Pocketnow Daily: BREAKING: Windows 11 “Monterey” leaks 🤣, OnePlus Merges With OPPO & more! (video)

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On today’s Pocketnow Daily, we talk about the upcoming Windows 11 update, the new alliance between OnePlus and OPPO, and more.

The post Pocketnow Daily: BREAKING: Windows 11 “Monterey” leaks 🤣, OnePlus Merges With OPPO & more! (video) appeared first on Pocketnow.

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HONOR Band 6 with AMOLED display goes official for €50

HONOR has announced the launch of its Band 6, which succeeds the popular HONOR Band 5. It comes with an AMOLED display ands pcks a range of fitness features. The company claims it can last up to two weeks on a single charge. It is encased in a 2.5D curved glass screen. Moreover, the new wearable offers a 148% increase in display area over its predecessor.

The HONOR Band 6 features a 1.47-inch AMOLED display that offers a resolution of 194 x 368 pixels. As mentioned above, it offers an increase of 148% in the screen real-estate over the Band 5. The HONOR logo lies on the left edge of the wearable. It features an extensive library of watch faces and is designed to provide all-day comfort with the silicone rubber straps. The fitness tracker will be made available in three color options of Meteorite Black, Sandstone Grey, and Coral Pink.

The HONOR Band 6 comes with Pulse Oxygen Saturation (SpO2) monitoring that can detect users’ blood oxygen levels, which is essential for those who keep tabs on their respiratory health or who enjoy hiking or climbing at high altitudes. Plus, you get an optical heart rate sensor and a precise AI algorithm, which also supports 24/7 real-time continuous heart rate monitoring. It can also monitor users’ stress levels throughout the day. Additionally, you get support for sleep tracking capabilities that identify and log data around users’ daily sleep status, including how much deep sleep, light sleep, REM sleep, awake time and naps you take each day.

The fitness tracker comes with support for 10 workout modes, including outdoor and indoor running, outdoor and indoor walking, outdoor and indoor cycling, indoor swimming, elliptical, rower and free training. It sports 50 meters of water resistance as well. The HONOR Band 6 can also automatically recognize six different workout modes.

It is available at an MSRP of €49.9, and will be available to purchase from March 28 in global markets via AliExpress. It will also be available from local HIHONOR online stores starting from April.

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Pocketnow Daily: NEW iPhone 13 Leaks: More Upgrades Than We Thought? (video)

Last chance to pre-order your Samsung Galaxy S21 with huge discounts

More Android smartphones from OnePlus, Google and more are on sale

B&H has several MacBook Pro models, Smart TVs and more on sale

Let’s begin today with deals. So, pre-orderes for the Galaxy S21 ended yesterday, but guess what, I guess that if you order today, you can still get some of those deals anyways. The Galaxy S21 5G is still starting at $99, but now with just $50 in instant credit. The S21+ now starts at $299 with $75 in instant credit as well. And finally, the S21 Ultra is available for $499 with $100 in instant credit if you buy it. Just keep in mind all of these prices are for trade-in deals so you need a device to trade in to take advantage of these. If you are planning to buy a new Galaxy and want some protection, SUPCASE is still our #1 choice. Use promo code 10POCKETNOW on Amazon to get 10% off, or use promo code POCKETNOW15 on SUPCASE.com to get your cases. Looking for an older device? Don’t worry the Z Flip is still available for $299 and the Z Fold 2 for just $1000 if you have a device to trade in. Moving on, the Microsoft Surface Go 2 is available for $35 off, meaning it starts at $515 and we also have deals on the Type Cover. The OnePlus 8 Pro is still available for $200 off, leaving it at $700 from OnePlus, though yeah, kind of meh with thos S21 deals. The Google Pixel 4a 5G is still $50 off leaving it at $450. And finally, the Pixel 4 XL is available for $109 off its original price tag, leaving it at $609. We have more deals on Motorola phones, Razer accessories and more in the links below.

onor could unveil a foldable phone this year

Now let’s talk about the future of Honor. The company has actually been quite active this year after Huawei sold the brand. Today we have a new statement from the company’s CEO where he does mention that Huawei’s sanctions no longer affect them, with other reports claiming that they have allegedly made new deals with Qualcomm, MediaTek and even Google. Earlier this week we heard how they might be preparing 2 different line ups with Google Play Services but apparently, that’s not all. The company’s CEO mentions that they will soon launch a “flagship series” like the Mate and the P line ups from Huawei and even a foldable phone under the Magic branding;. Actually, a leak from Weibo claims that we should expect the first series of folding screen phones later this year. Speaking of foldables, it looks like this year they’ll probably become more mainstream, with Xiaomi reportedly working on 3, OPPO working on 1 and Samsung working on 3 as well, including a Z Flip Lite. We’ll see what we get from Honor though as, it should be good, but outer folding has proven to not be a good idea.

We could see batteries used as haptic engines in a future Apple Watch

Let’s move on to Cupertino and the Apple Watch as, it looks like the company is looking to shake things up.. You’ll get that in a second. The company just filed a new patent to the USPTO where they would make the Apple Watch thinner, by removing the haptic feedback engine. However, since the haptic feedback is so essential to the Apple Watch’s User experience, Apple plans to use the battery to take over that roll. The patent describes a “moving battery component” which will provide the haptic feedback. Now, by removing the haptic engine this might also allow for a larger battery, improving battery life in the process, unless Apple has other plans. But yeah, this is just a patent and we know that Apple is notorious for patenting stuff and never releasing it so, we’ll see what we actually end up getting with the next Apple Watch as, so far the only other rumor we’ve heard is the blood glucose monitor. Does anyone remember the days when if you wanted your Nokia phone to vibrate you needed to buy a special battery that did so? No one? I know.. I’m that old.

Samsung might soon debut its own rollable phone too

Moving back a little bit to Samsung, let’s actually talk foldables, since in the Honor segment we discussed that the company is working on 3. It seems we should expect big upgrades with the Galaxy Z Fold 3, a Z Flip 3 (3 is for the names to match) and the rumors have it that we’ll be getting a Galaxy Z Flip Lite, making foldables more affordable. But, it looks like foldables isn’t the only market Samsung plans to roll into. I know, Diego is full of puns today. Well, Samsung Display’s VP just said during an earnings call that they plan to “fortify their presence in the display market through innovative form factors such as rollable and sliding displays”. Now, he didn’t specify that these are for smartphones as, we know that Samsung Display does much more. However, we have a patent that was filed by Samsung back in 2019 that shows a smartphone screen that slides down and back into the device. Once it slides down it reveals the selfie camera and other sensors, probably for facial recognition. Of course, there’s no guarantee that we’ll be getting one of these any time soon but, with LG possibly leaving this market, would you like to see a rolling or sliding phone from Samsung?

Story of the day:

Apple is testing optical in-screen fingerprint sensor for its upcoming iPhones

iPhone 13 Pro could have a 1TB storage variant

Finally, for the hottest news today let’s talk iPhone 13, or 12S. Yes, I know Apple hasn’t done an S in 2 years, but I’m sure you understand what I mean about iterative updates. We’ve heard multiple reports that overlap so far, like the smaller notch or the on-display fingerprint scanner, as well as the 120Hz refresh rate. Now, we have a new report from IT-Home claiming that the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max could get up to 1TB of storage. Just for reference the current Pro models can go up to 512GB and Apple hasn’t added more storage in 2 generations. Yesterday, Jon Prosser also mentioned that there are some prototypes at the moment with the added storage but, it will only happen for the Pro models. He also called it 12S in the video so, interesting huh. Finally, we also got some new renders of the phone by LetsGoDigital and Concept Creator who always does a great job. These renders are for the iPhone 13 Pro and they show a very familiar design, with the boxy build and pretty much the same camera module as, we’re only expecting internal changes for the camera. Probably the biggest change from last year is the shorter notch, which won’t be narrower according to multiple reports. These renders also show yet another courageous move from Apple, with no charging port at the bottom, and we wouldn’t be surprised considering how much they’re currently pushing MagSafe. Both of these reports also mention Wi-Fi 6E integration, which we talked about a couple of days ago.
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Honor could unveil a foldable phone this year

Honor recently got separated from its parent company, Huawei. The Chinese company then announced its Honor V40 as a separate entity earlier this month. Since then, reports about the company resuming business with Qualcomm, MediaTek, Google and more have been circulating. Now, a new report claims that Honor is also prepping to launch a foldable smartphone. The device is said to be a part of Honor’s Magic series.

Earlier this week, a tipster shared a new piece of information on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging website. The leakster stated that Honor is planning on launching a new foldable smartphone within the Magic lineup. It is likely to be a premium smartphone from the company. Previously, Zhao Ming, CEO of the company, had also mentioned that Honor will soon launch flagship series like the ‘Mate’ and ‘P’ series from Huawei. And now, it seems like Honor is all set to compete in the foldable smartphone segment as well.

On the other hand, Xiaomi is said to be working on bringing three foldable phones next year. It is expected to unveil an outfolding phone, an in-folding device as well as a clamshell. While we don’t know what type of display technology the devices are going to use, these devices could house Samsung’s display. There is no word on when we could the devices in action. That said, OPPO is also reportedly prepping to launch its foldable in the market this year.

Further, Samsung is also working on several foldable phones. It could announce a new Z Flip Lite in late 2021. The South Korean giant is likely already working on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3, which are tipped to be announced in the third quarter of 2021. As per previous reports, the Galaxy Z Flip Lite will have a 6.7-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate.

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Honor CEO George Zhao says talks with Google are underway to resume partnership

Reeling from sanctions imposed by the US government, HUAWEI sold its Honor sub-brand to a government-backed consortium in November last year, in hopes of giving it a fighting chance in the face of multiple trade restrictions. Not long after, Honor signed crucial deals with some big names such as AMD, MediaTek, Microsoft, Samsung, and Sony that could again open the doors for sourcing components and software solutions. However, access to Google’s services is of critical importance for the company, especially if it hopes to revive its smartphone business in international markets. However, Honor CEO George Zhao has indicated that the company might soon get its partnership with Google back on track

“Last week, alongside a new smartphone, Honor announced that it was resuming partnerships with the biggest semiconductor companies in the world, including Intel and AMD, as well as Qualcomm, the largest smartphone chip designer. Zhao even said the company is in talks with Google and expects to resume its partnership with the company,” says an SCMP report. “While the company has not confirmed whether it will have GMS outside China, Honor could be waiting for confirmation that Google will once again support its phones.”

Honor might be awaiting Google's nod to bring back GMS on its phones

Another report from a Russian publication earlier this week mentioned that Google Mobile Services (GMS) will likely make a comeback on Honor smartphones around spring. What this means is Honor smartphone buyers will soon be able to access Google services such as Maps, Gmail, YouTube – and most importantly – Play Store, on their device. Restrictions imposed on Google when it comes to maintaining ties with Honor were supposed to become void as the company is no longer owned or affiliated to HUAWEI.

HUAWEI and Honor shipments have registered a steep decline

Following its split with HUAWEI, the company launched a high-end  5G phone called Honor V40 in China, but details about the device’s overseas debut with access to Google services are still unclear. In the wake of the US government’s trade sanctions, HUAWEI’s smartphone shipments registered a drop of 21.5% in 2020, while the Q4 2020 decline stood at a massive 42.4% (IDC). While the future looks bright for Honor, the fate of HUAWEI still hangs in the balance, as the company doesn’t expect immediate measures of relief from the freshly elected Joe Biden government in the US.

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