Black Shark 5 Pro Review: Pushing the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 to its hot limits

Black Shark is a gaming smartphone brand that’s been around for a while. It’s backed by Xiaomi (not owned by, as the company fervently reminds the tech community) and typically packs high-end hardware in a more affordable package. Now the Black Shark 5 Pro is here, and it’s more of the same with physical triggers that can be mapped to touch inputs to help your game.

If you’re looking for a powerful smartphone that looks decent, then the Black Shark 5 Pro might well be up your alley. However, it might also be worth waiting for what’s to come after the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 before taking the plunge on a gaming smartphone, as the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 promises to fix a lot of the shortcomings of the preceding flagship chipset.

With the Black Shark 5 Pro, there are a lot of problems that you mightn’t be able to get over, and that includes poor battery life, intense heat, and the lack of a headphone jack. If you’re interested to learn more, then read on.

Black Shark 5 Pro

The Black Shark 5 Pro is the latest gaming phone from the Xiaomi-backed company, but there are a lot of problems with it that may not necessarily command the price tag.

Features:

Pros: Cons:

Buy at Black Shark

Navigate this review:

• Specs
• Design
• Gaming Experience
• Camera
• Miscellaneous
• Should you buy the Black Shark 5 Pro?

Black Shark Pro 5: Specs

Specification	Black Shark 5 Pro
Dimensions & Weight	163.83mm x 76.25mm x 9.5mm 220g
Display	6.67-inch AMOLED 1080 x 2400 (full HD+) 144Hz refresh rate Up to 720Hz touch sampling rate 1300nits peak brightness HDR10+
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Adreno GPU
RAM & Storage	8GB LPDDR5 +128GB UFS 3.1 6400MHz RAM 12GB+256GB 16GB+256GB
Battery & Charging	4,650 mAh battery 120W fast charging support Supports QC/PD
Security	Side-mounted fingerprint scanner
Rear Camera(s)	Primary: 108MP, f/1.75 Ultra-wide: 13MP, f/2.4 Macro: 5MP
Front Camera(s)	16MP, f/2.45
Port(s)	USB Type-C No headphone jack
Audio	Stereo speakers
Connectivity	5G NR (SA/NSA) 4G 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax dual-band Wi-Fi Bluetooth 5.2 NFC
Software	JoyUI 13 based on MIUI
Other Features	Shoulder triggers

About this review: Black Shark sent us the Black Shark 5 Pro for review. The company did not have any input into the contents of this review.

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Black Shark 5 Pro: Design

• Not an overly “gamer” look
• Camera barely protrudes
• Comfortable to hold

The Black Shark 5 Pro’s design can simply be described as “gamer” — though it’s not over-the-top like I’ve seen from some other gaming brands. It has a soft-touch glass on the back, with a small icon that lights up on the back. I expected that this would be usable as a notification LED (makes sense, right?) but that’s not the case. It doesn’t do a whole lot, though there are some settings in the software that you can modify to make it react to things like phone calls.

It’s a pretty thick phone, but it’s still comfortable to hold thanks to the rounded back edges. The camera doesn’t take up a huge amount of space either, nor does it protrude much, even though it packs a pretty large 108MP sensor. The display is also completely flat, with a single-centered punch-hole selfie camera.

The shoulder triggers on the Black Shark 5 Pro are pretty cool

Where this phone is unique in its design is the implementation of two trigger buttons on the right-hand side. They’re not always active, and you need to swipe a release mechanism to allow them out to be pressed. When they’re not released, they are flush with the rest of the chassis of the phone.

Those shoulder triggers have to be mapped to touch inputs to be used in games, as games won’t recognize them as an official controller input. Nevertheless, they’re pretty cool, and it’s not too big of a deal to map them to your favorite games. It takes a bit of setup, but I’ve noticed in games like COD Mobile that it does make a difference, as in my case, I no longer need to claw my hands over the display to aim and shoot effectively. When not gaming, they can also be assigned other functions — for example, they will also take photos in the camera app by default.

For a gamer phone, the Black Shark 5 Pro doesn’t have a lot of unique gamer design, and that’s not really a bad thing. Companies like RedMagic have been known to go a bit overboard in that department, whereas the Black Shark 5 Pro can go unnoticed as just a normal smartphone.

For the display, the Black Shark 5 Pro packs a 1080p flat AMOLED screen that goes up to 144Hz. At first glance, it sounds like a bad thing that it’s full HD 1080p and not 1440p, but there’s a reason for that. Higher resolutions require more computational power, so gaming phones often pack 1080p displays to push as high of a frame rate as possible.

The speakers are really loud and sound very good

There are two speakers, both a top and bottom-firing one. The top speaker I’ve noticed sounds a little tinnier, even though it’s a separate speaker to the earpiece. I’m not sure why that is as I would have expected them to be the same, given that they’re located in the same place on each side and separate from the earpiece. Nevertheless, the speakers are really loud and sound very good, so it’s not a big complaint that I have anyway. There’s no headphone jack either, which is a little strange for a gaming phone.

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Black Shark 5 Pro: Gaming experience

• Good performance
• No thermal throttling makes for a very hot phone
• Should have waited for the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1

The “latest and greatest” chipset is a bit of a misnomer when it comes to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and that’s thanks to all of the problems that consumers have been facing with it. It runs quite hot, drains a lot of battery, and doesn’t offer a huge amount by way of performance improvements over the Snapdragon 888. The Black Shark 5 Pro makes the most of it though and does the best that it can, sometimes to its own detriment.

We ran a gamut of tests on the Black Shark 5 Pro, and while the results were impressive, they were also alarming. CPU Throttling Test raised the temperature of the device to dangerous levels, with heat dissipating through the shoulder triggers at much higher rates than the rest of the phone. The shoulder triggers began to hurt my fingers from the heat. CPU Throttling Test is an unrealistic CPU load to be put on a smartphone, but I ran into similar heating issues when playing The Simpsons: Hit & Run through AetherSX2.

The Black Shark 5 Pro packs top specifications though, and it gives the results to match. We also ran Geekbench 5 and 3DMark’s Wild Life test, and those results lined up with what we expected too. The phone heats up a lot, but that’s par for the course: both with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and with this being a gaming phone. We’d place more of the responsibility for that on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 than on Black Shark, although Black Shark did choose performance over throttling despite the heat.

Playing The Simpsons: Hit & Run was a pleasant experience, and the game runs near flawlessly. I played with a 2x internal resolution, and the game ran at more or less 60 FPS at all times. The phone heated up a lot, but the reduced thermal throttling was noticeable here as the game continued to run well despite the phone feeling like it was going to burn my fingers off. We measured the game’s performance with GameBench, and the results were as good as you’d expect.

To be honest, I can’t help but wonder if it would have been a smarter choice to dial up the thermal throttling just a little bit. An 83% thermal throttle is impressive, but it’s clear that the trade-offs are nigh-on dangerous. You can’t game on this phone intensively for a long time because it starts to hurt. Those temperatures probably aren’t safe for the phone’s battery, either.

This is one of the most powerful phones that I've tested with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1

This is a powerful smartphone (and one of the most powerful that I’ve tested with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1), but that’s only because it takes risks. With Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 devices around the corner, it’s a shame that Black Shark didn’t wait it out. From our testing, it’s already a much more efficient chipset, and I think that gaming phones will stand to benefit a lot from it.

The best part of the Black Shark 5 Pro when it comes to power and battery life is the fact that it supports bypass charging. Bypass charging means that your phone will run off of the charger, not using any battery, and not charging up your phone either. It generates less heat (something that is sorely needed with this phone, to be fair), and in theory, safeguards your battery as a result.

We would like to give special thanks to the team at GameBench for the tool they provided us. Their tool makes it possible for any person, whether it be a regular user,  journalist, or engineer, to test a mobile game’s performance on an Android device. 

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Black Shark 5 Pro: Camera

Look, nobody is buying a gaming phone for its camera. If you want a phone that takes good photos and has all of the over-the-top gaming features you may have heard of, there’s practically nothing on the market. Having said that, the Black Shark 5 Pro’s camera gets the job done as a decently usable smartphone camera that you can use in a pinch. Though if you care about picture quality that much, it’s not beating any top camera phones by any stretch of the imagination.

For context, the Black Shark 5 Pro has a single 108MP primary camera, a 13MP ultra-wide camera, and a 5MP telephoto macro lens. That telephoto lens allows for actually useable macro shots, which is a plus over the 2MP macro cameras that manufacturers still to this day throw into phones.

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Black Shark 5 Pro: JoyUI

The Black Shark 5 Pro runs JoyUI, the company’s own modification of MIUI. It looks the same and performs the same, with the same launcher, multi-tasking menu, and even the same control center when pulling down from the top right-hand side. It’s basically just a rebrand of MIUI with some green accents and a couple of hardware-specific features. That’s not a bad thing because I like MIUI, but it’s not a huge deviation from it whatsoever.

With JoyUI, you get all of the features that you’ve come to expect from MIUI. You get a fancy always-on display (with a ton of customization options), you get second space, and you get the quick ball if you’re into that. JoyUI is pretty heavy-handed in changes when compared to other Android variants, but to some, that’s a large part of its charm.

There are features here that integrate with the shoulder triggers though, and do it a whole lot better than I expected them to. For example, popping out a shoulder trigger and pressing it when the camera is open will take a photo, and you can enable them to do other things throughout the system, too. They’re not just for gaming, which I appreciated as I was worried that this was essentially just a gaming phone with no thought to the cohesiveness around the rest of the device.

I'm impressed by the level of thought that's been put into making the shoulder triggers a valuable part of the user interface

Overall, it’s more of Xiaomi’s MIUI, with some additional features. I’m impressed by the level of thought that’s been put into making the shoulder triggers a valuable part of the user interface, though, rather than making them an afterthought.

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Miscellaneous

Security

To unlock your smartphone, the Black Shark 5 Pro supports both face unlock and a capacitive fingerprint sensor that’s inside of the power button. It’s almost certainly a bit of a cost-saving measure that there isn’t one in the display, but it’s no big deal really. It works well.

Audio

I know I already mentioned how good the speakers are, but it’s worth another moment to get across just how good they are. They’re loud — really loud — and are great for gaming. Black Shark did a great job here. I do need to point out the lack of a headphone jack though, as it’s an essential feature in a gaming phone. Bluetooth audio has latency, and it’s noticeable when gaming.

Battery life and charging

We touched on this already in the gaming experience section, but battery life really isn’t good. Bypass charging helps in the gaming area when you need to keep your phone powered, but the battery life you get out of the box isn’t great. Expect to get, maximum, five hours of screen on time, and it’s very likely you’ll get a lot less — especially when gaming. 120W charging is amazing when you need it and can charge this phone from 0% to 100% in 15 minutes, but it’s not always worth having super fast charging and then having terrible battery life. I’d personally rather have slower charging and a longer battery, especially because there are massively diminishing returns between 65W charging and 120W charging.

Bootloader unlocking, kernel sources, and software updates

You can unlock the bootloader of a Black Shark phone using Xiaomi’s MIUI unlock tool. It’s a bit of an involved process, though.

As for kernel sources, Black Shark basically never releases them. If you want to use custom ROMs or anything like that on your smartphone, this probably isn’t the phone to get. Software updates are also a bit hit or miss in that regard.

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Should you buy the Black Shark 5 Pro?

The Black Shark 5 Pro offers a lot of good, but there are a lot of reasons to look elsewhere, too. The kernel source and update situation is particularly alarming, as companies are obligated under the GPL to release timely kernel sources. Some companies, such as OnePlus, have published kernel sources late but still typically always get to them at some point. Black Shark, however, just hasn’t released any kernel sources from the Black Shark 2 or newer.

Even aside from that, the phone itself heats up incredibly when gaming, to the point that I worry it can cause harm and injury. Between that, the lack of a headphone jack, and the battery life concerns, there’s just not a lot that Black Shark gets right for a gaming phone. The shoulder triggers are cool and work well, but that’s the only genuinely unique feature about this phone that you can’t really get anything like anywhere else.

As a result, if what you want is a gaming phone, it’s probably worth waiting to see what’s around the corner — particularly anything that may be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1. There are too many trade-offs here, and for €799, there’s probably much better on offer. I love the speakers, I love the shoulder triggers, but I’m really not a fan of anything else with this phone.

Black Shark 5 Pro

The Black Shark 5 Pro is the latest gaming phone from the Xiaomi-backed company, but there are a lot of problems with it that may not necessarily command the price tag.

Buy at Black Shark

The post Black Shark 5 Pro Review: Pushing the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 to its hot limits appeared first on XDA.

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Gboard’s new split keyboard layout is now rolling out in beta for some foldables

Google started testing a new split keyboard layout in the Gboard app with a small number of users earlier this year in May. The company is now rolling it out to more users on the beta channel, but the rollout currently seems to be limited to some Samsung foldables.

According to recent reports on Reddit, the split keyboard layout appears to be rolling out with Gboard v11.9.05.452014594 beta. However, some users claim that it isn’t available on their devices even with the latest beta release. This leads us to believe that Google is still A/B testing the feature and it might be a while before it rolls out widely.

Credit: u/InspektrGdgt

You can check if the split keyboard layout is available on your device by selecting the keyboard layout button in the toolbar. If you’re among the lucky few who have received the feature, it should show up on the layout selection screen. If it doesn’t, you might have to wait a while to get it on your phone. At the moment, the layout hasn’t made its way to Android tablets. But we expect Google to roll it out to tablets in the coming weeks. We’ll make sure to let you know when it starts rolling out widely.

Along with the split keyboard layout, Gboard also seems to be getting contextual Emoji Kitchen suggestions in the predictive text bar on the stable channel. According to 9to5Google, the suggestions appear when you type a message with the “Emoji stickers” feature enabled.

Have you received Gboard’s split keyboard layout on your device? What do you like or don’t like about the new layout? Let us know in the comments section below. Also, share your thoughts on the new contextual Emoji Kitchen suggestions. How accurate have the contextual suggestions been in your experience?

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Source: Reddit, 9to5Google

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These are the Best Cases for your Amazon Kindle 10th Gen

Amazon has a bunch of Kindles to offer as e-readers, but the entry-level Kindle remains a great way to get into the world of e-book readers. The base model has all the essentials, including a large e-ink display, plenty of storage to store your ebooks, and a built-in front light to ensure your reading won’t be interrupted when there’s no external light source.

Kindle e-readers have an incredibly long life span, and they can easily last for several years with good care. If you just picked up the all-new Kindle 10th Gen, investing in a protective case would be a good idea. While protection is the one reason to get a case, it’s also a great opportunity to add some style to your Kindle. The Kindle only comes in the same boring Black and White colors, and its design isn’t exactly what you would describe as eye-catching or aesthetically pleasing.

There are a wide range of protective cases available for the Kindle 10th Gen. To help you save time and effort, we have rounded up the best options below. Note that all cases mentioned here are only compatible with the Kindle 10th Gen model that came out in 2019.

Ayotu

Slim yet protective

Made out of durable synthetic leather, this case protects your Kindle without adding too much bulk. It has a magnetic lock to keep the case securely closed and auto lock and sleep feature. It comes in a wide variety of colors and patterns.

Buy at Amazon

Kindle Fabric cover

Official cover

The official Kindle cover features premium fabric with microfiber interior to protect the display against scratches. It also has a discreet Kindle logo in the bottom left corner and can automatically wake your Kindle and put it to sleep when you open and close the lid. Comes in Charcoal Black, Cobalt Blue, Punch Red, Sandstone White

Buy at Amazon

CoBak

Waterproof leather exterior

This case from CoBak has waterproof PU leather exterior and anti-scratch microfiber interior. Just like other cases, it also offers smart wake and sleep feature and comes in a wide selection of colors, designs and finishes.

Buy at Amazon

Miroddi stand case

Comes with a foldable stand

This is one of the more versatile cases for the Kindle. It’s made out of durable PC hardback and soft PU leather sleeve and has a slim fit design. And it comes with a buit-in foldable stand for hands-free reading, an integrated elastic hand strap for a secure grip, and a card slot to store your cards.

Buy at Amazon

Kindle Printed Cover

Official printed cover

This official printed cover from Amazon comes in three high-quality designs: Bookscape, Library, and Mystery. The case is lightweight and has magnetic closure and auto sleep and wake function.

Buy at Amazon

Fintie Folio case

Retro look

This retro case from Fintie is made out of synthetic leather and has open interior pocket that lets you easily slot in your kindle. It’s a bit heavier than other cases but that also means it will provide more protection against drops and falls.

Buy at Amazon

There you have it. The best cases for your Kindle e-reader. Investing in a folio case is the best way to protect your Kindle against scratches and accidental damage. If you want something within your budget, the Aytotu is the best option. It provides good protection against scratches and drops without adding too much weight. You can also consider the Miroddi Stand case, which comes with a built-in kick-stand, hand strap, and a card slot.

Amazon Kindle 10th Gen

The all-new Kindle 10th Gen packs a 6-inch E-ink display with front light and up to four weeks of battery.

Buy from Amazon

Own a different Kindle e-book reader? Check out the best cases for the Paperwhite 10th Gen and Paperwhite 11th Gen. And, you can find the best cases for the Kindle Oasis here.

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A retail store may have leaked the launch date of the MacBook Air M2

Apple introduced the all-new MacBook Air (2022) during WWDC22. The reveal was made along with that of iOS 16, macOS Ventura, and watchOS 9. This year’s Dub Dub conference brought plenty of exciting and fresh changes to the table. This applies in both the software and hardware departments. For example, the iPhone Lock Screen has introduced widget and advanced customization support. Meanwhile, M1 iPads can now handle resizable app windows. Perhaps one of the more thrilling announcements, though, is that of the M2-powered MacBook Air. We got a redesigned chassis with MagSafe 3 charging support and more finish options. That’s not to mention the upgraded display, including a notch to house the 1080p webcam. Apple didn’t share much regarding this anticipated notebook’s release date. It only shared that it would happen at some point in July. A new report now reveals the potential launch date of the MacBook Air M2.

According to MacRumors, a retail store has leaked the launch date of the redesigned MacBook Air (2022). If the report is, in fact, accurate, customers will be able to get their hands on it starting Friday, July 15. Pre-order are expected to go live a week earlier, on July 8. Of course, these dates will vary depending on your region. That’s because Apple usually makes new products available in the United States, Canada, some European countries, and a few other regions before the rest of the world.

The new MacBook Air (2022) has a 13.6-inch screen, packs the M2 chip, features a fanless design, and comes in four finishes to pick from. For $1,199, you get to choose between a Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray, or Silver unit. The M1 model from 2020 remains on sale for those who’d rather spend less on an Apple notebook.

Apple MacBook Air (2022)

This 2022 Apple notebook offers the M2 chip and a redesigned chassis with MagSafe support. Best Buy can notify you when it's available.

View on Best Buy

Do you plan on buying the Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022)? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Source: MacRumors

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Pixel’s Car Crash Detection feature might soon make its way to other Android devices

Google recently rolled out an update for the Personal Safety app on Pixel devices. A teardown of the latest release has revealed new strings suggesting that the Pixel-exclusive Car Crash Detection feature might soon make its way to other Android phones.

The following strings in Personal Safety v2022.05.25 (via Mishaal Rahman) clearly mention “nonpixel” in the string names, suggesting that the Car Crash Detection feature might not be a Pixel-exclusive offering for long.

crash_settings_check_user_status_body_text_nonpixel

crash_settings_emergency_alert_body_text_nonpixel

crash_settings_footnote_nonpixel

For the unaware, the Car Crash Detection feature is currently only available on Google’s Pixel devices, and it uses the location, motion sensors, and ambient audio to detect a car crash. Once it detects a crash, it plays a loud sound and asks users if they need any help. In case of no response, it automatically dials 911 and shares your phone’s location. Interestingly, the feature works even when the Personal Safety app is not in use.

I don’t know what arrangement Google has with OEMs, but they may be sharing the source code for the nanoapp which OEMs will then have to compile, sign, and integrate into their builds.

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) June 28, 2022

Although Google hasn’t shared any details about the rollout so far, Mishaal Rahman speculates that it might not roll out to all non-Pixel devices at once. That’s because the feature relies on a Context Hub Runtime Environment (CHRE) nanoapp, which OEMs have to compile, sign, and integrate into their software releases. Since Google currently doesn’t mandate OEMs to implement CHRE on their builds, the Car Crash Detection feature might see a limited release on some non-Pixel devices. But that could change if Google mandates CHRE implementation.

At the moment, it isn’t clear how Google plans to bring Car Crash Detection to non-Pixel devices. The company could either provide OEMs with the source code for the nanoapp or offer a precompiled version to help OEMs easily integrate it into their software releases. We’ll make sure to let you know as soon as we have more details.

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Samsung Galaxy S22 vs OnePlus 9RT: Samsung’s flagship takes on OnePlus’s affordable flagship

Buying a flagship smartphone in 2022 shouldn’t cost you a fortune. There are plenty of options to explore that offer a top-notch flagship smartphone experience while being reasonably priced. Take, for example, the OnePlus 9RT, which can be had for ~$699 and has all the bells and whistles you expect from a modern-day flagship, including a gorgeous display, capable main cameras, and flagship processor. But how does it compare to a seasoned flagship phone like the Galaxy S22? There’s only one way to find out.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Vs OnePlus 9RT: Specifications

Specification	Google Pixel 6 Pro	OnePlus 9RT
Build	Aluminum mid-frame Gorilla Glass Victus back Gorilla Glass Victus front	Glass back Metallic frame
Dimensions & Weight	146 x 70.6 x 7.6 mm 168 gram	163.2 x 73.2 x 8.7mm 197g
Display	6.1-inch AMOLED 2X Display 2340 x 1080, 425 ppi HDR10+ certified 120Hz refresh rate Always On Display	6.62-inch FHD+ Samsung E4 AMOLED 120Hz refresh rate 600Hz touch sampling rate 1300nits peak brightness 1000000:1 contrast ratio 100% DCI-P3 coverage HDR10+
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (the US, China, India, and other regions) Exynos 2200 (Europe, South America, and other regions)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 1x Kryo 680 (ARM Cortex X1-based) Prime core @ 2.84GHz 3x Kryo 680 (ARM Cortex A78-based) Performance cores @ 2.4GHz 4x Kryo 680 (ARM Cortex A55-based) Efficiency cores @ 1.8GHz Adreno 660 GPU
RAM & Storage	8GB RAM 128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 storage	8GB/12GB LPDDR5 RAM 128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 storage
Battery & Charging	3,700mAh 25W Wired fast charging (charger not included in box) 15W wireless charging	4,500mAh 65W fast charging support
Security	Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner	In-display fingerprint scanner
Rear Camera(s)	Primary: 50MP wide, f/1.8 Secondary: 12MP ultra-wide, f.2.2 Tertiary: 10MP telephoto, 3x optical	Primary: 50MP Sony IMX 766, f/1.8, OIS Ultra-wide: 16MP, f/2.2 Macro: 2MP, f/2.4
Front Camera(s)	10MP	16MP, f/2.4
Port(s)	USB Type-C No headphone jack No microSD card slot	USB Type-C port No headphone jack No microSD card slot
Audio	Stereo speakers	Stereo speakers
Connectivity	5G: Non-Standalone (NSA), Standalone (SA), Sub6 / mmWave LTE: Enhanced 4×4 MIMO, Up to 7CA, LTE Cat.20 Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax (2.4/5/6GHz) Bluetooth v5.2	5G LTE Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.1
Software	Android 12 with One UI 4.1 Four major Android OS updates promised Five years of security patches	OxygenOS 11 based on Android 11
Other Features	IP68 water and dust protection Dual SIM	Vapor cooling chamber Alert slider

Design & Display

Both the Galaxy S22 and the OnePlus 9RT are great-looking phones. The Galaxy S22 is on the smaller side, measuring 146 x 70.6 x 7.6 mm and weighing just 168g. It features a minimalistic design with rounded corners and a flat aluminum middle frame, which looks a lot like the current iPhone. The camera island on the back is the most striking element of the Galaxy S22. Both front and back are protected by Gorilla Glass Victus.

The OnePlus 9RT looks less exciting than the Galaxy S22, but it’s also made with premium materials, featuring aluminum side rails and a glass back. The back has a silky texture which feels nice to touch. OnePlus has also done a great job with the weight distribution, so the phone is comfortable to hold. OnePlus’ signature alert slider is placed on the right side, while the rectangular camera island on the back houses three cameras.

The Galaxy S22 has a 6.1-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The OnePlus 9RT, on the other hand, has a bigger 6.62-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Both phones can reach up to 1300 nits in auto-brightness mode, offer 100% DCI-P3 coverage, and support HDR10+ content.

While both displays are neck to neck in terms of raw numbers, the Galaxy S22 has a superior panel compared to the older Samsung E4 panel used by the OnePlus 9RT. The difference is certainly not huge, and unless you have trained eyes and have used a lot of flagships, you’re unlikely to notice

Camera

On paper, both phones boast capable camera hardware. The Galaxy S22 features a triple camera system, comprising a 50MP f/1.8 main shooter, a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, and a 10MP f/2.4 telephoto zoom lens with 3x optical zoom. For the OnePlus 9RT, we’re looking at a 50MP Sony IMX766 main sensor, a 16MP ultra-wide shooter, and a 2MP macro lens.

As you can see, the Galaxy S22 has superior hardware as it offers a 10MP zoom lens. You won’t get crazy good zooming like the Galaxy S22 Ultra, but it gets the job done. The OnePlus 9RT doesn’t have a dedicated zoom camera, so any zooming you do will be digital, and the final image may not look as sharp.

The Galaxy S22 and OnePlus 9RT both have a 50MP main shooter. In good lighting conditions, both phones produce sharp images with high dynamic range and accurate color reproduction. But in low-light and dark conditions, the Galaxy S22 is much better and more reliable than the OnePlus 9RT.

The OnePlus 9RT’s 16MP ultra-wide camera is nothing to write home about. It produces serviceable photos in broad daylight, but its low light performance leaves a lot to be desired.

Galaxy S22 camera samples

OnePlus 9RT camera samples

Overall, the Galaxy S22 has a more versatile and reliable camera system. It offers significantly better low-light performance, a better ultra-wide camera, and a dedicated zoom lens. But for a device that costs nearly half the price of the Galaxy S22, the OnePlus 9RT still delivers an impressive camera performance.

Performance

The Galaxy S22 is powered by the top-of-the-line Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, although it is also sold with the Exynos 2200 SoC in regions where the OnePlus 9RT is not sold in. Meanwhile, the OnePlus 9RT opts for the last year’s Snapdragon 888 SoC. The Galaxy S22 has the OnePlus 9RT beat here as it’s using the newer and more powerful chipset. In particular, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 offers 10% faster CPU and GPU performance while reducing the peak power consumption by up to 20%. But make no mistake: the Snapdragon 888 chipset inside the OnePlus 9RT is no slouch and can easily hold its own against other Snapdragon 8 Gen 1-powered phones. OnePlus also puts a lot of effort into optimizing OxygenOS, so the OnePlus 9RT should feel as fast and smooth as any high-end flagship in real-world usage.

The OnePlus 9RT also has a large vapor cooling champer to keep thermals in check during intensive workloads such as gaming.

Battery and Charging

The OnePlus 9RT picks up an easy win here, featuring a larger 4,500mAh battery to the Galaxy S22’s measly 3,7000mAh cell. If you’re a heavy user, the Galaxy S22 will struggle to last you through the day. The OnePlus 9RT doesn’t have an extraordinary battery life by any means, but it will at least get you through the day.

The OnePlus 9RT also blows the Galaxy S22 out of the water when it comes to the charging speed, offering super 67W wired fast charging. The Galaxy S22 tops out at 25W but does support wireless charging, which is missing on the OnePlus 9RT.

Software

The Galaxy S22 runs Android out of the box with One UI 4 on top. Samsung promises up to four years of OS updates and five years of security updates, putting even Google Pixel to shame. The OnePlus 9RT ships with OxygenOS 11 based on Android 11 but is upgradable to Android 12, although many users dislike the Android 12 upgrade on OnePlus devices. OnePlus promises three years of OS updates and four years of security updates, which, while not as impressive as Samsung’s, is still better than what some other affordable flagships on the market offer.

Conclusion

Choosing between the OnePlus 9RT and Galaxy S22 is one of the easiest decisions you’ll make. There’s a significant price gap between the two, and both phones cater to different audiences. The Galaxy S22 starts at ₹72,999, while the OnePlus 9RT is priced at ₹42,999. It’s not a fair comparison at all, and your answer is more than likely dictated by your budget.

Samsung Galaxy S22

The vanilla Galaxy S22 offers a beautiful AMOLED display and capable flagship-grade cameras.

Buy from Samsung

The Galaxy S22 has a better display, a faster chipset, and more versatile and capable cameras. It handily beats the OnePlus 9RT in all areas except the battery life and charging speed. It also gives you the best software support on the market, and Samsung generally offers good exchange rates should you decide to jump to a newer Galaxy flagship later down the road. You can also check out the best deals on the Galaxy S22 to save money.

OnePlus 9RT

The OnePlus 9RT offers flagship hardware at an affordable price.

Buy from Amazon

If the budget is the constraint, the OnePlus 9RT is a no-brainer. It’s one of the best value-for-money flagships in the Indian market, and when you factor in deals and cashback, it looks even more enticing. You get a beautiful AMOLED display, flagship Snapdragon 888 chipset, capable main shooter, and blazing fast charging speed.

The post Samsung Galaxy S22 vs OnePlus 9RT: Samsung’s flagship takes on OnePlus’s affordable flagship appeared first on XDA.

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Xiaomi will launch the Mi Band 7 Pro early next month, here’s what it looks like

After launching the Mi Band 7 this May, Xiaomi is now gearing up to launch a Pro variant of the popular fitness tracker. The company has shared a short teaser of the Mi Band 7 Pro ahead of its official launch and confirmed that it would land with the Xiaomi 12S series early next month.

In a recent post on Weibo, Xiaomi shared a short teaser video of the upcoming Mi Band 7 Pro. The video gives us our first look at the premium fitness tracker, which features a much larger display and better build quality than the non-Pro variant. At first glance, the premium fitness tracker looks a lot like the Redmi Smart Band Pro. However, unlike the Redmi Smart Band Pro, the Mi Band 7 Pro appears to have a more premium metal chassis.

While Xiaomi’s teaser video doesn’t reveal much else about the Mi Band 7 Pro, renowned leaker Digital Chat Station has shared a couple of renders that shed some more light on the fitness tracker. The leaked renders reveal that Xiaomi will launch the Mi Band 7 Pro in two color variants — one featuring a gold bezel around the display and a white band, while the other featuring a gunmetal bezel around the display and a black strap. Both models will come with traditional watch-style bands, unlike the Redmi Smart Band Pro.

As mentioned earlier, Xiaomi will unveil the Mi Band 7 Pro alongside the Xiaomi 12S series on July 4. The premium fitness tracker will likely offer all the features found on its more affordable non-Pro counterpart, along with a couple of extras. However, we currently don’t have any info on the additional features it may offer. We’ll make sure to let you know as soon as we learn more.

What do you think of the Mi Band 7 Pro’s design? Are you a fan of the new form factor, or do you think it looks a bit odd? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Source: Weibo (1,2)

The post Xiaomi will launch the Mi Band 7 Pro early next month, here’s what it looks like appeared first on XDA.

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