Software

Realme has crammed a number of series firsts into the new 10 Pro Plus (or 10 Pro+), including the switch to a curved display at its market tier, which, as the OEM asserts, can help it challenge devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra in certain ways. It is also the first Pro+ model to launch with the latest Realme UI 4.0 based on Android 13 out of the box and new fast charging tech.

The Realme 10 Pro is a new mobile device that has dodged all leaks on its path to its launch today (November 17, 2022) as one of its OEM's first ever smartphones to launch with Android 13 out of the box. Not only that, it has a new "Skyline" display touted as having "1mm" bezels. The 10 Pro starts with relatively generous internal storage specs for ~US$223.

Fighting against established competitors like Intel and AMD as well as against more than 30 years of PC legacy was always going to be an uphill battle for Qualcomm. To find a way into the market for its Snapdragon processors, Qualcomm has to be creative - which they demonstrated at the Snapdragon Summit 2022.

OnePlus has continued its Android 13 and OxygenOS 13 rollout at impressive speed. Having already updated last year’s OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro, it has now rolled out OxygenOS 13 to another six smartphones. From today, the Android 13-based update should be available on the OnePlus 8 series, plus the OnePlus 9T, OnePlus 9RT and the OnePlus 10R.

Honor's pre-launch campaign for its next crop of premium mid-range Android smartphones has already yielded a number of potentially juicy details. The 80 series is now more officially associated with 160MP as a maximum resolution in terms of main cameras. It is also now tipped to get a brand-new Qualcomm SoC - that is not, moreover, the 8 Gen 2.

Released earlier today, the NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready Driver 526.98 comes "to unlock the full potential of the new GeForce RTX 4080" and brings full support for the following upcoming titles: Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, and World of Warcraft: Dragonflight. Many other changes are included as well.

Samsung continues to upgrade its product stack to One UI 5 at breakneck speed. Not only has the company brought the Android 13-based update to the Galaxy Tab S8 series this week, but it has also delivered it to devices that were not scheduled to receive One UI 5 until December. Regardless, the Galaxy XCover6 Pro, Galaxy M32 5G and Galaxy M52 5G are now eligible for the update in several European countries.

Apple has announced that the Emergency SOS via satellite feature exclusive to iPhones of the latest 14 series is now available - albeit in North America only. The Cupertino giant asserts that it should prove a new last resort should its customers be out of range of cell towers. It can also be used to share a device's location in the Find My app.

Google has released new features to the Pixel Watch app as part of its November 2022 update. Not only has Google included several bug fixes, but the company has also integrated greater Fitbit functionality, which still remains lacking compared to Fitbit's flagship smartwatches.

AiDot, a universal software platform shared by multiple smart home device and accessory brands, has announced that it is now compatible with Google's new Matter standard. To this end, the first wave of smart light-bulbs that support both protocols are now in their pre-sale period. They start at US$13.99 for a threaded unit that can fit seamlessly into an existing network of existing IoT devices and sensors.

Samsung introduced the option of body-composition analysis with the fourth generation of its high-end Galaxy Watch series. The OEM launched the new sensor in question with claims that it was as capable as conventional clinical machines in its job. Now, recently-published research may show how well these assertions hold up under lab conditions.

Once in a while something magical happens, and an excellent game that was once prohibitively expensive suddenly becomes reasonably priced for a limited time. Such is the case with the three excellent titles we've rounded up here. Each of them had an impact on its fanbase and patient gamers can now experience those thrills at a discount.

Volkswagen now reports that it has delivered half a million ID.-series vehicles worldwide. The marque touts this figure as an important milestone for its future plans, now projected to result in the discontinuation of all non-electric models in 2033. It also now hints at a number of successors for the current ID. range to hit the road prior to that.

Samsung has started distributing the first major update for the Galaxy Tab S8 series. Rolling out now to the Galaxy Tab S8, Galaxy Tab S8 Plus and Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, the updates pack many new features, including DeX improvements and greater colour customisation options.

Honor has announced that the Magic Vs is not the only smartphone it will launch during a major November 2022 product event. The new foldable flagship will be joined on stage by the Honor 80 series: mid-range Android devices now confirmed to launch with iPhone 14 Pro-mimicking screens and an updated design developed in collaboration with a popular artist.

Android Auto's latest public beta version is the first one to reflect the new updates as promised by Google at 1/0 2022. They include potentially helpful tweaks such as Maps that can skew toward the driver as well as enhanced Assistant integration and improved scaling to various in-car displays. Notification and status-bar control may also be more intuitive and less distracting in this new UI.

Vivo's putative Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-powered X90 Pro Plus is now thought to launch alongside a vanilla counterpart with the OEM's exclusive combination of the MediaTek Dimensity 9200 SoC and a custom co-processor. It is touted to boost gaming and battery life on the upcoming premium mid-range Android smartphone. Both new devices are now said to debut before the end of November 22, 2022.

MediaTek has announced the addition of a new flagship variant for its Pentonic chipsets specifically for TVs. The Pentonic 1000 is pitched at the 4K/120Hz screens of the near future, and is rated for on-board support for broadcast standards worldwide as well as high-end TV features such as ALLM, VRR up to 144Hz and multi-split-screen views.

According to TCL, it's number 1! - in terms of market share for 98-inch TVs from January to September 2022, that is. The OEM claims to have dominated the sector with its latest QLED TV of this size (the 98C735). The new XL Collection flagship has a 4K "IMAX Enhanced" display, and is touted to deliver "leading" color reproduction and "stunning" brightness

Apple has released numerous firmware updates for its various AirPods and Beats earbuds. As well as updating headphones too, Apple has issued a new update for the AirTags, which have now reached firmware version 2.0.24.

Qualcomm's next-gen mobile flagship SoC, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, is said to have started surfacing on Geekbench in the form of the new top-end Android smartphones currently in a race to launch first with the new, cutting-edge spec. Now, it has popped up again, thereby purporting to confirm that Vivo's performance-focused brand iQOO is poised to launch handsets based on the advanced silicon.

Samsung has released a new update for the Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch4 Classic to fix a major issue that it introduced with last month's software update for the pair. Rolling out as GVK4, the new update includes a 'power operation-related stabilisation code' to prevent units from bricking when they power off. Unfortunately, it seems that the new update causes other issues for the Galaxy Watch4 generation.

Linux laptops have so far lost out to their Windows counterparts with regard to features such as Nvidia's Advanced Optimus. Now, Nvidia is proposing a new user-space API for the Linux kernel that allows for dynamic multiplexer (MUX) switching beyond the capabilities of the current vga-switcheroo implementation that has several limitations.

Samsung continues to bring its smartphones onto One UI 5 at speed. No sooner has the company started upgrading the Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S21 series than it has commenced rollouts for five other Galaxy smartphones. Next up for One UI 5 is the Galaxy A33 5G, Galaxy A53 5G, Galaxy A73 5G, Galaxy Z Flip4 and Galaxy Z Fold4.

OnePlus has started distributing stable Android 13-based builds globally for the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro. Rolling out as Oxygen OS 13.0, the updates are available for OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro handsets sold in Europe, India and North America.

Qualcomm is (still) a vociferous proponent of the potential of millimeter-wave (mmWave) 5G in commercial applications. Now, the company claims to have leapt a key hurdle in its race to become a major supplier of standalone mmWave in China. It involves the achievement of multi-gigabit per second (Gb/s) peak download and upload speeds using the Snapdragon X65 5G Modem-RF System.

Vivo is said to release a top-end variant for its upcoming X90 series of Android smartphones so premium that it will ship with Qualcomm's next-gen flagship mobile SoC. Now, a device with a potentially authentic model number has appeared on Geekbench with 12GB of RAM. However, the rest of the specs fail to match those of previous "Snapdragon 8 Gen 2" leaks.

As the MIUI 14 release date grows closer, new features for the Xiaomi Android overlay have supposedly been leaked. The reported changes should help MIUI 14 reduce the amount of space it takes up on supported devices. The removal of ads in MIUI software has seemingly been a long time coming, as even MIUI 13 has ad-enabled features.

GoPro has announced that it has finally released the new HERO11 Black Mini to its official web-store. The "smaller, lighter" variant of the OEM's 2022 flagship action camera is also now available on sites such as Amazon. It ships without some of its brand's more premium perks in exchange for a reduced starting price.

Forza Horizon 5 has received a major update that enables upsampling technologies such as AMD FSR 2.2 and DLSS 2.4. While ray tracing was previously limited to the ForzaVista mode, the latest update offers Ultra and Extreme ray tracing presets that also work in photo mode, free roam, and races.

Philips claims that its new crowdfunding campaign for the Screeneo U5 took just five minutes to achieve its goal. The new successor to the U4 (also launched on Indiegogo) upgrades to a 4K UHD resolution and an image of up to 150 inches. It has an impressively high max brightness rating and has a UI based on Android 11.

Qualcomm Technologies and Renault Group have announced that they will team up to deliver new platforms for next-gen electric vehicles from the latter. The resulting new "Software Defined Vehicle Platforms" will take over from the Snapdragon Digital Chassis, and may thus deliver new advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), "connected car" experiences and generally many more of a vehicle's controls than ever before.

Google has started distributing a new update to all Pixel smartphones from the Pixel 4a series onwards. While Google has released the November 2022 update to all eligible Pixel smartphones, this month's update pays particular attention to the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, with several device-specific bug fixes related to display power consumption and thermal performance, among other changes.

Lenovo has confirmed that it will launch a new tablet on the Chinese market. However, unlike most of its products along these lines, it will have an e-ink screen. It is slated to debut as part of the YOGA series with its own stylus, and is touted to deliver a paper-like experience.

Samsung has now started issuing One UI 5 to many of its older flagship smartphones. From today, the Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S21 series are eligible for the Android 13-based upgrade in some markets, except for the Galaxy S20 FE and Galaxy S21 FE.

Huawei's Petal is its in-house alternative to Google or Apple Maps, developed for the first-party HarmonyOS UI. The OEM has just unveiled a new and "powerful" 3D real-world feature for the app, touted to confer hyper-realistic "digital world" based on a given location. It requires new GPU applications and techniques, as well as enough photos of the place in question.

The VAVA Chroma became a crowdfunding darling on its 2021 launch thanks to claims of debuting "cinematic" ALPD technology in an ultra-high-brightness 4K laser projector. Now, it is the star of its brand's pre-Black Friday 2022 event at US$1,000 off its usual price. It is joined by its new Luma 4K sibling, as well as VAVA's line of smart-home gadgets such as its security cameras.

EZVIZ has launched the DB1C as a new option for those interested in a teched-out doorbell. It is compatible with 2.4Ghz/5Ghz Wi-Fi, which can stream FHD video to a user's personal device. The new smart home component also has AI that can tell when there is a human in front of it, so as to avoid blowing the same device up with unnecessary or inaccurate alerts.

Google has given a new lease of life to Pebble smartwatches. With an app update to support 64-bit versions of Android, Pebble smartwatch now support devices that lack 32-bit support, which is currently only the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro.

Reputedly, Samsung plans to bring its 'Light' performance profile to the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra. Already available on the Galaxy Z Fold4 and Galaxy Z Flip4, the performance profile favours battery life and cooling over processing speed.

Sony has announced that it is on the verge of updating its latest flagship smartphones to Android 13. Starting with the Xperia 1 IV and Xperia 5 IV, the update should eventually reach other devices like the Xperia 10 IV and older models like last year's Xperia 1 III.

iQOO is a smartphone brand with a penchant for launching mobile devices with high-end specs for surprisingly reasonable prices. Now, it is projected to build on that reputation with upcoming next-gen flagships to launch with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 as soon as possible after that processor's predicted November 2022 launch. This is now expected to happen so fast that they will debut in India by December.

Realme has hyped its upcoming 10 4G as the most powerful smartphone yet to launch with its new MediaTek SoC. Now, the OEM has announced that it will not be long until these claims can be put to the test. In the meantime, the probably affordable mobile device is being touted as one that will "sweep away the competition" with potential advantages inherited from its predecessor.

Huawei is now strongly hinting at an upcoming new feature for its latest top-end foldable smartphone, the Mate Xs 2, to be unveiled during the OEM's upcoming Developer Conference. The upgrade could put the premium device on par with the latest iPhone 14 series in terms of cutting-edge innovations - then again, it might have its limits.

Garmin has started rolling out Beta Version 10.08 for the Instinct 2 series, a Release Candidate build that contains numerous changes and improvements. Not only has Garmin included several bug fixes, but it has also bundled new features and improvements. Beta Version 10.08 is available to download now for the Instinct 2 and Instinct 2S.

Steam Big Picture mode has received a substantial update, moving it away from its most recent layout. In its place arrives Steam Deck UI, which contains new features and improved navigation when using a controller.

According to word on the grapevine, Nothing is set to debut a direct successor to the Nothing Ear (1) TWS earbuds that launched over a year ago. Supposedly, the Nothing Ear (2) is slated to be unveiled imminently—in December.

Samsung has outlined plans to upgrade 65 devices to One UI 5 in Europe. Supposedly, the company will complete its Android 13 upgrade process by February 2023 in Europe, with November and December being the biggest months in Samsung's rollout. Unsurprisingly, Samsung will update current flagships first before moving onto older models and current mid-range devices.

DOOGEE has announced that it will debut its first ever tablet in November 2022. The T10 will start at just under US$120, yet to pack potential advantages such as a USB type-C port for data and charging; support for dual-SIM 4G/LTE and Wi-Fi 5, and expandable memory. On the other hand, it will have an FHD LCD display driven by a bargain-bucket processor from Unisoc.