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OnePlus 6T goes bigger, adds Screen Unlock

Comes with a smaller notch, too

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As complete as the OnePlus 6 was at launch, OnePlus knew they could do better. That’s made evident by all the tech jammed into the updated OnePlus 6T.

Like the OnePlus 5T released this time last year, the 6T comes six months after its base model, yet brings a generation’s worth of goodies to the table.

This time, the most impressive addition is Screen Unlock, which is OnePlus’ take on the in-display fingerprint reader. It takes only 0.34 seconds to unlock the phone this way, keeping with the company’s speedy theme.

To improve the experience even further, a larger 6.41-inch Optic AMOLED 1080p display is installed and it has a less intrusive notch for the front-facing 16-megapixel camera. The latest Gorilla Glass 6 is also here to strengthen the phone.

From here, the other upgrades are in line with most year-end flagships. There’s a high-end Snapdragon 845 processor, up to 8GB of memory, up to 256GB of storage, and a fast charge-capable 3700mAh battery.

In addition, the rear cameras have been refined despite having the same 16- and 20-megapixel sensors. They both have an f/1.7 aperture and image stabilization, making HDR photos and slow-motion videos crisper than ever.

On the software side, OnePlus offers Smart Boost to speed up app load times, as well as Nightscape, which improves low-light performance for the cameras — a clear answer to what Huawei and Google have been up to.

Sadly, the audio port is no longer here, and only a single bottom-firing speaker complements the impressive screen. On the bright side, the Android 9 Pie-based OxygenOS is already on board, along with OnePlus’ intuitive navigation gestures.

As of writing, there are only two color options available: Midnight Black and Mirror Black. Pricing starts at US$ 549 for the 6GB memory with 128GB storage variant, US$ 579 for 8GB+128GB, and US$ 629 for 8GB+256GB. Availability begins on November 1 through the official website.

Laptops

Apple raises the prices of iPad and MacBook lineups

Price hikes start at $100.

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Hey, remember when Apple launched the MacBook Neo, and it had the most attractive price for an Apple-branded laptop? Those were good times. Unfortunately, it was too good to be true. Responding to the ongoing RAM crisis, Apple has now increased the prices of its hardware, starting with the MacBook and the iPad lineups (via Reuters).

The “highlight” here is the price of the MacBook Neo. To be fair, the affordable MacBook is still the cheapest one of the lot, but that’s not saying much. From a starting price of US$ 599, the Neo now costs US$ 699.

Now, we’d love to say that a US$ 100 price hike is the most you can expect across the board. But that’s not true at all. Most will bring up the price by a few hundreds and up to a whopping US$ 1,300. Here’s a list of devices you’re going to see changes for:

Model Original price New price
MacBook Neo $599 $699
MacBook Air (13-inch) $1,099 $1,299
MacBook Air (15-inch) $1,299 $1,499
MacBook Pro (M5) $1,699 $1,999
MacBook Pro (M5 Pro) $2,199 $2,499
MacBook Pro (M5 Max) $3,599 $4,099
iMac $1,299 $1,499
Mac Studio (M4 Max) $1,999 $2,499
Mac Studio (M3 Ultra) $3,999 $5,299
iPad $349 $449
iPad mini $499 $599
iPad Air (11-inch) $599 $749
iPad Air (13-inch) $749 $949
iPad Pro (11-inch) $999 $1,199
iPad Pro (13-inch) $1,299 $1,499
Vision Pro $3,499 $3,699

 

The current price hikes do not include the iPhone lineup. It might only be a matter of time, though. Recently, Tim Cook confirmed that Apple can no longer shoulder the expenses of the RAM crisis by themselves, essentially signaling a huge wave of price hikes. The brand will likely continue the increases heading into the iPhone launches in September.

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Honor is reportedly working on a 14000mAh battery

How much is too much?

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Nothing goes together more than a Chinese smartphone brand and the relentless pursuit for a bigger battery. For years, Chinese brands have engaged in a war for this particular component. Now, the latest salvo has been fired. Honor is reportedly working on a phone with a gigantic 14000mAh battery.

Today, the biggest battery capacity you can find on an Honor phone is 11000mAh. The Honor X80 Pro Max already offers a battery that can last you more than a single day. At this point, it’s certainly more than enough for our daily needs.

According to Digital Chat Station on Weibo, a smartphone brand is currently working on a 14000mAh battery. Though the leak does not explicitly pinpoint Honor, the emoji used (a wolf) is historically used to imply the Chinese brand in Weibo parlance.

A 14000mAh is just absurdly huge. With a battery larger than some powerbanks, battery anxiety becomes moot. It’s bordering on “can we bring this on a plane” territory.

As with all rumored features, the next question is when this battery will arrive on a consumer-ready device. Given how serious the battery wars are for the Chinese market, it’s only a matter of time.

SEE ALSO: HONOR continues APAC expansion, to launch 600 series in Taiwan

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Nothing Phone (4b) shows up online, spoils some specs

It’s a step below the Phone (4a) series.

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Yesterday, Nothing officially teased the Phone (4b), an all-new line positioned below the Phone (4a) series. At the time, the teaser revealed nothing but the design of the upcoming phone. However, ahead of its July 7 launch, the Phone (4b) suddenly appeared on Geekbench, spoiling a few of its mysterious specs.

According to the listing, the Phone (4b) will run the SM6650, more popularly known as the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4. It’s a modestly powered processor built for the budget to midrange segments of the performance spectrum. Having this processor does confirm that the phone belongs to the step below the Phone (4a), bringing affordability to a name other than CMF.

Besides the processor, the new phone will come with an Adreno 810 GPU and 8GB of RAM. Inside, it will ship with Android 16 out of the box, but this will likely be upgradeable to Android 17 later this year.

It’s already confirmed that the Phone (4b) will be quite the looker. The phone will slightly depart from the design philosophy of the Phone (4a) series. Though it will still have a sizable rear island, the camera setup will just be a small vertical strip on the top-left corner. Additionally, the lighting element typical of all Nothing phones will be a small horizontal strip on the bottom-right corner.

Thankfully, the wait for more specs won’t be long. Nothing has confirmed that the phone’s launch is set for July 7.

SEE ALSO: Nothing will launch the Phone (4b) next month

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