Samsung aims to sell 270 mn smartphones in 2023, focus on foldable devices

by Hansraj Agrawal | Nov 1, 2022 | Technology

Samsung is expected to sell 270 million smartphones next year with focus on its foldable devices.

According to GSMArena, the current estimate of 260 million units sold in 2022 is around 10 million more than the last year, and the company wants to increase that by 10 million next year.

The company is reportedly concentrating on foldables in order to achieve this goal because it can increase profitability as opposed to just sheer sales volumes overall.

It will shift gears to “defend profits” by selling an increased percentage of premium products next year rather than providing cheap devices.

The company predicts that the foldables will have an 80 per cent average yearly growth rate by 2024.

According to the report, the tech giant wants to sell 60 million units of its premium S and Z series, and 210 million units of its A series next year.

Recently, Samsung Electronics posted a sharp drop in profits for the third quarter, as its main semiconductor business faced major headwinds from weakening memory chip prices and demand.

The world’s largest memory chip and mobile phone maker said in a regulatory filing its third-quarter net profit declined 23.6 per cent from a year earlier to 9.38 trillion won ($6.6 billion), reports Yonhap news agency.

–IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Nothing Ear (stick) hands-on: Five things these wireless earbuds roll about

by Hansraj Agrawal | Nov 1, 2022 | Technology

UK-based consumer technology start-up Nothing recently unveiled the Ear (stick). Second product in its audio accessories line, the Ear (stick) wireless earbuds will be available for purchase in India on Myntra and Flipkart from November 17. The Nothing Ear (stick) boasts novel design, but there is more to the earbuds than its design. Below are five things that the Nothing Ear (stick) earbuds have going for them:

Unique charging case

The Nothing Ear (stick)’s charging-cum-storage case is fresh, novel, and unlike anything seen before. It is a cylindrical case with a rolling mechanism similar to conventional lipsticks. There is a cut-out on the case to pick the earbuds in open position. In a close position, the earbuds rest inside safely.

Transparent design

Like Nothing ear (1) (review) and Phone (1), the Ear (stick) boasts transparent design on both the case and earbuds. As for the upgrade, the Ear (stick) gets a red accent on some design elements such as the USB-C charging port on the case and next to the microphone on the right earbud. The red accent was available on the Ear (1) too, but it was not as generous and prominent.

Lightweight construction

The Nothing Ear (stick) are among the lightweight earbuds with each earbud weighing 4.4g, and case at 46.3g. With half in-ear design, the earbuds are comfortable to wear.

Press controls

Touch controls are good but press controls feel natural and are much more convenient. Thankfully, the Nothing Ear (stick) supports press controls — single press on either of the earbuds to play, pause, and answer/ hang up calls; double press to skip forward and reject calls; and triple press to skip backward. For volume controls, there is a press and hold function — left earbud to lower down the volume and right earbud to raise the volume.

Nothing X app

Compatible with both iOS and Android devices, the Nothing Ear (stick) is supported by the Nothing X smartphone app. The app allows users to customise gesture controls, adjust EQ settings and access find my earbuds function.

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Apple yet to finalise upcoming iPhone SE 4 display details: Reports

by Hansraj Agrawal | Nov 1, 2022 | Technology

Apple is yet to finalise the display size of its upcoming fourth generation iPhone SE 4, according to analyst Ross Young.

The tech giant is considering a number of options regarding the display’s size and material, reports MacRumors.

The iPhone maker is mulling 5.7 to 6.1-inch LCDs, as well as, 6.1-inch OLED displays from two suppliers.

It is still unclear if the company will choose a 5.7-inch or 6.1-inch display, and whether that display would employ OLED technology or LCD technology.

Earlier, it was rumoured that the upcoming iPhone would allegedly be identical to the iPhone XR, which was launched in 2018.

According to a report, the tech giant’s expected next iPhone SE would effectively be a reworked iPhone XR. The prediction made by leaker Jon Prosser was most likely just a sensible extrapolation of Apple’s prior designs for the iPhone SE.

To produce the less expensive iPhone SE model, Apple liked to modify the hardware from previous models slightly.

The original model from 2016 modified the hardware from the iPhone 5S from 2013.

Based on the iPhone 8, the 2022 model was created. First spotted by AppleTrack, Prosser predicted on the Geared Up podcast.

“The iPhone SE 4, likely coming next year, wouldAessentially be a rebranded iPhone XR. Expect a 6.1-inch display with Face ID, 12MP rear camera and IP67 water and dust resistance,” AppleTrack tweeted.

–IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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HMD Global launches Nokia G60 5G smartphone in India: Price, specs and more

by Hansraj Agrawal | Nov 1, 2022 | Technology

Expanding its G-series smartphone line-up, HMD Global on Tuesday launched the Nokia G60 5G smartphone in India. Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G processor, the smartphone comes in 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage configuration at Rs 29,999. It is available for pre-booking on Nokia’s official website and retail outlets until November 7. On pre-booking, the company is offering Nokia Wired Buds worth Rs 3,599 for free. The smartphone will be available across selected retail stores, e-commerce platforms and Nokia’s official website from November 8.

HMD Global says the Nokia G60 5G is its most eco-friendly G-series device to date. Its polycarbonate back cover is made of 100 per cent recycled material and the frame is made of 60 per cent recycled material.

“Reducing environmental impact, and prioritising sustainability, the Nokia G60 5G is built from a high percentage of recycled material with the longest software support yet in the G-series,” said Sanmeet Singh Kochhar, VP, India & MENA, HMD Global.

Nokia G60 5G: Specification

The Nokia G60 5G sports a 6.58-inch fullHD+ screen of 120Hz refresh rate. It boots Android 12 operating system. It has a triple-camera system on the back, featuring a 50-megapixel primary camera sensor, 5MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, and a 5MP depth sensor. On the front, the phone has an 8MP camera sensor. It comes with the GoPro Quik App pre-installed for users to shoot, edit and share the photos.

It is powered by a 4,500 mAh battery, supported by 20W fast charging. It is IP52 rated for water and dust resistance. HMD Global promises up to three years of OS upgrades and monthly security updates, and a two-year warranty. It comes in 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage configuration, and black and ice colours. It supports a microSD card for storage expansion.

The smartphone has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, 3.5mm audio jack for wired audio out, a USB-C port, Bluetooth for wireless connectivity, dual-SIM and 5G network. The Nokia G60 5G supports Jio True 5G network along with Airtel 5G Plus. It also comes with e-SIM support.

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Microsoft announces to keep ‘Call of Duty’ on PlayStation forever: Reports

by Hansraj Agrawal | Nov 1, 2022 | Technology

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has announced plans to keep the ‘Call of Duty’ game on PlayStation forever.

Spencer had recently discussed the future of the first-person shooter game in a podcast interview, reports The Verge.

“As long as there’s a PlayStation out there to ship to, our intent is that we continue to ship ‘Call of Duty’ on PlayStation,” Spencer was quoted as saying in a report.

“Similar to what we’ve done with ‘Minecraft’, since we’ve owned that, we’ve expanded the places people can play ‘Minecraft’. We haven’t reduced the places, and it’s been good for the ‘Minecraft’ community in my opinion, and I want to do the same as we think about where ‘Call of Duty’ can go.”

According to the report, previously, Spencer also gave a hint about intentions to port the game to the Nintendo Switch, in order to maintain the ‘Call of Duty’ franchise on competing platforms.

Earlier, the company had said it will keep ‘Call of Duty’ on its rival Sony PlayStation gaming consoles for “several more years”.

“I confirmed our intent to honour all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our desire to keep ‘Call of Duty’ on PlayStation,” Spencer had said in a tweet.

–IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Kodak Matrix QLED TV 50-inch review: Inexpensive, but feature-rich smart TV

by Hansraj Agrawal | Nov 1, 2022 | Technology

Super Plastronics Private Limited (SPPL), the official brand licensee of Kodak smart televisions in India, recently launched its Google TV platform-based QLED smart TVs. Named the Kodak Matrix QLED series, the televisions boasts 10-bit QLED screen panels supported by Dolby Vision and HDR10+, Dolby Atmos and DTS Trusurround audio, dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity, and multiple ports. At Rs 33,999, the 50-inch model (review unit) is among the cheapest QLED smart televisions powered by Google TV platform. Is it a good one? Let’s find out:

Design

The Kodak Matrix QLED TV 50-inch boasts an all-screen front profile with power LED on the bottom-centre, the only visible distraction. It is neither heavy nor bulky but appropriately sized. However, its cheap plastic frame and underwhelming finish give away its budget roots. The TV supports wall mount and table top installations, and comes with accessories for both in the box. Like the TV, the mount accessories are of acceptable quality but there is nothing special about them to write about.

Display and audio

Audio-visual are defining traits for televisions, and the Kodak Matrix QLED TV 50-inch impresses on both parameters. Starting with the screen, the TV sports a 50-inch QLED panel of 4K resolution stretched in 16:9 aspect ratio. The screen supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+ — two high dynamic range (HDR) formats commonly used by over-the-top platforms such as Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, and Amazon Prime Video.

The screen is tad better than LED panels, but underwhelming for a QLED. From price optics, however, it looks good. The screen is tuned for cool colour temperature by default. For personalised experience, there are multiple colour profiles such as vivid for saturated colours, sports for bright colours, and movies for warm colours. Besides, there are colour profiles for HDR content such as ‘HDR10+ Dark’ and ‘HDR10+ Bright’.

The screen is bright and vivid. However, contrast is mediocre for a QLED panel. The TV seems to lack support for local dimming, which enhances contrast by controlling the LED luminosity in zones – one of the advantages of QLED panels. Therefore, the visual appears only a tad better than how they are perceived on LED panels.

Lifting the experience is the 40W stereo speakers of the Kodak Matrix QLED TV 50-inch. The speakers are loud and clear. These support Dolby Atmos and DTS Trusurround audio formats to deliver an immersive audio experience.

Performance

The Kodak Matrix QLED TV gives away its budget roots when it comes to performance. Not that it is incapable, but there are inconsistencies in the user interface. Powered by MediaTek MT9062 processor, paired with 2GB RAM and 16GB on-board storage, the Kodak Matrix QLED TV 50-inch boots Google TV platform. The interface is content rich with recommendations available on the home screen from supported apps, but scrolling through the content is a slow and sluggish experience. Besides, the TV does not remember display settings and keeps shifting back to the default ‘energy saving’ colour profile after every reboot.

Verdict

The Kodak Matrix QLED TV 50-inch goes beyond fundamentals in terms of features to look good for its price, but cheap built and unstable operating system give away its budget roots. Nevertheless, it makes a good buy if you prioritise audio-visual experience over design. As for the performance issues, a third-party streaming device such as Amazon FireTV Stick 4K (review) solves it. Rounding up the package is an all-round connectivity, including two-way Bluetooth for Google Assistant-powered voice remote control and other Bluetooth-enabled accessories, dual-band Wi-Fi, HDMI ports with support for CEC and ARC, USB-A, and optical for digital audio output.

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