tech
Video Games Coming in 2024: January to March
As the new year is approaching, game developers have scheduled video games lined up for the first three months of 2024. Nintendo has a new Princess Peach game, Ubisoft is working on a 2D Prince of Persia game similar to Metroid Dread, and the next part of Final Fantasy 7 remake is on the way. There's also a big Star Wars release in the works, and more game announcements are likely to come from events like The Game Awards and Nintendo Direct. Let’s take a look at the most hyped video games releasing in early 2024.
The Most Anticipated Video Games Scheduled for Launch in 2024
January
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Ubisoft. Set to release on January 18, 2024, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, the game marks the return of the Prince of Persia series after a decade.
Developed by Ubisoft Montpellier, the 2.5D platform game features Sargon, an acrobatic warrior with time-based powers. Inspired by Persian mythology, the three-and-a-half-year development aimed to modernize the franchise's image, introducing fresh visual designs while retaining the iconic time powers. The game's debut trailer, though divisive, received support from series creator Jordan Mechner.
Read more: Top 10 Free Athlete Games for Android, iOS
Enshrouded
Enshrouded is a captivating action RPG and survival game developed and published by Keen Games for Microsoft Windows. Set in the realm of Embervale, players embark on a journey of survival, crafting, and intense combat against the corrupted Shroud. The voxel-based open world allows for creative building, providing a canvas for grand structures.
Players can customize legendary weapons and armor to battle menacing bosses and factions. With a robust skill tree system, players can develop unique playstyles. The game supports 16-player co-op, offering a collaborative experience in raiding, treasure gathering, and facing the Shroud's challenges.
"Enshrouded" promises a rich narrative, vibrant biomes, and immersive gameplay, making it an enticing adventure for players. The early access of the game is available on Steam on January 24.
Read more: Best Free Hair Salon, Barber Shop Simulation Games for Android, iOS
Tekken 8
Tekken 8 is the highly anticipated fighting game, set to launch on January 26, 2024, developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Arika, and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. This marks the eighth main and tenth overall installment in the Tekken series. Director Katsuhiro Harada promises a more aggressive gameplay with a new "Heat" gauge system, building on Tekken 7's features.
The game introduces stage destruction, character reactions, and focuses on being enjoyable for both players and spectators in the esports scene. Featuring 32 unique fighters, including new characters like Azucena Milagros Ortiz Castillo, Jack-8, and Victor Chevalier, "Tekken 8" aims to set a new standard in fighting games with Unreal Engine 5 graphics and innovative gameplay elements.
Read more: Best Free Online Multiplayer Games For 2GB RAM PCs, Laptops
Surgeons perform world’s first eye transplant
Surgeons have performed the world’s first transplant of an entire human eye, an extraordinary addition to a face transplant — although it’s far too soon to know if the man will ever see through his new left eye.
An accident with high-voltage power lines had destroyed most of Aaron James’ face and one eye. His right eye still works. But surgeons at NYU Langone Health hoped replacing the missing one would yield better cosmetic results for his new face, by supporting the transplanted eye socket and lid.
The NYU team announced Thursday that so far, it's doing just that. James is recovering well from the dual transplant last May and the donated eye looks remarkably healthy.
“It feels good. I still don’t have any movement in it yet. My eyelid, I can’t blink yet. But I’m getting sensation now,” James told The Associated Press as doctors examined his progress recently.
“You got to start somewhere, there’s got to be a first person somewhere,” added James, 46, of Hot Springs, Arkansas. “Maybe you’ll learn something from it that will help the next person.”
Read: Industrial robot crushes worker to death
Today, transplants of the cornea — the clear tissue in front of the eye — are common to treat certain types of vision loss. But transplanting the whole eye — the eyeball, its blood supply and the critical optic nerve that must connect it to the brain — is considered a moonshot in the quest to cure blindness.
Whatever happens next, James' surgery offers scientists an unprecedented window into how the human eye tries to heal.
“We’re not claiming that we are going to restore sight,” said Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, NYU's plastic surgery chief, who led the transplant. “But there’s no doubt in my mind we are one step closer.”
Some specialists had feared the eye would quickly shrivel like a raisin. Instead, when Rodriguez propped open James’ left eyelid last month, the donated hazel-colored eye was as plump and full of fluid as his own blue eye. Doctors see good blood flow and no sign of rejection.
Now researchers have begun analyzing scans of James’ brain that detected some puzzling signals from that all-important but injured optic nerve.
One scientist who has long studied how to make eye transplants a reality called the surgery exciting.
“It’s an amazing validation” of animal experiments that have kept transplanted eyes alive, said Dr. Jeffrey Goldberg, chair of ophthalmology at Stanford University.
Read: a2i’s NISE and Muktopaath win WITSA Award
The hurdle is how to regrow the optic nerve, although animal studies are making strides, Goldberg added. He praised the NYU team’s “audacity” in even aiming for optic nerve repair and hopes the transplant will spur more research.
“We’re really on the precipice of being able to do this,” Goldberg said.
James was working for a power line company in June 2021 when he was shocked by a live wire. He nearly died. Ultimately he lost his left arm, requiring a prosthetic. His damaged left eye was so painful it had to be removed. Multiple reconstructive surgeries couldn’t repair extensive facial injuries including his missing nose and lips.
James pushed through physical therapy until he was strong enough to escort his daughter Allie to a high school homecoming ceremony, wearing a face mask and eye patch. Still he required breathing and feeding tubes, and longed to smell, taste and eat solid food again.
“In his mind and his heart, it’s him — so I didn’t care that, you know, he didn’t have a nose. But I did care that it bothered him,” said his wife, Meagan James.
Face transplants remain rare and risky. James’ is only the 19th in the U.S., the fifth Rodriguez has performed. The eye experiment added even more complexity. But James figured he'd be no worse off if the donated eye failed.
Three months after James was placed on the national transplant waiting list, a matching donor was found. Kidneys, a liver and pancreas from the donor, a man in his 30s, saved three other people.
During James' 21-hour operation, surgeons added another experimental twist: When they spliced together the donated optic nerve to what remained of James’ original, they injected special stem cells from the donor in hopes of spurring its repair.
Last month, tingles heralded healing facial nerves. James can't yet open the eyelid, and wears a patch to protect it. But as Rodriguez pushed on the closed eye, James felt sensation — although on his nose rather than his eyelid, presumably until slow-growing nerves get reoriented. The surgeon also detected subtle movements beginning in muscles around the eye.
Read: 13th Anniversary of a2i's Digital Centre initiative celebrated
Then came a closer look. NYU ophthalmologist Dr. Vaidehi Dedania ran a battery of tests. She found expected damage in the light-sensing retina in the back of the eye. But she said it appears to have enough special cells called photoreceptors to do the job of converting light to electrical signals, one step in creating vision.
Normally, the optic nerve then would send those signals to the brain to be interpreted. James’ optic nerve clearly hasn't healed. Yet when light was flashed into the donated eye during an MRI, the scan recorded some sort of brain signaling.
That both excited and baffled researchers, although it wasn’t the right type for vision and may simply be a fluke, cautioned Dr. Steven Galetta, NYU’s neurology chair. Only time and more study may tell.
Still, the surgery marks “a technical tour de force,” said Dr. David Klassen, chief medical officer of the United Network for Organ Sharing, which runs the nation’s transplant system. "You can learn a tremendous amount from a single transplant” that could propel the field.
As for James, “we’re just taking it one day at a time,” he said.
Honor X8a Review: Is it a value for money smartphone?
Ever since its inception in 2013, Honor maintained a track record of producing affordable, value-for-money smartphones that disrupted the entry-level to mid-range smartphone market. While it was initially a subsidiary of Huawei, Honor is now owned by a state-owned enterprise under the control of the Shenzhen municipal government. Earlier this year, Honor released the X8a on 11th February 2023 in the global market. Let’s find out the key specs, pros, cons and price of Honor X8a.
Key Features of Honor X8a
Design and Build Quality
There isn’t much going on with the design of the Honor X8a given that it's a budget-friendly smartphone. Users will be getting a plastic device with a glass front. The frame and the back of the device have a matte finish which gives it a stealthy look. The rounded square camera housing and the punch-hole display with a minimal bottom bezel render an overall minimal look to the device.
Dimension-wise, the device comes in at 162.9 mm by 74.5 mm by 7.48 mm with 179 g weight. The relatively compact form factor coupled with the plastic build helps to keep the weight under 200 g.
Read more: Tecno Phantom V Flip 5G: What does it offer?
There is also a small Honor branding on the back bottom of the device. The narrow chin at the bottom allows for an 89.6% screen-to-body ratio.
The fingerprint scanner and the power button are positioned in their usual place. The power button also doubles as the fingerprint scanner on the X8a. This device doesn’t have a micro SDXC slot. It also lacks the 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Overall, the design and the build quality of the X8a are nothing out of the ordinary.
The Display
The display on the Honor X8a is a 6.7-inch LTPS LCD panel with a 90 Hz refresh rate. LCDs have their limitations and the X8a isn’t free from them. The panel can capture 16.7 million colors.
Read more: Xiaomi 14 Pro Review: What’s special about it?
The unusual 19.9:9 aspect ratio has 2388 by 1080 pixels with 391 ppi density. The content on the display looks relatively sharp with standard color balance. Its outdoor visibility feature lacks dedicated HBM.
The Camera
The main selling point of the Honor X8a is its 100 MP main camera with f/1.9 aperture. To be fair, the 100 MP resolution brings increased sharpness and overall great contrast to the images. The subject in focus had great details with the right amount of background separation. However, it somewhat lacked in terms of dynamic range. It asserts the fact that only megapixel count isn’t enough, the quality of the sensor also matters. Regardless, the pictures taken with the main camera in daylight came out pretty well.
The sensor struggled a bit in low light conditions There were noticeable exposure issues here and there at times. The main camera is accompanied by a 5 MP f/2.2 ultrawide shooter and a 2 MP f/2.4 macro shooter. The ultrawide sensor can take some decent shots during the daytime but its performance significantly drops in low-light conditions. Videography on the Honor X8a is limited to 1080p at 30 fps. This is mostly due to the low processing power of the device.
Read more: Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 Review: Flagship Phone with Slim Foldable Design
There is a 16 MP f/2.5 selfie camera on board the Honor X8a. This generic selfie shooter is good enough for casual selfies.
13th Anniversary of a2i's Digital Centre initiative celebrated
Aspire to Innovate-a2i recently celebrated its 13th anniversary, marking over a decade of providing technology services to marginalized communities through digital centres.
State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak was present as the chief guest.
The event was also attended by the Project Director of a2i, Md Mamunur Rashid Bhuiyan; Natore Superintendent of Police Md. Tariqul Islam, PPM; and other special guests including Tariqul Islam, PPM; Sheikh Kamal IT Training and Incubation Center Establishment Project Deputy Project Director (Deputy Secretary) Md Mokhtar Ahmed, and Project Director of Bangladesh-India Digital Services and Employment Training Center Establishment Project, Md Amirul Islam.
The ICT state minister said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took the initiative to establish this digital centre to deliver the service to the doorstep of the people in a corruption-free way at an affordable price using technology. It has reduced the time from three months to three minutes. This is Sheikh Hasina's Digital Bangladesh, Palak added.
More than 17,800 women and men entrepreneurs of 9397 digital centers spread across the country are providing more than 385 public and private services to the citizens easily, quickly and at a low cost. More than 75 lakh services are being provided from digital centers every month. The entrepreneurs have so far saved 78.14 percent of the time, 16.55 percent of the cost and 17.38 percent of the commute of the citizens.
The state minister mentioned that the initiative has received international recognition and will be the model for a smart Bangladesh. This model is being followed in many countries, including the Philippines, South Africa, Ghana, and Cambodia. The government plans to set up 1,000 village digital centers across the country by 2024, ensuring that technology services are accessible to every corner of the village.
a2i Project Director Md Mamunur Rashid Bhuiyan said the digital centre will play a pivotal role in boosting the rural economy. He added that smart technology will serve as a powerful tool for the development of Bangladesh. The digital centre will be one of the key instruments for building a Smart Bangladesh, he added.
Natore Deputy Commissioner Abu Nasser Bhuiyan presided over the program while Nilufa Yasmin, deputy project director of ICT Division's Har Power Project conducted it.
Best Free Multiplayer Winter Simulation Games for Android in 2023
As winter approaches, many people seek the thrill and charm of the season through mobile gaming. Whether you are a fan of snow sports, city-building in a snowy landscape, or simply raising adorable penguins in a winter wonderland, there is a multiplayer winter simulation game for everyone on Android. These delightful and immersive free-to-play simulation games can help you capture the magic of winter on your mobile device.
Top 10 Open Source Winter Simulation Games for Mobile Phones in 2023
Alto's Adventure
Alto's Adventure is an enchanting snowboarding odyssey where players join Alto and friends on a journey through alpine hills, villages, woodlands, and ruins. The game boasts graceful physics-based gameplay, procedurally generated terrain, dynamic weather effects, and a one-button trick system. Players can chain combos, complete 180 goals, and explore six unique snowboarders.
Compete with friends for high scores, distance, and tricks. Discover a wingsuit for a new gaming experience, and enjoy minimalist visuals, original music, and immersive audio. The game is free to download on Android, with in-app purchases available. It's compatible with Android 5.1 and up, has over 50 million downloads, and was last updated on November 2, 2023.
"Alto's Adventure" is offered by Noodlecake and has received accolades as one of the best mobile games.
Read more: 10 Best 4K Graphics Cricket Games for Android in 2023
Ski Resort: Idle Snow Tycoon
Ski Resort: Idle Snow Tycoon is a winter-themed game available for free download on Android devices, requiring Android 6.0 and up. This game was last updated on October 27, 2023, and has been downloaded over 100,000 times.
Developed by GGDS - Idle Tycoon Games, it offers an engaging gaming experience with features like building and managing your ski resort, upgrading businesses for increased earnings, efficient park management, and attracting more customers. The game's key features include collecting idle gold, inviting VIP customers for enhanced earnings, and offline play availability.
With intuitive gameplay and beautiful graphics, it's suitable for players of all ages who enjoy tycoon games. The download size for the game is 88 MB.
Read more: 10 Best Free Games Like GTA On Android In 2023
SnowRunner
"SnowRunner" is a physics-based endless snowboarding game created in Unity for a university assignment. The game offers players the excitement of jumps, tricks, scoring, rewarded adverts, infinite random terrain, and realistic physics. You can perform tricks to earn points and increase your maximum speed as you navigate through the endless snowboarding adventure.
Version 3.1 of the game was last updated on October 4, 2022, and it is available for free download on Android devices with a system requirement of Android 4.4 and up. It has been downloaded over 5,000 times and has a content rating suitable for everyone. The game's download size is 21 MB and was released on September 27, 2022. It is offered by Keane.
WinterCraft: Survival Forest
WinterCraft: Survival Forest is a challenging survival game set in a winter forest, where players must build shelters, craft weapons, and hunt animals to survive in a harsh environment. The game offers an open-world winter forest with day-night cycles, changing weather, and the ability to build and furnish a house complete with a bed, workbench, and furnace.
Read more: Top 10 Free Medieval Fantasy, War Games for Android, IOS
Players can gather resources like wood, stones, and branches, craft weapons, tools, food, and clothing, and explore the vast winter world. The game features stylish graphics, scenic views, and a detailed tutorial with story quests. "WinterCraft: Survival Forest" is free to download on Android devices with a system requirement of Android 5.0 and up.
It has been downloaded over 100,000 times and offers in-app purchases. The game contains content rated for teens due to violence and blood. It was last updated on November 3, 2023, and has a download size of 287 MB. It was released on March 23, 2023, and is offered by La Bues.
Snow Town - Ice Village City
"Snow Town - Ice Village City" is an engaging city-building game that offers players the role of a city manager, challenging them to create and manage a thriving city in a snowy environment. Key features include a vast selection of buildings and beautiful snowy visuals, providing hours of enjoyable gameplay.
In this gaming interface, you will need to oversee housing, community services, education, and essential facilities like fire and police stations. Your goal is to build a beautiful city that delights your citizens and showcases your design skills.
Read more: 10 Best Upcoming Video Games to Enchant You in 2023
The game offers a wide variety of buildings and decorations, allowing you to unleash your creativity. "Snow Town" is free to download on Android devices with a system requirement of Android 5.1 and up. The game is rated suitable for everyone, and it was last updated on March 6, 2023. With a download size of 50 MB, it was released on August 27, 2018, and is offered by Sparkling Society - Offline Town Building Games.
Tecno Phantom V Flip 5G: What does it offer?
Tecno has consistently impressed with its high-quality, competitively priced smartphones. After the foldable phones, Tecno’s Phantom line-up released the V Flip on October 1, 2023, in Bangladesh. It marks Tecno's first foray into the flip phone market. This stylish and feature-packed device boasts a sleek design with impressive technical specifications. But is all that hype real? Let’s take a look into the key specifications, pros, cons, and price of the Tecno Phantom V Flip.
Key Features of Tecno Phantom V Flip 5G
Design
The Tecno Phantom V Flip impresses with its seamless fusion of style and practicality. Unfolded, it stands gracefully at 171.72mm by 74.05mm by 6.95mm, boasting a sleek and slender profile. The vegan leather exterior not only enhances its aesthetics but also ensures a comfortable and secure grip.
Despite a subtle crease on dark wallpapers, the inner screen remains inconspicuous during regular use. Weighing a mere 194g, the phone feels delightfully lightweight. The 'Hoverlock' hinge design allows for a flexible open angle between 30 to 150 degrees, enhancing user convenience.
Read more: Xiaomi 14 Pro Review: What’s special about it?
When folded, the device maintains its elegance, measuring 88.77mm in height and 14.95mm in thickness. A circular cover display, a right-side fingerprint scanner, and a smooth unfolding process contribute to the device's overall appeal, with the caveat of lacking an IP rating, requiring users to exercise caution against splashes and dust.
Display
The Tecno Phantom V Flip offers a distinctive dual-screen experience, featuring a sizable 6.9-inch FHD+ AMOLED Foldable display with an impressive 94.5% screen-to-frame ratio. Featuring 1080 by 2640 pixels of resolutions with a pixel density of 413 ppi, the main screen delivers stunning visuals, enhanced by a variable refresh rate of LTPO 10-120Hz for adaptive performance.
Complementing this is the 1.32-inch AMOLED cover screen, providing quick access to essential information. The device showcases technological prowess with a touch screen rate of 360MHz for one and two-finger interactions on the cover screen, coupled with a 120Hz refresh rate. Notably, the main screen boasts a vibrant color depth of 1 billion, while the cover screen maintains a crisp 16.7 million.
Read more: Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 Review: Flagship Phone with Slim Foldable Design
The impressive 1000 nit peak brightness and durable cover glass, featuring Schott UTG for the main screen and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus for the cover screen, add a layer of sophistication to this innovative smartphone.
Camera
Elevate your photography game with the Tecno Phantom V Flip 5G's impressive camera system. The main 64 MP camera, armed with a spacious 1/1.73″ sensor, PDAF, and a wide f/1.7 aperture, ensures stunning clarity and detail in every shot.
Complementing this powerhouse is a 13MP ultrawide lens, perfect for capturing sweeping landscapes and group shots with its 120° field of view.
The front screen's 32 MP sensor guarantees impeccable selfies. With a diverse range of shooting modes, including film, video, AI cam, and portrait mode, the smartphone caters to various creative preferences.
Read more: vivo V29e 5G Review: Is this mid-range phone rightly priced?
The rear camera supports 4K video recording at 30fps and 1080p at 30/60fps, featuring Steady Video support for smooth footage. Meanwhile, the front camera delivers 1080p video recording and slow-motion capabilities, ensuring your moments are captured with precision and style.
Docs say Zuckerberg 'rejected' proposals to improve teen mental health on Facebook, Instagram
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg "personally rejected" proposals aimed at improving the mental health and wellbeing of teenagers on Facebook and Instagram, internal communications shared as part of an ongoing lawsuit have revealed, reports CNN.
According to the unsealed communications, Zuckerberg overruled senior executives, including Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri and President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg, who advocated for increased measures to protect more than 30 million teens using Instagram in the United States.
Elon Musk says he may need surgery before proposed 'cage match' with Mark Zuckerberg
One notable rejection involved a 2019 proposal to disable Instagram's "beauty filters," which digitally alter users' appearances and have been linked to promoting unrealistic body image expectations, negatively impacting teens' mental health, said the report.
Despite broad support from top executives, Zuckerberg insisted that there was a "demand" for the filters and claimed he had seen "no data" indicating harm.
Zuckerberg looks shredded in photo with MMA fighters
The lawsuit revealed internal tensions within Meta, with executives expressing concerns about the lack of investment in well-being initiatives. Instagram's policy chief, Karina Newton, and Meta's vice president of product design, Margaret Gould Stewart, had recommended disabling beauty filters based on advice from academics and external advisors. However, after Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth brought the matter to Zuckerberg's attention, the proposal was rejected.
The newly unveiled documents also accused Meta of exploiting the psychology of adolescent brains and claimed that Zuckerberg personally set goals for increasing user engagement on Instagram, potentially prioritising profits over user wellbeing.
Agitated employees grill Meta CEO Zuckerberg following mass layoff announcement
In response, Meta spokesman Andy Stone defended the company, emphasising that they have a robust central team overseeing youth well-being efforts and have implemented various tools to support teens and families. Stone also stated that Meta banned filters promoting cosmetic surgery, changes in skin colour, or extreme weight loss.
Xiaomi 14 Pro Review: What’s special about it?
Ever since its inception, Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer Xiaomi is leading almost every price segment in the smartphone industry. ‘Pro’ lineup represents Xiaomi’s top-tier products that money can afford. Xiaomi launched the 14 Pro on 1st November 2023 for China and subsequently for the global market. As Xiaomi’s premium flagship smartphone for the year, the 14 Pro brings several cutting-edge features. Let’s have a detailed look at the key specs, pros, cons and price of Xiaomi 14 Pro.
Key Specifications of Xiaomi 14 Pro
Design and Build Quality
Xiaomi’s design philosophy has been fairly consistent for their Pro series. The design of the 14 Pro can be best described as an incremental update to last year’s 13 Pro. Users will be getting a glass front and back device with an aluminum frame. There’s a premium variant with a titanium frame as well this time around. The glass back has a matte finish which does an incredible job of deterring fingerprints and smudges.
There is a noticeable curve all around on the front like the 3D glass designs we’ve seen on many Xiaomi devices. The actual screen real estate doesn’t curve, rather it’s the glass design that curves onto the frame. It's what Xiaomi is calling a “full equal depth micro-curved screen” (translated from simplified Chinese). The front glass is protected by Xiaomi Longjing Glass.
The 14 Pro has a 161.4 mm by 75.3 mm by 8.5 mm dimension with 223 g weight for the standard option. The titanium variant comes in at 230 g. As expected, the 14 Pro also has IP68 dust/water resistance (up to 1.5m for 30 minutes). The choice of ports and buttons remains the same as the 13 Pro on the 14 Pro. The compact form factor combined with a stealth minimal design really makes the 14 Pro stand out of the lot.
Read more: Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 Review: Flagship Phone with Slim Foldable Design
The Display
The display on the Xiaomi 14 Pro is all about pushing the limit of display technology. The 6.73-inch LTPO AMOLED panel has 68B colors, a 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ support. While these might sound like standard flagship features, Xiaomi has added an astounding 3000 nits of peak brightness on the panel. This is the first time a mobile device has reached such a level. It has been made possible thanks to Huaxing Optoelectronics' customized C8 light-emitting material. Naturally, the outdoor experience of the display with auto brightness has been excellent, to say the least.
The panel has a QHD+ resolution with 1440 by 3200 pixels and 522 ppi density. With an all-around symmetrical design, the screen-to-body ratio on the 14 Pro stands at 89.6%. Additional specs at the default settings include 98.6% sRGB, 70.2% Adobe RGB, and 73.1% DCI-P3 color gamut.
The usage experience on the 14 Pro has been no less than flagship grade. The LTPO tech helps to conserve battery with 1 to 120 hz refresh variability. Scrolling through apps and UI has been smooth with good viewing angles all around. Overall, it’s an impressive display with no apparent drawbacks as of yet.
The Camera
The triple camera module on the 14 Pro has a 50 MP, f/1.4-f/4.0, 23mm wide angle shooter with dual PDAF, laser AF, and OIS. The second sensor is a 50 MP, f/2.0, 75mm telephoto lens with PDAF and OIS. And lastly, there is a 50 MP, f/2.2, 14mm, 115˚ ultrawide sensor with AF.
Read more: vivo V29e 5G Review: Is this mid-range phone rightly priced?
The main sensor is a custom-built sensor which Xiaomi calls the “Lighthunter 900” (translated from simplified Chinese). The pictures from the main sensor came out well with detailed sharpness on the subject and accurate background blur. The dynamic range was easily on par with the iPhone 14 Pro. There is a distinct warm pop of colors in each image which naturally enhances the picture quality. The portrait mode also showed accurate edge detection and realistic blur.
The camera performance intensifies in low light conditions. The variable aperture on the main sensor allows you to take some great shots even without the night mode. Pictures had decent exposure and accurate details with grains seen only in extremely dark conditions.
The telephoto with its 3.2x optical zoom and the ultrawide also performed on par with the main sensor.
There’s also a 32 MP front-facing camera good enough for selfies and vlogging as it supports 4K at 30 fps now.
Read more: Top 10 Smartphones Coming to Bangladesh in November 2023
Industrial robot crushes worker to death
An industrial robot crushed a worker to death at a vegetable packaging plant in South Korea, police said Thursday, as they investigate whether the machine was unsafe or had potential defects.
According to police officials in the southern county of Goseong, the man died of head and chest injuries Tuesday after he was grabbed and pressed against a conveyor belt by the machine’s robotic arms. Police did not release his name but said the man was an employee of a company that installs industrial robots and was sent to the plant to examine whether the machine was working properly.
Read: Can Earthquakes Really be Predicted?
The machine was one of two pick-and-place robots used at the facility that packages bell peppers and other vegetables exported to other Asian countries, police said. Such machines are common in South Korea's agricultural communities.
“It wasn’t an advanced, artificial intelligence-powered robot, but a machine that simply picks up boxes and puts them on pallets,” said Kang Jin-gi, who heads the investigations department at Gosong Police Station. He said the police were working with related agencies to determine whether the machine had technical defects or safety issues.
Another police official, who did not want to be named because he wasn’t authorized to talk to reporters, said police were also looking into the possibility of human error. The robot’s sensors are designed to identify boxes, and security camera footage indicated the man had moved near the robot with a box in his hands, which likely triggered the machine’s reaction, the official said.
Read: The iPhone 12 emits too much radiation and Apple must take it off the market, a French agency says
“It’s clearly not a case where a robot confused a human with a box – this wasn’t a very sophisticated machine,” he said.
South Korea has had other safety accidents involving industrial robots in recent years. In March, a manufacturing robot crushed and seriously injured a worker who was examining the machine at an auto parts factory in Gunsan. Last year, a robot installed near a conveyor belt fatally crushed a worker at a milk factory in Pyeongtaek.
Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 Review: Flagship Phone with Slim Foldable Design
Ever since the launch of the Mi Mix back in 2016, the Mix lineup has been all about cutting-edge features from Xiaomi. From a completely flush display with an under-display front camera to some of the thinnest foldables in the market, every Mix release was marked with Xiaomi’s technical prowess. Xiaomi recently launched its newest model in the Mix lineup, the Mix Fold 3 on 14 August 2023. The smartphone is China-exclusive for the time being. Let’s look at what’s changed from the Mix Fold 2 and more importantly, whether it takes on the Samsung Z Fold 5.
Key Specifications of the Xiaomi Mix Fold 3
Design and Build Quality
The Mix Fold 3 with its design feels like an incremental update to the Mix Fold 2. The triple camera on the back of the Fold 2 has been replaced with a quad sensor on the Fold 3. As a result, there is a larger camera housing on the back.
The unfolded dimension of the smartphone is 161.2 mm by 143.3 mm by 5.3 mm while the folded dimension comes at around 161.2 mm by 73.5 mm by 10.9 mm. The device weighs 255 g or 259 g depending on whether the user goes for the glass back or the aramid fiber back.
Read more: vivo V29e 5G Review: Is this mid-range phone rightly priced?
At just 5.3 mm, the device is one of the slimmest foldable smartphones out there. It's impressive considering the Galaxy Z Fold5 comes at 6.1 mm. Though its back panel may feel like it's made of leather but it’s a textured glass design.
The folded screen has a Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection while the unfolded inner screen has a plastic front. The rounded edges and the easy positioning of the power and volume rockers make it easy to use with dexterity.
Xiaomi has also updated the hinge mechanism which now allows the smartphone to be unfolded at different positions based on the user preferences. They have also calibrated the OS to support certain split-screen functionalities.
Furthermore, the Aluminum frame makes the device strong and elegant.
Overall, the Mix Fold 3 exudes a premium look and feel all around. It’s compact, lightweight, and functional with an eye-catching design that is sure to appeal to the fans of the foldables.
Read more: OPPO A58 Review: Is this budget-friendly phone good for photos?
The Display
There are two displays on the Mix Fold 3 like all other foldable smartphones. The cover display is a 6.56-inch AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and 2600 nits of peak brightness. The 1080 by 2520 pixels are arranged in a 21:9 aspect ratio.
On the other hand, the folded screen comes with 8.03 inches LTPO OLED+ with 1B colors, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, 1300 nits HBM and Dolby Vision onboard. The inner panel has a 1916 by 2160 pixels distribution with 360 ppi density. the inner panel even with its size bezels comes in at 89.4% screen-to-body ratio.
Both the panels are exactly as one would expect from a flagship foldable smartphone. They are bright and crisp. The HBM on the cover display alleviates it to a new level with ultra-high brightness under direct sunlight. One thing to note is that there is still a noticeable ridge on the inner folding of the display. Users won’t feel it much while touching but it is visible while looking at the panel sideways.
Read more: Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus Review: Know the Pros and Cons
The Camera
There is a Leica quad camera setup on the Fold 3 with the main camera being a 50 MP f/1.8 aperture 23 mm wide angle shooter. The additional sensors are a 10 MP (f/2.0) telephoto with 3.2x optical zoom, another 10 MP (f/2.9) telephoto with 5x optical zoom and the fourth one is a 12 MP (f/2.2) ultrawide sensor. The cover selfie camera is a 20 MP (f/2.3) one with the inner camera being another 20 MP (f/2.3) shooter as well.
Coming to the picture quality, the pictures can be best described as having the right amount of color pop, dynamic range, and perfect details in each shot. The texture rendering on images also looked pretty good. Users would be able to use the back camera as selfie shooters by using the cover screen as a viewfinder. However, the selfie cameras themselves did a pretty good job of capturing casual shots.
The nighttime pictures also came out excellent. The shaded areas of low-light images are not over-processed or overexposed, leaving the pictures looking natural. A lot is going on with the videography on the Fold 3. It can capture 8K@24fps, 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240/960/1920fps. Beyond that, there’s EIS and Dolby Vision HDR support as well. The videos came out great from the main camera with good details, exposure, and stabilization. Whether it’s the pictures or video quality, the Fold 3 definitely outweighs the Z Fold 5 here.
Read more: Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Review: Is it a value-for-money midrange phone?
Processor and Performance
The processor on the Mix Fold 3 is Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 based on 4 Nm architecture. The octa-core processor has a 1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510 chip design for a combination of efficiency and performance-based output. The processor is coupled with an Adreno 740 GPU. With a flagship-grade processor, users can expect to get superior performance out of the smartphone.
The expectation is also corroborated in usage as games like PUBG and Genshin Impact ran on the highest settings without any issues. Playing games on the large display really brings an immersive experience regardless of the title.
Coming to the OS, the China-exclusive variant lacks Google support. The MIUI has been updated as MIUI Fold 14 for the foldable smartphone. It brings features like a split screen, floating screen, and an array of app-based split control options which really come in handy. The stock dock is also useful for storing commonly used apps in one place.
In addition to the raw performance, the Type-C 3.2, UFS 4.0 storage, LPDDRX5 RAM, and the Harman Kardon tuning, all work together to further enhance the already great performance of the device.
Read more: Xiaomi 13T Pro Review: The flagship killer is back
Battery and Charge Time
The battery on the Mix Fold 3 is 4800 mAh. While it might not seem much for a large inner panel, the highly efficient processor aids the Fold 3 in having a solid battery life. users can expect to get around 7 to 9 hours of continued usage out of the Fold 3 in a single full charge.
The battery supports 67W wired fast charging with the charger coming in the box. It can fully charge the device in 40 minutes. There is also 50W wireless fast charging which can recharge the device in 55 minutes.
Pros and Cons of Xiaomi Mix Fold 3
Pros:
- A rich retail bundle with premium accessories- Industry-leading design - Great speakers - Excellent camera setup - Dolby Vision support.
Read more: Infinix Note 30 5G Review: Know the Pros and Cons
Cons:
- Exclusive China release - No waterproof certification.
Price of Xiaomi Mix Fold 3
The Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 comes in 12/256 GB, 16/512 GB, and 16 GB/1 TB configuration. The price of each of the variants is 8,999, 9,999, and 10,999 Yuan. The price roughly amounts to around 1,36,494 BDT, 1,51,661 BDT, and 1,66,829 BDT respectively (1 RMB = 15.17 BDT). However, the price would grossly differ if it becomes officially available in Bangladesh.
Final Words
Xiaomi offers a bunch of trendy features in its latest flagship device Mix Fold 3. The Z Fold from Samsung got a huge reputation as a competent foldable device. But with an excellent display and camera setup, Mix Fold 3 may have beat Samsung in its own game. The price is still on the higher spectrum considering the cutting-edge technology provided here. On the whole, the Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 is a flagship smartphone offering a premium look and foldable design.
Read more: Top 10 Smartphones Coming to Bangladesh in November 2023