OPPO has decided to reveal some details about its upcoming smartwatch, the OPPO Watch 4 Pro. As a reminder, the OPPO Watch 3 Pro got announced in August last year, so the new one is due to arrive very soon.
Some OPPO Watch 4 Pro details just got confirmed
In any case, OPPO has confirmed that it plans to combine the Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chip with 2GB of RAM inside of this smartwatch. On top of that, a power-efficient Bluetooth chipset (BES2700) will also be included.
That’s not all, though, OPPO will also bring new health-tracking features to the watch. The OPPO Watch 4 Pro will include a skin temperature sensor. On top of that, a 16-channel blood oxygen sensor will be included.
All of those are notable improvements. Last year’s model had a worse SoC, 1GB of RAM, and a 12-channel blood oxygen sensor. Not to mention it didn’t include a skin temperature sensor at all.
Speaking of the ship, the Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 is an excellent chip for wearables. Chances are Google will utilize that same processor in the Pixel Watch 2.
The device will feature a stainless steel shell
The fun doesn’t stop there. The company also plans to include an LTPO AMOLED display on this watch. OPPO’s upcoming smartwatch will feature a stainless steel case, and will also offer 10 professional sports modes.
Those are some notable improvements we talked about here. Having said that, we still don’t know what will the device look like. The Watch 3 Pro had a rectangular screen, and a dial on the right side, in addition to a secondary button.
OPPO will continue does the same line, it won’t switch to a circular display. We know that thanks to the company’s teaser shown below. This watch will likely launch very soon, perhaps even before the end of August.
So you are an iPhone user but have been thinking lately about giving the Galaxy Z Fold 5 a shot. Samsung has come up with a way for you to experience what it feels like to use the book-style foldable. An update to Samsung’s Try Galaxy app will use two iPhone screens to simulate the internal 7.6-inch Galaxy Z Fold 5 display. The first thing you do is go to your browser and type in TryGalaxy.com. You’ll see a page with a QR code; use your iPhone camera to scan the QR code.
Right off the bat, we must tell you that you will need access to two iPhone handsets to experience the Galaxy Z Fold 5. Samsung recommends that you use two iPhones with similarly sized screens. If you don’t have two iPhones handy, perhaps someone will lend one to you. Regardless of how you get that second iPhone to use, after scanning the QR code on one of the iPhones, follow the directions to get a code number on that one iPhone unit.
The Try Galaxy app will give iPhone users the ability to experience how it feels to use a Galaxy Z Fold 5 running One UI 5.1.1
Put the second iPhone next to the first one and enter the same code number you entered on the first iPhone to pair them. Based on how you position the pair, one iPhone will show the left half of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 screen while the other iPhone will display the right half of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 display allowing you to experience how it feels to use the foldable’s larger internal screen and One UI 5.1.1.
Two iPhones can be used to emulate the internal Galaxy Z Fold 5 display
Additionally, using two iPhones and the Try Galaxy app will allow iOS users to see how it feels to use the FlexCam on the Galaxy Z Fold 5. With FlexCam, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 can take hands-free pictures using the device’s internal and external displays. Like on the real Galaxy Z Fold 5, those testing the two iPhone screens with the Try Galaxy app can use drag-and-drop capabilities, and an air hockey game is also included in an attempt to persuade you that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the phone you need.
Using two iPhones side-by-side to emulate the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s internal 7.6-inch screen
The updated Try Galaxy app can support as many as 20 languages thanks to the addition of Korean, Czech, Hungarian, Latin American Spanish, and Russian. Offering this might be a pretty risky move for Samsung to take since there is always the chance that using two iPhones to dress up as a Galaxy Z Fold 5 leaves iPhone users with a bad taste in their mouths thanks to a bad experience.
It would be much easier if you know someone who owns a Galaxy Z Fold 5 and see if he/she will let you try it out. Or, you can visit your nearby retailer to get a real look at the real Galaxy Z Fold 5.
Have you ever tried calling someone and wondered what the time and weather condition is where they are? If yes, then the Google Contacts app is getting an impressive update to bring these details to your doorstep. Some users of the app are already reporting that they are getting access to this new feature on their apps.
This new feature to informs you of the time and weather conditions in your contact’s region before calling them sits behind a new button. If you do not have this feature, and you open a contact card on the app, you’d be greeted with three round control buttons. One of these buttons is for calls, the second is for text, and the last is for video calling.
However, if you have the update, you’d get a fourth button for directions. This button will only be available for contacts that have their address saved as part of their contact card. Tapping on the direction button will pull up the contact’s address and some more details.
Telling the weather conditions in other areas just got easier with a Google Contacts app update
With the addition of the new ‘Directions’ button, you can now tell the time and weather conditions in your contact’s region. Asides from the tab that gives information on the contact’s home address, the new feature also gives away more information. In a different tab, this new feature tells the time and the weather condition in the region where the contact lives.
In typical Google style, the Contacts app tells the weather with a nice Material You icon. It also gives that same information out via text and it gets the information from a popular weather service. The time gets displayed in the text just above the weather information, which is also in the text.
With these small details, when next you call your friend (who lives in another region) you can start the conversation by talking about the weather. Their reactions can be one of two, one reaction might be cool if they already know about this feature. If they knew nothing about this feature, they might be startled as to how you knew the exact weather in their region.
This is not only informative but also a cool feature to have on the Google Contacts app. To get access to this, you will need to update your Google Contacts app via the Play Store. The update is still rolling out, so don’t panic if you can’t find an update to your app yet.
The OnePlus 12 info just keeps on coming. This time around, Yogesh Brar, a tipster, had something to say. He shared some specs of the OnePlus 12, while adding that the phone will offer a “premium build”.
The OnePlus 12 will offer “premium build”, wireless charging, a large battery & more
We don’t really know if that means OnePlus plans to use different materials this time around, but it’s unlikely. Chances are it will utilize aluminum for the frame once again, in combination with Corning’s Gorilla Glass protection on both the front and the back.
The tipster also said that an IP rating will be present, which is great, considering the same cannot be said for the OnePlus 11. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 will fuel the device, while the tipster also mentioned the battery and charging.
The phone will allegedly include a 5,400mAh battery, while it will support 100W wired, and 50W wireless charging. Its predecessor, the OnePlus 11, didn’t offer wireless charging at all, so this is definitely an improvement in that regard.
Three cameras are tipped to be included, including a periscope telephoto one
What about the cameras? Well, three of them are expected, and the tipster claims we’ll get two 50-megapixel cameras, and one 64-megapixel one. The main camera will likely be a 50-megapixel one, and so will the ultrawide one. The 64-megapixel camera is likely reserved for the periscope telephoto unit.
That’s basically everything the tipster shared. The OnePlus 12 will seemingly be a considerable improvement over its predecessor, in several ways. The OnePlus 11 is a great device, but it lacks some staples of flagship phones these days, such as a periscope camera, IP rating, and wireless charging.
OnePlus will fix all that with the OnePlus 12, it seems. The phone will likely arrive in Q1 next year, likely in January. It could launch in China first, though, we’ll see.
Malwarebytes EDR and MDR removes all remnants of ransomware and prevents you from getting reinfected. Want to learn more about how we can help protect your business? Get a free trial below.
Google has announced a new security feature for Pixel devices. Called Pixel Binary Transparency, the feature doesn’t improve the security of the devices but gives users a way to verify that their Pixel isn’t compromised or hacked. It’s available for Pixel 6 and newer models, including the Pixel Tablet and Pixel Fold.
Android smartphones, including Pixels, pass through various supply chain processes before reaching consumers. Along with the Android OS, these devices come with add-ons from manufacturers and carriers. You’ll also find many third-party apps and services, as well as open-source libraries and codes on your phone out of the box.
Devices are at risk of being compromised at any of these stages. While there are measures in place to ensure a safe and secure passage through the supply chain, bad actors can still somehow exploit these processes and insert malware into the devices. If not detected early, consumers will unbox malware-infected devices, compromising their security from the get-go.
As pointed out by Google in a recent blog post, these supply chain attacks target “the systems that create software to install a backdoor into the code, allowing attackers to access and steal customer data.” On Pixel devices, the company counters such attacks by auditing the firmware, AKA factory image, before release. It thoroughly checks the software for backdoors.
Once the phone reaches a consumer and is turned on for the first time, Android Verified Boot runs a check to ensure that it is running the same audited code released by Google. This eliminates the risk of supply chain attacks. But consumers still have no way to verify all of this themselves. Well, not until the company introduced the Pixel Binary Transparency feature.
Pixel Binary Transparency lets users check for supply chain attacks
Pixel Binary Transparency uses a public, cryptographic log to check for supply chain attacks. The log records metadata about official factory images of new Pixel phones. The feature lets users manually verify that their Pixel came out of the box running the same firmware build that the log records.
According to Google, this log is append-only. In simpler terms, it accepts new entries, but no one can ever change or delete an existing entry. This makes it impossible for supply chain attacks to pass through without detection. Even if bad actors alter the factory image on the device, they can’t alter the metadata Google added to the log. The company has shared technical details of this feature here.
Researchers have been monitoring a phishing campaign that uses QR codes and Bing redirects to lead targets to phishing sites.
Researchers have published details about a phishing campaign that uses QR codes to phish for Microsoft credentials.
A QR (Quick Response) code is a kind of two-dimensional barcode that holds encoded data in a graphical black-and-white pattern. The data that a QR code stores can include URLs, email addresses, network details, Wi-Fi passwords, serial numbers, etc.
While QR codes are generally safe, they can easily be manipulated by scammers because they all appear similar to the human eye. A malicious QR code may lead you to a spoofed website designed to drop different malware types or steal your sensitive data, like your password, credit card information, or money.
The use of QR codes in malicious campaigns is not new, and because they can provide contactless access to a product or service they grew in popularity during the pandemic. And because QR codes are images (sent as PNG or PDF attachments in the campaigns reported here) their content is more likely to make it past email filters.
The researchers have been monitoring a campaign since May of 2023 that, although it targeted users from a wide array of industries, seemed to focus on a major energy company based in the US. This undisclosed target received 29% of the over 1,000 emails containing malicious QR codes.
The links in the QR codes used open redirects from legitimate domains associated with Bing, Salesforce, and Cloudflare to send the targets to phishing sites that were after Microsoft credentials. Since the subject of the emails were often spoofed Microsoft security notifications the Bing URLs would not have looked out of place to any victims who noticed them.
The campaign has reportedly shown a significant growth since it was discovered with the volume increased by more than 2,400% since May 2023.
Example of a malicious QR code (courtesy of Cofense)
For cybercriminals, the use of QR codes usually has the disadvantage that they need to be scanned by a mobile device, which is more complex than simply giving targets a link to click on. But in a corporate environment this can also be an advantage as the mobile device might be outside of the protection of the enterprise environment.
The researchers showcase a Bing redirect URL which is likely to be seen as legitimate in light of the other Microsoft mimicry used in this campaign. Many search engines, social media, and other platforms use some form of open redirect, which cybercriminals use to make their links look legitimate.
example of a Bing redirect URL (Courtesy of Cofense)
Recommendations
When it comes to QR codes they are nearly impossible to recognize as malicious by humans, so it takes some extra attention. Some pointers:
Treat QR codes like any other link in an unsolicited mail, or possibly even with more caution. If you receive a QR code either in the mail or sent to you by a friend, get in touch with them first and verify that they have indeed sent you the code.
When scanning a QR code your device should display the site it will take you to. Pay close attention to that link. Be wary of legitimate domains that are known to use redirects and URL shorteners.
Use the built-in scanner through your smartphone’s camera to scan for QR codes. There is no need to download another one from the app store since there are fake QR code scanners and ones that come bundled with unwanted extras.
Malwarebytes EDR and MDR removes all remnants of ransomware and prevents you from getting reinfected. Want to learn more about how we can help protect your business? Get a free trial below.
Games these days have some of the most beautiful worlds to explore, and they’re also increasingly more graphics intensive. The two don’t necessarily go hand-in-hand though. You can have a graphically intensive game that looks good, but wouldn’t necessarily be considered a title that has a beautiful world for the player to roam around in. On the reverse, games with gorgeous visuals may not be as demanding on hardware.
Crucial, which makes RAM and storage devices, recently put together lists of games that are most popular for game photography and the most demanding on their hardware due to photorealistic graphics. If you play a lot of different games, you likely won’t be surprised by some of the games on these lists. Especially if you spend any amount of time on social media sites or apps like Instagram.
Based on Crucial’s findings, these were some of the most popular games for photography. Thanks to stunning vistas, sprawling landscapes, and some of the best photo modes any game has to offer.
The most beautiful games for photography
It goes without saying that Ghost of Tsushima is on this list. Which you might have guessed based on the image above. And it’s earned its spot. The islands of Tsushima and Iki have some of the most gorgeous locations for in-game photography of any modern game. And that’s only improved by the game’s excellent photo mode. However, it’s far from the only game with a photo mode or some excellent backdrops. Other notable games include Red Dead Redemption 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Cyberpunk 2077, Gran Turismo 7 and more. You can view the full list of games in the screenshot below.
Which factors in things like total number of Instagram posts, the number of photography posts, and the percentage of posts that were game photography. Of course, graphically intensive games are a different story.
Games that are extremely graphically intensive
As mentioned above, the most beautiful games aren’t necessarily the most graphics intensive. Worth noting of course is that some of the games in the list above aren’t the most graphics intensive because they’re PS4/PS5 titles. And you can’t really adjust the graphics much.
For PC games though, many games offer a wide variety of graphics settings. And tuning them to output some insanely good visuals can require a really powerful rig. Crucial ranked these games based on titles are known for being challenging to run. Then organized them based on their recommended PC requirements. Games like A Plague Tale: Requiem have a recommended spec of 16GB of RAM and at least an RTX 3070 or Radeon RX 6800 GPU. Check out the full list below to see some of the most graphics intensive games based on spec requirements.
We take a look at news that Chrome will soon start asking users if they want to remove outdated extensions.
Retroactive removals are finally on the way for malicious Chrome browser extensions. Beginning with Chrome 117, Chrome will “proactively highlight to users when an extension they have installed is no longer in the Chrome web store”.
Previously, if you installed an extension which was subsequently unpublished by the developer or removed by Google, the extension you installed would remain in place, even if it was malicious. If, for example, the extension was some sort of data stealer, it would simply continue to steal your data (assuming the infrastructure it sent the data to had not been shut down).
Now, when an extension is pulled from the web store in one of the following three situations, Chrome users will be notified:
The extension has been unpublished by the developer.
The extension has been taken down for violating Chrome Web Store policy.
The item was marked as malware.
If we’re talking about an “under review” situation, no notification will take place. For example, if a developer is notified that they may have potentially violated one of Google’s policies and has been given time to address or appeal the issue, then a notification will not be triggered.
Violations themselves can result in a wide range of possible outcomes, from immediate suspensions and permanent disabling of extensions to warnings and re-enablement if a violation is addressed to Google’s satisfaction. If the violation involves malware, there’s a good chance there is no way back into Google’s good books. From the violations information page:
The Chrome Web Store Review team has special procedures for egregious policy violations. In cases such as malware distribution, deceptive behavior designed to evade review, repeated severe violations indicative of malicious intent, and other egregious policy violations, more drastic measures are necessary.
To limit the potential for these developers to further harm users, the Chrome Web Store team intentionally does not provide details regarding these violations. Additionally, in more severe cases the developer’s Chrome Web Store account will be permanently suspended.
In the Privacy and Security settings of Chrome, users will find a “Review” option under the Safety Check setting. It will read as follows:
Review [x amount of] extensions that were taken down from the Chrome web store
Clicking the Review button will take users to their extensions page where they will be given the option to remove all listed extensions. They can also choose to hide the warning and keep the extension if they really want to.
Malware is the exception here though. Extensions flagged as malware are automatically disabled, as they have been in previous versions of Chrome. For everything else, Chrome will state the following:
Review these extensions that were taken down from the Chrome web store. These extensions might be unsafe. Chrome recommends that you remove them.
Users can select each flagged extension individually, or just hit a “Remove all” button and wipe the lot in one go. If you don’t want to wait for the new feature to roll out in Chrome 117, Bleeping Computer notes that you can give it a try right now by switching on Chrome 116’s experimental “Extensions Module in Safety Check” feature.
We don’t just report on threats—we remove them
Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Keep threats off your devices by downloading Malwarebytes today.
This time around, we’re comparing two rather compact smartphones. We’ll be comparing the ASUS ZenFone 10 vs Xiaomi 13. The ZenFone 10 did launch later than the Xiaomi 13, the difference is about 6 months, but they’re both a part of the same generation of phones. They’re both somewhat compact, though the ZenFone 10 considerably more so, actually. They do have the same SoC, but are very different phones overall, which should make this comparison interesting.
We will first check out their specifications, and will then compare them across a number of categories. We’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance. There’s a lot to talk about here, actually, so… let’s get started.
At first glance, at least from the front, these two phones are somewhat similar. They both have flat displays, though the bezels around the ZenFone 10’s are a bit thicker. The Xiaomi 13 also has uniform bezels, which the ZenFone 10 does not, as its bottom bezel is slightly thicker than the rest. The display camera hole does sit in different spots on these two displays, though both have it.
Both smartphones do have flat sides, with chamfered edges, and all of their buttons sit on the right-hand side. The ZenFone 10’s doubles as a fingerprint scanner. It also serves as a touchpad, actually, for different actions when you use the phone. The Xiaomi 13 includes an in-display fingerprint scanner. You will also notice that their backplates do look different, mainly thanks to different-looking cameras. The ZenFone 10 has two cameras, each of which is its own camera island. The Xiaomi 13 includes three cameras inside a single camera island, and Leica lenses are also included here
The ZenFone 10 features a textured backplate, which does add grip to the phone. The Xiaomi 13 comes in both glass back and eco leather backplate options. The ZenFone 10 is lighter than the Xiaomi 13, which is to be expected considering the fact it’s smaller. They’re both quite light, though, the ZenFone 10 weighs 172 grams, while the Xiaomi 13 weighs 185 or 189 grams, depending on the model. The ZenFone 10 is shorter, narrower, and thicker than the Xiaomi 13. Both smartphones do offer IP68 certification for water and dust resistance too. They both feel great in the hand, and are quite compact compared to most of their competitors.
ASUS ZenFone 10 vs Xiaomi 13: Display
The ASUS ZenFone 10 includes a 5.92-inch fullHD+ (2400 x 1080) Super AMOLED display. That is a 144Hz Super AMOLED panel, but it goes up to 144Hz only in some games. That panel is flat, and it supports HDR10+ content. It goes up to 1,100 nits of peak brightness. This panel is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus.
The Xiaomi 13, on the other hand, features a 6.36-inch fullHD+ (2400 x 1080) AMOLED display. That panel is also flat, and it supports a 120Hz resolution. This panel supports Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ content too. This panel goes up to 1,900 nits of brightness, and it’s protected by the Gorilla Glass 5. Both displays offer a 20:9 aspect ratio.
Both of these displays are very good, but there are some notable differences. They both offer vivid colors, deep blacks, and good viewing angles, along with good touch response. However, the Xiaomi 13’s display gets considerably brighter, which is a difference you’ll need in direct sunlight. The ZenFone 10, on the other hand, offers better display protection, though the difference between Gorilla Glass 5 and Victus is not that big.
ASUS ZenFone 10 vs Xiaomi 13: Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 fuels both smartphones, actually. That is Qualcomm’s most powerful processor out there, and one of the most powerful in the market. In addition to that, both smartphones utilize LPDDR5X RAM, though the ZenFone 10 goes up to 16GB, while the Xiaomi 13 offers up to 12GB. You’ll also find UFS 4.0 flash storage inside both devices. Only the 128GB variant of the Xiaomi 13 has UFS 3.1 storage.
Do such powerful specs reflect on the performance in a good way? Well, yes, they do. Both smartphones are immensely fluid. They’re both based on Android 13, but their skins are completely different. The ZenFone 10 is basically stock Android on steroids, basically, while MIUI is a whole different story. If you prefer stock Android but also want customization, the ZenFone 10 is for you. If you liked MIUI in the past, chances are you’ll like it now too.
Both devices are very fluid in day-to-day performance, and also while gaming. Quite frankly, it’s all a matter of preference. Some people will prefer the ZenFone 10 due to its software, others the Xiaomi 13. You don’t have to worry about fluidity, so make a choice based on other factors. Both can handle pretty much anything you throw at them.
ASUS ZenFone 10 vs Xiaomi 13: Battery
A 4,300mAh battery sits inside the ASUS ZenFone 10, while a 4,500mAh unit can be found inside the Xiaomi 13. The ZenFone 10 does have less battery capacity, but it’s also a smaller phone. It does offer better battery life, though, at least based on what we’ve seen. The difference is also quite noticeable.
We’ve been able to pull out over 8 hours of screen-on-time on the ZenFone 10. We didn’t spare the phone or anything like that. Gaming is not included in this equation, though. The Xiaomi 13, on the other hand, can provide around 6-6.5 hours of screen-on-time, based on what we’ve seen. So, if you’re looking for great battery life, the ZenFone 10 is the better choice here. The Xiaomi 13’s battery life isn’t bad, though, not at all. Also, your mileage may vary, this is our experience, which does not necessarily mean you’ll get similar results. There are a lot of factors to consider here.
Xiaomi’s handset does offer considerably faster charging than the ZenFone 10, though. It supports 67W wired, 50W wireless, and 10W reverse wireless charging. The ZenFone 10 is stuck with 30W wired, 15W wireless, and 5W reverse wired charging. No matter if you’re charging your phone via a wire, or wirelessly, the Xiaomi 13 will charge up faster. Both smartphones do include a charger in the box, by the way.
ASUS ZenFone 10 vs Xiaomi 13: Cameras
There is a 50-megapixel main camera on the ASUS ZenFone 10, and a 13-megapixel ultrawide camera (120-degree FoV). The Xiaomi 13 includes three cameras. It has a 50-megapixel main camera, a 10-megapixel telephoto camera (3.2x optical zoom), and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera (120-degree FoV). Leica lenses are also included on the Xiaomi 13, along with some software, of course.
Both smartphones provide vibrant images with great details, and sharpness. The ZenFone 10 doesn’t have the problem of oversharpening that its predecessor had. The Xiaomi 13 has two shooting modes, authentic and vibrant. The first has a vignetting effect, while the second is quite vibrant. The Xiaomi 13 does tend to brighten up the shadows more, and also brighten up low light images more too. Both do a good job in low light, while their ultrawide cameras are also not bad, overall.
In regards to video, the ZenFone 10 does offer better stabilization, though the video output from the Xiaomi 13 is not bad either, not at all. The Xiaomi 13 does handle light flares better, by the way, overall. The bottom line is, most people will be happy with either of these phones, cameras wise.
Audio
Both of these phones include a set of stereo speakers, and both sets are quite good. The output is rich, and loud enough. It is worth noting that the Xiaomi 13 manages to provide louder output, though.
The ZenFone 10 does include an audio jack too, unlike the Xiaomi 13. So if you’re still using a wired set of headphones, you can easily connect them to this phone. If you opt for a wireless connection instead, however, Bluetooth 5.3 is supported on both devices.
