We have received new information about the upcoming Apple Watch Series 7 that includes display resolution, new watch faces, and more
The post The latest Apple Watch Series 7 leak reveals new watch faces and more appeared first on Pocketnow.
Apple’s upcoming Mixed Reality headset will be lighter than an iPhone 12: Kuo
Apple is reportedly working on a Mixed Reality headset that could come with some impressive hardware and capabilities such as 15 camera modules, advanced eye-tracking technology, and micro-LED displays with an eye-popping 8K resolution. TF International Securities Ming-Chi Kuo recently predicted that despite the aforementioned hardware, the Apple headset could weigh under 200 grams. Now, another research note by Kuo that was accessed by Macrumors and 9to5Mac mentions that the upcoming Mixed Reality headset by Apple could tip the scale at less than 150 grams.
The purpose of this design is to improve FOV and reduce weight and thickness. We believe that Apple will use a hybrid Fresnel lens design further to enhance the Fresnel lens’s optical performance (e.g., improve vignetting and optical artifacts), and each hybrid Fresnel lens comprises three stacked Fresnel lenses. We believe that Apple’s design will achieve a better balance between HMD’s FOV and form factor.
– via Macrumors
– via Macrumors
For comparison, the iPhone 12 weighs 164 grams. However, if you compare it against another well-known Mixed Reality headset that is already in the market, the featherweight nature of Apple’s upcoming device becomes apparent. Take for example the Microsoft HoloLens 2 Mixed Reality headset, which tips the scales at 566 grams. Moving over to the world of virtual reality headsets, the Oculus Quest 2 weighs 503 grams.
Apple is reportedly going with lenses made of plastic, instead of glass, to shed weight
To shed weight, Apple is reportedly going with hybrid ultra-short focal length Fresnel lenses that are not only thinner and lighter, but also offer a wider field of view. Additionally, the lenses will be made of plastic, instead of glass, to further cut down on the bulk. And to achieve the light transmission coefficient of glass, Apple will apply a layer of customized material on the lenses.
For video-see-through AR HMDs and VR HMDs, the critical design trend is to achieve a thin and light design with an ultra-short focal length lens/Fresnel lens. The design challenge is also related to the display, optical material, thermal, and production. We believe that solving this complicated optical design is one of the major competitive advantages of video-see-through AR HMDs and in the future.
– via 9to5Mac
– via 9to5Mac
Apple is reportedly sourcing these lenses from Young Optics and Genius Electronic Optical. However, a majority of lenses will be provided by long-time supplier Largan. Each headset is said to employ as many as six Fresnel lenses, with three lenses stacked on top of each other for each eye. Apple’s Mixed Reality headset will reportedly be priced somewhere around $1,000, much lower than the competition. The company also has AR glasses in the pipeline that will likely debut in 2025, as per Kuo.
The post Apple’s upcoming Mixed Reality headset will be lighter than an iPhone 12: Kuo appeared first on Pocketnow.
Samsung might be working on a cheaper foldable phone called Galaxy Z Flip Lite
Foldables are a big part of Samsung’s product strategy right now, with two form factors already in the market and their successors are already in development. But foldable smartphones, irrespective of the brand they come from, are a tad too expensive. Now, a SamMobile report claims that Samsung is looking to put a foldable device into the hands of more users with its next offering that will allegedly debut under the name Galaxy Z Flip Lite.
Now, before you get your heartbeat racing hearing the news of a cheaper foldable phone from Samsung, do keep in mind that this is just a rumor at this stage. Ross Young, who is a lead analyst for DisplaySearch and has a fairly accurate track record with leaks, tweeted that he is currently hearing rumors about a foldable Samsung device with UTG that is called Galaxy Z Flip Lite. Of course, the ‘Lite’ moniker suggests that Samsung will make some cuts when it comes to the raw firepower and imaging capabilities to sell the Galaxy Z Flip at a lower asking price.
We don't hear about Z Fold Lite anymore but we are hearing about Z Flip Lite with UTG…
— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) November 18, 2020
Finally, a foldable device for the masses?
But that’s not all. The report suggests that Samsung is rather bullish concerning its ‘affordable’ foldable device, and will reportedly manufacture it in a larger quantity than other foldable devices in the company’s current portfolio. Notably, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Lite will use the UTG (Ultra-Thin Glass) solution that Samsung used on the Galaxy Z Flip and later employed on the Galaxy Z Fold 2.
Remember the display woes of the first-gen Galaxy Fold, especially the fragile top layer on top? Well, Samsung addressed a few of them with the aforementioned UTG solution. Compared to a traditional foldable panel, the UTG layer is essentially a thin layer of glass that is less prone to scratches and offers higher material strength. Apparently, Samsung is going to use the UTG layer on all of its upcoming foldable smartphones, be it premium offerings in the Z Fold family, or more affordable members arriving under the Z Flip lineup.
The post Samsung might be working on a cheaper foldable phone called Galaxy Z Flip Lite appeared first on Pocketnow.
Pixel 4a may launch soon, but the Google Pixel 2 will lose support
Google seems to have everything ready for the launch of the new Pixel 4a. However, the arrival of this new device could also arrive with some negative news, for Google Pixel 2 users, since their devices would lose support with the arrival of new Pixel devices.
The Google Pixel 2 can say goodbye to important software updates after getting Android 11. Google initially promised that its devices would get two major updates, and that means that the Pixel 2’s support was supposed to end last year. However, Google then decided to give its devices three major software updates. In other words, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will receive a final version of Android 11 when it launches, followed by a couple of security updates before they are finally left without support by the end of the year.
This information was confirmed, in a way, by a developer comment in the AOSP, where we also find the first mention of the Google Pixel 5a. The developer also mentions s list of almost every Pixel device, released and unreleased, where we see that the Google Pixel 4a will launch with Android 10, instead of Android 11.
Source 9to5Google
The post Pixel 4a may launch soon, but the Google Pixel 2 will lose support appeared first on Pocketnow.
OPPO Find X2 goes on sale before launch, and reveals its specs
The new OPPO Find X2 is already listed in a Vietnamese retailer that gives us an idea of what will come with the device once it launches
The post OPPO Find X2 goes on sale before launch, and reveals its specs appeared first on Pocketnow.
New iPhone 12 concept design renders are looking hot
It's only fair to share...
Take a look at these new concept design renders that will give us a better idea of what to expect from the next iPhone 12
The post New iPhone 12 concept design renders are looking hot appeared first on Pocketnow.
It's only fair to share...
Samsung Galaxy Fold display breaks, OnePlus 7 official teaser & more – Pocketnow Daily
Watch today's Pocketnow Daily as we talk about the problems affecting the screens of some Samsung Galaxy Fold devices, more OnePlus 7 leaks & more
The post Samsung Galaxy Fold display breaks, OnePlus 7 official teaser & more – Pocketnow Daily appeared first on Pocketnow.
We may not see more Galaxy S devices after the Samsung Galaxy S10
Find out which are the reasons that Samsung might have to pull the plug on its Samsung Galaxy S flagship phones after delivering the Galaxy S10
The post We may not see more Galaxy S devices after the Samsung Galaxy S10 appeared first on Pocketnow.
10nm chip production rumored to hobble Galaxy S8 supply
The Galaxy S8 will use either the Snapdragon 835 or the Exynos 8895 chipset, depending on the region. Samsung isn't making enough of them.
The post 10nm chip production rumored to hobble Galaxy S8 supply appeared first on Pocketnow.
ASUS ZenFone 4 release date could land in May
After a no-show at CES 2017, will ASUS actually wait until the madness of MWC 2017 and the Samsung Galaxy S8 have passed through?
The post ASUS ZenFone 4 release date could land in May appeared first on Pocketnow.
The HTC X10 rumored to come in January, follows One X9
China received a special sub-flagship device from HTC early this year that was supposed to shore up what the One A9 could not. Apparently, the standard of success for the device was met and there now comes a second.
Rumors on the HTC X10 — maybe that phone in Russia we saw way earlier on — make it out to be a pretty decent device with a MediaTek Helio P10 processor (ironically not the Helio X10 found on the One X9), 3GB of RAM, a 5.5-inch full HD screen and a 13-megapixel main camera.
Given that this is a phone from HTC, we’d expect the X10 to be somewhat overpriced. Though, at a rumored ¥2,000 or $288, we’ll have to see more details first. We believe that this phone may come in January — well before a speculative HTC 11 and perhaps separate from a potential Under Armour gear showcase.
The post The HTC X10 rumored to come in January, follows One X9 appeared first on Pocketnow.
T-Mobile M&A chatter could dominate US telecom news in 2017
The way that Morgan Stanley sees it, T-Mobile will either be the taker or the taken this upcoming year.
The Un-carrier, which has gone through an extended bout of growth, has been the hottest item in the consolidations market these days as Verizon and AT&T gobble up media companies by the boatload. So, what can number three T-Mobile do to size up?
Analyst Simon Flannery believes that while the most “attractive outcome” will see Sprint take Big Magenta over, even with a favorable FCC under the anti-regulation intentions of the Trump presidency. Barron’s also said T-Mobile could also buy out US Cellular, though US Cellular might be doing just well on its own, thank you very much. Plus, T-Mobile would have to work on converting US Cellular’s CDMA towers as it had to for its MetroPCS merger.
Outside of intra-industry mergers and acquisitions, cable companies could make waves in the wireless sector with a T-Mobile move. Wireline TV providers might be able to patch up subscription cutters with such a move. Sprint, given its eccentric SoftBank ownership, might make a brash counteroffer in response and AT&T and Verizon might be kept on their toes with another combined wireless/wireline player in the field. Even fiber-based internet providers, the biggest independent company as of this stage being Zayo, could make it TMUS a bigger differentiator.
Plenty of options and a long four years ahead…
The post T-Mobile M&A chatter could dominate US telecom news in 2017 appeared first on Pocketnow.
Stereo speakers on Galaxy S8 rumored to be powered by Harman
HTC made smartphone speaker audio a priority years ago — so much so, it audaciously proclaimed its “BoomSound” hardware as best in its class. Apple has only just embraced moving sound towards humans’ faces. And it may be Samsung’s turn next.
Word out of FoneArena‘s sources say that the Galaxy S8 will feature two speakers. Samsung will put technology acquired from connected car company Harman in the speakers, which will be branded with the Harman label and a market name — like HTC did with “BoomSound”.
Samsung acquired Connecticut-based Harman last month at a price of $8 billion. The deal is expected to close in the middle of next year.
With a 4K display rumored and Daydream VR therefore a top priority, it would only make sense to bring along a more robust audio experience for consumers popping their Galaxy S8 into a headset. Let’s just hope things make sense in reality to bring those speakers along.
The post Stereo speakers on Galaxy S8 rumored to be powered by Harman appeared first on Pocketnow.
LG G6 could get iris-scanning selfie camera
The Galaxy Note 7 brought iris scanning as a security to the Android masses. Yes, we know that the Windows 10 Mobile ecosystem has its fair share of pupil peeping phones as well as ZTE and a few other Android players, but before Samsung royally messed up on repairing the repute of the Note 7, that device seemed like the biggest profile break for the technology.
Well, recalls have occurred and there’s currently a dearth of iris-scanning phones in prominent marketplaces. But it won’t be long before we may see another iris-scanning phone again with the LG G6.
According to Korean outlet Digital Times, LG Innotek is “planning an integrated iris recognition module” that can be integrated with the front-facing camera, thus saving space by obviating separate sensors. The company is working on sourcing materials for the part.
Adding another layer to this story is the development of LG Pay. Recent chatter pointed to a transition from a physical card to a phone-based mobile payments system that could utilize Magnetic Secure Transmission technology. Perhaps authentication can be done through either the fingerprint sensor or the iris scanner.
The release of the G6 is told to be around in February or March.
The post LG G6 could get iris-scanning selfie camera appeared first on Pocketnow.
Blass: Google smartwatches loaded with Android Wear 2.0 to launch in Q1
That delay in officially launching Android Wear 2.0 may serve to tweak what could be in Google’s own make of smartwatch.We’ve been hearing that the company would be releasing two of its own Android Wear products at some point after the
The post Blass: Google smartwatches loaded with Android Wear 2.0 to launch in Q1 appeared first on Pocketnow.