OmniVision’s new 48MP OV48C image sensor seems better than the 64MP IMX686

In 2019, the most popular image sensor for flagship and mid-range smartphones was by far the Sony IMX586 48MP image sensor, which made its way to a surprisingly large number of phones. Flagship phones from the likes of Samsung, Huawei, Google, and Apple continued to use custom sensors, but vendors such as OnePlus, Xiaomi, OPPO, Honor, and others fully adopted the IMX586 Quad Bayer sensor, which proved more popular than its competitor, the Samsung ISOCELL GM1. In the latter half of the year, some high-profile phones did opt to use Samsung’s newer 64MP ISOCELL Bright GW1 sensor, while the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 made itself a pioneer by featuring the 108MP Samsung ISOCELL Bright HMX sensor. In December, the IMX586’s successor, the 64MP Sony IMX686, started being included in new launches. These days, the competition in the mobile image sensor market consists mostly of Sony and Samsung, but there is another player in the market: OmniVision. While their products have had few design wins over the last few years, it has tried to make itself more relevant by announcing a new flagship 48MP image sensor for high-end phones in the form of the OmniVision OV48C.

The OmniVision OV48C is a 48MP image sensor with a large 1.2 micron pixel size. This makes it atypically large as all the other 48MP image sensors have a 0.8 micron pixel size. The higher pixel size is because the sensor is physically bigger. It has a 1/1.3″ sensor size, whereas the IMX586 and the Samsung GM1/GM2 have a 1/2″ sensor size. The 1/1.3″ sensor size is one of the largest for any smartphone image sensor, and it’s only smaller than the 2012 Nokia 808 PureView’s 1/1.2″ image sensor. The 64MP Samsung GW1 has a 1/1.7″ sensor size, which is still smaller than the OmniVision OV48C’s sensor. OmniVision states that this enables high resolution and excellent low light performance for flagship smartphone cameras.

The OV48C is said to be the industry’s first image sensor for high resolution mobile cameras with on-chip dual conversion gain HDR, which “eliminates motion artifacts and produces an excellent signal-to-noise ratio SNR)”, according to OmniVision. The sensor also offers a staggered HDR option with on-chip combination, which provides smartphone designers with flexibility to select the best HDR method for a given scene.

The 48MP flagship image sensor is built on OmniVision’s PureCel Plus stacked die technology. It integrates an on-chip, 4-cell color filter array (BCFA – Buried Color Filter Array) and hardware remosaic, which provides high quality 48MP Bayer output. This is an important differentiation versus sensors such as the IMX586, which have 48MP Quad Bayer sensors. Quad Bayer sensors have less color resolution than standard Bayer sensors. The OV48C seems to be the first mobile image sensor capable of handling 48MP Bayer output, which means it has higher resolution than the other 48MP and 64MP image sensors on the market. It can also output 8K video in real time.

Interestingly, OmniVision proclaims that in low light conditions, the sensor can use near-pixel binning to output a 12MP image for 4K2K video with four times the sensitivity, with a 2.4 micron-equivalent performance. The near-pixel binning part is puzzling, but a 2.4 micron-equivalent performance would likely lead to class-leading low light image quality, with the disclaimer that all other factors should remain constant. In either case, the OV48C is said to be capable of capturing “the best quality images without motion blur”, and it will also be capable of enabling digital crop mode zoom with 12MP resolution (this refers to lossless zoom) and fast mode switch. The sensor also offers features such as a CPHY interface that makes it more suitable for rear-facing main cameras in multi-camera configurations. For fast autofocus, the OV48C relies on 4C Half Shield phase detection.

The OmniVision OV48C can output 48MP at 15fps (this refers to the absence of zero shutter lag), 12MP with 4-cell binning at 60fps (ZSL), and 4K2K video at 60fps with the extra pixels needed for electronic image stabilization (EIS). It also offers 1080p slow motion video at 240fps in addition to 720p at 360fps, although this feature is arguably not impressive as competing sensors can go as high as 1080p at 960fps, while many phones can now record 1080p at 480fps.

OmniVision states that OV48C samples are available now, and the sensor will be demonstrated at the company’s CES hotel suite from January 7-10. As of now, the company hasn’t stated whether the sensor will actually be available in a phone this year. Apart from the OnePlus 2 in 2015, it’s hard to recall a major phone launch featuring an OmniVision image sensor. The specifications of the OV48C certainly sound impressive, but it remains to be seen how it will fare against Sony’s 64MP IMX686 and Samsung’s 108MP ISOCELL Bright HMX sensor in shipping phones.

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Source: OmniVision (press release)

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Bluetooth SIG introduces LE Audio with a new LC3 codec and support for Multi-Stream Audio, Hearing Aids, and Audio Sharing

At the ongoing CES 2020 trade show, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has announced a few new capabilities for the wireless technology. These new features will be rolled out with supported devices later this year under the LE Audio moniker and will enhance audio performance over Bluetooth, add support for hearing aids, and enable multi-stream audio and audio sharing.

As per a recent report from BusinessWire, audio transmission over Bluetooth will soon support two operation modes — LE Audio will operate on the Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) radio, while the Classic Audio will operate on the Bluetooth Classic radio (BR/EDR). As the name suggests, Bluetooth LE Audio will allow devices to transmit sound across the low-energy spectrum, however, it will make use of a new compression algorithm, called the Low Complexity Communication Codec (LC3), that will maintain the same high audio quality that you get from Bluetooth at the moment. Thanks to this, manufacturers will be able to develop devices that offer nearly twice the current play time without sacrificing on the audio quality.

In a statement regarding the new codec, Manfred Lutzky, Head of Audio for Communications at Franhofter IIS, was quoted saying, “Extensive listening tests have shown than LC3 will provide improvements in audio quality over the SBC codec included with Classic Audio, even at a 50% lower bit rate. Developers will be able to leverage this power savings to create products that can provide longer battery life or, in cases where current battery life is enough, reduce the form factor by using a smaller battery.” Along with the new codec, Bluetooth LE Audio will allow users to transmit multiple, independent, synchronized audio streams between an audio source and one or more audio sink devices. The updated tech also includes support for hearing aids, which is expected to promote Bluetooth hearing aids that bring all the benefits of Bluetooth audio for people will hearing impairment.

On top of all that, LE Audio will also add broadcasting support to Bluetooth devices which will allow users to broadcast one or more streams to an unlimited number of audio sink devices. Thanks to this feature, users will soon be able to share their music with other by connecting multiple Bluetooth earphones with the same device. The report further adds that Bluetooth Audio Sharing can both be personal or location-based, with users getting the option to share their audio with others around them or share the audio at public venues. However, all of these new features are well into the future as the Bluetooth SIG has revealed no specific date for the launch of supported devices. The report just states that Bluetooth specifications that define LE Audio are expected to be released throughout the first half of 2020, with no word on the launch of supported devices. For more information on Bluetooth LE Audio, you can follow the source linked below.

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Source: Bluetooth Technology

Via: BusinessWire

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Realme X50 5G with a 120Hz dual hole-punch display, Snapdragon 765G, Realme UI launches in China

Realme has been parkouring through an otherwise declining smartphone industry. It rose to popularity with phones that offer excellent value for money, achieving this by downplaying profit margins even below what Xiaomi claims to operate at. Realme’s multi-fold growth over the last year shows that the brand is getting a lot of attention in markets around the world while their portfolio has evolved significantly from just being about mid-range phones to having an entire army of choices in every price segment. The company wrapped the year up on a high note by launching the gaming-centric Realme X2 (our gaming review), the flagship killer Realme X2 Pro (our review), and their ticket to the lifestyle product market i.e. a pair of truly wireless stereo earbuds. Today, Realme is announcing their first 5G powered phone – Realme X50 5G with a hole-punch display, quad cameras, and more.

Realme has been spilling beans on the Realme X50 5G officially for more than a month now. In a series of teasers, the company revealed key specifications about the smartphone including sweeping revelations about its design and its processor. Meanwhile, a recent listing on the website of the Chinese regulator TENAA also disclosed many details about the smartphone, all of which have been confirmed with the official announcement.

The Realme X50 comes with a 6.57-inch LCD display with a high refresh rate of 120Hz, which is a major leap from the 90Hz it launched on the Realme X2 Pro. The display also features a hole-punch design, allocating space on the top left for two selfie cameras. It has a 20:9 aspect ratio and is protected by 5th Gorilla Glass. Additionally, there’s a side-mounted fingerprint scanner just like the Redmi K30 5G.

Realme X50 comes in two colors inspired by ice as well as seawater. Both the color variants come with a 3D holographic back design that changes color with the intensity of the light falling on it.

When it comes to 5G support, the onboard Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G mobile platform enables support for non-standalone (NSA) as well as standalone (SA) 5G networks.

Realme projects 5G as an essential factor for online smartphone gaming and besides the new chipset, Realme is also partnering with NetEase Cloud Games, a company that offers cloud-based mobile games that can be played through a single app without downloading each game separately. Currently, its portfolio mostly has mobile games but its website has a section for PC games, suggesting we might see a service similar to Google’s Stadia in the future.

Further, The company has also upgraded its Game Boost feature to improve gaming which will also synchronize GPU rendering with the refresh rate of the display to prevent any jank or jitter while gaming. Additionally, there’s an 8mm copper conduit for conducting the heat away from the motherboard.

When it comes to the cameras on Realme X50 5G, Realme has been teasing the quad-camera setup. The TENAA listing also revealed the resolution of the various sensors but the official announcement clarifies the purpose of each of them. There’s a 64MP Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 as the primary sensor, a 12MP telephoto camera with 2X zoom, an 8MP wide-angle camera, and a 2MP camera intended for macro photography. The camera also comes with an advanced Night mode and support for RAW photography. The dual cameras on the front include a 16MP Sony IMX471 primary sensor and an 8MP wide-angle sensor.

There’s 30W VOOC 4.0 charging for the 4,200mAh battery on the Realme X50 5G. This helps the battery charge 70% in just about 30 minutes.

The Realme X50 comes in three variants – 8GB/128GB, 6GB/256GB, 12GB/256GB. The RAM/storage configurations appear unusual but the pricing confirms that this is intentional.

Realme X50 5G Master Edition

Realme has once again partnered with Japanese industrial designer Naota Fukusawa who had previously designed the Master Editions for the Realme X and Realme X2 Pro. This time, the design master drew his inspiration from the reflection of light on smooth metal surfaces. There are two new variants in the Realme X50 5G’s Master Edition – one has a grid of strips replicating a gradient from bright to dark metal surfaces, changing the brightness with the angle of the incident light, whereas the other is made up of a grid of discs with accentuated concentric circles on each that make each disc look like a vinyl.

Realme UI

Realme also announced its new Realme UI, which is based on parent OPPO ‘s ColorOS 7. On stage, the company’s marketing head Xu QI Chase said that the icons have been redesigned keeping uniformity of shape in mind. The principle of the Golden Ratio (based on Fibonacci Series) has been used to place key visual elements along the grid on the icon.

Realme UI features (translated using Google Lens)

Realme UI is based on Android 10 and also comes with new apps such as Realme Pay. Additionally, Realme claims that the app launch speeds have been increased by about 25%, battery life by 10%, and gaming performance by 20%. Furthermore, the touch response time has been cut down by 35%.

Realme Focus Mode

Additionally, Realme UI also comes with a Focus Mode that should help you disconnect from the digital world and reconnect with the physical world.

Realme X50 5G is the first smartphone from the company to come with Realme UI out-of-the-box. Other phones are expected to receive this with the coming Android 10 updates.

Realme IoT Ecosystem

After projecting itself as a lifestyle brand, Realme is ready to launch its own ecosystem of AI-powered IoT devices. In the coming months, Realme will launch a smart TV, wearables, and some more audio products – potentially with its own AI assistant built-in.

Realme Buds Air Special Edition

The Realme Buds Air TWS earbuds have already been announced by the company but the China launch saw a special color variant of the Realme Buds Air case. This includes what looks like a rubberized finish along with Realme’s “R/r” logos sprinkled around the entire surface. The case also has a loop so that you can attach it to, perhaps, a keychain.

Price & Availability

The three variants of the Realme X50 5G are priced as follows:

• 8GB/128GB – CNY 2499 (~$360)
• 6GB/256GB – CNY 2699 (~$390)
• 12GB/256GB – CNY 2999 (~$430)
• 12GB/256GB Master Edition – CNY 3099 (~$450)

The Realme Buds Air earbuds have been priced at CNY 399 (~$60) but will be initially available for CNY 369 (~$55).

The Realme X50 5G will be available for pre-booking via various online channels starting today i.e. January 7th and will go on sale starting January 14th.

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HMD Global rolls out Android 10 for the Nokia 6.1 Plus

When it comes to updates, HMD Global is one of the few manufacturers that delivers timely updates for its current generation of Nokia smartphones. Following the official rollout of Android 10 in September last year, HMD Global revealed an update roadmap for its devices. In keeping with the update schedule, the company rolled out the Android 10 update for the Nokia 8.1 early in October, which was followed by the Nokia 9 PureView and the Nokia 7.1 in December. Now, the company is rolling out the update for the Nokia 6.1 Plus.

The company recently took to Twitter to announce the Android 10 rollout for the Nokia 6.1 Plus. As per a recent report from FoneArena, the update has already started rolling out to Nokia 6.1 Plus devices globally and it brings the Android security patches for December 2019 in tow. HMD Global launched the device back in August of 2018 and it ran Android 8 Oreo out of the box. The device was subsequently updated to Android 9 Pie later that year in October. With the Android 10 rollout, HMD Global has fulfilled its promise of delivering two Android OS updates to the device and we expect the device to receive security updates for another year.

Nokia 6.1 Plus users, you ready? Your phone’s are now running on the latest Android 10 update . Tap into your smartphone’s upgraded experience and access the latest features today. Have you already upgraded? Let us know in the comments below!https://t.co/KHlUcTyy76 pic.twitter.com/7KC9wSOb2V

— Nokia Mobile (@NokiaMobile) January 6, 2020

As with the Android 10 update released on other Nokia devices, the update for the 6.1 Plus brings all the new security and privacy features introduced in Android 10. It also brings features like the new system-wide dark mode, Smart Reply, Focus Mode, dedicated “Privacy section’, gesture navigation, and much more. The update, version 4.10C, is about 1.3GB in size and should reach your Nokia 6.1 Plus soon.

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Motorola starts rolling out Android 10 to the Motorola One Vision

After rolling out stable Android 10 to the Motorola One Power last month, Lenovo-owned Motorola is now bringing the latest version of Android to its mid-range smartphone, the Motorola One Vision. The company has begun rolling out the stable OTA to One Vision owners in Brazil. According to the Motorola Brazil software support page, the company kicked off the staged software rollout of Android 10 on January 6, 2020, and that all One Vision units should receive the update by February 6.

The Android 10 update carries build number QSA30.62-24, and it also packs in the January 2020 security patches. As for what to expect from the new software, Android 10 brings along many exciting features and improvements to the table including the much-requested system-wide dark mode, a new gesture navigation system, Focus mode, Live Caption support, revamped permissions and much more.

If you haven’t received the update yet, you can head to Settings > System > System updates to see if it’s available for you. Motorola hasn’t revealed yet when it will bring Android 10 to other regions such as India, the UK, and European markets, however, given the roll-out is already underway in Brazil, we presume it shouldn’t take too long.

Motorola One Vision XDA Forums || Buy Motorola One Vision from Flipkart

The Motorola One Vision was launched back in May last year with Android 9 Pie running out of the box. It’s a mid-range device featuring a 6.3-inch punch-hole display with a 21:9 aspect ratio, Exynos 9609 octa-core SoC, a 48MP rear camera and a 25MP front shooter, 3,500mAh battery and 128GB of onboard storage. The phone also has Motorola’s “M” batwing logo imprinted within the fingerprint sensor, giving it some personality despite its modest appearance. The highlight point of the device was definitely its 21:9 aspect ratio display, which made the phone pleasant for video consumption in that format. You can read more about the Motorola One Vision in our hands-on.

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Source: Lenovo Forums
Via: PiunikaWeb

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Samsung Galaxy S9 and Note 9 get DeX for PC support with One UI 2.0 (Android 10) update

Shortly after the launch of the Galaxy Note 10 last year, Samsung introduced the new DeX integration with Windows and Mac PCs for the device. The feature was soon ported over to the Galaxy S10 series and there were rumors that the company was planning on extending support to its flagship lineup from 2018 with the One UI 2.0 update. Now, with the rollout of the Android 10 update for the Samsung Galaxy S9 series and Note 9, the DeX for PC support is finally making its way to the devices.

According to a recent report from Sammobile, the DeX for PC solution now supports the Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+, and Note 9. With the One UI 2.0 update, Galaxy S9 and Note 9 users will now be able to connect their phones to a Windows or Mac PC using a USB cable and use it in a desktop environment. DeX for PC is a useful tool that allows users to get work done on documents stored on their devices, play mobile games with a keyboard and mouse, and drag/drop files from their phone to the PC and vice-versa.

However, in order to use DeX for PC, you’ll first need to download the app from the company’s official website. When you have that installed on your system, you just need to connect your phone to the PC and start using your phone in a desktop layout. It’s also worth noting that the DeX for PC support works on the Android 10 beta for these devices, so you don’t need to install the latest stable update to enjoy the new features.

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Via: Sammobile

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Diesel’s new Fadelite smartwatch runs Wear OS and has a translucent band

Fossil’s sub-brands have been busy working on new Wear OS watches. Last week, we saw Skagen’s new Falster 3, and now today at CES 2020, Diesel announced the Fadelite. These watches feature stylish bands and vivid color options along with some respectable specifications for Wear OS.

The Fadelite (pronounced fade-lite) comes in one size meant for men and women. There are four color options and they all feature a fading effect: red to black, black to clear, blue to clear, and clear “iridescent.” The clear design is by far the most interesting and something we haven’t seen much with Wear OS watches. The size of the case is 43mm and there is one single “globe” button on the side that acts as a dial.

Thankfully, Diesel has equipped the Fadelite with the Snapdragon 3100 SoC, but it only has 512MB of RAM (according to 9to5Google). The watch is also “swim-proof” and has NFC, GPS, heart-rate tracking, and all the Google Assistant features you’d expect. Besides the fading colors, there’s not a lot that wows us about the Fadelite. It seems like your typical Wear OS device with a little extra pizazz. The Fadelite will be available in the four flashy colors in March for $275.

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Source: Diesel

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