What we know about the Galaxy Z Flip: Samsung’s Clamshell Foldable Phone

In 2019, Samsung, Huawei, and Motorola kicked off the foldable phone crazy with the Galaxy Fold, Mate X, and Motorola Razr, respectively. Each of these 3 phones approached foldable smartphone design in different ways, with Razr’s arguably being the most intuitive as it’s a throwback to the iconic clamshell design. The Motorola Razr’s uniqueness will be shortlived, however, as Samsung is gearing up to launch the Galaxy Z Flip in a little over a week. Samsung, like Motorola, is taking the flip phone design of days past and modernizing it with a foldable display and more modern internals and software. Although the device hasn’t officially launched yet, we have seen several leaks extensively documenting the design and specifications. Since there have been a lot of leaks recently, I’m going to summarize everything I know about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip: Design

The design of the Galaxy Z Flip is interesting; it looks like a regular, tall smartphone that simply folds vertically in half, unlike the Motorola Razr which was specifically designed to look like older clamshell phones. The first pictures of the device leaked back in December, revealing the clamshell-like design that Samsung will be using for the Galaxy Z Flip. While unfolded, it will look like a Galaxy S20+ but with larger bezels. Its display is quite tall with a 22:9 aspect ratio. The display will also have a centered hole punch like the Galaxy S20+. As we previously uncovered a while back, the phone will have a secondary display on the front. This front display is very small and not usable for general browsing purposes. It’s 1.06-inches in size and is used for showing the time, date, battery, and possibly a camera viewfinder.

Just like the current Galaxy Fold, the Galaxy Z Flip will have a bit of a gap when folded. This isn’t a bad thing, though. This gap is needed for Samsung’s new “Ultra Thin Glass” to fold over without breaking. The gap also makes the phone easier to open. If it were closed fully flush, it would be much harder to open than most flip phones. On the outside of the phone is the aluminum hinge and glass front and back.

The hinge of the phone won’t like the Galaxy Fold or Moto Razr, instead, it will actually lock into different positions using the double pivot hinge. You will be able to lock it into any angle between around 70 and 110 degrees. This becomes super useful for video calls or vlogging because the phone is essentially its own kickstand. It will also, of course, fold flat and into its smaller size.

Here’s an alleged real-world video (published on an undisclosed Instagram account and then reshared to Twitter) that shows the Galaxy Z Flip opening and closing:

Galaxy z flip real video pic.twitter.com/bHMzYEBjW1 — yunis ali (@sliverarow) February 2, 2020

In new renders published this week by Roland Quandt and Evan Blass, we got to see the Galaxy Z Flip in its full HD glory. We get to see the absolutely gorgeous pinkish/purple color and the classic black. From these renders, we can also see the hinge mechanism and how the device looks while folded. It looks like the hinge from the Galaxy Fold, but smaller. If you’re thinking this phone looks like a Galaxy Fold that folds across a different axis, it basically is. SamMobile also reported that there might be a white Galaxy Z Flip color, but we haven’t seen any evidence of that model yet.

 

This device will have a fingerprint scanner, though it will not be under the Infinity Flex Display. There will be a capacitive fingerprint scanner on the top right side of the phone.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip: Display

The display on the Galaxy Z Flip is very different from the Galaxy Fold in terms of actual size, aspect ratio, the axis of the fold, and the layer over the OLED. The display, as previously mentioned, has a 22:9 aspect ratio. The display resolution will be 2636 x 1080 pixels. Samsung is employing a Dynamic AMOLED display with support for HDR10+. This is a folding Infinity-O display in that it has a hole-punch for a single camera.

The display will be layered in Samsung’s “Ultra Thin Glass”. This is basically very thin glass that will actually be able to bend. The Galaxy Z Flip will be the first device with Ultra Thin Glass. This glass will be layered in a layer of a flexible polymer, just like the Galaxy Fold. This extra layer of plastic is included for the protection of both the Infinity Flex Display and the glass. There is also a very small front display on this device that measures 1.06-inches and comes in at a resolution of 300×116 pixels. As I mentioned, it’s only useful for checking the time, date, and battery status. A few sources have told us you will be able to use it as a camera viewfinder as well.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip: Camera

The Galaxy Z Flip camera setup is pretty decent, though it won’t have a 108MP sensor as some have speculated. This is going to be a dual-camera setup on the rear/folded front. There will be 2x12MP cameras consisting of a main wide and a secondary ultra-wide camera. The main 12MP wide-angle sensor will likely be the same 12MP sensor from the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+. It will likely be the Sony IMX 555 or Samsung ISOCell equivalent sensor. We don’t know the actual sensor model for the ultra-wide, but we do know it’s also 12MP.

Images from WinFuture

The front camera will be a 10MP Sony IMX 374. This is the same 10MP sensor from the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10, and Galaxy Fold. Unlike the Galaxy S20, this won’t support 4K 60fps video recording. It will be limited to 4K 30fps video recording but it will have autofocus, though. Something else Samsung will be doing with the cameras is on the software side. It will be able to move the viewfinder of the camera to match the position of the hinge. Basically, you can fold the phone to around 100° and use it as a kickstand on a table to record video and the phone will match it. This will also work in apps like Google Duo.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip: Specifications

So as with every phone, the specifications are going to be important. The Galaxy Z Flip is no exception. The SoC in the phone is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+. It might be one generation old, but it helps bring the price down and will likely help with battery life. That’s because there isn’t going to be a massive battery in this phone. Samsung is throwing in a 3300mAh battery. Samsung is actually going with a dual battery setup as they did with the Galaxy Fold. One of the batteries will be 900mAh while the other will be 2400mAh. Both will support wireless charging, reverse wireless charging, and 15W wired charging.

The phone will come with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM. This isn’t as much memory capacity as the Galaxy S20 series or the Galaxy Fold, but once again, this is likely a cost-cutting measure to be able to get the phone out to more people. Another place where Samsung has possibly cut costs is storage. It will have 256GB of UFS 3.0 storage, down from the 512GB capacity in the Galaxy Fold.

The phone, when unfolded, isn’t going to be small. It has a 6.7-inch 22:9 display. This is very tall, but luckily, it won’t be unfolded in your pocket. While unfolded, it will be between 6.9mm and 7.2mm in thickness. While folded, it will be between 15.4mm and 17.3mm in thickness. Unlike other foldables, the Galaxy Z Flip will fold perfectly flat. There will be a gap, and it might actually be useful for this fold. The gap is a perfect place to put your finger to open the foldable display.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
OS	Android 10 with Samsung One UI2
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ 7 nm
Display	Full HD + (2636 x 1080 pixels), Dynamic AMOLED 6.7 inches with Always On, Infinity-O ext. Screen 1.06 inch (300 x 116 pixels), Super AMOLED Always On, Gorilla Glass 6
Storage	8 GB RAM, 256 GB UFS3.0, directly supported cloud ports Samsung Cloud, Google Drive, MS Onedrive (no micro SD)
Rear Cameras	12 MP dual pixel, aperture f / 1.8, aperture angle 78 ° + 12 MP ultra-wide-angle f / 2.2, 123 °, flash, HDR 10+, quick start, opt. image stabilization
Front Camera	10 MP dual pixel, f / 2.4, 80 °, autofocus, voice control
Video	UHD 4K 60 fps (main camera), UHD 4K 30 fps (front), HDR10 +
Video Playback	Supported formats: MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, AVI, MKV, WBEM
Sensors	Accelerometer, barometer, compass, brightness sensor, proximity detection, fingerprint sensor, gyroscope
Battery	3300 mAh, quick charging with up to 15 watts, Qi charging with up to 9 watts
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type C, NFC, WiFi 6 (2.4 + 5 GHz, WiFi direct, Mirrorlink, Smart View
Mobile	2G (GPRS / EDGE): GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900 3G (HSDPA +): B1 (2100), B2 (1900), B4 (AWS), B5 (850), B8 (900) 4G (LTE): B1 ( 2100), B2 (1900), B3 (1800), B4 (AWS), B5 (850), B7 (2600), B8 (900), B12, B13, B14, B17 (700), B18, B19, B20 ( 800), B25, B26, B28 (700), B29, B30, B34, B38, B39, B40, B41, B46, B66, B71
Security	Face recognition, fingerprint reader (on the side), Knox 3.4.1, secure folder
Audio	AKG stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos, embedded Spotify application, supported formats: MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, DFF, DSF, DSF, APE
Satellite	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo
Colors	Black, purple
Dimensions	opened 167.9 x 73.6 x 6.9-7.2 mm, closed 167.9 x 73.6 x 15.4-17.3 mm
Weight	183 grams

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip: Software

The software on the Galaxy Z Flip will be basically stock One UI 2.1 based on Android 10. It will have all the same software features as on the Galaxy S20 in One UI 2.1, but some features might be a bit more limited due to the different SoCs. One of the features we know will be included is the new Quick Share service Samsung is working on.  A few of the fun software features Samsung is working on are based around the flip phone design. The first was actually teased at SDC back in October 2019. This will work in the camera app and apps like Google Duo in unison with the double pivot hinge. Another hinge feature is a classic from the old flip phone days. If you are on a phone call and close the phone, it will end the call. I know this isn’t a groundbreaking feature, but I thought it would be worth mentioning.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip: Availability

The Galaxy Z Flip should be available really soon. According to some of our sources, it will be available before the end of the month. Two of our sources even claimed it would be available on February 14th in the U.S. It should retail for $1,400 for the base 256GB model. It will come in Black and Purple, which we’ve seen in renders from WinFuture. We can confirm it will be available at both AT&T and Sprint as well as Unlocked through Samsung on launch day. While we can’t say for sure, it’s likely it will be available from T-Mobile and Verizon as well.

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All of these are just rumors and unconfirmed reports until the official announcement. The phone will be unveiled at Samsung Unpacked 2020 on February 11th in San Francisco. We will be at the event to give you guys all the coverage of this phone as well as the S20 series. If you’re interested in learning everything about the Galaxy S20 series before the event, be sure to check out our recap on the devices. Also, check out the XDA TV YouTube channel for any hands-on videos we might be posting.

The post What we know about the Galaxy Z Flip: Samsung’s Clamshell Foldable Phone appeared first on xda-developers.

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MWC 2020 Preview: Everything we expect from this jam-packed event

MWC, short Mobile World Congress, is an annual event held by GSM Alliance in Barcelona, Spain. MWC is the world’s largest event to showcase mobile technology, and that is exactly what happens every year. Every year, OEMs around the world use MWC as a platform to announce their latest consumer-ready products, giving us smartphone enthusiasts plenty to drool over for the coming months. At MWC 2020, scheduled for 24-27 February, we are expecting a slew of releases, with major launch events lined up before as well as during the exhibition. Here we give you a lowdown on what to expect from MWC 2020.

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HMD Global

HMD Global has used the MWC stage in the past to release Nokia-branded smartphones, and the company will be present this year too, so we can expect to see some Nokia-branded phones. Nokia will also be present at the event this year, but its talks center around 5G, so Nokia’s talks could be focused around the infrastructure more so than phones.

We don’t know much about HMD Global’s plans for its Nokia-branded smartphones at MWC 2020. HMD Global previously confirmed, during Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Tech Summit, that they will launch phones using the Snapdragon 765 and Snapdragon 865 platforms. The company could unveil these phones at the event. We could also see more budget and mid-range phones as HMD Global is known for. Unfortunately, though, we haven’t seen any reliable leaks for the devices that could be at the show, but early unverified rumors suggest a Nokia 8.2 5G, Nokia 5.2, and Nokia 1.3 for this year’s event.

One wildcard could be the Nokia 400, which could be the first feature phone with Android. This mysterious device has been rumored for a while and we’ve seen hints at Android running on a feature phone. We really don’t know much about this phone, which leads us to believe it won’t be at MWC, but it is a possibility.

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Huawei

Huawei P40 leaked renders – Don’t expect to see this at MWC

Huawei will also be present at MWC 2020, with “new products and solutions.” While the wording is very wide, Huawei will take the stage to talk about 5G for sure, as they reveal on their own website. This could relate to 5G infrastructure as Huawei has a significant presence in that area, so we aren’t entirely confident about whether we will see a new phone or tablet launches at MWC 2020. The Huawei P40 series is expected at a separate event in March 2020, so it is unlikely that the phone will be unveiled at MWC 2020 as that would render the separate March launch event pointless. Plans can change, of course, so we leave the door open to surprises.

Huawei P40 — XDA Articles || Huawei P40 Pro — XDA Articles

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Honor

For Honor, we have a better idea of what to expect, even if the particular details on some products are hazy. Honor sent out media invites announcing that the company will be showing off devices that will be launched in Europe, including the Honor 9X Pro and View 30 Pro. Honor says they will also have a “special edition” of the MagicWatch 2 smartwatch and wireless earbuds at MWC.

Honor 9X Pro

The Honor 9X Pro has been around for a while, but it has taken Honor some time to release it in all markets. Back in October, the company announced they would be releasing a different version of the Honor 9X Pro in Europe. It did make its way to a few European countries, but at MWC, Honor will be announcing an even wider global availability. The Honor 9X Pro is rocking a 6.59-inch display, the Kirin 810 processor, 8GB of RAM, up to 256GB of storage, and has a 4,000mAh battery. The device features three rear cameras: 48MP, 8MP wide-angle, and 2MP depth sensor. The front 16MP camera is housed in a pop-up mechanism and the device comes in purple and black colors.

Honor 9X Pro — XDA Articles

Honor View 30 Pro

The Honor View 30 Pro is expected to be the global rebranding of the Honor V30 Pro that was launched in China in November 2019. We largely expect the phone to come with the same specifications, but we cannot rule out smaller changes for the different regions. The Honor V30 Pro comes with a 6.57″ FHD+ LCD with dual-punch holes for the front camera, the HiSilicon Kirin 990, a triple camera setup consisting of a 40MP primary, 12MP wide-angle, and 8MP telephoto cameras. The front setup on the V30 Pro comprises of a 32MP primary and an 8MP telephoto shooter. The V30 Pro supports dual-mode 5G, so we expect to see that carried over to the View 30 Pro too.

Honor View 30 Pro — XDA Articles

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LG

LG has been a regular at MWC for a few years now, as it takes the stage to announce its latest flagship that will compete against flagships from other top-tier OEMs. This year, we expect to see the LG V60 ThinQ with a dual-screen accessory and the LG G9 ThinQ launched at the event, at the very least.

LG V60 ThinQ

Something like this?

The LG V-series used to see a release in the second half of the year, but LG broke its tradition by launching the LG V50 alongside the LG G8 at MWC 2019, and then following up with the LG G8X in the second half. Thus, we expect to see the V60 ThinQ this year, and the device is expected to focus on the dual-screen experience through an accompanying second-screen accessory, much like the LG G8X. The folding structure is expected to see an upgrade — though the exact upgrade is still a mystery. And of course, there will be 5G.

LG V60 ThinQ — XDA Articles

LG G9 ThinQ

While the LG V60 ThinQ has not seen render leaks yet, the LG G9 ThinQ has, giving us a fair idea of what to expect from the upcoming LG flagship. The LG G9 will have a waterdrop notch for the singular front camera, indicating that there will be no hand gesture-based gimmicks this time around. The leaked renders show off a quad rear camera setup as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom, making this phone from LG one of the very phones in 2020 to still retain the port. The phone is also expected to have minimal bezels on a flat display, as well as an in-display fingerprint scanner.

LG G9 ThinQ — XDA Articles

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Motorola

At the Snapdragon Tech Summit, Motorola had announced that it would launch at least one phone with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 and at least one phone with the Snapdragon 865. AndroidHeadlines reports that Motorola had sent out press invites for an MWC 2020 event, where the company is expected to announce this flagship phone. In addition to the flagship, three other Motorola devices have also leaked in the last few days — the Moto G8, the Moto G8 Power, and the Moto G Stylus. So it is possible that these three phones also make an appearance at MWC.

Moto G8

The Moto G8 is expected to come with a 6.39″ HD+ LCD, likely with a single hole-punch for the front camera. The fingerprint sensor will sit embedded within the Motorola batwing logo on the back of the phone, as the leaked renders corroborate. The phone is expected to be powered by the Snapdragon 665 and is likely coming with a 4,000 mAh battery with 10W charging. The phone is likely to come with a triple rear camera setup with a 16MP primary, 8MP wide-angle, and a 2MP macro camera; along with an 8MP front camera.

Motorola Moto G8 — XDA Articles

Moto G8 Power

The highlight of the Moto G8 Power is expected to be its 5,000 mAh battery and 18W fast charging support. The Moto G8 Power is also expected to come with a 6.36″ FHD+ LCD, and the batwing logo on the rear will house the fingerprint scanner. The camera setup is expected to be similar to the Moto G8 — but with an extra 8MP sensor on the rear, and the front seeing an upgrade to a 25MP shooter.

Motorola Moto G8 Power — XDA Articles

Moto G Stylus

Motorola is also expected to launch a phone in the G-lineup with an included stylus, though we do not expect the stylus to compete in functionality to Samsung’s S-Pen. We recently just learned more about this mysterious device. It has a 6.36-inch display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64/128GB of storage, and a 4,000mAh battery. On the back, there is a 48MP main camera, 2MP macro camera, and 16MP wide-angle camera. Motorola will include some rudimentary software features for the stylus as well.

Moto G Stylus — XDA Articles

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OnePlus

OnePlus Concept One

OnePlus has not confirmed any plans for MWC 2020. OnePlus typically does not announce new products at the event, but there’s always a possibility they could still do something. For example, at CES 2020, they showed off the Concept One smartphone. It’s possible we’ll see OnePlus demo its 120Hz display tech at the event, but I doubt we’ll see a full-fledged announcement of the OnePlus 8 series. OnePlus is a company that tries to grab headlines as much as possible, so we definitely expect some news from the event.

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OPPO

OPPO has confirmed that it will be present at MWC 2020 to talk about 5G technology, so we can expect the Chinese OEM to further mark its presence in some way. While no phone releases have been officially confirmed or announced by the company, it is a possibility that they lift the wraps off the OPPO Find X2 and OPPO Find X2 Pro. MWC 2020 would also be a good time to announce the global launch of the Reno3 series.

OPPO Find X2/X2 Pro

At OPPO Inno Day in December 2019, OPPO had confirmed that its next premium flagship, the Find X2, will launch in Q1 2020. The Find X2 Pro, on the other hand, received no such comments, but the device was recently spotted in NBTC certification filings. They will come with new technologies like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Sony’s new 2×2 On-Chip Lens solution, and a better display with an emphasis on the display resolution, refresh rate, colors, and dynamic range. OPPO also had announced that they have signed a multi-year collaboration agreement with Pixelworks, so we can expect to see the Iris 5 visual processor in these devices too.

OPPO Find X2 — XDA Articles

OPPO Reno3 Series

The OPPO Reno3 series was launched in China last month and we know it will eventually launch globally. OPPO’s press release said to “stay tuned” as the Reno3 series will “hit the other market[s] around the world,” after all. As a recap, the Reno3 has a 6.4-inch flat display, MediaTek Dimensity 100L processor, 8/12GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a 4,025mAh battery. The rear cameras are 64MP, 8MP wide-angle, monochrome, and portrait. The Reno3 Pro has a 6.5-inch curved display, Snapdragon 765G SoC, 8/12GB of RAM, 128/256GB of storage, and a 4,025mAh battery. The rear cameras are 48MP, 13MP telephoto, 8MP wide-angle, and 2MP monochrome.

The Reno3 was priced around $485 for the 8GB+128GB variant and $530 for the 12GB/128GB variant. The Reno3 Pro cost $570 for the 8GB+128GB variant and $640 for the 12GB/256GB variant.

OPPO Reno3 series — XDA Articles

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Qualcomm

Qualcomm will have an event at MWC, but it’s unknown if the company will unveil any new SoCs. They could announce adjacent products like improvements to their WiFi and Bluetooth tech. We don’t know much about their plans yet. Last year, the company announced the X55 5G modem just days before MWC. We’ll keep our eyes open for a similar announcement.

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Realme

Realme has confirmed their presence at MWC 2020, with at least one 5G phone expected to be shown off as part of its global launch. This 5G phone could be the Realme X50 5G with the Snapdragon 765G that was announced in China recently, or a new smartphone with Snapdragon 865 (possibly called the Realme X50 Pro) as per more recent reports, or even better, both.

Realme X50 5G

The Realme X50 5G has already been launched in China, so we know what to expect unless there are any variations. One of the highlights of this device is the 120Hz refresh rate 6.57″ FHD+ LCD with an elongated camera cutout for the dual front cameras. The phone comes along with Snapdragon 765G, 4,200 mAh battery with 30W VOOC 4.0 fast charging support, a quad-rear camera setup consisting of a 64MP primary, 8MP wide-angle, 12MP telephoto, and 2MP macro camera, as well as a 16MP primary and 8MP wide-angle camera on the front. There’s a side-mounted fingerprint scanner too.

Realme X50 — XDA Articles

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Samsung

Samsung already has its own Galaxy Unpacked event, where it is expected to unveil the new Galaxy S20 series and the Galaxy Z Flip. Galaxy Unpacked 2020 is not coinciding with MWC 2020 as it is held a good two weeks before MWC. As a consequence, we do not expect Samsung to show off any flagship phones at MWC 2020, but instead, use the opportunity to show off its new phones that would have already been launched by then. There is a possibility that Samsung does unveil new releases in its A-series lineup though.

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Sony

Sony has confirmed that it has scheduled a press event at MWC 2020. We’re expecting to see the 21:9 aspect ratio Sony Xperia 5 Plus (or whatever its final marketing name would be) to be announced at the event.

Sony Xperia 5 Plus

The Sony Xperia 5 Plus is expected to carry forward the 21:9 trend from Sony with a tall 6.6″ OLED display with thin bezels as well as dual front-facing stereo speakers and an 8MP front camera. The phone is expected to also retain the rectangular boxy look from recent Sony flagships. This phone is also expected to come with a triple rear camera setup with an additional ToF sensor, and a 3.5mm headphone jack too. Leaked renders have suggested a side-mounted fingerprint sensor too, indicating that Sony is not yet ready to make the jump to in-display fingerprint sensors just yet.

Sony Xperia 5 Plus — XDA Articles

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TCL

TCL took the stage at CES earlier this year to announce its self-branded smartphones: the TCL 10 5G, TCL 10L, and TCL 10 Pro. The CES announcement showed off the design of the device and some preliminary details, and TCL mentioned that they will announce complete details on the lineup at MWC 2020.

The TCL 10 5G offers sub-6GHz 5G connectivity thanks to a Snapdragon 7-series SoC (likely the Snapdragon 765). The official renders of the phone show off a phone with thin bezels and a quad-camera module (with a 64MP primary camera) above the physical fingerprint scanner on the rear. The highlight of the device will be its price, as the TCL 10 5G is expected to be priced under $500, which should make it one of the more affordable 5G smartphones in the US market.

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Vivo

Vivo has also announced its presence for MWC 2020. But much like last year, the company is expected to use the event to show off a concept smartphone, presumably in the APEX lineup.

Vivo Apex 2019

Last year, the Vivo Apex 2019 was shown off as a 5G concept phone made out of a glass unibody, with three pressure-sensitive capacitive buttons on the side as a replacement for conventional press buttons for power and volume. This glass unibody design led the way to eliminate all ports on the device — so the Vivo Apex 2019 had no USB port, no speaker grill, no SIM tray, and of course, no headphone jack. The phone also featured a full-display fingerprint scanner, which means that the in-display fingerprint scanner works to recognize fingers placed anywhere across the display. Of course, as a concept smartphone, the phone was not meant to go under mass production, so Vivo removed the front camera too, because why not. With these risks taken already, we’re very curious where Vivo leads us this year.

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Xiaomi

Xiaomi isn’t listed for a press event at MWC 2020 yet, but they do have a booth on the ground. Xiaomi has confirmed that the Chinese OEM will launch the Mi 10 with the Snapdragon 865 in Q1 2020, so that is the likeliest of possibilities of what we can see in their booth — though how they will handle an announcement remains to be seen. We might also see the Mi 10 Pro, whose existence was very recently confirmed.

Mi 10/Mi 10 Pro

At least two phones exist within the Mi 10 lineup, and conventional naming techniques suggest these would be the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro. The Mi 10 Pro will support 66W fast charging. We’re hoping to get more quality leaks for these devices as the event approaches.

Xiaomi Mi 10 — XDA Articles

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ZTE

ZTE has confirmed attendance at MWC 2020 with a 5G-focused event. Of course, the conversation will revolve around 5G, but it is within the realm of possibility that we also see the company announce the ZTE Axon 10s Pro 5G with the Snapdragon 865. The phone has passed through TENAA, so we have a fair idea of what to expect out of the device if it does indeed get launched at MWC.

ZTE Axon 10s Pro 5G

The ZTE Axon 10s Pro 5G looks nearly identical to the Axon 10 Pro, but there are several key updates. First and foremost, as the name implies, this device will support 5G connectivity. This will be a major point of focus at MWC and ZTE will be onboard with it. ZTE has revealed that the device will feature WiFi 6 with support for dual-WiFi acceleration, LPDDR5 memory, and UFS 3.0 flash storage.

ZTE also let the cat out of the bag about the SoC, which will be the Snapdragon 865. Further leaks have filled-in some of the other details as well. The phone will come in 6GB, 8GB, and 12GB RAM variants, as well as storage options ranging from 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. It has a 48MP main sensor, and what we expect to be a 20MP wide-angle and 8MP telephoto sensor. The battery should be 3,900.

ZTE Axon 10s Pro 5G — XDA Articles

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MWC 2020 is set to be another huge show for the mobile industry. While we already have a decent idea of what we’ll see at the event, there will absolutely be more than what’s listed on this page. You’ll want to keep up with everything that happens in Barcelona by following our MWC 2020 tag. Who’s excited for a big show?

The post MWC 2020 Preview: Everything we expect from this jam-packed event appeared first on xda-developers.

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Google Photos tests a monthly subscription service for automatically printing your best pictures

Google Photos is one of the best examples of a stellar free service on an Android smartphone. Unlimited photo backups, Google Assistant integration, and a whole host of AI features means that it’s a must-have for any Android smartphone user. It’s one of the most feature-packed Google services out there, and Google is continuously adding to it. Google often leverages its AI to create video slideshows, collages, and albums of trips and events. Back in November, Google added the ability for your phone to highlight “Memories” from many years ago, and at the same time, the company also made it possible to order individual prints of your photos. Google is building upon that, as users invited to a new beta program will be able to pay $7.99 a month to automatically receive prints of their best photos every month.

The idea behind the feature is that every month, you’ll receive 10 photos centered around a theme that you selected when subscribing to the service. The photos are 4×6 printed on matte white cardstock with a 1/8-inch border. The photos are selected from your last 30 days of photography. The themes you can choose from are as follows.

• Most people and pets: Relive your best moments of people and pets. Get prints featuring them and other great photos every month.
• Mostly landscapes: Revisit your most memorable places. Get prints of your outdoor shots, city scapes, scenery pics, and more sent to you every month.
• A little bit of everything: Mix it up! Get a mix of all your best moments! Photos of people, landscapes, and other photos delivered to you each month.

The photos arrive in a cardboard envelope, and are described as being “perfect to put on the fridge, in a frame, or to give as gifts to the important.” It appears that the service is currently only being trialed in the US, and you can check if you have it by going to Google Photos in your web browser. Those invited will see “You’re invited to the monthly photo prints trial” across the top.

While an exciting idea and a way for Google to make money off of a free service, I would personally be worried about the types of photos that it will print. I back up a lot of screenshots to Google Photos, could it accidentally identify one of them as a memorable photo? Google tends to be pretty good at identifying what’s a screenshot and what isn’t, but I’ve also had the service recognize a screenshot as a person. While Google could let you preview the photos that they’re going to send you, that may possibly ruin some of the excitement of a surprise.

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Source: 9To5Google

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Realme Buds Air TWS Review: Desirable truly wireless audio meets Realme’s reliability

Realme has barely spent two years old as an independent smartphone brand. While we cannot overlook the benefits of being backed by parent OPPO in terms of manufacturing, distribution, and marketing dollars, Realme has been one of the fastest-growing smartphone brands because of its super-affordable products. Just when we thought smartphones couldn’t be cheaper than what Xiaomi sells them for, Realme proved us wrong by bringing exceedingly powerful specs at great prices. After its fair share of success as a smartphone company, Realme wants to forge a lifestyle brand persona for itself. With this decision, Realme has plunged into a new category of tech products – truly wireless stereo earphones. The Realme Buds Air are unmistakably inspired by the Apple AirPods, but they cost only ₹3,999 (~$60) and thus, cater to an entirely different audience.

Buy: Realme Buds Air on Flipkart (₹3,999) || Realme online store

Realme’s TWS earbuds come with wireless charging, a dynamic bass boost sound profile, and a low-latency gaming mode. All of these features along with their affordability make the Realme Buds Air a lucrative choice for a large demographic of young users who want great-looking and feature-rich tech products.

Specifications

Specification	Realme Buds Air
Drivers	12mm
Battery	400mAh (charging case)
Charging	USB Type-C Up to 10W wireless charging
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.0 Google Fast Pair support Range: up to 10m
IP rating	NA
Dimensions	Charging case: 51.3 x 45.3 x 25.3 mm 42.3 grams Earbud: 4.16 grams
Controls	Pairing button on the case Touch controls on earbuds Double-tap: play/pause and to accept calls Triple-tap: Forward track Long press on single earbud: End calls and trigger voice assistant Long press on both earbuds together: Enter/exit gaming mode

I used the Realme Buds Air for about a month and both – the earbuds and the Realme 10W wireless charger – were loaned to us by Realme India. These are my observations about the Realme Buds Air after a month of usage.

Appearance / Looks

I will start with the first apparent observation about the Realme Buds Air i.e. their unmistakable resemblance to the Apple AirPods. Undeniably, the Realme Buds Air seem to be drawing some inspiration from the AirPods but that’s not surprising considering Apple was among the quickest to jump into the TWS ring. Even though Apple was not the first brand to launch truly wireless stereo earphones, its entry in the segment definitely diverted the world’s attention towards the category and inspired other brands to dive in.

The carrying case also looks similar but nuances such as the placement of the button for pairing, the LED indicator, a USB-C port at the bottom instead of a Lightning port, and lastly, a “Designed by realme” branding on the back add to its identity. The lid has a magnetic latching mechanism and it also acts like an on/off switch for the earbuds. The inner side of the lid is inscribed with details about the battery capacity besides some regulatory information. The LED light on the front is the only indicator on the carrying case of the Realme Buds Air and it glows in three colors to indicate the battery life and the connectivity status.

Looking closely at the Realme Buds Air, you can notice more nuances that help discern the Realme Buds Air from Apple AirPods or the latter’s clones. The stem on each of the earbuds is flatter on two sides and rounded on the other two, and this makes it looks sleeker than AirPods’ stems. Each earbud carries a proximity sensor which helps pause the media automatically when you pull either of the earphones out of your ear and then resume it when you put them on again. Electrodes at the bottom of the stems are used to charge the earbuds with the help of the pogo pins inside the carrying case. The earbuds lodge instantly into their sockets with the help of magnets which also keep them held even when you hold the case upside down with its lid open.

Forming a virtual triangle along with these electrodes is a small opening for the primary microphone. The secondary microphone for canceling environmental noise lies on the outer side just below the juncture between the stem and the earbud. There’s another opening on the inner face but its utility is unclear.

One cannot deny the direct AirPods inspiration but subtleties such as the flattened stem and different placements of the microphones and the proximity sensors save it the disgrace of bring called a direct and absolute rip-off. The inspiration from AirPods, however, will guarantee you bragging rights for the truly wireless design, especially if you’ve been seen with wired or Bluetooth neckbands. I would recommend buying the black variant of the Realme Buds Air over the white or the yellow ones since I’ve witnessed gunk accumulate along the joints in the plastic housing of the earbuds over time. This deposition makes the earbuds look dirty and warrants regular cleaning even though the plastic appears rigid and durable.

Comfort & Ergonomics

The Realme Buds Air are plagued with the same discomfort issues as most other earbuds that come with rigid shells. That, to be clear, is a subjective opinion and the fit might vary with the size of your ear as well as your previous experience with rigid shell earphones. For me, the Realme Buds Air don’t fit as snuggly as I would like them to and seem prone to falling off even if there’s a gentle smack on the earlobe. You can remedy the issue to some extent by choosing ear hooks or ear tips made of silicone or a similar cushiony material. You can find a wide variety of these online.

Because of the unconvincing fit, the Realme Buds Air might also stir up some reluctance when you have to move around. I found myself fearing the possibility that either one or both of the earbuds will be knocked off my ear while walking outside in a public space, taking off for a jog, or boarding public transport. For the same reason, the usability of the Realme Buds Air is pretty much limited to indoor spaces – unless of course, you’re willing to pay for a replacement. If it’s any help, Realme will be selling single earbuds individually if you lose one of the two – or want the two earbuds in two different colors for some reason.

Owing to the shape, the Realme Buds Air don’t seal the ear canal perfectly and you can hear ambient noises. Music being played at high volume cuts off the outside noise almost entirely, but the music also bleeds out at high volumes.

Notably, Realme does not talk about an official IP rating or protection from splashes or sweat which means there’s no surety it will survive in rain or during your workouts.

The good thing is that each earbud weighs just a little of 4 grams and for the most part, the weight does not seem to bother. While the weight does not spell any trouble, the thickness of the earbud did cause me much discomfort when using the earbuds for over a couple of hours. If you tend to use earphones while sleeping – I do since listening to music or binaural beats helps me unwind more easily at night – then the Realme Buds Air do not feel very gentle and can pain the part of the ear surrounding the air canal.

In spite of Realme’s pep talk about optimizing the angles between the stem and the earbud to ensure comfort, I have had to take the earphones off almost every hour or so. With that said, I must also repeat I am not a fan of earbuds shaped like wine glasses and the Realme Buds Air don’t contribute to changing that opinion. I would instead prefer a silicone tip and a design similar to something like the Sennheiser Momentum TWS earbuds or the new AirPods Pro even if there’s a price to be paid in the form of heft.

Features

The Realme Buds Air may not check all boxes when it comes to your requirements for comfort but they do on the tally of features. The most interesting set of features for me are the touch controls on each of the earbuds. The area on top of the secondary noise-canceling microphone registers touches which can be used for actions such as playing or pausing media, switching to the next track, invoking the voice assistant on your device, and switching to a low-latency gaming mode. Keeping in mind that unintended touches or taps can accidentally stop media playback unintentionally, Realme’s product team has assigned double-tap for play/play or for accepting calls. Additionally, a triple tap can forward the track to the next one but there’s no control to let you switch to the previous track. By long pressing on either of the earbuds at a time, you can activate the voice assistant on your device and the feature works fine with Google Assistant and Alexa on Android devices as well as Siri with Apple devices. The same action can also be used to disconnect calls. All of these touch controls work with taps on any one of the earbuds.

The Realme Buds Air also come with a low-latency Gaming mode, which can be triggered by long-pressing the touch area on both the earbuds simultaneously. It is designed to make communications more effective while gaming by reducing the latency in audio. The reduction in latency comes at the expense of bitrate – which is directly related to the quality of the audio. I will discuss the extent of this reduction in the section dedicated to audio quality.

Another quirky feature of the Realme Buds Air is its support for wireless charging. The company showcased its 10W wireless charger at the launch event but did not launch it. However, you can use any Qi-compliant charger to charge the Realme Buds Air wirelessly.

Also mentioned previously, the Realme Buds Air automatically connects to the device they were last paired with when the lid open. Similarly, the earbuds disconnect when the lid is shut. Realme’s TWS earbuds support Android’s Fast Pair protocol. For me, however, Fast Pair only worked with certain Realme devices. Pairing a new device requires you to place the earbuds inside the case with the lid opened – since the case and the earbuds cannot communicate otherwise – and pressing and holding the button on the front until the LED starts breathing in green color.

Sound quality

Before coming to perhaps the most crucial part of this review, the sound quality of the Realme Buds Air, I would like to clarify that human interpretation of audio is largely subjective. Further, the judgment for sound quality also depends on your preferred genres of music.

The Realme Buds Air support audio data transfer through AAC besides the standard SBC protocol. Relatively newer and more refined than SBC, AAC offers better quality than SBC but the transfer rate is slower as compared to SBC. The earbuds lack support for Qualcomm’s aptX or aptX HD, both of which offer slightly better audio than AAC, and with lower latency. The audio is output in the form of a 44.1kHz / 16-bit audio which is compared to standard CD-quality sound. You can read this detailed explainer on Bluetooth codes to learn more.

The Realme Buds Air utilize 12mm drivers and the company vouches for its dynamic bass boost profile. Holistically speaking, the earbuds have a warm tone, primarily with an emphasis on the bass and lower mids. Typically, while the lower frequencies can be heard louder, the highs feel diminished in comparison. The Indian variant of the Realme Buds Air is optimized for Bollywood music, which majorly comprises of bass and groove, so if you fancy similar music, you should enjoy the sound output.

Coming to the nuances, if you’re used to streaming most of your music online or have a stock of lossy compressed audio files – e.g. a 128kbps MP3 – alongside a knack for discerning one musical instrument from another, you’re going to have a hard time with the Realme Buds Air. As expected, the audio quality tends to get much better if you choose a better quality file, say 320kbps. However, due to the output limitations of the earbuds, a higher bitrate will not make an observable difference unless you use a lossless format such as FLAC or ALAC. As you would expect, toggling AAC on and off in Bluetooth settings will also alter the quality of the audio playback.

Staring with my dosage of music, I feel there’s no satisfying way of tagging music with specific genres. While this may seem like an attempt to be politically correct, I’d rather choose some of the tracks from the regular playlist that I chose to test the earphones. Here are the tracks I used to make my observations:

Sound quality analysis

(MP3, 44.1kHz, 271kbps)

The majority of the track is padded with vocals along and a bright acoustic guitar tone in the background. I hear James LaBrie’s energetic voice overpowering the strumming in the background and while for the most part, the guitar is audible, it is only heard distinctly in the absence of the vocals. The synth solo in the middle is dampened by the strums of the guitar, especially at higher volumes. At about 60% volume, the audio is much clearer but the vigor of the strong message and impactful music seem to get lost.

Sound quality rating – 5/10

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(MP3, 44.1kHz, 270kbps)

Majority of the parts in the song sail above the 100BPM mark. If you’re in for the sick beats played by Chris Adler, the Realme Buds Air will definitely get you to headbang vehemently. While the double bass pedal is constantly heard very distinctly – although not very clearly – the snare is almost muted by the rhythm guitar high-gain distortion. The riffs played on the lead guitar are also softened by the rhythm guitar. Randy Blythe shrieks and Adler’s constant hits on the ride are very much cut through all the sounds.

Sound quality rating – 7/10

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(MP3, 44.1kHz, 320kbps)

The clean arpeggio that constantly rings in the intro and the verses, as well as the punchy bass guitar, easily pour through Mikael Akerfeldt’s clean vocals. The restfully driven drums, especially the snare, help paint the remorseful picture that the song for most of the first half; even the soft piano and the classical guitar can be heard very easily. However, as more instruments mingle in the melody, the audio tends to feel crowded, hushing out the softer sounding instruments. The guitar solo just before the breakdown brings back the normalcy, as certain instruments fade out and the piano picks up. While the re-emergence of all the instruments at the bridge does compromise the clarity to some extent, the serenity of the outro restores the quality. The higher bitrate can be endorsed as the primary reason behind the improvement in the timbre.

Sound quality rating – 8.5/10

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(FLAC, 44.1kHz, 920kbps)

Black Sabbath’s 1970 ode resenting the “war machine” sounds utterly beautiful – as opposed to the scene that the lyrics compel you to visualize. Ozzy Osbourne’s punchy vocals strike as a divine message while Tony Iomy’s ravaging guitar tone teleport you amidst soldiers marching their way towards the conflict. The constant high-hat leading into the eruption of a hard-to-collate drum pattern in the pre-chorus and the chorus can be heard through other louder instruments. The classic heavy metal tone oozes out of every single note and sounds refreshing. The first guitar solo in the song utilizes two different guitars, out of which one is panning right and left while one is at rest. Not only are both the guitars heard distinctly, but the perceivable panning of the guitar also adds spatial sense to the music.

Sound quality rating – 9.5/10

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(FLAC, 44.1kHz, 961kbps)

The prime highlight of this ballad is Brent Smith’s grunge-ish voice, which surpasses the intro on keys and stays on top despite high-gain distortion used in the majority of the song. The voice doesn’t muffle or smother other instruments, which can be heard clearly and distinctly. The drums, especially the snare, are heard perfectly despite the intensity of the song while the bass guitar constantly keeps the audio dense and hearty.

Sound quality rating – 9/10

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(Spotify, Very High quality)

The steady loop of bass in Godzilla, which is currently the top track in Spotify’s Global Top 5 playlist, is funky but does not sound as lofty as some RnB might like it to. Eminem’s rap is in the spotlight most of the sound but the lyrics are easier to interpret with fewer beats in the background.

Sound quality rating – 6/10

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(Spotify, Very High quality)

Camila Cabello’s vocals can be heard clearly in harmony with the bass, the classical guitar, the synth loop, and the beats. However, when Shawn Mendes’ vocals enter the track, the legibility of the softer instruments reduces – even though you can still hear the strums on the guitar strings wherever Mendes takes a break. The bass is resonating throughout the song but the exact notes are heard better only in the absence of vocals.

Sound quality rating – 7/10

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(Spotify, Very High quality)

Translating to “Bass Queen”, the track by the Indian electronica producer is rife with bass, as the name suggests. This is the only song in which the bass played out of the Realme Buds Air rattles my ears, even when the volume is not set to max. The vocals on the track are masked with a flanger-like effect but the track has been deftly programmed to prevent elements crowding your audio perception and this is precisely why it feels so good on the earbuds.

Sound quality rating – 9/10

Overall good but not great

Overall, the sound of the Realme Buds Air is greatly suited for music utilizing fewer instruments (or sound sources). With more than three or four instruments in the track playing at the same time, the audio channels sound flooded and tend to lose clarity of individual instruments. As mentioned previously, the frequency response of the Realme Buds Air has been optimized to boost the loudness of vocals along and other sounds roughly in the 100 – 2000kHz frequency range. Audios comprising sounds in this range can be heard louder as compared to the higher frequencies, for which the response is more or less flat. You can, however, fix that to quite an extent using an equalizer (per music app) or something like the DVC controller built into apps like Poweramp.

Poweramp Music Player (Trial) (Free, Google Play) →

Likewise, when you’re watching a show or a movie on, say Netflix, the background score could overpower the dialogues if it is too strong. Fortunately for Realme X2 Pro users, the Dolby Atmos sound optimization feature can be used to equalize for system-wide sound output via not just wired headsets but also Bluetooth ones like the Realme Buds Air.

Low-latency Gaming mode

Latency for Bluetooth audio can be defined as the time difference between the moment the signal is sent out of the device and the moment when it reaches your ears. Realme says that usual latency in with Realme Buds Air in the standard mode is around 245ms, which isn’t too much for Android devices, whereas it is reduced by 51% to less than 120ms.

Ideally, for a lossy format (MP3, M4A, etc.), the latency on playback from an Android device can range from 200ms to 400ms and this includes the time taken by the DSP to process the audio signal, the OpenSL ES or AAudio APIs to render this processed signal, and then the transmission via hardware – i.e. a dedicated chip – from the device to the earbuds.

Another important aspect is what is commonly called signal “buffers” which work on a first-in-first-out (FIFO) basis such that the audio data which has entered the chain will exit first irrespective of any gap or playback issues. Buffers are used to regulate the audio signal and make sure there are no jitters while playback. The addition of buffers adds to the latency of the audio playback but it also ensures a smoother output. If the rate at which an audio signal is processed and rendered by a device is lower than the rate of Bluetooth transfer, then the output audio can be jittery.

Bluetooth codec latency chart; Source: SoundGuys

Realme’s gaming mode, by definition, reduces the latency of playback and entering into this mode is characterized by the sound of a car engine being started and revved initially. To be able to make use of the feature, there should be sufficient buffer of the audio signal so that there is enough backlog for the earbuds to catch up to. If you’re listening to audio which uses a lossless format such as FLAC or ALAC, the Gaming mode will not lead to glitches but when the audio is in real-time, such as in the case of gaming, the lower latency might actually lead to the choppiness of the audio. Here’s a good explainer on Android’s Bluetooth latency by SoundGuys.

Testing Bluetooth latency

To verify Realme Buds Air’s claims for low latency playback, I played certain music files and looked for any tendency of glitches by manually varying the latency duration of the DSP + OpenSL ES API (i.e. the buffer) in Poweramp music player. Drops in audio playback can be heard if the buffer is shorter than the time taken for Bluetooth transfer. Here are the observations I made:

• Starting an MP3 file with a 128kbps bitrate on the OnePlus 7T about a meter away from the earbuds,
  • I could still experience frequent glitches (one every five seconds) in the audio when the buffer size was set to about 130ms.
  • At about 150ms using the same 128kbps file, the glitches are less frequent (almost one per 20 seconds).
  • The glitches seem to go away when the buffer is set to 180ms.
  • This implies that the latency of the Bluetooth connection using the gaming mode on the Realme Buds Air for audio with a bitrate of 128kbps is somewhere around the 180ms mark.
• Next, moving to a 320kbps file, the glitches at 110ms and 130ms buffer settings are fewer than the file with a lower bitrate but there is a minor change in the quality of the playback. This can be explained by the fact that the DSP is taking longer to process the file with higher quality.
• Do note these arbitrary values should not be treated as the absolute latency values for the Realme Buds Air.
  

In conclusion, Realme’s gaming mode may reduce the latency, but it also increases the tendency for choppiness. So, it’s not very useful. Realme could have rather added support for aptX codec, which would have intrinsically reduced the audio latency.

Connectivity

The Realme Buds Air use Bluetooth 5.0 to connect with input devices. Each of the earbuds connects individually to the device instead of the master-slave configuration. Furthermore, the carrying case has no further role to play after the connection is established. The range of connectivity for the Realme Buds Air is around 10 meters, and that can be reduced if there are walls or other physical obstructions in between. In low-latency Gaming mode, the range remains about the same.

The Realme Buds Air support all major OS platforms and I’ve tested them with Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows 10. At present, the earbuds cannot connect to more than a single device at a time.

Battery

Realme does not talk much about the battery capacity of the Realme Buds Air but fine text inside the lid of the carrying case reveals that there’s a 400mAh battery and that most likely applies only to the carrying case. Each of the earbuds also have smaller batteries inside them but the exact rating is unknown. The battery life of the Realme Buds Air is just about 2.5 hours per earbud when you’re listening at full volume. The battery life claimed by Realme is 3 hours but that is tested at 50% volume. This just isn’t good enough, especially if you have to travel or stay outdoors for a long period. Do note that the drainage of the battery may vary with conditions like the kind of content you’re consuming, your distance from the earbuds, your indulgence in gaming, and the usage of the two microphones.

To recharge the earbuds you have to place them in the carrying case and each charge takes about 30 minutes if the earbuds are fully drained. It would be wiser to place the earbuds back in the case if you’re not using them because that ensures you’ll have 100% battery every time you start using them, as long as the case is charged too.

In my usage, the carrying case can charge the Realme Buds Air from about 10% to 100% five to six times. Therefore, the total battery life of the earbuds along with the carrying case will be around 16 hours. The quantity of the charge in the case is denoted by the blinking LED with red indicating low, green indicating an (unknown but) healthy amount and amber anywhere between them.

The carrying case takes about 2 hours and 40 minutes to charge fully using the USB-C port at the bottom. When the carrying case is fully charged, the LED indicator glows in green continuously (not pulsing). Furthermore, using Realme’s 10W wireless charger, I could charge the Realme Buds Air faster, in just about 2 hours 10 minutes. Using a Qi-rated wireless charger could take longer since Qi standard is limited to 5W.

On the battery front, the Realme Buds Air fail to impress and but the advantage of wireless charging is something to cherish, especially if you’ve already invested in a wireless charger.

Realme Buds Air: Coupling affordable truly wireless experience with exciting features

Realme Buds Air definitely get the advantage of the company’s popularity. The audio quality may not be the best but it is good enough for the price. You can extract the most value by using lossless audio formats and equalizing sound to your preferences. Further, the touch controls make the Realme Buds Air interesting for me and the choice of excluding single-tap controls feels thoughtful and useful.

However, when it comes to comfort, the Realme Buds Air may not please everyone. Sure, you can find silicone ear tips or hooks online for pretty cheap but I would personally prefer an earbud design over the rigid body as the former feels more secure. As I said earlier, the Realme Buds Air feel well suited for indoor usage but not as much for outdoor applications.

Lastly, features like wireless charging are something I really like but I wish the carrying case had a better battery indicator. Overall, Realme’s first attempt at truly wireless stereo earbuds feels ambitious, and the attractive price will definitely compel a lot of users to buy them — most should not regret that decision.

Buy: Realme Buds Air on Flipkart (₹3,999) || Realme online store

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Developers have exploited the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Note 9 to get root access on the Snapdragon models

Samsung phones sold in the U.S. are notoriously difficult to root. Samsung Knox makes rooting especially annoying, and it tends to break a lot of things if you do manage to get root. Users in the U.S. can’t even unlock the bootloader to root their devices in the first place. Every once in awhile, though, developers figure out an exploit that allows us to root. The Snapdragon Galaxy S7, Snapdragon Galaxy S8, and Snapdragon Galaxy Note 8 were possible to root using exploits, for example. The same developers behind the SamPWND exploit for the S8/Note 8 are back again with exploits that allow for root access on the Snapdragon Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ and Galaxy Note 9 — although there is a catch.

Samsung Galaxy S9 XDA Forums ||| Samsung Galaxy S9+ XDA Forums
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 XDA Forums

The catch is that rooting the Snapdragon Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ and Galaxy Note 9 requires a certain Android version being installed on the devices. Root isn’t available for the devices on the up-to-date firmware at this point in time. Currently, you are only able to root the Snapdragon Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ and Galaxy Note 9 if you’re running Android 8.0 or 8.1 Oreo. This is two major versions of Android behind the current release based on Android 10. You also need to be running what’s called a combination firmware — firmware that Samsung uses in the factory for testing. The combination firmware is the only reason root is possible, but it also has its own limitation: Flashing it will cap the battery charging to a max 80%, unfortunately. On the other hand, Samsung Knox is still working (because you aren’t unlocking the bootloader), so apps like Secure Folder or Samsung Pay continue to work. Plus, you get to keep your warranty in countries where software modifications may void it.

Another peculiarity with this root method for the Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+, and Note 9 is that it does not use Magisk, meaning this isn’t systemless root. Instead, it’s using SuperSU. Since the bootloader is still locked, there is no way to patch the boot image for Magisk to work. So with SuperSU, we get an entirely system-based root solution. That also means that, unfortunately, SafetyNet Attestation will not pass, which means apps like Google Pay and Pokémon Go won’t work.

What’s more is that there is also no TWRP available due to Safestrap causing a kernel panic. You will also need to use a specific button combination every time you boot your phone to make sure to disable write protection. Fortunately, you can install the Xposed Framework. This allows for a lot of functionality and customization given the plethora of modules out there. Although most custom ROMs can’t be flashed because of the locked bootloader, it possible to install a GSI. The developers have already tested and booted an AOSP Android 9 Pie GSI on the Galaxy S9+, as shown below.

All the instructions you need have been posted in the forum posts linked below. The process requires some Odin flashing along with running some scripts from your computer and in the FlashFire app. Instructions for flashing the GSI are also linked in the forum post.

Root for Galaxy S9 (G960U/U1) ||| Root for Galaxy S9+ (G965U/U1) ||| Root for Galaxy Note 9 (N960U/U1)

We want to give a shout out to the developers behind the Extreme Syndicate root project. Team Syndicate is composed of XDA Recognized Developer/Retired Forum Moderator elliwigy, Recognized Contributor jrkruse, Senior Member klabit87, Senior Member me2151, and Member GSM-CHEN. They all spent countless hours working on getting root access for these devices.

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[Update: Fixed] Google changes how Play Store changelogs are previewed, resulting in some awkward phrasing

Update 1 (5:08 PM EST): Google has confirmed that this issue has now been fixed on the Play Store.

The Google Play Store has received a number of updates over the last few months. Google added one-tap buttons to leave betas and more, the Google Play Pass subscription, and a brand new Material Theme redesign. That new design gave us (eventually) a Dark Theme that works with the Android 10 system setting, but it also brought a strange change to the changelog previews.

The “What’s new” section on an app listing is where developers can share any new features or fixes that were included in the update. Some developers use this better than others, but that’s a different topic. One strange decision that Google made with the Material Theme redesign was to shorten changelogs by removing text from the middle of the excerpt. The beginning and the end of the changelog are smushed together with ellipsis separating the text. Here are two examples:

As you can see, this is a messy solution to shortening the excerpt. The text is combined in different spots depending on screen size, font scaling, and screen orientation. It would make much more sense to truncate the excerpt from the end. One side effect of Google’s method is some humorous and NSFW text combinations showing up in the Play Store. Here are two examples:

PayPal

New in this version: Improvements and bug… so you’ve always got the latest and greatest.

HotStar

We regularly update our app to provide you a…ss a thing, just keep your Updates turned on.

One developer has taken matters into their own hands and created a script that generates multiple possible shortened text results based on your changelog. The script then automatically checks for bad words and tells you if it finds anything. Admittedly, this is a pretty strange problem, but it’s something that people are noticing on the Play Store. If you’d like to avoid having your changelog chopped up into unfortunate phrasing, check out the project on GitHub below.

Source: GitHub

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Update: Fixed

On the Google Issue Tracker, a Google employee confirmed that the issue has now been resolved. Play Store changelogs should no longer be awkwardly split in the middle.

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Hands-on with the Honor V30 Pro 5G [VIDEO]

The Honor V30 Pro was announced back in November as the company’s latest flagship device. The phone is only available in China right now, but we expect a global launch (as the Honor View 30) to be announced at MWC. XDA TV’s TK Bay got his hands on the 5G model ahead of the global launch event and gave us a good rundown of the device.

There is a non-Pro version of the Honor V30 as well, but TK has his hands on the Pro 5G model. The main difference between the two devices is the rear-facing camera setup. While both the devices feature triple cameras, the Honor V30 Pro adds OIS to the primary 40MP sensor. It also has a 12MP secondary wide-angle sensor with auto-focus and an 8MP telephoto sensor with auto-focus.

Honor V30 XDA Forums

The front features a double-wide hole punch, which houses the 32MP and 8MP wide-angle lens. The Honor V30 Pro has 8GB of RAM with both 128GB and 256GB storage options. Another difference between the devices, which is quite unusual, is that the base Honor V30 features a larger 4,200mAh battery, while the V30 Pro packs in a 4,100mAh battery. Also, keep in mind that you will need to sideload Google services on this device. Check out TK’s video below to see the hands-on in full.

The post Hands-on with the Honor V30 Pro 5G [VIDEO] appeared first on xda-developers.

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