News
Xiaomi is developing telescope lens for smartphones
Like an old point-and-shoot camera
With the remarkable proliferation of smartphone camera technology, one thing we miss is the whirring of a point-and-shoot camera’s lens. Though mirrorless cameras can easily sate our auditory thirsts, smartphones have all but eliminated the sound from our eardrums. Xiaomi is looking to bring that sensation back. Confirmed by the company itself, Xiaomi is developing telescope lens for smartphones.
If you did a double take, no, we don’t mean telephoto lens. We mean a mechanical lens that actually goes up and down from the phone’s rear. Imagine how a point-and-shoot camera works.
Xiaomi officially confirmed development through its Weibo account (via Android Authority). The post includes a video detailing how the technology can work on a smartphone. The new camera supposedly comes in “a super-large aperture, which increases light input by 300 percent.” Based on a demonstration, the camera vastly improves focus.
Unfortunately, the demonstration does not reveal the camera’s real magic: the telescope lens’s zoom capabilities. Given the concept behind it, the feature can realistically provide incredible improvements for a smartphone’s zoom. Today, current telephoto lens can already take impressive photos of the Moon or zoom into skyscrapers from miles away. Imagine what a telescope lens can add to the table.
Notably, Xiaomi isn’t the first smartphone brand to work on the concept. Back in 2014, Samsung released a smartphone with a similar feature, the Galaxy K zoom. However, at the time, smartphone photography was still developing. Samsung’s janky point-and-shoot phone ended up getting discontinued soon after.
Sadly, Xiaomi’s take on the feature is still in development. Xiaomi has not revealed when the feature can debut on an actual smartphone. If anything, the existence of an officially announced prototype holds good signs for the future of smartphone photography.
UGREEN is expanding its smart travel lineup with the launch of the new FineTrack Series, a collection of compact trackers designed to help users keep tabs on everyday essentials.
Leading the announcement are the FineTrack 2 and FineTrack Mini 2, both of which support Apple’s Find My network for easy location tracking through compatible Apple devices. The trackers are built for travelers and commuters who want an extra layer of security for items such as keys, bags, wallets, and passports.
The FineTrack 2 comes in a soccer-inspired design created to celebrate the upcoming 2026 World Cup, while the FineTrack Mini 2 adopts a slimmer tag-style form factor that fits more easily inside wallets and passport holders. Both devices feature glow-in-the-dark accents for improved visibility in low-light conditions.
UGREEN says the trackers offer global tracking capabilities through Apple’s Find My ecosystem, along with smart left-behind alerts that notify users before they accidentally leave important belongings behind. When an item is nearby, users can trigger an alarm reaching up to 110dB to help locate it faster.
The company also highlights long-term reliability, with battery life rated for up to seven years. The FineTrack 2 additionally carries an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
UGREEN has also announced Southeast Asia pricing for the new FineTrack Series.
Price and availability
In Singapore, the FineTrack 2 is priced at SGD 29.99, while the FineTrack Mini 2 costs SGD 25.99. Malaysian pricing comes in at RM 69 and RM 59, respectively.
For the Philippines, the FineTrack 2 retails for PHP 850, while the FineTrack Mini 2 is priced at PHP 799. In Vietnam, the trackers cost VND 369,000 and VND 339,000, respectively. Thailand pricing starts at THB 590 for both models.
Alongside the FineTrack Series, UGREEN also introduced its new Air Editions lineup. This includes the Nexode Air 65W Charger, Nexode Air 45W Charger Slim, and the MagFlow Air Magnetic Power Bank 10000mAh 15W, all designed around portability with compact and lightweight builds. The company has separately announced Southeast Asia pricing for these accessories.
The FineTrack Series is now rolling out across select Southeast Asian markets.
Throughout the entire AI “era,” Apple kept its nose clean by not shoving Apple Intelligence to its users during every event. After the significant time of keeping clean, the brand might finally sink more chips into the AI space next month.
As history tells, the annual WWDC event is a time for the brand to showcase its developments for software. You won’t see a lot of iPhones, but you will see a lot of iOS. And with that, AI is par for the course.
According to The Information, the upcoming WWDC 2026 will showcase a lot of on-device AI. Interestingly, the report does not specifically name Apple Intelligence as the spotlight. Rather, Apple might focus on integrating its chips with AI and its partnership with Google’s Gemini.
Rather than a continuous push towards creating their own AI, the company might do more to integrate existing technologies to keep pace with the industry. Despite being announced almost two years ago, Apple Intelligence has not delivered much of what its contemporaries are providing for its users.
Ironically, the brand has carved a nice niche for itself in the space precisely by staying away from heavy doses of AI. Both Microsoft and Google, on the other hand, have crafted infamy by shoving unnecessary AI-based features towards their users, regardless of whether they want them or not. Hopefully, Apple keeps its reputation after WWDC 2026.
Gaming
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has been officially announced
And it’s coming out on the Switch 2.
Compared to the crazier news we’ve gotten so far, a new Call of Duty doesn’t seem like it should make a ripple, but it does. Activision has officially announced Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, and it’s coming out on the Nintendo Switch 2.
This year’s mainline entry has a couple of firsts for the ubiquitous franchise. For one, Modern Warfare 4 will not launch on the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. It’s the first time that the series is dropping the last generation of consoles. Secondly, it’s launching for the Switch 2, marking the first time that the franchise is coming out on a Nintendo system since 2013. Finally, it won’t launch as a day-one release on the Game Pass.
Besides the reshuffling of launch outlets, Modern Warfare 4 will offer much of the same from the franchise: bombastic campaigns with global stakes and a thriving palette of multiplayer modes.
This time around, players will start the campaign as Private Park, a South Korean soldier thrust into a war as North Korea suddenly invades its southern neighbor. Players will also face assignments in Mumbai and New York. Captain Price is, of course, coming back but as an outlaw in pursuit of a powerful weapon.
For multiplayer, Activision promises more improvements yet again for movement and gunplay. Modern Warfare 4 will also introduce new modes such as Kill Block, which features maps that change after every round. DMZ is coming back, of course.
Activision promises more updates coming throughout the year. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will launch for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2 on October 23, 2026.
SEE ALSO: Call of Duty drops the PlayStation 4 starting with its next game
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