Apple’s new patent reveals radical new camera tech for future iPhones

It seems that Apple is going all out with the performance of its cameras for its future smartphone. Earlier, we had reported that the iPhone 14 Pro will be getting a completely new 48MP sensor for its main camera, along with a couple of other cameras. We had also reported that the front facing camera would be an autofocus one.

Now, it seems that Apple is thinking of taking things up a notch, by giving users an improved zoom system, thanks to an all new lens technology that Apple has recently patented. Do note, that the new iPhone 14 lineup, will not be getting this new tech.

The patent, which was first spotted by PatentlyApple, showcases a new folded telephoto lens, with a novel single-prism design. Folded lenses typically use complex systems of prisms and/or mirrors to reroute light sideways within a smartphone’s housing. However, when light passes through an optical element, it refracts or diffracts, depending on the kind of optical elements involved. What this means is that the more elements that light has to pass through, the worse becomes the final picture quality.

In very rudimentary terms, Apple’s prism system can deploy a number of different configurations of reflective surfaces, anti-reflective surfaces and aperture masks in order to produce the desired result without the need for as many optical components. Sure, you’re losing out on light, and hence will need higher ISOs or wider apertures, but the light that will be received by the sensor will be largely unrefracted or diffracted.

A telephoto lens that can be used in a smartphone without adding too much thickness to the body of the smartphone, is notoriously difficult to make and even more difficult to calibrate. On top of that, the image that we get from these lenses is hardly able to hold a candle to the images that are taken from the regular, main camera. 

If Apple indeed manages to get their new system working iPhones of the future will have the best overall camera systems, that, apart from shooting great images just from the main camera, will also be able to shoot some really stunning images with the telephoto lens. It will also help Apple to come up with a much needed, all new digital zoom system for the cameras.

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OnePlus Nord Buds Review: Something slightly different in a crowded segment

Pros:
- Lively sound output after a few tweaks
- 6-band equaliser for custom presets
- Unique design, comfortable fit
- Good battery life, fast charging
- IP55 dust and fluid resistance
- Programmable controls

Cons:
- Default sound output is bass-heavy
- No wear detection sensors or volume control on the earbuds
- Bulky charging case, plasticky build
- Some features work only with select OnePlus phones

Price: Rs 2,799

Rating: 3.5/5

At first, we thought the OnePlus Nord was a phone, then a phone series, and now it seems to be headed in the direction of being a sub-brand with the addition of a new product category under the Nord umbrella. While the Nord series phones haven’t exactly cannibalised into the business of their more premium cousins, the OnePlus Nord Buds seem to have stepped on the toes of OnePlus Buds Z right from day 1. What does this new pair of TWS earphones offer and where does it fit it? Let’s find out.

OnePlus Nord Buds: Design and Comfort (7/10)

The Nord Buds take a completely different design approach and do not look like any of OnePlus’ previous offerings. The pill-shaped stems look quite unique, and though they may not appeal to everyone, it is something new. We got the white variant for review and it has a distinctly glossy finish on the buds and the case, both. While the build feels sturdy, they are too plasticky to touch. 

They are not overly conspicuous, but the case does attract smudge marks. The charging case is quite bulky and far from pocketable, unless you don’t mind a big bulge in your pocket.  Yes, it does host a sizable 480 mAh battery, but I have seen cases half its size do that. At 41.7 grams, its weight is not an issue though. A charge indicator LED is located at the front of the case, while a USB-C charging port along with a Bluetooth pairing/reset button are present at the back.

The buds are fairly light too at a shade under 5 grams each. The fit is snug enough and they don’t pop out of the ear during a workout or a jog. The right sized silicon tips offer decent passive noise isolation. The touch enabled zones at the back are clearly marked with a metallic paint and slight elevation. The touch sensitivity is good and the buds produce a small beep every time you tap in the zone. It’s best to go at a more relaxed pace as tapping too fast tends to miss the odd tap, especially for triple tap gestures.

OnePlus Nord Buds: Features and Specifications (7/10)

The OnePlus Nord Buds are IP55 rated dust and fluid resistant. But unlike the Buds Z2, the charging case does not have any ingress protection, which is fine given its price tag. Each earbud is fitted with a 12.4 mm Titanium dynamic driver; largest among all OnePlus TWS buds till date. They also have two microphones each for calling and AI noise reduction in calls. There is no active noise cancellation (ANC) here, which is just about acceptable in this budget. Look what you have done Realme! 

Inexplicably, OnePlus has excluded the wear detection sensors on the Nord Buds. Those sensors were present on the similarly priced and over a year old OnePlus Buds Z. These earbuds are Bluetooth 5.2 compliant and support SBC and AAC codecs. There’s support for Dolby Atmos too when paired with compliant OnePlus phones. Similarly, the latency can go as low as 94 ms only on select OnePlus phones with Pro Gamer mode turned on. Mobile gamers without a newer OnePlus handset aren’t going to be too pleased with that.

You don’t need to install any app if you use these buds with a OnePlus 6 or a more recent OnePlus phone. You get access to various settings of the buds in the Bluetooth settings itself. For all other phones, you will need to install the HeyMelody app and sync the earphones with it to tweak certain features of this product. The app is available for Android and iOS both. The app lets you alter the sound profile, configure the controls and update the firmware. 

Using the companion app you allocate functions to single tap, double tap, triple tap and long touch gestures for the left and right earbuds. You can assign play/pause, previous/next track, voice assistant or nothing to the first three gestures. Long touch only lets you switch between the last two paired devices; wasted potential, that. I generally like to assign previous/next track functions to the long touch gesture as I am not a fan of triple tap. Volume control cannot be assigned to any of the gestures on the Nord Buds. 

OnePlus Nord Buds: Performance (7/10)

These buds are some of the loudest around and the volume level mostly stayed between 40 to 50% during the course of my testing, indoors as well as outdoors. The default sound signature on the ‘Balanced’ preset is totally bass dominated. The excess bass majorly impacts the midrange frequencies with a noticeable auditory masking. Even vocals sound muddy in bass-heavy tracks. And believe it or not, there is a separate ‘Bass’ preset for even more bass!

The ‘Bold’ and ‘Serenade’ presets tend to lower the bass and offer a more brighter sound which can be fatiguing. Had OnePlus not offered a custom equaliser here to tweak the sound manually, the ratings for this product would have plummeted like the stock market does every third day. The Sound Master EQ (Equaliser) turns things around in a big way. You get a 6-band equaliser, two each for lows, mids and highs, that lets you readjust the sound profile and create your own audio presets. 

While it doesn’t make the Nord Buds sound like OnePlus Buds Pro or even Buds Z2, it does make a noticeable difference to the output. Pushing the 1KHz and 4KHz bars up by a few units adds a noticeable clarity in vocals and upper midrange sounds. Feel free to experiment with the other bars too till you get the best possible results. After those tweaks, the Nord Buds produce a lively output with a better balance, despite a bias towards the low end frequencies. 

The soundstage here is not too broad but fine for the segment. While the 94 ms latency is available only on select OnePlus phones, there was no perceptible lag between the video and audio when streaming videos on other phones either. I didn’t try gaming wearing these earbuds. The wireless range is as advertised with a strong connection up to 10 metres with a clear line of sight. 

OnePlus Nord Buds: Call quality (6.5/10)

The OnePlus Nord Buds’ call quality is a mixed bag. It is pretty good indoors. Though vocals aren’t the sharpest, the people on the line were clearly audible to each other. When outdoors, the AI noise reduction does a reasonable job of isolating the voice from the ambient noise, but it cannot reduce the background noise as much as I would have liked it to. I have had better experience with similarly priced OnePlus products. 

OnePlus Nord Buds: Battery life (8/10)

The battery backup of the Nord Buds is quite impressive. The company claims 7 hours for the buds and 30 hours overall with the charging case. These numbers aren’t unheard of, and given that there is no ANC here, getting in that ballpark should not be too tough for these buds. With the loudness mostly under 50% during the test run, the earbuds managed to go on for close to 6 hours and the case could recharge them at least thrice more. 

That translates into an overall battery backup of close to 25 hours for the buds and case combined, which is quite impressive. Even better, they support fast charging too. A 10-minute charge promises close to 5 hours of playtime, which is not bad at all. The product can be fully charged in less than an hour. The battery level of each earbud and the charging case is visible on newer OnePlus phones and in the HeyMelody app. 

OnePlus Nord Buds: Price and verdict

The OnePlus Nord Buds can be purchased for Rs 2,799 with a one year warranty. For that price, you get a pair of TWS earphones with a unique design, more than decent sound quality thanks to the custom equaliser, configurable controls and impressive battery backup with fast charging. Despite that, it may not be a straightforward choice under Rs 3,000. The competition is quite stiff in this segment.

Before we move out, let’s look at the in-house competition first. The OnePlus Buds Z has always been a solid option under 3K. Other than good sound quality, it also has wear detection sensors but offers limited customisation options and lower battery backup. While the default tuning of the Buds Z is better, the Nord Buds can catch up and go a little beyond if you use the equaliser smartly.

Next up is the Realme duo which might be a little hard to beat. The Realme Buds Q2 and the Realme Buds Air 2 flaunt ANC in this budget in addition to better audio output, customizable touch controls, multiple sound profiles and comparable battery backup. The Buds Air 2 that sells for close to 3K has wear detection sensors too. The Buds Q2 is even more affordable at Rs 2,499. Though not bad, amidst such competition, the Nord Buds may struggle to carve a niche for themselves, unless OnePlus opts for a price drop.

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Jio Game Controller launched, priced at Rs 3,499, here’s everything one needs to know

Reliance Jio has become the latest entrant in the ultra competitive wireless gaming controllers in India with the launch of the Jio Game Controller. The device looks exactly like a normal controller that people get with gaming consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. 

The controller is compatible with a wide range of devices and is powered by a rechargeable battery. It also consists of two vibration motors and two pressure-point triggers.

The device promises to offer an immersive gaming experience across a number of platforms, although, it is best designed for Android. We take a look at the price at which the Jio Gaming Controller is being launched and some of its features that casual gamers will take a liking to.

The price
The Jio Game Controller has been priced at Rs 3,499 and comes in a single colour, Matte Black. The company is also offering an EMI option with the device, as it does with all of its devices. The Jio Game Controller can be bought at an EMI starting at Rs 165 per month.

People interested in the Jio Game Controller can purchase it from the Reliance Jio website.

Some features
The Jio Game Controller is compatible with Android tablets and Android TVs, as well as Android smartphones, provided you get a mobile stand or a holder that you’re comfortable using it with. The company claims that it works best with the Jio set-top box. The wireless gaming console sports a sleek design and features intuitive buttons and triggers.

The Jio Game Controller comes with Bluetooth connectivity and it offers a Bluetooth range of up to 10 meters, which for casual gaming is more than enough. It will be interesting to see how does the controller perform in terms of latency. For an even more impressive gaming experience, the device comes with two vibration motors and two pressure-point triggers and an 8-direction D-pad. 

Reliance Jio claims that a total of 20-button control layout of the Jio Game Controller enables players to navigate easily and complete their game without any hassle. What remains to be seen is the quality of the buttons, and how well they actually perform, because a number of third party controllers, especially the ones Made in China, wear off very quickly, and barely last a year of regular usage.

The Jio Game Controller also offers 8 hours of battery backup and comes with a micro USB port for charging.

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iPhones and iPads come with a secret trackpad and here’s how one can access it

Apple packs its iPhones and iPads with a bunch of neat hidden features, and more seem to be added with each update. Plus, more upgrades are likely coming soon with iOS 16. The follow-up to iOS 15 is expected to debut at WWDC, Apple's annual developer's conference, in June, but it'll probably be in beta until the fall.

There are plenty of iPhone and iPad features to try out, from SharePlay to Focus. And while many hidden features can be found in the iPhone's settings, other iOS tricks are built directly into the interface, like the secret trackpad for your keyboard. Trust us, once you discover this feature and start using it, you can't help but get accustomed to it super quickly.

When you're editing text, you probably hold your finger down on the screen and move the cursor around all the letters, numbers and punctuation to get to where you want. A magnifying bubble provides some help, by enlarging the text underneath your finger, but there's another way to move your cursor.

Here's how to bring up the hidden trackpad on an iOS device:

Step 1: Bring up your keyboard and press and hold your finger down on the space key until the keyboard goes blank. You should feel a bit of haptic feedback and see the cursor enlarge for a second, which means you can now use the keyboard as a trackpad.

Step 2: With your finger still pressed down, move it around the entire keyboard to move your cursor, just like you would on your Mac's or Windows laptop’s trackpad.

Step 3: To place the cursor, simply lift your finger off the screen. You can then use any of the other keys, like Delete, to make any edits to the text. If you want to move the cursor once again, press your finger down on the space key to bring up the hidden trackpad.

 

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New iPhones and iOS 16 are poised to get to Always On display and other cosmetic changes

One of Apple’s most anticipated events, the WWDC or the Worldwide Developers Conference is just a week away. Although Apple will perhaps not be launching any new hardware at this event, which is scheduled to start on the 6th of June this year, like each year, it will be announcing a number of new features and what the company’s strategy will be for software across its products.

One of the major highlights for this year will be iOS 16, which has been codenamed Sydney. iOS is going to be a major upgrade, meaning the new operating system will be chock full of changes. There is also likely to be a major makeover, which would significantly change how the new operating system looks and feels to use. One of the major cosmetic changes is going to come to the lock screen.

With the new iOS 16, Apple is planning some major enhancements, including special wallpapers and more importantly, some new and reworked shortcuts, as well as new lock screen widgets.

This time around, the iPhone 14 may be getting an always-on lock screen, a feature that Apple had hoped it would introduce with the iPhone 13. Given that the iPhone 14 will come with a newly developed and better OLED panel, implementing an always-on feature that doesn’t impact the battery life shouldn’t be a challenge for Apple.

This should also allow the iPhone 14 to turn down the refresh rate of the panel, when the device is locked, similar to what Apple does with the newer Apple Watches.

As per Mark Gruman, a noted Apple leakster, the always-on mode will be exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models, codenamed D73 and D74, if the feature indeed ends up making the cut in time.

The iPhone 14 Pro will include a new front-facing camera and Face ID cutout, an A16 chip and a 48-megapixel back camera. There’s also the possibility of sending emergency texts over satellite networks.

The Health app will also be adding new features that work with the iPhone and Apple Watch. Apple also is making significant improvements to watchOS that affect day-to-day operating and navigation.

As for any new hardware announcements, any new hardware being revealed at the WWDC, will likely be on the Mac side. The company has been aiming to launch the next MacBook Air with M2 chips at the conference.

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Elon Musk slams Twitter for having “bot friendly rules” and not making its stance clear on spambots

Elon Musk has once again raised the issue of spambots on Twitter and stated that the social media platform has very ‘very bot friendly rules. Elon Musk has actually put the $44 Billion deal on hold indefinitely, citing this very reason.

Twitter’s CEO Parag Agrawal has stated that about five per cent of Twitter’s daily users are fake or consist of spambots. Twitter has also stated the same in a filing with the SEC or the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A Twitter follower of Elon Musk, tweeted out to him, saying that none of the limits regarding changing details about a user on Twitter, is aligned with human to human interactions. He cited that Twitter allows a user to put out 1 tweet every 36 seconds, during a 24 hour period, which, isn’t humanly possible. The user also pointed out that bots can change the email associated with their Twitter accounts 4 times in an hour because Twitter allows it to. This is something that no human being would ever need in a realistic setting.

The Tesla CEO replied, saying “Totally, these are very bot-friendly rules!”

Twitter allows about 1000 direct messages or DMs in a day. It also allows a user to send about 2400 tweets per day.

Because the takeover bid has to meet certain compliances, Musk has asked the SEC to investigate Twitter’s claim of having five per cent bots among its daily active users on the platform. Musk claims that by all logical indications, the number is at least 20 per cent.

Musk has also claimed that Twitter’s CEO, Agrawal, has refused to present any evidence that proves the platform’s claim of having less than five per cent bots.

“20 per cent fake/spam accounts, while 4 times what Twitter claims, could be much higher. My offer was based on Twitter’s SEC filings being accurate,” Musk tweeted.

“Yesterday, Twitter’s CEO publicly refused to show proof of less than 5 per cent. This deal cannot move forward until he does,” he had added.

Musk, at a conference in Miami this month, said that Twitter could have at least four times more fake accounts than what has been revealed in its filing.

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Sonos launches Ray, its most affordable soundbar in India

Sonos has made a name for itself as a pioneer in multi-room wireless home audio. Subsequently, they have focused on other home audio products like soundbars. Typically a premium audio brand, the company has just announced its most affordable soundbar in India, the Sonos Ray. The product will be available for purchase here only by September 2022.

Sonos Ray is a compact soundbar with a surprisingly punchy sound output for its size. The bar is less than two feet in length and fairly portable weighing under 2 kg. Despite its portability, it is not to be mistaken for a wireless Bluetooth speaker as it needs to be powered to function; it doesn’t have a built-in battery. But yes, once powered, you can always use it as a party speaker in a mid-sized room.

The bar packs four Class-D amplifiers, two tweeters and two midrange drivers. The Bass Reflex System comprising a proprietary low-velocity port design takes care of the low end frequencies while minimising distortion. It has capacitive touch controls to handle playback functions and volume. Further control of the device can be achieved through the Sonos app that offers you bass and treble adjustments, Speech Enhancement to boost vocal frequencies for better dialogue clarity and Night Sound for a more soothing output, among other things.

The company claims that the Sonos Ray has custom-designed waveguides that project sound from wall to wall to map your room and adapt the sound for that particular space. Once it is set up, you can control this bar with the TV remote, the Sonos app, Apple AirPlay 2 and certain music streaming apps. It can even connect to 2.4 GHz WiFi networks. The audio input is limited to just optical in but the company officials confirmed that an optical to HDMI adapter would be bundled to connect this product to an HDMI ARC port of a TV.

While the Sonos Ray is a complete product in itself, it is quite versatile and can also be a part of a larger multi-speaker system. For instance, the Ray can be used as front channels and paired with surround speakers from the company to have a surround sound system. Similarly, you can add a subwoofer to the setup to boost the bass or sync it with any other product from the company for multi-room listening.

The Sonos Ray will be priced at Rs 37,999 and available for purchase in India from September 2022. Buyers will have a choice between black and white colour shades. We will reserve our opinion about its sound quality and ease of use for another day after we have a review unit in hand.

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Samsung’s phone production to take a major hit this year, will be producing 30 million units less

The tech industry has been hit hard by the COVID pandemic, and the chip shortage that ensued. On top of that, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has wreaked havoc on the already stressed global supply chain. The end result is, that companies like Samsung will have to cut their production forecasts short and absorb a significant loss in revenue.

According to a report in South Korean business news daily, Maeil Business News, the tech giant has had to make the tough decision of producing fewer phones than it initially planned. Samsung has apparently informed its production partners and distributors that it plans on shipping only 280 million smartphones this year, as opposed to the previous forecast of 310 million units.

However, South Korean investment analysts also allege, that there is a strong possibility that Samsung may have to reduce its production by up to 35 per cent, if the Russia-Ukraine situation continues, and if global supply chains aren’t put into order.

One of the key reasons why Samsung has had to take this drastic decision is the globally high inflation and the disruption in supply chains that has been caused by the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The conflict means that raw materials needed for the manufacturing of several key components of a smartphone are not readily available. Even if they are available, the prices of these raw materials have shot up so high, that it wouldn’t be feasible for Samsung to absorb the costs, nor will it be feasible to pass them on to the customer.

Samsung's lower target is yet another sign of a growing trend of phone makers bracing for the potential impact of the worsening global economy. Earlier this year, Apple had also reported that they will be producing only 220 million iPhones this year versus a market forecast of around 240 million units.

Although Apple will be limiting the production of their flagships only, Samsung will be reducing production across its lineup. This brings up a number of questions regarding the smartphone industry going forward. The most pertinent of them is whether this is a lull following a decade of explosive smartphone sales, or will the arrival of new technology like foldable screens and under-the-display cameras be sufficient to pull the industry through.

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Decoding the science and art of interrogation: Does lying come naturally to humans?

Interrogation is based on the premise that lying is an a priori proviso in the universe of discourse in which the procedural mechanics of the science acquires significance. It presupposes the need to lie as a sub-inherent quality of humankind. A subject, therefore, for interrogation — whether she happens to be a captive of war, a terrorist apprehended during a counter terrorism operation or a petty criminal — will resort to deception as a primary interface with the controlled environment that she is going to be subjected to. Indeed, this is the baseline or the opening set of postulations that has to be assumed in order for a study of interrogation to be undertaken.

Untruthfulness is clearly different from deception: The former is a behaviour that is typical to human beings alone, whereas deception could and indeed extend to other forms of living beings that fall under the ambit of entropy and decay. Although game theory seems to have modelled the possibility of deception in an intra-species stable communication system, the jury is still out about the intentionality factor. In other words, were a chameleon to adjust its colours to camouflage itself from a predator (or when some creatures release ink in order to distract, others feigning death!), the deception that is being displayed does not necessarily imply a conscious act. But a person resorting to a lie is cognisant of her conduct! Interrogation — in the classical sense (and not ones that are manipulated neuro-pathologically) — becomes relevant only when the subject is aware that she is hiding a fact that can theoretically be revealed.

Indeed, the need to lie is determined and bound by a vast array of shades. In interrogation of the conventional kind the primary reason is to deceive and preserve. Whereas the reach and range by which deception is engineered could vary, the need to preserve is normally motivated by a cause. The cause could be simple: Escape punishment. Or, it could be complicated: Preserve others, or even a cause that is higher than even self-preservation or preservation of others: the preservation of an ideal!  The fine distinction that divides the two may be difficult to fathom in the initial stages of a questioning process, but comes to the fore under protracted interrogation.

It is important to identify the “inner fortress” that the subject is attempting to preserve. Interrogation — of even the most stretched variety (where extreme discomfort is meted out to the subject of interrogation) — would fall by the wayside if this is not recognised. The accent should, therefore, be to unearth both the method by which deception is being constructed and the reason for the preservation. Discovery of the methodology that is being utilised for deception will determine and navigate the line of interrogation and — if innovatively employed — will breakdown the super-structure that a subject is endeavouring to preserve. In most cases the ability to enter the “inner fortress” would be tantamount to arriving at the truth.

But is preservation the only reason for lying? Are there motivations beyond such a defence mechanism that drives humans to lie? Is it possible that an instinct to erect imaginary walls of truth around oneself leads to utterances of untruth? An exploration of such behaviour meanders into the realm of psycho-pathology where classical interrogation may be rendered ineffectual.

An important school of thought — both in literature and science — is of the opinion that human nature (in the manner it distinguishes itself from other natures) takes recourse to lying even as a method of self-aggrandisement. Hellenic lore informs that it is the unusual gift of the muses to “speak many false things as though they were true”. Greek philosopher Aristotle illustrates honesty as a virtue only of self-presentation. Another philosopher of almost the same genre, Plato does not list honesty as a virtue in his reference to “noble lies”. He forbids poesy in his Republic, considering it to be an abomination to true philosophy. The Malmesbury philosopher Hobbes condemns metaphor as illusion, arguing that true statements are constructed of exact definitions and “perspicuous words.” But in life, surreal or otherwise, musings and metaphors cannot be done away with — life will cease to be what it is without the “little luxuries” of lies.

Findings in science do not quite contradict what a superior product (literature) of the same brain seeks to explain, albeit in a manner that is more elegant, less complicated. Deft manipulation of an area in the encephalon — dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a region in the front of the brain — by methods that may not have yet left the laboratory seems to demonstrate that the brain activates itself in a manner which could result in a subject playing ambiguous roles, resulting in the person exhibiting dishonesty in situations in which she would have otherwise spoken the truth, especially if it was to her advantage. This is despite the fact that lying exhausts more “neural resources” than it does when a subject is telling the truth. Lies, deceit and the motivation for exhibition of deviant behaviour that encompasses the two may, therefore, not be as neat and tidy after all!

But can it be said that “lying’ comes naturally to humans? Or is there both resistance and abhorrence to it in an extra-ethical sense. In other words, would it be correct to state that a person hides truth only when there is a motivation to do so? The impetus for lying could (as was elucidated above) even override immense physical distress, for instance, when a subject is confronted with the consciousness that lying is mandated by a cause that is greater than the continuation as a physical entity, an existence that she has sacrificed in the altar of the cause she has sworn herself to long before she found herself in a controlled setting. But there are variants as was the case with a personage such as Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi’s command over his innards was so complete that he was able to place truth outside his system and examine it as if it were an object of assessment. The author of My Experiments with Truth would not tolerate lies even in jest. This has been borne out by a number of examples from his extraordinary life. However, the awesomeness of Gandhi’s life notwithstanding, it would have been of import to historians, psychologists and observers of the “truth-lie dichotomy” as to how the Mahatma viewed Yudhisthira’s half-lie: Aswathama Hatha (Aswathama is dead)... Kunjaraha (elephant).

The author is a conflict analyst and author of several bestselling books on security and strategy. Views expressed are personal.

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Explained: Why are Hasselblad and Leica cameras so expensive and why do people still buy them

Every photography nerd worth their salt, has imagined what it must be like to shoot with a Hasselblad or a Leica. Even seasoned professionals can’t help but lust after the engineering marvels that the boffins at Hasselblad and Leica make. 

The legacy that these camera brands have is simply unmatched. No matter how great a camera brands like Sony, Canon, or Nikon make, they will never come close to the stature that Hasselblad and Leica have. In fact, this is exactly what the situation is right now.

Sony, Canon, Nikon and Fujifilm make some of the most technologically advanced cameras that are great to shoot photos as well as videos. So good is the picture quality of some of the cameras made by these brands that they have been used in feature films and documentaries. Sure, they do not compare to the Arri or Red cameras, but they are pretty close.

Hasselblad and Leica on the other hand, don’t have cameras that can shoot videos nearly as well as your latest Sony A7s, Nikon Z9 or Canon R3. And yet, people are more than willing to shell out up to 10 times more money to get a Leica or a Hasselblad.

The cheapest Hasselblad that money can buy is the X1D II 50C mirrorless medium format, which goes for about $5,750 or just over Rs 4.5 Lakhs, for the body only. That means you will need to shell out another $2,000 Rs 2-4 Lakhs for a compatible lens. At a minimum, you’re looking to spend at least Rs 6-8 Lakhs. And that’s not even their current best selling camera. That will have to be the H6D-100c, which starts at $32,000, or roughly Rs 28 Lakhs, again, just for the body. Add in a couple of lenses, and you’re looking to spend about Rs 35-40 Lakhs easily.

Leica has a similar story. So why do people spend so much on these cameras and lenses, when clearly there are many cameras that offer “better value for money?”

Resolution and Detail

Although the resolution of a sensor is not the absolute parametre to judge a camera, it does matter especially when you’re working professionally. A Hasselblad like the H6D-100C comes with a 100MP medium format sensor medium, which is bigger than that of a full frame sensor that is normally found on high-end Sony, Canon and Nikon Cameras. Hasselblad even has a camera with a 400MP sensor. Similarly, Leica’s current most popular selling camera, the M11, has a resolution of 60MPs. 

And mind you, these are bigger pixels, than what is used in most consumer cameras, so the quality of each pixel is anyway much better. Furthermore, unlike most consumer grade entry level cameras and smartphone cameras, Hasselblad and Leica don’t use pixel binning. Pixel binning is a practice where smartphones take the average value of 8-16 pixels, and count it as one. What this allows them to do, is to come up with resolutions like 100MP or 200MP which looks great for the marketing team, but actually, outputs an image that is close to a more manageable 12MP. Simply put, Hasselblad and Leica don’t need to bin pixels. In fact, because Hasselblads use 120MM sensors, they are better than Leica in that sense.

The lenses

Hasselblad, Leica and Zeiss make some of the best lenses in the world. These legacy brands make some of the sharpest and most colour accurate lenses. No matter how great a sensor you put inside a camera, if it is not being used with a good lens, the resolution, the dynamic range, everything falls flat. Scientists often use lenses from these manufacturers for astrophotography, as well as to shoot images of flora and fauna to catalogue them. 

In fact, a number of space research organisations, develop camera modules and sensors to be sent into space after spending millions of dollars and use standard, commercially available lenses from Zeiss, Leica and Hasselblad.

Dynamic range

One of the biggest criteria that either makes or breaks a camera is the dynamic range. Hasselblads and Leicas have some of the best dynamic range among all brands of cameras. What this allows them to do to is accurately capture the tiniest of details in the brightest as well as darkest portions in a single photograph, without having to expose the same frame, twice, or composite two different frames. This, combined with the unbelievably high resolution of its sensors, means that anyone who shoots on these cameras can get a hoarding printed straight from the camera, without the need to process it. 

Colour science

Every camera brand develops its own colour science. To put it in very rudimentary terms, colour science is basically the process and the calculations used to record what a sensor sees. No camera sensor is actually able to replicate the exact colours of an object. Basically, no camera is ever able to capture the true, real life colours of an object. Even in humans, every pair of eyes has its own colour science. No two pairs of human eyes see the same shade of blue when they look at the sky. Hasselblad and Leica are no different. However, of all the camera makers in the world, they come the closest. 

Durability

Hasselblads and Leicas are bult like a tank. Hasselblads have often been taken on space missions simply because of the wide range of hostile environments they can work in. In fact, all the images that we see from the first moon landing were taken using a Hasselblad. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin used a silver coloured HDC camera along with a Zeiss 60mm f5.6 lens.

Similarly, the Leica has been to the summit of mountains like K2 and has been taken on expeditions to Antarctica and Siberia, some of the coldest places on Earth. These cameras work perfectly well without a hiccup in situations where most electronic and mechanical items simply give up.

Quality control

Now, this may not seem like a very important aspect, but each Leica and Hasselblad camera is assembled by hand. Following that, each and every camera that is built is thoroughly tested for colour accuracy, sharpness and robustness. In a given year, both of these manufacturers can produce at the most 10,000 units. In comparison, Nikon produces 10,000 units of their best selling cameras every couple of days.

Leicas and Hasselblads may not be the most rounded cameras that are available on the market. There are far cheaper cameras that work wonders for most people, professionals included, that can also shoot great videos. But if you’re looking for a pure photography camera, if you want to understand what photography was always meant to be, you can’t choose anything other than a Leica or a Hasselblad.

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New Web3 based social media platform aims to give women and transgenders a safe space

One of the harshest realities of social media is the hostility that women face on any given platform. From incessant trolling to rape and death threats for speaking out, to unsolicited messages and dick picks -  the list goes on and on. Well, one tech company is looking to change the dynamics of how a traditional Web2 based social media platform like Facebook or Instagram functions.

‘Coto’ or ‘Coming Together’ is the latest offering from Eve World, a Web3 women-only social community platform that seeks to build a positive and valuable digital experience for women. Coto promises to “narrow the gender divide” on social media, where men outnumber women and therefore, only allows women and transgenders to be users on the platform

“In order to make the internet empowering and inclusive, it is imperative to have a safe space where we can freely express ourselves. Women don’t get the chance to have intimate conversations, which leads to self-censorship,” says Aparna Acharekar, co-founder of Eve World.

Rampant sexism, misogyny, and trolling have become almost synonymous with social media for women. On top of that, we really don’t have many actionable laws that would safeguard women and transgenders. And even social media platforms like LinkedIn, where the entire premise is to inculcate professional connections, have failed women and transgenders miserably.

“The platform will enable members to freely create, curate, consume and own content. The decentralised nature of blockchain will help in overcoming issues with privacy,” says Tarun Katial, CEO, Eve World. “Think of this as WhatsApp into Instagram or WhatsApp into Reddit or Reddit into Instagram but only for women,” he added.

The platform will be based on Web3, or third generation internet, which, using blockchain technology and the principles of decentralised ownership, meaning the members on the platform will be able to freely create, curate, consume and own content, all the while overcoming issues with privacy. Furthermore, members on the platform will not be bogged down with data breaches, algorithm based manipulation, and identity theft which actually is a major problem that women face.

Despite the fact that the internet has forever changed the manner in which we interact with the world and with each other, how information is disseminated and ideas are exchanged, women, especially in India, unfortunately, have not had a level playing field where they could take advantage of that.

One of the main things Acharekar felt was missing from “legacy social media platforms” is intimate conversations.

“Women tend to feel restricted as there is always a concern regarding abuse and harassment. Hence, no one feels free to talk about issues like menopause, motherhood and sexual problems. We want to open them up and have women make their own groups and talk about such issues,” she said.

While women will be allowed to post anonymously on ‘coto,’ safeguards have been put in place that kicks in during the registration process.

In order to set up an account on 'coto', a user will have to go through a basic KYC process, that will involve facial recognition. This is done so that the platform knows if a user is a woman or a trans person. If a person does not want to be discovered at all, they can choose to withhold their identity while engaging with other members of the community, once they register.

The platform also intends to monetise and help members showcase their business products via online marketplaces for women entrepreneurs on the platform.

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Samsung Z Fold 4 launch date and price leaked, check out the specifications, display and cameras

One of the most anticipated smartphones to release this year has to be the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. Although Samsung hasn’t confirmed anything related to the smartphone, it is only natural for them to give one of their most iconic and highly sought after devices an annual refresh.

A few leaks have surfaced online, which reveal that the device is likely to launch by the end of August or early September, and will be priced around $1600. Earlier, we saw a leak suggesting that it would be getting one of the best camera modules in the business. Similarly, several leaks have suggested what sort of specifications should we be looking for.

Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 4:

Price and Launch Date
Although Samsung hasn’t officially confirmed the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 4, if history is anything to go by, Samsung will be launching the Galaxy Fold 4, along with the Flip 4 by the end of August or early September, in the USA and South Korea, and then after 2-3 weeks, worldwide. Although Samsung has stated that this time around, they will price their Z devices more competitively, the Z Fold 4 is expected to start at $1600-1800.

Specifications
Rumour has it that it’ll be powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 (SM8475) SoC that’s fabricated on TSMC’s 4nm process. This chipset is more efficient than both Samsung’s Exynos 2200 and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Just like with the Z Fold 3, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is likely to have 12GB RAM and up to 512GB of storage. It is likely to be powered by a 4,400 mAh battery with support for fast charging. Additionally, we should also see a good array of 5G bands, stereo speakers and support for an S Pen.

Cameras
The Z Fold 4 is bound to get a massive upgrade in the camera department. The South Korean tech giant is planning to provide the Galaxy Fold 4, with a 50MP primary camera, a 12MP ultrawide sensor, and a 12MP telephoto camera with 3X zoom, making it one of the most potent camera setups in a smartphone. In all likelihood, the front facing camera will either be a 4MP under-display camera or, the same 10MP ultrawide camera that we see in the S20 Ultra.

Displays
The new foldable is expected to have slightly tweaked aspect ratios for the displays, especially the main, internal one. The tweak may not seem to make a significant difference but we think it’s enough to make the device look boxier than the Galaxy Z Fold 3. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 had an internal display aspect ratio of 5:4, while its external display came in at 24.5:9. The upcoming Z Fold 4 will have an internal screen ratio of 6:5, and an external screen ratio of 23:9. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is expected to feature a 6.2-inch cover display and a 7.6-inch main display. The main inner display QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with a refresh rate of 120Hz. The outer display is likely to be HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with again, a refresh rate of 120Hz. 

A reworked and better hinge
Although Samsung has vastly improved the quality of their hinges between all three generations of the Z Fold, there still are some pertinent issues that they need to resolve. Over the last year, hinge design in a number of foldable devices from manufacturers like Oppo has improved significantly. The Fold 3 has a gap between the two folds, right where the hinge is placed, whereas the Oppo Find N has its folds stay flush against each other. Samsung will surely try and implement a mechanism like that into their hinge design.

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Google’s foldable Pixel phone is not coming anytime soon, has been postponed to 2023

Google was planning to launch one of its most anticipated devices, the Pixel Fold, by the end of this year. Now, a new report on 9to5Google says the launch of the foldable smartphone has been postponed, and in all likelihood, will be launched by the end of spring in 2023.

While chip shortages and issues with global supply chains may be a major issue, the main reason why the Pixel Fold or Pixel Notepad, as it is being called in some circles has been delayed, is the fact that the engineers at Google are simply not happy how the device’s development has been up to this point.

One of the major reasons why development has been slow, and why production will be even slower for the Pixel Notepad is the supply of foldable panels. The Pixel Notepad was reportedly going to have a foldable, 7.58-inch main display manufactured by Samsung Display, but the company is busy producing panels for Samsung's own devices, including the Galaxy Z Fold 4, and the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and hasn’t been able to allocate resources and production facilities for other customers.

The phone is now scheduled for a launch next spring. Notably, Google unveiled a bunch of new and upcoming products at its Google I/O conference in May, and Pixel Notepad was not one of them, despite several rumours that Google was just putting some finishing touches to the phone.

The Pixel Notepad, if it ever launches, will be Google's first foldable smartphone. Earlier reports say it would sport Google's Tensor chip, and the same camera setup as Google's Pixel 6a, though if the phone really launches nearly a year from now, these specifications are likely to change.

The Pixel Fold is slated to be priced at around $1400 when it launches. Although this would make the Pixel Fold substantially more expensive than the cheapest Pixel 6, as well as Pixel 7, it would still be about $400 cheaper than the cheapest Galaxy Z Fold 3 & the Galaxy Z Flip 3. However, do keep in mind that for the upcoming fold devices, Samsung plans to reduce the price significantly. Moreover, Google will be very late to the party with the Pixel Notepad, so any chances that it had of undercutting the Samsung Z Fold 4 are out of the window.

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Half of Indian smartphone users are seeing ads based on their personal phone conversations, says survey

Imagine this - you’re speaking to your friend and planning a trip to Goa, or are thinking of buying that latest sneaker over a call and suddenly you are inundated with advertisements about holiday packages in Goa, or the different discounts that different shopping platforms offer on those exact sneakers. Sounds familiar? Well, you aren’t the only one.

If you have seen an ad in your email box or via SMS based on your smartphone conversation with your wife or a colleague, don’t get shocked as a survey revealed on Wednesday that nearly half of all Indian smartphone users have confirmed seeing ads based on their private voice conversations.

About 53 per cent of citizens said they have had one or more instances in the last 12 months where they saw advertisements on the web or some social media app based on their phone conversations, according to a survey by community social media platform LocalCircles.

The results also indicated that a majority of Indian smartphone users have given microphone access to their handsets for audio/video calls to various social media apps and audio recording third-party apps.  

“A large number of people have been raising the issue of seeing contextual advertisements post their private phone conversations and this is very concerning,” said Sachin Taparia, Founder of LocalCircles.

“Such practices must be investigated and any apps requiring microphone access must be required to give clear declarations of where a user’s information will be used and seek explicit consent,” he added.

The Indian government is yet to approve the Personal Data Protection Bill 2019, aimed to provide legislative and statutory protection to users’ or citizens’ personal information and recognise protecting the data of individuals as their right.

LocalCircles said it will share the survey findings with the IT Ministry, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) and the RBI for necessary action.

“If this is not done at the earliest, such access could easily lead to financial frauds and people’s personal information getting compromised with no accountability of how it happened,” Taparia said.

Among those who had such an experience, 28 per cent said it happens all the time, 19 per cent said it has happened several times, and 6 per cent said it has happened a few times.

Only 24 per cent of citizens said that it has never happened while 23 per cent did not have an opinion.

About 84 per cent of smartphone users admitted to having given their contact list access to WhatsApp, 51 per cent had given access to Facebook Messenger, Instagram or both, and 41 per cent had given access to caller information apps like Truecaller.

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Sony and Microsoft are planning to launch a new PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X consoles in 2023

Given how Sony and Microsoft update their gaming consoles with a more powerful “Pro” version a couple of years after they launch a new console, rumours regarding updated versions of the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles have been making the rounds ever since the PS5 and the Xbox Series S & Series X were announced. 

Now, a couple of major manufacturers have all but confirmed that the two gaming giants are working on the next generation of their gaming consoles. The new versions of these consoles are expected to come with a significant performance and graphics boost.

AMD who makes the processors for both the PS5 as well as the Xbox Series X recently started hiring an SoC verification engineer for the next-gen RDNA family graphics which reportedly are meant for the new consoles. 

Also, electronics manufacturer TCL has claimed that it expects the PS5 Pro and the new Xbox Series X consoles to arrive by the end of 2023 or early 2024. The company hosted a press event to showcase its latest televisions and shared some details about the consoles getting a refresh or an upgrade. As per TCL, the new consoles will be more than capable of offering gameplay of up to 120 FPS at 2160p resolution with the most demanding of titles and they will be able to play games in 8K at respectable framerates, without breaking a sweat 

The company also expects PS5 Pro and the next Xbox Series X with SoCs that will be at par with the upcoming Radeon RX 7700 XT. Given that neither Sony nor Microsoft has confirmed any of these details yet, readers should be taking the finer details around the consoles, with a grain of salt.

Both Sony and Microsoft have a history of releasing newer and updated versions of their gaming consoles. With the PS4, Sony launched the PS4 Pro, whereas Microsoft updated the Xbox One S with the One X. 

It only makes sense to see that both the companies will follow the same strategy for the current-gen consoles. Besides these, the companies may also be looking at renewing and updating their manufacturing cycles and processes with the refresh of the consoles as the stocks for their current gen consoles, the PS5 and Xbox Series X, have been limited since the day they were launched, having been plagued by chip shortages and other supply chain disruptions.

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Samsung to stop selling low-cost feature phones in India soon, will focus on budget smartphones instead

Samsung is planning to exit the feature phones market in India after it found out that the segment contributed about 1 per cent of its market value in the first quarter of 2022. Overall, the feature phone market in India fell by about 39 per cent.

As per a report, Samsung’s last batch of feature phones is yet to be manufactured this year. Once that is done, the South Korean tech giant will no longer be manufacturing features phones in India. The plan is to eventually shift the focus and resources to slightly higher priced smartphones. Going forward, it is very likely the cheapest Samsung that one can buy in India, will start from Rs 15,000.

Samsung is among two major MNCs to contribute to the government’s Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. Samsung, according to ET, is mandated to get sops only on the production of handsets worth over Rs 15,000 factor price. That might be the biggest reason why Samsung wants to start making phones that hit that price point at the very least.

Feature phones have been on the decline in India. According to a Counterpoint Research report, the market saw a 39 per cent year-on-year decline in the first quarter of 2022. Samsung, which was leading the market till a few years back now falls behind Itel and Lava in the feature phones market, the Counterpoint Research report said.

The report also stated that the feature phone segment contributed just 1 per cent in value and 20 per cent in volumes for Samsung till the end of March this year. Samsung executives said that the company expects to grow in double digits in the second quarter of 2022. In the first quarter of 2022, Samsung was the best-selling brand in the Indian market again, with a 22 per cent market share, dethroning Xiaomi to become the market leader in the Android segment.

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Nothing Phone 1’s launch date and price leaked, likely to launch by end of July

The much-hyped phone from OnePlus’soriginal founder, Carl Pei, the Nothing Phone 1, is all set to be one of the most sought after Android phones of 2022. It is expected that the manner in which OnePlus disrupted the flagship market back when it launched, Nothing would do the same for the mid-tier-premium segment. We have known very little about the device in terms of its launch date and availability, up until now. However, details around the device’s launch are now leaking online.

Several new leaks suggest that the Nothing Phone 1 will be launched by the company on July 21, and will be priced around $500-550. The leaks also indicate that the device will be available first in China and Europe, and will then be slowly rolled out to the rest of the world., The device will be available in India given how OnePlus phones and Nothing Ear 1 Earbuds have been received in India. However, in India, the device is likely to be available from mid-August onwards.

Given that the device is priced around $500-550 in Europe and the United States, the Nothing Phone 1 will be going up against the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE and the Google Pixel 6a, which also becomes available for pre-order on July 21st. It will be interesting to see how Nothing’s first smartphone stacks up in the increasingly competitive premium-mid-range category.

Carl Pei also revealed how the device will look like. Staying true to its design philosophy, Nothing will be making with a clear back, showcasing its internal circuitry, just like it did with the Nothing Ear 1 Earbuds.

Nothing Phone 1 will be sold in India through Flipkart and will be exclusive to the platform.

Although there are no confirmed leaks about the specifications of the Nothing Phone 1, rumours suggest that it will be getting the Snapdragon 778G SoC, 8GB RAM, a 4500mAh battery and a 6.43-inch FHD+ display, with support for a 90Hz refresh rate and HDR10+.

The base variant of the device will have 128GB of storage. As for the cameras, Nothing Phone 1 supposedly carries a triple camera setup at the rear, with the primary camera having a 50MP sensor. We also get an 8MP and a 2MP shooter, for ultrawide and macro photography.

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Discounts of up to Rs 21,000 On iPhone 13 Max, here’s where and how to get the discount

People who are looking to upgrade to an iPhone but don’t want to shell out a ton of money for the upcoming iPhone 14, now have a golden opportunity. 

If you want to upgrade to an iPhone 13 Pro Max, now is probably the ideal time. The iPhone 13 Pro Max is available for Rs 21,000 off at iStore India. After the markdown, the 128GB, which was previously priced at Rs 1,29,900, is now available for Rs 108,900. Wondering how this works out to be?

Well, to begin with, the outlet is providing a flat discount of Rs 3,000 on all models and variants of the iPhone, including the top of the line iPhone 13 Pro Max. If users then exchange their existing phones, they may get up to Rs 18,000 in additional discounts. Of course, this is contingent on which phone you exchange and what is the condition of your device.

This effectively lowers the price of the base 128GB model to Rs. 1,08,900. The iPhone 13 Pro Max 256GB variant costs Rs. 1,18,900 after the discount, while the 512GB model costs Rs. 1,38,900. The top-of-the-line 1TB iPhone 13 Pro Max would costs Rs. 1,58,900 after the discount.

The iPhone 13 Pro Max, which was released on September 14, 2021, is the most expensive and powerful variant in the iPhone 13 series. It has a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion technology for a more responsive experience.

As for the specifications, the iPhone 13 Pro Max uses an A15 bionic chipset, with 6GB of ultrafast RAM. All the variants come with superfast NVMe SSDs for storage. On paper, the RAM may seem insufficient, but it is actually way more than what one might need. 

Users get a triple-camera set-up with one 12MP OIS wide unit, one 12MP ultrawide shooter, and one 12 MP, telephoto shooter with OIS and 3x optical zoom. Users also get a 12MP EIS front camera that is capable of shooting selfie videos in 4K. The wide-angle camera on iPhone 13 Pro Max offers a substantial improvement in low-light scenarios, up to 2.2x when compared to iPhone 12 Pro and approximately 1.5x when compared to iPhone 12 Pro Max, thanks to the larger f/1.5 aperture.

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Realme GT 2 Pro Long term Review: The ‘Flagship killer’ killer

Pros:
Soothing and eco-friendly design
Flagship processing hardware
Excellent display with variable refresh rate
Dual 50MP cameras are impressive 
Good battery life with fast charging
Android 12; Realme UI 3.0 is user friendly
Competitive pricing

Cons:
No IP rating or wireless charging support
No telephoto or macro cameras
Too much bloatware

Summary: The Realme GT 2 Pro is currently the most affordable smartphone in India with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC. On top of that, you get an excellent 2K display, competent cameras and the latest version of Android under Rs 50,000 making it a compelling proposition.

Price: Rs 49,999 onwards

Rating: 4.3/5

These are weird times when traditionally premium brands like OnePlus are looking at the lower midrange pastures, while a brand like Realme who has almost mastered the mid-range segment is looking to play the flagship game. The Realme GT 2 Pro, as the company claims, is indeed their ‘most premium flagship ever’, but that’s not it. Most of its key features are eerily similar to those of the OnePlus 10 Pro which sells at a significantly higher price point. That leaves little doubt about who its prime target is. Can the GT 2 Pro pull off a giant killing act? Let’s find out.

Realme GT 2 Pro: Design (4/5)
Among the plethora of glass clad phones, the Realme GT 2 Pro stands out courtesy of its unique back panel which is meant to be environment friendly too. According to Realme, it is made of a bio-based polymer that leads to 35.5% lesser carbon emissions, and the overall packaging per million units leads to an equivalent of 3.5 million fewer plastic bottles (size not specified) being produced. Naoto Fukasawa is the lead designer again, who has styled a couple of Realme phones in the past. 

The back panel of the Paper Green and Paper White variants does look and feel different. It is supposed to feel like paper to touch; almost, but not exactly. It is quite elegant though and easy on the eyes, also helps in keeping the weight under 190 grams. If you find it a tad plasticky and prefer glass, there’s always the Steel Black variant with a glass back. The biopolymer back panel is sturdy and blends smoothly into the Aluminium frame. It should be able to handle a few more drops than a glass panel. From personal experience, there wasn’t any wear and tear after a month of use, which is good. 

The bezels are extremely narrow and the chin isn’t too prominent either. The placement of the volume rocker and the power button along the edges on either side of the display is spot on, and you don’t have to stretch your fingers much to access them. The same can be said about the location of the in-display fingerprint scanner. A USB-C port, a speaker and the SIM tray are placed on the bottom edge. A 3.5 mm headphone jack has been given a skip and you don’t have a MicroSD card slot either, as with most flagship phones.

Realme GT 2 Pro: Display (4.5/5)
The Realme GT 2 Pro screen is one of the best around with accurate colours and excellent sharpness. It has a 6.7-inch 10-bit LTPO 2.0 AMOLED display with an adaptive refresh rate ranging between 1 to 120 Hz. The screen resolution stands at 3216 x 1440 pixels, which translates into a 525 PPI pixel density. The HDR10+ compliant display can get up to 1400 nits bright and has a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus to protect it from scratches and cracks. 

The adaptive refresh rate feature automatically adjusts the refresh rate depending on the app or the content being viewed on the screen and helps in saving battery. For example, it goes up to 120 Hz when scrolling in compatible apps to give you a flicker-free experience, and then drops significantly when watching an image or a video which does not require the screen to be refreshed that often. Gamers may not be able to take full advantage of this display yet as the refresh rate is capped at 60 Hz in games.

Realme GT 2 Pro: Hardware and performance (4.5/5)
Realme has gone all in with the processing power on the GT 2 Pro. It is powered by Qualcomm’s current flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC. You can choose between 8 GB RAM and 128 GB UFS 3.1 storage or 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage, which we got for review. No surprise that the phone scored some top marks in popular benchmarks. While I did not have scores for phones powered by the Snapdragon 888 chip in current versions of benchmarks, we can still look at where the new Qualcomm chip stands in comparison with the Snapdragon 870 and Mediatek Dimensity 1200.

The Realme GT 2 Pro steers clear of the last generation chips with scores of 1246 and 3262 in single-core and multi-core Geekbench 5.4 benchmarks. In comparison, the OnePlus 9R with Snapdragon 870 gets 974 and 3101 points and the Nord 2 with Mediatek Dimensity 1200 manages scores of 815 and 2762 respectively in those tests. Similarly in the Work 3.0 productivity benchmark, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip races away with a score of 13414, while the 9R and Nord 2 can only get to 11266 and 8075 respectively.

We have some great news for gamers too as the 3DMark scores here are the highest we have ever seen, and not by a small margin either. The Adreno 730 GPU on the Realme GT 2 Pro literally scores double in the Wild Life and Wild Life Extreme benchmarks in comparison to the 9R and Nord 2. I know this is not an apples to apples comparison, but it gives you a fair idea about the raw power of the new Qualcomm chip. On the topic of gaming, the phone does heat up after 30 minutes of gaming but there were no heat related crashes or restarts.

In day to day operations, things were absolutely smooth. Be it opening multiple browser tabs or switching between a dozen open apps or photography, the phone sailed through without a hiccup, and it barely got warm. But clicking a few photos back to back or recording videos does make it noticeably warm, nothing alarming though. The initial issues with heat related malfunction of the camera app were addressed in a subsequent software update.

The performance of the phone in other departments gave us no reason to complain either. The call quality and reception were perfectly fine. The dual speakers on the phone are fairly loud and offer punchy sound output for phone speakers with a good stereo effect. Wireless connectivity options include Bluetooth 5.2 and dual-band WiFi with support for a/b/g/n/ac/6 standards.  

Realme GT 2 Pro: Camera performance (4.25/5)
The rear camera combination on the Realme GT 2 Pro is quite interesting and impressive at the same time. There are two 50MP cameras, the primary with a Sony IMX766 sensor and optical image stabilisation (OIS) and the ultra-wide shooter with a Samsung ISOCELL JN1 sensor. The third (3MP) camera at the back is quite unique with a micro lens and acts as a microscope to magnify objects 20 times over. There are no telephoto or macro cameras on the GT 2 Pro.

The primary camera captures some excellent shots in varied lighting and modes. The photos have great detail and impressive dynamic range. Colour reproduction is equally impressive and pretty close to that of the actual object or scene. The 2X zoom here is essentially digital but the captured images are fairly sharp and usable. As you zoom in further, the images start to look washed out. Portrait shots work well with human subjects despite the absence of a dedicated depth sensor, which frankly has become redundant for a while now. 

The ultra-wide camera here is one of the best around, and the colour reproduction and dynamic range are comparable to the main camera, especially in good light. Again the captured images have a good amount of detail and the noise is manageable. Other than the standard wide FOV, it can capture 150-degrees ultra-wide shots too and then there’s the fish-eye mode for you to try out. There are a handful of other modes to explore too.

The low light performance is topnotch here, especially the main camera doing a fabulous job. The captured images have surprisingly good detail, accurate colours and hardly any noise. And all this even without using the night mode. The night mode makes the objects appear brighter than actual, but the details are well preserved. The ultra-wide camera does a reasonable job in low light too, but I would suggest sticking to the main camera when the light drops unless you need a wider field of vision.

And lastly, the 3MP micro camera is a cool new addition. It provides 20X magnification when you focus on objects from up close and gives fascinating results. Do check the camera sample to know what I mean. The LEDs get switched on automatically in this mode to highlight the subject. There’s a 40X magnification option too but it’s digital. The 32MP selfie camera does what is expected of it. This phone can record videos up to 8K resolution but EIS is available only when recording in 4K or lower resolution. The recorded 4K videos are quite impressive and 1080p videos aren’t bad either.

Click here for uncompressed camera samples:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/fFAS5CzyHB7cjiUS7

Realme GT 2 Pro: Battery backup (4/5)
The battery backup of the GT 2 Pro is quite good. It has a 5000 mAh battery that keeps the phone running for a day and a half of moderate use, with an hour of gaming included. With a lighter load, it even lasts for two days. If you opt to play games on it for the better part of the day, you better keep the charger handy. Speaking of which, Realme bundles a 65W SuperDart charger that juices the phone fully in just about 37 minutes, which is quite brisk.

Realme GT 2 Pro: OS and User interface (4/5)
The Realme GT 2 Pro runs the latest Android 12 with Realme UI 3.0. It does add some customisation on top of stock Android UI, but the latest iteration of Realme UI is quite polished and user friendly. There are ample options to tweak it further if you wish to. The learning curve is not steep at all even for one switching from a different user interface. 

Despite having the ColorOS gene, it remains more pleasant than the mess OnePlus has made with OxygenOS 12. Realme UI 3.0 is fluid and lag free. There is one thing it could have done without though, and that’s the amount of bloatware preinstalled on the phone. The good part is that most of it can be uninstalled; still, an unnecessary chore for the user to engage in.

Realme GT 2 Pro: Price, verdict and competition
The Realme GT 2 Pro starts at Rs 49,999 for the 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage variant and Rs 57,999 for the 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage option with a one year warranty. That makes it the most affordable smartphone currently with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC. In comparison, the OnePlus 10 Pro with similar specifications (and not just the chipset) is priced at Rs. 66,999 and Rs 71,999 respectively for similar RAM and storage variants.

For that big a price delta, the Realme GT 2 Pro does not miss out on anything major in comparison. Yes, it may lack features like a telephoto camera and wireless charging, but it offers more than plenty for its asking price. You get a solid all-rounder with a pleasant design, excellent 2K display with variable refresh rate, flagship processing hardware, impressive camera department, latest Android with a user-friendly UI, good battery backup with fast charging and more under Rs 50,000. That makes it an easy recommendation for those in search of a flagship device without breaking the bank.

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