News

HTC’s U11 flagship beats Google Pixel at DxOMark

Published

May 16, 2017

Marvin Velasco

We learned a lot about the HTC U11 in the leaked hands-on video — from its squeezable body to a couple of specs — but we learned something even more important during the official launch: Its camera beats the Google Pixel at DxOMark.

With a score of 90, HTC’s new flagship smartphone has one point more than the previous champ, the Pixel. That’s a major feat, considering how many believe Google’s pride and joy has the best camera to date. Of course, we’ll have to wait for real-world tests before knowing for sure if its 12-megapixel camera is truly king.

As leaked earlier, the U11 has a high-end Snapdragon 835 processor and 4GB of memory (6GB for certain regions). On top of that, a 5.5-inch Quad HD LCD, base amount of 64GB of storage, and sufficient 3000mAh battery capacity round up the specifications. You’ll probably miss the 3.5mm audio port, but IP67-rated water and dust resistance has been added to the all-glass and metal phone.

But what really matters is HTC’s new Edge Sense, which allows you to squeeze the pressure-sensitive edges for additional functions. You could tighten your grip to turn on the camera app and take a photo. Squeezing a little longer activates the flashlight or any other feature you choose. What’s important is the amount of pressure can be adjusted, as well.

How useful and intuitive this will actually be is still the question. If history repeats itself, Edge Sense may end up like Force or 3D Touch for Huawei and Apple — which means barely implemented at all in most apps.

Another aspect HTC showed off during the presentation is the U11’s audio capabilities. In exchange for having no headphone jack, there’s a bundled pair of USB-C earphones with active noise canceling and high-resolution sounds. In addition, users are treated to four separate microphones for 3D audio recording while shooting videos.

Luckily, the asking price is not as eye-popping as HTC’s other flagship, the U Ultra. Starting at $649, the U11 is $100 cheaper than its larger counterpart while having significantly better specs. Available colors are silver, blue, black, white, and red.

Shipping will begin this month, with most of the world receiving it in June — just in time to compete with the Sony Xperia XZ Premium and Xiaomi Mi 6.

SEE MORE: HTC’s ‘unexpected surprise’ is surprisingly disappointing

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News

OnePlus Open and OPPO Find N3 are the exact same phone

OnePlus confirmed it

Published

October 3, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

If you’re shopping for a foldable phone in the future, you can cross one device off your list — when considering only specs, at least. OnePlus has confirmed that its upcoming foldable smartphone is the exact same device as OPPO’s upcoming foldable.

In an announcement emailed today, OnePlus co-founder Pete Lau stated that OnePlus and OPPO have co-developed a foldable device in tandem. Despite being only one device, it will be released as two smartphones, released under both OnePlus’s and OPPO’s banner. To differentiate between the two brands, each device will cater to two different markets.

Lau has not confirmed what these smartphones are. However, given the teases we’ve received from both brands so far, it’s fair to assume what they are. OnePlus, for example, teased a OnePlus Open back in July. OPPO, on the other hand, is set to launch the OPPO Find N3 soon. There is also no confirmation as to which markets will receive the phones. If anything, the Find N3 will likely be a China exclusive when it launches.

In previous rumors from months ago, the foldable device will likely carry a 7.82-inch screen. The secondary screen might extend to 6.31 inches. Inside, it will reportedly have a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, complemented by 16GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. It might also have a triple rear camera combination comprised of a 48-megapixel main shooter, a 48-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 64-megapixel telephoto lens.

News

The iPhone 15 is overheating, and Apple knows about it

A fix is coming soon

Published

October 3, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

If you couldn’t wait for Christmas and got yourself a new iPhone 15 already, you might have noticed a flaw with your new phone. While using it in certain ways, the smartphone reportedly heats up to uncomfortable levels. Apple has now confirmed that the problem is real. The company is now working on a solution for the issue.

Since the iPhone 15 series launched late last month, several users have reported that the devices in the series can get uncomfortably hot in certain situations. At the time, Apple didn’t know what was causing the issue.

Over the weekend, Apple figured it out. According to Forbes, the company has linked the heating issue with three things: increased background activity, an iOS 17 bug, and some third-party apps.

The first cause is not an issue. During device set-up, the smartphone usually loads up a lot of background processes at once. Naturally, it goes on overdrive, causing the increased temperature.

On the other hand, the next two reasons are noted issues. “We have also found a bug in iOS 17 that is impacting some users and will be addressed in a software update. Another issue involves some recent updates to third-party apps that are causing them to overload the system. We’re working with these app developers on fixes that are in the process of rolling out,” Apple said.

The iOS 17 update should be coming soon. However, the third-party fixes will be dependent on the developer. Asphalt 9, Instagram, and Uber are already confirmed for the flaw, but only Instagram has received a fix so far.

At the very least, Apple confirms that it’s not a hardware issue. If you’re worried about the potential for hardware failure, you can rest assured that it’s just a software issue.

Apps

UAAP Season 86 is FREE on Smart LiveStream App

Available on the App Store and Google Play

Published

October 2, 2023

GadgetMatch

Want to keep up with the UAAP Season 86 games? You can do so with the Smart LiveStream App.

Much like what SMART did with FIBA World Cup 2023, the telecommunication company is giving its subscribers free access to watch UAAP Season 86 games through the Smart LiveStream App. The games are available both live and on-demand.

Smart subscribers can stream all the UAAP Season 86 games on the Smart LiveStream App using their smartphones or tablets while connected to Smart mobile Internet or their PLDT Home WiFi. Smart subscribers are able to stream for free — no subscription needed.

The app is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Stream on TV?

Yes, you can do so. The Smart LiveStream TV App is available on Google-certified Android TV Android 8.0 version. It’s downloadable from the Android TV Google Play Store and linking their Android TV to the app. To do this, subscribers simply need to open the Smart LiveStream Mobile App, go to Menu, click Link Device, and enable the camera to scan the QR code displayed on the Android TV.

Alternatively, Android TV users may go to www.smart.com.ph/livestream to sign into their account, then go to Menu, click Device Management to add their Android TV by entering the code displayed on the TV and activate their Smart LiveStream TV App.