News

Vivo NEX 2 might have two screens, no retractable camera

Vivo’s changing it up again

Published

November 27, 2018

Luigi Leonardo

Image source: Weibo

This year, Vivo implemented the first adequate solution to the camera notch. Rather than relying on imperfect solutions, the Vivo NEX used a retractable front-facing camera. On launch, the premium smartphone was more than capable, earning rave reviews. It proved the brand’s capabilities in the premium market. It was even the first of its kind, edging out OPPO’s own variant a week earlier. It’s a marked achievement apart from Vivo’s dominance in the midrange market.

Despite the model’s success, Vivo might leave the form factor as soon as next year. Posted on Chinese social media network Weibo, a new leak supposedly depicts the NEX’s successor — the NEX 2.

On this single image, the depicted phone strongly departs from Vivo’s own design. Comparably, the NEX 2 is still a perfectly bezel-less beast. However, the phone doesn’t accomplish this through retractable features. Instead, the phone has a sizable secondary screen fixed on the rear panel.

Overall, the phone’s rear looks like a traditional slab phone. It has thick bezels both above and below the screen. However, the top bezel area houses a triple rear camera system. The setup creates another solution for the camera notch. Simultaneously, it also improves the inherent quality of selfies. Instead of using an inferior selfie camera, it uses the same cameras for rear photos.

Meanwhile, the main screen remains largely similar to the original NEX’s. Of course, with a single leaked image, the phone’s hardware is still shrouded in mystery. However, a deeper look into the original leaker might hold some clues.

According to Weibo, the leaker is a verified source, showing off a tag that indicates such. At the very least, the tag adds to the account’s credibility. Besides this, an earlier post hints that the phone will have a Snapdragon 845 processor and an OLED secondary screen.

Regardless of Vivo’s own plans, the secondary screen is becoming another form factor for tomorrow’s phones. ZTE’s Nubia already launched a similar phone with a secondary screen.

News

Honor is reportedly working on a 14000mAh battery

How much is too much?

Published

June 25, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

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.

News

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

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

Published

June 25, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

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.”

Published

June 25, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

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.