News

Samsung Galaxy A80 offers an all-display solution

Spoiler: It’s a rotating camera

Published

on

Nearly every phone manufacturer is taking a crack at giving us a solution to the notches and punch-holes “problem.” As a result, we’ve seen pop-up cameras and secondary displays. With the Samsung Galaxy A80, the company is offering their take on the pop-up camera solution — the rotating camera.

Instead of just having the front-facing camera hide inside the phone, Samsung’s idea is to make the upper part of the phone lift then flip the camera module to face you. This happens automatically when you switch to selfie mode on the camera app. At around a little over a second, it’s pretty fast considering the number of actions that have to take place before the camera flips.

It’s important to note that we have seen a mechanism similar to this before from the likes of OPPO and Gionnee. However, those rotating cameras had to be moved manually unlike the automatic one on the Galaxy A80.

What are the cameras you ask? The Galaxy A80 has a three-camera setup. There’s a 48MP main camera, an 8MP ultra wide-angle lens, and lastly, a 3D depth sensor. We only had a limited time with the device, but take a look at these quick samples so you can judge for yourself how it performs:

Capable of live streaming

Samsung is positioning the Galaxy A80 as the phone perfect for the “era of live.” The company believes that people are moving on from selfies to live streaming. Having this camera mechanism makes sure no quality is sacrificed when you decide to take selfies or go live.

As of writing, we’re still confirming what chipset the phone is using. Samsung representatives tell us that it’s an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, but we don’t know which series yet. You also get 8GB of RAM along with 128GB of internal storage.

Samsung says the Galaxy A80 is equipped with an “intelligent performance enhancer” which regulates the phone’s usage. This includes controlling the CPU, RAM, and battery usage for optimum performance. Speaking of the battery, it has a 3700mAh capacity (much lower than the one on the Galaxy A70) that supports 25W fast charging.

All-display goodness

Front and center is the 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED New Infinity Display which is extremely satisfying to look at. The display also houses an on-screen fingerprint sensor and when taking calls, it vibrates, effectively becoming the call’s audio source.

The Samsung Galaxy A80 comes in three colors: Phantom Black, Angel Gold, and Ghost White but only black and gold will come to the Philippines. One can only assume the white one decided to ghost the country.

Pricing will be announced soon.

Apps

Apple’s best feature to cure motion sickness is finally on Android

Google copies a good page from Apple’s playbook.

Published

on

As an Android user, I’ve been jealous of iPhone users for a while now, but it’s not for the reason you might think. See, I’m ridiculously prone to motion sickness when I’m not driving. So, when I discovered that Apple has a software-based cure called Vehicle Motion Cues, I wanted it immediately. Now, Android does have third-party apps that do the same thing, but they’re not as good as a fully native version. Well, those dark, nauseating days are about to come to an end. Android 17 is finally getting a similar tool called Motion assist.

Before that, let’s rewind for a bit. What do these features do? How can they cure motion sickness?

Whenever you open Vehicle Motion Cues or Motion assist, the interface spawns a series of dots on the screen. These dots respond to movement. For example, if the vehicle turns to the left, the dots also go to the left, mimicking the movement. Without cues like this, the stationary nature of the screen clashes with our brain’s perception of movement. The disparity creates that feeling of nausea. Basically, our eyes are desperately trying to focus on the static screen, but our brains are telling us that we should be seeing motion. Having moving dots reorients our brain and places the phone inside our perception of movement.

Now, you can enable the same feature on your Android 17 device through Settings > All services > Motion assist under Personal & device safety. You can also set it so that the feature turns on automatically when the phone detects that you’re in a moving vehicle. Finally, you can also tweak the shape, color, and opacity of these dots.

Android 17’s Motion assist is rolling out now to compatible devices.

SEE ALSO: These are the best Android 17 features (if you hate AI)

Continue Reading

Gaming

Valve unveils price of the Steam Frame

The VR headset starts at US$ 1,059.

Published

on

The trifecta is complete. Almost a year after announcing their new hardware, Valve has finally unveiled the price tag of the Steam Frame, complementing the Steam Machine and Steam Controller revealed a few months ago.

Whereas the Steam Machine is a console of its own, the Steam Frame is a traditional VR headset with a pair of controllers for both hands. Unfortunately, despite being in a different segment, the headset is not immune to the rising prices of technology. The Steam Frame will start at US$ 1,059 for a 256GB model and can go up to US$ 1,299 for the 1TB model. On the plus side, each box will come Half-Life: Alyx packaged along with the headset.

Here’s a more detailed rundown of what you’re getting. The Steam Frame will ship with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, paired with 16GB of RAM. Each eye comes with a 2160 x 2160 LCD screen, putting out images at up t0 a 144Hz experimental refresh rate. As mentioned above, the headset will start with 256GB of storage but can go up to 2TB. It will come packaged with SteamOS 3 and a rechargeable 21.6Wh battery.

This might be a hard buy for some. The industry currently has more affordable options, for one. Also, virtual reality isn’t the most thriving segment of gaming today.

If you’re still decided on buying one, however, Valve is using its lottery system. Interested customers can sign up from now until September 17. The company will then randomize the purchasing order. Those who draw the first ones in the lottery can get a purchase email as soon as September 18. Meanwhile, anyone who registers after September 17 will automatically be put at the back of the queue.

SEE ALSO: Valve announces its own console called the Steam Machine

Continue Reading

Accessories

Apple is reportedly working on its own gaming controllers

It might launch under the Beats brand.

Published

on

Last week, the iPhone Duo changed how you look at the ubiquitous smartphone. Foldables are in, and Apple is right there with it. But the company isn’t stopping with the foldable segment. Apple is reportedly working on its own branded game controllers.

According to Bloomberg, Apple has been working on a controller since last year. Further, a piece of code linked to macOS 27.4, spotted by MacRumors, includes references to two unknown gaming controllers.

Because Apple just concluded its huge event this month, it will likely be a while before we see confirmation of this controller. And it could be anything. Of course, because the Duo is fresh on our minds, the easiest answer is a mobile controller than can maximize the foldable’s ability to stand by itself. It could also use Apple’s larger screens like the iPad, the MacBook, or the Mac. Some even speculate that this could be Apple’s stronger push into the gaming market.

Outside of the actual hardware, the reports are also claiming that the controller will arrive by way of Beats, rather than from Apple itself. At first, the branding comes off as a surprise, but then again, Beats hasn’t really evolved past an audio brand in a long, long time. Is it time to revitalize Beats as something more than just a peddler of headphones?

SEE ALSO: First Look: Apple iPhone Duo

Continue Reading

Trending