DXOMARK Test Results Show Huawei P40 Pro with 128 Score

DXOMARK has run its photography tests on the Huawei P40 Pro and released a score of 128 points. This makes it the highest score from DXOMARK so far. The Huawei P40 Pro was expected to have one of the best cameras on the market, but the selfie camera also scored higher than other phones. After testing the dual 32MP selfie camera, the phone ended up scoring 103 points.

Rear Camera

• Primary: 50MP 1/1.28″ sensor (12MP output), 23mm-equivalent (1x defined as 27mm) f/1.9-aperture lens, full-pixel Octa-PD, OIS
• Ultra-wide: 40MP 1/1.54″ sensor, 18mm-equivalent f/1.8-aperture lens, PDAF
• Tele: 12MP 1/3.56″ sensor, 125mm-equivalent f/3.4-aperture lens, PDAF, OIS
• ToF: 3D depth-sensing camera (78-degree FOV)

Of course, the camera is equipped with flash and can shoot in a max of 4K for video with 2160p/60fps (2160p/30fps tested). The wide-angle camera can shoot at 1080P/30fps. There’s also a multispectral color temperature sensor for the rear camera setup.

The Huawei P40 Pro obtained the new top score in the photo category, based on its performance across all sub-categories. Among these, the Exposure and Zoom scored particularly well.

Powerful exposure brings stable, high-quality night-time photo capabilities. DXOMARK’s test report shows that when shooting night scenery, the P40 Pro has a wide dynamic range and the details of the highlights are still very clear without much noise.

In the Zoom section, DXOMARK testers believe that the P40 Pro has significantly improved software algorithms compared to its predecessor. When zooming, the Huawei P40 Pro camera is capable of recording higher levels of detail than similar devices at all zoom ranges, while keeping image noise well under control. Huawei uses an RYYB sensor on the tele lens, which greatly increases the amount of light reaching the sensor. The also helps to control the color of the photo very well.

Selfie Camera

The selfie camera is equipped with:

• 32MP 1/2.74-inch sensor with 0.8µm pixels
• 26mm-equivalent f/2.2-aperture autofocus lens
• IR 3D sensor for depth estimation and autofocus
• 4K 2160/30fps video

Using the selfie camera, the Huawei P40 Pro scored particularly high with exposure, color, noise, flash, and bokeh. Bokeh shots are very impressive, thanks to the P40 Pro’s dedicated IR sensor providing good depth estimation and accurate masking around the subject when blurring the background.

Posting a new top score for front camera video makes the P40 Pro a solid all-rounder for selfie enthusiasts. In both indoor and outdoor conditions, videographers will have few complaints, thanks to the excellent exposures and pleasant colors, as well as accurate autofocus and effective stabilization. It’s not quite as good in low light, and detail is a little lower compared to the best 4K front cameras that have been tested. The P40 Pro remains one of the devices overall for front camera video on the market.

Huawei P40 Pro Forums

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OnePlus announces Crackables 2.0 puzzle game with a $10,000 max prize

In 2018, Google and OnePlus teamed up to launch a puzzle game called “Crackables.” The game is about solving (or “cracking”) puzzles against time restraints. The special thing about it, however, is that OnePlus had a bunch of real-world prizes up for grabs. The company is once again launching a Crackables competition with up to $10,000 on the line.

Crackables 2.0 is comprised of 4 stages this time around. There are rounds of individual puzzles and one community puzzle. In the community puzzle, players will race against the clock to finish first. On May 7th, there will be a “Grand Finale” where the fastest 10 players of the previous rounds will play to beat the “final boss.”

The Grand Finale will be live-streamed and “influencer-hosted.” This is where there will be a chance to win a grand prize of $10,000 USD and another $10,000 USD for a charity.

Anyone who has access to Google will be able to play Crackables 2.0 starting on April 14th at 12:01 PM EST. The game will be accessible at crackables.oneplus.com. You can register now here to be ready. Good luck!

Calling all wanderers Who’s ready to crack the puzzle?

— OnePlus (@oneplus) April 7, 2020

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Source: OnePlus

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Microsoft xCloud preview expands to 11 European countries

Microsoft’s xCloud service builds upon the company’s game streaming ambitions. Formerly known as Project xCloud, this service is designed to let users stream existing and future Xbox games to your console, PC, or mobile devices. What you get is console-quality games in a platform-agnostic manner, meaning that you can enjoy several of these on your phone while on-the-go. While there is still some time before everyone everywhere can have their own proverbial Xbox in the cloud, Microsoft is offering xCloud in a preview state to selected regions. xCloud preview is now available in 11 more countries from Europe.

Microsoft xCloud preview launched originally in the US, UK, and Korea back in September 2019. The service is now expanding to Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden. Interested users from these countries can register for the xCloud for Android.

Because of COVID-19 and the challenges it poses to the Internet infrastructure, Microsoft will be beginning the preview in each of these new markets with a limited number of people, and adding more participants over time. A very large number of people have come online due to social distancing and related stay-at-home advisories, and this has put the internet infrastructure under a lot of strain. A comfortable and enjoyable game streaming experience requires plenty of bandwidth, so a staggered approach to onboard beta testers is the best move in such times.

Microsoft is on track to launch xCloud later this year, but it also mentioned that not all countries which see a preview will see a definite final launch. Nonetheless, with over 50+ games available, xCloud is in a decent position to compete against the likes of Google Stadia and NVIDIA GeForce NOW.

Have you signed up for Microsoft xCloud preview? Or do you prefer other competing services? Let us know in the comments below!

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Story Via: The Verge

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WhatsApp Beta v2.20.117 hints at Advanced Search feature and new auto-download rules for frequently forwarded messages

WhatsApp is the most used instant messenger in the world, catering to well over two billion users worldwide. The number of messages exchanged on the platform every day is unfathomed and a big share of these messages comprises multimedia like GIFs, photos, videos, documents, etc. Naturally, going back and searching for previously shared media can be a really taxing process. The facebook-owned company recognizes this agony and may soon launch an advanced search feature to ease it. In addition, WhatsApp is also expected to be working on password protection for WhatsApp chat backups to Google Drive and remove the auto-download option for frequently forwarded media.

Advanced Search

WhatsApp beta recently got updated to v2.20.117 and it fixes random crashes due to a missing library called “libcurve25519.so.” Other than this fix, WhatsApp is also working on an advanced search feature under the hood, revealed WABetaInfo. The feature will let you use tags such as Audio, Video, Documents, Links, GIFs while looking for an item sent or received during a chat.

The advanced search feature complements the current chat search option limited to only text messages currently. It has already been spotted on the WhatsApp beta on iOS, although its first reference was seen at least a year ago.

Backup password protection

Another feature that WhatsApp is working on is password protection for chat backups on Google Drive. While the online backup is encrypted, Google Drive is vulnerable to attacks by miscreants online. Based on WABetaInfo‘s description, you can create a password with at least 8 characters to lock the backup. The password will reportedly be not synced with the WhatsApp account or saved on Facebook’s servers. So if you set a password, you’ll have to note it down somewhere.

Auto-download rules

WhatsApp is also trying to curb excessive forwarding on the platform. It just announced restrictions on forwarded messages in India to just one chat at a time and could soon disable auto-download of frequently forwarded images, videos, documents, and voice messages.

All of these features are under development and might make it to the final beta and eventually stable builds based on how useful the development team and users find them.

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OnePlus confirms the OnePlus 8 Pro supports 30W wireless charging, renders of charger leak

It’s no mystery that OnePlus will be announcing its next flagship series soon. The company has been talking about the OnePlus 8 series and we’ve seen several leaked renders of the devices already. One of the rumors about the OnePlus 8 Pro has been wireless charging, a feature the company has notoriously ignored. OnePlus has now confirmed the feature will be included.

People have been wanting OnePlus to include wireless charging for years. At this point, wireless charging has been a basic feature in other high-end devices for quite a while. OnePlus, however, has always maintained that wireless charging wasn’t up to the standards of wired Warp Charging. They’ve been working to make wireless charging a product they can be “proud of” and they’ve apparently achieved that with Warp Charge 30 Wireless.

OnePlus 8 Pro XDA Forums

Warp Charge 30 Wireless, as the name implies, is a wireless charger that can charge with a peak output up to 30W. OnePlus says it can charge a device from 1-50% in 30 minutes. One of the things that makes wireless charging slower than wired is the inefficient power transfer. OnePlus claims its isolated charge pump ensures 97% charging efficiency. The charge pump can also act as a kill switch and deactivate charging if abnormal currents and voltages are detected.

OnePlus is also using a customized chip in the OnePlus 8 Pro for communication between the phone and wireless charger. The chip allows the phone and charger to work together to maintain fast and stable speeds. The phone will also be compatible with Qi wireless chargers, but obviously not at the same 30W speeds. It’s compatible with all 5W and 10W EPP Qi chargers.

In the post about the charging technology, OnePlus teased the charger with an outline of the actual device. Thanks to @evleaks, we now have leaked renders of the Warp Charge 30 Wireless. Unsurprisingly, it looks pretty bulky. The charger is white with a metallic trim around the edges. The front appears to have an LED indicator light and the back has a large vent of some sort. It also looks to have a proprietary cable connection. On the phone itself, we can see that “Warp” wireless charging will be indicated on the screen.

We’re glad to see the OnePlus 8 Pro will finally have wireless charging. Even if you won’t be taking advantage of OnePlus’ Warp Charge 30 Wireless charger, it’s still a nice option to have.

Source: OnePlus, Evan Blass (Patreon)

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Samsung Galaxy J6 and Nokia 3.2 receive stable Android 10 update

The positive effect of Project Treble on the update fragmentation issue in the Android ecosystem can’t be denied. Thanks to Google’s effort to modularize the OS, mainstream OEMs are not as reluctant to deliver major Android version updates to legacy and/or entry-level smartphones anymore. Two such devices – the Galaxy J6 from Samsung and the Nokia 3.2 from HMD Global –  have now started to receive stable Android 10 OTAs in select regions.

Galaxy J6 XDA Forums || Nokia 3.2 XDA Forums

Samsung Galaxy J6

The Exynos 7870-powered Samsung Galaxy J6 was originally launched with Android Oreo. The One UI skin, along with Android Pie, landed on the phone around a year ago. Samsung is now pushing out the second major update to the phone (SM-J600G variant to be precise), which also brings in March 2020 security patches. The OTA, tagged as J600GUBU6CTC8, is live in Panama at the time of reporting.

Cross-flashing the aforementioned firmware on other regional variants of the Galaxy J6 (SM-J600F/FN/GF/GT/N/L) might trigger compatibility issues, thus it is advisable to wait for the OTA. Samsung, however, hasn’t incremented the bootloader version (v6) with the update, thus advanced users can revert back to Pie via manual flashing.

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Nokia 3.2

According to HMD Global’s Android 10 update roadmap, a bunch of third generation Nokia phones should get the taste of Android 10 by the end of Q1 2020. The Nokia 7.2 barely made it, and the Nokia 3.2 has now joined the club with a negligible delay.

Happy to announce, Android 10 rollout for Nokia 3.2 has started! Check the link for more details and the availability in different countries #Android10 #Nokia3dot2 https://t.co/0rJYMjRehc pic.twitter.com/tfaG1ETuiv

— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) April 7, 2020

The Nokia 3.2 is also eligible to get three years’ worth of monthly security updates and two years of OS upgrades, which means that this phone will eventually receive yet another major version of Android. Talking about the current Android 10 OTA (software version V2.270), it ships with features like dark mode and smart reply, while bumping the security patch level (SPL) to March 2020.

The OTA is rolling out in batches, but HMD Global is planning to complete the rollout by April 12.

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Xiaomi says Google is forcing OEMs to mention Google apps support on retail boxes

Last week, Chinese consumer electronics brand Xiaomi launched the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro in parts of Europe. Like the majority of Android smartphones sold in Europe, the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro come with Google apps pre-installed. Having Google apps support is something that is usually not mentioned in product marketing since nearly every Android smartphone sold outside of China will have this feature. Curiously, though, the retail boxes for the European Mi 10 series include a statement advertising Google apps support, as shown in the featured image embedded above. Many Chinese netizens and bloggers assumed that Xiaomi included this statement as a jab at Huawei for the latter’s inability to ship Google apps, but Xiaomi has clarified that Google required them to include this statement. Furthermore, Xiaomi says that Google is actually requiring that all OEMs that ship devices with Google apps include this statement.

The retail boxes of the Xiaomi Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro have a statement on the side that reads “with easy access to the Google apps you use most.”

To understand why this decision sparked controversy in China, you need to know about the situation with Huawei. In the middle of 2019, the U.S. Commerce Department placed Huawei and its many subsidiaries on the “Entity List,” citing national security concerns. As a result, Google has been unable to sign new license agreements with Huawei, preventing the latter from shipping new smartphones and tablets with Google Mobile Services (GMS). Because this restriction has yet to be lifted, Huawei was forced to launch its flagship P40 series in Europe without GMS. This situation has angered many in China who believe the U.S. is unfairly targeting Huawei to gain leverage in trade negotiations. Huawei smartphone sales surged in China in the months following the trade ban due to many factors including strong investments in alternative services (Huawei AppGallery, Huawei Mobile Services, etc.) and even “patriotic consumer purchases.” It is because of the sentiment that Huawei is being unfairly punished that some Chinese media and consumers viewed the statement on the Mi 10’s retail box as an attack on Huawei.

Not wanting to lose favor with its Chinese fans, Xiaomi quickly issued a statement addressing the issue from one of its Weibo accounts. The statement can roughly be translated as follows:

We have noticed that there is a discussion on the latest copy of the packaging of Xiaomi mobile phone overseas market. In order to avoid misunderstanding, the explanation is as follows：

1. This copy is from the promotion requirements of the partners in the latest cooperation agreement, similar to the “power by android” displayed on the Android phone and the “intel inside” on the computer.

2. Because the previous version of the agreement between Xiaomi and its partners has expired, Xiaomi becomes the first batch of contracted manufacturers of the new version of the cooperation agreement, and is also the first manufacturer to release new products after it becomes effective.

3. We hope that global mobile phone manufacturers can cooperate smoothly with all partners to create a richer ecosystem.

When Xiaomi is talking about “promotion requirements” for partners in the latest “cooperation agreement,” they are likely referring to a new provision in the Mobile Application Distribution Agreement, or MADA, that they had to sign in order to be able to distribute Google Mobile Services. This new provision is likely what made Xiaomi put the “with easy access to the Google apps you use most” statement on the Mi 10 retail box. Xiaomi does not specify whether this requirement will be for all devices they sell internationally or only for devices they sell in Europe, but they liken this requirement to the “Powered by Android” boot up co-branding that Google now requires for devices. According to a source who has access to the latest GMS Requirements document for the European Economic Area (EEA), there is no wording related to the new requirement that Xiaomi alludes to.

Section 1.3 of Google’s “GMS Requirements v7.0” document outlines the “Powered by Android” Boot up screen requirements. OEMs that distribute GMS must abide by this requirement.

Thus, when Xiaomi states that the “previous version” of its “agreement” has expired, they likely mean that their MADA expired, forcing them to sign a new one with Google in order to continue to be able to distribute GMS on new devices. This new MADA likely contains the new marketing provision that forces OEMs to mention Google apps support on the box. Xiaomi suggests that their agreement has only recently expired and that they’re the first OEM to release a new product after the new terms came into effect, which is why the new Mi 10 seems to be the first device that contains this statement on the retail box. A Senior Engineer of “New Media” at Xiaomi states on his personal Weibo account that new “overseas” flagships from Motorola and other companies will also contain this statement. Other Xiaomi employees have chimed in on this new requirement, with some viewing this as a hypocritical attempt by Google to mock Huawei while simultaneously pitching the U.S. Government for a license to do business with Huawei.

Some Chinese media have reported on an alleged comment by a Vivo Product Manager that seems to confirm the new requirement, but we are unable to find this particular comment on Weibo. Regardless, Xiaomi’s statement makes it clear that Google has added some kind of provision that requires its OEM partners to market GMS support on the retail boxes of new smartphones. We don’t know when this provision went into effect or if the requirement will affect all devices sold outside of China, though. We reached out to both Google and Xiaomi for statements regarding this matter and will update this article if we hear back.

Featured image credit: TK Bay for XDA-Developers

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