On July 16, Chinese manufacturer OnePlus launched the Nord 4 smartphone at its summer launch event, held in Milan, Italy. The smartphone features a metal unibody design, but more importantly, it packs a suite of AI features for media editing, audio transcription, text generation, and text synthesis. OnePlus said that some of the AI features showcased at the launch will arrive via a firmware update later this year.
On July 16, OnePlus launched the Pad 2 tablet at its summer launch event held in Milan, Italy. The second-generation tablet from the Chinese electronics maker is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, bringing AI features for an enhanced productivity experience. Like the first-gen model, the Pad 2 comes with Wi-Fi connectivity, but with the ability to share cellular data when paired and connected to a supported OnePlus smartphone. The tablet also features the Connect Sync feature, which makes it easy to share data with supported OnePlus devices. Alongside the Pad 2, OnePlus unveiled supported accessories such as the Stylo 2 and the OnePlus Smart Keyboard.
OnePlus unveiled the Watch 2r and Nord Buds 3 Pro wireless earbuds on July 16, alongside the Nord 4 and Pad 2 devices. OnePlus said the Watch 2r is a lighter and more accessible smartwatch powered by Google’s Wear OS. The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro, on the other hand, features active noise cancellation (ANC) and a 12.4mm titanized audio driver for clear sound quality.
Apple has released the first public beta of its upcoming iOS 18 operating system to eligible iPhones. The public beta offers a sneak peek at Apple’s upcoming apps, features, and technologies. In the first public beta, Apple is showing off Lock screen customization options, new Control Center features, an improved Messages app, and a redesigned Photos app.
On July 16, Dell launched its first Copilot Plus AI PCs in India, powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus chips. The new Dell XPS 13 and Inspiron 14 Plus laptops are the first from the American PC maker to be based on Microsoft’s new Copilot Plus PC platform, which brings unique AI features. The new platform leverages the built-in neural processing unit (NPU) of Qualcomm processors to handle AI workloads.
Apple has introduced the HomePod mini in midnight colour, which is made from 100% recycled mesh fabric. Priced at Rs 10,990, the HomePod mini in midnight colour is available for pre-orders, with sales set to begin from July 17. The Siri-powered smart speaker was earlier offered in other colours such as yellow, orange, blue and white. The new midnight colour joins these colours.
Apple is reportedly adding a new “Recovered” photo album to the iPhone’s Photos app with the iOS 18 update. According to 9To5Mac, Apple has started rolling out the new feature in the iOS 18 beta. The feature will allow users to view and recover previously damaged or lost images that are still stored on the device’s internal storage.
Chinese Lenovo has announced a new addition to its tablet lineup, the Lenovo Tab Plus. This Android tablet features an eight-speaker audio system, developed in collaboration with American audio brand JBL. The audio system supports Dolby Atmos and high-resolution audio (24-bit and 96 kHz) when using headphones.
Amazon Prime Day is here and experts are reminding consumers to be wary of scams.
As many as 20 Starlink satellites are doomed to fly through the atmosphere and burn up because SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket left them in a lower orbit than planned.
India’s top smartphone brands – Apple, Samsung, Google Pixel, Oppo and Xiaomi – have introduced AI-powered features in the last year and a half. Google launched Gemini, Samsung unveiled Galaxy AI and Apple launched Apple Intelligence. China-based Oppo and Xiaomi are also integrating similar AI technologies into their devices.
First published: July 16, 2024 | 8:21 p.m. IST
