News
Prices of the upcoming iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max leak
They will not be cheap
We’re just a few days away from Apple‘s event but inside info keeps on coming. Last week, we got an early preview of purported renders of the upcoming high-end iPhones. They look quite official and could be the real deal. This time, we have an update about the prices and monikers.
New reports are saying the top-dog iPhone this year will be called the iPhone Xs Max. This information was confirmed by two sources claiming to be familiar with Apple’s marketing plans. It seems like Apple is done with the “Plus” moniker and joins the likes of ASUS and Xiaomi in labeling their big-battery phones as “Max.”
Anyhow, the name change won’t affect the closeness of the two high-end 2018 iPhones. They’re probably going to be like the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus with similar designs, materials, and specifications aside from screen size and battery capacity.
What’s going to be different is the “entry-level” variant with a 6.1-inch LCD and aluminum frame. There’s not much info about its official name though, but we’re betting it’ll be called the iPhone 9.
As for the prices of the three upcoming iPhones, early info from Germany says the 6.1-inch iPhone will be priced the same as the iPhone 8 at launch. While the iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max will be as expensive as the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X’s launch prices, respectively.
So, this means the cheapest 2018 iPhone will be US$ 699, the iPhone Xs is at US$ 799, and the iPhone Xs Max will retail for US$ 999. The prices are for the base models with 64GB of storage.
Unlike last year though, all 2018 iPhones will look similar and the inspiration will come from the iPhone X with Face ID built in. They all have glass backs and wireless charging features, and all three will be rocking Apple’s latest A12 chip along with iOS 12.
Nothing is certain or official, but rumors tend to be accurate most of the time. We’ll just have to confirm everything during Apple’s event happening on September 12.
SEE ALSO: Apple will officially announce new iPhones on September 12
News
Xiaomi Redmi A3 Philippine pricing, availability
Budget smartphone with high refresh rate display
Xiaomi is bringing high refresh rate displays to its budget line with the announcement of the Redmi A3. The latest addition to the entry-level Redmi line boasts of an expansive 6.71-inch HD+ display with up to a 90Hz refresh rate.
The Redmi A3 is available in Midnight Black, Star Blue, and Forest Green. The smartphone is priced at PhP 3,399 (3GB+64GB) and PhP 3,999 (4GB+128GB) respectively for its two configurations.
Customers may preorder the phone until April 27 via Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok. General sale begins April 26th in all Xiaomi stores nationwide. Freebies are a Basic Piston Earphone for online purchases and a 3-month Viu Premium subscription for in-store purchases.
The Redmi A3’s immersive screen allows users to consume various content in high-definition with better smoothness, a boost for a phone of its price point. The screen has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection as well, and DC dimming to reduce blue light exposure.
The phone also sports a refined design that lets go of the iPhone-looking camera arrangement. Instead, the main camera is now in the middle as part of a watch face-looking setup similar to other Android phone offerings.
Speaking of, an 8MP main shooter highlights the back of the Redmi A3. In front is a 5MP front camera. The phone is powered by a MediaTek Helio G36 processor and runs on an Android 14-based OS. Furthermore, it has a 5,000mAh battery with 10W of USB-C charging.
Other handy Redmi A3 features for users to utilize include a 3.5mm jack, Face Unlock, and Fingerprint Unlock.
For the longest time, Google kept Pixel and Android behind two different teams. While the Pixel team dealt with devices made by and for the brand, the Android team ships a product meant for brands outside of the company’s purview. However, the days of separation are at an end. Google is officially merging its Pixel and Android teams together.
In a shocking announcement, the company has confirmed that the teams handling hardware and software will fall under a single team headed by Rick Osterloh. Prior to the merge, Osterloh was the senior vice president of devices and service, which was Google’s hardware branch. He will now oversee both hardware and software.
Because of the new leadership change, Hiroshi Lockheimer, former head of Android, will now move on to other projects within Alphabet. Of note, the change is not harsh for Lockheimer. He and Osterloh had been contemplating on the merge for a while.
Now, why the change? As is the case with everything today, it’s all because of AI. Speaking to The Verge, Osterloh explains that the merge will help with “full-stack innovation.” With how technology is these days, it’s now impossible to develop AI without having a close eye on hardware, such as in Google’s AI developments for the Pixel camera. Merging the teams will help streamline development, especially when hardware is involved.
Despite the change, outside brands, like Qualcomm’s Cristiano Amon, remains confident of Android’s capabilities outside of Google. Just expect more AI coming out in the near future.
Since the Pixel 6 series, Google continues to wow the market as one of the most unique camera designs available in the market today. This year, the brand’s Pixel 9 series might reinvent itself again with a slightly updated redesign.
Between the Pixel 6 and Pixel 8 series, Google introduced a wraparound camera island extending from the left edge to the right edge. While most smartphones today still use the traditional top-left island layout, Google’s lineup consistently grabs admiration from onlookers.
Now, according to an early leak (from Rozetked, via 9to5Google), Google might cut the camera island’s size before it reaches either side of the Pixel 9. The remaining chunk looks like a horizontal pill-shaped camera island right in the middle of the rear panel. It looks like a common camera island comically enlarged and turned on its side. Alternatively, it also looks like a webcam attached to a phone.
Based on the new leak, the new camera island will have three unknown lenses, the usual LED flash, and an unconfirmed sensor. Besides the different camera, the leak also confirms the usual tray of hardware on the side. There’s nothing too revolutionary.
As always, the Pixel 9 series is scheduled to come out in the fall of this year.
SEE ALSO: Pixel 9 series will reportedly come in four models
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