamed B515 and they’ll bring Magnetic Ear Cups, Reversible detection like the AirPods which means you can put them on any way you want and the Audio will adjust to your ears, no headphone jack and a USB C port. Since we didn’t get them yesterday, we’re expecting to get them at Apple’s iPhone 12 Event. There’s still no word on the price tag or if it will bring Active Noise Cancelation. It doesn’t seem like they will given how they won’t cover your ears entirely, but who know’s. We’ll see how it goes.
Story of the day:
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra to have significant camera changes
And finally, for the hottest news today, let’s discuss the future of the Samsung Galaxy lineup. With both the S20 and the Note 20 released this year, it’s already time to discuss the S21? According to some Korean industry sources, the Galaxy S21 Ultra will bring a quad camera setup, similar to the one on the S20 Ultra but with a pretty interesting change, it’ll bring two telephotos, just like the Huawei P40 Pro Plus. According to the report this device will use a standard 3x lens and a periscope module to offer more than 5x magnification. The other lenses include the 108MP main lens and another 12MP ultra wide shooter. Oh, and apparently we’ll also get a 40MP selfie shooter m. The report also mentions that the rest of the S20 line won’t offer major photography improvements when compared to the Ultra, and we still won’t be getting a ToF sensor. Moving on to a different report, but sticking to the S20, Galaxy Club just leaked the model number of the battery and the capacity, apparently it’ll be a 5,000 mAh power pack. We’re also expecting it to bring 5nm processors from both Qualcomm and Samsung so, battery life should get a pretty big boost. We’re still months away from the S21 but, this is already getting interesting as, Samsung apparently changed the line’s codename to Palette, and remember that some of the rumors include this line bringing an S Pen. If the Note 20 Ultra is any indication, I think this is something to actually look forward to.
The Google Pixel 4, several Apple products and more on sale today
Deals. Let’s start today off with the Google Pixel 4 which is currently $250 off, that leaves the entry level variant for $549 shipped on Amazon. The 4 XL is $297 off, that leaves it at $602 for the same amount of storage. To conclude with the Pixels, the 3a is also $90 off, leaving it at $389. Moving on, the 16in MacBook Pro is $300 off, that leaves the Intel Core i7, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for $2099. Finally, the Motorola Edge is currently $200 off at B&H, which means you can get the 256GB of storage variant for $500. We have more deals on other Apple products, Fitbits, and more in the links in the description.
Sony’s PlayStation 5 starts at $399.99 and is releasing on November 12
Of course, earlier we had some announcements from Xbox as we were getting a pretty major Playstation Showcase. Yes, the company just announced that the regular PS5 will cost $499, and the Digital Edition will cost $399, retaining the PS4’s original price tag. They will be available on November 12th, with pre-orders being available on September 17th on “select retailers”. Oh, and by the way that November 12th date applies to the US, Japan, Mexico, Australia and a few more countries, the rest of the world will have to wait an extra week. We also got a lot of interesting trailers and announcements like the PlayStation Plus Collection which is a subscription that let’s subscribers play a range of PS4 games on their Ps5. We also got trailers for a new God of War, a new Final Fantasy, Spiderman and more. We’ll let you know if we get any more announcements before November, as competition will most likely get intense.
Facebook’s new Oculus Quest 2 VR headset is sharper, faster and also cheaper at $299
Keeping up with the official news, Facebook had their Connect Event today and we got the Oculus Quest 2. This new VR headset is smaller and 10% lighter than the original Quest, it’s also sharper, with a resolution of 1832 x 1920 pixels per eye, meaning a 50% increase over its predecessor. Some of the specs include the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2, 6GB of RAM and it offers 90Hz refresh rate support across their Home Environment, and Oculus TV sections. Facebook will be shipping this product with new Touch Controllers which offer better ergonomics and more efficient controller tracking to preserve battery, lasting 4x longer than the previous one. It’s priced at $299 which is cheaper than it’s predecessor and it’s currently available for pre-orders with shipments starting on October 13th. Now tell me, do any of you actually care about VR, cause this really reminds me the old days of 3D on everything.
New Huawei Mate 40 series may launch until 2021
There was some interesting things that we weren’t able to cover yesterday due to the Apple Event. We usually expect Huawei to announce their new Kirin chip at IFA, followed by the release of the Mate 40 flagship. Well, we all know how this year is going so we thought we could get them at HDC but that obviously didn’t happen. A couple of days ago Evan Blass tweeted out that if you’re waiting on the Mate 40 Series, you won’t be able to get your hands on it until next year. After that Ross Young said that the Huawei Mate X’s official successor was set to launch this year but due to difficulties with the hardware sourcing, the release will be postponed until 2021. Now, the reasoning behind this isn’t 100% clear yet but, we know that the company was cut off from TSMC yesterday and starting today they wouldn’t be able to get OLED displays from Samsung and LG. They have reportedly stocked up on chips from TSMC and they’ll be using BOE Display, but this could have delayed production significantly and they’re still trying to figure out their next move. Let’s just say that this whole mess is quite epic, but we’ll keep you posted on how it evolves.
Here’s your first look at Apple’s upcoming AirPods Studio wireless headphones
One of the things we’ve been expecting from Apple are the AirPods Studio. It’s also one of those things we were expecting in yesterday’s event, and nothing happened. We knew that we wouldn’t be getting those at yesterday’s Event but they have been in the rumor mill for a long time. Well, now we have some renders from Jon Prosser and Concept Creator, which were reportedly made based on a video of the actual product. They bring a pretty sleek and minimalistic metal and leather design. According to a tweet from Prosser, they’re codenamed B515 and they’ll bring Magnetic Ear Cups, Reversible detection like the AirPods which means you can put them on any way you want and the Audio will adjust to your ears, no headphone jack and a USB C port. Since we didn’t get them yesterday, we’re expecting to get them at Apple’s iPhone 12 Event. There’s still no word on the price tag or if it will bring Active Noise Cancelation. It doesn’t seem like they will given how they won’t cover your ears entirely, but who know’s. We’ll see how it goes.
Story of the day:
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra to have significant camera changes
And finally, for the hottest news today, let’s discuss the future of the Samsung Galaxy lineup. With both the S20 and the Note 20 released this year, it’s already time to discuss the S21? According to some Korean industry sources, the Galaxy S21 Ultra will bring a quad camera setup, similar to the one on the S20 Ultra but with a pretty interesting change, it’ll bring two telephotos, just like the Huawei P40 Pro Plus. According to the report this device will use a standard 3x lens and a periscope module to offer more than 5x magnification. The other lenses include the 108MP main lens and another 12MP ultra wide shooter. Oh, and apparently we’ll also get a 40MP selfie shooter m. The report also mentions that the rest of the S20 line won’t offer major photography improvements when compared to the Ultra, and we still won’t be getting a ToF sensor. Moving on to a different report, but sticking to the S20, Galaxy Club just leaked the model number of the battery and the capacity, apparently it’ll be a 5,000 mAh power pack. We’re also expecting it to bring 5nm processors from both Qualcomm and Samsung so, battery life should get a pretty big boost. We’re still months away from the S21 but, this is already getting interesting as, Samsung apparently changed the line’s codename to Palette, and remember that some of the rumors include this line bringing an S Pen. If the Note 20 Ultra is any indication, I think this is something to actually look forward to.
Apple has long been rumored to be working on pair of wireless headphones that might debut as the Airpods Studio. Early rumors claimed that they will borrow tech and a few design inspirations fro the Beats line-up, but nothing concrete so far has emerged. Now, we might have our first look at the AirPods Studio and some of its key features, thanks to prolific Apple leakster Jon Prosser. The leaked renders show a device with an extremely minimalist design, which falls in line with Apple’s preferred industrial aesthetics language, and appears to use predominantly leather and metal. The leather band has a cushion on the inner surface and is connected to the earpiece through a stem that is just a plain cylindrical piece of polished metal.
AirPods Studio (codename: B515)
– High quality leather / metal – Magnetic ear cups – Reversible – detects R/L ear – No headphone jack – USBC port
The earcups also have a glossy metallic finish, and surprisingly, they lack any branding or garish design elements whatsoever. They are lined by thick, pillow-like ear cushions that are actually raised instead of having a hollow area to cover the ears. The ear cup design suggests that active noise cancellation might not be a part of the package, but Apple might surprise us when the product actually debuts. Notably, the AirPods Studio appear to have just a single USB Type-C port sitting on the lower edge of one of the earcups.
Image: Twitter / @jon_prosser
Prosser mentions that the earcups will be magnetic in nature, but what purpose it serves is not yet clear. More importantly, the AirPods Studio are reversible, which means you won’t have to search for the ‘L’ and ‘R’ signs before wearing them. Users just have to put them on and the device will automatically recognize the alignment. Unfortunately, there is no information on other details such as driver size, battery capacity, music-focused features, and pricing. It is also not known when they will actually be announced, but we’ll keep you posted as soon as new leas arrive.
We have a massive selection of Memorial Day deals for you
Deals. We have some memorial day deals for you guys and we’ll have some more on our website over the weekend if you want to check them out. Let’s start out with Amazon which has the Google Pixel 3a for $120 off. This leaves the 64GB variant for $279 and it gets better, the 3a XL is $160 off, leaving the 64GB variant for $319 shipped. The Marshall Kilburn 2 speaker is also $90 off, leaving it at $210 shipped. Finally, the second generation AirPods are $50 off, leaving those at $150 shipped with the wireless charging case. As always we have more deals in the description that you can check out.
Here’s your first official look at the VIVO X50 and X50 Pro
Oh so you thought the Galaxy S20 had a big camera hump? Well, vivo has been teasing their new X50 Pro which brings a gimbal like main camera. The company just released a new poster of the phone which shows the quad camera module with the huge main sensor. This main camera is a Samsung 50MP ISOCELL GN1 Sensor which comes with Dual Pixel PDAF tech for faster focusing, it basically rotates on it’s axis like a gimbal for better stabilization. The other cameras include a periscope, and most likely a wide angle and a macro camera. We’re expecting the vivo X50 lineup to launch on June 1.
ASUS ROG Phone III and ZenFone 7 to debut around July: Report
Back in February Qualcomm gave us a list of phones that would bring the Snapdragon 865 and, that list included two ASUS phones. It looks like both of those phones are ready to launch according to a new report from Taiwan which claims that the ROG Phone 3 and the ZenFone 7 will either in Q2 or early Q3 of 2020. Going by last year’s launch date, if they do launch in July or August they will be late by a couple of months when compared to their predecessors but, the market isn’t in the same state as it was last year. The company is currently targeting a 30-50% growth in sales for the ROG Phone 3. We’ll keep you posted in case we get more leaks.
Second-gen Moto Razr foldable phone could be launched in September
We all know how excited I was for the Moto RAZR last year, and we all know how that turned out. Well, according to Lenovo’s South African GM, the company is already working on a second generation device and it is supposed to come out in September. He actually mentioned the words “generation two” twice during a podcast while talking about the RAZR. Leaks will most likely start coming in soon and we hope it brings better specifications for the price tag, nostalgia can only go so far.
Apple may have started the production of the new AirPods Studio
A new DigiTimes report claims that we’ll be getting Apple’s AirPods Studio sooner rather than later. The report mentions the fact that Apple will be dropping the wired earphones from the iPhone 12’s box like we covered yesterday. It also mentions that Cupertino will resume regular shipments of the AirPods 2 in the second half of this year, which we wonder if it has anything to do with the move of production to Vietnam, but that does match the timing of the possible AirPods Studio. The company has apparently already started production for these and we could see an announcement at WWDC and they might cost $350.
Story of the day:
We may get a Periscope camera in the Samsung Galaxy Note 20+
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 could’ve appeared in some hot looking renders
We recently got some sketches for the Galaxy Note 20′s design from Ice Universe. Now we got the first renders which were made based on that leaked design. The phone looks pretty similar to the Note 10 from the front with the very boxy design but it does bring some changes. The camera on this one has a larger hump, like the one on the S20 Ultra, the buttons are also on the right side and the S Pen was moved to the left. Like seriously, common sense changes. Now, these aren’t the official renders just yet but, this gives us a pretty good idea of what it might look like according to the sketches. Galaxy Club just found some new information and they claim that the Note 20+ will most likely bring a periscope camera. It isn’t clear if it will be the same one on the S20 Ultra and some other rumors claim that it won’t bring 100X zoom, but it pretty much explains the large camera hump for this phone as well.
We could soon see the arrival of the new AirPods Studio from Apple. Rumors suggest that they may launch in August, but a new report from DigiTimes says that production is already underway.
“As Apple is likely to accelerate dropping its wired earphones, the vendor will resume normal shipments for AirPods 2 in the second half of the year and its new over-ear headphones, dubbed AirPods Studio, has also kicked off production, all securing growth momentum for rigid-flex boards suppliers for the devices, including Unitech Printed Circuit Board and Compeq Manufacturing, the sources said.”
This mention of the AirPods Studio comes from a larger story focused on circuit board suppliers for the AirPods lineup, and it doesn’t include more details. We also know that WWDC 2020 will take place in a month, and we could see them make a special appearance. However, we could also get them on a separate event, or on a press release, since these over-ear headphones aren’t precisely intended for developers.
Today’s B&H deals include the Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Air and more
Deals. For those of you looking for MacBooks, B&H has the latest 16in MacBook Pro for $200 off, leaving the Intel Core i7, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage variant for $2199. The latest MacBook Air is also $200 off, which means you can get the Core i5 with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for $900. Finally, B&H has the Sony A6500 mirrorless camera is $600 off, meaning you can get it for $900. We have more deals on LG monitors and more in the links in the description.
HUAWEI P30 Pro New Edition with Google Apps launched in Germany for EUR 749
Huawei just launched a new updated to the P30 Pro… yes, the P30. This new P30 Pro ‘New Edition‘ was just announced for the German market with the same design and specifications as last year’s P30 Pro. However, this one runs the latest Android 10-based EMUI with support for Google Apps. It’s currently up for pre-sale for €749 for the unlocked 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage variant and it includes a pair of Huawei Free Buds 3 and a Mini Speaker for free.
Nokia 9.3 PureView could feature 8K video recording, improved Pro and Night Modes
We’ve been getting a good amount of leaks of the upcoming Nokia 9.3 PureView. According to a new report, the 9.3 might be able to capture 8K video at 30fps. The problem is that the source claims that the feature is currently only available on a prototype variant and may not make it to the final product. However, Nokia’s imaging team said that they are hard at work on their Night Mode and Pro Modes. The phone is expected to bring a 64MP or 108MP main sensor and we’re expecting it sometime later this year.
A new, Samsung Galaxy Fold Lite may be coming for less than $1,100
According to a new tweet, Samsung might be working on a Lite and affordable variant of the Galaxy Fold. We’ve been hearing codenames for the longest time including Winner2 and Winner2 5G. According to the tipster, the regular Winner2 might correspond to a Galaxy Fold 2 Lite instead of the actual Galaxy Fold 2. The Fold Lite would aim to go on sale for $1099 by using a mix of components that includes components from 2018, 2019 and 2020 and it also won’t benefit from Samsung’s Ultra Thin Glass. This Fold would bring 256GB of storage and it may or may not bring the Snapdragon 865. It would be built out of aluminum and bring a considerably small cover display, kind of like the Z Flips.
Apple’s new AirPods Studio may include head and neck detention
We have a new report with positive rumors for the AirPods Studio. Apparently these will bring Head and Neck detection, similar to the AirPods and AirPods Pro Ear Detection, which pauses a song once you take one of them out. The Studios would know when you have them on your head and will pause whatever you’re playing if you move them over to your neck. Another sensor will also detect your left and right ear to immediately adjust the audio channels, so there is no wrong or right way to put them on. Once you pair them they will apparently also bring a customizable EQ as well. Other rumored features include ANC and those interchangeable bands we discussed yesterday.
Story of the day:
POCO F2 Pro with Snapdragon 865 SoC goes official for €499
After almost two years, the successor to the POCO F1 is finally here. The POCO F2 Pro was announced today and it’s not as bad as we thought. It brings a 6.67in Full HD+ display which achieves a 92.7% screen to body ratio. It’s powered by the Snapdragon 865, either 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB of storage, or 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of storage along with a 4700 mAh battery. It brings a 64MP main sensor at the back, a 7MP ultra wide, a 2MP depth sensor and a 5MP macro lens. It brings an on-display fingerprint scanner, dual Sim capabilities, a headphone jack and more. It will be available in 4 different color variants starting at €499 and going up to €599 for the higher tier variant. It will roll out globally starting today. For comparison, if you try to buy an iPhone SE in Italy, it’ll start at the same €499 with other countries like Germany having it for €479 for an old design with no 5G support. Just like in India where the F2 Pro starts at Rs 40,740 while the SE will cost you Rs 42,500.
We have been getting lots of rumors concerning Apple’s future over hear headphones. Now, it seems that these upcoming AirPods Studio will include some fantastic features, some of which are already found in the AirPods Pro.
Rumors about the new AirPods Studio have been coming from time to time. Some of them say that we may see them this year. Other rumors suggest a possible price range, but now we will talk about the possible features that they could arrive with. The first feature we’re going to mention is similar to the AirPods in-ear detection, which automatically pauses a song when you take the earbuds off. These new headphones would include a sensor that would detect when the headphones are on your head or around your neck. In other words, they would automatically pause or play music, depending on where you have them.
Other features include a sensor that may detect right and left ears automatically ad switch channels to the corresponding side, so there won’t be a wrong way to use them. They would also have Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode. You will also be able to unlock custom EQ settings when you connect them to your Mac or iOS device.
We start the week off with deals on the 13-inch MacBook Pro and more
Deals. To start the week off, Amazon currently has the 2019 13in MacBook Pro for $400 off, leaving the Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD for $1399. If you want more storage, the 512GB is $150 off as well. Just keep in mind, we’re talking about that lovely butterfly keyboard you might wanna think twice about. The AirPods 2 with the wireless charging case are $30 off, leaving them at $169 shipped. We also have more deals on Beats headphones, Bose soundbars and more.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 768G announced, offers 15% faster CPU and GPU performance compared to 765G
Qualcomm just announced a successor to their premium mid-ranger SoC line with the 768G. It is based on Samsung 7nm EUV technology and it packs and Adreno 620 GPU, as well as the Snapdragon X52 modem for ‘true 5G speeds’, including mmWave and sub6GHz. It offers a 15% faster CPU and GPU performance when compared to the 765G which was released in December. You can find the full list of specifics in the description and it will reportedly be on the Redmi K30 5G which was actually waiting on this processor to launch.
These could be the color and storage options of the new Poco F2 Pro
The POCO F2 Pro is finally coming tomorrow and we have some final leaks before the release. The renders show the phone with a full display design, no punch hole or notch. The source also claims 4 different color variants: Black or Grey, Blue, Purple and White… pretty much like the K30 Pro.. It will also come in two storage options, 128GB and 256GB. The leaked price tag is still set to cost between €600 and €650 in Europe, depending on the taxes and mainly due to 5G. The report claims that some markets might not even get the 5G variants to bring the price down.
Apple AirPods Studio are the rumored upcoming over-ear headphones
Even with all of the delays Apple is still pushing to release at least some of their products this year. According to a new Bloomberg report, Apple’s over the ear headphones will be called AirPods Studio and they will feature a magnetic design which would make them customizable with interchangeable parts, like a selection of different headband styles. These are expected to come out some time later this year for a price around
$349.
We may have to wait until June for the launch of the Google Pixel 4a
As per usual, we’ve gotten a ton of rumors and leaks of the Google Pixel 4a, including retail boxes, sample images, and billboards. Google I/O was supposed to happen this week, before the pandemic. A leak suggested that the phone might be available for purchase on May 22nd, hinting to a May 15th launch date. According to a German publication and a Vodafone listing, that might not happen and we might have to wait until June 5 to be able to purchase. We know that Google’s Android 11 Event will be happening on June 3rd so Google is apparently waiting to announce it in that event.
Story of the day:
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 will get better display, but no Ultra variant
We have some new leaks for the Galaxy Note 20 where the source is stating that we might not get a Note 20 Ultra this year. Aparently we’re still only getting two Galaxy Notes, or only two with a flat slab design. When it comes to the Galaxy Note 20+, the display will grow from 6.8-in to 6.87-in, with the resolution increasing to 3096 x 1444p, resulting in a 497 PPI. It will have a 19.3:9 aspect ratio and a 120Hz refresh rate with LTPO for variable refresh rate. The regular Note 20 will have a 6.42-in display, still at 1080p+ resolution and a 120Hz mode as well. This LTPO tech offers 5-15% in power savings, when compared to a regular panel. Ice Universe also confirmed these leaks, but obviously we’ll have to get back to you on timing.
Despite many pushbacks and delays for certain products, Apple continues to work on developing new solutions that could help sustain the company’s hardware segment growth. Aside from possibly developing Apple Watch features that can predict panic attacks, among other things, new reports have Apple working on an upcoming over-the-ear pair of headphones.
They’re being referred to as the AirPods Studio, and several sources have it pinned down for a later-in-the-year launch, at a price of $349, which is the what competitors like Sony and Bose are asking for their own take of noise canceling headphones.
A Bloomberg report describes how said AirPods Studio could feature a magnetic design which would make it customizable with inter-changeable parts, like a selection of headband styles.
