News
Redmi Note 9 with quad-cameras, huge 5020mAh battery is now official
Capable budget contender
Xiaomi has globally unveiled the Redmi Note 9 via an online launch and the phone should be available in many markets soon. This phone will complement the Redmi Note 9 Pro Series by providing a more affordable option across different price segments.
On the front is a 6.5-inch Full HD+ LCD display with Gorilla Glass 5 protection and a tiny punch-hole cut-out for the front camera. At first glance, the design language is very similar to the Redmi Note 9 Pro Series due to the rear camera setup. However, this one gets a physical fingerprint scanner as well for authentication.
Powering the phone is a MediaTek Helio G85 octa-core processor with 3GB RAM and 64GB storage in the base option. In line with all other affordable Redmi phones, it has an SD card slot for expandable storage.
The rear sports a quad-camera setup consisting of a 48-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel wide-angle lens, a 2-megapixel macro lens, and a 2-megapixel portrait sensor. For selfies, a 13-megapixel camera is located on the front in a small display cut-out.
Backing these internals is a humungous 5020mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging. It ships with MIUI 11 out-of-the-box but Xiaomi promises the MIUI 12 update as soon as possible.
The base option with 3GB+64GB configuration is priced at US$ 199 while the 4GB+128GB option will cost US$ 249. It’ll be available in Forest Green, Polar White, and Midnight Grey color options. Prices for individual countries will be soon announced locally.
Update as of July 20, 2020
In the Philippines, it comes in Interstellar Grey, Aurora Blue, and Glacier White. Its suggested retail price is PhP 7,990 for the 3GB/64GB variant and Php 9,990 for the 4GB/128GB variant.
In India the phone’s pricing are as follows: INR 11,999 (US$ 160) for the 4GB+64GB option, followed by 4GB+128GB at INR 13,499 (US$ 180), and 6GB+128GB for INR 14,999 (US$ 200). It’s available in Aqua Green, Arctic White, and Pebble Grey color options and sales start from July 24 via Amazon, Mi.com, and Mi Home stores.
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
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.
News
Polaroid says, enjoy the beach before AI ruins it
“We know what we stand to lose if we don’t protect it.”
Tongue-in-cheek marketing is a soothing balm for a world where false promises are more often advertised. But, what happens when those tongue-in-cheek jokes strike a nerve and make you think, “maybe this isn’t a joke anymore”? Polaroid, a huge proponent of analog technology, has put up such a billboard to enjoy the beach “before the data centers drink it all up.”
Right in front of Coney Island (and right in time for summer), Polaroid has a simple message: “Go jump in the water before the data centers drink it all up.”
Though funny by itself, the message plays on an ongoing fear that today’s data centers, built for AI, have such a high water requirement that each query takes up gallons every time. This is, of course, slightly hyperbolic, but data centers are indeed exerting a lot of pressure on their area’s resources. They take a lot of water for cooling and electricity to keep open.
In a statement, Polaroid says that they’re not anti-digital. Rather, “we know we have to live alongside it, but we’re deeply pro-human and know what humanity gives us. And we know what we stand to lose if we don’t protect it. That’s a fight worth fighting,” says Polaroid’s creative director Patricia Varella, via LBB.
Now, this isn’t a completely altruistic ad. It’s still advertising the new Go Generation 3. Still, if you’re looking for a product to go alongside today’s shifting sentiments against AI, a Polaroid might be it.
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