Red Magic 5G Lite, OPPO A52, OPPO A72, HTC Desire 20 Pro, and HTC U20 5G forums are open

Earlier this month, the smartphone industry saw some interesting events, including a revival moment for HTC. The forsaken smartphone brand launched two new smartphones including one 5G device powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G. Meanwhile, Nubia also launched a Lite variant of its Red Magic 5G gaming smartphone with a 120Hz AMOLED display and the Snapdragon 765G. These phones look pretty interesting just based on the spec sheets, which is why we’re adding dedicated XDA Forums for the Nubia Red Magic 5G Lite, HTC U20 5G, and the HTC Desire 20 Pro. Along with these, we’re also opening up forums for two mid-range OPPO smartphones – the OPPO A52 and OPPO A72 – that were recently launched in Europe.

Red Magic 5G Lite

The Red Magic 5G Lite from Nubia is a lower-powered variant of the Red Magic 5G. The Snapdragon 765G-powered Lite variant is not only toned down in terms of specs but also lacks the physical cooling fan that is characteristic of the Red Magic series. However, it comes with a bigger 5,100mAh battery and borrows the capacitive shoulder buttons from its more powerful sibling.

Nubia Red Magic 5G Lite XDA Forums

HTC U20 5G and Desire 20 Pro

While the HTC U20 5G has a Snapdragon 765G chipset, the HTC Desire 20 Pro is a mid-ranger with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665. The HTC U20 5G has a massive 6.8-inch display while the HTC Desire 20 Pro features a smaller 6.5″ display. While both phones are currently limited to Taiwan, they could launch globally. We expect the Desire 20 Pro to launch in other markets, but we don’t know when or if the U20 5G will launch outside of Taiwan.

HTC U20 5G XDA Forums ||| HTC Desire 20 Pro XDA Forums

OPPO A52 and A72

The OPPO A52 and A72 are pretty identical in terms of specifications. Both of them are running on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 665 SoC, 4GB of RAM, and feature 6.5-inch Full HD+ displays. The differences lie in terms of the internal storage – the OPPO A52 comes with 64GB while A72 packs in a 128GB storage chip. Another difference is that the OPPO A72 has a 48MP primary camera while the A52 has a 12MP camera. The prices for these devices are unknown so far but we expect to learn that soon.

OPPO A52 XDA Forums ||| OPPO A72 XDA Forums

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UBports GSI brings Ubuntu Touch to any Project Treble-supported Android device

The ability to boot an AOSP Generic System Image (GSI) on a compatible Android device is one of the best outcomes of Project Treble, but a similar achievement has yet to be made in the domain of generic kernel development. Google does mandate a minimum Linux kernel version requirement with each new release of Android, but you still can’t simply flash a generic ARM Linux distribution on your Android smartphone and expect it to work due to the fact that the majority of the Android devices are not using a mainline Linux kernel. There exists a community-driven project named UBports that aims to bring Ubuntu Touch (a mobile version of the popular Ubuntu Linux distribution) to Android devices, but their device support is fairly minimal to date.

XDA Recognized Developer erfanoabdi, however, is trying to tackle the situation from a different angle. Instead of waiting for device-specific patches to be landed in the mainline Linux kernel source tree, the developer has successfully created a GSI-esque, platform-agnostic Ubuntu Touch image that can be installed on any Project Treble compliant device.

Sounds familiar? Well, erfanoabdi is the person who managed to port Ubuntu Touch to the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 a few months ago. Unlike that initial build, the current GSI (which is still based on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS) is almost daily-driver material. You can send/receive calls, connect with your Bluetooth peripherals, utilize the GPS, and even run Android apps, thanks to the built-in Anbox environment.

Is my device compatible with the Ubuntu Touch GSI?

Probably yes. The underlying vendor interface of this GSI is tested against an Android 9 Pie-based firmware, albeit the GSI might work on older Android 8.0 and 8.1-based vendor images as well. Moreover, you need to patch the stock kernel to make it compatible with Project Halium. This part is a little bit complicated, as there is no way to patch the existing boot image of your Android device on-the-fly as of yet. You can either build halium-boot from source or compile a standalone modified version of your stock kernel by manually applying the appropriate patches on top of the kernel source. Read more about it here.

Once you are done with the patching part, you should be able to install the Ubuntu Touch GSI just like any other Android GSI out there. The flashing process will require you to format your data partition, so do perform a backup beforehand.

Ubuntu Touch (UBports) GSI: Download ||| XDA Discussion Thread

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Verizon’s new Visa credit card offers nice rewards with a pretty big catch

We’ve been talking a lot about credit cards and debit cards in the last year or so. As it’s been mentioned numerous times, this seems to be the latest frontier for tech companies to launch new products. Verizon announced plans to release a credit card of their own last year and now we finally have the details, for better or worse.

On the surface, the Verizon Visa Card (that’s the official name) is a pretty standard credit card. Customers can earn rewards by purchasing things in their regular daily lives. The cash-back categories are outlined in the graphic below, which shows the average monthly spending of a family of four.

The cash-back percentages are actually pretty good. 4% on groceries and gas will make up a large chunk of most people’s purchases. 3% on dining is good, and 1% on online shopping covers a lot as well. Plus, Verizon customers get 2% on their bill, which everyone with the Verizon Visa Card will get because you have to be a Verizon customer to get this card.

That’s where the big catches come into play. As mentioned, you must be a Verizon customer to apply for this credit card. That alone probably isn’t surprising. The bottom of the graphic mentions “Verizon Dollars” and that’s where things get underwhelming. The cash-back is converted into Verizon Dollars (1 VZ dollar = $1) and they can only be used toward Verizon bills and products/services.

That doesn’t mean the Verizon Visa Card is a bad deal. As the graphic above shows, the monthly reward balance isn’t likely to be more than your monthly Verizon bill. So you’re getting a nice little discount on your bill every month just for shopping like normal. However, it’s a bummer to not be able to choose to use the reward somewhere else.

The Verizon Visa Card is issued by Synchrony and will be available on June 26th. The physical card is metal and all black on the front. It can be used with digital wallets such as Google Pay as well. Those who sign up and are approved before June 25th will get a free 1,000 Verizon Dollars.

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Source: Verizon

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Google may be facing a lawsuit due to Pixel 3 hardware issues

Google’s history with smartphone manufacturing isn’t long, but it has had its share of issues. Earlier this year, Google and Huawei started paying out settlements for a lawsuit regarding Nexus 6P bootloops. The original Google Pixel also suffered from hardware issues, resulting in another settlement. The company could potentially face another lawsuit, this time concerning the Pixel 3 series.

Law firm Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP (CSK&D) is investigating a potential class-action lawsuit for Pixel 3 battery drain and camera issues, among other things. The law firm is currently just looking for Pixel 3 owners to share their experiences, but if enough people fill out the form, they could pursue it. This is typically how these lawsuits begin.

Pixel 3 Forums / Pixel 3 XL Forums

CSK&D specifically mentions a defect that causes the battery to quickly drain and shut down. They also mention the phone’s camera app shaking, vibrating, and crashing altogether. Pixel 3 owners can fill out a simple form to indicate if they’ve experienced these issues and if they’ve attempted to get a warranty repair or replacement. Owners can also write in any other issues they’ve had.

Personally, I’ve been a Pixel 3 owner for nearly 2 years, and I have had to get a replacement. However, the problem I experienced had to do with the USB-C port becoming nonfunctional. Google told me this was a common complaint when they issued me a replacement (which has now started to have the same problem again). If you’ve experienced any hardware issues with your Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL (not Pixel 3a series), fill out the form linked below. It could be worth something someday.

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Source: CSK&D Investigation Form | Via: Reddit, Twitter

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Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 leaks with the screen powered on

With Samsung’s “virtual” Unpacked 2020 getting ever closer, we’re seeing more leaks about the upcoming devices. One of the devices that’s expected to be announced at the event is the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3. Last week, we got our first look at the device in the flesh. Today, we’re finally seeing it with the screen on.

The new photos, from @Mr_TechTalkTV, show the physical watch and they match up with the previous Galaxy Watch 3 leak. We can see the extruding side buttons, faux dial around the display, and toothed rotating bezel (there is also a version with smooth bezel). This time, however, the display is powered on and we can see the software.

The photos show the Galaxy Watch 3’s app launcher and settings menu. The software seems to be the latest version of Tizen OS, except the Galaxy Store icon is a slightly different color. The icon is all pink, whereas the current version of Tizen has a blue/pink Store icon. It’s possible that the Galaxy Watch 3 will debut with a new version of Tizen. Previous rumors claimed it will launch with Tizen OS 5.5.

Software aside, we already know a lot about the specifications of the Galaxy Watch 3. There will be two body sizes, 41mm and 45mm, and the displays will be 1.2-inches an 1.4-inches. The body materials will be titanium or stainless steel, and there will be WiFi-only and LTE variants. Battery sizes are 247mAh and 340mAh, respectively. Both models will have 1GB of RAM, 5ATM water resistance, MIL-STD-810G durability rating, and GPS support.

Again, we’re expecting to see the Galaxy Watch 3, along with the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Fold 2, announced at Samsung Unpacked 2020 in August.

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Source: Twitter | Via: SamMobile

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Make Your Google Home Speaker Portable With This Highly-Rated Battery Base — Now 65% off

There’s no denying that the Google Home smart speaker is a great device. It offers a vast array of voice-controlled features, along with excellent sound quality and a sleek design. The only frustration is that you can’t take it anywhere. Or can you? The LOFT Battery Base for Google Home gives your speaker eight hours of battery life, making it truly portable. Right now, you can pick up this highly-rated accessory for just $16.99 at the XDA Developers Depot.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/k_awWS7iTM0

Whether you want to dish out voice commands while you work in the backyard or just listen to Spotify around the house, the option to move your Google Home is really useful. Rated at 4.4 stars on Amazon, this lightweight accessory helps you make it happen.

To install the LOFT Battery Base, you simply remove the original base and slide on this third-party replacement. The base uses magnets to stay connected, while a brushed metal grill allows sound to escape. It genuinely looks like part of the original design.

The base gives you around eight hours of portable use, thanks to a 4,200mAh rechargeable battery. The base draws power from your regular Google Home power supply, and four LEDs show you how much juice is left. In their review, TechHive described it as “an essential accessory for Google’s full-sized smart speaker.”

Normally priced at $49.95, the base is now 65% off MSRP at just $16.99.

 

LOFT Battery Base for Google Home – $16.99

See Deal

Prices subject to change 

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Xiaomi’s Mi TV stick with Android TV has already been unboxed before release

Android TV is back in the news cycle once again. We know that Google is working on its own Android TV dongle, and there’s a possibility of a rebrand to Google TV as well. While these two are important events for the ecosystem, what’s arguably more important is the greater proliferation of the platform. This, in turn, will be aided by devices like the upcoming Xiaomi Mi TV Stick. As it turns out, the Mi TV Stick may be very close to release, as the device has already been unboxed before its release!

As has been spotted before, the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick already has a preliminary listing on Gearbest. These listings are from third-party sellers and not officially from the company, so they do tend to be speculative a lot of times. However, a new listing has appeared on AliExpress. This listing not only corroborates previously known information, it actually featured a product unboxing image, showing off the streaming stick, the remote, the box packaging, and the rest of its contents.

The unboxing image features an FHD variant of the Mi TV Stick, though previous information indicates that a 4K variant is also in the works. The image has since been removed from the listing, but GizmoChina managed to save a copy alongside a list of specifications for both the FHD variant (from AliExpress) and 4K variant (from Gearbest):

• Mi TV Stick FHD:
  • 1GB RAM
  • 8GB eMMC storage
  • 2.0GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 processor with Mali-450 GPU
  • Android TV 9.0
  • 1080p output
  • Bluetooth 4.2
  • Google Assistant
  • Bluetooth remote with Voice Assistant key and dedicated Netflix and Amazon Prime Video buttons
  • Support for Dolby Audio and DTS Surround Sound
  • Dual-Band Wi-Fi
  • Ports – HDMI (2.0a), MicroUSB port
• Mi TV Stick 4K:
  • 2GB RAM
  • 8GB storage
  • Amlogic S905Y2 quad-core (Cortex-A53) processor with Mali-G31 MP2 GPU
  • Android TV 9.0
  • 4K output
  • Bluetooth 4.2
  • Google Assistant
  • Bluetooth remote with Voice Assistant key and dedicated Netflix and Amazon Prime Video buttons
  • Support for Dolby Audio and DTS Surround Sound
  • Dual-Band Wi-Fi
  • Ports – HDMI (2.0a), USB Type-C port

The primary difference between the two devices is their SoC and RAM, which affects their output capacity. Further, the 4K variant appears to have a USB Type-C port while the FHD variant sticks to a microUSB port.

While the listings do state the price, and the 4K variant obviously has a higher price than the FHD variant, we would advise against considering these as final. Such listings, as they appear before a product launch, tend to be liberally speculative, so it’s best to keep the door open for some surprises.

Xiaomi has not disclosed when the Mi TV Stick is launching internationally or in China. Considering that the Mi Box 4K was launched in India very recently, we don’t expect the device to immediately be available in India at least.

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Source: AliExpress, Gearbest
Story Via: GizmoChina

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