Metro by T-Mobile is now at Walmart, and you can get $60 off at checkout

T-Mobile has announced that its prepaid brand, Metro by T-Mobile, is now available at over 2,300 Walmart stores starting today. Plus, customers can get $60 off instantly at checkout when they buy a new Metro by T-Mobile phone and service plan.

We previously covered the news that T-Mobile planned to expand to Walmarts across the country, and today is the day. It’s part of the massive expansions of its national retail presence that has been taking place all year, which the company shared plans of during a Virtual Analyst Day back in March.

Customers of Metro by T-Mobile can now visit one of a number of Walmart stores to have their plan serviced. Services are also available online at the Walmart website. Metro by T-Mobile offers three main plans for unlimited data access: a $40 tier, a $50 tier, and a $60 tier.

Every Metro by T-Mobile plan includes access to T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G coverage, Scam-blocking protection, and access to T-Mobile Tuesdays freebies. If you want hotspot data, you’ll need to opt for one of the higher tiers of service, which also comes with 100GB of Google One cloud storage at no additional cost.

The company is also offering a number of LTE and 5G devices like their own REVVL V for $79, the OnePlus Nord N200 5G for $189, a few Samsung devices starting at $119, and the Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G for $219.

New customers can get an instant $60 off at the register when purchasing a new device and a service plan. That means you can walk out with a REVVL V and their lowest tier unlimited plan for $59.

Metro by T-Mobile services are available in-store and online now, but if you want to snag that $60 credit, you’ll need to visit your local Walmart. To learn more about Metro by T-Mobile’s Walmart expansion, check out the official announcement post.

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Microsoft Surface Duo 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3: Which one should you buy?

While Samsung and other Android phone manufacturers are going the foldable route to provide more screen real estate in a smaller form factor, Microsoft has opted for the dual-screen approach with its Surface Duo devices. The company recently unveiled its new Surface Duo 2 that packs several improvements over the original. But how does it stack up against Samsung’s flagship foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 3? Read on to find out.

Navigate this guide:

• Specifications
• Design and Display
• Processor, RAM, Storage, and OS
• Cameras
• Battery and Connectivity
• Pricing
• Conclusion

Surface Duo 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3: Specifications

Specification	Surface Duo 2	Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3
Dimensions	Open: 145.2 mm (H) x 184.5 mm (W) x 5.50mm (T) Closed : 145.2 mm (H) x 92.1 mm (W) x 11.0 mm (T at hinge)	Open: 128.1 (H) x 158.2 (W) x 6.4mm (T) Closed: 67.1 (H) x 158.2 (W) x 16.0mm (T at Hinge)
Display	Two 5.8-inch AMOLED displays 1344 x 1892 pixels 13:9 aspect ratio 401PPI HDR, 100% sRGB and DCI-P3 90Hz refresh rate 800 nits peak brightness Combined 8.3-inch, 2688 x 1892 pixels Corning Gorilla Glass Victus	7.6-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display 2208 x 1768 pixels 22.5:18 aspect ratio 374PPI 120Hz refresh rate 1200 nits peak brightness Secondary 6.2-inch, 2268 x 832 pixels, Gorilla Glass Victus
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
RAM	8GB	12GB
Storage	128GB 256GB 512GB	256GB 512GB
Battery and charging	4,449mAh dual battery 23W fast charging	4,400mAh dual battery 25W fast charging 10W fast wireless charging 4.5W reverse wireless charging
Cameras	12MP primary, wide-angle, f/1.7 aperture, 27 mm, 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF and OIS 12MP telephoto, f/2.4 aperture, 51 mm, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS and 2X optical zoom 16MP ultra-wide-angle, f/2.2 aperture, 13 mm, 1.0µm, 110o diagonal field of view 12MP selfie, f/2.0, 24 mm,1.0µm	12MP primary, wide-angle, f/1.8 aperture, 1.8µm, dual pixel AF and OIS 12MP telephoto, f/2.4 aperture, PDAF, OIS, and 1.0µm 12MP ultra-wide-angle, f/2.2 aperture, 1.12µm, 123o diagonal field of view 10MP selfie, f/2.2, 1.22µm 4MP selfie under-display camera, f/1.8, 2.0µm
Network and connectivity	5G-NR NSA (mmWave) Bands: n257, n260, n261 5G-NR NSA (Sub-6) Bands: n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n20, n25, n28, n38, n41, n66, n71, n77, n78, n79 LTE Bands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66, 71 WCDMA: 1,2,5,8 GSM/GPRS: GSM-850, E-GSM-900, DCS-1800, PCS-1900 Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.1 NFC GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, QZSS	5G (mmWave, sub-6GHz) 4G LTE 3G, 2G Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.2 NFC GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, QZSS
OS	Android 11	Android 11
Biometric authentication	Side-mounted fingerprint sensor	Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
Sensors	Dual Accelerometer, Dual Gyroscope, Dual Magnetometer, Dual Ambient Light Sensor, Dual Proximity Sensor, Hall Sensor	Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro sensor, Geomagnetic sensor, Hall sensor, Proximity sensor, Light sensor
Ports	USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2	USB Type-C 3.2

Design and Display

Surface Duo 2

The Surface Duo and Galaxy Z Fold 3 are two very different devices in terms of design and form factor. While the Microsoft phone has two separate screens that combine to offer a large screen experience, the Samsung foldable uses a foldable display that unfolds into a bigger screen. Additionally, Samsung has also included a secondary screen that’s pretty much the size of a regular smartphone’s screen and can be helpful in odd tasks that don’t need the larger screen. So you don’t have to open the Galaxy Z Fold 3 every time you need something.

Unfortunately, since there’s no secondary display on the Surface Duo 2, you have to open the device if you want to do anything on the phone. But there’s one significant advantage of the Surface Duo 2. As Microsoft uses traditional screens with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, Surface Duo 2’s displays are stronger and more robust than the flexible display on the Galaxy Z Fold 3. The flexible display can be scratched or punctured much easily than the Surface 2 Duo screens.

The two screens on the Surface Duo 2 are joined by a hinge that supports the full 360-degree movement (more like 350-degrees since the camera module stops it from folding flat). So basically, you can take the screens from facing each other in the closed state to facing the opposite direction in the open state. This is helpful when you just want to operate one screen. On the other hand, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 hinge only supports 180-degree movement, but as mentioned, it has a secondary display for when you want to use the device as a regular phone.

In terms of the actual screen size, you get two 5.8 inch AMOLED panels with a 90Hz refresh rate on the Surface Duo 2 that combine to form an 8.3 inch screen. On the other hand, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a 7.6 inch flexible AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. In addition, the secondary display on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is 6.2 inches in size and includes an AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass Victus protection.

Processor, RAM, Storage, and OS

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

Things become a lot more straightforward and similar in departments other than design and display. Both Surface Duo 2 and Galaxy Z Fold 3 use a Snapdragon 888 SoC and Android 11. But on the Samsung phone, you’ll get 12GB of RAM, whereas the Surface Duo 2 only has 8GB. While 12GB RAM is nice to have, 8GB should be enough to provide a good performance on the Surface Duo 2.

Additionally, you get up to 512GB of storage on both phones, and the two companies have included software tweaks to use the extra screen real-estate effectively.

Surface Duo 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3: Cameras

Surface Duo 2

Although the original Surface Duo has a single camera for selfies and regular photos, the Surface Duo 2 comes with three shooters for regular photos and a separate camera for selfies. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 also has three shooters for regular images, but there are two cameras that you can use for selfies.

Coming to the raw specifications, you get a 12MP wide-angle shooter with OIS, a 12MP telephoto camera with OIS, and a 16MP ultra-wide shooter on the Surface Duo 2. There’s a 12MP shooter for selfies. In comparison, there’s a 12MP wide-angle camera with OIS, a 12MP telephoto shooter with OIS, and a 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera. For selfies, you get a 4MP under-display camera and a 10MP shooter.

Battery and Connectivity

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

This is another area whether the two devices are pretty similar. The Surface Duo 2 features a 4,449mAh dual-battery with 23W fast charging support, whereas the Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a 4,400mAh dual-battery with 25W fast charging support. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 also supports wireless charging and reverse wireless charging.

Among connectivity options, there is 5G support, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, and USB Type-C 3.2 on the Surface Duo 2. On the other hand, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 comes with 5G support, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and USB Type-C 3.2.

Surface Duo 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3: Pricing

The Surface Duo 2 price starts at $1,499 for the base 128GB model, whereas the Galaxy Z Fold 3 will cost you $1,799 for the base 256GB model. So even if you consider the price of the 256GB Surface Duo 2 ($1,599), the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is $200 more expensive than the Surface Duo 2.

Conclusion

As you can see, the primary difference between the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Surface Duo 2 lies in their design. Other specifications and features of the two devices are broadly similar. So the decision to pick between the two comes down to which design implementation you prefer. For example, if you like having two regular screens instead of a large foldable screen, the Surface Duo 2 is more up your speed. But if you prefer the foldable screen and don’t have any problem with its relatively fragile design and higher price tag, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 makes more sense. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is also a much more rounded and practical product — so if you need a foldable that just works, Samsung has you covered better.

Which of the two phones are you planning to buy? Let us know in the comments section. We have also selected the best foldable phones and the best Surface PCs on the market if you want to consider more options.

Microsoft Surface Duo 2

The Surface Duo 2 is Microsoft’s latest dual-screen Android smartphone. It's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC and runs on Android 11.

View at Best Buy

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is Samsung’s latest flagship foldable smartphone. It's powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC, and runs on Android 11 with One UI.

Buy from Samsung

You can also read our individual Microsoft Surface Duo 2 review and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 review for a greater in-depth view into each of these foldable devices.

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Here’s when your Google Pixel will get Android 12L

At the Android Dev Summit yesterday, Google officially unveiled the first developer preview of Android 12L, a feature drop for Android 12 designed specifically for foldables, tablets, and large-screen devices.

While Android 12L primarily targets foldables, tablets, and Chrome OS devices, it will also make its way to phones. Google says for now it’s keeping the focus on foldables and Chrome OS devices, but it’ll be opening up beta enrollments for the Pixel lineup in December, starting with the first Android 12L beta release.

Here’s which Pixel phones will be getting the Android 12L beta in December:

• Pixel 6
• Pixel 6 Pro
• Pixel 5a 5G
• Pixel 5
• Pixel 4a (5G)
• Pixel 4a
• Pixel 4

Besides the Google Pixel lineup, Google has confirmed that the new software will also be made available to devices like the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Lenovo Tab P12 Pro. The first beta of Android 12L will arrive in December, followed by the second release in January and the third and final beta in February. The public release is slated for Q1 2022, likely around March.

As Mishaal Rahman points out, although the current developer preview build is API level 31, the Android 12L platform will use API level 32 once the APIs are finalized. However, it seems developers aren’t required to target the new API level when publishing apps on Google Play.

It seems the current Sv2/Android 12L build is still API level 31. Google says that the 12L platform will use API level 32 when the APIs are finalized. Developers are not required to target API level 32 to meet Google Play requirements.

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) October 27, 2021

Android 12L is currently available as a developer preview, and you can try it out by booting an Android 12L system image in the Android Emulator. The new version brings along several UI refinements and features to provide an improved software experience on foldables and tablets. The new features include a two-column layout for the notification shade and lockscreen, Activity Embedding, improved multitasking experience, and so on.

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Featured image: Pixel 6 Pro

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Android 12L might let you quickly switch wallpapers from the context menu

Google recently announced Android 12L — a feature drop for Android 12 that brings several optimizations and new features for large screen devices. The first Android 12L Developer Preview includes quite a few user-facing changes, including a new two-column UI, a taskbar, better multitasking capabilities, and letterboxing improvements. In addition, the first developer preview has a hidden change that lets you quickly switch wallpapers from the context menu on the homescreen.

AOSP Launcher3 from Android 12L DP1 includes a developer flag called “quick wallpaper picker.” As Mishaal Rahman revealed in a recent tweet, the flag enables a new wallpaper picker UI in the context menu on the homescreen. The wallpaper picker UI in the context menu shows the current wallpaper along with four other options, and you can tap on one of these options to change your homescreen wallpaper.

Screenshot: Mishaal Rahman

Google has also rearranged the options to show the new wallpaper picker UI at the top of the context menu. As you can see in the attached screenshot, Wallpaper & settings is the first option in the context menu, followed by Widgets and Home settings. Currently, if you tap and hold on the lockscreen on a device running Android 12, Home settings is the first option in the context menu, followed by Widgets and Wallpaper & style.

Homescreen context menu in Android 12

At the moment, we’re not sure if the new quick wallpaper picker UI will show recently used wallpapers or ones from the built-in wallpaper collection. We expect to see more information about this in the following Android 12L developer preview releases.

For more information about Android 12L and all the new user-facing changes, check out our announcement post. Also, check out our post on all the latest tools Google has introduced to help developers build apps for large-screen devices.

Are you excited about Android 12L? Do you think it has the potential to revive the Android tablet market? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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BLUETTI Halloween Special – Up to 20% OFF And The AC300 is back!

Back on September 15th, the off-grid power solution pioneer BLUETTI has launched their flagship model of the year: The BLUETTI AC300 portable power station and the B300 external battery, during the debut sale, the first batch was sold out within 2 weeks!

Now after being sold out for nearly a month, the Bluetti AC300 and B300 modular battery packs are back for Halloween.

But those are not the only deals we have for you this spooky month! With savings up to $3900 OFF with bundles, your back catalog will be downright terrifying!

Let’s take a closer look at what they have lined up.

AC300 & B300 – The Key Into Premium Off-grid Life.

The tech specs of the AC300/B300:

• Bluetti AC300 is 100% modular and can accept up to four B300 battery modules per unit, adding up to a total of 12,288Wh – Good luck running out of power.
• Being modular means people can transport vast amounts of power with ease. All together the machine ways too much to transport, but individually, each part is highly portable.
• AC300 uses top-of-the-range LFP(lithium iron phosphate) cells which have 3500+ life cycles leading up to 80% of the original capacity. (In other words, putting the device through one cycle a day, means 10 years of service life.)
• Capable of receiving 2,400 watts of unrivaled solar charging input, all held together by the brain – a 3000-watt pure sine wave inverter able to adjust the AC charging rate (no need for a power brick, one charging cable will do just fine)
• While connected to two B300 battery modules, the AC300 can be charged with both solar and AC simultaneously, adding up to 5400 watts of stunning charging rate, fill the 6kwh battery from 0~80% in only 1 hour.
• Allows the connection of the new BLUETTI Fusion Box Pro, connecting of which doubles the voltage, power, and capacity up to 6000W, 240V, 24,576Wh.
• All of this technology can be controlled by a complex, yet easy-to-use smartphone app via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

For this Halloween, Bluetti is offering up to $3900 OFF for their AC300 bundles, check the best deals of them:

3,000W | 6,144Wh | 600W Solar Panel Combo, From Camper To Your Off-grid Hut, Power At Ease.

MSRP $7,444, Now For $5699, $1745 Saved, Get yours here.

 

240V 6,000W | 12,288Wh Combo, Double The Power, Double The Fun

MSRP $11733, Now For $8899, $2834 Saved, get yours here.

240V 6,000W | 12,288Wh | 1,200W Solar Combo, King-size Home Backup Package.

MSRP $15027, Now For $11099, $3928 Saved, get yours here.

EB55 – Small, Yet Packs A Punch.

Bluetti is releasing a special pumpkin color tone for the EB55, the perfect fit for Halloween this Autumn.

The tech specs of the EB55:

• The perfect generator for camping, holding a solid 537Wh of capacity.
• EB55 uses ultra-stable and safe LiFePO4 battery chemistry combined with a built-in battery management system for multiple layers of protection.
• Able to be charged and discharged 2500+ times before reaching its 80% capacity.
• This solar generator is capable of receiving up to 200 watts of solar input and 200 watts of AC power at the same time. Meaning the total time to 100% charge is only 2 hours.
• The brain holding everything together is a state-of-the-art pure sine wave inverter boasting 700W (up to 1400W surge).

BLUETTI’s offering an all-time low price at $449 for their portable little beast, and an extra discount for solar panel bundles. Learn more here.

AC200 MAX & B230 – Beyond Classic

Last but not least we have the AC200 MAX, an all-around upgrade of the long-popular AC200P.

The tech specs of the AC200 MAX/B230:

• The AC200 MAX has a standard built-in 2,048Wh LFP battery pack (with expandable battery capabilities)
• Able to be charged and discharged 3500+ times before reaching its 80% capacity.
• Excitingly, the AC200 MAX can be connected to both the B230 and B300 battery modules, which can boost the total capacity up to an incredible 8192Wh with two B300’s.
• At total capacity (connected with two B300 battery modules) the AC200 MAX boasts up to 8,192Wh!
• Holding everything together is a pure sine wave inverter boasting 2200 watts (4800 watts surge)
• The AC200 Max is able to accept up to 900 watts of solar input and 500 watts of AC input simultaneously, allowing the device to be fully charged within 2 – 2.5 hours.
• You can control the AC200 MAX via the APP or touchscreen. But the APP can only be connected via Bluetooth.
• Any solar array meeting the following requirements can be used on the AC200 MAX: Total open-circuit voltage (Voc) must fall in the range of 10-145V/MAX.12A and have MC4 connectors.

As an all-around evolved successor of the long-loved BLUETTI AC200P, the AC200MAX and B230 have been an instant hit ever since the launch. For the spooky holiday sale, BLUETTI is also dropping a decent $200 OFF for the AC200MAX, starting at $1899 and savings on related solar/external battery bundles can be quite astonishing.

Get your AC200MAX here.

HOW TO JOIN & TIME

The Halloween sale will start on PDT 28th October 2021 and end on 4th November 2021. Remember, this event is global, meaning you can take advantage of it from anywhere in the world.

Visit the www.bluettipower.com website for more details.

We thank Bluetti for sponsoring this post. Our sponsors help us pay for the many costs associated with running XDA, including server costs, full time developers, news writers, and much more. While you might see sponsored content (which will always be labeled as such) alongside Portal content, the Portal team is in no way responsible for these posts. Sponsored content, advertising and XDA Depot are managed by a separate team entirely. XDA will never compromise its journalistic integrity by accepting money to write favorably about a company, or alter our opinions or views in any way. Our opinion cannot be bought.

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Win Free Gifts with the HUAWEI Carnival Event

If you own a HUAWEI phone, you have the opportunity to participate in the exciting HUAWEI Carnival event. This event will give users the chance to win some great prizes like the HUAWEI nova 9. To join, all you need is the My HUAWEI app. You’ll also find many different sideline activities and ways to win multiple prizes! Follow the instructions below to get started.

HUAWEI Carnival 2021

My HUAWEI App

Two options to get the My HUAWEI app

Once you have updated to the latest version of the My HUAWEI app, you’ll be able to see the Carnival event from the homepage activity banner. Select the event and you’ll be able to see the activity rules. The first steps of the event are simple. You will join the event and begin the activity called Unboxing Challenge.

This challenge will let you create a challenge link that you can share with your friends on social media. The more friends that click your link, the closer you get to unboxing a gift.

You will need to collect five friends to click on your link so that you can open your first box. After you’ve collected your first prize, a link will be generated and you can start the process again. This will allow you to collect multiple boxes, and increase your chances of winning something big.

In addition to the main Unboxing Challenge, you can find sideline activities that have even more prizes to win. The Check-in Task, Puzzle Challenge, and NEXT-IMAGE challenge are all available in the My HUAWEI app.

We thank HUAWEI for sponsoring this post. Our sponsors help us pay for the many costs associated with running XDA, including server costs, full time developers, news writers, and much more. While you might see sponsored content (which will always be labeled as such) alongside Portal content, the Portal team is in no way responsible for these posts. Sponsored content, advertising and XDA Depot are managed by a separate team entirely. XDA will never compromise its journalistic integrity by accepting money to write favorably about a company, or alter our opinions or views in any way. Our opinion cannot be bought.

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Android 12L features are coming soon to your Galaxy Z Fold 3

On Wednesday, Google officially detailed Android 12L, a special version of Android 12 optimized for large-screen devices. Android 12L represents a big step forward for foldables, tablets, and large screen Android devices, enabling features like a two-column layout for notification shade and lockscreen, an improved multitasking experience, and more. Although Android 12L won’t be publically out until Q1 2022, Google says many Android 12L features will be coming “soon” to your Galaxy Z Fold 3.

“For foldables, you’ll see many of these features including Activity Embedding coming soon to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3,” Google said during the presentation.

Among the features that will be making their way to Samsung’s latest foldable (via 9to5Google) is Activity Embedding. As Google describes, “Activity embedding lets you take advantage of the extra display area of large screens by showing multiple activities at once, such as for the List-Detail pattern, and it requires little or no refactoring of your app.”

Activity Embedding essentially allows apps to show multiple activities simultaneously to take advantage of the extra real screen estate of foldable and tablets. Developers can determine how they want to display app activities — side-by-side or stacked — using an XML configuration file or Jetpack WindowManager API calls. If you’re an app developer and want to support Activity Embedding in your app, you can learn more about the feature here.

Samsung recently announced that it would soon release a One UI 4 beta based on Android 12 for the Galaxy Fold 3. It’s possible the beta release will include some of the Android 12L features.

While currently, you can only try out Android 12L through an emulator, Google says the new software will soon be making its way to real devices such as the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Lenovo P12 Pro. The first beta of Android 12L is coming in December, and there will be two more beta releases before the official public release around March.

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