Category: Cell Phone

ZTE NEW PATENT HAS A UNIQUE PUNCH-HOLE CAMERA

The smartphone industry is consistently evolving and the race to get a true full-screen device is heating up. We’ve have seen all sorts of designs aimed at improving the screen ratio of smartphones. It all started with a notch, then waterdrop design, pop-up camera, periscope structure, sliding design, and most recently, the punch-hole design. Some months ago, Oppo and Xiaomi showcased their “invisible” selfie camera solutions in short videos. Recently, Xiaomi got a patent from CNIPA for a dual “invisible” front camera. Now, ZTE has a patent for a stylish punch-hole camera. The positioning of this camera is unique.

In April this year, ZTE Corporation applied for a patent with the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office) for a ‘Display panel, camera device, terminal and screen manufacturing method’. The patent describes a ZTE phone with a very small punch-hole camera. To make the camera stand out, ZTE will integrate the selfie camera with the basic icons at the top of the display. By placing the front camera between these icons, you hardly notice that there is a camera.

The battery indicator is at the far right and we have the camera next to it. Extra icons including the network, WiFi etc towards the left of the camera. The screen will also have a ‘sound wave transmission area’, according to the patent description. In practice, this means that the speaker, receiver and / or the microphone will be placed under the display. Smartphones with Sound-on-Display technology include LG G8 ThinQ, which was introduced at the beginning of this year. However, this technology is new to ZTE.

Motorola’s mysterious pop-up camera phone might be the One Hyper

Motorola has already released the One Vision, One Action, One Zoom, and One Macro this year but it’s not stopping there. New information points towards a fifth model that’ll arrive in the near future and be marketed as the Motorola One Hyper.

Unlike recent Motorola-branded smartphones, this particular device is expected to debut with an all-screen design that makes use of a 6.4-inch LCD display, impressively thin bezels and a new pop-out camera system. The latter includes a 32-megapixel selfie sensor and aligns perfectly with the vertical camera setup and stripe that are featured on the back of the phone.

As leaked images have previously revealed, the stripe on the One Hyper’s rear is home to the ‘Motorola One’ branding and the company’s famous batwing logo. The camera module, on the other hand, includes a 64-megapixel primary camera and a dedicated depth sensor.

Powering the One Hyper will be the not-so-hyper Snapdragon 675 which Motorola has previously used inside the Moto Z4 and One Zoom. The chipset is reportedly paired with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage as standard, although other configurations are certainly possible.

A 3,600mAh battery paired with fast charging should complete the package alongside a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner that’s surrounded by an LED ring that’ll likely double as a notification light. Lastly, reports suggest the phone will ship with Android 10 pre-installed.

Latest Galaxy S11 Leak Highlights Massive New Screen

As we look forward to 2020’s crop of smartphones, what can we expect from Samsung and the presumptively named Galaxy S11 flagship? A recent online benchmarking exercise suggests one answer lies in the screen.

The details come from Galaxy Club, who spotted the new device and its stretched screen in online benchmarking tools. Although not specifically called the Galaxy S11, the model number in the test (SM-G416U) matches the lineage of previous devices tested pre-launch:

Samsung has been using the SM-G4xx model code for years to disguise models in the Galaxy S series during various test processes. The first two numbers are replaced, but the last – and the letter – are not. The SM-G416U is therefore in fact the SM-G986U in disguise. Without knowing for sure, this could be the American 5G version of the Galaxy S11 Plus . Finally, the SM-N976 is the 5G version of the Note 10 Plus .

The browser benchmark tells us a number of features, including the aforementioned model number and that the device is running Android 10 (which you would expect for a 2020 flagship). The key information is the screen size.

Running at 384×854 pixels, that translates to an aspect ratio of 20:9.

This is taller and thinner than previous Galaxy S and Galaxy Note devices, but it is not unknown in Samsung’s line-up. The recent A70 and A80 handsets sport a 20:9 ratio screen. Bringing that screen size to the S class makes sense, and would help the handset stand out from the current 19:9 screened Note 10 and Galaxy S10.

It’s unlikely that this will be the only change to the screen. Samsung is reportedly working on an under-display camera for the selfie shooter, which would negate the need for a notch, punch out hole. That would offer a cleaner experience to the user, and a 20:9 ratio screen with minimal bezels will look impressive.

Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy S11 in February next year, ahead of Mobile World Congress 2020, with a presumptive release date in early March.

Pixel 4 turns up the heat on other Android phones, and not because of the camera

With the blink of an eye, Google’s Pixel 4 accomplishes something that no other significant Android phone-maker has. It finally caught up to iPhone’s Face ID — a biometric unlocking feature that Apple popularized two years ago — to unlock the phone and buy things with a scan of your face. Now that a secure version exists in Android phones, face unlock will be the killer feature every Android user will want. 

The face unlock feature on Android phones has existed for years, but mostly as a convenience that’s been flimsy enough to fool with photos. Face ID’s more rigorous process meant it was secure enough for transactions. 

Some Huawei phones, like the Huawei Mate 30 Pro, use the same technology as Apple to unlock the phone, but they don’t support mobile payments. This year, Samsung killed its iris scanning after three years. That left Apple as the only real game in town.

With consumers more aware of the value of their privacy, being able to offer secure face unlock is potentially even more convenient than scanning your fingerprint or entering a pin code. Closing the gap with Face ID also gives Google an edge over Samsung, LG, Huawei and all the rest at a time when Google can sell its phones across all major US carriers, providing an opportunity to make the Pixel, which hasn’t historically sold well, more of a household name.

But more importantly, the Pixel 4’s adoption of this secure version of face unlock could have ripple effects throughout the rest of the Android world. If Google folds the blueprint for this secure version of face unlock into the Android OS, it will all but guarantee that every midrange and premium phone will use the feature, since roughly 90% of all smartphones run on the platform. 

Why face unlock matters

Face scanning, along with fingerprint scanning, is one of the few biometrically secure methods of verifying your identity. On a phone, it’s meant to be a fast, convenient and mostly hands-free alternative to fingerprint readers. Using face unlock instead of a fingerprint reader can free up space on the screen and keep you from fumbling on the back or side of the phone to unlock it.

Proponents of face unlock also claim that it’s more secure than fingerprint readers and harder to fool with images and synthetic appendages, like dummy fingers. It has the power to authenticate password autofill in addition to mobile payments.

The technology works by scanning your features and creating a stored image that the phone then compares to your face whenever you attempt to unlock your device. Versions that are less secure create optical images with the camera, which are easy enough to fool with photos, masks or other spoofs. 

Apple, and now Google, uses an infrared sensor to project tens of thousands of dots onto your face. This creates a 3D depth map with far more data on the length, shape, span and width of your unique features.

While the iPhone requires you to swipe up from the bottom of the screen to finish unlocking the phone (after it’s verified your identity), the Pixel 4 uses Motion Sense, a collection of motion-sensing features that are driven by radar to recognize when you’re reaching for your device. That alone will trigger the Pixel 4 to unlock the screen. 

Using gestures and a glance to unlock the phone should be faster than swiping it — at least, according to Google. This is something we’ll test soon.

Why only now?

It isn’t clear why the Android competition has lagged so far behind when it comes to truly secure face unlock. Qualcomm bundled support for a 50,000-dot projector into its Snapdragon 845 chipset a year after the iPhone X launched in 2017, but rivals were slow to take up the technology.

Perhaps some of these device-makers lacked the technology or software teams to get the feature secure enough, or perhaps they wanted to put their own spin on the secure face unlock realm, as Google has now done.

Either way, Google’s opportunity to innovate on hardware by pairing Motion Sense gestures to the face unlock mechanism isn’t just a long-overdue way for the brand to flex its technical muscle. And it isn’t just a way for Pixel phones to race ahead. Because of Google’s considerable resources and reach, its blueprint for face unlock on Android phones has the potential to push biometrics even further into the future.

LG Stylo 5+ goes on sale at AT&T with upgraded front-facing camera

If you’re on the lookout for a stylus-toting smartphone, the Galaxy Note series has traditionally been your only option. Unfortunately, these cost a pretty penny (except for the Note 3 Neo which Samsung sold for a hot minute), so customers on a budget were left out. LG has targetted the Note customer on a budget with the LG Stylo 5, and AT&T just announced its own variant, the Stylo 5+.

While the Stylo 5+ is technically an upgrade to the Stylo 5 (which Corbin reviewed), it makes the OnePlus 7T Pro seem like a significant update over the 7 Pro. I pored over the specs and there only seem to be two changes when compared to the Stylo 5 — it’s a bit chunkier (6.33″ x 3.09″ x 0.34″ compared to 6.30″ x 3.06″ x 0.33″) and has an upgraded 8MP front-facing camera (up from 5MP).

This 6.2-inch 1080p “phablet” (do we still say that?) is powered by a crusty Snapdragon 450 processor and runs Android 9.0 Pie. Thankfully, it has a decently-sized 3500mAh battery that charges over USB-C.

The Stylo 5+ is now available online and offline through AT&T at a price of $300 — a $50-$80 premium over the regular Stylo 5. However, this can be paid over the span of 30 months interest-free if need be.

New Surface Leak Reveals Powerful Predictive Feature

Following a successful launch of its new Windows 10 Surface hardware for this holiday season, and a promising announcement of the dual screened Surface Neo and Surface Duo, Microsoft is looking at a busy year of testing, developing, and debugging on the Neo and Duo ahead of next year’s launch.

Being smaller mobile devices designed for an all-day experience, battery life is going to be a critical part of that feedback process. And recently published details suggest that Microsoft is working on a system to provide more information to users and the OS to help reduce worries about battery life and endurance.

The details come courtesy of a patent, titled “Power Management Of A Mobile Communications Device” looks at a more accurate way to measure the demand that will be placed on a battery by an app or feature, measuring the power left in the cell, and feeding data back to the user to help them make more informed decisions about their battery. Mayank Parmar reports:

Microsoft surprised everyone by announcing that it’s returning to the smartphone market with Surface Duo. Microsoft has prototyped a dual-screened Android device, which is a bold move that could shake up the smartphone industry.

A patent suggests that Microsoft’s Surface Duo, which is a pocket-sized foldable device that is based on Android, might come with an accurate battery life meter.

Of course mobile devices also covers the vast majority of Microsoft’s Windows 10 powered Surface devices, all of which are looking to maximise battery life, but a look through the images and descriptions in the patent show a focus on smaller devices.

The obvious inference is that Microsoft’s Surface Duo is going to be one of the chief beneficiaries of this technology. Android-powered devices, from tiny smartphones to huge tablets, work hard to keep power consumption low and to keep the user in control through ‘low power modes’ and feeding back information on what applications are using up the most power.

The proposed system here increases the potential for feedback, with the code able to predict the impact on battery life (and therefore device endurance) of individual apps and hardware features if they were to be used.

Perfecting this system, with lots of feedback from devices ‘in the wild’ (perhaps through units supplied to developers and partners for testing) could well be another reason why the Surface Duo was announced a year before it goes on sale in late 2020.

Nokia 6.2 goes up for pre-order in the US with reasonable price and respectable specs

According to Nokia’s official US website, there are no less than 13 smartphones from the early 2017-revived brand available stateside at very reasonable prices ranging from $40 to $450. But you can actually add one more name to that already extensive list, as the Nokia 6.2 seems to have discreetly gone up for pre-order on Amazon at some point this week.

Formally unveiled at the IFA trade show in Berlin last month, the 6.3-inch mid-ranger was expected to cost as little as 200 bucks when it eventually came to the US. Ultimately, exclusive global brand licensee HMD Global appears to have settled on a slightly higher $249 price point, with black and “Ice Blue” hues currently available ahead of an October 28 release with 64 gigs of storage space on deck.

As the name suggests, this comes with a number of downgrades over the specifications of the $350 Nokia 7.2, including a humbler Snapdragon 636 processor (compared to the 660 silicon powering the costlier handset), a modest-sounding 8MP selfie shooter (versus a 20MP camera on the front of the 7.2), and a triple rear-facing lens system consisting of 16, 8, and 5MP imaging sensors (compared to a 48 + 8 + 5MP setup).

Then again, the Nokia 6.2 and 7.2 also have quite a lot in common, starting with the same exact IPS LCD panel sporting a resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels, as well as a sleek notch and relatively small chin, and including a 3,500mAh battery, 4GB RAM count, and of course, a clean Android One software experience too with an Android 10 update right around the corner.

If you’re not necessarily a hardcore Nokia fan, we should probably point out the 6.2 is entering a price bracket mainly dominated by the likes of the Moto G7 and G7 Power. 

HMD’s newest mid-range soldier packs a slightly faster chipset than its key rivals, as well as a larger battery than the “regular” G7 variant and more memory than the $250 G7 Power. The Nokia 6.2 also has a more complex camera system, at least on paper. Before pulling the trigger, you might want to keep in mind the GSM unlocked phone is exclusively compatible with carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile, lacking support for Sprint and Verizon.

HUAWEI NOVA 5T LAUNCHED IN FRANCE: IT’S THE SAME HONOR 20

Today, Android Authority reported that Huawei launched the Nova 5T in Paris, France. Particularly, this new model is aimed at the European market. So we should expect it to appear in other markets as well. But this is not anything new. The Huawei Nova 5T is an overseas (renamed) version of the Honor 20.

So we can even don’t take a look at the key features of the Nova 5T because we know them from the Honor 20. Say, in terms of configuration, the phone uses a 6.26-inch screen with a punch-hole design. The screen ratio is 91.67% and the resolution is 2340×1080. In terms of hardware, it adopts the Kirin 980 processor, 6GB memory, and 128GB storage space. The battery has a 3750mAh capacity, and it supports a 22.5W fast charge. Interestingly, there is no 3.5mm headphone jack. The phone dimensions are 154.25 x 73.97 x 7.87mm and the weight is 174g. In fact, regardless of its big size, this phone is lightweight.

One of the biggest highlights of the Huawei Nova 5T is the rear quad-camera. It consists of a 48MP main lens (Sony IMX586 sensor), a 16MP super-wide-angle lens (117 degrees), a 2MP depth of field lens, and a 2MP macro lens. On the opposite side, we can find a 32MP selfie shooter.

Moreover, the Nova 5T runs on the EMUI9 based on Android 9. Huawei officially said that the machine can support the complete GMS service.

In terms of color options, the Huawei Nova 5T has three variants of blue, purple, and black. And the European price is 399 pounds. It will go on sale in November.

Forget Apple’s iPhone 11, This Is The Smartphone To Buy

Apple deserves a lot of credit because its impressive core upgrades to the iPhone 11 (guide), iPhone 11 Pro (guide) and iPhone 11 Pro Max (guide) make them much better smartphones than their ageing designs suggest. But now we know Apple has something much more exciting lined up. 

Last month, a major Bloomberg exclusive revealed Apple is bringing Touch ID back with the 2020 iPhone. Now Patently Apple has discovered how Apple plans to make this work, and it blows away anything we have seen before. 

Breaking it down in new patents, Apple explains that its next-gen Touch ID sensor will sit under the display. But the big news is – unlike similar systems from rivals – the sensor area will fill a large section of the display (making it easy to hit) and read gestures. The latter part is fascinating because Face ID already requires a confirmatory swipe, so Apple could build dual biometric authentication into the new iPhone without users requiring another step. The result would be by far the most secure smartphone ever made. 

Moreover, Apple hasn’t been subtle about its intentions. Before today, the company had already filed five in-display Touch ID patents since December (1,2,3,4,5) and this is the sixth. At this point, it’s an open secret. 

Apple has also given away why it would require such game-changing security after it filed patents showing how iPhones could replace your passport. The integration of dual biometrics would enable the company to pull this off. After all, Samsung’s embarrassing Galaxy S10 fingerprint reader debacle this week would never have happened were there a second confirmatory biometric system. 

And this is just the start. Acclaimed Apple-insider Ming Chi-Kuo has confirmed Apple will bring an “all-new form factor design” to the iPhone in 2020 as well as 5G for every model. Also making the cut are long-range 3D cameras, new screen sizes, 120Hz ProMotion displays and the long-awaited switch to USB-C. 

So yes, Apple kept the iPhone ticking along in 2019. But in 2020 we’re set for a game-changer. 

XIAOMI MI MIX 4: A NEW REAL IMAGE RAISES EXPECTATIONS EVEN FURTHER

The launch of Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 has been a big wish of all fans of the brand. It is believed that this phone will be revealed soon and now a real image emerges that makes the expectation around it increase.

The quality of the revealed image is definitely not the best, but you can understand the main features of the equipment. We see a device with a curved side screen and narrow margins. This is a similar image to another that emerged last week, depicting a mysterious smartphone from the company.

The Mi Mix line is a family of smartphones that excels in its design with very narrow bezels around the display. The smartphone we see in this image fits this philosophy, so it is plausible that this is actually the Xiaomi Mi Mix 4.

WHERE IS THE FRONT CAMERA?

This is a reasonable question we may have after looking at this photograph. The front camera of the device does not appear anywhere, which shows that Xiaomi hid it somewhere.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 has come with a front camera with a slider mechanism. But some sources believe that this will not be the solution adopted on the Mi Mix 4. This gives rise to the possibility of it being pop-up. The Chinese tech already does it in the Mi 9T and we don’t see why it couldn’t do it with this phone.

Another possibility is its incorporation in the screen, but that seems to be a remote hypothesis. These sensors are not yet consumer-ready. And we had no indication that Xiaomi could be developing such a camera in the near future.

Rumors hold that the Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 could be unveiled on October 24. In the company of the Mi Note 10. In the case of the latter. This is the rebirth of a line that hasn’t seen any new models since 2017.

As for the Mix 4 specifications, this is expected to be a real high end. In fact, the Snapdragon 855+ processor, 8GB RAM and triple camera are strong possibilities.