These are the Best USB Cables for the Galaxy S22 series in 2022

Samsung has finally revealed its latest lineup of flagship phones — the Galaxy S22, the Galaxy S22 Plus, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra. They come in different sizes and suit different audiences. No matter what your budget or expectations are, there’s likely a Galaxy S22 phone that matches these needs. If you plan to buy one of these phones, it’s a wise idea to check out some recommended chargers for the Galaxy S22 series since none of the phones come with a charging brick in the box. They do come with a USB cable, but that is a USB-C to USB-C cable. However, there’s a good chance you either need a different cable, or you need multiple cables. If you need to pick a new cable up for your device, we have compiled a list of the best USB cables for the Galaxy S22 series.

Best Galaxy S22 series USB cables

There are two mainstream options to choose from when it comes to buying a USB cable: USB-A to USB-C and USB-C to USB-C.

USB-A to USB-C cables

When it comes to the speeds of charging and data transfer, USB-A is slower and more limited than USB-C. However, some people still use old PCs with USB-A ports, older chargers, or newer multi-port chargers — so a USB-A to USB-C cable comes. For the most part, though, new gadgets tend to utilize USB-C instead of USB-A, so we’d recommend first figuring out your use-cases.

Anker Powerline II

Lifetime Warranty

This cable from supports data transfer at up to 10Gbps and is USB-IF certified. Anker is so confident about its quality, offering a hassle-free lifetime warranty for the product.

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Belkin USB-A to USB-C Cable

High-Speed Data Transfer

This 3ft USB cable from Belkin offers high data transfer speeds at up to 10Gbps. However, its charging capabilities are limited to around 15W only.

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Samsung USB-A to USB-C Cable

Official

This 1-meter cable is the official one from the company. If you'd rather not resort to third-party cables, then this Samsung product is what you should go for.

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Hibiker Premium Nylon USB-C to USB-A Cable

3-Pack

This package from Hibiker includes three USB-A to USB-C cables. They're 1ft long each and support data transfer at up to 480Mb/s. And thanks to their braided design, they will likely last you for a long time.

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etguuds USB-A to USB-C Braided Cable

Long

This pack comes with two 15ft long USB-A to USB-C braided cables. It's perfect for those who move around their rooms a lot while holding their connected devices. They're available in four colors to choose from.

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CableCreation Short USB-A to USB-C Braided Cable

Short

This cable is only 6 inches long. It's ideal for minimalists who don't need the extra length. Just like similar products, it supports data transfer at up to 480Mb/s. You can buy it in three different colors.

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USB-C to USB-C cables

USB-C to USB-C cables can support higher charging and data transfer speeds. If you don’t need to plug your Galaxy S22 into a USB-A port, you should most definitely buy one of these USB-C to USB-C cables instead. USB-A isn’t as widely prevalent as it once was, at this point.

Cable Matters USB-C to USB-C Cable

Master Of All Trades

This USB cable offers ultra-fast speeds for both charging and data transfer, at up to 100W and 10Gbps respectively.

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Baseus USB-C to USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 Cable

Affordable

This braided cable is ideal for fast charging, with 100W support. Its data transfer speed is limited to 480Mbps.

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Nekteck USB-C to USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 Cable

Bang For The Buck

This quality cable is affordable and supports 100W fast charging and 10Gbps data transfer speeds.

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Samsung Galaxy USB-C to USB-C Cable

Official

This the official USB-C to USB-C cable from Samsung. It is 1 meter long, isn't braided, and comes with a one-year warranty in the US.

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Anker Nylon USB-C to USB-C Braided Cable

Braided

This pack from Anker includes two 6ft braided cables. They support up to 60W fast charging and are available in three colors.

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AINOPE USB-C to USB-C Right Angle Cable

Right Angle

This braided cable has a right angle on one of its ends. This makes holding your phone in landscape orientation while it's connected more comfortable.

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Some of the brands we recommend include Anker and Baseus. And of course, you can’t really go wrong with picking the official cable from Samsung itself. However, there’s no real tangible benefit to picking a Samsung-branded cable other than perhaps reliability, so do explore the options.

Samsung Galaxy S22

The Samsung Galaxy S22 is the entry flagship for 2022, bringing over top of the line performance and camera capabilities in a form that fits many pockets and budgets.

Buy from Samsung.com

Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus is the mid flagship for 2022, bringing over top of the line performance, display and camera capabilities in a larger housing for those that need to do more.

Buy from Samsung.com

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is the top flagship for 2022, bringing over top of the line performance, display and camera capabilities alongside S Pen capabilities to deliver an ultra experience for power users.

Buy from Samsung.com

Which of these USB cables will you be buying for your Galaxy S22 phone, and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

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MediaTek confirms the Dimensity 9000 will debut in the OPPO Find X5 series

MediaTek’s first foray into a proper flagship chipset in years comes in the form of the MediaTek Dimensity 9000. It’s a 4nm chipset manufactured by TSMC and packs a serious punch, featuring’s Arm’s most powerful Cortex-X2 core, an 18-bit image signal processor, Bluetooth 5.3 support, and much more. While we hadn’t heard what devices would run it yet, it’s now been confirmed that the Dimensity 9000 will debut in the OPPO Find X5 series.

Source: GizmoChina

As posted on the official MediaTek Weibo account, the Taiwanese chipset company will debut the Dimensity 9000 in an OPPO Find X5 series device. While it may be a mistranslation (as the above image is machine translated by GizmoChina), it appears that there may be a specific Pro variant that packs this particular chip. That would make sense, as the Dimensity 9000 is actually supposed to be a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 competitor.

Previous leaks are at odds with this confirmation from MediaTek, which would lead me to suspect that the Dimensity 9000 edition of the device may be a limited or later launch. From those leaks, we’ve heard that the phone will have a large QHD+ AMOLED LTPO display with an in-screen fingerprint sensor and a refresh rate of 120Hz, a 5,000mAh battery, and 80W wired fast charging support. There’s 12GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage — the only model expected to be available in Europe.

OPPO also announced that it has partnered with Hasselblad, just like OnePlus. The cameras are expected to consist of two 50MP Sony IMX766 sensors (primary and ultra-wide) and a 13MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom. The device will also feature OPPO’s new MariSilicon X chip, which features a combination of an advanced NPU, ISP, and multi-tier memory architecture on one chip.

The company has announced that it will be showcasing new products at the upcoming Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona. We expect to see the new Find X5 series devices at the event, and potentially with a Dimensity 9000-powered device in tow, too.

---

Source: MediaTek Weibo

Via: GizmoChina

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Latest WhatsApp update brings rich document previews

WhatsApp is one of the best instant messaging apps out there, and while it’s not as feature-packed and powerful as Telegram, it’s always getting better with new improvements and features. Case in point: WhatsApp is rolling out a new update that brings improved document previews.

As spotted by WABetainfo, WhatsApp is rolling out a new and improved preview for documents. Up until now, when you shared documents, be it a PDF, JPEG, or DOC, WhatsApp only showed a generic preview displaying the file type and the file name. That means you had to open the document to really know what was inside. With the latest WhatsApp beta update, however, the app now displays a rich preview, giving you a glimpse of the content inside.

WhatsApp beta for Android 2.22.5.11: what’s new?

WhatsApp is introducing a new way to view the preview of images and videos shared as documents. Certain beta testers may be able to use the same feature on some previous updates as well.https://t.co/RtSbCoMfx3

— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) February 17, 2022

Right now, previews are of really low quality, as you can see in the left image above. This can be indicative of the beta nature of the feature, and we hope WhatsApp will be able to optimize it to display higher-res previews.

The new document preview UI is rolling out with the latest WhatsApp beta update. It’s not widely available on the stable channel yet. If you want to give it a try, you can sign up for the beta program here or grab the latest APK from APKMirror.

WhatsApp has been testing a lot of new features as of late. The app will soon add iMessage-style message reactions, let you finally transfer chats from Android to iOS, and let you preview voice notes before sending them. In addition, WhatsApp is also working on a new feature that will automatically transcribe voice messages. Meanwhile, new drawing tools will allow you to draw thicker and thinner lines on images/videos.

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Android 12’s dynamic theming could come to more platforms as Google releases the Material Color Utilities library

Google is serious about Material You’s dynamic theming system. The company evidently wants more Android OEMs to offer a theming engine (Monet, or something similar) on Android 12 devices, but that doesn’t seem to be the extent of Google’s plans for its wallpaper-based theming system. The company has now open-sourced the Material Color Utilities code library in an effort to bring the new theming system to more platforms.

In a recent blog post (via 9to5Google), Google’s James O’Leary reveals that Material Color Utilities is a cross-platform code library for color, which includes everything developers would need to implement Material You’s dynamic theming system on various platforms. Currently, the library is available in Dart, Java, and Typescript, but Google plans to bring it to iOS, CSS via SASS, and GLSL shaders. Given that it’s open-source, anyone can contribute to the library.

In addition, the blog post sheds light on exactly how the dynamic theming system works on Android 12. As the post explains, each time you change wallpapers on an Android 12 device:

“First, the wallpaper is quantized, reducing the thousands of colors in it to a smaller number by merging them in color space. The reduced color set is small enough to run statistical algorithms against with efficiency. These algorithms are used to score and filter colors; Android 12 gives color options for colorfulness and how much the image they represent, and it filters out colors close to monochrome.

One color, defaulting to the top-ranked color by the algorithm, or chosen by the user in the wallpaper picker, becomes the source color. Its hue and chroma influence the overall color scheme, enabling a vibrant blue scheme, or a muted green one, based on the user’s choice of color.

Using the source color, we create the core palette, which is a set of 5 tonal palettes. A tonal palette is defined by a hue and chroma; the colors in the palette come from varying tones. These tonal palettes reduce cognitive load for designers when creating a design system: instead of specifying hue and chroma for each role, a tonal palette can be substituted.

Finally, we fill out the table that defines the hue chroma and tone of each color role, then use those values and HCT to create the colors used in the theme.”

Furthermore, the blog post highlights how Google came up with a new HCT (hue, chroma, tone) color system to replace the existing HSL (hue, saturation, lightness) system to make designing with colors easier. You can learn more about this new color system by checking out the original blog post.

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Leaked render gives us our first look at Motorola Frontier and its massive camera sensor

Last month we learned that Motorola was working on a “next-generation” flagship phone codenamed “Frontier.” The leak revealed the phone would offer top-of-the-line hardware, including a flagship Qualcomm SoC, insanely fast charging speed, and powerful cameras. Now a fresh leak has given us our very first look at the phone’s design.

Evan Blass, AKA @evleaks has released a high-quality render of the Motorola Frontier, showcasing the phone’s design from multiple angles. As you can see in the images below, the Frontier sports a striking design that’s a departure from previous Motorola phones. The phone has a curved back with the Moto batwing logo imprinted in the middle. However, the most interesting element here is that massive circular camera sensor in the top left corner. The text written along the camera area reveals that it’s a 194MP 1/1.5-inch sensor with OIS support.

Two additional camera sensors accompany the main camera, and a dual-tone LED flash. While today’s leak doesn’t reveal the specs of the other two cameras, a previous report from TechnikNews claims a 50MP ultra-wide sensor and a 12MP IMX664 telephoto camera would join the primary shooter.

Moving to the front, we see a curved display that stretches edge to edge and has a centered hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera. Meanwhile, a SIM slot, the USB Type C port, and the speaker are located at the bottom.

The Motorola Frontier will reportedly feature a 6.67-inch FHD+ OLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, according to previous rumors. It will be powered by a Qualcomm chipset codenamed “SM8475,” which could be a Plus variant of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. We’re also told the phone will offer insanely fast charging speeds: up to 120W wired and 50W wireless.

Motorola hasn’t officially confirmed anything about the Frontier at this point. In any case, we’re not holding our breath for the phone to launch anytime soon, especially considering the Moto Edge 30 series launch is just around the corner.

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Realme kickstarts Realme UI 3.0 Open Beta program for the Realme GT Neo 2, Realme GT Master Edition, and Realme X7 Max

After rolling out early access builds of Realme UI 3.0 based on Android 12 to some Realme GT Neo 2 and Realme X7 Max users late last year, Realme is now finally ready to give more users a chance to experience the software release. Today, the company has kickstarted the Realme UI 3.0 Open Beta program for both devices, allowing more users to experience the update ahead of the stable rollout.

According to recent posts on Realme’s forums, the Realme UI 3.0 Open Beta program is now live for Realme GT Neo 2, Realme X7 Max, and Realme GT Master Edition users. If you own any of these devices and would like to try out the Android 12-based software release ahead of the stable rollout, you can enroll in the beta program by following these steps:

• Make sure you update your device to the software version specified in the Open Beta announcement post for your device.
• After installing the update, navigate to the Software Update section in the device settings and tap on the settings cog in the top right corner
• Tap on Trial version on the following page and then select the Open Beta option
• Tap on the Apply now button on the next page and then provide all the required details to complete your application
• If your application passes Realme’s review process, you should receive the Realme UI 3.0 Open Beta release via an OTA update

Before installing the update, make sure your device is not rooted, has at least 60 percent battery left, and has around 5GB of free storage space. Also, take a backup of all your data before proceeding. Note that since this isn’t the final stable release, you may encounter some bugs. We don’t recommend installing the open beta update if you’re using your device as your daily driver. If you still wish to go ahead, make sure you report all bugs that you encounter by following the instructions in the announcement post.

XDA Forums: Realme GT Neo 2 || Realme GT Master Edition || Realme X7 Max

Along with Relame UI 3.0 open beta releases for the three devices mentioned above, Realme has also started rolling out early access builds for the budget-friendly Realme C25. If you wish to try it out, you can head over to Realme’s announcement post and follow the instructions to get the update on your device. For more info on what’s new in Realme UI 3.0, check out our hands-on preview.

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Several Google Home users are facing issues with light controls

If you’ve been facing issues with light control commands on your Assistant-powered smart home setup, you’re not alone. As per recent reports, several Google Home users are not able to control their smart lights using Assistant voice commands for the last few days. Google is reportedly investigating the issue, but the company is yet to release an official statement on the matter.

Reddit user u/usernamechecquesout recently highlighted the issue in a post on the Google Home subreddit, and several others have since come forward claiming that they’re facing the same problem with their smart home setups. According to the comments on the post, rebooting affected devices doesn’t seem to fix the issue, and reverting to factory settings isn’t of any help either.

Screenshot: u/usernamechecquesout

Users who reached out to Google’s customer support say that the company is aware and is currently investigating the issue. The issue seems to be device agnostic, with some users claiming that it affects all their connected Google Home devices. However, we were not able to reproduce the issues on our end, which leads us to believe that it may not be as widespread as it seems. Both Aamir and I tested it on our Google Home setups, and all light control commands worked as intended.

I’m firing Google Home! When all of your lights are connected to one assistant, it is unacceptable for it to suddenly start saying “I don’t understand” when I try to turn on a light. Moving to Alexa.

— Jay (@TawnyTeuton) February 17, 2022

As mentioned earlier, Google is yet to release an official statement on the matter. We’ve reached out to the company for more details, and we’ll make sure you let you know as soon as we get a response.

Are you facing issues with light control commands on your Google Home setup? Drop a comment below with details about your Google Home setup and your location if you’re facing this issue.

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Pixel 6’s fingerprint scanner calibration tool is failing for some users

The in-display fingerprint scanner of the Pixel 6 series has been subject to a lot of controversies. Many users have complained about the slow speed and inconsistent performance of the scanner and while Google has tried to address this with software updates, it’s still not on par with other flagship smartphones. Now we’re hearing yet another controversy surrounding the Pixel 6’s fingerprint scanner.

Google Pixel 6 Pro Review: Fantastic everyday phone with an undeniable Exynos inspiration

According to multiple reports (via 9to5Google), the fingerprint scanner calibration tool isn’t working as intended for some users. The calibration tool is part of the Google Pixel Update and Repair Tool suite. When you replace the display of your Pixel 6 by yourself, the fingerprint scanner stops working. To make it work again, you have to run the fingerprint sensor calibration tool after replacing the display — you’ll also need to factory reset your phone after. But as pointed out by YouTuber Louis Rossmann, this calibration tool is failing for many users, leaving Pixel 6 owners who replace the display unofficially with a dead fingerprint scanner.

The issue seems to affect both DIY and in-store repairs. When the calibration tool fails, it throws up a message saying “Couldn’t find the unique calibration software for this device.” And unfortunately, there’s no way to get past this error.

“I replaced my pixel 6 pro display, and as suggested by many people, the fingerprint sensor stopped working. When I try to install the fingerprint sensor calibration software, it says “Couldn’t find the unique calibration software for this device” right after it starts downloading,” wrote a Pixel 6 user in a thread on Google’s IssueTracker.

It’s unclear how widespread this issue is. But in any case, until Google fixes the calibration tool, it’s a good idea to have your display replaced by the official Google service center.

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Samsung reveals Galaxy S22 series pricing and pre-order info for India

Samsung India has finally shared the pricing details for the company’s latest flagship smartphone lineup, the Galaxy S22 series. If you’re thinking of getting your hands on one of the new Galaxy devices, you’ll have to wait some more, as pre-orders begin from February 23, 2022. Samsung India has not revealed anything apart from the pricing and pre-orders. Details on the Galaxy Tab S8 series are also missing.

Samsung Galaxy S22 series: Pricing & Availability in India

Although Samsung opened pre-orders for the Galaxy S22 series in several markets right after unveiling the devices, Indian buyers could only register their interest on Samsung’s website. The wait continues, as you still cannot pre-order the new Galaxy S22 series devices in the region. Samsung has only revealed pricing and color availability so far. All three devices in the lineup will be available in India in a couple of RAM and storage configurations, but Samsung isn’t offering all the cool colorways that are available in the US and a few other regions. But as a silver lining, you do get the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor in India this time.

The regular Galaxy S22 and the Galaxy S22 Plus are available in two RAM/storage options — 8GB+128GB and 8GB+256GB — just like in international markets. However, Samsung will offer these devices in three colorways only — Phantom Black, Phantom White, and Green. The Galaxy S22 Ultra, on the other hand, will be available in 12GB+256GB and 12GB+512GB configurations in Phantom Black and Burgundy. If you want the Phantom White color, you can get it only on the 256GB storage variant.

Pricing in India:

• Galaxy S22:
  • 128GB: ₹72,999
  • 256GB: ₹76,999
• Galaxy S22 Plus:
  • 128GB: ₹84,999
  • 256GB: ₹88,999
• Galaxy S22 Ultra:
  • 256GB: ₹1,09,999
  • 512GB: ₹1,18,999

When can I pre-order/buy the Samsung Galaxy S22 series in India?

Pre-orders for the Galaxy S22 series in India begin from February 23, 2022.

Samsung India has not revealed any further information on sales and offers for the flagship smartphone lineup. So for now, there’s nothing to say when you can actually purchase the device. Samsung India has also not shared any information on the Galaxy Tab S8 series either, not even its pricing and lineup info.

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LineageOS 17.1 is being dropped as work on LineageOS 19.0 continues

LineageOS is the most popular custom ROM by far, providing hundreds of Android devices a light, near-stock version of Android. LineageOS 18.1, which is based on Android 11, is the latest version of the ROM. But with Android 12 out for a while now, many fans are looking forward to the next iteration: LineageOS 19.0. While we still don’t know when the new builds based on Android 12 will arrive, the LineageOS team has now announced that they’re ending support for LineageOS 17.1.

In a Reddit post, the LineageOS team revealed that LineageOS 17.1, based on Android 10, has now reached retirement. That means new builds of LineageOS 17.1  won’t be developed moving forward. The team says they had to take this step because of the storage restrictions of their build servers.

Android 12 Custom ROM List: Unofficially update your Android smartphone!

As per the announcement, the following devices are being dropped from the LineageOS 17.1 build roaster:

Device	Codename	Maintainers
Google Pixel	sailfish	intervigil, razorloves
Google Pixel XL	marlin	intervigil, razorloves
HTC One (M8)	m8	bgcngm
HTC One (M8) Dual SIM	m8d	bgcngm
Huawei Honor 5X	kiwi	BadDaemon
LeEco Le 2	s2	codeworkx, tImIbreakdown
Motorola Edge	racer	erfanoabdi, Jleeblanch, SyberHexen
Motorola Moto E 2015 LTE	surnia	althafvly, theimpulson
Motorola Moto G 2015	osprey	althafvly, chil360
Motorola Moto G3 Turbo	merlin	althafvly
Motorola Moto G4 Play	harpia	jro1979
Motorola Moto X Play	lux	jro1979, thopiekar
Motorola Moto Z	griffin	DD3Boh, erfanoabdi, shr3ps, stargo, vache
Nubia Z17	nx563j	BeYkeRYkt
Nvidia Jetson (Nano / Nano 2GB) [Android TV]	porg	webgeek1234
Nvidia Jetson (Nano / Nano 2GB) [Tablet]	porg_tab	webgeek1234
Nvidia Jetson (TX2 / TX2 NX) [Android TV]	quill	webgeek1234
Nvidia Jetson (TX2 / TX2 NX) [Tablet]	quill_tab	webgeek1234
Nvidia Shield TV (2015 / 2015 Pro / 2017) / Jetson TX1 [Android TV]	foster	webgeek1234, npjohnson
Nvidia Shield TV (2015 / 2015 Pro / 2017) / Jetson TX1 [Tablet]	foster_tab	webgeek1234, npjohnson
Nvidia Shield TV 2019 Pro [Android TV]	mdarcy	webgeek1234, npjohnson
Nvidia Shield TV 2019 Pro [Tablet]	mdarcy_tab	webgeek1234, npjohnson
OnePlus Nord	avicii	KakatkarAkshay
Realme 2 Pro	RMX1801	sb6596
Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016)	a3xelte	danwood76, Stricted
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)	a5xelte	danwood76, Stricted
Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)	a7xelte	sourajitk, danwood76, Stricted
Samsung Galaxy J7 (2015)	j7elte	dariotrombello, danwood76, Stricted
Samsung Galaxy S5 Neo	s5neolte	danwood76, Stricted
Sony Xperia Tablet Z2 LTE	castor	snc
Sony Xperia Tablet Z2 Wi-Fi	castor_windy	snc
Wileyfox Swift	crackling	115ek
Wingtech Redmi 2	wt88047	nicknitewolf
Xiaomi Redmi K20 / Mi 9T	davinci	Pig
Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 / 8T	ginkgo	DarkJoker360, danascape
Yandex Phone	Amber	HighwayStar, vm03

If you’re running LineageOS 17.1 on any of the above-mentioned devices, you can continue to use the ROM as it is but note that there won’t be any new updates. That means you will miss out on important security patches and other improvements. Your best bet is to upgrade to LineageOS 18.1, assuming it’s available for your device, or switch to another custom ROM which is in active development.

At the time being, LineageOS 17.1 builds are still listed on the LineageOS download page. The team notes that builds and recoveries will eventually be removed from the website.

As for the Android 12 release, the team says they have started testing build systems to support LineageOS 19.0. However, no exact timeline has been provided for when the new version is officially coming out.

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OPPO is Looking for Product Ambassadors to Receive an OPPO Find X5 / X5 Pro

OPPO is looking for some enthusiastic and spirited users to participate in an exciting opportunity with their first-ever ambassador program. More specifically, OPPO is looking for trailblazers who are tech-savvy and can share their ideas and life experiences. The program is fairly expansive, with twenty seats available in total for users that are interested. When you get accepted into the program, you can become an ambassador for OPPO Find X5 or Find X5 Pro products, with ten spots in each category. Becoming a part of the program will allow you to have access to a number of different benefits.

How to Become an OPPO Ambassador

The recruitment period is open during the time of February 17th – February 28th. If you’re interested in the program, you can sign up on the official page. Ambassadors will have a list of responsibilities that they must fulfill. Once you’ve taken on these responsibilities, you can begin enjoying your benefits. For users that reach “Excellent status” in the program, they’ll unlock even greater perks.

 

Sign up for OPPO Product Ambassador Program

To increase your chances of becoming a part of the program, you can participate in the Save the Night trend on Twitter. This bonus campaign begins on the 18th of February. Share an example of a terrible night photo that you’ve taken on a smartphone. Then take that photo and post it to Twitter using the hashtags #OPPOAmbassadors / #SaveTheNight. The goal of this trend is to share your experiences of bad night shots, and how night photography has improved with more recent devices.

OPPO Product Ambassador Perks

As an active member of the ambassador program, you’ll be eligible for a number of different perks and rewards. When you’ve completed the required responsibilities for the OPPO Find X5 Series program, you will have access to the following benefits:

• Early Trial
  Experience OPPO Find X5 or Find X5 Pro pre-sale – it’s an Ambassador exclusive.
• Keep the phone and inspire others
  After all, Ambassadors are the trailblazers here!
• Ambassador Card
  Wear your Ambassador status with pride.
• Reach OPPO insiders and experts
  Connect with the OPPO team to keep updated and find out stories behind products.
• Grow your profile
  Get your creative work featured on official OPPO platforms.
• Join the Tech Focus Group to network
  Exchange insights and co-create with fellow Ambassadors and tech lovers.

For Ambassadors achieving ‘Excellent’ status:

• Earphone Ambassador opportunity
  Opportunities to pioneer the new earphone device.
• Unlock more Ambassador roles
  Get wider access to try hauls of our innovative products.
• Access to popular OPPO events
  Receive exclusive invitations to key events, on and offline.
• Secure resources to realize your ideas
  opportunities to grab our resources and make a difference.

Being a part of the OPPO Ambassador program is reserved for the most passionate users. Turn your passion into something with fantastic perks, and become a part of a community that shares your drive. To get started, follow the link below and fill out the application.

Sign up for OPPO Product Ambassador Program

Also, check out our OPPO Find X5 Pro forums!

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OnePlus Nord 2 receives Feb 2022 security patches with latest update

After rolling out OxygenOS builds with the Android security patches for January 2022 to the flagship OnePlus 9 series and a couple of OnePlus Nord devices last month, OnePlus has now started rolling out February 2022 patches to its devices. The OnePlus Nord 2 is the first device from the company’s growing smartphone lineup to receive the latest security patches.

According to a recent post on the OnePlus community forums, OnePlus Nord 2 users in India have already started receiving the OxygenOS A.17 update. The update brings the Android security patches for February 2022 to the mid-range device, but it doesn’t include any other features or changes. Here’s the complete OxygenOS A.17 changelog for the OnePlus Nord 2:

• System
  • Updated Android Security Patch to 2022.2

As with all OxygenOS updates, the latest firmware release for the OnePlus Nord 2 will roll out in a phased manner. This means that it will reach a small fraction of Nord 2 users at first, with a broader rollout to follow in the coming days.

Screenshot: Shubham_Gupta

In case you haven’t received the update already, you can download the firmware package from the links below and install it manually. But we don’t recommend doing so if you’re using your Nord 2 as a daily driver and don’t want to deal with the bugs that might be present in the initial release. If you plan on installing the update manually irrespective of the risks, make sure you check the current firmware build on your device and download the corresponding incremental update package.

OnePlus Nord 2 XDA Forums

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Download OxygenOS A.17 for the OnePlus Nord 2

At the moment, we only have access to the incremental update packages from OxygenOS A.16 and OxygenOS A.15. We’ll add links to the full OTA as soon as they become available.

• India:
  • Incremental update from OxygenOS A.16
  • Incremental update from OxygenOS A.15

Thanks to XDA Senior Member Some_Random_Username for the download links!

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Sony’s strange-looking LinkBuds are now official

Following multiple leaks, Sony’s strange-looking LinkBuds are now officially out. If you don’t like the tight seal created by earbuds with silicone tips, these might be for you.

The Sony LinkBuds WFL-900 (via The Verge) have a unique “Open Ring Design” that looks nothing like we have seen before. The buds have a big hole in the center, allowing outside sound to easily pass through. Thanks to their open design, the buds don’t enter too deep into your ear canal; they have silicone “Arcs” that help them stay securely in your ears. The LinkBuds feature 12mm, ring-shaped drivers, paired with the V1 processor and Sony’s Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE) upscaling technology. They miss out on the LDAC codec support, so you’re limited to lossy SBC and AAC codecs.

Unlike other open-design earbuds, like the Galaxy Buds Live, Sony’s LinkBuds don’t have ANC. This is a good move as it’s near impossible to achieve effective ANC with the open design and also kind of defeats the purpose of open earphones in the first place. The Sony 1000XM4 remains our top pick if ANC is important to you.

The LinkBuds WFL-900 have a unique gesture system. Instead of touching the bud, you can tap in front of your ear to skip tracks, adjust volume, play/pause, etc. They also have a Speak-to-Chat feature that automatically pauses music playback as soon as you start speaking to someone.

The Sony LinkBuds offer up to 5.5 hours of continuous listening time. The charging case holds an additional 12 hours of battery life. The buds are IPX4 rated for sweat and splash resistance. They also offer Google Fast Pair support on Android devices and Swift Pair on Windows. However, there’s no Bluetooth multipoint, and wireless charging support is also missing.

The Sony LinkBuds WFL-900 come in Grey and White colors and cost $180. They’re available for purchase starting today.

Sony LinkBuds WFL-900

The Sony LinkBuds WFL-900 are open-ear TWS earphones that feature a unique design.

Buy from Amazon

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How does Samsung’s Adaptive Pixel feature on the Galaxy S22 series camera work?

Samsung’s latest flagship smartphones for 2022 are here with a bunch of new features and improvements. The Galaxy S21 Ultra was one of the best camera phones out there and the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22 Plus, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra are right on course to maintain that stature. Of course, the phones are equipped with several new hardware and software changes like newer chipsets, an S Pen, and better displays. But, the major difference this year is in the camera department both in terms of hardware and software. Apart from new sensors, Samsung has focused on some software-related features. One of them is the new Adaptive Pixel technology.

Adaptive Pixel technology is just one of many new camera features on the Galaxy S22 series this year. Samsung is trying to get the best results out of the hardware on the three Galaxy S22 series phones and that can only be done by using the right software. Image processing and camera optimization play a huge role in determining the quality of output from a smartphone camera and that’s where features like these come into the picture. Both literally and figuratively. Let’s try to understand what the Adaptive Pixel feature on Samsung’s new smartphones is and how it will benefit you, the end-user.

Before we get into the details of Adaptive Pixel and what exactly it does, it’s important to understand some basics first for better context. For that, let’s first understand the concept of pixel binning in smartphone cameras.

Nona-binning and Tetra-binning on Samsung Galaxy S22 Series

If you’ve been following the smartphone landscape for the past few years, you would realize that brands have started to use camera sensors with very high megapixel counts. While a large megapixel number doesn’t necessarily indicate better camera performance, it can serve two purposes — provide a marketing advantage to the phone, and capture more details especially when you zoom into an image.

However, using a sensor with a high megapixel count like 50MP and 108MP means that the file size of every single picture captured is going to be extremely high. This isn’t ideal since a smartphone has limited storage. If a single image is 50-60MB in size, you will end up filling a large chunk of your phone’s storage pretty soon. Another slight drawback of cramming in so many pixels in a camera sensor is that the size of each individual pixel ends up being rather small. This isn’t ideal for low-light photography.

To tackle both these issues, smartphone brands make use of a technique referred to as pixel binning. Pixel binning essentially combines a set of neighboring pixels into one large pixel. This way, the size of one pixel becomes considerably larger, resulting in better photographs. It also brings down the size and resolution of the image considerably by a multiple that’s decided by the number of pixels undergoing binning.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra, for example, employs nona-binning which means a 3×3 grid of neighboring pixels (9 of them) in the camera sensor are combined to form one large pixel. As a result, the 108MP camera, which essentially implies that there are 108 million pixels in the camera sensor, will now produce 12MP images (108 divided by 9). In simple terms, you now have 12 clusters consisting of 9 million pixels each resulting in a total of 108 million pixels or 108MP.

Similarly, the standard Galaxy S22 and the Galaxy S22 Plus use tetra-binning, more commonly referred to as quad-binning. Instead of combining 9 pixels, tetra-binning combines four neighboring pixels in a 2×2 grid into one large pixel. As a result, the 50MP primary sensor on the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus will click 12.5MP images by default.

This process of combining neighboring pixels in a grid is referred to as pixel binning. It’s a common industry practice, especially when phones use camera sensors with large megapixel counts. Now that we know what pixel binning is, let’s go back to the initial topic — Adaptive Pixel — and understand how it works.

Adaptive Pixel on Samsung Galaxy S22 Series

Pixel binning is a great way to save storage space on your smartphone and it also enables the sensor to capture more light since the effective size of pixels becomes larger. However, there are advantages of taking pictures at higher resolutions too. When you’re capturing an image via a 108MP sensor, the level of details captured is going to be very high. This is something you cannot replicate or match via software. Hence, Samsung has come up with a hybrid solution that it calls Adaptive Pixel.

Adaptive Pixel employs a smart way to retain the details from the 108MP sensor while also reducing the file size. It does so by capturing two images instead of just one every time you click a picture. The phone takes one shot in the 108MP mode and another in the 12MP mode. Once the two images are captured at each resolution, there’s some software processing that goes on in the background to merge them into a single image.

The end product is a photo that has a sufficient amount of light, isn’t too large in size, and has ample details. All of this happens in the background and in the blink of an eye thanks to powerful chipsets and Image Signal Processors in modern-day smartphones. If you’re someone who takes photos and zooms into them regularly, Adaptive Pixel will surely be beneficial to you.

Note: The Adaptive Pixel feature will come into the picture (quite literally) only when clicking photos in the full 108MP mode. If you’re shooting in the default pixel-binned mode, the images will contain details pertinent to the 12MP image.

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This is one of several new camera features that Samsung has introduced with the Galaxy S22 series. Features like these may lure smartphone photographers to make the switch to the new Galaxy S22 Ultra, especially since the Galaxy S21 Ultra was one of the most versatile camera phones out there and the Galaxy S22 Ultra further strengthens the notion. If you wish to know more in detail about the cameras and just about every aspect of all three phones in the Galaxy S22 series, you can wait for our review which should be dropping soon. If you plan on buying any of the three phones in the series, you can check out the best Galaxy S22 deals to take advantage of all the offers and discounts and save some money.

Samsung Galaxy S22

The Samsung Galaxy S22 is the entry flagship for 2022, bringing over top of the line performance and camera capabilities in a form that fits many pockets and budgets.

Buy from Samsung.com

Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus is the mid flagship for 2022, bringing over top of the line performance, display, and camera capabilities in a larger housing for those that need to do more.

Buy from Samsung.com

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is the top flagship for 2022, bringing over top of the line performance, display, and camera capabilities alongside S Pen capabilities to deliver an ultra experience for power users.

Buy from Samsung.com

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