Tag: Prototypes

OnePlus Considered Ditching The Headphone Jack, OnePlus 6 Prototype Suggests

The OnePlus 6 was launched in India on 17th May at a starting price of Rs 34999. Apart from its specifications and design, one thing a lot of consumers were satisfied with, was the presence of the headphone jack. OnePlus continues to be one of the last few smartphone makers to stick with the beloved 3.5mm headphone jack as the industry, at large, prepares us for a wireless future. However, OnePlus did consider removing the headphone from the OnePlus 6.

OnePlus recently showed off a slew OnePlus 6 prototypes to PCMag. Apart from the range of colour variants on display, an interesting aspect was that some prototypes did not have a 3.5mm headphone jack. Considering that OnePlus also launched its first-ever pair of Bluetooth earphones, it isn’t a giant leap to assume that removal of the headphone jack was discussed. And this poll might have helped tip the decision in favour of the headphone jack.

https://twitter.com/getpeid/status/973745407208468485

With the Bullets Wireless earphones being praised for their price to performance ratio, it does seem like the company is preparing its loyal users for a headphone jack-less OnePlus device. However, it is anybody’s guess for now when that will happen. The OnePlus 6T is expected to launch in the fourth quarter of 2018 but, it is not likely that the company will pull the plug on the headphone jack so soon.

Must Read: OnePlus 6 Red Edition Launched For Rs. 39,999

OnePlus Bullets Wireless

The colour variants on display also give us an insight on how many prototypes a company goes through before choosing one variant. OnePlus even had a colour shifting variant like the Huawei P20 Pro on display. However, one of the engineers conceded that it was never a part of the discussion about the OnePlus 6 colour variants. It was merely a representation of what the engineering team was capable of producing.

Apple’s decision to remove the headphone jack in 2016 was not a very popular one. However, two years on and the industry, more or less, has complied. OnePlus will also soon get rid of the port as it increases its Bluetooth accessories portfolio.

July 5, 2018
Here’s What Samsung’s Foldable Smartphone Could’ve Looked Like

Samsung has been in the news for working on a foldable smartphone for a long time now. The alleged Samsung Galaxy X is expected to have a bendable display which means a user has a smartphone and a tablet at the same time. However, as is with every device, the final Galaxy X that will launch to the public will be different from the numerous prototypes that Samsung built on the way to its final product. One such prototype has made its way to the realm of the internet and gives us an insight into Samsung’s process.

A Chinese Twitter user claims that this Samsung device was known by the name of Project V or Project Valley. The rumours of Project Valley came about in 2015 and claimed that Samsung would indeed launch this device in 2016. However, that did not happen. While the design now seems dated, if it were to launch in 2016, the Project V would have surely grabbed a headline or two. The user claims that this cancelled smartphone carried the model number SM-G929F

A few months ago, ZTE, a Chinese smartphone maker launched the ZTE Axon M. A foldable smartphone with bezels all around it and a very uninspiring design, to say the least. The design is very similar to the Samsung Project V only ZTE ended up launching the device while Samsung has continued to work on the technology and plans on launching the smartphone in early-2019.

ZTE Axon M

It is worth noting that it is not confirmed whether these images do belong to a Samsung smartphone. However, it is plausible that Samsung would go through a plethora of design and technology changes before eventually coming up with a consumer-ready foldable smartphone that does not have a shambolic design. The Samsung Galaxy X is expected to launch in early-2019 and cost about US$ 2000 (Rs 1,36,000 approx.). We expect more leaks pertaining to the device in the future.

June 18, 2018
Apple Experimenting With Five Prototypes For the iPhone 7

The iPhone 7 has not even been announced, and the the iPhone 6s released just a couple of months back. But, that does not stop users and tech fans to get preposterously curious about the next iPhone – the iPhone 7. So, there is good news for them – a new report suggests that Apple might be looking at five different prototypes this time, for the iPhone 7.

The timeline for the iPhone goes somewhat like this – the iPhone 3GS was followed by the Apple iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s which introduced Siri. The following year saw the iPhone 5 with a 4 inch screen and then came the revolutionary iPhone 6 with a 4.7 inch screen and the 6 Plus with a 5.5 inch display; after which we know about the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.

Now, returning back to the good news bit, Apple is also testing a bunch of new features on the prototypes; such as – testing a USB Type C port that supports headsets, wireless charging capabilities, fingerprint scanner within the phone’s display, multi-Touch Force, and maybe a dual camera set-up for the rear of the handset. There are also further reports that claim that Apple is experimenting with an AMOLED screen too. Apple has not confirmed anything yet, but until then let us hope that the iPhone 7 is another revolutionary smartphone.

December 1, 2015