Last November, we heard the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 arriving this year will have the same battery capacity as the Galaxy Z Flip3. But, a new report by Dutch publication GalaxyClub claims the Galaxy Z Flip4 will pack a slightly larger battery.
The publication says that the Galaxy Z Flip4 (SM-F721) will come with two batteries, having model codes EB-BF721ABY and EB-BF722ABY. The former is referred to by Samsung internally as a “sub battery” and is the larger of the two with a rated capacity of 2,400 mAh, while the latter is the main battery having a rated capacity of 903 mAh.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3
This takes the total rated capacity to 3,303 mAh, which is 103 mAh more than the Galaxy Z Flip3’s total rated capacity, meaning the Flip4’s typical battery size will be about 3,400 mAh (Flip3 is 3,300 mAh).
That’s not too big of an improvement, and it remains to be seen how much extra battery life Samsung will manage to offer over the Galaxy Z Flip3, which scored an endurance rating of 69 hours in our battery tests.
We are still a few months away from the Galaxy Z Flip4’s unveiling, but you can expect to hear more about it in the lead-up to the official announcement.
The recently released Honor Magic4 Lite in Europe isn’t a new phone in other markets. The device is also known as the Honor X30 and Honor X9 5G. The former was the first one to arrive in China back in December last year. The device is a budget version of the Magic4 series and borrows the aesthetics of the other three flagship models – the vanilla Magic4, the Pro and the Ultimate.
But the design is as close as the Lite version gets to its more capable siblings. After all, the budget Lite iteration asks just EUR320 in Europe, so you can’t really expect the advanced camera setups found in the rest. It’s also the only one settling for an LCD panel.
The handset’s current price is reasonable, but it might be a great value. It may be an LCD, but it’s a big one – 6.81″. It could very well be a perfect fit for someone looking for a phone with a large display. A 4,800 mAh battery supporting 66W fast charging sounds enticing, too.
Honor Magic4 Lite specs at a glance:
Body: 166.0×75. 8×8.0mm, 189g; glass front, plastic back and frame.
We also have the Snapdragon 695 SoC on board, which seems to be a common choice in this price range and, as such, it makes the Magic4 Lite a competitive solution, performance-wise that is.
The camera setup, which comes off as a bit too basic given the absence of a proper auxiliary camera like an ultrawide or telephoto, falls short of the competition. Then again, our experience with budget ultrawide cameras isn’t positive, so Honor skipping the commonly used 8MP ultrawide camera may not be a big omission.
Since Honor is an independent company now, although some remaining ties with Huawei can be spotted, it has to make a name for itself in Western markets once again. The competition is fierce. We’ll try to assess the Magic4 Lite’s capabilities and pit them against the best alternatives in the same price bracket.
Unboxing the Honor Magic4 Lite
The Magic4 Lite’s box isn’t anything out of the ordinary and carries the usual user manuals, the 66W fast charger and a USB-C to USB-A cable for charging and data transfer.
Honor threw in a transparent silicone case in there as well for extra protection. It won’t conceal the design.
nubia Red Magic 7 Pro goes on sale in international markets
The nubia Red Magic 7 Pro launched in China in February is now available for purchase in global markets. The international model has 16GB RAM on board and two color options – Obsidian and Supernova. The former comes with 256GB storage and the latter with 512GB storage, priced at $799/PS679/EUR799 and $899/PS759/EUR899, respectively.
The Red Magic 7 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC and runs Android 12-based RedMagic OS 5.0 out of the box. It also comes with a dedicated gaming chip called Red Core 1 to handle audio, RGB lighting, and haptic feedback, allowing the Qualcomm silicon to focus on more important tasks.
The gaming smartphone is built around a 6. 8″ FullHD+ AMOLED with a 120Hz refresh rate and 960Hz touch sampling rate. The panel is protected by Gorilla Glass 5 and has a fingerprint reader underneath for biometric authentication. It also has an under-display 16MP selfie camera, offering an unobstructed visual experience not possible with displays having notches and punch holes.
nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
The 64MP primary camera is located in the center of the rear panel, joined by 8MP ultrawide and 2MP macro units. Fueling the entire package is a 5,000 mAh battery charged through a USB-C port. However, it’s worth mentioning that unlike the Chinese version that supports 135W charging, the global model only goes up to 65W.
You can read our nubia Red Magic 7 Pro review here to learn more about it.
Remember when new phone announcements used to happen all in one go, at one event, with zero specs being officially outed beforehand by the companies themselves? Those were the days. Then OnePlus came along and changed the game with its drip feeding of small tidbits method of creating and sustaining hype over extended periods of time.
Well, now everybody’s doing just that, and vivo sub-brand iQOO has been applying exactly this formula when it comes to the Neo6 SE. This phone is due to become official on May 6, but at this rate, we’ll know absolutely everything there is to know about it before then – and straight from iQOO itself.
After having previously revealed the phone’s chipset, battery capacity, charging speed, and storage amount, today it was time for the company to address the elephant in the room: cameras. It hadn’t talked about this before, but now we know that the Neo6 SE’s main rear shooter will be a 64 MP unit with OIS.
That seems, on paper at least, identical to the Neo6, which is already launched. The SoC that is used may be what will make these devices different. The Neo6 SE has the Snapdragon 870, while the Neo6 goes with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Based on previous rumors, the displays seem to be identical too, so we’re anxious to find out what other differences there might be – if any. Keep watching for iQOO’s next teaser.
Apple shares criteria for removing ‘abandoned’ software from App Store after recent pushback
In response to the recent news about software being removed from App Store, Apple has shared its guidelines for how it removes abandoned apps. The company is also reiterating that the practice is not new but instead part of an initiative that started six years ago.
Abandoned apps
The effort started in September 2016 as part of a greater initiative to revitalize the App Store with daily editorial and clearer policy decisions. The company said it would pull software that had been abandoned by developers or just no longer worked. It makes sense to remove software that was not working when it is downloaded on new hardware years ago. However, this has not always been obvious. Nothing stops Apple from pulling apps that still work but just aren’t maintained.
Criteria
Six years after it made a reset of dev relations, Apple continues to learn how to better its relationships with developers. Part of that effort is material in publishing its criteria for how it chooses to remove apps that it considers abandoned.
As part of the App Store Improvements process, developers of apps that have not been updated within the last three years and fail to meet a minimal download threshold — meaning the app has not been downloaded at all or extremely few times during a rolling 12 month period — receive an email notifying them that their app has been identified for possible removal from the App Store.
Emphasizing that the program has been ongoing for years as standard App Store maintenance, Apple shares that it has removed nearly 2. 8 million apps and counting for meeting this criteria. Read more about the policy on Apple’s developer site. Apple says it has revised its page detailing the practice as well for clarity.
20 years after the eMac, should Apple introduce a new entry-level Mac?
20 years ago, on April 29, 2002, Apple unveiled the eMac – a desktop computer that was based on the iMac but with less premium design and hardware, so that it could be more affordable for the education segment. Apple does offer an education discount, but there is no Mac specifically designed for this market. But what if Apple introduced a new entry-level Mac in 2022?
The eMac
When the eMac was introduced, Apple had already released the iMac G4 a few months earlier with a floating LCD display and the iconic “lamp” design starting at $1,299. But since the company wanted to reach out to students and educational institutions, it came up with the eMac.
Although the eMac had the same G4 processor as the entry model iMac G4, the rest of the computer was largely based on the old iMac G3. Apple reduced production costs by using a CRT screen instead of an LCD display.
At first, the eMac was sold exclusively to educational buyers with prices starting at $1,099. The machine became so popular that Apple later reduced the price to $999 and made it available to everyone. The eMac was officially discontinued in July 2006, when Apple replaced it with a low-end version of the iMac G5 sold exclusively to educational institutions.
Is an entry-level Mac needed?
If we take a closer look, the entry-level price of the iMac remains about the same since the first model. However, 24 years later, you can get a machine with a large Retina display, SSD storage, and the powerful M1 chip for the same $1,299 as before. It’s a great deal, right?
At the same time, Apple sells the M1 MacBook Air for just $999, and you can get an M1 Mac mini for as low as $699. I believe there is still a market for a more affordable Mac.
I do think that all Apple Silicon Macs are a great value considering all they offer, but they are still expensive machines for students and educational institutions. You could argue that the Mac mini fits this purpose, but then you need to consider the price of all the peripherals like a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
Apple already offers a student-focused entry-level iPad that costs almost half the price of the iPad Air and delivers the full iPad experience. The iPhone SE, which is a cheaper option than the iPad Air, offers a more basic experience and is less expensive.
This strategy to introduce cheaper products is working well, since Android has lost ground to iOS over the past few years. So why not adopt the same strategy with the Mac?
I’m sure some students (and even regular consumers) would give up things like a 4K display, advanced speakers, or modern design to experience macOS and the Apple Silicon platform for a more affordable price. Personally, I believe that if Apple keeps the current M1 MacBook Air for a lower price after introducing the rumored redesigned model later this year, it would be killer for the laptop market.
But what about you? Do you want to see an entry level Mac in Apple’s product line? Let me know in the comments below.
Apple this week released a new AirTag firmware to users, but details about the update were unknown. However, the company has now confirmed that the latest AirTag firmware (version 1.0. 301) enhances the unwanted tracking alert.
In a rare occasion, Apple has posted official notes of what has changed with the latest AirTag firmware update on its website (via MacRumors). There, the company revealed that AirTag Firmware Update 1.0. 301 tunes the audible alert when an unwanted AirTag is detected, so that a person can easily locate it.
AirTag Firmware Update 1.0. 301:
Tuning the unwanted tracking sound to more easily locate an unknown AirTag.
Requires iOS 14. 5 or later.
Since the AirTag was introduced, we’ve seen some good and fun stories related to the product. Unfortunately, some malicious people have been using AirTag to track others without consent. Apple announced anti-stalking precautions in order to stop anyone using AirTags for tracking people.
For instance, iPhone users now receive an alert if an unknown AirTag is detected moving with that person. To make it easier for people to find unknown AirTags, the company also created an Android app. Then, users can trigger an audible alert on that AirTag to find and dispose of it, or take it to the authorities.
It’s worth noting that AirTag firmware updates are rolled out to users in phases. These updates will be delivered to your iPhone in phases. Make sure that you have the most recent iOS version installed and your AirTag is within Bluetooth range.
Read also:
Man uses AirTags and PowerPoint presentation to ask airline for his lost bags
Here are additional AirTag anti-stalking measures Apple could introduce
AirTag stalking protections working around a third of the time, show police reports
The Pixel Watch leaks campaign has begun ahead of the expected announcement at Google I/O in October. Already, we’ve seen the prototype in action in a restaurant in a cardboard box with no charge. This very conveniently managed to show the world the upcoming hardware without also portraying any part of its software.
Then the watch got certified by the Bluetooth SIG in three versions, and today a new rumor drip-feeds us the next bit of info: the battery capacity. It’s going to be 300 mAh. Are you surprised? Is that small?
Let’s put it into context. The Pixel Watch that leaked in that restaurant is a 40mm device, as is the Galaxy Watch4 which has a smaller 247 mAh battery. It’s not clear what sizes the Pixel Watch might come in. After all, even if the device is two-sized like many other smartwatches (including that of Samsung), it’s hard to know which model the leakage applies to.
It looks like the Pixel Watch will not have the smallest cells. Which makes sense considering it’s a pretty chunky monkey at around 14mm thickness.
The only detail that this leak gives us is the fact that the Pixel Watch will be able to connect wirelessly. It’ll be one of three models and will be the most costly. Hopefully it’s not the one with the 300 mAh battery, as that combo doesn’t make us envision great endurance.
YouTuber turns a 27-inch iMac into a fully functioning ‘Studio Display’ for half the price
When Apple’s new Studio Display was released last month, many people were quick to point out that panel is nearly identical to the one that Apple used in the 27-inch iMac starting in 2014. Because of the similarities between the two, YouTuber Luke Miani decided to see if he could convert an old iMac into a Studio Display.
Can an iMac be converted into a Studio Display?
Miani explains:
Apple’s new Studio Display is quite an interesting product, but at $1,599 it’s an arguably bad value. But since there are so few other displays out there that offer 5K resolution at 27 inches, for some it’s the only option. Until today. If you don’t fancy spending $1600 on the Apple Studio Display, you can make your own!
The obvious choice would be Target Display Mode. This feature allows you to use your iMac’s display as an external monitor for another Mac. Apple has since discontinued Target Display Mode with macOS Mojave. The Retina iMac wasn’t supported by this feature.
With that in mind, Miani set out to convert an iMac from 2014 into a standalone, fully functional external display for $600. This process involved completely gutting the iMac, which is something you have to do by removing the front panel of the iMac itself. After this complex process was complete, Miani needed to find the right conversion board to allow you to connect your iMac.
The finished product is pretty impressive. The iMac has USB-C connectivity, and its built-in webcam works perfectly. The total all-in cost for this project turned out to be $829, which is around half the price of the Studio Display. You miss out on some features, such as P3 color gamut support, but it’s an impressive result for under $,1000.
Watch Miani’s complete video. This is a fascinating process that many people would not dare to attempt.
Switch Sports proves Nintendo’s extreme patience pays off
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In the mid-2000s, Wii Sports was the biggest game on the planet. If Activision, EA, or Ubisoft had published the minigame collection, we would have a dozen sequels and a reboot by this point — maybe an animated show on Nickelodeon, too. Wii Sports, for better or worse is a Nintendo franchise. Instead, we get one sequel, an remake and a decade worth of silence on the radio.
As a fan of the title, I was disappointed every time Nintendo completed a press conference or Nintendo Direct without mention of motion-controlled bowling. But as an editor who has covered this beat since the days of the Wii, I understood the business logic of it all. Nintendo is home to so many well-loved studios, they would be able to cannibalize one another if they got all the sequels they wanted.
So, I waited. And I waited. And I waited.
When the publisher revealed Nintendo Switch Sports in December last year, it was clear that I was losing hope. It was my assumption that Nintendo would produce another Pack-in for Switch if it wanted to use the Wii Sports model. I was wrong in every way.
As the Switch’s sales figures (and empty Target shelves) demonstrate, Nintendo did not need to include a game in its pack-in bundle in order to sell it. The success of the Switch could make Nintendo Switch Sports an even bigger hit than Wii Sports . Just this year, the Switch passed the Wii in total sales, zipping past 100 million units sold. The potential market for Nintendo Switch Sports seems enormous. And should Nintendo Switch Sports do the classic Nintendo game thing, amassing huge sales numbers over multiple years, then the game will keep the Switch relevant as it wades into the golden years of its hardware life cycle.
Once again, Nintendo has proven that patience is a virtue. We saw a similar situation last year with Metroid Dread, a project that had bounced in and out of development since 2005. Whether the publisher waits for the right moment to revive a series, or keeps a project in development hell, the end results are the same: a sustained quality that its peers haven’t matched (and likely never will).
Until recent times, “a delayed video game is eventually great, but a rush game is always bad” was incorrectly attributed to Shigeru Miyamoto, the Mario creator and icon. It’s much more likely, however, that the quote was just a common phrase across the games industry, the sort of aphorism that helps creatives push back the accounting team an extra month or two. I prefer the thought that Miyamoto didn’t coin the phrase, because that would mean that every major publisher in the games industry knows this mantra to be true. It has been a mantra that Nintendo only consistently lives by.
This week on YouTube | Why have the recent crop of science fiction video games all sounded so… rustic? Are they more than simply a soundtrack from a rural country? Clayton Ashley investigates in this Polygon classic!
Five stories to read
Image: TT Games/WB Games/Disney/Lucasfilm Games
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is at its best when it veers from the films | “Do I need another Death Star trench run? Is this really pod racing? While I understand the Gungans fighting the droid army, is this a level that is fun to play? The answer to all of these questions is no, and Lego Star Wars is at its best when it meaningfully departs from the cinematic source material.”
The MCU wasn’t designed for shows like Moon Knight . Marvel’s house style limits emotion and drama which makes it difficult for Oscar Isaac to tell a bold story.
Unionization continues to gain traction at game studios | This week, BioWare QA workers made moves to unionize, potentially organizing contractors on the Dragon Age and Mass Effect teams. Activision QA employees at Raven Software were awarded a ruling by the NLRB, opening the door to a vote on unionization in April.
Rogue Legacy 2’s Easter egg is a generous nod to an overlooked gem| “FMF Fan” gives players free gold. But what does it mean?
Netflix’s controversial Eurotrash sex franchise goes soft in 365 Days: This Day | Is this the first movie to feature “sex golf”?
Five things to watch
Image: Netflix
Bubble on Netflix | One day you wake up and there’s a post-apocalyptic sci-fi parkour riff on The Little Mermaid from a director of Attack on Titan waiting to be watched.
10 recent Nicolas Cage movies you should watch | The star of The Unbearable Weight of MassiveTalent has been been putting together one of the strangest and enjoyable filmographies of the past decade.
Undone on Amazon Prime | Season 2 of this amazing animated show asks: Is time travel the best therapy of all?
Barry on HBO Max | The HBO comedy is back to make you laugh — but not too hard.
The 13 Batman movies, ranked| We apologize in advance for the placement of Batman & Robin, an underappreciated disasterpiece of gaudy commercialism. Signed, the management.
Plus, everything new to streaming:The Godfather trilogy returns! And 12 great movies leaving streaming at the end of April.
Three games to play
Image: Analgesic Productions
Sephonie | This 3D platformer was inspired by Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Spyro the Dragon… and Tetris! Available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows PC, Linux, and Mac OS.
The Iron Oath | Polygon Recommends | A mix of Darkest Dungeon, XCOM, and Divinity: Original Sin, this might be the next great turn-based tactics game. Available for Windows PC.
Warframe | Many years into the shooter’s life, its new updates remain consistently bizarre, fun, and compelling. Available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC.
Free game of the week
Image: Bethesda Softworks
The Elder Scrolls 1 & 2 | Bethesda is shutting down the Bethesda.net Launcher and moving its catalog to Steam. The publisher is offering the Elder Scrolls’ first two titles for free. Now you can play the classic games that cleared a trail for Morrowind and Skyrim without having to wonder if that’s a good use of your cash when you could just buy Skyrim for the umpteenth time. Available on Steam for Windows PC.
The best of the rest
Image: Daniel Warren Johnson, Juan Gedon/DC Comics
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3
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