The Mobile World Congress is underway in Barcelona right now with a number of new developments in the world of smartphones being announced left and right. It was OnePlus that unveiled its OnePlus 11 Concept device which made waves on the internet. TECNO also announced its entry into the foldable phone market with PHANTOM V Fold. While smartphone leaders around the world brought their A-game revealing hardware updates to their devices, Nothing went a different route and `used MWC as an avenue to meet with vendors and other big names in the industry.
Nothing Phone (2) with Snapdragon 8 series SoC
Nothing’s Carl Pei announced at the Mobile World Congress that the Nothing Phone (2) will sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 series processor. This will mark the company’s first device to feature the flagship-level SoC as the Nothing Phone (1) rocked the midrange Snapdragon 778+ chipset. During the same announcement, Nothing CEO Carl Pei also revealed that the company would be launching a new product next month. Given Nothing’s track record, we won’t be surprised if it’s a new TWS.
Along with a better chipset, the Nothing Phone (2) will be getting a proper release in the US this time around, something that was not done for its predecessor. Carl shared that the US market was the company’s top priority going forward. The Nothing Phone (2) should arrive sometime late in 2023. During his conversation at the MWC, the Nothing CEO also talked about the OnePlus 11 Concept phone mentioning the device’s illuminated cooling liquid. Carl Pei also acknowledged a small company named UniHertz that has developed a ‘carbon copy’ of the Nothing Phone (1) stating he is interested in checking that device out. However, when it comes to the upcoming Nothing Phone (2), I am convinced it won’t feature the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 as the company would have chosen to reveal that right away. I believe the company will go for the 8+ Gen 1 platform or lower to keep the prices competitive.
It was back in 1979 when Sony introduced the portable audio player which revolutionized how we consume music with the Walkman. The first Walkman, TPS-L2, was a cassette tape player which quickly became a cultural phenomenon having sold millions of units since its inception. Over the years, the Walkman evolved and adapted to newer technologies like CDs, MP3 file formats and much more. The Walkman brand eventually expanded to include mobile phones and other portable devices, however, the peak 1980s OG and iconic Walkman series remains the golden standard. Cut to 2023, where smartphones and music streaming have pretty much become synonymous with one another, Sony has launched a new iteration of the Walkman which costs Rs 25, 990. This begs us to ask the question of whether this new Walkman is actually worth shelling out the price for or is it just nostalgia bait? Find out below –
Design and Features
The Sony Walkman NW-A306 is a high-quality digital audio player that brings back memories from an era bygone. It’s a compact and lightweight device featuring a 3.6-inch TFT display coupled with button controls on the side for ease of accessibility. While the Walkman is thicker than an average smartphone, it weighs lighter at just 113 grams. It has an eye catchy design that demands attention with its rippled wave design that covers the back of the device. The port selection consists of a 3.5mm Single-Enabled headphone output, coupled with a USB Type-C and an SD Card slot. The onboard storage is limited to 32GB with just 18GB out of it available for users to store offline music and load apps. It runs on Android 12 with connectivity options such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0.
The Walkman supports playback of Hi-Res audio files up to 24-bit/192kHz which translates to the user enjoying their music with the utmost clarity and detail. The device also comes equipped with Sony’s proprietary Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE Ultimate) technology which is capable of upscaling compressed audio files to enhance their sound quality. As it runs on Android 12, all your favourite streaming apps can be downloaded on the NW-A306 and used seamlessly. Overall, Sony has built a compact and complete package for the audio geek.
Performance
At the first glance, the Sony Walkman NW-A306 comes off as an unnecessary device meant only for the truly indulgent among us. However, once you get to use the device and compare its audio quality to the standard smartphones we use to stream music nowadays is when you’ll realize its actual prowess. The device is designed to play/stream music and it does so flawlessly. Its audio output is incomparable when it comes to smartphones as they don’t flaunt the hardware features present in the Walkman. It features wireless HI-Res Audio with Sony’s premium wireless codec titled LDAC. On paper, LDAC technology allows 3X the bitrate of standard Bluetooth and provides a better listening experience. During my testing of the device, the experience through Bluetooth headsets and wired earphones was both unmatchable to any other device. However, the crispest audio quality from the Walkman can be achieved through FLAC files in the offline mode. I listened to the entirety of Adele’s studio album ‘30’ on the FLAC file format and it felt like she was singing right in front of me (no exaggeration) Standard 128Kbps and 320Kbps sound formats can be upscaled using the DSEE Ultimate feature present and the difference in sound quality after turning it on was always notable. Other features in the audio tuning section include Vinyl Processor, ClearAudio+, and DC Phase Linearizer along with a standard Equalizer. It comes with an auto power-off feature which always came in handy to preserve battery during a trek. The sound output here can be dialled up to 120 and no sound distortion or noise was witnessed at higher volumes. To sum it all up, the Sony Walkman NW-A306 is truly a treat for the audiophile. While some eyebrows are sure to rise when it comes to the NW-A306’s pricing, it is definitely justified for the premium performance you get for it.
Verdict
The Sony Walkman NW-A306 builds upon the legacy of the Walkman brand with flying colours. It rewrites the boundaries of personal audio consumption by offering high-quality premium sound features in a compact package.
OnePlus has been in an interesting spot lately with the launch of its OnePlus 11 series. The company seems to be getting its footing back after at least two turbulent years. The launch of the OnePlus 11 and 11R saw the return of the company to its original form offering flagship devices at competitive pricing. Sure, the launch of the OnePlus 11R pits the company against its very own flagship OnePlus 11 but that is something tech enthusiasts are not complaining about. besides, having a tablet and a foldable mobile device under its kitty for a near future launch, the brand is surely gearing up to make a full comeback in its best form. Building upon the momentum, OnePlus today unveiled its OnePlus 11 Concept device at MWC Barcelona.
OnePlus 11 Concept device
This won’t be the first time OnePlus dived into the concept phones arena as it previously developed the ‘OnePlus Concept One’ device which featured a disappearing camera. With the introduction of the OnePlus 11 Concept, the company aims to redefine industry standards when it comes to device cooling. The company has introduced a new cooling system titled – Active CryoFlux and the entire emphasis seems to be on this technology this time around. In simple terms, the Active CryoFlux technology brings PC-like liquid cooling to mobile devices, which is ‘cool’ to say the least. OnePlus has managed to fit two micropumps around the device’s camera region which suck the heat generated from its chipset. The heat is then dissipated via icy-cold liquid flowing through visible pipelines at the back of the device.
Picture Credit: Phone Arena
The company claims this new cooling tech allows the device to game efficiently with temperatures decreasing up to 2.1 degrees Celcius allowing the frame rate to increase by 3-4 FPS. On the other hand, the cooling tech has also been integrated during device charging where the temperature of the device is brought down by up to 1.6 degrees. As it is a concept device, the OnePlus 11 Concept will not be up for sale.
Large Language Models (LLMs) have taken over the tech industry by a wave in the last few years. These language models have been trained on a vast amount of data capable of performing various tasks. These tasks range from summarizing text and writing essays or poems to generating AI art prompts. One prime example of such LLMs is OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which has overtaken the literary world. To the unversed, ChatGPT is a dialogue-based AI chatbot that can have conversations with users, answer questions, solve mathematical queries and much more. The AI race is gearing up quickly in the form of chatbots with various chatbot AIs popping up on the internet.
Interesting Fact: Right now a chatbot AI named ‘Gita GPT‘ is making waves in India where users can ask the AI questions and receive answers in the context of the Holy Bhagwad Geeta.
As the AI war heats up a key player in the tech industry i.e. Meta has stepped in and released a large language model for researchers.
Meta steps in the AI race
Meta Platforms Inc recently revealed that it’s releasing a new large language model to researchers. The model, titled ‘LLaMA’ is intended to help scientists and engineers explore the application of AI such as answering questions and summarizing documents. The new model has been developed by Meta’s Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) team which was established nearly a decade back in September 2013.
LLaMA is not ChatGPT or Bing Search alternative, which means it is not a system that users can hop on and have conversations with. Rather, it is a research tool which Meta believes will democratize access to AI in a fast-changing field. In simple terms, LLaMA has been made public to help experts dish out problems with AI language models in general. In recent times, there have been reports about Microsoft’s Bing search AI giving passive-aggressive and factually incorrect responses. LLaMA has been publicised to help solve issues like those.
Meta announced its new language model in a blog post writing – “We believe the entire AI community — academic researchers, civil society, policymakers, and industry — must work together to develop clear guidelines around responsible AI in general and responsible large language models in particular, given their centrality in many downstream language applications. A much broader segment of the AI community needs access to these models in order to conduct reproducible research and collectively drive the field forward.”
Similar to the smartphone market, the smartwatch market has also seen a saturation point in the past few years. Where at one end there are key tech players like Apple and Samsung offering premium smartwatches at a higher price point, at the other end we’ve got smaller brands bringing their A-game with their offerings. One such brand is Noise which has managed to carve a niche for itself in the smartwatch section with devices that are bang for your buck. Noise has now launched its latest smartwatch – NoiseFit Halo at an affordable price of Rs 3,999. With devices priced in the budget section, scepticism around their performance is inevitable to arise. I got my hands on the NoiseFit Halo with a similar scepticism but was taken aback by surprise at its performance and premium look.
Design & Display
The prominent design aspect of the NoiseFit Halo smartwatch has to be its metallic build. This round dial watch features a metallic build that is barely present at this price point and gives a premium look and feel. The metallic dial is further complimented by multiple strap options ranging from leather to standard silicone. The variant I used was the ‘Forest Green’ version which was aesthetically pleasing, to say the least. Other options include Vintage Brown, Statement Black, Jet Black, Fiery Orange, and Classic Black respectively. The NoiseFit Halo flaunts a 1.43-inch AMOLED circular display with 466x466p resolution. It has the Always On Display support that did not drain the battery too much during my extensive testing of the device. The display is vibrant and gets pretty bright making it fit even for comfortable outdoor usage. The display supports gestures like Tap to Wake and Hold with Palm to turn off the screen. Overall experience with the display was top-notch. The watch comes with an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
Performance
All the expected health features such as heart rate monitor, Sp02 sensor, sleep tracker, step tracker, and more are present here. The health features work seamlessly and I did not face any issues or lags while using them. The watch can be paired with the NoiseFit app which has an array of features to explore. There are over 100 watch faces to choose from here along with the ability to add custom watch faces. The device supports Bluetooth calling with Tru Sync feature which allows the smartwatch to pair quickly with your mobile device and provide faster connectivity. The Bluetooth calling experience was hassle-free during my testing of the NoiseFit Halo. The brand promises 7-day battery life without extensive Bluetooth calling for the smartwatch. However, I experienced the device losing 50% of its battery in two-day usage with BT calling turned on for hours.
Verdict
The NoiseFit Halo is the perfect blend of premium looks and budget pricing. The metallic build makes it stand out from the competition at the Rs 3,999 price point.
YouTube has once again hit the experimental phase where it is trying out something new. Gone are the days when social media and video platforms’ best performance was experienced by all users. Now, a big chunk of features gets blocked by a paywall where users have to shell out a monthly or a yearly fee to get the best features from their favourite platforms. It was the much-talked-about Twitter Blue subscription back in 2022 and 2023 started with Meta announcing its very own paid verification service that brings a higher set of features. Now, YouTube has decided to reserve a higher bitrate 1080p resolution for its paying users only.
YouTube tests higher bitrate for premium users
One YouTube user recently posted a screenshot on Reddit which shows the ‘1080p Premium’ option sitting right over the ‘standard’ 1080p option for video resolution. The option is currently available for a small group of YouTube Premium subscribers according to the company’s spokesperson Paul Pennington. As reported by The Verge, the 1080p Premium is an enhanced bitrate version of 1080p that provides more information per pixel which results in a higher-quality viewing experience. According to Pennington, there are no changes in the existing quality offerings for the 1080p resolution on YouTube. In the past, there have been reports that YouTube may be locking 1080p 60fps videos behind the Premium paywall which was a concern for many.
It was not long ago when YouTube’s CEO Susan Wojcicki resigned from her position thus a change in the company’s strategy in the near future is inevitable. YouTube Premium currently costs Rs 129 per month through a subscription plan and Rs 139 per month as an individual plan. The years plan for the Premium YouTube experience is currently Rs 1,290. The benefits of YouTube Premium include ad-free videos, background playback, and offline video downloading, along with YouTube Music Premium. As of now, YouTube Premium and Premium reportedly have over 80 million paid subscribers. YouTube currently has over 2 billion users with 42.9% of global Internet users accessing it monthly.
Only a few months back in November 2022, Meta sacked roughly 11,000 employees from its global workforce. Firing 13 per cent of its global workforce made Meta the company to fire the most employees in 2022 followed by Twitter which sacked 5,000 of its workforce. Now, nearly just four months after the massive layoffs, Meta is gearing up to lay off thousands of employees soon.
Meta layoffs
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram is planning to lay off thousands of its employees soon as reported by The Washington Post. The new set of layoffs is said to disproportionately impact non-engineering roles. it is also reported that CEO Mark Zuckerberg is currently deputising lawyers, financial experts, top executives and human resources employees to draw up plans to deflate the hierarchy within the company. Back in November 2022, Meta cited that overhiring and poor macroeconomic conditions were the reason behind the mass layoff. It will be interesting to see what reason is cited by the tech giant for the fresh round of layoffs.
It is expected that Meta will be citing a similar reason for the layoffs and additional mitigating costs amid falling revenue will also be one of the reasons for the layoffs. The reports reveal furthermore that Meta is considering rather traditional spending cuts by slashing some projects. These cuts will be targeted at divisions across the company and will happen gradually.
As per reports, the development about the upcoming layoffs comes days after it was reported that the company purposely gave ‘subpar ratings’ to thousands of employees during their performance review. On the other hand, Meta seems to be desperately trying to increase revenues with its verified subscription plans.
OnePlus track record aside, the OnePlus 11 series, with the launch of the flagship OnePlus 11 first, followed by the OnePlus 11R, is a mighty impressive product range. The OnePlus 10R was, for better or for worse forgettable. The design was a straight-up copy, and the software was a nightmare. This year OnePlus is back to redeem itself among global users. Let’s take a look at the OnePlus 11R, the budget OnePlus flagship product, second to the OnePlus 11 in command. We shall take a look at the OnePlus 11R, arguably the most refined iteration of any OnePlus product in its history. At INR 39,999/- this phone is a flagship killer, and the one it kills is none other than the OnePlus 11 5G.
Big boy design
The OnePlus 11R looks almost identical to the OnePlus 11, and that in itself is impressive. From afar, it is practically impossible to identify the 11 from its 11R variant. Unlike the OnePlus 11, the 11R features a matte sandstone polycarbonate texture at its rear with glossy plastic sides designed to look impressive and feel lighter. The most impressive part of the design is the inclusion of a neatly curved 6.74-inch S-AMOLED adaptive 120Hz panel with FHD+ resolution. More on that later. Alert slider and IR sensor appeal to an exciting flagship design. Despite being priced in the upper midrange segment, this phone visually appeals as an entry-level flagship device from OnePlus.
Wow, display with powerful stereo sound.
The OnePlus 11R features a brighter 6.74-inch FHD+ adaptive refresh rate (40-120Hz) Super AMOLED HDR 10+ panel with more brightness than the OnePlus 11 5G at 1450nits. It also features 100% DCI-P3 colour reproduction and good sunlight visibility compared to the flagship OnePlus 11. Viewing content and playing multimedia on this phone is nothing short of a flagship experience. This is quite surprising for the price and coupled with the stereo speakers where the earpiece doubles up as a channel for stereo output, the display and sound are top-tier grades to say the least. OnePlus 11R makes no compromises on the display and sound features offering more than one can expect for the price.
Flagship performance
Powered by the updated Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and up to 16GB LPDDRX5 RAM on fast UFS 128GB or 256GB storage, the OnePlus 11R breezes through day-to-day tasks. Demanding gaming titles are no stress for this SoC. This is much better than the usual Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, which has issues like overheating, throttling and other performance hurdles. The phone stays relatively cooler than most other phones in its category despite hours of gameplay, downloads, video playback and recording. Couple that with an excellent HDR-rich display, and OnePlus has a winner on their side this time around. Consider this the second-best chip after the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2 featured in the OnePlus 11 5G and other top-tier flagship phones. Something as demanding as Genshin Impact was smooth for hours with graphic settings at high and 60fps. Mesmerising flagship performance at an affordable price. Call and data quality was at par with the flagship devices of the realm despite missing out on Wifi-7, IP ratings and wireless charging capabilities.
Color OS made for OnePlus = Oxygen OS
The OnePlus 11R features Oxygen OS based on Android 13. OnePlus commits to 3-year updates on the 11R compared to 4 years on the OnePlus 11. There are tonnes of customizations for making this phone unique to each user, while many other technical features seem overly simplified! Camera app, for instance, does not allow for any megapixel or resolution customizations, while the IR blaster comes in handy when required. Split screen, flexible windows and smart sidebar allow improved gesture-operated functionality on a large gorgeous display. Quick launch allows quick app access from a long press on the fast in-display fingerprint sensor. The UI is snappy and loaded with themes for fonts, sounds, and many other customizations. App performance is at par with the flagships of this era. Haptic feedback is satisfactory and customisable, while the games app brings consolidated support for all games installed. Performance enhancements include 4D vibrations, smart network switching and enhanced multi-touch response.
A much improved but lackluster camera setup
The primary sensor on the OnePlus 11R is similar to the primary sensor on the OnePlus 11 – 50MP OIS IMX890. Although it misses the Hasselblad text, the performance is identical, thanks to the shared algorithms. Colors, saturation, and details are retained in both day and low light. The hi-Res mode allows for 50MP shots with good detail capture. While the main sensor allows 4K 60fps recording, the 8MP Ultrawide is below average and limited to 1080p 60fps shooting. The 2MP macro sensor is meh, and nothing impressive here. The front 16MP fixed focus camera is decent in the day and low light with AI enhancements and auto HDR on all the camera modes. Overall, the OIS and EIS-enabled primary sensor is worth considering for multiple lighting conditions. This is not a camera-centric phone, but the latest Sony IMX890 sensor is excellent as a primary camera on the OnePlus 11R.
Sprinter running a marathon.
The 5000mAh battery and the efficient yet powerful Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 bring good battery life to the OnePlus 11R. It easily suffices hours of high-fidelity gameplay, content viewing and camera usage. What’s insane is the inclusion of a Supervooc S charger inside the box enabling 100W charge speeds. This is precisely similar to the elder sibling, the OnePlus 11 5G. The OnePlus 11R features a brighter but FHD+ resolution on the SAMOLED panel but an efficient chipset and lesser resolution than the 2K displays of the realm; the OnePlus 11R enjoys good battery life and innate peace of mind with super fast charging speeds.
This is the OnePlus that kills flagships.
OnePlus 11R is the prime example for everyone who missed the OnePlus flagship-killer moniker. Priced at less than INR 40K for the base model and slightly more for the 16GB RAM variant, the OnePlus 11R is a quintessential example of the OnePlus smartphones of the past. The design retains all the flagship features with arguably more durable materials and miles of improvement from its predecessor. If you are someone who wants flagship performance and design but at a sensible price, there is nothing like the OnePlus 11R as of now.
Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has recently launched its subscription service, Meta Plus. The service, priced at $11.99 a month, will offer users a range of additional features and benefits, including ad-free experiences, exclusive content, and access to virtual reality (VR) experiences.
Meta Plus represents a new revenue stream for the social media giant, which has traditionally relied on advertising to generate revenue. The service is expected to appeal to users who are willing to pay for a premium experience and who value privacy and control over their online experience.
One of the critical features of Meta Plus is the ability to access exclusive content, including articles, videos, and live events, from select partners. This content will be curated by Meta’s team of editors and offer users a unique and high-quality experience they cannot find elsewhere.
Another major draw of the subscription service is the ability to access VR experiences through the Oculus platform, which Meta owns. These experiences will include games, entertainment, and other interactive content and will offer users a new way to engage with the platform and each other.
In addition to these features, Meta Plus will offer users an ad-free experience and additional control over their news feed and privacy settings. This will appeal to users who are concerned about the impact of advertising and want more control over their online experience.
The launch of Meta Plus represents a significant shift for Meta, which has traditionally been a free platform. However, the company has been exploring alternative revenue streams in recent years, including through its Oculus VR platform and e-commerce initiatives.
The move to a subscription model also aligns with Meta’s broader strategy of focusing on privacy and user control as the company seeks to position itself as a more responsible and user-friendly platform. It remains to be seen how successful Meta Plus will be and whether users will be willing to pay for a premium experience on the platform.
POCO India today launched the POCO C55 expanding its C-Series. Taking the legacy of the C-series ahead, POCO C55 delivers the best performance and experience to consumers. Powered by a top-notch chipset – MediaTek Helio G85, 50MP dual camera first in the C-series and 5,000 mAh massive battery, POCO C55 is a value disruptor that will help users to get through the day with Speed and Swag.
Taking the smartphone experience up a notch in the entry-level segment, the new POCO C55 takes the experience to a whole new level with the power-packed performance of the MediaTek Helio G85 processor and its stylish leather-like stitch design. POCO C55 comes with a large 6.71” HD+ display ensuring a complete package in this segment.
Experience Performance
Designed with performance at its core, POCO C55 is powered with the segment’s most powerful MediaTek Helio G85 chipset, an incredible processor for a super-fast and smooth performance, especially for heavy-loading game engines, demanding scenes and intense gameplay. MediaTek Helio G85 pumps its Arm Mali-G52 GPU up to a 1GHz peak, giving a sustained performance for avid mobile gamers. Complimenting sturdy hardware is an enriching software experience and an expandable 5GB Turbo RAM, resulting in up to 11GB RAM. POCO C55 runs on Android 12 and has an AnTuTu score of more than 260K which empowers users with a consistently hassle-free experience.
Experience Swag
Featuring a stylish back panel, POCO C55 flaunts a leather-like stitch design and a rear fingerprint sensor. This game changer comes with a 6.71” HD+ panel, which delivers an efficient, smooth and vivid content streaming experience. The smartphone has an IP52 rating and an oleophobic display. Adding to a holistic experience, the smartphone features a powerful single speaker on top and a headphone jack ensuring an overall high-quality audio experience.
Experience Photography
A first in the C-series, POCO C55 features a 50MP dual camera setup along with a 5MP front snapper. Able to capture crisp and vibrant photographs in all lighting conditions, POCO C55 captures like no other. The smartphone also offers a no-compromise video experience with 1080p @ 30fps & 720p @ 30fps. Further, it comes with a wide range of innovative photography and videography features and modes, allowing users to capture each and every moment with precision and clarity.
Experience Massive Battery Life
Built to handle extensive gaming and heavy daily tasks, POCO C55 packs a massive 5000mAh battery to take the users through the day easily. Providing sufficient juice to a massive battery, its 10W charging support gives a sufficient battery backup.
Price and Availability
Available in 3 exciting colours, Forest Green, Cool Blue, and Power Black, POCO C55 will be available on Flipkart starting 28 February in 4GB+64GB and 6GB+128GB at INR 9,499 and INR 10,999 respectively. Taking the swag levels higher and making this a sweet deal for consumers, POCO has introduced an INR 500 first-day flat discount on the 4GB+64GB variant. Along with this, they have announced bank offers of INR 500 and INR 1000 on 4GB+64GB and 6GB+128GB variants respectively for consumers using SBI, HDFC and ICICI debit or credit cards taking the net effective price for the first day to INR 8499 and INR 9999.
