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ZTE Nubia Z17 introduces Quick Charge 4+

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If you want your smartphone to stand out, you must deliver on no-nonsense features and the best possible specifications. ZTE’s Nubia Z17 delivers on both, introducing Qualcomm’s latest fast-charging technology and possibly the best set of specs we’ve seen on an Android.

In an unusual move, Qualcomm granted ZTE the right to unveil its Quick Charge 4+ tech, which is a mild upgrade to its predecessor, Quick Charge 4. The newest version lowers the operating temperature, charges 15 percent faster, and is up to 30 percent more efficient — perfect for topping up the Nubia Z17’s 3200mAh battery.

This is made possible by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chipset inside, which originally came with Quick Charge 4 when it launched last year. On top of the Nubia Z17 being the first to bring the new charging standard to the masses, it’s also just the second to have a generous 8GB of memory. (The yet-to-ship ASUS ZenFone AR is the first.)

That’s impressive for a China-branded phone that didn’t have much hype surrounding it. Other than that, this Android handset settles for more common specifications: a 5.5-inch Full HD 1080p display, up to 128GB of internal storage, a dual-camera setup at the back, and oh-so-vital water resistance. Its only real drawback is the exclusion of a 3.5mm audio port.

As expected, only residents in China are fortunate enough to get their hands on this. It has excellent bang for one’s buck, retailing for CNY 2,799 ($410) for the variant owning 6GB of memory and 64GB of storage, and CNY 3,999 ($590) for the more capable version using 8GB of memory and 128GB of storage.

The Nubia Z17’s closest competition for that price and feature set is Xiaomi’s Mi 6, which also hasn’t been internationally available since its launch yet.

SEE ALSO: ZTE’s Blade V7, V7 Lite phones are easy on the eyes and wallet

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Canva teams up with SB19 to turn A’TIN’s passion into creativity

Campaign lets fans access assets, editable templates, more

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Canva Philippines has joined forces with SB19 and Sony Music Entertainment to launch the “Kaya sa Canva” campaign.

This first-of-its-kind initiative is aimed at transforming the popular Filipino boy band’s fanbase into creators by giving them access to official design assets, exclusive templates, and powerful creative tools.

That’s of course as fans have a way of creating artwork, banners, and more outputs to honor their idols.

As such, the partnership enables the A’TIN (SB19’s fanbase) to access the Canva-exclusive SB19’s Creative Hub.

This dedicated space lets fans access assets, including SB19-inspired sticker packs, custom typography, and editable templates inspired by the group.

Fans around the world will initially have access to templates for photo-booth strips, wallpapers, posters, and videos.

The campaign will then expand with Canva-exclusive assets celebrating the group’s New Era, as well as their latest single, “Lawless”.

Meanwhile, the original song “KAYA” is accompanied with an upbeat music video, doubling as a love letter to A’TIN and a masterclass in Canva’s tools.

Every visual and animation is fan-inspired, a celebration of the creativity, passion, and dedication that’s defined in the community from day one.

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The iPhone 18 might sell out for an unexpected reason

The ongoing shortage might play a part in the phone selling out earlier than expected.

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An iPhone selling out is not news. Because of how popular the phones are, it’s within the realm of probability that Apple runs out of stock at some point. According to a new report, this year won’t be any different… but it’s for an entirely different reason.

First reported by analyst Tim Culpan, Apple is reportedly struggling to meet its demand for semiconductors for the iPhone 18 and the foldable iPhone. The ongoing memory shortage is cutting off Apple’s ability to deliver the required supply of smartphones in a timely fashion. The report even claims that TSMC, which helps produce the iPhone, is sitting on a shipment of processors, worth US$ 1 billion, that don’t have memory chips.

Now, Apple is still confident that it can weather the launch. However, if the shortage persists, the iPhone 18 generation will likely sell out much more quickly than expected.

It’s an interesting time for Apple to experience such a shortage. It’s been heavily rumored that the company will launch its very first foldable phone next month, creating a new market for the brand. Apple definitely wants this attempt to succeed after the tepid response to its last new product, the Vision Pro.

SEE ALSO: Did Tim Cook just confirm that iPhone prices are going up?

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These “smart” glasses just sold out in under a week

DuckDuckGo touts that these glasses have zero AI, zero cameras, and an infinite battery life.

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Smart glasses are in a weird place right now. While a chunk of the population views them as cool and innovative, another significant chunk sees them as a privacy nightmare. If you’re in the latter group but want to see what life is like on the former, DuckDuckGo has a new product: a pair of anti-surveillance glasses with no camera or AI, otherwise known as just normal sunglasses.

If it’s not obvious, yes, it’s a troll product. DuckDuckGo is a search engine famously known for pushing privacy as a priority, opposing Google’s penchant for advertising and AI. Now, the search engine is taking on the smart glasses market.

Partnering with Knockaround, DuckDuckGo released the Paso Robles, a pair of sunglasses touted as having zero cameras, an always-offline mode, and a battery life of infinity.

It’s a statement piece. The rims have a logo mark, similar to the Meta’s glasses. The packaging also states that the glasses are “designed to block the sun, not send data to the cloud.”

Now, if you want a pair, they cost only US$ 35, as opposed to Meta’s US$ 299 price tag, but they are already sold out.

Which says quite a bit about today’s sentiment against AI and for privacy. Of course, to be fair, DuckDuckGo’s supply is certainly less than Meta’s stock for their smart glasses. It does, however, prove that the sentiment is there.

As of now, the world is slowly realizing that unimpeded smart glasses aren’t such a good idea, leading to people concerned about their privacy. In fact, some states have already started banning the technology in certain public spaces.

SEE ALSO: New York becomes first state to ban smart glasses

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