A new Motorola Razr foldable smartphone is coming this year, and here’s what we know already

Motorola captured the attention of the tech world late last year when it rebooted its iconic Razr flip phone as a foldable smartphone. Motorola banked on nostalgia for the Razr to drive interest in its new foldable, and it definitely worked. However, the Motorola Razr had rather lackluster hardware and was quickly overshadowed by the more powerful Galaxy Z Flip from Samsung. However, Motorola revealed back in December that they were working on a 5G version of the Razr, and recently a representative for Lenovo, the Chinese company that owns Motorola, revealed a possible launch date. To add to this, we can now share a lot of the hardware specifications for the upcoming Motorola Razr revamp.

The Motorola Razr was the first vertically foldable smartphone to hit the market when it went on sale in the U.S. on February 6th. It featured a main 6.20-inch pOLED foldable display made of plastic and a secondary 2.69-inch gOLED glass display on the outside. Besides the ingenuity of the foldable display and hinge mechanism, the Razr was a rather unimpressive mid-range smartphone, packing the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, a 16MP rear camera, a 5MP front camera, Android 9 Pie, and a 2,510mAh battery. The Galaxy Z Flip, on the other hand, had an arguably better display in terms of look and feel, a better processor, more RAM, more storage, a larger battery, newer software, faster charging, and better cameras.

Motorola Razr (Gen 1) Specifications

Specification	Motorola Razr (Gen. 1)
Dimensions	Unfolded: 72 mm x 172 mm x 6.6 mm Folded: 72 mm x 94 mm x 14 mm
Weight	205g
Display	Main “Flex View”: 6.20-inch pOLED 2142×876 (21:9) Closed “Quick View”: 2.69-inch gOLED 800×600 (4:3)
Camera	Outer: 16MP (Sony IMX517) f/1.7, 1.22μm with EIS, Night Vision support Internal: 5MP f/2.0, 1.12μm
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 710
RAM	6GB
Storage	128GB
Battery capacity	2510mAh with 15W TurboPower charging
Connectivity	eSIM, NFC, CDMA, LTE bands 2/3/4/5/7/13/20/28/66, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, GPS/GLONASS, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Security	Capacitive fingerprint scanner
IP Rating	None, splash-proof nano-coating
Audio	Speaker at the bottom, no 3.5mm headphone jack, 4 microphones
Software	Android 9 Pie (upgradeable to Android 10)
Ports & Buttons	USB 3.0 Type-C port at the bottom, fingerprint scanner in the bottom bezel, power and volume buttons on the right side

Motorola Razr (Gen. 1) Forums

The new Motorola Razr, when it launches, should bridge the gap between it and the Galaxy Z Flip in terms of specifications. During the China Industrial Design Exhibition held in Wuhan, China in December, a Lenovo staff member reportedly told attendees at the exhibition that the company plans to launch a 5G version in China in 2020. A few days ago, Lenovo’s South Africa general manager Thibault Dousson told the Reframed Tech podcast (via AndroidAuthority) that there is “a new iteration [of the Razr] coming up. There’s one in September I think.” Later, Mr. Doussan reiterates that there’s a “generation two” foldable in the works.

A September launch (or even just an announcement) would be a quick turnaround from the original Motorola Razr release. The first Razr launched in February, only 8 months prior to September. The original was, however, announced 3 months before it went on sale, so it’s possible we could see a September announcement and a launch closer to the end of the year. Whatever the case may be, the second generation Motorola Razr should pack hardware that’s much more in line with our idea of an upper mid-range smartphone in 2020.

Motorola Razr (Gen. 2) – What we think we know so far

According to our source, the 5G-enabled, second-generation Motorola Razr has the code-name “smith” and model name “XT2071-4.” The foldable is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of internal storage, and a 2,845mAh battery. The rear camera is also getting an upgrade to Samsung’s 48MP ISOCELL Bright GM1 sensor while the front camera is getting upgraded to a 20MP shooter. The device will run Android 10 out-of-the-box, presumably with Motorola’s many improvements to the Quick View display. The dimensions of the main “Flex View” and closed “Quick View” displays themselves, as far as we know, haven’t changed from the first-generation model, though we hope that Motorola will introduce enhancements like a layer of Ultra Thin Glass.

The second-generation model is being developed for China and North America, though we don’t know if it will also go on sale in other markets like India, Europe, or Latin America. As confirmed by Motorola’s parent company Lenovo, the second-generation Razr will support 5G connectivity, made possible with the inclusion of the Snapdragon 765 with its Snapdragon X52 modem. The device will likely only support sub-6GHz 5G networks as I’m not sure if Motorola will be able to pack mmWave antennas into the body to support mmWave 5G networks like Verizon’s Ultrawide Band network.

The first-generation Motorola Razr foldable smartphone. Image credits: Tushar Mehta/XDA-Developers

As with any leak, things can change before launch. Our leaks of the first-generation Motorola Razr device turned out to be accurate, though notably the battery capacity that we first revealed back in March of 2019 was changed to the lower capacity unit ended up in retail units. We anticipated that change ahead of launch and will, of course, keep an eye out for any such changes in the second-generation Razr.

Featured image credits: Tushar Mehta/XDA-Developers

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Microsoft Edge for Android gets support for Collections

The Internet Explorer’s years of glory ended pretty soon after Google launched its Chrome browser in 2008. Since then, Microsoft’s attempt to add new features and even introducing an entirely new browser – Edge – didn’t salvage their browser. Things were quite the same until Microsoft decided to rebuild Edge using Chromium – the open-source framework for Google’s Chrome and many other browsers such as Opera, Vivaldi, and Amazon Silk. Like the desktop version, Microsoft Edge for Android is based on Chromium and is slowly gaining features to get on par with the desktop version. In the latest beta, Edge receives Collections, a feature aimed at improving your research abilities.

Collections on Microsoft Edge allows you to save useful links, images/videos, and other information in groups. You can also sync Collections across different devices if you’ve signed in with your Microsoft account. Techdows reports that Collections are now being added to the beta version of Microsoft Edge, allowing you to create Collections on the go and synchronizing with your account to review on perhaps a bigger screen later.

Image via Techdows

To use Collections, you must at least be on Microsoft Edge (beta) version 45.04.24.4994. This appears to be a server-side switch as I was unable to see the feature despite being on the same version as reported by Techdows. As per their report, you can access Collections by tapping on the horizontal three-dot button in the bottom bar. You can tap on the option in the center and then tap on the “+” icon to add a new Collection. After you give this one a name, you can start by adding links or images by tapping on “Add to Collection” button from the menu.

To be able to view Collections created on other devices, you can check Collections in the Sync settings. Remember, you’ll be required to sign up as a beta tester for Microsoft Edge to be able to use the feature. You can apply for the same by clicking this link.

Download latest Microsoft Edge beta for Android on APKMirror

Microsoft Edge (Free, Google Play) →

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YouTube for Android tests showing a recommended Google Search result when searching in YouTube

Following the recent rollout of the new Bedtime Reminders feature in YouTube for Android, Google has now started testing a new feature that will show search results from the web within the app. The feature was recently spotted by Reddit user u/TheMrIggs when he searched “open beer with knife” in the YouTube app. As you can see in the screenshots below, the results listed a couple of related videos, as usual, followed by a new “Results from the web” card featuring a recommended result from Google Search for the same query.

In case you don’t find any useful results on YouTube or even in the new Search card, you also get the option to search for the same keyword on Google just by tapping on the link at the bottom of the card. As far as the utility of this new feature is concerned, we believe that Google is adding it to the YouTube app in order to help users easily find useful results from the web in case they don’t find appropriate results on YouTube.

While Google hasn’t released any information about this new feature yet, it appears to be rolling out for some users via a server-side update. We tried updating the YouTube app to the latest release and using the same keywords to trigger the feature but we weren’t able to replicate it on any of our devices. As of now, we have no information from Google regarding a broader rollout.

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Source: Reddit

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Krita, a FOSS digital drawing app, is now available for Android tablets and Chromebooks

When it comes to digital drawing apps on Android, the Google Play Store offers a variety of different options to choose from. Sadly though, most of the professional-grade apps are either very expensive or offer only a few basic features for free. In order to give Android tablet and Chromebook users a feature-packed free and open-source alternative, the team behind Krita has now released its first beta on the platform.

For the unaware, Krita is a free to use, open-source digital drawing software for desktop developed by KDE —an international community of free software. The desktop version of the program maintains over 200 tools that can be installed on GNU/Linux distributions and other platforms, making it a great alternative to apps like Adobe Photoshop and Coral Painter. Thanks to the recent beta release, you can now utilize Krita’s vast library of tools on both Android tablets and Chromebooks.

According to a recent blog post on the matter, the Krita beta release for Android and ChromeOS is based on version 4.2.9 of the desktop app. The app features the same interface as the desktop version, which is why it currently isn’t compatible with Android smartphones due to their smaller UIs. If you’re interested in trying out the app on your tablet or Chromebook, you can click on the Play Store link below and download the app.

Unlike the Steam and Windows Store version, Krita for Android and ChromeOS is completely free to use, but you can buy a supporter badge from within the app to support development for the project. Do note that since this is an early access release, you might encounter some bugs while using the app on your device.

Krita (Free⁺, Google Play) →

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Realme launches Realme TV, Realme Watch smartwatch, and Realme Buds Air Neo in India

After selling smartphones are highly compelling prices for over 1.5 years, Realme last year announced its plan to expand its product portfolio and launch new products in the tech lifestyle category. Its first product was a pair of truly wireless earbuds – the Realme Buds Air (review) – followed by the Realme Band fitness tracker. Today, Realme is introducing three new products to further its line of “AIoT” devices in India. These new products include the new smartwatch called Realme Watch, an Android TV called Realme TV, and a new pair of earphones called Realme Buds Neo.

Realme Watch

Realme is the second wrist wearable from the company. The display on the Realme Watch is larger measuring 1.4-inch diagonally and has a higher brightness of about 380 nits. This is a touch-sensitive display with a resolution of 320×320 pixels, lending it a pixel density of 323ppi. The Watch comes with 12 inbuilt watch faces and Realme will add several more options with an OTA update soon.

The Realme Watch features a Goodix PPG optical heart rate sensor with automatic monitoring round the clock. The sensor also supports SpO2 measurement for oxygen saturation level. The Realme Watch also supports 14 inbuilt fitness tracking mode for running, walking, cycling, strength training, aerobics and freeletics, and a host of sports such as basketball, badminton, soccer, and cricket especially for India.

The Realme Watch also shows notifications previews and can also be used as a trigger button controlling the camera shutter on your phone. The Watch also features a physical button on the side that acts as a back button. The button can also be held for 3 seconds to turn the Watch on or off.

For protection against water damage, Realme Watch comes with an IP68 rating which means you can wear it in rain, while showering, or while freshwater swimming.

While the standard buckle strap will be available with the Realme Watch, the company will also launch a button strap in the future.

Realme TV

The Realme TV comes with Android TV Pie interface and will be available in two screen sizes – 32″ and 43″. Both of the models are identical and only differ in terms of the display resolution – the 32″ comes with an HD+ panel while the 43″ will come with a Full HD+ panel. Both of these TVs are equipped with LED-backlit Vertical Alignment (VA) LCD panels. Realme TV comes with Realme’s Chroma Boost Engine for a saturated and vivid color profile. The TV also uses the HDR10 and Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) formats for improved HDR content.

In terms of audio, the Realme TV features 24W dual speakers with separate tweeters. Realme says that the speakers on the TV can reproduce audio in the range 148Hz-20kHz. Realme TV will also support Dolby Audio for supported apps and content. To complement the audio, Realme will also launch a 100W soundbar with a sub-woofer soon.

In terms of software, the Realme TV uses the stock Android TV launcher without any over the top modifications. It is certified for content platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video and comes pre-loaded with these apps. You can also download other apps like Hotstar, JioTV, Voot etc.

The Realme TV comes with a smart remote controller that connects to the TV over Bluetooth. It comes with hot launcher keys for YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and a yellow ring around the direction pad highlighting the company’s signature color. The remote also comes with an in-line microphone for interacting with the Google Assistant.

The Realme TV is powered by a MediaTek quad-core chipset with ARM Cortex A53 1.1GHz CPU and a Mali-470 MP3 GPU. It comes with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. For I/O, the TV comes with three HDMI ports, a TV input, AV input, 2 USB ports, a LAN port,  2.4GHz Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 5.0.

Realme Buds Air Neo

As a follow-up to the Realme Buds Aid, the company has launched a more affordable set of TWS earbuds – the Realme Buds Air Neo. These are identical to the previous generation but lack a few features as a trade-off for affordability. The Buds Air Neo carrying case lacks wireless charging.

The Buds Air new come with 13mm drivers with a bass-heavy profile optimized for Indian and Bollywood music. The earbuds are also available in two colors – Punk Green and Rock Red – besides the regular white color. Like the previous version, the Realme Buds Air Neo come with touch-sensitive triggers on the outer side of the earbuds and these controls can be customized from the Realme Link app.

Price & Availability

The Realme Watch with a black buckle strap will be available for ₹3,999 starting June 5th via Flipkart and realme.com. The “Fashion Straps” with button hooks can be bought separately for ₹499 in the future.

The 32″ Realme TV is priced at ₹12,999  while the 43″ variant will come for ₹21,999. These will be available on Flipkart and realme.com starting June 12th.

The Realme Buds Air Neo are priced at ₹2,999 and the white variant will be available on Flipkart and realme.com starting today i.e. May 25th. The other two color variants will be available for purchase later.

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Samsung’s Bixby Vision adds 3 new accessibility features: Quick Reader, Scene Describer, and Color Detector

Samsung’s virtual assistant Bixby also offers a Google Lens-like feature called Bixby Vision. The feature lets you to easily translate words, look for products online, identify landmarks, and much more with just your smartphone’s camera. While the feature is already quite useful in its current shape, Samsung is now adding three more accessibility features to make it even better — Quick Reader, Scene Describer, and Color Detector.

The new accessibility features were announced on Global Accessibility Awareness Day and they’re designed to help the visually impaired learn more about their surroundings. As its name suggests, the Quick Reader feature can read out written texts (such as labels or signs) in real-time. It can recognize over 1,000 common objects and items such as food, vegetables, cleaning products, etc. and it includes support for 57 languages.

The Scene Describer feature provides descriptions of images including captured scenes and downloaded pictures using machine learning. This can be used to identify obstacles when one is navigating their surroundings or to describe any image captured using the phone’s camera.

And finally, the Color Detector feature is designed to help those with visual impairments identify colors of items in the frame. This can come in handy while distinguishing between different colors of clothes, for example. The feature is capable of identifying and differentiating between 33 colors.

All three of these aforementioned accessibility features have already been rolled out to users and are available on Bixby Vision 3.5 and above. However, while the Quick Reader and Color Detector features are available in all regions, the Scene Describer feature is currently limited to a few regions only.

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Source: Samsung Newsroom

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The Samsung Galaxy S20’s latest update will let you disable the fingerprint animation when unlocking

After months of leaks and rumors, Samsung finally unveiled its flagship Galaxy S20 series at the Samsung Unpacked event earlier this year in February. As expected, the devices came equipped with top-of-the-line specifications, including either a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC or an Exynos 990 chipset, up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, up to 512GB of UFS 3.0 storage, and some impressive camera hardware. For biometric authentication, the Galaxy S20 series features Qualcomm’s 3D Sonic Sensor, which is Qualcomm’s first-gen under-display ultrasonic fingerprint scanner technology.

For those of you who haven’t checked out a Galaxy S20 device yet, when you press your finger to unlock the devices, the fingerprint unlock icon Shows a ripple effect when unlocking. The effect is the same as the one found on the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10, and because of it, the fingerprint unlocking on these devices feels a bit sluggish when compared to other flagships. Thankfully, Samsung now allows you to disable the effect in the latest One UI update for the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra.

According to a recent post on Reddit, the ATE6 update for the Galaxy S20 brings a new option in the Fingerprints settings menu which lets you disable the ripple effect on the device. Disabling the ripple effect is expected to make fingerprint unlocking feel a bit faster but since we haven’t received the update on any of our devices yet, we can’t confirm if that’s the case. As of now, it’s also unclear if Samsung will roll out a similar option for the Galaxy S10 or the Galaxy Note 10. In case you’ve already received the update on your device, do try disabling the fingerprint animation and let us know if it makes any significant difference in the comments section below.

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Source: Reddit

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