Taskbar 6.0 enables a Samsung DeX-like desktop mode experience on some Android 10+ devices

Android 10 has been out for nearly 9 months now, but one of its best features, desktop mode, is still widely unknown. That’s because it’s technically hidden in Android 10, requiring a development flag to be enabled as well as support built-in to the stock launcher app. Thankfully, the developer of Taskbar has figured out a way to make Android 10’s desktop mode far more useful, bringing a Samsung DeX-like experience to some devices.

For some background, Android 10 added a “Secondary Launcher” activity to Launcher3, the AOSP launcher app that Google’s Pixel Launcher and many other OEM launcher apps are derived from. When an Android device with support for display output is hooked up to an external display, this Secondary Launcher activity is shown on the external display. However, because this Secondary Launcher is extremely barebones, it’s not useful to use as a productivity tool. Third-party app developers figured out that it’s possible for their own launcher apps to replace the stock launcher on the external display, and that’s exactly what XDA Senior Member farmerbb has implemented in Taskbar 6.0.

Taskbar is an open-source Android app that puts a floating start menu and recent apps tray on top of any screen. Since it supports launching Android apps in freeform multi-window, it even comes pre-installed on Bliss OS, a popular Android port for x86 PCs. Back in early November, farmerbb released a fork of the open-source Lawnchair launcher with Taskbar integrated into it. This gave us an early look at what Android 10’s hidden desktop mode could look like with some development effort, but there were some glaring issues that needed fixing. The desktop mode user experience needed fixing so that freeform multi-window behavior worked as you would expect, the setup process needed to be cleaned up so you could control the DPI/UI without needing another app, and a better solution had to be found so that you wouldn’t have to change your default launcher. Now, farmerbb has updated Taskbar to version 6.0 to address all of these issues.

Desktop Mode with Taskbar 6.0

Setting up Taskbar’s desktop mode is quite easy:

1. In Developer Options, turn on “enable freeform windows” and “force desktop mode” and then reboot your device. (The latter may be unavailable on some OEM software like ZenUI/ROG UI, but don’t worry if it’s not there.)
2. Install Taskbar 6.0 (older versions won’t work) from Google Play.
3. Open Taskbar’s settings and go to “Desktop Mode.” Enable it and grant the app permission to “display over other apps” as this is required for the app’s floating start menu to appear. Then, set the app as your default home app. Don’t worry, though, as the next prompt will ask you to set your preferred/primary launcher app, so Taskbar won’t be hijacking your home screen. (Note that on some devices, changing the default launcher will disable Android 10’s full-screen navigation gestures.)
4. Next, I highly recommend you follow the instructions to “enable additional settings” for desktop mode. This will allow you to lower the DPI so UI elements aren’t enormous on the external display, to hide the navigation bar, and to even dim the phone’s screen to save battery life while it’s connected to the external display. You’ll have to set up ADB access on your PC and run the following command:

   adb shell pm grant com.farmerbb.taskbar android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS

   (If you are using Taskbar’s “Donate” version, replace “com.farmerbb.taskbar” with “com.farmerbb.taskbar.paid” in the above command.)

5. Finally, check to make sure that “usage access” has been enabled for Taskbar. Doing so will allow the app to show a row of your recently used applications in the start menu.
6. Now, simply connect your phone to your external display using a USB Type-C to Type-C cable (if your external display supports Type-C input) or via a USB Type-C to HDMI adapter.

Once connected, you can use the start menu to launch apps, search for apps, add app icons to the home screen, open some system menus, and more. You can tap the icon next to the start menu to add/show widgets. You can launch multiple instances of windows, and in some cases like Google Chrome, have multiple tabs.

There are loads of other options and changes in Taskbar 6.0, so I recommend you read the full changelog available here.

Display Output on Android – Sadly Still Limited

Who might this be useful for? Samsung, Huawei/Honor, and LG offer their own desktop mode experiences, so there’s you won’t find much use out of Taskbar’s desktop mode if you own a smartphone from one of those brands. ASUS, OnePlus, Essential, Google, and Xiaomi don’t offer their own desktop mode experiences, so if you’re on at least Android 10 on a device from one of these brands, then you may find Taskbar’s desktop mode feature to be useful. If you want a desktop mode experience to be more productive, then I recommend you use a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. If you have a portable external monitor/laptop chassis like the NexDock 2, then you’ll have an even better experience with Taskbar.

Keep in mind that in order to actually make use of this feature, your smartphone must support display output. Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 800 and 700 series chipsets natively support DisplayPort Alternate Mode over a USB 3.1 Type-C port, but some vendors (like Google) have disabled this functionality on their smartphones. If your device doesn’t support DisplayPort Alternate Mode, then you may have luck using a DisplayLink-certified adapter and the DisplayLink Presenter app to mirror the phone’s display. Screen mirroring using a DisplayLink adapter isn’t as ideal as native desktop mode through a standard connector, but it’s better than not having any display output at all! Fortunately, Taskbar can still be used if you’re just mirroring your phone’s display so long as the app is set as the default launcher, but you’ll have to use the developer’s SecondScreen app to change the resolution and density.

The biggest downside to desktop mode on Android right now is the limited app support. Even though Samsung and Huawei have both offered desktop mode experiences for years and sell millions of smartphones a year, there’s not a lot of demand from users to support desktop mode. That means that a lot of Android apps out there aren’t optimized for larger screens. Google wants to change that because broader Android app support for larger screens will benefit Chromebooks as well, but sadly, there’s still a long way to go before most Android apps support larger screens. Thus, while using Taskbar, you may notice that some apps refuse to run or just look terrible, and there’s not much you can do to fix that.

Download Taskbar 6.0

If you have one of the following smartphones, I recommend giving this app a try:

• ASUS ROG Phone II
• Essential Phone
• OnePlus 7
• OnePlus 7 Pro
• OnePlus 7T
• OnePlus 7T Pro
• OnePlus 8
• OnePlus 8 Pro
• OPPO Reno 10X Zoom

You can download Taskbar 6.0 from the Google Play Store link below or compile the app from its source code on GitHub. The app is totally free to use, but there’s a $1.99 donate version in case you want to support farmerbb’s development efforts.

Taskbar Forum Thread on XDA ||| Taskbar Source Code on GitHub

Taskbar - PC-style productivity for Android (Free, Google Play) →

Taskbar (Donate Version) ($1.99, Google Play) →

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Night Vision uses the ToF camera on the Samsung Galaxy S20+, Note 10+, and S10 5G to let you see in the dark

Hardware-backed facial recognition in the Android smartphone world often relies on Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensors. Samsung, for example, utilizes the ToF module on the 5G variant of the Galaxy S10 to power their 3D face unlock mechanism. The ToF camera tracks the distance between two objects based on the constant speed of light. Developers have also used data from this camera to create virtual 3D models with depth data to render the surroundings as a pseudo-night vision mode. We first saw this work on certain Huawei and Honor phones in the past with the help of an app named Night Vision / ToF Viewer, and the same app can help you to turn your Samsung Galaxy S20+, Samsung Galaxy Note 10+, or Samsung Galaxy S10 5G into a somewhat functional, but mostly gimmicky, night vision camera.

Galaxy S20+ Forums ||| Galaxy Note 10+ Forums ||| Galaxy S10 5G Forums

When we first tinkered with the app back in 2019, it wasn’t made to detect the Galaxy S10 5G’s ToF sensor. The developer, Luboš Vonásek, worked hard to gradually expand the list of supported devices with ToF cameras. The Android 10/One UI 2.0 update for the Galaxy S10 5G apparently made it easy to handle the ToF module, albeit the output is still limited to a low resolution of 240×180. On newer Samsung devices, such as the Galaxy Note 10+ and Galaxy S20+, the app can render the surroundings in night vision mode with a better resolution of 320×240.

Night Vision/TOF Viewer on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+. Image credits: Reddit user /u/toelingus

According to our own Max Weinbach, using Night Vision on Samsung provides better quality, while you can get a better range on Huawei devices. The VR mode in this app is no longer accessible since the last update, though, as the developer removed it completely. There is no complicated prerequisite – owners of the aforementioned phones can straight away download it from the Google Play Store without messing with ADB and/or any kind of system file modding.

Night Vision / ToF Viewer (Free, Google Play) →

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Credits to Reddit user toelingus for the screenshot!

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Realme 5 and Realme 5s start getting Android 10 with Realme UI

Launched back in August 2019, the Realme 5 was one of the first phones from the Chinese brand to feature the mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chip. The affordable quad-camera phone comes with a 12MP primary camera and runs ColorOS 6 on top of Android 9 Pie. Within a few months, Realme refreshed the device with a 48MP Samsung ISOCELL Bright GM1 sensor and launched it as the Realme 5s. According to the update roadmap shared by Realme India’s CEO Madhav Sheth, the phone duo is scheduled to receive a taste of Android 10-based Realme UI in May. The company has kept their promise as it has now rolled out the stable Realme UI update with Android 10 to the Realme 5 and the Realme 5s.

Realme 5 XDA Forums

Earlier this month, Realme started an initiative called “Realme UI Early Access” for the owners of the Realme 5/5s, which served as a pilot open beta testing before the actual rollout. The current stable Android 10 build is tagged as RMX1925EX_11_C.39, and it brings in several new features such as Focus Mode, optimized three-finger screenshot, and a revamped camera UI. It is worth mentioning that the Realme 5 and the 5s share a common firmware due to their internal similarities.

Thanks to Realme Community user mmmllL for the screenshot!

The combined changelog for the Realme UI 1.0 update for the Realme 5/5s is as follows:

Realme UI 1.0 (Android 10) update changelog for the Realme 5/5s

• Visuals
  • Updated UI to realme UI
  • Brand new Real Design makes visuals more attractive and operation more efficient.
• Smart Sidebar
  • Optimized user interface and improved one-handed operation.
  • Optimized Smart Sidebar: Replaced File Console with File Manager; removed OSIE Visual Effect and No Notification Alerts.
  • Drag an app out of Smart Sidebar to open it in Split-screen Mode.
  • Added two new features: “Assistive Ball Opacity” and “Hide Assistive Ball on Fullscreen App”.
  • Optimized the Floating Window feature for more apps.
  • Added Bubbles: A bubble is displayed when you open an app in a floating window from the Smart Sidebar. Tap the bubble to collapse or open the app.
• Screenshot
  • Optimized 3-Finger Screenshot Gesture: Use 3 fingers to touch and hold the screen, and swipe to take a screenshot of the selected part of the screen (partial screen capture). Use 3 fingers to touch and hold the screen, and swipe your fingers outwards to capture a long screenshot.
  • Added screenshot settings: You can adjust the position of the screenshot preview floating window and set the screenshot sound.
  • Optimized screenshot preview floating window: After taking a screenshot, drag it up and release to share it, or drag it down and release to take a long screenshot.
• Navigation Gestures 3.0
  • Optimized gestures: All gestures are supported in landscape mode.
• System
  • Added Focus Mode: Minimizes outside distractions when you are learning or working.
  • Added whole new charging animation.
  • Optimized the Quick Settings user interface for easier one-handed operation.
  • Added pause feature for screen recording.
  • Added a floating window and settings for screen recording.
  • New sounds added for file deletion, calculator key touches, and compass pointer.
  • Optimized system built-in ringtones.
  • Added TalkBack floating prompts for Accessibility.
  • New management feature for recent tasks: You can view memory of recent tasks and locked apps.
• Games
  • Optimized visual interaction for Game Space.
  • Optimized loading animation for Game Space.
• Homescreen
  • Added new live wallpapers.
  • Added artistic wallpapers.
  • Added option to open Global Search or the notification panel when swiping down on homescreen.
  • Added option to customize the size, shape, and style of app icons on homescreen.
  • Optimized the graphic design of password unlock to facilitate one-handed operation.
  • Support for animated wallpapers on the lockscreen.
  • Added a Simple Mode for homescreen, featuring larger fonts, icons and a clearer layout.
• Security
  • Random MAC address Generator: When your phone is connected to Wi-Fi network system generates a random MAC address to avoid targeted ads and protect your privacy.
• Tools
  • In Quick Settings or Smart Sidebar, you can open Calculator in a floating window.
  • Added the trim feature in Recordings.
  • Added the Weather (dynamic) ringtone, which automatically adapts to the current weather.
  • Added weather-adaptive animations in Weather.
• Camera
  • Optimized the Camera UI for better user experience.
  • Optimized the Timer UI and sound.
• Photos
  • Optimized the Album UI for a clearer structure and photo thumbnails.
  • Added Album Recommendations that recognize more than 80 different scenes.
• Communications
  • realme Share now supports sharing files with OPPO, Vivo and Xiaomi devices.
  • Optimized the Contacts UI for a more efficient experience.
• Network
  • Added Airtel and Jio VoWiFi feature
• Settings
  • Search Settings now supports fuzzy match and contains a search history.

Users interested in downloading this update should expect an over-the-air update to arrive on their phones soon. If it’s not available for your device yet, then you can enroll yourself in the “Application Channel” (Realme 5, Realme 5s) to bypass the standard staggered rollout scheme. We will update this article as soon as we get the manual download links.

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Source: Realme (1, 2)

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OPPO starts rolling out ColorOS 7 (Android 10) updates to its Find X, Reno, K, and A series phones in India

After conducting a successful beta run, OPPO is now set to bring the stable ColorOS 7 (Android 10) to a number of OPPO smartphones. The company has started rolling out the latest version of its custom skin to Find X, Reno, F, A, and K series of smartphones in India.

The update will be rolled out in batches, meaning only a small part of the userbase will initially get the OTA with the rollout gradually extending to all users in the coming days. Users can head to the Settings > Software Update and click on the Trial Version from the gear menu to see if it’s available for you.

ColorOS 7 brings a massive overhaul over ColorOS 6 including a minimalistic UI, revamped iconography, improved one-handed usability, full support for Android 10’s navigation gestures, system-wide dark mode, and much more. Check out our in-depth review of ColorOS 7 to learn more about the new software. Along with the above-mentioned features, the ColorOS 7 update for these phones also includes several India-specific features including Digilocker service to keep your documents handy, Smart Riding mode which blocks notifications while you’re driving, and Hawa Mahal wallpaper.

Below is the full list of OPPO phones which are currently receiving the stable ColorOS 7 update based on Android 10:

• Find X
• Find X Lamborghini Edition
• Find X SuperVOOC Edition
• Reno 10X Zoom
• Reno
• Reno 2
• Reno2 F
• Reno2 Z
• R17
• R17 Pro
• F11
• F11 Pro Marvel’s Avengers Limited Edition
• A9
• K3

If you can’t find your device on the above list, don’t worry. OPPO plans to expand the ColorOS 7 rollout to more phones in the coming weeks. Here are the phones which are scheduled to receive the ColorOS 7 (Android 10) update next:

• From June 10th
  • F9
  • F9 Pro
• From 15th June
  • A5 (2020)
  • A9 (2020)
• From 24th June
  • F7
  • F7 128G
• In July
  • F15
  • R15 Pro

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Have you tried out the ColorOS 7 update? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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Xiaomi, Apple, Samsung, and Huawei sold more wristbands and earbuds in Q1 2020 despite COVID-19

Smartphone and tablet sales in the first quarter this year took a massive hit due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Not only has the situation forced manufacturers to scale down production and delay product launches, but the financial uncertainty of it all has also led to potential buyers deferring purchases. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case for the wearables market. According to the IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker report, Xiaomi, Apple, Samsung, and Huawei saw significant growth in the wearables segment in Q1 2020.

As per Business Wire, global shipments of wearable devices grew 29.7% YoY during Q1 2020, with total device volume reaching 72.6 million units. However, the growth was disproportionately spread across different categories in the wearables segment, with fitness bands and wireless earphones surpassing sales of smartwatches. The fitness band category saw a 16.2% growth in the first quarter, thanks to new product launches like the Fitbit Charge 4 and aggressive pricing from Chinese manufacturers like Xiaomi and Huawei. The wireless earbuds category, on the other hand, grew an impressive 68.3% and accounted for 54.9% of the total market share.

As far as individual brands are concerned, Apple maintained its top spot in the wearable segment with a 23.9% market share and 21.2 million units shipped in Q1 2020. Xiaomi took the second spot with 7.3 million fitness bands and smartwatches shipped in the quarter. Samsung ranked third with its wearables business accounting for 74% of its total shipments during the quarter, up from 58.9% at the same time last year. Its Galaxy Buds and Galaxy Buds+ were well received and the company managed to ship over 4 million units of the two models. Huawei and its sub-brand Honor took the fourth spot, with 8.1 million units shipped in the time period. The decline in smartwatch sales was directly attributed to the fact that these watches share some components with smartphones which were in short supply during the period.

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Source: Business Wire

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Samsung’s Exynos 992 may be a 5nm chip for the Galaxy Note 20 with ARM’s new CPU and GPU designs

This week, ARM announced the new ARM Cortex-A78 CPU as well as the ARM Mali-G78 GPU as part of its TechDay 2020. The two succeeded last year’s Cortex-A77 CPU and Mali-G77 GPU respectively. The wildcard announcement was the Cortex-X Custom program (CXC), wherein ARM announced that the first CPU made under the CXC would be the Cortex-X1, ARM’s most powerful CPU yet. The Cortex-X1 would specifically target peak performance in lieu of energy efficiency and PPA (performance, power, and area), which would lead it to compete head-on with Apple’s leading A-series chips. At the time of the announcement, I wrote that Samsung was a strong candidate to adopt ARM’s new mobile CPU IP. The Exynos M5 custom core in the Exynos 990 was Samsung’s last fully custom core for the foreseeable future, as the company’s custom CPU core project at SARC has ended (to learn more about why the project failed, read this article). Samsung, thus, was left with no option but to use ARM’s CPU IP starting with its next flagship SoC. Now, a report by ZDNet Korea states that Samsung’s upcoming Exynos 992 will be a 5nm chip for the Galaxy Note 20, featuring both the ARM Cortex-A78 and the Mali-G78, but not the Cortex-X1.

We first heard about the Exynos 992 a month ago thanks to another ZDNet Korea report. At that time, the publication had said the new SoC was intended for the Galaxy Note 20 series, and it would be fabricated on Samsung’s 6nm process, which is one notch lower than its cutting-edge 5nm process. The Exynos 990, on the other hand, is manufactured on Samsung Foundry’s 7nm LPP process with EUV. Now, the publication claims that that the Exynos 992 will, after all, be manufactured on the 5nm process.

The report notes that Samsung continues to fight with TSMC for superiority in the next-generation cutting-edge foundry processes. Over the last few years, Samsung Foundry has lost two high-profile clients to TSMC. It lost Apple as a customer from 2016 when the company fully migrated to TSMC. Then in 2019, it missed out on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 contract because of the superiority of TSMC’s 7nm process over its own 8nm process. This year, Samsung’s 7nm EUV process should have been a candidate for building the Snapdragon 865, but for reasons that are still not fully known, Qualcomm opted to award the contract to TSMC on its technically inferior 7nm N7P (DUV) process. Samsung, therefore, has been fighting a losing battle against TSMC, and because of this reason, it has lost no time in moving on from 7nm EUV to the next-generation 5nm process, while the 6nm process will slot below it.

According to ZDNet Korea, semiconductor industry sources on May 27 said Samsung Electronics recently finished mass production for the next-generation Exynos SoC (tentatively named as the Exynos 992) based on the 5nm process. The SoC will be released in August, which matches the time-frame for the launch of the Galaxy Note 20 series.

The report quotes an unnamed official from the semiconductor industry as saying that all preparations for the launch of a new application processor (Exynos 992) based on the 5nm process in the second half of August are complete. Now, it’s supposedly just a matter of deciding whether it will be used in the Galaxy Note 20.

The Exynos 992 is said to have significantly improved power efficiency and GPU performance compared to the previous Exynos 990 as it features ARM’s latest IP (Cortex-A78 and Mali-G78). There is no mention about the Cortex-X1, which ARM said would be part of next-generation flagship SoCs as a 1+3+4 configuration (1x Cortex-X1 + 3x Cortex-A78 + 4x Cortex-A55). The claims about the significantly improved power efficiency and GPU performance are reasonable because of how poor the Exynos 990 was in terms of efficiency. Its Exynos M5 custom core had a 100% efficiency deficit against the Snapdragon 865’s Cortex-A77 core, so moving to the newer Cortex-A78 (which brings with it 20% better power efficiency and performance improvement of 20% over the last-generation Cortex-A77) should provide enormous energy savings. The Mali-G78 is also 25% faster and more power-efficient than its predecessor, but on account of the numbers, it still won’t be able to match Qualcomm’s Adreno 650 GPU in terms of performance per watt. ARM has noted the Cortex-A78 will be mass-produced on 5nm – the 5nm process provides for 13% of the performance improvement of the A78 over the A77, while the remaining 7% gains are achieved due to better integer single-threaded CPU performance.

ZDNet Korea notes that Samsung did not use the Exynos 990 in the domestic South Korean Galaxy S20 variants, opting to use the Snapdragon 865. At that time, this had been a surprising decision, interpreted by many to signify that Samsung itself lacked confidence in the Exynos 990’s performance and power. Now, though, Samsung Systems LSI hopes to expand its market share by using the Exynos 992 in the domestic South Korean variants of the Galaxy Note 20 series. The Snapdragon 865 will still be used in some overseas markets, however – likely referring to the U.S./China/Hong Kong/Latin America/Japan variants of the phones. The Exynos 992 will, therefore, prove Samsung Foundry’s competitiveness by being the first major mobile SoC to be fabricated on the cutting edge 5nm process.

Samsung Electronics recorded $3.64 billion in revenue in the system semiconductor business in Q1 2020. This came despite the fact that the Galaxy S20’s Korean model excluded the Exynos 990 in favor of the Snapdragon 865. The reduced reach of the Exynos was made up by supplying a high-resolution image sensor (the 108MP ISOCELL Bright HMX) to Xiaomi, which increased sales. Now, the securities industry expects Samsung Systems LSI to record more than $3.77 billion in sales in the third quarter of this year when the Galaxy Note 20 is released. According to Counterpoint Research, Samsung Electronics ranked third in the global application processor (AP) market last year with a 14.1% share, below market leader Qualcomm with
33.4% share and second-placed MediaTek.

ZDNet Korea’s report seems to be reliable on account of what we know. The Exynos variants of the Galaxy Note 20 series, therefore, are expected to be faster and much more power-efficient than the Exynos Galaxy S20 variants. It has to be hoped that Samsung finally manages to overcome the performance deficit against Snapdragon and differentiates its own SoC in a positive manner. If this is finally achieved, the competitive nature of the smartphone market will finally get back on track.

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Source: ZDNet Korea

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Google’s new AR tool helps you keep 6 feet apart in accordance with COVID-19 social distancing guidelines

There’s no denying that COVID-19 has fundamentally changed how we go about our daily lives. The health advisories issued in light of the pandemic necessitate social distancing, and such practices need to be ingrained deeply into our way of living, at least for the near future. But this change has been sudden, and people need time to break old habits and to adjust and make new habits. If you are finding it difficult to envisage the six-feet social distancing guideline, Google has released a new tool called Sodar that uses AR to help you visualize the space that you need to keep around yourself.

Sodar – use WebXR to help visualise social distancing guidelines in your environment. Using Sodar on supported mobile devices, create an augmented reality two meter radius ring around you. #hacktohelp https://t.co/Bu78QrEN9f pic.twitter.com/kufatNFDQk

— Experiments with Google (@ExpWithGoogle) May 28, 2020

Sodar, which we presume is a play on “social distancing radar”, is a web-based augmented reality tool that superimposes a 2-meter virtual ring on your viewfinder. Since it is web-based, you do not need a special app to run it, though it appears to be restricted to Chrome on Android. Just open up the Sodar website on Chrome on your Android smartphone and grant it the permissions it needs to function. You would need to calibrate it with a view of the ground and space around you, but once done, the virtual ring will show you the distance you need to keep from other human beings.

Keep in mind that AR-based solutions are not fool-proof in their assessment of our real world, despite all the advancements, so treat the boundary suggested as a guideline rather than a measure of accuracy. In matters of health and public safety, it is better to err on the side of caution. Still, it’s a good tool to have to reinforce the ideas of social distancing and just how much distance is needed.

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Source: Experiments with Google
Story Via: AndroidPolice

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OPPO is selling a smartphone and several accessories with Neon Genesis Evangelion branding, but only in China

It’s a common trend for Chinese smartphone manufacturers to launch special edition variants of their phones in the domestic market. While some of these special edition variants offer better hardware specifications or a transparent back, most others offer a slightly different design/color based on a pop culture reference. For instance, the recently launched Vivo iQOO Z1 is also available in a special edition One Piece variant that has a bright yellow color and features the skull and bones logo from the popular anime/manga on the back. Vivo’s sister company OPPO is also known for launching similar special edition variants of its smartphones and, just last year, it released a Gundam Edition for the Reno Ace in China. And now, according to a recent post on Weibo, the company is offering a limited-edition Neon Genesis Evangelion edition of the OPPO Ace2 along with a couple of similarly themed accessories.

OPPO will be offering 10,000 units of this special edition Neon Genesis Evangelion model of the OPPO Ace2 starting from June 1st. The company was, most likely, able to obtain the Neon Genesis Evangelion branding license (from Japanese Studio Khara) for distribution only in China. The device is already up for pre-orders on Chinese eCommerce platform JD.com at a price of CNY 4,399 (~$615), which is exactly the same price as the regular 8GB/256GB variant of the OPPO Ace2.

For this price, you get a purple OPPO Ace2 with neon green accents on the back, Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 865 chip, 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM, 256GB of UFS 3.0 storage, a 90Hz high refresh display, and a 4,000mAh battery with support for 65W fast charging. Along with that, you also get a special edition case, charger/cable, wired earphones, and a unique cylindrical box. The Neon Genesis Evangelion special edition lineup also features a couple of accessories, including the Enco W31 TWS earbuds, the OPPO Watch, and a wireless charger.

The limited-edition device also appears to include some additions on the software front, including Neon Genesis Evangelion wallpapers and themes. Unlike the hardware changes, the custom themes will be made available to other OPPO users via the company’s theme store but they’re limited to just 1,000 copies on a first come, first serve basis.

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Source: Weibo (1,2)

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Free Android screen mirroring app “scrcpy” adds seamless copy-paste, stay awake option, and more

Working and interacting between devices with different operating systems can be a pain sometimes. There are few first-party tools available to set up multi-platform connections, and many of them require that you own devices from the same brand. Fortunately, third-party tools are there to save the day. A free and open-source project called scrcpy allows you to mirror your Android device’s screen to a personal computer, whether it’s running Windows, Mac, or Linux. It does that by using Android Debug Bridge as a connection tunnel and streaming the h.264-encoded video through it. Just yesterday, the developers of the project released a new version of the tool with some welcome features.

Seamless Copy-Paste

One of the most important of these features is the ability to seamlessly copy and paste between your phone and a computer, and vice versa. Copy-pasting UTF-8 encoded text from a computer to a phone works with Android devices running Android 7 and later. That’s because the command to inject the ‘paste’ key event via ADB was introduced in Android 7.0. Nevertheless, this newer approach definitely beats the older one which involved grabbing the copied text from Android’s clipboard.

Stay Awake

Another great new feature lets you force the device to stay awake. Combined with the command to turn the screen off, you can interact with your device on your PC while the actual device’s screen is turned off.

scrcpy -Sw # turn screen off and stay awake

You can also use the Ctrl + Shift + O shortcut to turn the screen back on.

The rest of the changelog of scrcpy 1.14 includes general fixes and workarounds for some bugs.

Download scrcpy 1.4

scrcpy 1.4 running on a Windows 10 PC

As I already mentioned, scrcpy is an open-source project. You can see and contribute to the repository on GitHub as well as download the tool. It’s a command-line tool so there’s no fancy GUI, so be sure to check the installation and configuration instructions there. Make sure to create issues and send pull requests to the repository if you encounter a bug.

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Via: OMG! Ubuntu!

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Xiaomi Mi 8 SE/9 SE/9 Lite and Mi 8 Lite/Max 3 Android 10 kernel source code now available

Qualcomm debuted their 700-tier chipset series with the release of the Snapdragon 710 SoC back in 2018, and Xiaomi was the first smartphone maker to adopt it with the Mi 8 SE. Later on, Qualcomm introduced the Snapdragon 712 SoC with a little performance boost over the Snapdragon 710, and Xiaomi once again was first in line to utilize the then-new chipset on the Mi 9 SE. As the two platforms are software compatible, Xiaomi unified the kernel source code for the Mi 8 SE and Mi 9 SE. Now, Xiaomi has updated its kernel source code repository with the updated kernel sources corresponding to the Mi 8 SE and Mi 9 SE’s Android 10 update. Furthermore, Xiaomi has also merged the Mi 9 Lite’s sources with the same kernel source code tree.

Xiaomi Mi 8 SE Forums ||| Xiaomi Mi 9 SE Forums ||| Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite Forums

You may already know that the Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite is yet another example of Xiaomi’s rebranding strategy because the device is a clone of Xiaomi’s China-exclusive Mi CC9. Xiaomi decided to use the aging Snapdragon 710 on this phone but kept the original source code release independent from the Mi 8 SE to date. Given that all of these SD71x-powered smartphones received their respectively Android 10 updates around the same time, it seems justified for Xiaomi to maintain a unified kernel source code tree from now on. Note that the Mi CC9 Meitu Edition (code-name “vela”) is also covered under this new branch named “sirius-q-oss”.

Mi 8 SE/Mi 9 SE/Mi 9 Lite/Mi CC9/Mi CC9 Meitu Edition Android 10 Kernel Sources

Xiaomi took a similar approach in the case of the Mi 8 Lite and the Mi Max 3. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 636-powered Mi Max 3 and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660-powered Mi 8 Lite picked up their Android 10 updates last month, so Xiaomi has now uploaded kernel sources for both of these devices based on their respective Android 10 updates.

Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite Forums ||| Xiaomi Mi Max 3 Forums

Mi 8 Lite/Mi Max 3 Android 10 Kernel Sources

 

 

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OPPO is reportedly hiring MediaTek and Unisoc engineers to design its own chip

The U.S. Commerce Department recently extended the trade ban against Huawei until May 2021 and moved to block many chip makers from supplying HiSilicon Kirin SoCs to the company. While the trade ban currently only affects Huawei, the uncertainty of the situation has raised concerns among other Chinese manufacturers. Due to this, Huawei’s biggest domestic rival — OPPO — started investing in its own chipmaking capabilities last year, shortly after the trade ban was first announced. With the recent extension and escalation of the trade ban, OPPO is now stepping up efforts to design its own mobile chips and has managed to snag top engineering talent from its own suppliers MediaTek and Unisoc.

As per a report from Nikkei Asian Review on the matter, OPPO has recently poached several top executives from its chip supplier MediaTek, along with many engineers from China’s second-largest mobile chip developer Unisoc, to create an experienced mobile chip development team in Shanghai. The recent hires include Jeffery Ju, MediaTek’s former co-chief operating officer, and a former executive with Xiaomi, who had already been working with OPPO as a consultant. Along with Ju, another rising executive who’s involved in MediaTek’s 5G chip development will join OPPO in a month or two.

Sources familiar with the matter have further revealed that OPPO has also reached out to engineering talent from U.S. based chipmaker Qualcomm and Huawei’s own chip unit HiSilicon. A source with direct knowledge of the developments was quoted saying,” OPPO has been aggressively recruiting chip talent since last year as they realized that owning the chip design capability will give it more control over its supply chain…Developing chips, however, could mean burning a lot of money, and even if they have hired a group of experienced professionals, such efforts take years to mature.”

In a statement regarding the recent revelations, OPPO told Nikkei that it “already has the chip-related capability” and that “any  R&D investment is to strengthen its product competitiveness and user experience.” However, the company did not respond directly to questions about its recent hires. While MediaTek declined to comment on the matter, Jeffery Ju could not be reached for comment.

OPPO’s recent efforts are part of a larger “de-Americanazation” campaign that was kicked off by Chinese companies due to the rising tensions between the two countries. It’s also worth noting that OPPO currently lacks a competitive chip design team and relies heavily on U.S. supplier Qualcomm for its mobile chips and 5G modems. Similarly, while Xiaomi also has a chip unit, which was formed back in 2014, it hasn’t introduced a second-generation design of its mobile chip since the first one was released in 2017 and relies on Qualcomm and MediaTek for its smartphone chips.

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Source: Nikkei Asian Review

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Huawei P20 Pro and Mate 10 start getting EMUI 10 (Android 10) globally

Huawei is finally bringing the long-due EMUI 10 based Android 10 update to the P20 Pro and Mate 10. The company has begun rolling out the update globally, with users in Europe and Asia reportedly receiving the OTA. This is in line with Huawei’s EMUI 10 update roadmap which states both phones will start receiving the stable EMUI 10 update in mid-June.

Huawei P20 Pro XDA Forums

Updates are fairly heavy in size, coming in at 4.39GB for the Mate 10 and 4.59GB for the P20 Pro, so it’s recommended to download them over a WiFi connection. In terms of features, the EMUI 10 update brings a revamped UI and tons of exciting improvements including fresh Quick Settings and notification panel, revamped Camera UI, reorganized Settings, new transition animations, and so on. You also get all the Android 10 specific changes such as a system-wide dark mode, new navigation gesture system, new Digital Wellbeing tools with Parental controls, stringent location and privacy controls, Smart Reply, and much more.

The EMUI 10 update has already started rolling to Huawei Mate 10 and P20 Pro owners in multiple regions and should be gradually expanding to more devices in the coming days. If you haven’t received the OTA notification yet, you can also use the Huawei Firmware Finder tool to grab the full OTA and manually sideload it on your device. Many users on our forums were able to force the OTA using VPN so you might want to try that route as well if you’re desperate.

Huawei Mate 10 XDA Forums

As a refresher, the Mate 10 is a flagship smartphone from Huawei that was launched all the way back in 2017. The phone featured a 5.9-inch HDR LCD, Kirin 970 SoC, dual cameras, and a 4,000 mAh battery. The Huawei P20 Pro, on the other hand, was launched in March 2018 and packed a 5.8-inch display, Kirin 970 octa-core SoC, triple cameras, and 3,400 mAh battery. Both phones came running EMUI 8.X based on Android Oreo and were eventually upgraded to Android 9 Pie through EMUI 9.

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Thanks to XDA Member Geo_Ros and Reddit user /u/HumanBanana88 for the update screenshots!

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OxygenOS 10.3.4 for the OnePlus 6/6T adds Work-Life Balance and Epic Games Store in India

Late last month, OnePlus announced the end of the OxygenOS Open Beta program for its 2018 flagships — the OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T — making Open Beta 6 the last beta release for both devices. However, the devices are still scheduled to receive bi-monthly stability and security update until at least mid-20201, as per OnePlus’ Software Maintenance Schedule. As a result, OnePlus rolled out OxygenOS 10.3.3 for the devices shortly after the announcement, and, just over a month after the last release, the devices are now getting another update on the stable channel.

OnePlus 6 XDA Forums || OnePlus 6T XDA Forums

According to a recent post on the OnePlus Community forums, the company has started the incremental rollout of OxygenOS 10.3.4 for the OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T. The update includes the Android security patches for May 2020, an update for the OnePlus Launcher, the Work-Life Balance mode that we’ve previously seen on other OnePlus devices, and more.

Here’s the complete changelog for OxygenOS 10.3.4 for the OnePlus 6/6T:

• System
  • Updated launcher version to 4.1.6
  • Updated Android Security Patch to 2020.05
  • Improved system stability and fixed general bugs
• Phone
  • Fixed the issue with default country in assisted dialing when SIM2 is in roaming state
  • Newly added Work-Life Balance to help prioritize notifications and allocate time wisely (India only)
  • Newly added Epic Games in Game Space (India only)

The latest update for the OnePlus 6/6T arrives alongside a similar update for the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7T series, which also includes the Android security patches for May 2020, adds the Epic Games Store to the Game Space app, and more. Since the update is being released in an incremental fashion, it might be a while before you receive the OTA notification on your device. Alternatively, you can download the update package for your device from the links below and flash it manually.

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Download OxygenOS 10.3.4

OxygenOS 10.3.4 for the OnePlus 6

• Incremental OTA from 10.3.3

OxygenOS 10.3.4 for the OnePlus 6T

• Incremental OTA from 10.3.3
• Full OTA

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Thanks to XDA Senior Member Some_Random_Username for providing the download links!

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OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7T series get new OxygenOS updates with Dolby Atmos support for Bullets Wireless Z, Epic Games Store in India, and more

Following the recent rollout of OxygenOS Open Beta 14/4 for the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 series, the devices are now receiving a major update over on the stable channel. The latest stable updates — OxygenOS 10.3.3 for the OnePlus 7, 7 Pro, and 7T (India) and OxygenOS 10.0.11 for OnePlus 7T (global) — brings a couple of new features and improvements to the devices. These include Dolby Atmos support for the new OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z earphones, 960fps slow-motion video support for the OnePlus 7T series, Epic Games store in Game Space for the Indian market, Android security patches for May 2020, and more.

Here’s the complete changelog for the latest stable updates for the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7T series:

• System
  • OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z can now be integrated with Dolby Atmos for better sound quality
  • Optimized the volume adjustment to improve user experience
  • Improved the battery life user experience
  • Improved system stability and fixed general issues
  • Updated Android Security Patch to 2020.04
• Camera
  • Supported the slow-motion recording at 720p at 960fps (7T series only)
  • Adding lens stain detection
• Phone
  • Newly added Epic Games in Game Space (India only)

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Download OxygenOS 10.3.3 and 10.0.11

OxygenOS 10.3.3 for the OnePlus 7 Pro (global)

• Incremental OTA from 10.3.2
• Full OTA

OxygenOS 10.0.11 for the OnePlus 7T (global)

• Incremental OTA from 10.0.9
• Full OTA

OxygenOS 10.3.3 for the OnePlus 7T (India)

• Incremental OTA from 10.3.2
• Full OTA

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Along with the aforementioned release, OnePlus has also started rolling out OxygenOS 10.0.6 for the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G (EU). The update isn’t as feature-packed as the other releases and it only includes the Android security patches for May 2020, along with general bug fixes and improvements. Here’s the full update changelog for the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G (EU):

• System
  • Updated Android security patch to 2020.05
  • General bug fixes and stability improvements
• Network
  • Improved the stability of connection

Download OxygenOS 10.0.6 for the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G (EU)

• Incremental OTA from 10.0.5
• Full OTA

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Thanks to XDA Senior Member Some_Random_Username for the download links!

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Xiaomi adds a new partial screenshot editor in MIUI 12

The latest version of Xiaomi’s custom Android skin — MIUI 12 — was officially unveiled earlier this year at the Mi 10 Youth Edition launch event in China. During the event, Xiaomi highlighted some of the new features introduced in the latest software update, including the new animations, navigation gestures, live wallpapers, privacy features, and much more. Xiaomi has since rolled out the MIUI 12 closed beta update for several devices and has even pushed a couple of updates with more new features in tow. These include features like gesture navigation support in the MIUI Camera app, a new Magic Clone feature, and now, a partial screenshot editor.

The new partial screenshot editor was recently spotted by XDA Senior Member and reliable Xiaomi tipster kacskrz in the MIUI 12 20.5.25 nightly release. As you can see in the attached video, the partial screenshot editor lets you grab the screenshot of a particular portion of the screen by drawing a shape around the area you wish to capture. From the looks of it, the partial screenshot editor can be triggered by long-pressing the home button which brings up the screenshot editor overlay on top of the screen.

The partial screenshot editor overlay gives you access to three options in the top right corner that you can use to either draw a free form shape, a rectangle, or a circle around the area you wish to capture. Once you’ve drawn the shape of your choice, the selected area is highlighted and you get the options to Start over, Share the partial screenshot, Edit the screenshot, or Save it to your gallery. In case you’re not happy with the selection, you also have the option to adjust it by dragging on any side of the highlighted area. As mentioned earlier, this new partial screenshot editor has been released as part of the MIUI 12 20.5.25 nightly and should be available on any device running this particular release.

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Thanks to XDA Senior Member kacskrz for the video and screenshot!

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Netflix v7.58.0 prepares to let you watch partially downloaded TV shows or movies

Netflix may soon let you watch your partially downloaded shows and movies on Android. Netflix has supported offline downloads on both mobile and desktop apps since 2016, but it does not let you play any videos that have not been completely downloaded. But this may soon change. We have found strings inside the Netflix app version 7.58.0 that suggest the company is planning to add the support for playing partially downloaded content.

An APK teardown can often predict features that may arrive in a future update of an application, but it is possible that any of the features we mention here may not make it in a future release. This is because these features are currently unimplemented in the live build and may be pulled at any time by the developers in a future build.

These are the new strings within the Netflix app v7.5.80

<string name="label_partial_download_use_cellular_message">"You've reached the end of what you've downloaded so far. Would you like to download over cellular to continue watching?"</string>
<string name="label_partial_download_use_cellular_no">No Thanks</string>
<string name="label_partial_download_use_cellular_title">Download over cellular to continue watching?</string>
<string name="label_partial_download_use_cellular_yes">Download Now</string>
<string name="label_partial_download_download_more_message">You need to download a bit more to continue watching, or you can watch what you already have downloaded from the beginning.</string>
<string name="label_partial_download_download_more_no">Watch from Beginning</string>
<string name="label_partial_download_download_more_yes">Wait for Download</string>
<string name="label_partial_download_end_of_downloaded">"You've reached the end of what's been downloaded so far. Please connect to the internet to continue watching."</string>
<string name="label_partial_download_not_ready">You need to download a bit more to start watching.</string>

The ability to be able to watch partially downloaded videos will be useful when you’re on a spotty connection or have limited mobile data. The idea here is that if you run out of data or lose connection in the middle of downloading, you can at least watch the partially downloaded bits. Another possible application of the feature, as pointed out by our own Zachary Wander, is that you could use this feature to get around the buffering issue when you’re on a slow connection. For example, you could start downloading your favorite show, say, 30 min in advance, and then start watching it without any interruption. If done smartly, you can have a buffer-free experience while watching the latest episode.

A user back in February reached out to Netflix with a suggestion to add support for partial downloads. Netflix replied that they had taken into consideration the suggestion. However, it’s also entirely possible that Netflix may have been working on such feature well before it received the suggestion.

Thanks so much for your feedback, we have taken it into consideration from our end. *KB

— Netflix CS (@Netflixhelps) February 6, 2020

The feature hasn’t been rolled out to users yet but it’s likely being run as an A/B test in the latest update based on a few new layout files we spotted.

Netflix (Free⁺, Google Play) →

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Samsung’s Galaxy S20+ may have actually outsold the base S20 and S20 Ultra

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S20 series at the Samsung Unpacked event earlier this year in February. Much like last year, the company launched three new devices as part of the series — the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra. However, unlike last year, the difference between the base Galaxy S20 and the Galaxy S20+ wasn’t as prominent as the one between Galaxy S10e and Galaxy S10, which led many people to assume that the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20 Ultra made the Galaxy S20+ irrelevant. A number of people over on Twitter speculated that the Galaxy S20+ wouldn’t sell as well as the other two devices and a few publications also asked why the Galaxy S20+ even existed.

Remember when I said the S20+ would be the best selling S20 and everyone said I was wrong because it didn’t make sense and there was no reason to get it over the S20…

That aged well. https://t.co/YfyIIv3BhG

— Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach) May 26, 2020

Despite the speculations and uncertainty surrounding the Galaxy S20+, it now seems like the device may have actually outsold the base Galaxy S20 and the Galaxy S20 Ultra. According to a recent report from UK-based market intelligence firm Omdia, the Galaxy S20+ was the only device from the Galaxy S20 series to secure a spot in the top 10 global smartphone shipments list for Q1 2020 with the company managing to ship 3.5 million units in the time period. It was also the only 5G-capable device to make it to the top 10 list, with the Huawei Mate 30 5G and Mate 30 Pro 5G taking the second and third spots in the 5G segment, followed by the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20 Ultra.

Along with the Galaxy S20+, Samsung’s Galaxy A51, Galaxy A10s, and Galaxy A30s also secured a spot on the top 10 list with 6.8 million, 3.9 million, and 3.4 million devices shipped, respectively. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro took the third and fourth spot on the list, with 6.6 million and 6.1 million devices shipped. The remaining spots were claimed by Apple, with the iPhone 11 taking the top spot with 19.5 million units shipped, iPhone XR taking the fifth spot with 4.7 million units, iPhone 11 Pro Max on the sixth spot with 4.2 million units, and the iPhone 11 Pro on the eighth spot with 3.8 million units.

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OnePlus confirms they’re making affordable smartphones again

Towards the end of last year, we first saw renders of an upcoming mid-range OnePlus device shortly after renders of the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro surfaced online. At the time, we believed that the company would launch the mid-range device as the OnePlus 8 Lite alongside its flagships for 2020. However, when the OnePlus 8 series was finally unveiled earlier this year in April, there was no sign of the OnePlus 8 Lite. Just a few weeks after the OnePlus 8 series launch, we learned that the mid-ranger might be launched as the OnePlus Z later this year in July with the MediaTek Dimensty 1000 SoC in tow, but there was still no official information from the company regarding the device. Now, the company has finally confirmed that they’re indeed working on an affordable smartphone which will be launched later this year.

In a recent post on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, CEO Pete Lau has confirmed that the company is working to diversify its portfolio and, once again, make affordable smartphones that will give more users the chance to experience OnePlus devices. In an exclusive interview with Fast Company, Lau further revealed that the company is also planning on expanding into new product categories.

While the company hasn’t officially revealed any of the upcoming products, Lau has confirmed that a glimpse of this new strategy will arrive soon with an upcoming announcement for the Indian market. Following that, the company plans to bring affordable devices to other markets, including North America and Europe. Lau was quoted saying, “We can look at it as having more affordable product offering…but all products that still remain up to the OnePlus standard…and through this enabling, more people to have access to OnePlus products.” We believe that the aforementioned announcement will, most likely, be the new mid-range device featuring MediaTek’s Dimensity 1000L SoC, a flat display, a centered hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera, and triple rear cameras.

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Source: Fast Company, Weibo

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