Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 2 was quite a brilliant device. We reviewed it, and we have plenty of good things to say about the device. Of course, no device is perfect; we had a few things we did not like too much on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 as well. For example, we did not particularly like how it was priced. Then again, it is a one-of-a-kind device.
Since the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 was released and reviewed though, everyone talks about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, its predecessor. When the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 launched too, there is another smartphone device that the crowd was wondering about – the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 2, a certain follow up to Samsung’s brilliant first flip smartphone with a foldable touch display.
Samsung just released a new visual for an upcoming Galaxy event. Alongside the very telling visual is also a date; 11th August 2021. Indeed, Samsung confirms that the next Galaxy Unpacked event will happen in August 2021 and on the 11th of the month.
The upcoming August Unpacked event should be a big one though. While the previous August Unpacked events have been a Samsung Galaxy Note event, this will be the first August Unpacked event that will not have a Samsung Galaxy Note device announced. We all knew this day would come though; the day that Samsung cancels the Samsung Galaxy Note series. Of course, it was rumoured for some time now. We were also expecting that Samsung releases one last Galaxy Note device in 2021, but the whole global situation had other plans and Samsung had scrapped that plan and might show up with one last Galaxy Note in 2022.
Back into the Galaxy Unpacked event and its visual. While Samsung did not mention that they are going to be launching a new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and a Z Flip device, all rumours points to the devices being launched. Rumours and expectations are also pointing to new Samsung Galaxy Watch devices launching in the event itself. The visuals does confirm some of the rumours and expectations of the event with two silhouettes of Samsung’s famous foldable and flip devices.
The new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is expected to come with all-new, all-improved internals. There are some talks about beefing up the display’s integrity and adding S Pen capabilities to the device as well. That could very well mean that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 2 might get S Pen capabilities too. Although, with Samsung’s move with the S Pen being a separate accessory for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, that would most likely be the case with the foldable devices too.
For what its worth though, you can expect Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 2 to be beasts. The devices are rumoured to pack Samsung’s latest chip technology and innovation. You can expect at least Samsung Galaxy S21 levels of hardware in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 at least. The only issue is that we still expect the prices to be in the regions of what we saw in last year’s Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2. At least we are getting chargers in the package this time, right? We are getting the charging adapter in the box, right Samsung?
IRVINE, Calif., July 21, 2021 — Peregrine Connect’s NetSuite PSA Add-in for Microsoft Project has been selected by MedPharm to forecast its revenue recognition for ongoing and completed business projects. MedPharm is a world-leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) providing topical and transdermal product design and development services, delivering robust and innovative research to develop approved pharmaceutical products.
MedPharm’s Obstacle MedPharm’s challenge was that their projects can be very lengthy and complex from a scheduling standpoint. They used Microsoft Project early on as their project scheduling tool and to understand segments of their business from a cost standpoint. When they chose to switch their existing ERP system to NetSuite PSA it was essential to leave Microsoft Project in place and seamlessly integrate with it. Attempting to build out the Microsoft Project functionality into NetSuite PSA would be impractical, time consuming and cost prohibitive.
"The game changer was that other vendors said "Yes, we think we can do it," but NetSuite told us that Peregrine Connect has "Already done it!" said Andrew McWaters, VP of IT, MedPharm.
Peregrine Connect’s NetSuite PSA Helps Overcome Complexity to Increase Operational Efficiency MedPharm’s solution was to utilize Peregrine Connect for its expertise in Microsoft and integration experience. Peregrine Connect was able to provide its existing NetSuite PSA Add-in tool to synchronize with Microsoft Project. Implementing the NetSuite PSA Add-in to Microsoft Project was completed in less than three months, which met MedPharm’s aggressive timeline. MedPharm was extremely satisfied with the resources provided to them during the implementation phase, noting that Peregrine Connect’s support team was a huge part of their success.
"The support we received from Peregrine Connect has been over the top, and I’ve been in software for over 30 years. It’s been extremely refreshing to see!" said Andrew McWaters, VP of IT, MedPharm.
Business Values:
Cut manual labor by 80% to determine revenue recognition
Automated revenue forecast process saving MedPharm close to 100k a year
Dramatic time savings for Project Management and Accountant teams
Project Managers and Accountant can accurately forecast monthly revenue by over two weeks
Increased overall productivity and reduced labor, resulting in doubling of their EBITDA
About MedPharm: MedPharm is a world-leading contract provider of topical and transdermal product design and development services. They utilize unique, cost-effective performance testing models to mitigate risk and accelerate development times. From its roots at King’s College London, MedPharm has grown into a thriving organization in the UK and the US. Providing services from API to clinical batch supply, MedPharm is a well-established and world-renowned leader in dermatological, nail, eye, airway, mucosal membrane, and transdermal product development. For more information, visit: https://www.medpharm.com/en/
The acquisition deepens UL’s automotive and medical device sector safety and security expertise.
NORTHBROOK, Ill., July 21, 2021 — UL, the global safety science leader, today announced its acquisition of German-based Method Park, a company specializing in process engineering, software solutions, training and advisory services focusing on the safety critical aspects of the automotive, medical and aerospace industries. The deal fortifies UL’s expertise to help customers advance innovation safety, business transformation, and regulatory and standards compliance.
UL_Method_Park
"With accelerating technology in safety critical industries, such as automotive and medical devices, the introduction of innovative technologies that provide enhanced convenience also presents new challenges," said Jennifer Scanlon, president and CEO, UL Inc. "Helping ensure their safe and secure deployment will be key in how quickly these innovations are adopted. The Method Park acquisition will build upon on UL’s science-based core expertise in testing, inspection and certification and help address the safety risks of exciting innovative technologies. Together, we will empower our customers with the ability to embrace new opportunities."
Specializing in complex process-based product engineering, Method Park’s portfolio includes advisory services, a digital compliance software solution, a comprehensive training portfolio and software solutions for multiple industries. Founded in 2001, the company has also provided insight to customers on process optimization and quality assurance management.
"By offering a differentiated customer experience, unmatched thought leadership and solutions, and a best-in-class knowledge platform, UL works to be the global market acceptance and risk mitigation partner of choice for our customers," said Weifang Zhou, UL’s executive vice president and president of Testing, Inspection and Certification. "The Method Park team strategically aligns with that approach and will help us deliver on serving as our customers’ most trusted science, security and sustainability partner."
Headquartered in the Bavarian city of Erlangen, Method Park has offices throughout Germany, including Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich and Stuttgart, with additional facilities in Detroit, Miami, Pittsburgh and Shanghai. With the acquisition, Method Park’s more than 200 employees will join UL to focus on innovative solutions to complex safety and security issues affecting multiple industries.
"We are excited to join forces with UL," said Professor Bernd Hindel, founder and CEO of Method Park. "As a combined team, we will offer our customers best-in-class services that will help them get to market faster and more efficiently. Our group’s shared reputation will allow us to significantly accelerate customer access to a broader range of complementary solutions and expertise, extend services across global markets and help deliver on the promise for a safer and more secure world.”
The transaction closed on July 20. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
About UL UL is the global safety science leader. We deliver testing, inspection and certification (TIC), training and advisory services, risk management solutions and essential business insights to help our customers, based in more than 100 countries, achieve their safety, security and sustainability goals. Our deep knowledge of products and intelligence across supply chains make us the partner of choice for customers with complex challenges. Discover more at UL.com.
For information about Standards development and other nonprofit activities, visit UL.org.
Press contact: Steven Brewster UL ULNews@UL.com 1+847.664.8425
HERNDON, Va., July 20, 2021 — Deltek, the leading global provider of software and solutions for project-based businesses, announced today it has appointed Natasha Engan as the Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Brian Daniell as Chief Customer Officer. Engan and Daniell, both Deltek veterans, will continue reporting to Deltek CEO, Mike Corkery.
Natasha Engan brings over 20 years of experience and leadership to her new role as head of Deltek’s global sales, managing a team of over 450 sales professionals. Engan joined Deltek in March of 2017 as Senior Vice President of Deltek’s Global Consulting business. Prior to Deltek, Engan held various leadership positions at IBM, including VP of Security Financial Services Market and Security Sales, and VP of North American Cloud Services.
Brian Daniell, a 30-year veteran with Deltek, has held several leadership positions in Deltek’s Customer Care organization. This move will add Global Consulting to Daniell’s current line of business – Deltek Customer Care – helping to accelerate the time to value for Deltek customers and to deliver award-winning customer experience.
"Deltek is fortunate to have experienced, proven leaders like Natasha and Brian who can pivot with our business so we can continue to deliver as efficiently and effectively as ever," said Mike Corkery, President & CEO at Deltek. "With these changes, we are prepared to build on the great momentum we’ve seen the first half of the year and continue ensuring our customers’ success in 2021 and beyond."
These executive appointments are effective immediately as Matt Strazza, formerly Deltek’s head of Global Sales, transitions to become President at ConstructConnect, another company in the Roper Technologies portfolio.
About Deltek Better software means better projects. Deltek is the leading global provider of enterprise software and information solutions for project-based businesses. More than 30,000 organizations and millions of users in over 80 countries around the world rely on Deltek for superior levels of project intelligence, management and collaboration. Our industry-focused expertise powers project success by helping firms achieve performance that maximizes productivity and revenue. www.deltek.com
TSUKUBA, Japan, July 20, 2021 — A team at WPI-MANA has created flexible patterning of functional particles on liquid marble droplet surfaces in a patchwork design. Their results show that these droplets can switch their macroscopic behavior between a stable and an active state on super-repellent surfaces in situ by jamming and unjamming the surface particles.
Solid particles in the nanometer to micrometer size range irreversibly attach to liquid surfaces, which has led to new products and concepts, such as powder foam, dry water and liquid marbles (LMs).
LMs consist of droplets wrapped by hydrophobic solid particles, which behave as a non-wetting soft solid. Thanks to this property, LMs have applications in fluidics and soft devices, and a wide variety of functional particles have been synthesized to form functional LMs. However, it is difficult to form multifunctional LMs by integrating several types of functional particles.
Active LMs hydrostatically coalesce to form a self-sorted particle pattern on the droplet surface. With the support of LM-handling robotics, on-demand cyclic activation-manipulation-coalescence-stabilization protocols by LMs with different sizes and particle types result in the reliable design of multi-faced LMs. Based on this concept, the WPI-MANA team designed a single bi-functional LM from two mono-functional LMs as an advanced droplet carrier.
The team showed that they can switch LMs’ macroscopic behavior between solid and liquid in situ by changing the packing density, whereas most materials require thermal energy and/or pressure to enable switching.
While jamming particles to prepare droplets with solid-like behavior has been studied in the past, the concept of a reversible interfacial jamming transition at the fluid-fluid interface to activate/stabilize LMs offers a new platform for the development of colloidal and soft matter science.
The team believes this property may be of great interest to materials science researchers.
This research was carried out by Mizuki Tenjimbayashi, Independent Scientist (WPI-MANA, National Institute for Materials Science), and his collaborators.
"Liquid Marble Patchwork on Super-Repellent Surface" Mizuki Tenjimbayashi et al., Advanced Functional Materials (February 19, 2021) https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202010957
State-of-the-Art Data Mapping, Containerization of Endpoints, and Business Process Scheduling Empowering Users to Increase Productivity by up to 400%
IRVINE, Calif., July 20, 2021 — Peregrine Connect’s leading application, API, and workflow integration platform today announces the Peregrine Connect Neuron ESB 3.7.5 release. As an integral part of the Peregrine Connect Integration Platform, Neuron ESB provides critical runtime facilities and features that collaboratively simplify the design, deployment, and management of an organization’s enterprise integration needs.
Peregrine Connect Neuron ESB 3.7.5 release provides a suite of applications that helps organizations meet any integration demand – from on-premise and cloud applications to various data sources and devices. Using the Peregrine Connect Integration Platform, any number of workloads can be simplified, deployed, and monitored, from API Management and automated Workflow to scheduled integration flows and Alerting and Notifications.
Delivering Modern Day Integration to Increase Operational Efficiency for Enterprises of All Sizes
Neuron ESB 3.7.5 release focuses on agility and ease of use, enabling clients to reduce the total cost of ownership while eliminating many developments, deployment, and operational complexities experienced with many competitive products.
"With each release of Neuron ESB, we are continually focused on providing user-friendly features and Productivity out of the box. Neuron 3.7.5 is no exception, adding data mapping, containerization of Endpoints, and much more. We clearly beat competitive functionality and pricing offerings, said Marty Wasznicky, VP of Product, Peregrine Connect. The new features increase organizational efficiency and provide no code solutions for our customers."
Neuron ESB 3.7.5 adds some exciting new features to the Peregrine Connect Integration Platform, some of which include:
HONG KONG, July 20, 2021 — Technology start-up Dynamic Solutions HK Limited has revealed it will begin trialling wireless charging devices that will charge electronic vehicles as they are parked. The innovative induction pads will be installed at the firms’ test center, with in-depth trials expected to start early next month.
David Zhongyi, who heads up the Investor Relations department at Dynamic Solutions HK Limited, said, "Our wireless electric vehicle charging pads will eliminate the need for large, unsightly charging points which are beginning to clutter our cities. The pads will be built into the ground, and they will pump out alternating ultrasonic waves that convert into electricity when the car is parked above."
Once the trials begin, Dynamic Solution HK Limited engineers will test the technology in various situations for speed, accuracy, and robustness through differing weather conditions. They will also test how easily the technology can be built into older electronic vehicles.
"Electric Vehicle manufacturers are now incorporating induction charging technology with their new models; however, there is only a small number of induction-enabled electric vehicle charge points installed throughout Hong Kong at the moment. We are aiming to help change that here and throughout Asia," David Zhongyi continued.
Establishing more charging outlets has become a major requirement in recent years as the climate emergency continues to pressure local authorities. Despite this, the current infrastructure has been unable to meet the high demand for electric cars.
The limited supply of curbside charging stations for electric vehicles is causing rising concern. Residents say that the ones that have been installed are cluttering the streets and footpaths. They are also subject to vandalism and damage. All of these are issues that Dynamic Solutions HK Limited’s underground wireless charging pads do not have.
About Since Dynamic Solutions HK Limited was created in 2012, the company has been investing in research and development that is paving the way for future technology and how we charge electronics. Our technology has been developed to use ultrasonic waves to charge electronic devices.
Media Contact Dynamic Solutions HK Limited Mr. David Zhongyi, +852 2319 4422 Investor Relations
Koletas, an early pioneer of digital ABM, seeks to define the SSG vision and grow the company to full maturity.
DENVER, July 19, 2021 — Selling Simplified Group, Inc. (SSG), a global leader in intelligent B2B demand gen, announced today the appointment of Thomas Koletas as Chief Growth Officer.
Selling Simplified announces Thomas Koletas as Chief Growth Officer.
Koletas brings more than 20 years of experience aligning sales, marketing, customer success, and product teams in both SaaS and MaaS startups.
Most notably, Koletas served as principal and Chief Revenue Officer at Madison Logic based in New York, NY. During his eight-year tenure at Madison Logic, Koletas and his team were responsible for generating exponential revenue growth through media development, marketing automation, and analytics enhancements, eventually leading to the company’s acquisition in 2017.
Prior to joining SSG, Koletas was Global SVP of Digital ABM at MRP. He also serves as advisor & consultant to multiple data and AdTech companies in the U.S.
"Tom’s proven track record as a growth consultant and digital pioneer is just what we need at SSG," said CEO and President Michael Whife. "We are excited to have Tom on the executive team, and I’m confident in his ability to grow our organization."
At Selling Simplified, Koletas is focused on growing the company’s products and expanding its service into new regions and verticals. He also hopes to add insights to SSG’s list of core capabilities, alongside digital lead gen and programmatic advertising.
"We’re on a super-growth trajectory because the market is responding to the fact that our high-quality data and 100% digital methodology drives better results than traditional lead gen vendors." said Koletas.
Based in New York, NY, Koletas is responsible for leading SSG’s marketing, support, and sales teams. He continues to call on his diverse experience to chart and execute the growth of the company and contribute to its trajectory to surpass 100% YoY growth in 2021.
"I’ve helped businesses grow into maturity before, so I’ve seen how this movie is made," he said. "The prevailing plot shows that B2B marketers want more than intent data. They want qualified engagement that they can measure. That is exactly what SSG offers, and I am here to help as a Producer."
OPPO has been making waves in the mobile industry with their approach to cameras and their augmentation of their smartphones with their own camera algorithms. They’ve also been one of the best options when it comes to getting affordable smartphones which pack impressive performance.
The recently announced OPPO A74 is their latest iteration of the affordable OPPO A series which has, in our previous experience with it, performed commendably. The A74 (4G) is the lower specc’d version of the new device without 5G connectivity.
Does the smartphone keep OPPO’s legacy in the affordable space? Should you be investing your hard earned money in it? We’ll be breaking the whole experience down in our review.
Design
The OPPO A74 is a sleek, slim device with a pretty finish. It’s actually one of the better-looking smartphones in its category. OPPO has given it sleek curves on the back and a rather shiny finish. While it can be a fingerprint magnet, the finish of the A74 gives the smartphone a rather premium feel and look. In addition to that the curves make the phone a little more ergonomic; making it easier and more comfortable to hold and use.
The design cues of the OPPO A74, however, are very run-of-the-mill when it comes to the company’s design language. We’ve seen the same design cues from nearly all the phones that have been released from OPPO – and OnePlus – in the past few months. The lack of identity when it comes to the outlook of the many smartphone series that OPPO offers is a little bit of a let-down but they generally do make up for it with unique, cutting edge features.
Aside from that, the A74 is also one of the few smartphones that has opted to keep the pinhole design of the display. Thanks to this choice, users are in for a more immersive experience when it comes to the display and multimedia experience of the smartphone. That paired with the rather compact overall size also allows easy everyday usage and even a more comfortable experience when gaming.
Hardware
The hardware of the OPPO A74 isn’t that far off for an entry-level device. However, when it comes to processors, it comes with one that is slightly more powerful than others we’ve seen used in its competition. That said, specifications and the make up of any given smartphone is only one side of the coin, how they affect the overall user experience is another.
We’ve listed the complete specifications below and noted the configuration which we reviewed in the table. That said, we dive in deeper into the user experience in the following sections.
FRONT: 16-Megapixel (f/2.4, 27mm (wide),1/3.06”, 1.0µm) 1080p video recording (30fps)
Sensor
Accelerometer Proximity Fingerprint (Optical, under display) Gyroscope Face Unlock Compass
Miscellaneous
Dual SIM
Retail Price (Malaysia)
MYR 899
Retail Price (US)
USD$ 399.98
User Interface
OPPO’s ColorOS 11.1 comes baked in the OPPO A74. OPPO has made some good improvements in ColorOS 11.1 which enhance the user experience. The amount of customisability that OPPO brings into the software allows users to have a phone that is uniquely theirs. Things such as the lock screen, fonts and even the home screen is highly customisable and allow users to infuse their own personas into their smartphone.
One of the highlights during our review is OPPO’s implementation of dark mode. Unlike a lot of other smartphones out there, OPPO has included three degrees of intensity for dark mode. This is particularly useful if, like me, your eyes are sensitive to the contrast that dark mode can give – particularly when it comes to viewing white on black. During my time with the A74, I found myself using the phone with dark mode set on medium. This was the setting that allowed my eyes to be comfortable while allowing me to save some battery.
OPPO’s ColorOS also brings an amazing selection of Wallpapers with their Artist+ Wallpaper project. However, how useful this feature is to you will depend on your appreciation of artists and the arts. While it was novel in the beginning, we eventually went back to our normal wallpapers after a few days.
That said, the OPPO A74 does benefit from some of the performance enhancing algorithms built into ColorOS 11. Navigation and swiping through screens were very smooth with little to no jitters even when swiping between open apps. Launching apps feels more prompt and it was a lot more seamless than other smartphones in its category. In addition, having a good selection of customisable quick toggles in the notification shade allowed for quick and easy access all the important settings.
Performance
When it comes to performance, the OPPO A74 isn’t a slouch. It was able to handle day to day tasks pretty easily. However, when it came to more demanding tasks, it did take a beating. The phone’s hardware doesn’t really show many bottle necks – but we expect you might get a better experience with 8GB of RAM.
When it came to using heavier gaming apps, there was a noticeable slow down in the system’s performance. This was also followed by the phone getting a little bit warmer to the touch. We suspect that the many AI algorithms that OPPO employs for its performance enhancement may not be too fond of resources (i.e. RAM) being taken up by other processes. However, while this did occur, it only happened when RAM usage was obscenely high. Beyond that, the phone rarely lagged or heated much.
Call Quality & Connectivity
Call quality on the A74 is commendable. Of course, since the switch to VoLTE, the clarity of voice calls has increased tremendously in general. However, OPPO seems to have enhanced the clarity further. Calls on the phone sounded crisp and clear. However, when it came to speaker phone, the phone left quite a bit to be desired. Even in quieter areas, it was hard to hear the audio coming from the speaker phone. Calls over the ear piece were crisp, voices were clear and there was little disturbance. Users on the other end of the call noted that my voice was loud and clear on their end.
When it comes to connectivity, the OPPO A74 had more stable and stronger connectivity to 4G LTE that some of the other devices we’ve tested. During our testing it continually had either the same or one bar more than some of the other devices we had during the same period. On top of that it was able to keep a stable Bluetooth connection with our wireless headphones.
Gaming
Gaming on the OPPO A74 wasn’t too bad of an experience. It was able to keep up with some PUBG mobile. However, if you’re looking to play Genshin Impact with flawless graphics, you’ll be a little let down. That said, this isn’t unexpected for a phone of this calibre. Aside from some performance compromises, the phone can be a pretty good one for mobile gamers.
The display is large with vibrant colours. OPPO’s decision to have the pin hole front camera really lends to the experience being more immersive. It’s responsive enough even for FPS games. The sound quality on the speakers isn’t too bad too. Of course, don’t go blasting it on 100% or you’ll have tearing and pitching on the speakers. You’ve got a 3.5mm jack so you can be even more immersed when gaming.
Battery Life
The battery on this smartphone is one of the best we’ve seen so far. That is, of course, expected for an OPPO smartphone. The company has been able to squeeze every ounce of battery life of its phones for a while now. On the A74, we were able to get about 2 days of battery life with normal use without much hassle. With heavier use like gaming and multimedia consumption, we got about 18 hours with about 5 to 6 hours of screen on time. On standby, the phone was able to last about a week easily.
Display
The display of the OPPO A74 comes with a Full HD+ resolution and, to be very honest, it’s just the right resolution for its 6.43-inch size. You’re not straining as pixelated artefacts on the screen and the pictures and video displayed are crisp and sharp. The high pixel density also allows for a better, more immersive visual experience on the smartphone.
However, it’s not the best display out there. Even with 430 nits of brightness, the screen could get a tad bit dark when it comes to the outdoors. Under direct sunlight, it was a task to read messages and emails. If you’re looking to get into content, the display may not be the best in the market for it, colour accuracy isn’t the best but passable. You will need to do colour grading when it comes to having quality content.
Cameras
Ironically, the camera on the OPPO A74 felt like the biggest let down. While it’s not bad per se, the experience of the A74 feels like a serious step down from the A9 we reviewed previously. While using the camera has improved, OPPO seems to have sacrificed a lot when it comes to overall picture quality.
It was a little confounding when it came to the camera experience on the OPPO A74. The interface has improved and become more user friendly. Things are easier to access and it’s more feature rich than ever before, but the picture quality – particularly when it came to low light pictures seems to have taken a little bit of a dip between the A9 and A74. This, to be honest, wasn’t what we were expecting given the leaps and bounds that OPPO has progressed when it comes to their camera technology in their own Reno and Find X line up.
In good, bright lighting, the cameras were able to produce pictures with depth and detail. However, the minute lighting was dim, pictures became noisy and uninspiring. Detail was hardly present. You can see the amount of loss in detail even on the screen of the phone itself by simply pinching and zooming. This was the case with both the selfie and main sensors. Zooming was more of the same, even when using the optical zoom, pictures are noisy and lacked detail.
All in all, when it comes to the camera experience, it feels like OPPO didn’t really put too much effort into differentiating its entry level offering. We’ve seen the result of their efforts in their own Reno and Find X series, and it confounds us as to why some of that effort wasn’t present in the A74. It really feels like they were just ticking boxes in the features department.
A Near Complete Package for the Entry Level Missing that OPPO Magic
Overall, the OPPO A74 is an average package. It has a good display, a commendable processor but it’s let down by what feels like a lack of effort in the camera department. To be very frank, it’s let down by a standard that OPPO, itself, set. If the smartphone had the camera to back it, it would be a contender for one of the most affordable and best optimised phones in the market.
However, with that said, for the budget, it isn’t a bad device. It ticks all the boxes when it comes to features and provides an overall experience that is enjoyable and, most importantly, customisable to the user. It does provide some value for money at its price and is able to keep up with demanding tasks.
Up to 2015, pundits were sure that the pocket friendly point-and-shoot camera segment will still thrive over the smartphone in the world of photography. This is until they see the Leica co-developed HUAWEI P9 smartphone. Since then, smartphone photography did not really grow. It exploded, and now every single manufacturer is pushing for more powerful camera sensors. Samsung has already gone ahead in terms of Megapixel count in a tiny camera sensor with their mind-boggling 108-Megapixel sensors. Sony pushes the threshold at 64-Megapixels at this time.
If you know photography though, Megapixel count is only half the story when it comes to image quality, clarity, and detail. You need bigger sensors too, and that is also the reason why enthusiast grade cameras and even modern point-and-shoot cameras still have their place in the world of photography today. Bigger sensors also mean more light, and therefore better low-light sensitivity; it is simple physics. The race for bigger sensors in smartphones is now on, and births the idea of the HUIAWEI P50.
Technically, we would not know if the HUAWEI P50 comes with a bigger sensor or not. So far, the rumours that the HUAWEI P50 will come with a 1-inch camera sensor is just that; rumours. HUAWEI’s Richard Yu confirms that the HUAWEI P50 will come with a “new mobile imaging technology” though.
Leaked renders show that the HUAWEI P50 might come with two rings of cameras for a quad camera set-up. One of the rings, in the renders and leaks at least, shows three lenses while the other shows a single larger lens accompanied by the LED flash module. Larger lens could mean larger sensors, or it could mean better glass material for the sensor.
We are pretty sure that HUAWEI’s RYYB (Red Yellow Yellow Blue) sensor will still find its way to the upcoming HUAWEI P50. The RYYB sensor, after all, is a HUAWEI technology and they have been boasting the sensor in their smartphones for years now. Whether or not they will be increasing the size of the RYYB sensor is yet to be seen. For all we know, HUAWEI could be using the same 1-inch sensor that the Sharp Aquos R6 launched in Japan packs. Keep in mind that the sensor is also co-developed with Leica, HUAWEI’s camera partner.
For now, we can only speculate. It seems that we do not have to wait for long to find out if the rumours are true or we completely missed the mark. HUAWEI’s Richard Yu just confirmed in his Weibo page that the HUAWEI P50 series will launch on the 29th of July 2021, which is about 10 days away.
Richard did not confirm on whether or not this would be a global launch event though. There are no mentions on livestream links just yet too. While HUAWEI has been banned from using Google’s platform, their flagship launches has been a global affair. In that case, we do expect to hear more from HUAWEI soon.
