Nothing is currently an indie darling of the smartphone scene. Besides the brand’s unforgettable designs, every Nothing phone offered a clean Android experience with a refreshingly smooth skin. Late last year, that all changed with a newly introduced feature called Lock Glimpse, which also included unwanted ads on the lock screen. Fans outraged, and now, Nothing is almost completely backtracking on the feature.

At the end of last week, Nothing announced a small update for Nothing OS 4.0. Following feedback from users, the brand is removing Lock Glimpse from the Phone (a) series, except the Lite versions. The announcement does not rule out adding the feature again but only after it’s been made “less intrusive.”

If you’ve touched a midrange phone recently, you might be familiar with how Lock Glimpse works. Essentially, it’s a custom lock screen that includes content suggested by the software such as recommended articles, choice photos, and ads. For those who want a simple interface, you won’t get much peace from such a feature.

As expected, Nothing’s users balked at the feature’s inclusion, especially after the brand’s previous promises to not include ads. According to the initial announcement, Lock Glimpse is supposed to help the brand recoup the cost of producing non-flagship phones and pricing them competitively.

Now, only the Phone (3a) Lite and CMF devices will come with Lock Glimpse. It will still remain off by default. Plus, the brand is working on adding support to uninstall the feature completely in the future.

Besides the Lock Glimpse update, Nothing OS 4.0 will now also support the removal of Meta App Installer, Meta App Manager, and Meta Service. The update initially started pre-installing recommended apps, which users also disliked.

SEE ALSO: Nothing Phone (3a) Lite touts midrange specs as entry-level

The HONOR X9d 5G is now in the Philippines. Touted as the “World’s Toughest Phone”, HONOR’s latest midrange smartphone is available starting at PhP 17,999.

Customers can avail of this discounted price during the preorder period from January 9 to 23. They can also get a JisuLife Fan 5 and gift box as part of the preorder freebie package.

Do note that the handheld fan will only be part of the package when the phone is claimed on January 24.

In addition, those who preorder can join the raffle giveaway for a chance to win a Tesla Cybertruck.

Meanwhile, from January 24 onwards, customers can get the device for PhP 18,999. Available colors are Reddish Brown, Sunrise Gold, and Midnight Black.

Moreover, the phone is offered through Globe and Smart postpaid plans for flexible payments, as well as through Home Credit.

Tough, durable

Building on the X series’ previous entries which are known for their durability, the latest entry to the popular line features a 2.5-meter drop resistance rating, and an improved IP66, IP68, and IP69K dust and water resistance.

It also has a significantly larger battery capacity at 8,300mAh, with support for 66W charging. Powered by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 platform, users can also expect a leap when it comes to performance.

The lone configuration in the Philippines comes with 12GB RAM (plus 12GB expansion) and 256GB of internal storage.

For its camera, the HONOR X9d still has a 108MP main camera and a 16MP front camera. Users can leverage HONOR’s full suite of AI-powered editing features, including AI Eraser.

In front, there is a 6.79-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with up to 120Hz refresh rate and up to 6,000 nits brightness. This panel is reinforced by Aluminosilicate glass.

The HONOR X9d comes with MagicOS 9 out of the box, along with Google Gemini, and more handy features.

A popular story among Chinese smartphone brands is whenever a sub-brand spinning off into its own independent entity. A less common one is when an independent entity suddenly merges back into the main entity. And yet, that’s the story we have today. realme is reportedly going back to being a sub-brand of OPPO.

If you don’t remember realme’s time as a sub-brand, then it’s hardly your fault. It’s been a long while since realme was considered a sub-brand. In 2018, the brand spun off on its own to form one of the most popular names in the Chinese smartphone space.

Today, via Leiphone, realme will return to OPPO as a sub-brand. Current realme CEO Sky Li will still retain his responsibilities heading the brand. Plus, all products on the current release schedule will still come out as planned.

However, starting this year, realme will start reintegrating back into OPPO, particularly through the latter’s after-sales programs. OnePlus will also follow the same structure going forward.

Currently, realme has not officially announced the move. That said, we also don’t know how the brand will address the reported change. It’s possible that the shift is just internal and has no effect on how the brand faces the public. For now, only time will tell.

SEE ALSO: realme C85 with 7000mAh battery, 5G connectivity officially launches