The OnePlus 10 Pro— not quite a 10 though.
Hey there!
Before I start, I’d like to give a quick summary of what is in this edition so if you don’t have the time, you can just skim through this :) The major event this week— OnePlus launched their flagship phone OnePlus 10 Pro. YouTube finally rolled out picture in picture for iOS 15 users. Google Docs will now offer tone and style suggestions when you are writing. Apple might release an iPad with an M2 chip this fall too! Apple will also no longer repair phones that have been marked missing and yeah, you will now be able to use emoji reactions on Google Meet. That’s a small summary of what happened this week. So, let’s dive right into it!
The OnePlus 10 Pro— not quite a 10 though. The 5G phone by OnePlus features an Snapdragon 8th Gen 1 mobile platform with a liquid smooth 120 Hz screen. The phone also packs 80W fast charging with state of the art camera collaboration with Hasselblad. And that’s it. That’s all the phone features. Yeah, the numbers seem like a gimmick which I am sure they are. This phone is literally a OnePlus 9 with a new name. The phone still doesn’t have an official IP rating so it isn’t water and dust resistant officially, either. Well, you are paying $899 and that should be the least you expect. Some good things about the phone, however, are that it has a really good and solid battery that should last you all day long. The optician fingerprint scanner is blazing fast too. That was the good part. The numbers are nice and it looks good on paper. However, a key factor that cannot be inked out is software and consumer experience. OnePlus has moved from the vanilla software it offered so some bloatware applications and weird looking design choices after merging with Oppo. Now, this may not sound like a lot but software is something you use on a daily basis and is a part of your daily life. It accounts for all your interactions with the phone. Don’t get me wrong, the software is so fast! But in my opinion, it looks really ugly compared to stock android, OneUI and iOS. OnePlus really needs to pull up its socks :) I would say if you are willing to shell out about $900 for a OnePlus phone, you should also consider Google’s line-up. In this price range, the Pixel 6 Pro is a way better idea and choice.
Heading over to Apple. Yes, Apple may launch another new iPad this year but this time the Pro lineup will get an upgrade. After the launch of the new iPad Air, Pro and Air iPads have become identical in terms of literally everything. The Pro may have a couple of more features but essentially, they are the same. However, things might change. Apple may come out with a new chip altogether this year, the M2. This chip may change and make the iPad even faster alongside making it more power efficient. This new set of hardware may also gather support for MagSafe and wireless charging. It is possible that the M2 chip is also featured in the MacBook Air 2022 Fall model or 2023 Spring model.
Now for a couple of updates from Google and YouTube. The update from YouTube is fairly simple and understandable. The new YouTube update allows users to watch YouTube as a small window even if you leave the app — allowing you multitask while consuming content. Yes, this is a premium feature and you need to purchase YouTube premium to access the same. Also, Google is kinda trying to copy Zoom and introduce emoji reactions to meetings allowing meetings to be more casual and fun. I mean, yeah, that is it, that’s the story. It doesn’t sound significant but I am kinda looking forward to it.
Another major update announced by the Google Workspace team showcased how Google Docs will now offer tone and style writing suggestions to users to improve their language presentation. These suggestions will be highlighted using a purple squiggly line underneath text. Some of the examples would include word choices, voice and concise suggestions. Google is also experimenting with pageless documents. So essentially, one canvas to write everything on! No more hassling and fumbling around page numbers :) Google also had another update coming which improved the reliability of their search results by using a more transparent approach while showcasing results. When you reach for a new article you can quickly verify if the article is true or not with a ‘highly cited” label on Google making your search results even more accurate. Well, I get what this feature is but I am not sure how to explain it in the simplest of terms so I recommend reading this article to understand this segment better.
Well, anyway, that was it for this week. This is essentially what happened. Not very eventful but I guess not every week can be as interesting as the WWDC announcements. I am going to sign off real quick because it is 3am and I am at a friend's place for a sleepover, just so I can write about this issue. Cool then, don’t forget to check your devices for the iOS and macOS updates that fixes a couple of bugs and improves device security. I will catch you next time. Stay safe and healthy!
Half-asleep while writing this,
Tejas Tagra
6054 days old
