Nothing Phone 3a series launched last month and one of its standout features was Essential Space. Activated via the new dedicated Essential Key, it acts as a one-stop solution to gather all sorts of data such as screenshots, photos, and voice notes, and recall them using AI. While this feature was a nifty addition which was appreciated by users, a social media post suggests that some of them are running into monthly processing limits for the feature.
Essential Space's Monthly Processing Limit
User @AlphaDaemon1999 expressed their frustration over the discovery of the monthly processing limit on a post on Reddit. The post says that the user used the feature as intended; to save content ideas, set reminders, and track their daily expenses, before they hit the limit. The user emphasised that they read through all of the terms and conditions but did not find a reference to the maximum processing cap anywhere.
Other users also expressed their disappointment over this development, especially since it is a hardware inclusion and one of the most advertised features of the Nothing Phone 3a series. One user commented, “Never expected this. That's the USP of the product. When they have a cap on the USP, then there's no point in advertising as a unique feature.”
The monthly processing limit on the Essential Space suggests that the company could introduce a paid subscription for offering unlimited usage. However, this is not the first time that this has been hinted towards.
Following a teardown of the latest version of the Essential Space app, Android Authority discovered multiple strings that referenced "free trial" and "AI credits". The former suggests that users may be able to try out certain Essential Space features before a subscription fee is required, while the latter indicates that they would be able to spend money on credits to access certain AI features.
One of the strings read "start 1 year free trial", which suggests that the British OEM could offer a one year free subscription to the AI space before charging users for it.
Noise Air Buds Pro 6 have been introduced in India. The TWS earphones are equipped with 12.4mm drivers and support dual device connectivity. They are claimed to offer up to 49dB hybrid active noise cancellation (ANC) and up to seven hours of playback time on a single charge. The Air Buds Pro 6 support spatial audio, Google Fast Pair, in-ear detection, and low latency of up to 50ms. They join the Noise Air Buds 6, which were unveiled in the country in January.
Noise Air Buds Pro 6 Price in India, Availability
Noise Air Buds Pro 6 price in India is set at Rs. 3,499. They will be available for purchase starting April 9 via Amazon and the Noise India website. Customers who get a pre-order pass worth Rs. 499 before the sale day, can get a coupon worth Rs. 999. They will be able to get the TWS headsets for an effective price of Rs. 2,500.
Aside from a discount coupon, pre-order pass holders can enjoy additional perks worth Rs. 1,000, including Rs. 700 off on the Diva 2 smartwatch.
The latest TWS earphones are offered in Nimbus Grey, Petal Pink, and Slate Black colourways.
Noise Air Buds Pro 6 Features, Specifications
The Noise Air Buds Pro 6 carry 12.4mm dynamic titanium drivers including N52 Neodymium magnet and copper coils. They support up to 49dB hybrid ANC and quad mic system-backed environmental noise cancellation (ENC) for clearer calls. The case comes with a metallised paint finish, and the earphones offer an IPX5 water-resistant rating.
Noise Air Buds Pro 6 support Bluetooth 5.3 and dual-device connectivity as well as a high-resolution, lossless LHDC audio codec. They also support Google Fast Pair, in-ear detection feature and spatial audio experience. The earphones are claimed to provide up to 50ms low latency as well.
The Noise Air Buds Pro 6 are claimed to last for up to seven hours on a single charge, and up to 43 hours with the case, resulting in a total claimed battery life of up to 50 hours. A quick charge of 10 minutes is said to provide playback of up to 150 minutes.
WhatsApp is said to be testing new features for its Android app to improve the overall audio and video calling experience. According to claims by a feature tracker, the instant messaging platform is developing a new feature which lets users mute their microphone before accepting a voice call. Meanwhile, it is testing emoji reactions for video calls and the ability to turn off the camera before a video call is accepted.
New Audio and Video Features on WhatsApp
According to WhatsApp feature tracker WABetaInfo, Meta Platforms' instant messaging client is developing three new audio and video features for release on a future version of the app. It was reportedly spotted in WhatsApp Beta for Android app version 2.25.10.16. One of the features is said to aid in voice calls, enabling users to turn off their microphone and mute the call before accepting it.
New WhatsApp Features in Development Photo Credit: WABetaInfo
Meanwhile, WhatsApp is said to be testing a new option which offers the choice of turning off the device's camera before picking up a video call. Based on the screenshots shared by the feature tracker, a Turn off your video option may appear when the receiver gets a video call. This means the call will be received in a voice-only mode. A similar feature was previously reported to be in development last month when it was discovered in an APK teardown. The latest WhatsApp for Android beta provides another indication of its impending introduction.
If the camera is already off, the app may also display another 'Accept without video' prompt as a confirmation.
WABetaInfo claims that another video-related feature that could be making its way to WhatsApp for Android soon is emoji reactions. It is said to allow users engaged in a video call to react with emojis in real-time. They may be able to react with a thumbs-up, a laughing emoji, or a heart to express their emotions. This feature is speculated to prove useful if a user wants to react to a message but does not want to disrupt the flow of the conversation, especially when a large number of people are engaged in the video call.
WABetaInfo claims that these new features are still in development but may be available to beta testers registered via the Google Play Beta programme.
Samsung's rollout of its Android 15-based One UI 7 operating system (OS) is yet to reach completion but the company is said to already have plans for an early release of its next iteration. According to a report, One UI 8 based on Android 16 will be offered out-of-the-box with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Galaxy Z Flip 7 foldables, which are said to be in the works and expected to debut some time later this year.
One UI 8 on Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, Galaxy Z Flip 7
Citing insider sources, SamMobile reports that Samsung is planning to launch its next generation foldable smartphones — the purported Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Galaxy Z Flip 7 — with One UI 8 out-of-the-box. This potentially means that the handsets may come running on the Android 16-based firmware at launch.
The South Korean technology conglomerate's next generation foldable phones are speculated to debut in July this year, keeping up with the launch timelines of its previous iterations.
Notably, Samsung is said to have already begun testing its next OS. A tipster recently spotted One UI 8's internal test build on the company's server officially listed as a “newfound test firmware”. It is reported to come with S938BXXU1BYC1/S938BOXM1BYC1/S938BXXU1BYC1 as the build version for the flagship Galaxy S25 series. This suggests that Samsung is likely to have kicked off the development of its next-generation OS two months prior than its usual timeline.
With regard to its release date, the successor to Android 15 has already been confirmed by a Google official to release in June 2025. It could be moved to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) on June 3, following which original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Samsung can create custom variants of the OS catering to their respective devices and port it for the release.
There is no official word yet about the features included or the availability of Samsung's One UI 8 update. More information is likely to be revealed in the coming months leading up to the Android 16-based OS' release.
The Poco M7 5G was launched in India last month as the latest entry-level smartphone from Xiaomi's performance-focused subsidiary. The handset is priced under the Rs. 10,000 mark, and it features an octa-core Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 SoC, 128GB of built-in storage, a 50-megapixel rear camera, and runs on Android 14. It will compete with similarly priced smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy F06 5G, Redmi A4 and Redmi 14C 5G from Xiaomi, Infinix Hot 50 5G, Tecno Spark 30C, and Lava Blaze 3 5G.
The base model of the Poco M7 5G is priced at Rs. 9,999, while the 8GB variant costs Rs. 10,999. Poco sells the smartphone in three colourways. But is this the best budget smartphone you can buy today? Read our Poco M7 5G review to find out.
Poco M7 5G Design: Hard to Spot the Differences
Dimensions - 171.9×77.8×8.2 mm
Weight - 205.4g
Colours - Mint Green, Ocean Blue (Featured in this review), Satin Black
The Poco M7 5G has a 6.88-inch display and a considerably big phone. The lower half of the handset's rear panel has a matte finish, while the upper portion (which also houses the 50-megapixel rear camera) has a smooth finish. The rear panel and the raised camera island are made of plastic, and the latter glitter when held at various angles.
Poco M7 5G has half-matte and half glossy rear design
If you've looked at the Redmi A4 from last year or the Redmi 14C 5G, the new Poco M7 5G should feel very familiar. All three phones have the same display size and dimensions, while the Poco M7 5G and the Redmi 14C 5G both weigh 204.5g. At a glance, the only way to identify Poco's handset among these three models is to look for the half-matte, half-glossy design on the rear panel.
On the front, the Poco M7 5G sports an LCD screen with thick bezels at the top, left and right edges, and an even thicker chin. A waterdrop-style notch at the top houses the selfie camera, and the front of the smartphone is identical to the aforementioned Redmi phones.
The edges of the Poco handset are made of plastic, and there's a volume rocker and power button on the right side, a USB Type-C port at the bottom, and a 3.5mm audio jack on the top edge. The review unit we received did not include a screen protector or a cover. You get a 33W power adapter, a USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable, and a SIM ejector tool.
Poco M7 5G Software: Older Android Version, Preinstalled Apps
Software - HyperOS
Version - Android 14
Latest security patch - January 1, 2025
The Poco M7 5G runs on Android 14, with Xiaomi's HyperOS skin on top. It's a little disappointing to see it ship with this version six months after Google released Android 15. The company says that the Poco M7 5G will receive two Android OS updates (which means its last major update will be Android 16) and four years of security updates.
The Poco M7 5G comes with a handful of preinstalled apps (Tap to expand)
The HyperOS skin seems to be optimised to run on the Poco M7 5G, and switching to the previous app and back feels smooth. The unit we received had 6GB of RAM, with a memory extension feature turned off by default.
Like other smartphones in this price segment, the Poco M7 5G includes a few preinstalled apps and games. These include Spotify, Snapchat, LinkedIn, WPS Office, Facebook, Word Scenery: Crossword, Jewels Blast, Tile Fun, and a couple of bubble shooter games.
They are located in folders called “More apps” and “Games” that also prompt you to install apps like Junglee Rummy, Ludo Supreme, MPL, and Dream11. These apps can be uninstalled, and the folders disappear after their contents are emptied. You will also need to disable advertisements on various system applications to prevent full-screen ads from showing up while opening these apps.
Poco M7 5G Performance: Good Value for Money
Processor - Snapdragon 4 Gen 2
Memory - Up to 8GB LPDDR4x
Storage - 128GB UFS 2.2
There's a 4nm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chip inside the Poco M7 5G — the same processor powers the Redmi 14C, and it comprises two Cortex-A78 cores (2.2GHz) and six Cortex-A55 cores (1.95GHz), along with an Adreno 613 GPU. The chipset is slightly more capable than the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 SoC on the Redmi A4, and it can handle popular apps like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter).
The Poco M7 5G delivers performance on par with similarly priced smartphones (Tap to expand)
Games like Temple Run 2 and Asphalt Legends Unite run on the default settings without any issues. I also ran Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), which ran fine on Smooth settings with the Ultra framerate option. The phone doesn't have a gyroscope, so you'll need to make adjustments while moving your character around in the game.
We also ran benchmark tests to see how the Poco M7 5G performs against rivals like the Redmi A4 5G, Moto G35, and the more expensive HMD Fusion, which also features the same chipset.
Benchmarks
Poco M7 5G
Motorola G35
HMD Fusion
Redmi A4 5G
Geekbench Single
923
1,012
937
839
Geekbench Multi
2,195
2,403
2,245
1919
PCMark Work 3.0
8,030
13,920
8,503
8,782
AnTuTu v10
4,33,660
4,94,364
4,48,378
3,87,157
GFXB T-rex
57
70
70
55
GFXB Manhattan 3.1
36
33
37
28
GFXB Car Chase
16
18
17
15
3DM Slingshot Extreme OpenGL
Failed to run
2,590
1,775
1,560
3DM Slingshot
Failed to run
3,379
2,712
2,409
3DM Wild Life
668
Not supported
673
647
3DM Wild Life Unlimited
666
Not supported
669
Failed to run
The 6.88-inch HD+ (720×1640 pixels) IPS LCD screen on the Poco M7 5G has a 120Hz refresh rate. While there's an automatic mode that switches between 60Hz and 120Hz, you can also select one of the two manually. I enabled the Standard colour scheme in the display settings, which offered improved colour accuracy.
The display on the Poco M7 5G is bright enough for most outdoor scenarios
Poco says that the handset's display has a peak brightness of 450nits (and 600nits in high brightness mode). The screen gets bright enough while outdoors during the day, except if you're using the phone when it's extremely sunny outside.
Poco M7 5G Cameras: Decent Daytime Photos
Main camera - 50-megapixel (f/1.8), PDAF, up to 1080p/ 30fps video
Selfie camera - 8-megapixel
A 50-megapixel primary camera on the Poco M7 5G with phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and an f/1.8 aperture. This camera delivers bright and sharp photos during the day, and colours are reproduced accurately. Images captured with the rear camera have a lot of detail, even when you zoom in.
Top to bottom: Samples from primary rear camera, 2x zoom, Portrait (Tap to expand)
The primary camera has a 2x in-sensor crop option, which allows you to zoom in on subjects that are further away. When there's enough natural light, this mode can deliver decent photos of subjects that are slightly further away.
While shooting images with the Poco M7 5G, I noticed that the camera app is quick to capture images in the default mode. Unlike some other budget phones that take a moment to capture each shot, the Poco M7 5G saved each image as soon as I tapped the shutter button.
If you're shooting images in low light scenarios, I recommend using the default photo mode (wherever possible) unless your subject is perfectly still or your surroundings are very dark. Images of animals and other moving subjects taken with the default mode have more detail (and more noise), but it's preferable to the softening on images captured when Night mode is enabled.
Low light samples (Tap to expand)
The default camera app has two other modes — 50MP and Portrait. The former captures very detailed images and takes a moment to save before the camera is ready to take another shot. However, if you want to capture images with a lot of detail and don't mind the extra storage required by these photos, I recommend using the 50-megapixel mode.
Without support for image stabilisation, the Poco M7 5G captures shaky videos during the day and night when using the rear camera or the front-facing camera. If you have a handheld gimbal, you might be able to mitigate this. You can record up to 1080p at 30fps using the rear camera and the selfie shooter.
Poco M7 5G Battery: A Day and a Half on One Charge
Battery Capacity - 5,160mAh
Wired Charging - 18W (USB Type-C)
The combination of the 5,160mAh battery and the efficient Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 SoC on the Poco M7 5G is enough to deliver over a day and a half of battery life. This included a mix of calls and texting (with WhatsApp in companion device mode), some light gaming, browsing Instagram and X, and streaming videos on YouTube.
Poco M7 5G doesn't ship with a case in the box
On our HD video battery loop test, the Poco M7 5G lasted for 23 hours and 10 minutes. Keep in mind that this is a synthetic test, so that the real world will vary based on actual usage. The phone ships with a 33W charger, but the handset can only be charged at 18W. It took around 1 hour and 50 minutes for a full charge.
Poco M7 5G: Final Thoughts
At Rs. 9,999, the Poco M7 5G is one of the most value-for-money offerings currently available in India. It offers support for 5G connectivity and has a familiar-looking design, and offers decent camera performance during the day. Battery life and charging speeds are also on par with other similarly priced smartphones.
It's disappointing to see the Poco M7 5G launch with Android 14 when Android 15 has been out for several months when its biggest rival — the Samsung Galaxy F06 5G — ships with the latest version and is slated to receive four Android OS version upgrades. Other alternatives to the Poco M7 5G include the Redmi A4 (Review), Redmi 14C 5G, and the Moto G35 (Review).
A towering spiral of plasma has been recorded extending millions of kilometres from the Sun. The video was taken by the European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter during an eight-hour period on October 12, 2022. A coronal mass ejection caused the plasma to rise from the Sun's surface. The footage captured something which was never observed before. It showed a swirling motion in the solar wind. As per the latest report, scientists also recorded bright streaks that were moving across the frame. Researchers also revealed that these streaks appeared as pixelated lines, which might also ressemble like UFOs. Scientists later confirmed they were distant stars visible due to the imaging process.
Study Identifies Plasma Formation as a Pseudostreamer
The study published in The Astrophysical Journal revealed that the massive structure that appeared in the photos was a large pseudostreamer. It was formed near the Sun's north pole after a solar flare erupted. The report further highlighted that the plasma reached 1.5 times the Sun's width and remained visible for three hours. Scientists believes the twisting movement of the plasma was due to Alfvénic fluctuations. These fluctuations happen when waves of charged particles respond to magnetic disturbances. Scientists says the pseudostreamer's location influenced its unique shape. Magnetic fields at the Sun's poles are stronger than those near the equator.
Unusual Streaks Explained
The video also showed bright, half-dark lines crossing the screen. These lines appeared to move in a pattern similar to arcade game graphics. ESA confirmed that these were distant stars. The video's editing technique made them appear as streaks rather than points of light. The Solar Orbiter's movement against the background created this effect.
Solar Activity Expected to Intensify
The Sun is currently experiencing solar maximum. Flares and solar winds have increased since early 2024. The pseudostreamer in the video formed before this peak. Scientists were surprised by its early appearance. ESA's Solar Orbiter continues to capture detailed images of solar wind. NASA's Parker Solar Probe and ESA's Proba-3 mission are also studying these phenomena. More extreme solar winds are expected in the coming years.
SpaceX has sent another batch of satellites into orbit. On April 3, a Falcon 9 rocket launched 27 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The rocket lifted off at 9.02 p.m. Eastern Time and was followed by a successful landing of the first-stage booster on a drone ship stationed in the Pacific Ocean. This booster had already been used on four earlier flights. The satellites are expected to be deployed nearly an hour after takeoff if mission steps proceed as planned. The launch formed part of SpaceX's continued effort to expand its low Earth orbit network.
Details from the Launch Mission Description
According to the mission information provided by SpaceX, the launch marked the fifth use of the same Falcon 9 booster. The drone ship used for recovery was named “Of Course I Still Love You”. This reusable system has become a routine part of SpaceX operations. The booster's return was completed around eight minutes after liftoff. The launch contributed to the growing total of Starlink satellites which is aimed at building a global broadband network.
Launch Activity in 2025
This latest mission has brought the number of Falcon 9 launches in 2025 to 38. About two-thirds of those have supported the expansion of the Starlink constellation. Earlier this week, two separate launches were also completed. One of them included the Fram2 private astronaut mission, which carried crew members into orbit over Earth's poles. That mission marked a new milestone in human spaceflight.
Starlink Satellite Network
Over 7100 satellites are now part of the Starlink constellation. The system is already the largest of its kind. SpaceX continues to work on expanding its coverage by launching more satellites regularly. The objective remains to provide consistent internet access worldwide, especially in regions with limited connectivity options.
