Tag: leak

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New Pixel 7, 7 Pro camera details leak along with hint of third Pixel phone

More details about the upcoming Pixel 7 and 7 Pro cameras emerged, as well as potential hints of a third Pixel device — don’t get your hopes up for a ‘Pixel Ultra’ though.

Developer and leaker Kuba Wojciechowski obtained and shared several details about the camera hardware in the upcoming Pixel line on Twitter (via Android Police). Starting with the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, Wojciechowski said both phones could sport the same Samsung GN1 primary sensor and IMX381 ultra-wide sensor as what was on the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro.

However, as Android Police notes, that isn’t much of a surprise. Google tends to hold onto camera hardware for multiple years and tune its camera software around that hardware to produce some pretty fantastic results. The Pixel 6 line introduced the first major camera hardware change in years, so it’s likely Google is only getting started with the GN1 sensor.

The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro will also sport the same front-facing camera — an 11-megapixel Samsung 3J1, according to Wojciechowski. Previous information gleaned from Google’s camera app also indicated the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro would sport the same front-facing camera. Android Police says the 3J1 sensor is supposed to offer more secure face unlock capabilities, adding more fuel to the fire of face unlock rumours. That said, a camera sensor on its own likely won’t hold up against dedicated face unlock hardware like what you’d find in the iPhone or Pixel 4.

Wojciechowski also tweeted that the Pixel 7 Pro’s telephoto zoom camera would sport a Samsung GM1 sensor instead of the Sony IMX586 found in the 6 Pro. Wojciechowski suggests Google made the switch since the GM1 offers similar performance but, being a Samsung sensor, might have more consistent image processing with the GN1 primary lens.

Another ‘Lynx’ reference

Next up, Wojciechowski talks about a device bearing codename ‘Lynx’ or L10. Lynx is rumoured to be another high-end Pixel device set to arrive this year (perhaps we’ll finally get that Pixel Ultra that’s been rumoured for years). Alternatively, Lynx could just be an internal testing device for Google.

Wojciechowski says Lynx sports the same primary camera sensor — the GN1 — but has a secondary Sony IMX787 sensor plus an unknown 13-megapixel IMX712 for the selfie camera.

While this isn’t the first time Lynx has shown up (Android Police says the codename was spotted back in May 2022), there isn’t much known about Lynx so far. With only a few limited details about the camera available, it’s hard to say what it is. We know it isn’t the rumoured Pixel foldable or upcoming Pixel Tablet, though, since Wojciechowski addresses them next.

Pixel Tablet and foldable cameras

Starting with the Pixel Tablet, Wojciechowski says it will come with two cameras, both of which use the IMX355 sensor that was in the Pixel 6 selfie camera.

As for the rumoured foldable, Wojciechowski shared details on a ‘P7,’ which is likely the Pixel Fold (or Notepad, or whatever name Google eventually gives it). While it’s not clear what lenses the P7 will have, Wojciechowski says we can expect it will use the GN1 sensor for the main camera, an IMX363, an ultrawide IMX386, and an IMX355 selfie camera.

That’s it for this leak. There’s a ton of information, but as with any leak, it’s important to maintain a healthy dose of skepticism. Wojciechowski says this too, noting that the information was “obtained through data digging and might not be 100% accurate.”

Still, if accurate, it sounds like the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro will focus on software to improve camera performance and won’t significantly alter the camera hardware on offer.

Source: Kuba Wojciechowski (Twitter) Via: Android Police

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Leaked Fitbit Sense 2, Versa 4 images reveal subtle design tweaks

New details about Fitbit’s upcoming Sense 2 and Versa 4 smartwatches emerged courtesy of leaked photos 9to5Google obtained from a regulatory agency.

The biggest update here is confirmation the devices will sport a physical button, a significant change after Fitbit’s insistence on using the much-maligned capacitive ‘button’ on its smartwatches and fitness over the last few years.

Previous rumours suggested the new Fitbit wearables would still use a capacitive button but make it protrude from the body of the watch rather than using an indented capacitive button like on the Versa 3 and original Sense. It seems that won’t be the case, and the company is finally returning to a reliable physical button.

Another major design change is that the Fitbit Sense 2 moves the electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor under the glass. The original Sense included a steel ring around the edge of the watch for ECG, but the Sense 2 includes the sensor under the glass, forming part of the bezel around the screen. You can see it in some of the photos as a lighter area between the screen and the case.

As The Verge notes, moving the ECG sensor under the glass is a pretty major change compared to past Fitbits and other smartwatches. The Apple Watch and Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4, for example, require users to touch their fingers to metal buttons to complete the ECG circuit.

The underside of the Sense 2 includes another major change. The collection of sensors on the bottom of the smartwatch has a new layout, specifically moving away from the large metal plate to two metal arcs around the hub of sensors in the centre of the watch. 9to5 notes it’s unclear if this change will improve existing functionality or will usher in new features.

The underside also reveals faint markings confirming the Sense 2 will offer ECG, temperature sensing, GPS, and 50 metres of water resistance.

As for the Fitbit Versa 4, the images suggest it won’t include ECG or temperature tracking like the Sense 2. Beyond that, it should have GPS and 50m water resistance like the Sense.

Concerning when Fitbit will announce the Sense 2 and Versa 4, well, it remains unclear. Fitbit announced the original Sense and Versa 3 in August of 2020, so we could see the new Sense and Versa arrive in August. However, Google’s upcoming Pixel Watch could disrupt that. Google owns Fitbit, and the Pixel Watch will sport Fitbit integration, which likely means Fitbit is involved in the Pixel Watch in some way. Doing that, plus rolling out an update to its own line of watches could be a lot — maybe we’ll see a later launch for the Sense 2 and Versa 4 as a result.

Images credit: 9to5Google

Source: 9to5Google Via: The Verge

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Qualcomm could unveil next Snapdragon flagship chip early

Qualcomm typically unveils its new flagship Snapdragon chipset in December, but it looks like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 could come early this year.

As spotted by GSM Arena (via Android Police), Qualcomm posted — and later removed — about a Snapdragon Summit happening from November 14th to 17th this year. The annual Snapdragon Summit is where the company usually unveils its next big Snapdragon chipset.

That would put the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 unveil about two weeks ahead of last year’s 8 Gen 1 reveal, which happened on December 1st.

However, considering Qualcomm quickly took down the post, it’s likely the company didn’t intend to announce the event this early. Moreover, it’s possible the dates aren’t finalized yet.

All that said, the announcement date ultimately doesn’t matter that much. Qualcomm usually announces the Snapdragon 8-series chips in December, but we don’t see phones with the new chips until the following year.

More important than the announcement is the chip itself, which Android Police reports might be a little odd this year. According to the publication, Qualcomm plans to ditch the ‘1+3+4’ configuration in the 8 Gen 1 for a ‘1+2+2+3’ core set-up in the Gen 2. These correspond to the yet-to-be-announced Cortex-X3 core, two Cortex-A720 cores, two Cortex-A710 cores and three Cortext-A510 cores. The 8 Gen 1 had a Cortex-X2 Prime, three A710s and four A510s.

Although weird, Android Police notes that the departure is likely an effort on Qualcomm’s part to maintain support for 32-bit apps. Newer cores like the Cortex-X3 and A720 cores likely won’t support 32-bit apps as the industry moves to phase them out, but 32-bit remains popular in China, which is a major market for Qualcomm. The rumoured A710s in the Gen 2 will be able to handle the 32-bit apps.

Header image credit: Shutterstock

Source: GSM Arena Via: Android Police

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Mobile Syrup

Fitbit Sense 2, Versa 4 confirmed by screen protector application tutorial

A third-party accessory company has confirmed Fitbit has two new smartwatches on the way — the Sense 2 and Versa 4.

A YouTube tutorial video posted by accessory company Wasserstein shows how to apply its new screen protector to the Fitbit Versa 4 and Sense 2. However, the video doesn’t actually show either device.

9to5Google reports that previous leaks indicated Fitbit’s new smartwatches would have a subtle design change to the button (that really isn’t a button), and that was about it. The change to the button would be to make it protrude from the body as opposed to the indented button style on the original Sense and the Versa 3.

With that in mind, the Wasserstein video shows what appears to be a Sense smartwatch for the screen protector application tutorial. This reaffirms that the new smartwatches won’t feature a significant change to their design, with accessories designed for the new watches also working with past models.

9to5 also previously reported that the new Sense 2 and Versa 4 would continue to run Fitbit OS instead of Wear OS 3, despite the company being acquired by Google.

The Wasserstein screen protector isn’t yet available for purchase at retail locations.

Source: Wasserstein (YouTube) Via: 9to5Google

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Leak says Google Pixel 6a could arrive in May

A small tidbit of information dropped by leaker Max Jambor on Twitter points to the rumoured Pixel 6a arriving in May 2022.

Given Google tends to launch its A-series Pixel phones at its annual I/O developer conference, which usually takes place in May, this rumour makes a fair bit of sense. That said, Google has not stuck to the I/O announcement pattern in recent years. 2020’s Pixel 4a was announced in August (and wasn’t even available in Canada until September), while last year’s Pixel 5a also saw a later-than-expected August reveal and didn’t even come to Canada.

The pandemic, supply chain issues and chip shortages were among the factors that delayed the 4a and 5a (and limited the phones’ availability). However, with the Pixel 6a supposedly running on Google’s custom Tensor processors, there’s hope it won’t experience the same problems.

Beyond the May release date, Jambor didn’t share any other details. That said, there’s not much more to add — we’ve seen from previous leaks that the Pixel 6a will likely be a slightly smaller version of the Pixel 6 with older camera hardware.

Previous leaks suggest the Pixel 6a will have a 6.2-inch OLED display, a centred hole-punch selfie camera, and the same camera bump design on the back as the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. It will also likely drop the headphone jack, a major bummer for those who’ve stuck with the A-series Pixels so they could keep using their favourite wired headphones.

As for the camera, the 6a is rumoured to sport the old IMX 363 sensor used in the Pixel 5, 5a and prior models. However, it’s also supposed to have the new ultra-wide IMX 386 sensor seen in the Pixel 6.

We’ll likely learn more about the Pixel 6a as we near the phone’s launch — whether that’s in May, or late summer as in previous years.

Source: Max Jambor (Twitter) Via: Android Police

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Samsung Galaxy S21 FE unboxing leak reveals phone in olive green colour

Another Samsung Galaxy S21 FE leak has turned up online. This time around we get a full unboxing video that shows off the device.

The latest unboxing comes from Reddit user ‘UnknownWon’ (spotted by Android Police). UnknownWon shared a short video with them opening the box and starting up the phone, as well as some pictures. The Reddit post turned into an impromptu ask-me-anything (or AMA) where UnkownWon answered several questions about the S21 FE.

Most of the details back up previous leaks, confirming things like the Snapdragon 888 chipset, 6GB RAM (in the base version), a 4,500mAh battery, headphone jack, no microSD card slot and a 120Hz display. The unit unboxed in this video comes in the olive green colour — other options from previous leaks include black, white and purple.

One interesting difference with UnknownWon’s S21 FE is that it appears to run One UI 3.1 and Android 11, instead of the newer One UI 4 on Android 12. Previous leaks point to the S21 FE running Android 12 at launch, so it’s a bit strange. Android Police suggests that UnknownWon’s S21 FE is a pre-production unit running older firmware, so it’s likely a safe bet that the final release units will have Android 12. The only other thing I can think of is that the S21 FE will have a day-one update to bring the device from Android 11 to 12, but we’ll see what happens.

With all these leaks, it seems like there’s not much left that we don’t know about the S21 FE. Samsung will likely officially unveil the device soon — perhaps at CES 2022. However, Samsung’s rumoured Galaxy S22 smartphones are also likely right around the corner, so it might be worth waiting to see what the company does with those before picking up an S21 FE.

And for those wondering about price, previous leaks pegged the S21 FE at about $1,087.

Header image credit: UnknownWon

Source: Reddit Via: Android Police

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Leaked images show off Samsung’s budget Galaxy Tab A8

More images of Samsung’s rumoured Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 have leaked, this time courtesy of WinFuture (via Android Police).

This leak features a series of marketing pictures that give us a good look at the budget tablet from all sides and in three colours, including a dark grey, a light grey/white/silver and a pink colour.

The Tab A8 will reportedly sport a 1920 x 1200 pixel 10.5-inch LCD screen running at 60Hz with slim bezels. The top edge of the tablet appears to have the power and volume buttons and a microphone, while the bottom edge features an expansion slot. The two sides have speakers and the left edge has another microphone. The right side sports a USB-C charging port and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Additionally, the Tab A8 has a 5-megapixel front-facing camera and a lone 8-megapixel rear camera. There’s also no rear flash.

As for the internals, leaks suggest it will have an octa-core Unisoc Tiger T618 chip — Android Police calls it “low-midrange,” so it likely won’t blow anyone’s mind with performance. Additionally, the A8 will offer 4GB of RAM and 32, 64 or 128GB storage options. The tablet will have a 7,040mAh battery with up to 15W fast charging. However, it’s unclear if Samsung will include a charger in the box.

Finally, the Tab A8 will likely start at around €240 (about $345.68 CAD) for the Wi-Fi model with 32GB of storage.

Source: WinFuture Via: Android Police

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The OnePlus 10 might borrow all the wrong design elements from Samsung

The first leak of the OnePlus 10 Pro shows off an absolutely enormous camera module.

The new camera array looks to borrow the wrap-around design Samsung utilized with the Galaxy S21 series but implemented it in a way that stretches horizontally rather than vertically.

The leak comes from the reputable onleaks, but it’s only a render, so the final product might look quite a bit different. The new camera looks to keep the three-sensor design of most flagship smartphones, so I’d expect there to be a zoom lens, a normal lens and an ultrawide included in the array.

Notably, this render is missing Hasselblad branding, but the final version will likely include the logo since OnePlus paid so much to partner with the legacy camera manufacturer.

If you don’t feel like waiting for the new OnePlus phone, you can pick up a new OnePlus 9 Pro/9 Pro on sale this month.

Source: @onleaks 

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More Pixel 6 leaks show off renders, Google ad with ‘Magic Eraser’ and more

Source: https://twitter.com/evleaks/status/1449129727051042816?s=20

Pixel 6 and 6 Pro leaks have been relatively scarce compared to previous Google phones, but as the search giant’s October 19th event approaches, the leaks have increased substantially.

First, leaker Evan Blass (@evleaks) posted a lengthy thread of high-res images and renders of both phones on Twitter. The images include renders of the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro in all three colours, renders of some cases for the phones and lifestyle shots with people holding the phones. We haven’t seen some of the pictures before, but if you’ve been following the Pixel 6 series closely since Google’s semi-reveal earlier this year, there shouldn’t be any surprises in this leak.

Next up, leaker ‘Snoopy’ (@_snoopytech_) posted a Pixel 6 series ad on Twitter (via 9to5Google). The roughly 30-second ad focuses on the new Tensor chip and shows off several features powered by it. Those with a keen eye will spot some of the new Android 12 clock and weather widgets, what appears to be a redesigned ‘Now Playing’ widget and a ‘Magic Eraser’ feature.

This isn’t the first time Magic Eraser has leaked, but seeing it in an official-looking Google Pixel ad effectively confirms the feature’s existence. For a bit of context, Google showed off a similar feature all the way back at its I/O developer conference in 2017. The feature never materialized, and the company confirmed in 2018 that it wasn’t coming soon.

In the ad, Magic Eraser appears as a suggestion chip in Google Photos — the user taps the chip, and it highlights a person in the background of a selfie and then removes that person from the image.

Further, the leaked ad shows off ‘Live Translate’ in a conversation between two people, in Google’s Messages app and in pictures, although the latter appears to be existing Google Lens functionality. The impressive part comes after, where the ad claims that there’s “no internet required” for the feature.

Finally, the ad shows off the new ‘Security Hub,’ which Google bills as a helpful way to protect your “digital life.”

All in all, the ad makes the Pixel 6 series look rather impressive. We’ll likely learn more about all these features on October 19th and real-life tests from reviewers soon after will show how well the features actually work.

Image credit: Evan Blass

Source: Evan Blass, Snoopy (Twitter) Via: 9to5Google

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Twitch confirms data breach, leaker calls community a ‘toxic cesspool’

Popular streaming platform Twitch confirmed on Twitter that it suffered a data breach.

The Amazon-owned service says its “teams are working with urgency to understand the extent of this.”

Hackers accessed Twitch’s source code and published over 125GB of data online from Twitch and related services.

The data includes the source code for Twitch and an unreleased Steam competitor from Twitch’s parent company, Amazon. The leaked information also included three years’ worth of payouts to Twitch creators. Further, the massive leak was labelled ‘part one,’ suggesting more data could come in the future.

The person who posted the leak claims it’s meant to “foster more disruption and competition in the online video streaming space” and called the Twitch community “a disgusting toxic cesspool.”

It’s worth noting that Twitch has recently struggled to deal with ‘hate raids.’ Creators took a day off last month to protest and bring attention to the increased harassment and hate raids plaguing the platform. Considering the comment about Twitch’s community, it’s possible the attack could be related to the ongoing harassment issue.

Although the leak doesn’t appear to include passwords or address information for users, that doesn’t mean hackers didn’t obtain that information in the breach. If you use Twitch, you should probably update your password and add two-factor authentication (2FA).

The leak includes the following information:

  • Three years of Twitch creator payouts
  • The entirety of twitch.tv, including “commit history going back to its early beginnings”
  • Source code for the mobile, desktop and video game console Twitch clients
  • Code from proprietary SDKs and internal Amazon Web Services (AWS) used by Twitch
  • An unreleased Steam competitor from Amazon Game Studios
  • Data on related Twitch properties like IGDB and CurseForge
  • Twitch’s internal security tools

Ultimately, it appears hackers targeted Twitch and its system rather than users. But again, this is also allegedly the first part of a larger leak. It also remains unclear how hackers gained access to so much Twitch data and whether they exploited a larger flaw in AWS. If so, that could pose significant problems since AWS powers such a larger amount of the internet.

Source: Twitch Via: The Verge, Engadget