News
OPPO Reno7 Pro 5G now official
With a selfie sensor by OPPO and Sony
We’ve come to expect this now. The OPPO Reno line comes up with a new phone every six months and 2022 is no different. Kicking of the new year is the OPPO Reno7 Pro 5G that’s now in Singapore.
All about imaging
The Reno line has been zeroing in on delivering fantastic images and that continues with the Reno7 Pro 5G. This phone features two flagship sensors — the IMX709 and the IMX766.
The IMX709 sensor was developed by OPPO together with Sony. It’s on the Reno7 Pro 5G’s 32MP selfie camera. It has an all-new RGBW pixel array that contains additional white pixels not found in traditional RGGB image sensors. It can capture 60 percent more light than standard RGGB sensors while reducing noise by up to 35 percent.
The rear camera module is no slouch either. The main camera is a 50MP shooter with the IMX766 sensor. It’s flanked by an 8MP ultra wide-angle camera, a 2MP macro camera, and a dedicated color temperature sensor.
All that hardware goodness is accompanied by a slew of software shooting features like AI Highlight Video, Bokeh Flare Portrait Video, Portrait Mode, and more. All of which are staple OPPO shooting features.
Packed to perform
The Reno7 Pro 5G features the MediaTek Dimensity 1200-MAX flagship-level 5G-integrated with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal as standard. That RAM can be expanded to 7GB if necessary by temporarily allocating ROM.
It has a 4,500mAh battery with support for 65W SUPERVOOC wired fast charging. The Reno7 Pro 5G has a 6.5-inch AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate that’s also HDR10+ certified. It also has ColorOS 12 straight out of the box for a smoother, smarter UI experience.
In terms of looks, the Reno7 Pro 5G inherits the OPPO Glow design of the Reno series. It’ll be available in two colors: Startrails Blue and Starlight Black.
Local endorsement
Actor Lawrence Wong is , OPPO’s first official brand ambassador in-market. As part of the collaboration, OPPO has sponsored Reunion Dinner starring the actor. It’s an upcoming Chinese New Year-themed movie slated to be in theaters starting January 20, 2022.
Reunion Dinner is presented by Clover Films and iQIYI, in association with King Kong Media Production and Mediacorp. OPPO and the actor will also be working on a series of promotional activities for the Reno7 Pro 5G later this month.
Price and availability
The OPPO Reno7 Pro 5G will be available starting January 15 at a retail price of SG$ 999 at OPPO Concept Stores, OPPO’s Shopee and Lazada Flagship Stores, M1, Singtel and StarHub as well as all authorized retailers.
From January 15 until 4 March, users can purchase the Reno7 Pro 5G at a promotional price of SG$ 919 (U.P SG $999) at OPPO Concept Stores, and OPPO’s Shopee and Lazada Flagship Stores, and will come with a pair of OPPO Enco Air earphones and a pair of movie tickets for ‘Reunion Dinner’, while stocks last.
During the mentioned promotional period, the OPPO Watch Free can also be purchased at a discounted price of SG$ 99 (U.P SG$ 129) alongside the OPPO Reno7 Pro — only at OPPO Concept Stores, OPPO’s Shopee and Lazada Flagship Stores.
The OPPO Reno7 5G is also coming soon, specifically in February 2022.
The price of technology isn’t fun these days. Because of the ongoing RAM shortage wrought by AI, companies across the industry are raising the prices of their products. Some, however, are still willing to shoulder the burden for their customers. Unfortunately, Qualcomm is soon leaving that list.
As reported by Bloomberg, Qualcomm will raise the prices of its products starting in September. Though the exact figure is unknown, the company did confirm that it’s in the double digits, percentage-wise. According to them, they can no longer shoulder the costs for its customers.
If you’re just a regular user, Qualcomm’s prices might not mean much for you. After all, the chipmaker doesn’t make phones of its own.
That said, Qualcomm is still one of the biggest suppliers for smartphone chipsets, including those that Samsung uses. Pushing the burden from chipsets to phone manufacturers reduces one more buffer against costs being ultimately pushed to consumers.
All things considered, Samsung managed to keep its prices hikes relatively low with the latest batch of foldables. However, with chips getting more price increases, it’s still within the realm of possibility that Samsung will also increase the price of its smartphones. The same can be said for any Qualcomm-powered smartphone available today.
News
Apple is reportedly delaying its smart glasses due to privacy concerns
The brand wants to squash malicious recording.
Smart glasses are in a weird place right now. While early adopters are celebrating the ability to record everything, a growing group of critics are decrying the loss of privacy. Formerly at full throttle, Apple, in response to these controversies, will reportedly delay its version of smart glasses to next year.
According to Bloomberg, Apple is heading back to the drawing board to further emphasize the unreleased wearable’s privacy protections, which includes “hardware and software-related privacy features not available on current products.” The report, however, doesn’t enumerate what these features are.
If anything, these features will likely prevent malicious recording. Most smart glasses today have a light that tells passersby that the device is actively recording video. However, users have discovered ways to tamper and disable this light, so their devices can start recording without alerting others. Apple will likely introduce better measure to prevent such tampering.
Additionally, it’s also possible that Apple introduces a version of the smart glasses without a camera attached.
Because of these new initiatives, the brand will delay the launch of the wearable to sometime next year. Previously, there was heavy speculation that the smart glasses will launch later this year.
On the bright side, there’s still substantial reason to believe that Apple is launching its first ever foldable device later this year.
Gaming
God of War Laufey finally confirms its highly anticipated launch date
Set your calendars next year.
It’s about time we get excited for God of War Laufey. The upcoming entry into the acclaimed franchise takes off on a tangent as it follows Faye, Kratos’s late wife, as she traverses an afterlife filled with similarly deceased gods. It’s a different perspective but with still the same action we’ve come to expect from the series. Now, we know when to expect it: February 16.
In the ongoing Norse saga, Faye’s death is everything. Her passing pushes Kratos and Atreus towards a path that eventually led to Ragnarok. In Laufey, a deceased Faye wakes up in Everywhen, an afterlife where gods from different mythologies converge. She then discovers that the carefully laid plans she made to help her husband and her son are unravelling, so she has to find a way to save the living world from past the veil.
Laufey will still have the iconic battles that the God of War series is known for. However, because Faye is nimbler than the burly Kratos, fighting is more fast-paced with a mix of grounded and air-based fighting. All in all, there’s a lot to be excited about for Laufey, despite its different take on the series.
Over the weekend, during San Diego Comic Con, PlayStation confirmed when the title is launching. Thankfully, it’s not a long wait. God of War Laufey is launching for the PlayStation 5 on February 16 next year.
Additionally, Santa Monica Studio has also confirmed that Kratos will lead another entry after Laufey.
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