14 AUGUST 2019|COMPUTER SHOPPER|ISSUE 378
FROMHUMBLEBEGINNINGS,OnePlus has built itself
intoapowerhouse in the smartphone market, with the
handsetsithas producedover the past couple of years
snapping at the heels of flagship phones, yet coming at
more wallet-friendly prices.
The OnePlus 5T,6and 6T all received critical acclaim
foroffering asuiteofhigh-end features foramid-range
price.However,none of these phones could quiteknock
more expensive flagship handsets off their lofty perches.
But with the launch of the OnePlus 7Pro,the Chinese
company finally has premium smartphones such as the
iPhone XS and Samsung Galaxy S10+ in its sights.
Taking the design cues of the 6T as abase,the 7Pro
features a6.7in curved display, dubbed ‘fluid AMOLED’,
with aquad HD resolution, afast 90Hz refresh rateand
compatibility with the HDR10+ standard.
But the screen’s real party trick is that it pretty much fills the entire
front of the phone,thanks to OnePlus making use of amotorised, pop-up,
front-facing 16-megapixel camera. According to OnePlus, the mechanism
can withstand at least 300,000 pop-ups, at aspeed of 0.53 seconds, and
thus should last formore than several years of use.The 7Pro can also
detect when the phone is falling or in aperson’s pocket, and will
automatically retract the camera to protect it from damage.
Speaking of cameras, OnePlus has joined the triple
rear-camera trend, with the 7Pro using a48-megapixel
main lens with an aperture of f1.7,a16-megapixel
ultrawide lens with a117 ̊ field of view,and an 8-megapixel
telephotolens with 3x optical and 10x digital zoom.
Seemingly drawing inspiration from Google’s Pixel
phones, the 7Pro will take data from multiple photos shot
at the same time and stitch them together forhigh-
resolution images with aboosted dynamic range.
To power the camera, along with retaining OnePlus’s
reputation fordelivering very fast phones, the 7Pro uses
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 system-on-a-chip,matched
with up to 12GB of RAM, and storage that hits ahealthy
256GB. This storage also hits the UFS 3.0 standard,
which promises fast read and writespeeds.
A4,000mAh battery should keep the phone going for
aday’s worth of use,and access to OnePlus’ Warp Charge technology will
ensure the phone can be rapidly charged when power levels get low.
Asuiteofother improvements over the 6T help the phone earn its
‘Pro’moniker,including alarger,faster optical fingerprint scanner,a
boosted haptic feedback motor,DolbyAtmos-compatible stereo
speakers and a10-layer water cooling system. It also comes in atrio of
fetching colours: Nebula Blue,Almond and Mirror Grey.
SAYWHAT?
OnePlus 7Pro takes the fight to flagship phones
DESPITEBEINGRIVALSin the gaming world, Microsoftand Sony
have entered intoapartnership to work on cloud technology forgame
streaming and artificial intelligence (AI) services.
The companies have signed amemorandum of understanding, which
will see them jointly work on future cloud services based on Microsoft’s
Azure infrastructure,with the goal of creating content and game-
streaming services that offer “enhanced entertainment experiences”.
The partnership is an odd one at first glance,given Microsoft’s Xbox
division is adirect rival to Sony’s PlayStation business. Furthermore,
Sony has its PlayStation Now game-streaming service and Microsoftis
poised to launch its take on game streaming with xCloud.
But while the partnership could be one wayfor Microsofttoget more
people using its globe-spanning cloud service,the tie-up looks to be more
about developing cloud technologies, with Microsoft
noting that it will involve “building better development
platforms forthe content creator community”.
Sony’s CEO Kenichiro Yoshida acknowledged the
rivalry between the two companies, but painted the
partnership as one that will be more focused on the
exploration and creation of new technologies.
“For many years, Microsofthas been akey
business partner forus, though of course the
two companies have also been competing in
some areas. Ibelieve that our joint development
of future cloud solutions will contributegreatly to the advancement of
interactive content,”said Yoshida.
“Additionally,Ihope that in the areas of semiconductors and AI,
leveraging each company’s cutting-edge technology in amutually
complementary waywill lead to the creation of new value forsociety.”
Speaking of semiconductors and AI, the partnership will see the
joint development look at creating new intelligent image-sensor
technology,tapping intoSony’s work on sensors combined with
Microsoft’s Azure-based AI technology.
This proposed work will not only involve Microsoftand Sony creating
semiconductors and services that can be incorporated intotheir own
products and services, notably cloud and edge computing systems, but
will also be aimed at making products forbusinesses. That could mean
other companies could end up making smart systems that tap
intothe tech kicked out by this unexpected partnership.
Furthermore,the joint venture will explore how Microsoft’s
AI platform and tools can be integrated intoSony’s
consumer products to produce “highly intuitive
and user-friendly AI experiences”.
Both companies have been vague on details
of what these experiences might look like,but
theycould mean more Sony products with
cloud connectivity and AI technology,
courtesy of Microsoft.
Microsoft and Sony put rivalry aside in the cloud
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