The Nokia 8.3 Is the 1st Global 5G Smartphone

Nokia 8.3 Specifications

  • Display: IPS LCD 1080 x 2400, 20:9 ratio (~386 PPI density)
  • Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G
  • RAM/Storage: 6/64GB or 8/128GB
  • MicroSD: dedicated slot included
  • SIM: Dual Nano-SIM support
  • Cameras (with Zeiss Optics)
    • 64MP wide-angle lens at f/1.9
    • 12MP 13mm ultra-wide-angle lens at f/2.2
    • 2MP macro lens
    • 2MP depth lens (for those portrait shots)
    • 24MP selfie camera at f2.0
    • 4k 30fps recording capabilities with EIS with Ozo audio
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack
  • Bottom-firing single speakers
  • NFC
  • Bluetooth 5.0

Like the Nokia 8.2, the Nokia 8.3 is targeted towards the upper mid-range class of smartphones with a fresh set of the latest specs for this year.

Nokia 8.3 Display

Nokia 8.3
Source: Nokiamob.net

Although it’s an IPS LCD display and not AMOLED. the 8.3’s 6.8″ display is running on Nokia’s proprietary PureDisplay technology, supporting HDR10 video playback. This will give you a much better display experience compared to IPS LCD panels on other smartphones.

The front of the Nokia 8.3 features a punch-hole selfie camera and an extra button, which will be a dedicated button for Google Assistant.

Nokia 8.3 OS

The Nokia 8.3 will launch with Android 10 out of the box and promises 2 years of major OS updates and 3 years of security updates. Nokia is also under the Android One program, meaning you will get a pure, clean Android experience with zero bloatware.

Nokia 8.3 Pricing and Release Date

The Nokia 8.3 is expected to release around Q2 2020 at a EUR600 price tag. Though there wasn’t an 8.2 last year, the 8.1 model sold for EUR399 on launch, making this one EUR100 more expensive. This is likely due to the 5G modem, as we’ve seen similar price increases from other 5G smartphones manufacturers.

It will come in only one colour, “Polar Night”.

Apple’s Latest iPad Pro is Here.

The latest iPad Pro now features a new Magic Keyboard with a trackpad, new Pro cameras with a LiDAR scanner, the latest A12X Bionic chip and more. It is available for orders today.

New Magic Keyboard with Trackpad

The new Magic Keyboard comes with a unique hinge design that makes the iPad Pro “float”, with an adjustable angle of up to 130 degrees. It attaches itself to the iPad magnetically.

The keyboard also has a USB-C port on the side. The port will charge the iPad, leaving the other one free, allowing you to insert accessories such as an external storage device or a display.

Similar to what we saw on the Macbook Air, the Magic Keyboard is also running a scissor-switch mechanism. With the latest addition of a trackpad, Apple is now taking the fight against Microsoft’s Surface lineup very seriously.

For those who have the older generations of the iPad Pro, fret not. The Magic Keyboard is backwards compatible for the following models:

  • The 1st – 2nd generation 11-inch iPad Pro.
  • The 3rd – 4th generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

New iPad Pro cameras with advanced LiDAR systems

The cameras on the iPad Pro now feature a 10-megapixel wide and 12-megapixel ultra-wide system. The new LiDAR camera allows users to measure distances to objects up to 5-metres away.

With this new system, there are now plenty of opportunities for implementing new augmented reality features never seen before in a tablet.

It also now has 5 microphone arrays for capturing for “super clean audio”.

The A12X Bionic Chip

The A12X Bionic Chip now has an extra GPU core, totalling 8 cores for its CPU and 8 cores for its GPU. Benchmarks found on AnTuTu shows that the beast of the GPU is 9% faster, with the CPU only marginally beating the previous generation.

It also has more RAM, 6GB compared to 4GB from the previous year (except for 1TB models).

Doubled the Base Storage

While maintaining their prices, Apple has generously doubled the iPad Pro’s base storage from 64GB to 128GB. Other storage options such as 256GB, 512GB and 1TB are available.

The latest iPad Pro is sure to impress, becoming even more of a beast of a tablet than its rivals. The specs boost and the extra value you get from extra storage makes the 2020 iPad Pro a strong choice for those looking to purchase a tablet for their use.

Check out Apple’s website for more information on the options here!

Apple Announces New Macbook Air, starts at $999

The latest Macbook Air now comes with a scissor-switch keyboard, forgoing their controversial butterfly switch keyboards in previous generations. The specs have also been bumped across the board.

What’s New with the latest Macbook Air?

Storage boost

The storage for the base model is now doubled from 128GB in the previous year to 256GB in the current year.

10th-generation Intel processors

The base Macbook Air now comes with the latest 10th generation Intel i3 dual-core processors, with quad-core i5 and i7 processors for its higher-end models.

Redesigned keyboards

For your knowledge, scissor-switch keyboards are the most common types of keyboards used among laptops.

Apple developed its proprietary keyboard mechanism known as butterfly switch keyboards. In theory, the goal was to provide a keyboard that could provide a better typing experience for the user while being thinner compared to the competition.

However, in practice, the keyboard was highly controversial due to reliability issues and high rates of failure, often requiring replacements. 

The return to scissor-switch mechanisms will make the keyboards on the this year’s Macbook Air more robust and reliable.  

Conclusion

2020’s Macbook Air represents more of an update rather than a brand new generation of Macbook Air. 

However, it does offer better specs with a doubled base storage and a more robust keyboard mechanism at the same price point from last year’s. Giving you, the user, better value for your money.

It is highly likely that this year’s upcoming Macbook Pro models will also feature the return of the scissor-switch mechanisms. 

Stay tuned as we find out more!

Here’s How Covid-19 will Impact Big Tech

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to spread, global systemic disruptions on our society have also been rising. 

Global indexes are falling to never-before-seen levels. Citizens are emptying shelves from stores out of panic. Major tech events such as E3 2020, MWC 2020 have been cancelled. And there are even talks about the acceleration of the next economic recession due to the pandemic. 

However, in all these chaos, certain players in the tech world stand to benefit from Covid-19. In contrast, others will have their businesses severely disrupted.

The Winners

With many countries imposing movement controls and locking down cities, able companies will now have to implement work-from-home policies for its employees. Companies like Slack, Zoom, Google’s G-Suite and Microsoft’s Office 365 will start seeing an increase in subscribers as firms start shifting to cloud-based work to minimize business disruptions.

Food delivery companies such as Uber Eats, GrabFood, FoodPanda and tech-based grocery delivery companies will also see an increase in usage. As people are no longer able (or even willing) to eat out or purchase their groceries, they will have to rely on delivery companies.

eCommerce companies like Amazon, Alibaba, and Lazada will also see a boom in business as shoppers will rely more heavily on these platforms to purchase consumer goods.

The Losers

Most, if not all hardware manufacturing tech firms will have its supply chain networks linked to China in one way or another. With factories being shut down in China due to the outbreak, there will be an evident disruption to that chain. 

Companies that manufacturer smartphones, laptops, TVs, household appliances, pretty much anything that has some tech in it may see a reduction in manufacturing output. 

As a result, prices for these goods may increase as the companies need to make up for their losses.

It’s Not the End

Like with any pandemics we’ve had such as Ebola and Swine Flu (H1N1), these are all temporary. Nothing lasts forever, in time, the epidemic will be brought under control and society can resume functioning as usual. 

In the meantime, practice social distancing and only go out when you have to. Practice good hygiene by washing your hands and minimize touching your face.

The Huawei Mate Xs Is Here, with 5G

The latest foldable smartphone by Huawei, the Mate Xs, is the updated version of the much talked about Huawei Mate X that was unveiled earlier last year. Visually speaking, it is almost indistinguishable from the previous-generation Mate X.

What’s New with The Huawei Mate Xs?

While it may look similar on the outside, this beast of a foldable smartphone now features the latest 5G capable Kirin 990 processor compared to the Mate X’s 4G Kirin 980.

Though while I don’t really see the point in implementing 5G capable smartphones when the infrastructure isn’t ready yet, it is nice to have the future-readiness.

It also comes with Android 10 out of the box, compared to Android 9 that came with the Mate X. As it is Android 10 Open Source, the Mate Xs still does not have Google Play Store. Huawei’s AppGallery will serve as its replacement.

As with any new technology, expect some price bumps until economies of scale kick in to knock the manufacturing prices down. The Huawei Mate Xs is expected to be around a whopping EUR2,500 upon launch, compared to EUR2,300 with the Huawei Mate X.

What’s Old with the Huawei Mate Xs?

The Mate Xs

  • The same hinge design, albeit it appears to be slightly sturdier and firmer on images.
  • The same quad-camera system featuring:
    • 40 MP, f/1.8, 27mm (wide), 1/1.7″, PDAF
    • 8 MP, f/2.4, 52mm (telephoto)
    • 16 MP, f/2.2, 17mm (ultrawide)
    • TOF 3D, (depth)
  • The same 8″ foldable plastic display, unlike Samsung’s flexible glass.
  • The same battery capacity of 4500 mAh.
  • The same amount of RAM and storage (8GB/512GB) with an expandable memory of up to 256GB.
  • And just about everything else.

All in all, the Huawei Mate Xs represents a worthy mid-generation upgrade over the Huawei Mate X for those who are looking to purchase one. It is quite arguably, the best foldable smartphone in the market as of writing.

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