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Vivo unveils V15 with MediaTek Helio P70, still with pop-up camera

A downgrade from the Pro model

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After launching the V15 Pro in India, Vivo now has a non-Pro variant of the phone which is simply called the V15. The phone was announced in multiple Asian countries including Cambodia, Malaysia, and Thailand. As expected, the Vivo V15 is a cheaper variant of the V15 Pro.

Vivo has to cut corners to make the V15 more affordable. Instead of a Snapdragon chipset found on the V15 Pro, the regular V15 is powered by a MediaTek Helio P70 and memory is down to 6GB. The phone has 128GB of storage with support for expansion via microSD card.

Furthermore, the display has to be swapped from AMOLED to an LCD panel (the latter is indeed cheaper), but it’s slightly larger at 6.53 inches. Since the phone got bigger, Vivo has space to put in a better battery — 4000mAh to be exact. It chargers through the phone’s micro-USB port, which is undeniably a big disappointment.

At least, the V15 still has a notch-free display because the front camera is housed in a motorized pop-up module. It keeps the 32-megapixel sensor for taking selfies, although the main rear camera is now just a 12-megapixel shooter. The good news is the secondary 8-megapixel wide-angle lens and 5-megapixel depth sensor are present.

Vivo had to ditch the in-display fingerprint scanner as well, and it’s replaced with a rear-mounted reader. The overall design of the V15 is not much different from the V15 Pro, too.

The Vivo V15 will come in Topaz Blue and Glamour Red. It’s priced at THB 10,999 in Thailand or roughly US$ 345. Pricing in Cambodia or Malaysia has yet to be announced. Additionally, we’re expecting the Vivo V15 (or the V15 Pro) to be available in more markets in Asia in the coming weeks.

SEE ALSO: Vivo V15 Pro is a midrange phone trying to redefine mobile photography

Entertainment

UNDERTALE: The Determination Symphony hits Makati in October

Determination arrives in October.

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For so small of a game, UNDERTALE quickly made it into the gaming world’s hall of fame. Despite being only a decade old, the small title has had a major influence for modern-day gamers because of its unique gameplay, its lo-fi art, and, of course, its catchy soundtrack. If you’re a fan of UNDERTALE’s soundtrack, a unique concert experience is headed your way.

On October 17, Film Concerts PH, in partnership with SOHO Live, is hosting UNDERTALE: The Determination Symphony at the Proscenium Theater in Rockwell, Makati.

The concert will be performed by the Filharmonika Orchestra and conducted by Thanapol Setabrahmana. Personally curated by creator Toby Fox and developed by Lambert Jackson with Materia Music, the concert experience showcases the game’s most recognizable tunes laid over gameplay footage playing simultaneously. Plus, for the world tour, the experience will have expanded scoring.

In the game, you play as a small child stuck in the mysterious Underground filled with interesting characters and monsters. Unlike traditional RPGs, UNDERTALE asks players to choose between building relationships and chasing after wins. It’s a unique experience that’s defined by whether you chose to make friends or fought your way to the top. It teaches players to value different ways to solve problems, all while showering them with its one-of-a-kind humor.

Pre-sales for the concert, exclusively for members of the Film Concerts PH community, start on August 4. Public sales, however, will start on August 11 via Ticketmelon.

SEE ALSO: The hunt begins: The Witcher in Concert hits Manila with surprises in tow

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Qualcomm is raising its prices this year

Will the price of smartphones follow suit?

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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.

SEE ALSO: Hands-on: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8, Flip8, Ultra

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Apple is reportedly delaying its smart glasses due to privacy concerns

The brand wants to squash malicious recording.

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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.

SEE ALSO: New York becomes first state to ban smart glasses

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