Fast Charge

After last week's deluge of phones, this week was a little quieter - but still had one major launch in the Fitbit Charge 5.

The latest in what's probably Fitbit's most popular tracker line is the first to feature a full colour display, along with improved stress tracking and a new design. But with a price hike to match the new feature set, is it still a competitive option against budget rivals?

Next up we're going to round up everything we know so far about the iPhone 13 series - most recently tipped to arrive on 17 September. Lewis is going to go through everything we know about which models to expect, what the specs will be, and more.

Finally, Toddy is ready to give his thoughts on the Galaxy Watch 4 after testing the new Wear OS wearable pretty thoroughly - including his verdict on the new version of Wear OS that powers it.

This podcast is produced by IDG Communications.

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There have been plenty of phone launches this week, but only one that really matters: the Pixel 5a 5G. Meanwhile Oppo is upgrading its cameras and Toddy reviews the Xperia 1 III.

The Pixel 5a 5G is the new mid-ranger from Google, but unusually it's only launching in the US and Japan. That begins to make more sense once you realise that almost nothing has changed from last year's 4a 5G, with the same design, chipset, and camera. Are additions like a bigger display and IP67 rating enough to win over even the anaemic American mid-range market?

Oppo hasn't launched a phone this week, but it did hold a camera-centric event where it revealed its work on a new RGBW sensor, an 85-200mm continuous zoom, and 5-axis OIS. We've seen some of this tech before elsewhere, but will Oppo do it better? And when will we see it in a phone?

Finally, Toddy is ready to review the Sony Xperia 1 III, on the same day it officially goes on sale in Europe. Can Sony's latest premium flagship hold its own in a crowded market, especially going on sale five months after it was first revealed?

This podcast is produced by IDG Communications.

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Well, that was a busy week. It's a launch special this week as we work through everything announced by Samsung, Xiaomi, and Honor at their respective events.

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3, the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic, and the Galaxy Buds 2 at a monster Unpacked event. From the first Wear OS 3 smartwatches to the cheapest foldable phone so far, there's a lot to get excited about here.

But before that Xiaomi unveiled the Mi Mix 4 and Mi Pad 5 at its own event for the Chinese market. The range of new premium Android tablets is certainly unusual, but the real highlight is the Mi Mix 4's under-display camera - which seems to outclass Samsung's similar tech in the Z Fold 3.

Last but not least, Honor held its Magic 3 launch event today, unveiling a trio of new flagship phones with promises of a global launch. With the new Snapdragon 888+ chipset and some seriously specced quad camera setups, these mark a bold return to the high-end market for a newly independent Honor.

This podcast is produced by IDG Communications.

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So that was unexpected - Google just revealed the Pixel 6, so we're covering that and chatting about Realme's MagDart charging tech and the inevitable demise of Twitter's Fleets.

Google unveiled the design of the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, along with a few key details and info on the new custom SoC, Tensor. We're still waiting for full specs and stuff like pricing, but at least now we can begin to figure out Google's Pixel plans.

Less surprising was Realme's reveal of its MagDart charging tech, along with the Realme Flash concept phone. Heavily inspired by Apple's MagSafe, this does at least go further, with a full ecosystem ready to go and faster charging speeds than Apple has managed yet.

Finally, this week finally saw Fleets bite the dust - just in time for TikTok to start beta testing its own Stories feature. Why are all the social networks trying their hardest to merge into one, and what makes some formats - like Stories - work on one platform while it tanks on others?

This podcast is produced by IDG Communications.

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It's another busy week for launches, with the Huawei P50 and Motorola Edge 20 series both arriving alongside the first headphones from Carl Pei's Nothing.

The P50 is Huawei's first flagship phone launch since it moved to HarmonyOS 2.0 instead of Android, marking a major moment - but with chipset challenges and still no Google, can the company make a comeback?

Meanwhile the Motorola Edge 20 is another set of premium devices, as Motorola continues to remind phone fans that it doesn't only make budget handsets.

Finally, the Ear (1) headphones are the debut product from OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei's new venture, Nothing. Dom has the headphones with him and is ready to run through what they offer and give his first hands-on impressions.

This podcast is produced by IDG Communications.

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OnePlus is back with the Nord 2 - it's third phone this summer alone - while we're going to look ahead to the rest of the summer's biggest launches and turn our attention to Netflix's announcement that it's moving into mobile gaming.

First up, the Nord 2 is here - and joined by the OnePlus Buds Pro - and it looks like another mid-range marvel, with strong specs across the board and a competitive price point.

It's far from the only phone launching this summer though. Usually a quiet period for launches, instead we're about to see the ZTE Axon 30, Huawei P50, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3, and Honor Magic 3 all launch within the next few weeks.

Finally, after hiring a prominent gaming executive last week, Netflix has confirmed that it intends to move into gaming. The company says it's going to start providing mobile games for free as part of its subscription - but how will that work, and will it run foul of Apple's draconian App Store rules just like Xbox Cloud Gaming before it?

This podcast is produced by IDG Communications.

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The big phone companies have had a quiet week, but that's just left spaces for oddities like the Freedom Phone and Qualcomm's Snapdragon Insiders handset to creep out.

The Freedom Phone is an "uncensorable" phone from self-declared Bitcoin millionaire Erik Finman. The specs are vague and we're not sure how it's supposed to work, but it does have an operating system "based on free speech". And we think the Stars & Stripes wallpaper might come included too.

Only slightly less ridiculous is Qualcomm's Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders. This is a flagship Android device built by Asus that's built for devs and Snapdragon superfans - and you'd have to be a superfan to drop $1500 on it.

Finally, we'll turn to a phone we trust a little more: the Realme GT. Chris has been busy reviewing the racing striped wonder so we'll have all his thoughts on this year's most powerful mid-ranger, plus the latest rumours on the upcoming GT Master Edition.

This podcast is produced by IDG Communications.

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We're veering away from phones for a hot minute to talk about Nintendo's divisive new Switch update, but don't worry: we've got loads of OnePlus news this week too, and Toddy's impressions of the Sony Xperia 1 III.

The Nintendo Switch (OLED model), to give it its clunky full name, has already frustrated fans hoping for a 4K-capable Pro model. But is this just Nintendo sticking to its strengths - and what about rumours that the Pro model is still on the way anyway?

Meanwhile OnePlus has made headlines almost every day this week. The company has confirmed the Nord 2 is on the way (and revealed its chipset) but has also drawn ire for throttling apps and fudging benchmarks, had its OnePlus Pad tablet plans leaked, and revealed that Oxygen OS is officially merging with Color OS.

Finally, Toddy has his hands on the Sony Xperia 1 III. He's not quite ready to give the phone a full review just yet, but tune in for all his early impressions and thoughts on the latest Sony flagship so far.

This podcast is produced by IDG Communications.

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCrL1ZLeIgENlS1nEZzSiueFAiV1Cujvx

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We couldn't go live this week, but we wouldn't let that stop us hopping onto Zoom to cover Samsung's new smartwatch OS, the latest Qualcomm chipset, and how Android apps will run on Windows 11.

Samsung used MWC 2021 to announce One UI Watch, its half of the new partnership with Google to develop the next generation of Wear OS. Here's everything new coming to Samsung smartwatches - and beyond - along with the latest on the upcoming Galaxy Watch 4 series, where the software will debut.

MWC's other big announcement was Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888+ chipset. Its performance gains are fairly modest, but that hasn't stopped five big phone manufacturers from committing to it already - including what could end up being the year's best foldable phone.

Finally, late last week Microsoft unveiled Windows 11, with the surprise reveal that it will run Android apps natively. But how will this work, why would you want it to, and how will Microsoft deal with the giant problem of Google Play Services?

This podcast is produced by IDG Communications.

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We discuss some of the week's top tech news before delving into recent reports that Apple has stopped production of the entry-level iPhone 12 Mini, and what this might mean for the iPhone 13 Mini later this year.

We'll also be talking to Reviews Editor Chris Martin about his time using Amazon's latest tablet, the Fire HD 10, and discussing the wider Android tablet market in general. 

This podcast is produced by IDG Communications.

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCrL1ZLeIgENlS1nEZzSiueFAiV1Cujvx

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