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Huawei made a whole camera to attach to its latest phone

I’m sorry, this is just a camera that makes phone calls. | Image: Huawei

Over the last few years, Chinese Android manufacturers have followed Vivo's example of launching add-on "teleconverter" lenses for their flagship phones, enabling long-distance photography that the phones on their own could never match. Today, Huawei one-upped everybody with the add-on lens for its Mate 90 Pro Max flagship, which is not only a comically huge zoom lens, but also includes its own image sensor.

The 1-inch-type, 50-megapixel RYYB sensor inside the Ruiying Z10 is bigger than any inside the phone itself, so attaching this lens doesn't just give you better glass, it's actually a complete overhaul of the camera capabilities. And wh …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Vivo’s X Fold 6 accidentally feels like a throwback

The X Fold 6 looks like foldables did three months ago.

It's a quirk of the release calendar that when Vivo's X Fold 6 launched in China this June, it was just another foldable. Now that it's ready for its global release, the size and aspect ratio feel oddly old-fashioned.

The X Fold 6 is much the same size as Vivo's previous foldables, and most other foldables that launched before both Apple and Samsung pivoted to a shorter, wider form factor with the Z Fold 8 and iPhone Duo. The 6.51-inch cover display is in the standard smartphone 20:9 aspect ratio, opening to an almost square 8.02-inch panel. The crease is a little behind rivals, since it's quite visible, and the IP59 rating is good but not …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Samsung gives its two-year-old Galaxy Tab S Plus an overhaul

The Galaxy Tab S12 Plus and Ultra arrive together, with no regular Tab S12 in sight. | Image: Samsung

Since the Galaxy Tab S10 line, Samsung has updated its flagship Ultra tablet annually, but alternates its regular and Plus variants. It means that this year's Galaxy Tab S12 series includes an Ultra model with few changes from last year's Tab S11 Ultra, and a Plus variant that brings a bigger overhaul to the two-year-old Tab S10 Plus. There's no regular Tab S12, suggesting fans of the smaller size will have to wait until 2027 for the next version of that tablet.

The Galaxy Tab S12 Plus should be a meaningful update to owners of the Tab S10 Plus or older. Compared to that tablet, it has a slightly larger and brighter 12.6-inch display, despi …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Samsung’s new SmartTag is smaller, longer-lasting, and works with iPhones

Samsung has announced its third-generation Bluetooth tracker, the Galaxy SmartTag 3. It combines a smaller design and improved battery life with a few new tracking and software features, including cross-OS support intended to make it easier to share tracking information with friends and family.

As revealed by leaks, the SmartTag 3 has adopted a squircle design, similar to the original SmartTag but with one key difference: There's no cutout for a key ring. That means you'll have to buy one of Samsung's protective cases if you want to directly attach the tracker to keys or a carabiner. It has an IP67 rating for protection from the elements.

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Read the full story at The Verge.

Honor’s Magic 9 Pro Max has a big camera and a bigger battery

This mossy green looks great, but the 9 Pro Max is also launching in black and silver. | Image: Honor

Honor launches its new Magic 9 flagship phones in China today, and the 9 Pro Max features a design revamp, a capable camera, and a colossal battery.

This is Honor's first flagship launch - Robot Phone aside - since it announced its collaboration with camera company Arri. The initial impact is twofold. The new camera island is Arri-inspired, drawing from the "three-lens turret" design first introduced in 1937's Arriflex 35, complete with a knurled texture around the main lens.

Arri has played a part in the camera itself, contributing the ability to shoot in Arri LogC3, together with 14 preset Arri Look LUTs, access to Arri's wider library o …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Vivo’s X500 Pro Max has 17 stops of dynamic range and 4K240 slo-mo

All three new X500 phones support at least one of Vivo’s teleconverter lenses. | Image: Vivo

Vivo's new X500 flagship phones have arrived in China, and as usual the company's focus is firmly on photography. The X500 Pro Max - a new tier in its lineup - is the first phone to use new sensors and silicon from Sony and MediaTek that enable impressive dynamic range and slow-motion video recording.

The X500 Pro Max uses Sony's new Lytia L910 image sensor, its first to use LOFIC, a sensor technology that enables expanded dynamic range. The 50-megapixel, 1/1.28-inch-type sensor delivers what Vivo calls "true 17 EV ultra-high dynamic range," more than the 16.5 stops claimed by the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. The excellent 200-megapixel, 3.7x telephoto …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Googlebooks feel like the first laptops built for Android owners

Googlebook OS is a little bit like ChromeOS and a whole lot like Android.

There's a good chance that my next laptop will be a Googlebook. If you're an Android user like me, then yours might be too, because Google is making a compelling pitch: The Googlebook does for the Android phone what the MacBook does for the iPhone (and then some).

John Maletis, Google's head of laptops and tablets, said at my press briefing that the Googlebooks were designed to "work seamlessly with your Android phone." You can start using an app on your phone then pick it up on the laptop, navigate your phone's files from the laptop, run any phone app from the computer, and manage all your notifications in one place.

It's a good pitch. A …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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