At the Galaxy Unpacked event earlier this year, Samsung unveiled a new pair of truly wireless (TWS) earbuds alongside its flagship Galaxy S20 series. The new earbuds, called the Samsung Galaxy Buds+, were a minor upgrade over the original Galaxy Buds, featuring larger batteries in the earbuds as well as the charging case, support for multi-device connection, and a new dual driver system. Initially, the Buds+ were released in three color variants — Cosmic Black, Cosmic Blue, and Black — but Samsung went on to add a new red color, a special Thom Browne edition, and an Aura Blue color. Now, Samsung is working on a BTS-branded Galaxy Buds+ that will cater to K-pop fans.
XDA Editor-in-Chief Mishaal Rahman and XDA TV Video Producer Max Weinbach had originally spotted that Samsung was working on a new purple-colored Galaxy Buds+ that would go on sale alongside a BTS-branded Mirror Purple Samsung Galaxy S20+.
Remember how I was asking about that BTS logo yesterday? Well, it’s because Samsung is releasing Galaxy Buds+ in partnership with BTS. This will likely launch with the Mirror Purple BTS phone. We found these images in the newest Galaxy Buds+ plugin from the Google Play Store. pic.twitter.com/LPw8kJTAoy
BTS is a seven-member South Korean boy band which is immensely popular among fans of the K-pop (Korean Pop) genre. The band has fans not only in South Korea, but all across the world, thanks to their works as well as collaborations with other international pop artists like Halsey, Ed Sheeran, Nicki Minaj, The Chainsmokers, and many others. A BTS-branded Galaxy S20+ and Buds+ attempts to capitalize on the fandom while still introducing a different color option on the already-popular products.
OnePlus relies heavily on its community of fans to constantly improve its products, both on the hardware and software level. The company is known for hosting regular Open Ears forums around the world to directly engage with community members for feedback and it recently launched the new IDEAS program to get user input on new software features for OxygenOS. On top of that, OnePlus regularly hosts contests on its forums and social channels to keep the community engaged and reward its most loyal fans. In keeping with the trend, OnePlus has now announced a new contest over on its forums asking its community to co-design a OnePlus jacket which will be launched alongside the OnePlus 8T.
If you’re interested in taking part in the design contest, you’ll first need to sign up for contest-related notifications before June 5 by following this link. Then you can download the jacket template from the forum post linked below or you can use the online tool here. Once you have the template, you can add elements related to the “We and OnePlus” theme to create your unique design. After you’re done creating your design, you’ll need to save it as a .PNG file and submit it via this link before June 15 20:00 EST.
OnePlus’ internal review board will judge the submitted designs based on three attributes — relevancy to the theme, creativity, and aesthetics. For your design to qualify for this stage, it will have to feature the OnePlus logo, be original and have not been used for any other contests or IP, and the file submitted should be over 120 PPI. All participants who submit a design will be awarded 200 community points, while the top 8 entries will be rewarded 1000 community points.
The top 8 shortlisted entries will also be featured on OnePlus’ social channels and the final winners will receive a special edition of the community jacket. Additionally, the final winners will get a VIP ticket to the next offline launch event (most likely for the OnePlus 8T series), including return flight tickets and one-night accommodation. The company will select two winners based on a community vote on the OnePlus forums and Twitter. It’s also worth noting that OnePlus won’t be selling the community jackets and they will only be offered to users who are active in both online and offline community activities. The company will release more details about how you can win a community jacket at a later date.
Back in December last year, Facebook launched a new tool to help users transfer their photos and videos from the platform over to Google Photos. The photo transfer tool, which was launched as part of Facebook’s Data Transfer Project, was initially rolled out in Ireland and later made available in countries in Latin America, the Asia Pacific, the EU, UK, South East Asia, and Africa. Then, earlier this year in April, Facebook rolled out the tool in the US and Canada. And now, according to a recent blog post from the company, the tool has finally been made available worldwide.
The tool is quite easy to use and it seamlessly transfers all of your photos and videos on Facebook to Google Photos. To use the tool, open up Facebook’s desktop or mobile site and head to the main settings. On the desktop site, click the “Your Facebook Information” tab and then select “Transfer a Copy of Your Photos or Videos.” Enter your password in the next step, the choose Google Photos from the dropdown menu. Enter your Google password, grant permission, and you’re done. On the mobile site, you’ll have to scroll down on the main settings to access the “Your Facebook Information” section. The rest of the steps remain the same.
It’s worth noting that the transfer process isn’t quick and will take quite a bit of time if you have a whole lot of photos and videos shared on Facebook. The Activity section will show the transfer as “Pending” until it begins, then it will say “In Progress” while the photos/videos are being transferred. Once the process is complete, you’ll receive an email from Facebook notifying you of the same. The transferred photos and videos will appear in Google Photos under albums named “Copy of [Facebook album name].”
There are many phones that market themselves as “Gaming Phones” but these phones often skip out on essential gaming features. If you’re looking for a real gaming phone that implements features that truly make it stand out as a gaming device, look to the Nubia RedMagic 5G. This new phone was announced on March 12th of 2020 and implements several important features to make this the ultimate gaming phone.
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Specs
Chipset
Qualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865 (7 nm+)
RAM
8/12GB
Display
144Hz 6.65″ AMOLED Display at 1080x2340p
Storage
128/256GB
Main Camera
64+8+2MP [8K Video]
Selfie Camera
8MP
Battery
4500mAh with up to 55W Quick Charge
OS
Android 10, Redmagic 3.0
The 144Hz Display Captures More Action than Other Phones
You may be familiar with the 144Hz displays found in many desktop gaming PCS. Well now, this type of display is is possible on Android devices. Nubia included this high-performance display to meet the heightened standard of gamers today. The RedMagic 5G is the world’s first mass-produced phone with a 144Hz display. This brings the 144Hz display to the average person at an affordable price. It’s a bold move that will help to change the standard for smartphone displays. The higher refresh rate means your games will look much smoother when played at higher FPS. The 1080x2340p display has a pixel density of 387ppi making your gameplay crisp and detailed.
This advanced display will give you a clear advantage over players with other phones. The ability to see more detail on a small mobile screen will help you in popular competitive games like PUBG. On regular 90Hz displays, the lower framerate makes elements of a game blend together. It becomes more difficult to differentiate players from the background or surrounding graphics. At 144Hz, you’ll notice that you have a much easier time seeing enemies from further away and maintaining clear visuals when the camera is moving quickly.
Active Liquid Cooling Lets you Play Longer Without Feeling the Heat
Anyone who has played graphics-intensive games on a phone knows that this can lead to heating issues. Gaming on an Android can become difficult as the phone gets hot and uncomfortable to hold. The Nubia RedMagic 5G solves this problem with the integrated liquid cooling system. An L-shaped liquid-cooling pipe runs through the phone, assisted by a small 16,000 RPM fan. Cold air is sucked in through one side of the phone while hot air is pushed out the other. This ends up keeping your phone 200% cooler.
While some other phones offer similar specs as the Nubia RedMagic 5G, without an active liquid cooling system, they fall short of the new gaming standards set by Nubia. All the power of these specs fitted into a phone will result in higher temperatures while gaming. This makes the Nubia RedMagic 5G a superior gaming experience when compared to other flagship devices.
Nubia RedMagic 5G Liquid Cooling
Nubia RedMagic 5G 16,000 RPM Fan
Controls and Performance that Enhance your Gameplay
A popular accessory with mobile gamers is a Bluetooth controller. The ability to use 4 fingers instead of just your thumbs, means you can now aim, shoot, and move at the same time. The Nubia RedMagic 5G added trigger buttons on the side of the phone to remove the need for a third-party controller. You now have some of the benefits of a full controller, without the need to pair an additional device. These trigger buttons are flush with the rim of the phone and don’t add any bulk to the device. The triggers are customizable as well, meaning you can map different actions to these buttons.
Nubia RedMagic 5G with Built-in Pro Triggers
4D Shock is a feature that gives you realistic vibration feedback during your gameplay. It’s another feature that makes your phone feel more like you’re holding a gaming controller.
The Nubia RedMagic 5G is powered by the Snapdragon 865 chipset with options of up to 12GB of RAM. These specs are enough to not only run the most powerful games, but to keep your Discord voice chat going in the background and even have several other apps running at the same time.
To push these specs even further, Nubia offers Game Space 2.1. This game launcher allows you to control your cooling fan, use the Game Booster technology, and take advantage of the RedMagic Time game recording.
4500mAh Battery to Keep you Powered for Longer
The RedMagic 5G has a large 4500mAh battery with 18W Quick Charging. You can upgrade this is a 55W quick charging option to charge your phone much faster. You can comfortably have several gaming sessions throughout your day, without needing to recharge. For games that often have over 30 minutes for a match, you won’t be worrying about finding somewhere to hide while you run and grab your charger.
“Rocking an 18W quick charging and upgradable to 55W quick charging, the RedMagic 5G charges fast and keeps you playing longer. Don’t let a weak battery hold you back.”
Nubia RedMagic 5G Fast Charging
The Best Valued Gaming Smartphone
One of the best features of the RedMagic 5G is the pricetag. While the phone features specs that stand up to almost any flagship phone on the market, this phone will only cost you $579.00 for the base model. For a phone that features a 144Hz display and the Snapdragon 865, this pricepoint is amazing.
If you compare the RedMagic 5G to other phones at this price range, like the OnePlus 8, Xiaomi Poco F2 Pro, or Google Pixel 4, you’ll find that Nubia is the only option the features a 144Hz display. The additional gaming features, premium build, and latest specs, make the RedMagic 5G the best-valued phone starting under $600.
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Price
8GB+128GB/ Eclipse Black
$579.00
8GB+128GB / Hot Rod Red
$579.00 (Pre-order now)
12GB+256GB / Pulse
$649.00
Pre-order the Hot Rod Red version of the RedMagic. It will be available from June 1 to June 8, 2020. 1% of pre-order sales of the Hot Rod Red will be donated to Child’s Play, a non-profitable charity organization.
We thank Nubia for sponsoring this post. Our sponsors help us pay for the many costs associated with running XDA, including server costs, full time developers, news writers, and much more. While you might see sponsored content (which will always be labeled as such) alongside Portal content, the Portal team is in no way responsible for these posts. Sponsored content, advertising and XDA Depot are managed by a separate team entirely. XDA will never compromise its journalistic integrity by accepting money to write favorably about a company, or alter our opinions or views in any way. Our opinion cannot be bought.
Back in April, the team behind the CarbonROM project released CarbonROM revision 8.0 (code-name “PAX”) – the first stable Android 10-based build of this custom ROM — for a handful devices from different manufacturers. The initial roster contains legacy smartphones like the Google Nexus 4 as well as current-gen devices such as the Xiaomi Redmi K30/POCO X2. The developers also committed to bring official support to many more devices after finding a proper recovery solution for them.
Now, the CarbonROM team has successfully integrated the June 2020 security patches and rebased the project on top of the latest Android 10 Release 37 (QQ3A.200605.001) branches. The developers are well aware of a mysterious freezing issue on existing CarbonROM 8.0 builds, and they have requested end-users to provide relevant logs via their support platforms. They also added 5 new phones to their list of supported devices since we covered their Android 10 announcement. Here are the new entries:
Not all of today’s news is good news, though, as the team has decided to pull the plug on Android Oreo-based CarbonROM “Noct”. According to a recent post on the team’s blog, the May release of Noct builds will be the last official one. While there is no concrete assurance, the maintainers might pick some of the unsupported devices in the future in an effort to resume official support.
Regarding Android Pie, the team plans to keep maintaining the CarbonROM “Opal” branch of builds until they successfully merge CarbonROM-specific features on top of Android 11‘s stable release. As a consequence, users will still get monthly security updates on devices that do not support Android 10 yet.
We already know that Sony is prepping up to launch the successor to its highly acclaimed WH-1000XM3 Bluetooth headphones. The upcoming headphones have previously been spotted in leaked live images shared by our Editor-in-Chief Mishaal Rahman and we’ve also got a good look at all the new features that Sony will be introducing with the headphones, thanks to an APK teardown of the Sony Headphones Connect app. While the company is yet to announce a launch date for the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones, Walmart has now listed the headphones on its website.
According to a recent report from TheWakmanBlog, the upcoming Sony WH-1000XM4 has been listed on Walmart’s website at a price of $348. Even though the listing doesn’t include an image of the headphones, the about section lists down all of its features, thereby confirming some of the information we gathered in our APK teardown. Here are all the features and benefits mentioned in the Walmart listing:
Industry-leading digital noise cancellation
Industry-leading noise cancellation technology means you hear every word, note, and tune with incredible clarity, no matter your environment. Additional microphones also assist in isolating sound while talking on the phone, resulting in improved phone call quality and the reduction of even more high and mid frequency sounds.
Ambient sound control
Adjust ambient sound with the Sony Headphones Connect app to cancel noise while still allowing through essential sounds, like transport announcements, when you’re listening on the move.
Proprietary technology for premium sound
LDAC transmits approximately three times more data (at the maximum transfer rate of 990 kbps) than conventional Bluetooth audio, allowing you to enjoy high-resolution audio content in exceptional quality, as close as possible to that of a dedicated wired connection. Powered by DSEE Extreme technology, the 40mm drivers with Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) diaphragms are Hi-Res Audio Compatible, reproducing a full range of frequencies up to 40 kHz.
Real-time restoration of all your compressed files
Using Edge-AI (Artificial Intelligence) co-developed with Sony Music Entertainment, DSEE Extreme (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) upscales compressed digital music files in real time. Dynamically recognizing instrumentation, musical genres, and individual elements of each song, such as vocals or interludes, it restores the high-range sound lost in compression for a richer, more complete listening experience.
All-day power with quick charging
The WH-1000XM4 headphones are made to last all day and then some, whether you’re focused on your work or flying around the globe. Up to 30 hours of battery life on a single charge keeps you listening instead of charging. Low on battery? No problem – 10 minutes of charge time gives you an amazing up to 5 hours of playback.
Touch control
Change the track, turn the volume up or down, activate your phone’s voice assistant, and take or make calls by tapping or swiping the panel with your fingertip.
Clear hands-free calling
Conversation flows freely with easy, hands-free calling. Leave your phone where it is, just speak with a double tap. Thanks to Precise Voice Pickup Technology, which combines five built-in microphones with advanced audio signal processing, WH-1000XM4 delivers clearer voice quality to the other person on the phone. Precise voice pickup technology implemented in WH-1000XM4 optimally controls the five microphones built into the headphones and performs advanced audio signal processing to pick up your voice clearly and precisely for hands-free calls.
Multipoint connection
For total convenience, the WH-1000XM4 headphones can be paired with two Bluetooth devices at the same time. So, when a call comes in, your headphones know which device is ringing and will automatically connect to the right one. You’ll also be able to quickly and smoothly switch your headphones to either of the two devices at the touch of a button.
Adaptive Sound Control automatically adjusts to your location and behavior
Adaptive Sound Control is a smart function that can learn to recognize locations you frequently visit, such as your workplace or favorite cafe, and tailor sound for the ideal listening experience. In addition, it automatically detects what you’re up to – for example, walking, waiting, or traveling – then adjusts ambient sound settings to best suit the situation.
Wearing comfort
WH-1000XM4 headphones blend sophisticated styling with exceptional comfort. Super-soft, pressure-relieving earpads in foamed urethane evenly distribute pressure and increase ear/pad contact for a stable fit. And with a lighter- weight design, you’ll barely notice you’re wearing them.
What the Walmart listing doesn’t mention, however, is the new Smart Talking/Speak-to-chat feature that we spotted in our APK teardown. The feature is expected to allow the Sony WH-1000XM4 to automatically enable ambient sound when voice is detected. So if you’re trying to talk to someone, the headphones will let ambient sound come through and let you continue your conversation without any efforts on your part. After a user-defined time (Fast, Mid, Slow, or None), noise cancellation will return back to the original setting. The headphones will also let you adjust the voice detection sensitivity to prevent it from activating too often.
Sony is yet to reveal any official information about the upcoming WH-1000XM4 headphones. However, since the headphones have now appeared on Walmart, we expect the company to make them official in the coming days. It’s also worth noting that Walmart has still not taken down the listing and the headphones are currently listed as ‘Out of Stock’.
The Color Filter camera on the OnePlus 8 Pro has been in the news for a fair few reasons. At first, most reviews wrote off the 5MP color filter camera and its existence as a gimmick, one with very limited use cases that a lot of users would quickly forget. Then, some users found that the color filter camera can actually see through very thin plastic objects and very thin clothing. OnePlus then mentioned in a Weibo post that they would be disabling the camera through a software update, with a clarification coming later that this would only be for the Chinese market. Surprisingly, an OTA went out to global units which ended up disabling the camera, only for OnePlus to come out and clarify that this was an accidental rollout and that the change was reverted shortly thereafter.
As it turns out, customers who purchase the OnePlus 8 Pro in India might not get to witness the color filter camera, not initially at least. We have evidence that suggests that the mode will be disabled on the Indian units as well.
In OnePlus Camera 4.0.267, which is to be found within OxygenOS 10.5.10 that has rolled out for the OnePlus 8 Pro in India, we spotted a few things. One, this update adds video filters and prepares to add a “Smart Scene Enhancement” toggle. In addition to this, we also discovered that the property “InfraredCameraBuilder.ModelsToDisableInfraredCamera” was modified to include model names “IN2020” and “IN2021“. IN2020 refers to the Chinese OnePlus 8 Pro, while IN2021 is the Indian OnePlus 8 Pro.
We decompiled the app and discovered that this camera app update now checks the system property ro.product.model. If this property matches either IN2020 or IN2021, then the color filter camera and the Photochrom mode is disabled.
We do not have access to an Indian OnePlus 8 Pro to test this out. But, we could replicate the same by changing the value of ro.product.model to IN2021 on a rooted OnePlus 8 Pro Global variant.
We can confirm that enabling this property will disable the color filter camera on the camera app update.
What does this mean for customers in India?
The OnePlus 8 Pro has launched in India, but it has not gone on open sale in the country yet, as the company had to deal with production issues because of COVID-19. There is no date announced yet for the first sale of the device, so no consumers actually have the device in their hands yet.
It is likely that OnePlus could preload this software update on retail units, which means that consumers will not have access to the color filter camera out-of-the-box (note that other cameras and modes will remain functional). Even if they do not preload the update, most users will accept the OTA updates on their phones anyway, especially since the update does have other meaningful additions, meaning the mode will be disabled through an update shortly after unboxing.
Our internal sources suggest that this disabling of the color filter camera is a temporary measure and that OnePlus is already working on an update that will “fix” and re-enable the camera, with an expected rollout ETA of end of June 2020.
We’ve reached out to OnePlus India for comments or statements on the same. We will update our article when we hear back from them.
