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Realme 12 Pro Plus review: Potential segment winner despite imperfections | Tech Reviews – Business Standard

Realme 12 Pro Plus review: Potential segment winner despite imperfections | Tech Reviews – Business Standard

by | Feb 12, 2024 | Technology


Chinese smartphone brand Realme has frequently referred to itself as a technology democratiser. While this claim may not hold true for all models in its lineup, the top-end model in its number series certainly makes a compelling case for it. Known as the Realme 12 Pro+, this smartphone delivers flagship-grade design, display, camera system, performance, and battery life, all starting at Rs 33,999. On paper, the Realme 12 Pro+ appears to offer excellent value for money in the midrange segment. However, whether it lives up to its on-paper promises remains to be seen. Let us delve into details to find out:

Design

The Realme 12 Pro Plus, in the Submarine Blue colour variant under review, features a leather-finished back cover with a watch-like design for the camera and a gold-coloured frame. Realme collaborated with premium watch designer Ollivier Savéo for the watch-inspired design. A vertical golden metallic strip running across the centre enhances the overall appearance of the smartphone. Moreover, there is a vegan leather coating on the back cover that maintains cleanliness by repelling fingerprint smudges and obviates the necessity for an additional back cover.


Realme 12 Pro+: Design

Inside the camera module sits a vertical bar-shaped LED. The phone’s sides exhibit a metallic finish. The frame encompasses a power button and volume button on the right, a secondary speaker, and a secondary microphone on the top, and a USB-C port, primary speaker, primary microphone, and a removable SIM slot on the bottom.

A 3D curved display with thin bezels dominated the front profile. Weighing 196g, the phone’s sleek design and soft-touch leather back provide a rubber-like texture for a secure grip. However, the rear camera bulk compromises stability on flat surfaces. Though similar designs are prevalent among premium phones, the Realme 12 Pro Plus distinguishes itself with its watch-like style.

Display and Audio

The Realme 12 Pro Plus boasts a two-side curved 6.7-inch fullHD+ OLED display of 120Hz refresh rate. The display offers modest dynamic range, but remains legible in outdoor conditions. Various screen colour modes such as Vivid, Natural, Pro modes, cinematic, and brilliant are available within the display setting to allow the user to set it based on preferences. The display supports HDR viewing in YouTube and select other apps.

In terms of responsiveness, the display offers a seamless experience, while the haptics heighten the sense of connection while interacting with apps and social media platforms.

As for audio, it stands as one of the smartphone’s strongest features. Equipped with a pair of stereo speakers and Dolby Atmos support, the sound is loud and clear. Dual-mic noise cancellation ensures clear voice recording, even in outdoor settings. While the smartphone lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack, it supports Hi-Res audio.

Camera

The Realme 12 Pro Plus boasts a triple-camera setup on the rear, including a 64-megapixel Periscope Telephoto camera that no other smartphone in the segment offers. The other two camera sensors are not afterthoughts either, there is a 50MP Sony IMX890 main camera and an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera. The main and telephoto camera sensors support optical image stabilisation. On the front, the phone has a 32MP camera sensor.

Realme 11 Pro+: Camera Sample


Realme 11 Pro+: Camera Sample

Sensors detail aside, the main camera captures images with depth, clarity, and natural colours in daylight. Even in low-light conditions, the camera delivers clear and consistent images without the need for night mode. However, the post-processing occasionally oversaturates images, resulting in excessively white hues.

Realme 12 Pro +: Photo mod


Realme 12 Pro +: Photo mode

The telephoto camera excels in all conditions, particularly with portraits in good light, producing detailed, vibrant, and well-contrasted images. The 64MP telephoto camera with 6X zoom offers detailed shots, with readable signage even at maximum zoom. However, digital zoom beyond 6x yields inconsistent, pixelated images, with struggles evident at 120x zoom.

Realme 12 Pro +: Telephoto camera


Realme 12 Pro +: Telephoto camera

Realme 12 Pro+: Portrait mode


Realme 12 Pro+: Portrait mode

In contrast to the main and telephoto, the ultra-wide camera underperforms with hazy and faded colours. Improvements are needed in both macro capabilities and stabilisation, as many images exhibit instability and necessitate multiple attempts for a satisfactory shot.

The front camera captures detailed pictures with a tendency to soften images, complemented by beauty tools and colour filters.

Video recording capabilities include 4K resolution at 30fps and 60fps, as well as 720p at 30fps and 60fps, with an option for ultra-steady mode limited to 1080p at 60 fps. However, videos may not accurately represent colours, often appearing washed-out.

Performance and Battery

Powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 system-on-chip, with up to 12GB RAM and 256GB memory, the Realme 12 Pro Plus delivers fast and smooth performance. The 5000mAh battery lasts a full day, even with a 120Hz refresh rate and four hours of continuous content consumption. Fast charging, facilitated by the 67W wired charger included, enables a full charge from zero to full within an hour.

Software

Based on Android 14-based operating system with Realme UI 5.0 layered on top, the Realme 12 Pro Plus offers responsive system natural haptics experience. The skin comes pre-loaded with third-party apps and many bloatware like FinShell Pay, which cannot be removed. However, the custom-skin incorporates features akin to ColorOS, including File dock for quick access, Smart image matting for object extraction from images, and Omoji for avatar creation. Realme commits to two years of major software updates and three years of security updates for the Realme 12 Pro+.

Verdict

The Realme 12 Pro Plus stands out in the segment with a telephoto camera that is pixel-rich and backed by OIS. Together with commendable display and smooth performance, the smartphone makes an all-round package that offers even better value to users seeking a mid range option with solid camera capabilities.

 


First Published: Feb 12 2024 | 11:36 AM IST





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Samsung gets FDA clearance in US for sleep apnea detection on Galaxy Watch | Tech News – Business Standard

Samsung gets FDA clearance in US for sleep apnea detection on Galaxy Watch | Tech News – Business Standard

by | Feb 12, 2024 | Technology


Sleep apnea detection on Galaxy Watch

Samsung has announced that the sleep apnea feature on the Samsung Health Monitor app has received De Novo authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This feature detects the signs of sleep apnea by monitoring blood oxygen levels of the user during sleep through supported Galaxy Watches. The feature will be available in the US through the Samsung Health Monitor app in the third quarter of 2024.


Last year, Samsung received the approval by South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) for the same feature.


The sleep apnea detection feature allows users of age 22 or above to detect the signs of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) over a two-night monitoring period. Users will be required to track their sleep with the Galaxy Watch twice for more than four hours within a period of ten days. The Galaxy Watch will monitor the blood oxygen level of the user throughout the night to detect any drop in oxygen levels, which is a common symptom of sleep apnea.


Obstructive sleep apnea can cause a person to stop breathing while sleeping that can often result in disruptions in oxygen supply. This results in decreased sleep quality and increased daytime fatigue.


Earlier, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple is planning to add sleep apnea detection feature alongside blood pressure monitoring on the Apple Watch Series 10, which is expected to launch in September.


Blood Pressure monitoring and electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring features are already available on the Samsung Galaxy Watch series 4 or later. Last month, Samsung announced that its blood pressure and ECG tracking features have received regulatory clearances and certifications from India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization. The features are available in India through the Samsung Health Monitor app. 

First Published: Feb 12 2024 | 10:25 AM IST



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Apple is settling 2022 chip secrets theft case against startup Rivos | World News – Business Standard

Apple is settling 2022 chip secrets theft case against startup Rivos | World News – Business Standard

by | Feb 10, 2024 | Technology



By Rachel Graf


Apple Inc. said it’s reached an agreement that potentially settles its 2022 lawsuit accusing startup Rivos Inc. of poaching engineers to steal trade secrets.

 


In a joint court filing Friday, the companies told a judge they’re aiming to finalize an accord that resolves their claims against each other by March 15.


“The agreement provides for remediation of Apple confidential information based on a forensic examination of Rivos systems and other activities,” according to the filing in federal court in San Jose, California. “The parties currently are working through that process.”


The dispute started when Apple sued former employees who went to Rivos, accusing them of working with the “stealth-mode” startup to take proprietary information about chip designs that make iPhones more powerful — which the tech giant said cost it billions of dollars to develop. Rivos in September fired back at Apple for allegedly using illegal measures to intimidate employees “who might dare to leave.”


Representatives for Apple and Rivos didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.


The case is Apple Inc. v. Rivos Inc., 22-cv-2637, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (San Jose).

First Published: Feb 10 2024 | 7:27 PM IST



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Instagram, Threads to start limiting recommendation of political content | Apps – Business Standard

Instagram, Threads to start limiting recommendation of political content | Apps – Business Standard

by | Feb 10, 2024 | Technology



Instagram users will no longer be bombarded with unwanted political content on their feed.


As per Variety, Instagram, in a blog post, said it will not “proactively recommend” political content from accounts that users do not already follow.


The same policy is also applied to Threads, the Twitter-like app launched last summer under the Instagram brand.


“We want Instagram and Threads to be a great experience for everyone. If you decide to follow accounts that post political content, we don’t want to get between you and their posts, but we also don’t want to proactively recommend political content from accounts you don’t follow,” the Meta-owned company said.


Both apps will add a setting to let users who still want to see political content recommendations opt to do so — and, according the post, the same control will roll out on Facebook at a later date. Instagram defines “political content” as “potentially related to things like laws, elections or social topics.”


“Our goal is to preserve the ability for people to choose to interact with political content, while respecting each person’s appetite for it,” Instagram head Adam Mosseri wrote in a post on Threads.


The updated policy to discontinue recommending political content applies to areas of Instagram including Explore, Reels, In-Feed Recommendations and Suggested Users.


Meta has already been deprioritising political content across its social apps, including on Facebook. “People have told us they want to see less political content, so we have spent the last few years refining our approach on Facebook to reduce the amount of political content – including from politicians’ accounts – you see in Feed, Reels, Watch, Groups You Should Join, and Pages You May Like,” the company explained in a post on its Transparency Center site, Variety reported.


The Instagram blog post noted that professional accounts on the app can check the Account Status setting to see if their posts are eligible to be recommended — based on whether they recently posted “political content.” If Instagram has blocked an account’s posts from recommendations, pro users may edit or remove recent posts to regain eligibility or request a review if they disagree with Instagram’s designation.

(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.)

First Published: Feb 10 2024 | 10:06 AM IST



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AI model could predict onset of psychosis using brain scans, finds research

AI model could predict onset of psychosis using brain scans, finds research

by | Feb 9, 2024 | Technology



Researchers have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) model that can predict the onset of psychosis in people using brain scans.


They said that the model, trained on brain scans from people globally, could be helpful in clinical settings, as earlier intervention typically leads to better outcomes with less negative impact on people’s lives, even as most experiencing psychosis recover fully.


Psychosis is a mental state characterised by being out of touch with reality and symptoms can include delusions, hallucinations or radical changes in behaviour and thinking. The condition has no single cause, but can be triggered by trauma, drug or alcohol use, or a genetic predisposition.


“At most only 30 per cent of clinical high-risk individuals later have overt psychotic symptoms, while the remaining 70 per cent do not,” said associate professor Shinsuke Koike from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tokyo, Japan, and the corresponding author of the study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.


“Therefore, clinicians need help to identify those who will go on to have psychotic symptoms using not only subclinical signs, such as changes in thinking, behaviour and emotions, but also some biological markers,” said Koike.


For developing the model, the international team of researchers enrolled close to 2,200 adolescent and young adult participants, over half of whom were clinically identified to be at high risk of developing psychosis.


Recruited from 21 locations worldwide, the “diverse” group was divided into four groups – those who later developed psychosis, those who didn’t develop psychosis and people with uncertain follow-up status, and healthy controls.


Using their magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, the researchers trained a machine learning algorithm – one that learns from past data to make predictions – to discern patterns in the anatomy of the participants’ brains. Previous studies have shown the onset of psychosis to be accompanied by structural differences in the brain.


On the training data, the researchers found that the AI model was 85 per cent accurate in differentiating between those at high risk who went on to develop overt psychotic symptoms later and those healthy. On new data, however, the model showed a 73 per accuracy in predicting which participants were at high risk of psychosis onset.


Research of psychotic disorders using MRI can be challenging, according to Koike, owing to variations in brain development and MRI machines, that can make it difficult to get accurate, comparable results.


Further, with young people, it can be difficult to distinguish between typical developmental changes and those occurring due to a mental illness, said Koike.


However, this was the first time that differences in the brains of those at high risk but have not yet experienced psychosis have been identified, the researchers said.

(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.)

First Published: Feb 09 2024 | 5:52 PM IST



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Windows 11 24H2: Microsoft's next big OS update is coming later this year | 2024

Windows 11 24H2: Microsoft's next big OS update is coming later this year | 2024

by | Feb 9, 2024 | Technology



Microsoft has announced that their Annual feature update for Windows will be Windows 11 version 24H2. The company in their Windows 11 Insider Preview Build announcement stated that Windows will have an annual feature update named Windows 11 version 24H2 in the second half of the calendar year. This announcement slims down the chances for a Windows 12 release this year.


Earlier, it was reported that Microsoft is expected to unveil its next big Windows operating system in the later half of 2024, but with the Windows 11 annual feature update coming in the second half of this year, the company has likely postponed the release of Windows 12. Microsoft is expected to integrate more AI features within the next operating system.


As for the  Windows 11 Insider Preview Build announcement, Microsoft has included a few notable features including support for sudo. This will essentially make it easier for the user to run commands as administrators, similar to Linux. Microsoft Copilot for Windows has also received updates. Users can now drag and drop images onto the Copilot icon to send them to the AI-powered chatbot.


Last month, Microsoft announced a new subscription-based tier of its Copilot, called Copilot Pro. The Paid-tier of copilot provides access to OpenAI’s most advanced GPT-4 Turbo model that was launched in November last year. Priced at $20 per month, the Pro plan offers advanced capabilities to help individuals with writing, coding, designing and researching – compared to the free version of Copilot. Microsoft also offers enterprise grade- Copilot for Microsoft 365 plan, which is priced at $30 per month.

First Published: Feb 09 2024 | 2:54 PM IST



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