Spotify raised its subscription prices in the US last July, increasing the Premium individual plan by $1 to $10.99. This was just two years after a similar price hike for the Family plan in 2021. Now, a year later, Spotify is bumping up prices again. This time, all plans, including Premium Duo and Family, are affected.
The price hike affects all Spotify plans
Beginning in July 2024, Spotify Premium will see a $1 increase, bringing its price to $11.99. Meanwhile, the Premium Duo plan will experience a $2 hike, raising its cost to $16.99. The Family plan will undergo the biggest increase, jumping $3 from $16.99 to $19.99.
New users trying out Spotify will pay the current rate for the first month of their trial. After that, they will start getting charged at the higher price from their next billing cycle. Wondering why Spotify is hiking its premium plan prices again? Well, the company says:
We’re increasing the price of Premium Individual plan so that we can continue to invest in and innovate on our product offerings and features, and bring you the best experience.
The email Spotify will send its current users telling them about the price hike (Image Credit–Spotify)
Spotify dropped the news about the price hike in a blog post and plans to send emails to its current users. This bump in the US comes hot on the heels of a similar move in key global markets like the UK and Australia, announced just recently.
T-Mobile is trying to make life easier for its customers by bringing new features to the T Life app that was released earlier this year.
T Life started as an app for managing perks and also included some account management features. The company has slowly been adding more capabilities to it, including the option of managing your Home Internet Gateway remotely. Of course, we have seen some unwelcome changes too, like the app getting plastered with ads, but T-Mobile is not alone in showing ads in its app, so we can hardly blame the company for having a revenue stream.
The app is evolving into something much bigger and could become the one-stop solution for all things T-Mobile.
The latest update to T Life’s iOS app brings more features to it. The updated app lets you manage your T-Mobile account and even lets you add a new line.
T-Mobile also says that T Life will soon be the go-to spot for everything and it’s preparing more features for the app.
The Mobile Report explored the app, highlighting all the changes for us. You can now access information by going to the “Manage” tab on the bottom right of the T Life app. The level of detail shown depends on the credentials used to log in, so you will only be able to see everything if you are a primary user.
You can view information like bill balance, due date, and line info. When you tap on the arrow in “More billing and payment options,” you are taken to a website-based view of payments. You get options like changing payment info, setting up payment arrangements, and viewing bill breakdowns.
If you select “Data used,” you’ll be shown a smartphone browser-friendly view of line usage. Other than that, the tab also lets you add people or lines to your account, manage device payment plans, and add your “Magenta Pass” to your iOS Wallet app.
Android users need not feel left out as the Android version is also being updated.
Telegram, the popular messaging app, has just unveiled a range of exciting new features designed to enhance the chatting experience. These updates were announced via a post on the platform’s blog last week.
The most eye-catching addition is the introduction of animated message effects. Users can now add playful animations to their messages, ranging from hearts and flames to a variety of other fun options. These effects trigger when the recipient opens the message, adding an extra layer of expression and personality to conversations. Telegram Premium subscribers will have access to an even wider selection of animated effects, while non-Premium subscribers will be limited to use up to six.
Beyond animated messages, Telegram has made some significant improvements to media captions. Users now have the option to position captions above media, which is particularly useful for memes and images where the caption is integral to understanding the content.
For those who frequently interact with phone numbers within chats, Telegram has streamlined the process. Tapping on a phone number now presents a convenient menu with quick options to send a message, initiate a call, or add the number to your contacts.
New Telegram updates | Credit: Telegram
Hashtags, a staple of social media, have also received an upgrade. Now, when you tap on a hashtag, you’ll not only see relevant messages from your chats but also from large public channels. This expansion of hashtag functionality makes it easier to discover trending topics and connect with broader communities.Telegram has also acknowledged the preference for concise messaging by introducing collapsible quote blocks. This feature allows users to hide longer quotes or text fragments within a collapsible block, making chats less cluttered and easier to navigate. Those interested in reading the full quote can simply expand the block.
Finally, Telegram users on macOS can now enjoy enhanced video calls with new dynamic backgrounds and animations. These visual improvements not only make calls more visually appealing, but also claim to consume fewer system resources.
Telegram’s latest update introduces a wide array of features that cater to various user preferences, enhancing both the functionality and aesthetic appeal of the app.
While Google Calendar might not be the most exciting app in your arsenal, it is undoubtedly one of the most useful. Many of us rely on it for remembering birthdays, and Google seems to be making that even easier with a feature found tucked away in the code of version 2024.21.0-637471596.
Currently, adding a birthday involves multiple steps like creating an event, adjusting settings, and ensuring it repeats annually. Alternatively, you could also add birthday information to a contact, which will populate within the Google birthday calendar that is available as a separate entity. However, hidden within the latest Google Calendar update is a new “Birthday” button that streamlines the process.
This unassuming button, discovered by Android Authority, could be a game-changer. It automatically transforms a manual birthday entry into a yearly recurring event, eliminating the need for manual adjustments. There’s even an option to include the person’s birth year, although its exact purpose remains a mystery. Speculations range from displaying the person’s age to potentially incorporating a countdown feature.
Credit: Android Authority
The update also seems to encourage users to add more birthdays to their calendar, ensuring they never miss a special day. However, it’s important to note that this feature is not yet active within the app. It’s unclear whether or when Google will officially roll it out to users.
Assuming that switching from Event to Birthday when adding an entry into Calendar gives you the opportunity to link to an existing contact, which appears to be the case, this could be a much easier way to add new birthdays. This would eliminate the need to switch between Calendar and Contacts and making the whole process a one-click situation.
The hidden “Birthday” button showcases Google’s commitment to refining its apps, even those that often go unnoticed. As we await the official launch of this feature, it’s exciting to see how Google continues to enhance the functionality of its tools and services, making our digital lives a little easier.
YouTube continues to add new experimental features that elevate the power of AI. After launching Dream Track, a suite of experimental tools specifically developed to help creators make unique music for their Shorts, YouTube released a couple of new features that augment the power of Dream Track.
Last month, YouTube introduced the ability to add AI-generated instrumental-only soundtracks with Dream Track for Shorts. Since the first Dream Track test feature launched by YouTube last year only allowed users to create soundtracks using the AI-generated voices of artists, it made sense for the company to roll out a similar feature but for instrumental-only soundtracks.
Starting this week, a very limited number of YouTube creators will be able to test yet another experimental feature related to Dream Track. This time it has nothing to do with music, as Dream Screen uses AI to generate image green screen backgrounds for Shorts.
YouTube creators who already in the experimental group and want to check out the new feature can access it by following the guide provided by YouTube. To actually use the feature, simply type an idea into the tool to generate new images to include in your Shorts.
Although Dream Screen is only available for a small number of Shorts creators, YouTube says that it will roll out the feature to more creators later this year.
This time around, we’re comparing two Chinese flagships, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra. Both of these phones were announced this year, and both are considered to be amongst the best camera smartphones on the market. These two phones do differ in a number of ways, though. In this article, we’ll compare them, and hopefully give you a good idea of their differences, so that you can make a better purchasing decision.
As per usual, their specs are first in line. We’ll list them, and following that, we’ll talk about their designs, displays, performance, battery life, camera performance, and audio output. Before we get into it, however, do note that both phones come in global variants, but the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra doesn’t come with Google services. It has Huawei’s services. With that being said, let’s get down to it.
Specs
Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra, respectively
As you can see, these two phones look entirely different. There are some similarities on the front when you look at them straight on, but that’s an illusion. Let’s go one step at a time. Both phones do have flat displays with a centered display camera hole, however, the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra has quad-curved glass on top of it. It feels different to use. The bezels are very thin on both smartphones and uniform too. Both phones come with a frame made out of aluminum, even though the Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a titanium version in China.
Both of these phones also come with vegan leather aka eco-leather backplates. The back of the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra is quad-curved, the same as the phone’s front, they’re proportional. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s curves towards the sides. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a large camera oreo on the back, which is centered in the upper portion of its back. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra has a camera island in the top-left corner, and it looks… different.
Both smartphones have their physical keys on the right-hand side. They are also similar in terms of height and weight, while the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is a bit thicker. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra is slightly heavier, but you will notice that. In fact, that phone felt lighter in the hand due to its design. That quad-curved backplate with eco-leather definitely helped. The phone was a joy to hold and use. The ergonomics of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra have also been improved compared to the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, but the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra is the more comfortable phone to hold and use. Both devices do offer an IP68 certification for water and dust resistance.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra: Display
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a 6.73-inch QHD+ (3200 x 1440) LTPO AMOLED display. That panel is flat, and it has an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Dolby Vision is supported here, and the same goes for HDR10+ content. The peak brightness of this panel is 3,000 nits. The display aspect ratio is 20:9, and the screen-to-body ratio is around 89%. The Xiaomi Shield Glass protects the Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s display.
Huawei Pura 70 Ultra
The Huawei Pura features a 6.8-inch 2844 x 1260 LTPO OLED display. That panel is flat, and it has an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. IT can project up to 1 billion colors and supports HDR content. The peak brightness of this panel is 2,500 nits. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra’s screen-to-body ratio is around 89%, while the Kunlun Glass (Basalt–tempered) protects this display.
Both of these displays are outstanding. They are not only immensely bright when needed, but offer vivid colors and great viewing angles. The touch response is also very good on both smartphones, and the blacks are deep. You’ll realize that both displays are also more than sharp enough. You can always nitpick when it comes to displays, but the fact is, these two panels are both great and on the same level.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra: Performance
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. The phone also includes 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of storage in its global variant. Some additional options are available in China, exclusively. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra, on the other hand, is fueled by the Kirin 9010 processor. It comes with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB or 1TB of UFS 4.0 flash storage.
Just to be clear, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is a 4nm chip, and it’s considerably more powerful than the 7nm Kirin 9010. Huawei has been affected by the US ban quite a bit, and the company returned to making its own chips with SMIC’s help. The Kirin 9010 may not be the most modern chip, but it does a great job fueling the Pura 70 Ultra. Both of these phones actually perform admirably.
You will notice the difference in benchmarks, sure, and the same goes for gaming when it comes to more demanding games. However, in regular day-to-day performance, there’s not much difference. Both smartphones do a fantastic job, and the same goes for intense multitasking, and so on. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra feels like a flagship smartphone in terms of performance. If you are a gamer, however, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is definitely the better choice.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra: Battery
The global Xiaomi 14 Ultra variant comes with a 5,000mAh battery. Its Chinese counterpart includes a 5,300mAh unit. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra includes a 5,200mAh battery in all models. You’ll be glad to know that both of these smartphones offer great battery life, actually. We’ve been able to easily go through a full day of use on a single charge. Getting well over 7 hours of screen-on-time was possible on both phones.
Do note that gaming was not calculated into regular use days, but we did not spare either phone. They both do a great job in the battery life department and if you need to push them even further, there are battery-saving options available too. You will likely never need, those, however. Both gaming and intense camera use do affect battery life quite a bit, as they do on pretty much every phone, so keep that in mind. Chances are you’ll be happy with the battery life these two phones offer, though, regardless of your usage. Your mileage may vary, though, of course, each of us uses our phones in different ways, with different apps, and so on.
When the charging is concerned, both offer some great options. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra does edge out the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. Why? Well, it offers faster reverse wireless charging, and also reverse wired charging too. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra supports 90W wired, 80W wireless, and 10W reverse wireless charging. Huawei’s flagship supports 100W wired, 80W wireless, 20W reverse wireless, and 18W reverse wired charging. Both smartphones do come with a charger included in the box.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra: Cameras
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has four cameras on the back, while the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra has three. Don’t let the camera count fool you, as both of these phones offer outstanding camera performance. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra includes a 50-megapixel main camera (variable aperture), a 50-megapixel ultrawide unit (122-degree FoV), a 50-megapixel telephoto camera (3.2x optical zoom), and a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (5x optical zoom).
Xiaomi 14 Ultra
The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra, on the flip side, has a 50-megapixel main camera (variable aperture, sensor-shift OIS, retractable lens), a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (3.5x optical zoom, macro). Both smartphones do their best to keep photos looking close to what you actually see while adding a layer of processing on top of it to make them look vivid and nice at the same time.
Both smartphones do a fantastic job too, actually. The images end up looking sharp and well-balanced, and they both have a great grip of control under HDR conditions too. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra does have a bit stronger warm tint to it, purposely. Their telephoto and ultrawide cameras do a great job of keeping up with the main camera in terms of colors, though the prowess of the main cameras is visible, especially in low light. In low light, both smartphones offer plenty of details, and manage to control noise really well.
One thing that it’s worth noting is that the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra was more reliable during our testing. It rarely got the balance wrong. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra did great too, but the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra did have the edge in that regard. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra does win the video performance comparison, however.
Audio
Both of these devices offer a set of stereo speakers. Both of them offer good sound output, and they’re well-balanced. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra does have the advantage of having louder speakers, though, noticeably louder. The ones on the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra are not dim, but the difference is noticeable.
Neither phone has an audio jack. You can always utilize their Type-C ports if you need to connect your wired headphones, though. If you’d like to go wireless, however, Bluetooth 5.4 is supported on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, while Huawei’s handset supports Bluetooth 5.2.
Threads is rolling out so many updates that it no longer has time to announce them prior to deployment. The most recent update brings one important feature that will allow its users to choose what they want to see on their feed.
Announced by Adam Mosseri on Threads, a new option that allows users to decide whether or not they want to see a post on their feed is now rolling out to everyone. It also makes it easier to find certain posts that you might be interested in.
Once your Threads app receives the update, you’ll be able to swipe right on a post to like it, or swipe left to prevent other posts like it from appearing on your feed.
In an effort to give people more control over their Threads experience, we’re rolling out the option to swipe right on a post to like it, or swipe left to show you’re not interested. We’ll use those signals to show you more posts like the ones you swipe right on and fewer of those you swipe left on.
It’s worth mentioning that you can undo your action if you accidentally swipe left on a post (or right). It’s a nifty little feature that will hopefully make your feed more interesting as you use it more.
Paramount, a leading company in the entertainment industry, is seeking partners for its streaming service, Paramount+. Bloomberg reports that Paramount, which owns CBS and MTV, aims to make its streaming business profitable and is actively looking for collaborations to achieve this goal.
At the shareholder meeting on June 4, 2024, the company’s leadership mentioned that their partnership bid is attracting significant interest from other industry players. Paramount also plans to cut expenses by $500 million and boost licensing revenue. These strategic moves are part of the company’s broader effort to strengthen its position in the highly competitive streaming market.
We still do not know who Paramount’s potential streaming partners are
Currently, there is little information about who Paramount’s potential partners might be. Cord Cutter News speculates that Comcast could be one of the companies in talks with Paramount. If this partnership materializes, it is likely that content from both Peacock and Paramount+ would be available on a single streaming app, offering a more extensive library to subscribers.
Paramount+ and Peacock together have about 105 million subscribers. This number is still less than Netflix’s 270 million subscribers and Disney+’s 111 million subscribers.
Paramount is also discussing a merger with Skydance Media, the company behind movie hits like Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and Apple TV’s Ghosted.
Users think streaming is becoming like Cable
When Netflix started the streaming revolution, it promised users a break from the constraints of cable television. Streaming was seen as a viable alternative to piracy, offering an ad-free experience and easier cancellation options.
However, with Paramount’s search for partners and the upcoming partnerships involving Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery, many users are beginning to wonder if streaming is becoming the new cable TV.
Nowadays, users often need to subscribe to multiple services to access a variety of content. To manage rising production costs, services like Hulu and Netflix now offer ad-supported subscriptions at lower prices, which resembles the traditional cable model.
Your Opera browser has just become more customizable with the addition of a new option to designate an emoji to each of your tabs. The Norwegian browser has just announced a new update that gives users the ability to customize their tables with emojis is now rolling out.
Apart from the fun aspect, adding emojis to tabs makes it easier to keep everything organized and prioritize those tabs that are more important. The so-called Tab Emoji feature will make your tabs stand out and visually recognizable.
A world without emojis would be plain sad – we don’t even want to think about that. With this release, we went in quite the opposite direction and created Tab Emojis. This feature lets Opera users add some fun directly to their tabs by decorating them with a smiley, an animal, a fruit, a vegetable or any of the over one thousand emojis of their choice.
In order to decorate your tabs to be able to recognize them easier, you can now assign emojis to them by hovering over any tab and then accessing a menu of five pre-selected emojis.
To access a much larger collection of emojis, simply tap the “+” button. It’s also important to add that emojis can be changed or removed completely the same way they are added.
It seems that Microsoft is working on a feature that would allow you to access the whole storage of your Android phone wirelessly through Windows File Explorer. The company would use its Phone Link app as a bridge to make it possible.
Phone Link is a Windows app that enhances the interaction between your PC and your mobile device. It offers multiple possibilities, like accessing files on your phone wirelessly. However, wireless file access is limited to images and videos. Currently, you cannot explore your phone’s internal storage using the Phone Link app. But it seems that is about to change.
Phone Link would allow you to wirelessly explore your Android phone files from Windows
PhantomOcean3 reported on X about the new development. According to the post, Microsoft is working on integrating your linked Android phone storage into the Windows file explorer. This means that you will be able to access all your files wirelessly as if it were another normal Windows folder. Currently, this is only possible using a USB connection.
Looks like the Cross Device Experience Host will let you make your device show up in File Explorer in a future update, a toggle for this has been hidden in the app for some time. pic.twitter.com/9zwomWwdTz
The feature is not yet functional, but the source showed a screenshot with a related toggle. Enabling the toggle will “Show mobile device in File Explorer.” Once it is available, you can find it by going to Windows 11 Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices > Manage mobile devices. If you enable the feature, Windows will ask you for access permission to all the files on your mobile device. To complete the setup, you will have to tap on a notification from your linked phone.
It is not yet known when the option to check your phone’s storage through the Windows File Explorer will be available. It will likely first go through a few weeks or months of testing in beta versions of Windows. However, once it is available, it will immediately become one of the most useful features.
