Category Archives: smartphone

OnePlus’ Refreshing Summer Launch Event

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OnePlus LogoOnePlus refreshed its product line with no less than five new devices which I feel must be a record for OnePlus. None of them were really a secret as they were all announced back in mid-June. However, we now have details and pricing on the devices, so let’s review what was launched and see what the picks are.

First, up there are two new phones, the Nord 5 and the Nord CE5. The Nord 5 runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 Mobile Platform, which provides plenty of processing power for the mid-range phone and a significant boost over the previous generation. The launch video make it pretty clear that they’re going after the gamers with the Nord 5: smooth graphics, fast RAM, big battery and built-in cooling.

Looking at the screen, the 6.83″ 144Hz Swift AMOLED display has a resolution of 2800 x 1272 pixels giving 450 ppi. The battery is a chunky 5200 mAh squeezed into a phone only 8.1 mm thick and the form is designed to feel good in the hand. The new Bypass Charging allows the phone to draw power directly from the charger when playing demanding games which relieves stress on the battery.

For the creators, the Nord 5 features 50 MP cameras front and back with an additional 8 MP ultra-wide lens on the rear. HDR and natural colour algorithms are lifted from the OnePlus 13 so the pictures are going to be good.
Pricing for the Nord is £399 (8+256GB) and £499 (12+512GB) though there are combinations of discounts, trade-ins and vouchers that can bring that price down.

Turning to the Nord CE5, it uses the MediaTek Dimensity 8350 Apex chipset powered by a similar 5200 mAh battery. The screen is slightly smaller at 6.77″ (but you’re unlikely notice the difference as it’s only a little over a millimetre in real units). The screen refreshes up 120 Hz and pixels come in at 2392 x 1080, so the pixel density is lower at 387 ppi.

On the camera front, the selfie cam is 16 MP, and round the back there’s a 50MP main lens along with an 8MP ultrawide. As with the 5, there’s similar photographic crossover from the 13 and if you need more storage, the CE5 can take a MicroSD card up to 1TB.
For the CE5 expect to pay £299 (8+128GB) and £349 (12+256GB) respectively, and as with the big brother 5, there are additional discounts, gifts and benefits.

Both phones come with OnePlus’ OxygenOS 15, based on Android 15 with the addition of Open Canvas, the multitasking windowing extensions that make the space more useful. Gemini features in both too, plus the Nord 5 comes with OnePlus’ new AI features like AI Plus Mind, which recognises on-screen content, storing it and morphing it into useful data such as calendar events.

Sticking with handheld devices, building on the successful launch of the Pad 3, OnePlus has launched the Pad Lite, an affordable, entry-level tablet. It’s £199 for the 6+128 GB Wi-Fi version and £229 for the 8+128 GB 5G one, which is competitive against similar devices. There are some additional savings and special offers for purchases through end of August. Although it’s not mentioned in the press release, I think we can expect the Lite to replace the Go in the OnePlus portfolio.

The Pad Lite has an 11″ 1920 x 1200 pixel display driven by MediaTek Helio G100. Powering everything is a a substantial 9,340 mAh battery which, while watching videos, should keep the Lite going for about 11 hours. There are cameras front and back but they’re nothing to write home about at only 5 MP: that’s still perfectly adequate for video calling or online meetings. Of course, the Lite comes with the Open Canvas Android extensions to take full advantage of the larger display.

Moving onto smaller devices, OnePlus has launched the Buds 2, which integrate well into the ecosystem with Google Fast Pair, Dual-Device connections and low latency game mode. Obviously there’s Active Noise Cancellation here, with the Adaptive ANC adjusting 800 times per second and intelligently switching between transparency and noise cancellation depending on the environment. The OnePlus Buds 4 are available in the colours Zen Green and Storm Gray and are priced at £119, though they’re down to £99 for early birds.

And finally, a new version of the Watch 3 coming in a 43 mm case size and priced at £269 with a £20 discount to £249. This is perhaps the one I’m most interested in as my Fitbit Sense 2 comes to EOL. A smaller version of the larger 46 mm Watch 3 in steel rather than titanium, it continues to use OnePlus’ Dual Engine architecture combining long battery life with Google’s WearOS. The Watch 3 offers 60 hours of wear in smart mode and up to 7 days when in power saving mode.

Speaking about the OnePlus Nord 5 series, Pete Lau, Founder of OnePlus, said: “OnePlus Nord series combines minimalist design with industry-leading flagship technology, earning the trust and love of users around the world. Driven by our Never Settle spirit, we continue to raise the bar across all price segments. By bringing flagship-grade performance and advanced OnePlus AI features to more users, we believe the OnePlus Nord 5 Series will become an essential companion in everyday life.”

There’s a somewhat quirky launch video which probably isn’t going to be to everyone’s taste, but you can find it here. Skip through to about four minutes in for the start.

High Five for OnePlus with Ecosystem Refresh

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OnePlus LogoNot content to rest on the success of the Pad 3, OnePlus has announced five new devices for launch on 8th July with a combo of phones, earbuds, watches and tablets. Yes, another tablet is coming too.

Starting in the smartphone department, the Nord 5 and Nord CE 5 will refresh OnePlus’ mid-range devices The Nord 5 will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 Mobile Platform and it comes with the same Cryo-Velocity VC cooling inside the OnePlus 13, so that should keep the gamers happy. When it comes to the Nord CE 5, I’m liking the back cover’s stone-flow effect.

And if gamers want to hear the in-game sound effects perfectly sync’d with the action, then the new Buds 4 earphones will be a perfect match. When put into “Game Mode”, the Buds 4 offers 47ms ultra-low latency audio. The earphones will be offered in both Storm Gray and Zen Green.

Next up is a smaller 43 mm version of the OnePlus Watch 3 in stainless steel. Packing all the same features as its big sibling, this will appeal to fans who find the current 47 mm model a bit too big. Zooming in on the picture, the case appears somewhat rounder that the current model too.

Finally, there’s a yet another new tablet coming. This time it’s the OnePlus Pad Lite, an affordable entertainment and productivity hub which will be available in Aero Blue in Europe. I’m assuming that this is the successor to the Pad Go and the unique central camera returns….

If you can’t wait to get your hands on the products, there are a number of pop-ups planned in a European tour of 7 countries.

  • Helsinki (Finland) on 8th July
  • London (UK) on 10th July
  • Copenhagen (Denmark) on 11th July
  • Antwerp (Belgium) on 12th July
  • Paris (France) on 12th July
  • Warsaw (Poland) on 12th July
  • Madrid (Spain) on 16th July

As is their style, OnePlus will be trickling out more information on its socials over the next few weeks.

OnePlus AI Slides Onto Smartphones

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OnePlus LogoWith the Pad 3 arriving next week, OnePlus have announced OnePlus AI which will be coming first to the….OnePlus 13s, the upcoming smaller handset that’s coming to India only. The rest of the world will have to wait until later in the year for the AI features to be pushed out to the rest of the 13-series.

Branded “Intelligently Yours”, the heart of the AI is Plus Mind, “a new feature designed to quickly save, catalog and recall key information found on the screen” before AI tools analyse the content for data. The way it works is this: when you find something that you want to keep, you can ask AI Plus Mind to save the on-screen information to a dedicated Mind Space for future reference and analysis. At face value, it doesn’t look terrible dissimilar from other scrapbook apps but bear in mind that it’s a stored copy rather than a link to another website.

Once the information has been captured, AI Plus Mind will review and analyse the content to understand the data. The press release mentions extracting schedule details and adding them to the calendar but hopefully it will be able to handle addresses and other semi-structured data. AI Search is integrated as well so you’ll be able to make natural language queries about the information stored in the Mind Space.

In addition to the core of AI Plus Mind, OnePlus is developing a suite of AI apps to assist with transcription and translation, plus photo editing and composition tools. AI Best Face will be able to create the perfect group photo, eliminating closed eyes and “sub-optimal expressions“. I think that’s people not smiling between you and me

That’s broadly the good news. The bad news is that the ubiquitous OnePlus Alert Slider is being replaced by the OnePlus Plus Key, a customisable button which can change sound profiles, take a picture, start a recording or….launch AI Plus Mind. I’ll reserve judgement until I see it in action but the whole benefit of the the Alert Slider was that it did one thing and did it well. You could discretely silence your phone without a whole rigmarole of turning the phone on, unlocking it, finding the sound profiles and choosing the quiet one. Couldn’t we have both?

Further, OnePlus is extending Gemini’s influence into the standard OnePlus apps such as Clock and Notes, improving the overall AI experience.

OnePlus is keen to highlight that as much processing as possible is done on the handset itself, but when additional resources are needed, the AI can engage the company’s Private Computing Cloud which provides a secure, encrypted environment for data processing.

Personally I’m still looking for uses for AI at a personal level, beyond removing strangers from my photos, so this sounds promising.

Having trouble with your Motorola or Lenovo smartphone? Use Software Fix

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If you are the owner of a Motorola or Lenovo smartphone, you really ought to know about Motorola’s Software Fix app for Windows. This is a fantastic support app that will do its very best to get your phone up and running again without needing a trip to the local phone repair shop. No, it can’t fix a cracked screen but it can fix bootloader issues and OTA upgrade problems.

I’ve used it to repair a Moto G-something where the bootloader had become unlocked and every time the phone rebooted, there was an imperious warning in red lettering before the phone started booting. It wasn’t really a big deal but I wanted to sell the phone and make sure it was all in good working order for the buyer. Software Fix sorted it out, upgrading the phone to the latest Android version and relocking the bootloader.

Previously known as RSA (Rescue and Support Assistant), it’s been rebranded as Software Fix and works with Motorola and Lenovo phones, tablets and headsets. On the whole, the software is straightforward but it can be a little intimidating as Windows and the phone can sometimes throw up warnings when installing software such as the ADB drivers. You need to power through.

Overall, it’s a case of install the software, connect the phone via a cable and get busy. A connection through WiFi works for some of the tools, but I prefer the greater certainty of a USB cable. One of the early steps in the process is to enable Developer Mode by tapping on Build multiple times and Software Fix takes you though what needs to be done.

In addition to repairs, hardware tests can check the phone is operating normally.

One word of warning. If you do any low level work such as upgrading the OS, these actions are destructive as it’s effectively a factory reset (although it remains tied to the Google account). Make sure you have all the backups and uploads done before you start work.

Finally, if you do have a Motorola or Lenovo device, I’d recommend taking a look at this now even if you don’t yet have a problem. It’s worth figuring it all out before you have a problem, so that when you do, it’s an easy fix as you’ve got everything ready.

Social Media Given ‘Last Chance’ To Tackle Illegal Posts

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Online platforms must begin assessing whether their services expose users to illegal material by 16 March 2025 or face financial punishments as the Online Safety Act (OSA) begins taking effect, BBC reported.

Ofcom, the regulator enforcing the UK’s internet safety law, published its final codes of practice for how firms should deal with illegal online content on Monday.

Platforms have three months to carry out risk assessment identifying potential harms on their services or they could be fined up to 10% of their global turnover.

Ofcom head Dame Melanie Dawes told BBC News this was the “last chance” for industry to make changes.

Under Ofcom’s rules, platforms need to identify if, where and how illegal content might appear on their services and ways they will stop it reaching users.

Many large tech firms have already brought in safety measures for teenage users and controls to give parents more oversight of their social media activity in a bid to tackle dangers for teens and pre-empt regulations.

For instance, on Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, users under the age of 18 cannot be discovered in search or messaged by accounts they do not follow.

The Guardian reported: Social media platforms have a “job of work” to do in order to comply with the UK’s Online Safety Act and have yet to introduce all the measures needed to protect children and adults from harmful content, the communications regulator said.

Ofcom on Monday published codes of practice and guidance that tech companies should follow to comply with the act, which carries the threat of significant fines and closure of sites if companies breach it.

The regulator said many of the measures it is recommending are not followed by the largest and riskiest platforms.

Every site and app in scope of the act — from Facebook, Google and X to Reddit and OnlyFans – now has three months to assess the illegal risk of content appearing on the platform.

CNBC reported: The U.K. officially brought its sweeping online safety law into force on Monday, paving the way for stricter supervision of online  safety law into force Monday, paving the way for massive fines for technology giants like Meta, Google, and TikTok

OfCom, the British media and telecommunications watchdog, published its first-edition codes of practice and guidance for tech firms laying out what they should be doing to tackle illegal harms such as terror, hate, fraud and child sexual abuse on their platforms.

The measures form the first set of duties imposed by the regulator under the Online Safety Act, a sweeping law requiring tech platforms to do more to combat illegal content online.

In my opinion, it sounds like the UK’s regulator is intent on making sure that children – and adults – who use social media should be protected from seeing thing that do not belong online.

Getting Away From It All

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I was recently away on holiday in Connemara, Ireland, an area which Oscar Wilde described back in the 19th century as “savage beauty”. I can’t imagine a whole lot has changed in the 150 years since he visited. It’s still wild and rugged with all four seasons regularly experienced in one day. I was staying a few miles outside of the main town, Clifden, where aviation pioneers Alcock and Brown landed in a bog after the first non-stop transatlantic flight in 1919.

Needless to say, the mobile phone signal wasn’t exactly four bars and while I appreciated getting away from the nuisance calls, I was a bit concerned when I noticed that an elderly relative had tried to call me four times in a relatively short period without leaving a voicemail. That’s always a bit worrying as it’s as if the news is so bad it has to be delivered personally rather than by a recording.

I trudged outside into the horizontal rain to make the call and I get, “It has not been possible to connect your call” in soft feminine tones. This is not looking good. I try again over the next few hours – there’s no reply – and by the next day, I’m sending texts and WhatsApps. They’re being delivered but not read.

Finally, I get a call back. No one’s died. There’s no emergency. Simply calling for a chat. It’s great to hear from them, catch up with their news and pass on mine.

I imagine many of us have relatives like this who only use technology when it suits them. Yes, it can be annoying and maybe it seems old-fashioned to us but it’s perhaps a refreshing change from having smartphones and tablets glued to our hands, always needing to respond immediately to whatever notification pops onto the screen. So for my next holiday, I think I’m going to leave the phone behind a bit more often and not worry about the beeps, dings and warbles. What about you?

OnePlus Builds The Ecosystem

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OnePlus LogoOnePlus didn’t have any hardware surprises at today’s summer launch event – the Nord 4, Tablet 2 and Watch 2R and Buds 3 Pro were all officially revealed in advance of the show. But what was interesting was OnePlus commitment to an ecosystem of affordable products. OnePlus might have started out with “flagship killer” phones but we’re beginning to see a ecosystem to rival Samsung. Of course, I don’t think OnePlus are going to start selling fridges and washing machines, but for smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and earbuds they’re doing a pretty good job of joining the dots. As is de rigueur for today, Nord 4 and Pad 2 will feature “AI” (though I’m still unconvinced that AI does anything useful for anyone normal).

Milano, Italy, hosted the Summer Launch Event, opening with Tuomas Lampen, head of Business Strategy in Europe, revealing the Nord 4 smartphone. It’s priced at £429 / €499 for the 12 GB + 256 GB and £529 / €599 for the 16 GB + 512 GB version and there are some discounts, trade-ins and gifts available at launch. Full specs are over on the web site but the aluminium unibody really makes it stand out from the current crop of glass phones.

Available in three colourways, or Nordtones as OnePlus now brands them, Mercurial Silver is the one to get. Apparently it takes 12 mins to laser engrave the case for that scalloped look. Performance-wise the Nord 4 is running a Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3, which will outperform a top-end phone from 2022 (8 Gen 1). Charging the battery from 1 to 100% takes only 28 minutes and there’s Battery Health Magic to keep the battery in good shape for at least four years.

James Paterson, Global PR, demonstrated the Nord 4’s Aqua Touch in an artificial rainstorm and fortunately he was in a raincoat as it got pretty wet. Aqua Touch is a feature that allows the phone to respond as if the screen was dry rather than being covered in rain drops. It’s perfect for playing Pokemon Go in bad weather, which is most of the time in the British Isles.

The Nord Buds 3 Pro were next on stage. Priced at £79 / €79 / $79.99, these earbuds have 49 dB active noise cancellation and pair well with other OnePlus phones and tablets. They come in a neat pebble-style charging case with an overall battery life time of 20 hours with ANC on and 44 hours with it off. Two colourways offer Starry Black and Soft Jade.

The OnePlus Pad 2 brings us back to flagship killing with a new tablet built round the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. By all accounts, the original OnePlus Pad and the newer, Go, have been successes for the company. The new Pad 2 is very much in the same vein as its predecessors with the centrally positioned rear camera. Coming in at £499 / €549 / $549, this is an impressive price point for a latest gen chipset (cf Samsung Tab S9 FE+). It’s a 3K 7:5 ratio 12.1″ screen with Dolby Vision and six speakers round the edges for great sound. The Pad 2 has the multitasking Open Canvas from the OnePlus Open baked, which is good for productivity and upgrades to the keyboard and stylus enhance the tablet’s usefulness. There’s tight integration between the Pad 2 and OnePlus smartphones.

Finally, the OnePlus Watch 2R took to the stage. It’s an evolution of this year’s Watch 2 with an aluminium (rather than steel) which makes it about 25% lighter which is handy for a big watch like this. It’s in the style of a super compressor dive watch with two crowns on the right hand side and it’s swimming pool safe. The 2R comes in at £249 / €279 / $229. I like it. As you’d expect, there’s a complementary app to record your activity.

That’s the Summer Launch Event in a nutshell and I think you should be able to see how OnePlus is building that ecosystem to compete with the likes of Google, and Samsung. Yes, it’s a form of lock-in but it’s also productivity enhancing and it looks to have much to offer. Every device competes well on value with devices from the competition and with OnePlus’ commitment to updates for many years, that value will be maintained.

You can watch whole event here – the show starts 5 minutes in.