Category: Cell Phone

The iPhone 12 feature that could help convince millions of people to upgrade their phones

Apple has long been expected to debut a batch of 5G-enabled iPhones this fall. Now it appears all of the company’s new phone releases this year may be able to connect to the next generation of super-fast wireless networks, according to Wedbush analyst Dan Ives.

That’s a significant milestone that could help convince millions of people to upgrade their smartphones. 5G could make the iPhone 12 a must-have product.

“We previously were[expecting] 4 models with a mix of 4G/5G for the iPhone 12 unveil, however now based on supply chain checks we are expecting ONLY 5G models for the Fall launch,” Ives wrote in an investor note Sunday evening.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

Although the projection is not a certainty, it would be a smart move for Apple (AAPL), driving big demand for the new iPhones as the company continues its march toward a $2 trillion market cap.

In recent years, consumers have been waiting longer between smartphone upgrades — a trend that could be exacerbated by the economic crisis sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. The biggest risk to new device sales is if “high unemployment and wage deflation continues,” according to Synovus Trust Company Senior Portfolio Manager Daniel Morgan.

But analysts largely expect the 5G iPhone to generate a “super cycle” of consumers buying new devices. Ives said he estimates roughly 350 million of the total 950 million iPhones on the market could be upgraded within the next year to 18 months.

“We believe iPhone 12 represents the most significant product cycle for (Apple CEO Tim) Cook & Co. since iPhone 6 in 2014 and will be another defining chapter in the Apple growth story looking ahead despite a softer consumer spending environment,” Ives said, adding that he believes many on Wall Street are “underestimating the massive pent-up demand around this super cycle for Apple.”

Apple’s strong earnings in the June quarter indicate it could withstand the pressures of the economic crisis, Morgan said.

And Ives predicts a lower priced, next generation 4G model will hit the market early next year, which would be a potential opportunity to reel in consumers unable or unwilling to shell out for a 5G phone.

Making a 5G-connected iPhone could improve the consumer experience for Apple’s digital services, like Apple TV+. Though iPhones have long been Apple’s biggest sales driver, the company is increasingly reliant on services to diversify its sales: Overall services revenue hit a record $13.2 billion in the June quarter, boosted by the pandemic-fueled shift in habits.

Apple is somewhat late to the 5G phone game. The 5G iPhone will join a growing slate of phones on the market built to connect to the next generation network, including models from Motorola (MSI), Samsung (SSNLF), Huawei, LG and others.

Samsung, one of Apple’s fiercest smartphone competitors, in January boasted that it held more than half of the global market share for 5G phones. And last week, Samsung unveiled its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy Note 20, which comes with 5G capability and an ecosystem of interconnected gadgets.

“But with Apple, it’s such a loyal ecosystem,” Morgan said, which means its customers have likely been holding out for Apple’s 5G offering.

Adoption of 5G phones is likely to accelerate as the rollout of the new network expands — consumers need a 5G-enabled phone to connect to the new network and take advantage of its benefits — and more features are built on top of it.

T-Mobile (TMUS) and AT&T (T) have both announced their 5G networks are available nationwide in the United States and Verizon (VZ) continues to build out high-speed 5G capabilities in cities throughout the country. China, a key market for iPhones, has also invested heavily in its 5G networks.

Ives said he expects Apple will release US and non-US versions of the 5G iPhone. He predicts the US version will able to connect to the fastest 5G networks — built with “mmWave” spectrum — “after some technology wrinkles appear to have been ironed out by Apple and its suppliers, which is a clear positive heading into this pivotal launch.”

He also predicts the new iPhones will go on sale in October. Apple last month said that while new iPhones typically go on sale in September, this year the company expects supply “to be available a few weeks later” because of the pandemic.

New Apple Leak Reveals iPhone 12 Design Shock

iPhone 12 surprises keep coming (both good news, bad news and unexpected twists), but now we know perhaps the biggest problem with Apple’s new iPhones. 

Mysterious industry insider ‘Mr White’ has continued his impressive track record leaking Apple hardware, by revealing the chassis for the coming iPhone 12. While this confirms the range’s move to a more angular new design, he also confirms Face ID will be the same size and, as a consequence, the large notch introduced with the iPhone X in 2017 will not be getting any smaller in 2020. 

08/08 Update: a further image of an iPhone 12 Pro screen panel prototype has now leaked and, unfortunately, it also looks like Apple is sticking with the larger notch on its Pro models as well. The chassis again confirms the angular design Apple will introduce for the range, which takes influence from both the iPhone 4 and the current iPad Pro line-up. That said, with Apple also now all but certain to ditch fast refresh rates on all iPhone 12 models, the iPhone 12 Pro editions, in particular, are losing their shine. Especially considering their significantly higher asking prices. Given this new leaked image is a prototype, there may be some hope that Apple has made a late, more ambitious, change for the final iPhone 12 designs but the signs are not looking good.

08/09 Update: further iPhone 12 components are now leaking as the models enter mass production. Consequently, Apple reseller JinStore has now attained images of Apple’s A14 chipset, which is tipped to deliver a multi-generational leap in performance. The A14 will also be Apple’s first 5nm chip, which will bring greater power efficiency (needed with those smaller batteries), particularly when multitasking. With other iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro features falling by the wayside as we approach release, a lot of weight is going to be placed on the A14 to dazzle and it looks set to do just that. The A14 isn’t the kind of eye-catching feature Apple usually likes to sell its iPhones on, especially with the A13 in the iPhone 11 range and iPhone SE already far ahead of the competition, but expect the company to break with tradition in 2020.

Apple had been widely expected to shrink the notch for the iPhone 12 line-up and almost every render showed this would result in a significantly better design. Moreover, with recent leaks also revealing Apple will increase prices while also shrinking battery capacities, the company’s decision to stick with the same notch for the fourth successive generation may be a deal breaker for some potential upgraders. 

That said, for notch haters, there is still some cause for optimism. While Mr White did not reveal which iPhone 12 model the chassis is from, it appears to be the new 5.4-inch entry level phone. So it is possible Apple does have plans to introduce a smaller notch with the more expensive iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. 

Beyond this, however, there remain compelling reasons to upgrade. Most notably, all iPhone 12 models will come with 5G (albeit different versions), a multi-generational performance leap, a wider range of screen sizes and faster (potentially magnetic) charging. Pro models will also add some radical new camera tech. 

All of which leaves users at a crossroads. At least with Apple officially delaying the iPhone 12 release and the possibility of a split launch increasing, you will have longer to make your mind up. 

iPhone 12 Display Unit Leaks Revealing Repositioned Connectors

The iPhone 12 launch is still a few months away and we’re hearing some more details on the device’s hardware as well as software. According to the latest, an image shared by the leaker Mr. White (via MacRumors) on Twitter supposedly shows the iPhone 12 display unit. Comparing the display unit with that of an iPhone 11 Pro display unit, the latest leak shows a reoriented display connector that reaches up from the bottom part instead of the left side.

Leaker Shares iPhone 12 Display Unit Picture Showing Repositioned Connectors

While Apple might have other reasons, it looks like this shift is due to the repositioning of the logic board on the other side of the device. Earlier this year, it was reported that the logic board will be shifted to the other side in order to accommodate 5G antennas. All four models of the iPhone 12 series are expected to feature 5G capability.

Since the logic board will be shifted to the other side, it is also expected that the SIM card will be repositioned to the left side of the device. The SIM card will be positioned under the volume buttons. the logic board of the upcoming iPhone 12 was also leaked a few months back that showed a single-layer design.

The display units of the iPhone 12 series will contribute to a substantial design shift on the inside. The leaker is known for his accurate predictions and leaks, so there is credibility to the source.

As mentioned earlier, the iPhone 12 series will be launched in four different models where the smallest screen size will be 5.4-inches and the largest will feature a display size of 6.7-inches. There are two models that will feature 6.1-inch displays – one will be the standard model while the other will be the ‘Pro’ model. The ‘Pro’ models of the device will feature a triple-lens camera lens while the standard models will feature a dual-lens camera module.

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 2 is official, comes with a ton of improvements

Samsung Unpacked 2020 is happening today, but the star of the show, the Galaxy Z Fold 2, only got a light teasing. We got official press pictures, one or two specs, and a promise of more info on September 1. The good news is that there was also a full spec sheet leak today from XDA’s Max Weinbach, and it fills in most of the blanks.

Samsung’s second-generation foldable is officially the “Galaxy Z Fold 2,” a slight name change from “Samsung Galaxy Fold” that puts it in the same class as Samsung’s other foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip. The smartphone/tablet hybrid is very much in the mold of the Galaxy Fold 1 from last year, but it has a ton of iterative yearly upgrades and refinements.

The most noticeable upgrade is that the outer screen now fills the front of the phone. XDA’s specs list the display as a 6.2-inch, 2260×816 OLED display with a crazy 25:9 aspect ratio. This is dramatically bigger than the 4.6-inch display that shipped on the Fold 1, which looked really out of place, with somewhere around a 50-percent body-to-display ratio. The new display is still very tall and skinny, but the “phone” part of the Fold 2 now looks more like a smartphone.

At a glance, the Fold 2 might look like the same shape as last year, but it’s actually a tiny bit wider. You can get a rough idea of this from the official pictures, but XDA’s specs put the Fold 2 at 159.2×128.2×6.9mm when open, while the original fold was 160.9×117.9×7.6mm. That means, when folded, the front is a bit wider, too: 68mm wide compared to 62.8mm wide on the original Fold. The primary problem with the Fold1’s outer display was that it was very skinny, limiting things like the size of the keyboard and its ability to display a normal home screen with four columns of icons. The wider body and thinner bezels should help the Fold 2 approach a normal-sized smartphone screen.

XDA lists the big, inner Fold display at 7.6-inches with a 2208×1768 resolution. It’s now a 5:4 resolution instead of the iPad-like 4:3. Samsung confirmed the inner display is 120Hz, which is a big upgrade, but it did not mention the refresh rate of the outer display. XDA’s leaked spec sheet lists the outer display at 60Hz, which would be an odd proposition for users. It seems most people who try a higher refresh rate screen say something like “I could never go back to 60Hz,” but if these specs are right, the Fold 2 will ask you to do just that every time you close the phone.

Like the Galaxy Z Flip, the Fold 2 now officially has Samsung’s “ultra-thin glass” display cover, a glass-and-plastic sandwich that should be a huge improvement over the foggy, squishy, plastic cover that was on the original Fold. Like we learned on the Z Flip, ultra-thin glass is not as nice as Gorilla Glass, since the top-most layer is plastic reminiscent of a stick-on screen protector. While you still won’t be touching glass, Samsung’s display cover gives you a firmer surface to swipe around on and better optics compared to an all-plastic cover. Be warned that the flexible glass isn’t that firm, though—the Z Flip still had a big crease over the hinge, which would sink down when it was open, creating a trough across the middle of the display.

The other interior improvement is the hole-punch camera, a big upgrade over the gigantic notch that was fitted to the original Galaxy Fold. The Fold 1 notch took up most of the status bar area on the right side of the display, making it tough to swipe down the notification panel with your right hand. The hole punch will leave a lot more of the display in a usable state.

Another Fold 2 feature borrowed from the Z Flip is what Samsung called a “completely reengineered” hinge, which can stop at the halfway point, in an “L” shape. This hinge wasn’t a great idea in a flip phone form factor since it stopped you from flipping the phone open, but nobody wants to flip open a tablet-style device, so this seems more appropriate here.

A Qualcomm press release lists the Fold 2 with a Snapdragon 865 Plus and says “appearing commercially for the first time, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 features the latest Qualcomm FastConnect 6900 mobile connectivity system.” This means the Fold 2 will be the world’s first Wi-Fi 6E device, supporting the new 6GHz Wi-Fi band for better performance in crowded environments (provided you also have a Wi-Fi 6E access point).

XDA lists the phone as having 12GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, wireless charging, and a 4500mAh battery. The cameras don’t seem like they’re up to the level of the Note 20 Ultra, with 12MP sensors for the main camera and ultra-wide angle and telephoto lenses. The selfie cameras on the cover and inner displays both live in a hole punch cutout, and they are 10MP sensors.

Samsung says it will reveal more details on September 1, which is also when pre-orders start.

Motorola’s One Fusion+ is coming to the U.S. this week from $399

The Motorola One Fusion+ is coming to the U.S from tomorrow, August 5th, the company announced today. After launching in India and Europe earlier this year, one of Motorola’s nicest budget phones is now coming to America.

Featuring a sleek modern design, it shares many of the same specs as the Pixel 4a which debuted yesterday. This means you’ll find the same Snapdragon 730, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage configuration. It has a larger 6.5-inch FHD+ display, however, and it’s near bezel-less with a pop-up selfie camera in place of a hole-punch.

At the rear, you’ll find four cameras. While one of them a good enough 64MP primary camera, the others offer varying degrees of usability for the price. There’s an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, a 5MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor. A 5,000 mAh battery will keep this running through the day, and Motorola will throw in Android 10 without any prior updates needed.

One of the reasons you’ll be looking for this phone is that, despite the mid-range specs, the phone has genuinely good software. Writing this week, Android Central’s Joe Maring noted:

On the surface, it’s an incredibly clean and lightweight Android skin that doesn’t confuse the user with endless features and customizations. If you do want to take your experience up a notch, however, there are plenty of tools available to you through that Moto app. Just about all of them are genuinely useful, and the fact that they’re tucked away so neatly doesn’t make them feel intrusive in any way.

Motorola doesn’t get as high marks with software updates as Google does, especially when it comes to midrangers. You’ll probably get Android 11 eventually, but it’s best to get comfortable on 10 for a while.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 leaks in the flesh, showing hole-punch display and name

Ahead of its launch next week, Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Fold sequel has remained mostly in the dark so far. Tonight, a fresh image of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 has hit the web, showing off the internal display and confirming the new name.

Leaked on Naver (via Max Weinbach), an in-the-flesh image of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 confirms a couple of key details about the upcoming foldable. For one, it confirms Samsung’s new naming scheme. As previously reported, the device is named Galaxy Z Fold 2, following the new series branding introduced with the Galaxy Z Flip earlier this year.

Further, this image confirms the hole-punch on the internal display of the Galaxy Z Fold 2. It’s a bit tough to see given the glare from the logo on screen, but it’s clear the camera has moved and, just like previous reports claimed, it looks to be a hole-punch. Given there are no images of the screen completely on, there’s no proof of whether or not there is a bigger cutout, but it’s certainly exciting to think the notch from the original Galaxy Fold has been done away with.

Hopefully, more images of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 will come from this same user and, if so, we’ll update this article accordingly.

OnePlus shows off its sub-$500 smartphone, the OnePlus Nord

OnePlus has shown off the design of its upcoming midrange smartphone, the OnePlus Nord. YouTuber Marques Brownlee interviewed OnePlus’ Global Director Carl Pei and showed off a few glimpses of the upcoming device.

Like the rumors indicated, the front of the device features two selfie cameras in an oval-shaped cutout. The phone’s appearance is reminiscent of a Samsung Galaxy S10+ but with the hole punch on the opposite side of the display. The back camera block follows the same design language as earlier OnePlus phones by putting everything in a vertical strip, but on the Nord, the camera assembly is in the corner of the phone instead of centered in the middle like previous devices.

We now know most of the big points of the OnePlus Nord, thanks to OnePlus’ constant, iterative leaking. Previously, the company said the phone would be under $500, feature a Snapdragon 765G SoC, and come with a “flagship camera.” Rumors previously pointed toward a 90Hz display, and today’s conversation hinted at that, with Pei saying, “When it comes to displays, [the cost is] a lot about volume, so now that 90Hz displays have become really common, that drives the volume up and the price down.” Pei went onto say, “We spent a lot on this display to ensure smooth scrolling, but we think it’s worth it.”

The phone is shaping up to be a pretty great-looking offering, but it won’t launch in the United States at first. The official explanation is from OnePlus CEO Pete Lau is that “we are going to start relatively small with this new product line by first introducing it in Europe and India. But don’t worry, we’re also looking to bring more affordable smartphones to North America in the near future as well.”

The phone’s unveiling, to the extent there’s anything left to unveil, is July 21.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 leak reveals screen size, specs, cameras and more

While the Galaxy Note 20 is garnering most of the attention toward Samsung right now, the Galaxy Fold 2 remains a highly-anticipated device that we know comparatively little about.

Although reports over the last week have indicated that the Fold 2 won’t show at Samsung’s August 5 Unpacked event, a slate of specs have just leaked, courtesy of Korea’s ETNews (by way of PhoneArena) that provides a clearer picture of how the Fold 2 might end up.

Galaxy Fold 2 displays

First off, it seems as though both the Galaxy Fold’s internal and external displays will grow in size. The external one will see the biggest difference, going from a measly 4.3 inches in the original model to 6.23 inches in the upcoming one, while the main screen will reportedly go from 7.3 to 7.7 inches, perhaps thanks to the removal of the first-generation Fold’s large camera notch.

Expect the next Fold’s display to see an upgrade in technology as well as size. ETNews reports Ultra Thin Glass, which first debuted on the Galaxy Z Flip, will make it to the Galaxy Fold 2, as well as a 120Hz maximum refresh rate, like what’s in the Galaxy S20 series and soon, the Galaxy Note 20 as well. It’s unknown if the new Note’s long-rumored LTPO technology, which allows for a fully dynamic refresh rate and thus more efficient power draw, will be included on the Fold 2.

Galaxy Fold 2 specs and battery 

In terms of power and memory, Samsung could opt for the Snapdragon 865 Plus — a new chipset recently revealed by Qualcomm, that offer slightly better performance than the ordinary 865 in most flagship Android products. That’ll reportedly be paired with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of non-expandable storage; a 512GB option may also be offered.

The Fold 2 will reportedly carry separate batteries for each side, combining for a total capacity of 4,365mAh. This is a bit of surprise, considering that the original Galaxy Fold has a 4,380 mAh battery.

Galaxy Fold 2 cameras

ETNews reports that Samsung will skip the 108-megapixel primary sensor for the upcoming Fold, opting instead for a more conventional 12-MP main lens, another 12-MP camera for ultrawide shots, and a 64-MP telephoto that would likely employ cropping for zoom. This is exactly the same stack you’ll find on the base Galaxy S20. There will also be 10-MP front-facing cameras at the tops of both displays, so you’ll be able to take selfies whether the phone is folded up or not.

Not the only Samsung foldables coming

While the Galaxy Fold 2 looks enticing from these leaked specs, it’s worth pointing out that it’s far from the only foldable Samsung will offer. There’s also the Galaxy Z Flip 5G, which we do expect to see at the Unpacked event in a few weeks’ time, as well as a cheaper version of the Fold 2, tentatively called the Galaxy Fold Lite, that we know the least about. This model could replace the Fold 2’s external display with a strip for notifications, and pack fewer cameras as well.

Add it all up and, well, that’s a lot of folding Samsung phones, and a busy second half of the year for Galaxy-branded devices. We look forward to getting a peek at some of them at Samsung’s unveiling on August 5.

Camera shootout: Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus vs Sony Xperia 1 II

Despite building the image sensors used by a number of high profile smartphone cameras, Sony handsets haven’t ever quite perfected their mobile photography game. The Sony Xperia 1 II comes sporting Alpha-branded features and Zeiss lenses in a bid to convince us that this time is different.

Today we’re taking the phone’s camera out for a spin with the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus. Samsung’s 2020 flagship is a capable shooter and a phone that’s bound to be on nearly every high-end customer’s radar. But let’s see if the Sony Xperia 1 II is a competitive purchase for those of you big on camera quality.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus vs Sony Xperia 1 II camera: Specs

Before diving into the images, let’s review what each smartphone offers in the camera department.

The two handsets provide a familiar formula, with main, wide-angle, and telephoto zoom sensors for a highly flexible package. The phones also both include a low-resolution time-of-flight depth sensor to improve software bokeh quality.

Despite the package similarities, a closer look at the specs reveals some interesting differences. Sony’s 12MP main sensor is slightly larger and offers a slightly wider aperture than Samsung’s 12MP setup, hinting at better light capture. While Sony sticks with 12MP sensors across the board, Samsung has a 64MP zoom option for extra detail, albeit relying on a hybrid software approach to its 3x zoom. We’ll have to see if that’s a better approach versus Sony’s 1/3.4-inch 3x optical zoom sensor.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus vs Sony Xperia 1 II: Samples

If you fancy analyzing the images yourself, click here for the full quality samples. Also, note that I used the standard Xperia 1 II camera app, rather than Photo Pro, too see how both phones handle shots with the least manual input possible.

The most instantly noticeable difference between the Galaxy S20 Plus and Xperia 1 II cameras is their color processing. Samsung opts for punchy colors that are, frankly, over the top in most situations. You can see this noticeably in overly blue skies, plant greens, and deep pinks/reds. The Xperia 1 II is more conservative and realistic with its color pallet, but both can appear a little too warm in some instances. Sony’s handset also doesn’t do nearly as well with HDR compared to Samsung, which offers excellent exposure control.

The Galaxy S20 Plus also offers fractionally better detail capture and lower noise than the Xperia 1 II, although both cameras are quite good in this regard and you really have to crop in to notice. These differences become more pronounced with the wide-angle cameras. Sony’s images have notable grain and slightly less noticeable processing. However, the Xperia 1 II struggles with focus and detail compared to Samsung’s implementation. Neither wide-angle lens is perfect, though, and you’ll find chromatic aberration and lens distortion aplenty.

I also took a couple of quick bokeh shots to test out how well these phones handle edge detection and blue quality. Edge detection is quite good on both phones, although the Xperia 1 II’s is a fraction cleaner. The added depth sensors help both phones with bokeh accuracy. However, Sony opts for a softer bokeh by default, which looks more natural, and has a more realistic progression from in to out of focus.

Zoom

The biggest hardware difference with the Galaxy S20 Plus vs Xperia 1 II is the zoom cameras. Sony opts for a lower resolution but optical 3x zoom, while Samsung uses a high resolution and hybrid zoom tech. The results are… interesting.

At full-frame, both phones appear to offer comparable levels of detail. Instead, it’s the familiar processing difference, such as color and HDR/exposure, that is most obviously noticeable between the two. Overall, Samsung is the most consistent across all three of its cameras, but that isn’t to say Sony’s results look bad in most cases either.

However, cropping in to 100% on these zoom images reveals the shortcomings of Samsung’s hybrid approach. Details definitely don’t hold up as well on the Galaxy S20 Plus and there are clear signs of heavy processing from the hybrid upscaling. It’s not the worst I’ve seen, but it doesn’t look great.

The Xperia 1 II holds up much better thanks to its optical zoom length, with far fewer signs of heavy processing. However, Samsung’s hybrid approach retains a consistent look across zoom levels while there’s an obvious jump up in quality at 3x with the Xperia 1 II. Oddly, Sony’s camera app doesn’t actually use the optical lens if you pinch-zoom up to 3x. You have to click the 3x icon to obtain the best zoom quality. Likewise for accessing the wide-angle lens.

Low light

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus and Sony Xperia 1 II rely on long exposure night modes for shooting in the dark, resulting in some blur and loss of accuracy. Movement blur affects the Xperia model the most, suggesting a slightly inferior image recomposition algorithm. See the first image. The lack of multi-frame HDR capture doesn’t help here either. But when it comes to detail and noise, both sensors again perform very closely. This is a major upgrade from previous Sony flagships, which lacked a dedicated low light shooting mode.

Sony’s handset nudges ahead with dynamic range and color when shooting in very low light. You can notice this particularly in the second image, where the flowers retain their color much better. However, Samsung does a better job of correcting for overly warm light sources.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus vs Sony Xperia 1 II camera: The verdict

Despite my regular complaint about Samsung’s oversaturation, its latest flagship comes out ahead in our Galaxy S20 Plus vs Xperia 1 II showdown. The S20 Plus offers consistent image quality and processing across all three of its cameras, the software does everything you want, and the phone offers good HDR and Night Mode options.

The Sony Xperia 1 II scores a few points over the S20 Plus, however. The phone’s color saturation and accuracy are notably better and it offers superior dynamic range in low light. The phone’s software bokeh is a tad better too. Sony is also lighter on the post-processing, exposing a few more flaws in exchange for some nice looking grain.

Sony’s lack of decent HDR leads to exposure problems.

I really want to like the Xperia 1 II’s camera, as it does a lot right. However, the lack of a decent HDR implementation results in far too many shots with blown-out highlights or poorly-exposed shadows. These simply look bad next to any modern smartphone camera. There is a more functional multi-frame HDR mode in the Photo Pro app, but this really should be a standard feature in the default app too. Likewise, the odd situation with activating the zoom lens suggests that Sony still isn’t paying enough attention to the finer details of its camera experience.

Mysterious new Oppo phone appears on TENAA, could be the Reno 10x zoom

Oppo’s Reno series now has 17 members but it only started last April with the Reno and Reno 10x zoom. The latter was one of the first phones to bear a periscope camera module and it seems we’ll see its successor in the near future. Two devices bearing the PDYM20 and the PDYT20 model numbers were spotted on China’s TENAA agency and according to speculations, these are two versions of the upcoming Reno 10x Mark 2.

The specs from both listings reveal a 6.5-inch display, dual-mode 5G connectivity, a 3,945mAh battery and Android 10.

The phones’ dimensions are 162.2 x 75.0 x 7.9mm which is a similar footprint as the Reno 10x zoom, though slightly narrower and slimmer. That’s all we have for now.

According to rumors the Reno 10x Mark 2 will come with the flagship Snapdragon 865 chipset and an updated periscope camera with 5x optical and up to 100x digital zoom.

Other rumors point to a new OIS system, 90Hz rAMOLED screen with an in-display fingerprint scanner and a launch alongside the Reno 4 series. Details for the Reno 10x zoom’s successor are scarce for now so its best to wait for more info before we jump to conclusions.