Earth's inner core, made of solid iron and nickel, lies over 5,100 kilometres below the surface. Despite its crucial role in shaping Earth's conditions and generating its magnetic field, the core's age has remained a mystery. Thanks to advancements in mineral physics, scientists are now closer to understanding how and when the core formed. The solid core is vital for maintaining Earth's magnetic field, which shields us from harmful solar radiation, making the planet habitable for billions of years.
Inner Core's Formation and Freezing Process
The inner core, which was once molten, solidifies as the Earth cools down. This cooling process causes the iron-rich liquid surrounding the core to freeze, expanding the inner core outwards, although the temperature at the core remains scorching, at over 5,000K (around 4,726°C). The freezing of iron releases lighter elements like oxygen and carbon, creating a buoyant liquid that rises into the outer core, producing electric currents. These currents drive the Earth's magnetic field, which is responsible for phenomena like the northern lights.
Supercooling and the Core's Age
Geophysicists use thermal models to study Earth's magnetic history. These models have revealed that supercooling, where a liquid cools below its freezing point without solidifying, could explain the core's formation. Recent studies suggest that iron at the core may need to be supercooled by up to 1,000K before freezing. However, this level of cooling implies that the core might be much younger, between 500 and 1,000 million years than previously thought. Current evidence suggests the core may have experienced less than 400K of supercooling.
The age of Earth's inner core remains a topic of intense study, with scientists exploring the possibility that the core could be younger than estimated due to this supercooling phenomenon. Understanding this could reshape our knowledge of Earth's magnetic history.
Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams and fellow NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore embarked on an eight-day mission aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 05, 2024. However, due to technical challenges, their stay at the International Space Station (ISS) has been extended to eight months. While Starliner returned to Earth without them last week due to some issues, both astronauts remain on the ISS and are expected to return with Elon Musk's SpaceX Crew-9 flight in February 2025.
Williams' Perspective on the Delay
In a video press conference, Sunita Williams shared her thoughts on the unexpected delay, describing the ISS as her "happy place." She mentioned how life in space has not been a difficult adjustment due to previous experience. Although initially hoped to complete the Starliner mission and return sooner, she remains optimistic about the opportunity ahead.
Challenges with Starliner's Return
Butch Wilmore noted that, while there were disagreements regarding their return on the Starliner, time constraints and unresolved technical issues led to their continued stay. He believes their current situation is for the best, given the safety concerns surrounding the Starliner.
Voting from Space
Sunita Williams also acknowledged that while her extended stay causes some nervousness, especially considering plans with her family, she remains focused on the mission. Both astronauts expressed their anticipation of casting their ballots for the 2024 US presidential elections from space, with the race being between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
Technical Issues with Starliner
The Starliner spacecraft experienced multiple thruster failures and helium leaks during its approach to the ISS, preventing it from achieving sufficient thrust for a safe return to Earth with the astronauts. As a result, NASA and Boeing decided that the Starliner would return empty, leaving Williams and Wilmore to await their return with SpaceX.
Earth might gain another Moon, a miniature one, due to a rare phenomenon called gravitational trapping. Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Raúl de la Fuente Marcos, researchers from Universidad Complutense de Madrid, have announced an intriguing celestial event. A small asteroid, named 2024 PT5, is set to become Earth's temporary mini-moon for approximately two months starting later this month. Their findings, published in the Research Notes of the AAS, reveal that Earth frequently captures asteroids, albeit briefly. This new mini-moon is expected to make one orbit around our planet before continuing its journey through the solar system.
Details of the Asteroid
2024 PT5, a small asteroid with a diameter of about 10 metres, was first detected last month by the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System. Despite initial concerns, it has been confirmed that this asteroid is not on a collision course with Earth. The researchers used current measurements of its size, speed, and trajectory to predict that it will come close enough to Earth to be temporarily bound by its gravity.
The asteroid will complete one full orbit around Earth in 53 days, beginning at the end of this month and concluding around mid-November.
Origin and Characteristics
The researchers also estimated the asteroid's origins, suggesting it is likely from the Arjuna asteroid belt. This belt is known for containing asteroids with orbits similar to Earth's. The analysis indicates that 2024 PT5 is not space debris but rather an object of natural origin, given its trajectory resembles that of other natural celestial bodies.
Significance of the Discovery
The temporary capture of the Asteroid 2024 PT5 offers valuable insights into the dynamics of small asteroids and their interactions with Earth's gravity. Historically, Earth has captured asteroids in similar ways; for instance, an asteroid orbited Earth for about a year in 2006, and another for several years before leaving in 2020.
This brief encounter with 2024 PT5 provides a unique opportunity for researchers to study such interactions and enhance our understanding of asteroid behaviour in our solar system.
Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale 2024 dates have been announced ahead of the upcoming festive season. The e-commerce platform is also teasing deals on products across categories such as mobiles, laptops, tablets, TVs, home appliances and other electronics, among other offers to build anticipation before the sale's official kick-off. Buyers will be able to take advantage of discounts on transactions carried out through HDFC debit and credit cards, in addition to other cashback and EMI deals.
During the Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale 2024, flagship smartphones from top brands like Apple, Google and Samsung are expected to have their prices slashed.
Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale 2024 Date and Offers
Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale 2024 will begin on September 27 for all members. However, Flipkart Plus subscribers will be able to get early access a day before, on September 26.
This year, the e-commerce giant has joined hands with HDFC Bank to introduce bank offers. Buyers can take advantage of a 10 percent instant discount on debit/credit and Easy EMI transactions. Additionally, Flipkart says buyers can enjoy lifetime cashback on UPI via its super money app.
Prospective smartphone buyers will be able to take advantage of top deals on Samsung smartphones such as Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 FE and Galaxy A14 5G. Flipkart says they can wishlist these handsets now and buy them as soon as the sale goes live. There will also be attractive offers on Nothing Phone 2a and 2a Plus and Acer Aspire 3.
The e-commerce platform will announce deals on TVs, smartwatches, tablets, audio equipment, laptops and other home appliances over the next few days. Furthermore, offers on Nothing Phone 2a and iPhone models will be announced on September 22 and September 23, respectively.
In addition to the discounts and bank benefits, Flipkart will also offer exchange deals and Flipkart Pay Later credit up to Rs. 1 lakh.
A novel approach to improving the performance of MOF-based supercapacitors has been developed by researchers at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali. This laser-based technique allows for the controlled introduction of defects in the material, boosting energy storage capabilities. The method could offer a significant improvement over traditional methods used for defect creation, such as thermal annealing, chemical exposure, and ball milling, which lacked precision.
How Laser Technology Improves MOF-Based Supercapacitors
In this innovative approach, Prof Vivek Bagchi and his team at INST used laser irradiation to create defects and porosity in the CuZn-BTC MOF. By carefully adjusting laser power, they were able to increase the electrode's surface area without altering the Metal Organic Framework's (MOF) crystal structure. The details of the research were published in the journal ACS Materials Letter.
This precise tuning enhances the material's performance by enabling better ion diffusion and improved energy storage. The pores generated in the three-dimensional MOF structure allow ions to travel more efficiently, significantly enhancing the device's energy storage capacity.
Traditional methods of defect creation tend to transform the material or create composite structures, reducing efficiency. However, this laser method maintains the MOF's original crystallinity while improving its electrochemical properties. Upon laser exposure, some bonds in the CuZn-MOF break, creating pores that improve ion diffusion while keeping the overall structure intact.
Environmental and Performance Benefits
In addition to enhancing energy storage, the laser process is quicker, cleaner, and more environmentally friendly than conventional approaches. It eliminates the need for chemical solvents, making the process both safer and faster. The findings, published in ACS Materials Letter, highlight the potential for applying this method to other MOF materials to improve performance in energy storage technologies.
This week, solar activity has been particularly intense, with the sun releasing powerful solar flares, including an X1.3-class flare on Thursday, September 12. The eruption, coming from an unnumbered sunspot, took place at 5:43 AM EDT (9:43 UTC). X-class flares, the strongest of its type, can cause disruptions in radio communications, especially in sunlit areas. In this case, the flare impacted high-frequency radio bands across Africa, Europe, and parts of Asia, as reported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Geomagnetic Storm and Aurora Chances
Following the X1.3-class flare, a geomagnetic storm occurred on 12 September 2024, rated at G3 on a five-level scale by NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. This storm resulted from a coronal mass ejection (CME) produced by a solar flare earlier in the week on 10 September. As a CME travels through space, it carries plasma and magnetic fields from the sun's corona.
When these reach Earth, they can trigger geomagnetic storms and enhance auroras in the Northern Hemisphere. Some areas in the western US reported visible auroras following the storm. In addition to the X-class event, other solar flares in the M-class category were observed from sunspots AR 3811 and AR 3814 earlier in the week.
Another Geomagnetic Storm Expected
According to NOAA, aurora watchers will have another opportunity on Friday, 13 September 2024, when another geomagnetic storm is expected. This storm will be caused by a CME that erupted earlier this week. As CMEs take a few days to reach Earth, the geomagnetic storm could lead to even more vibrant aurora displays across various parts of the US, particularly in higher latitudes. Scientists at NOAA continue to monitor solar activity closely to forecast any potential impacts on Earth's magnetic field.
Keep an eye on the skies this weekend, as auroras may light up the night across parts of the US due to heightened solar activity.
Sagittarius A* (pronounced Sagittarius A Star), the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way, is spinning in an unusual way, and scientists now believe they may know why. Based on new data from the Event Horizon Telescope, researchers suggest that this cosmic giant likely merged with another black hole billions of years ago. This colossal collision would explain the black hole's rapid, misaligned spin, which differs from the rest of the galaxy's orientation.
The Role of Mergers in Black Hole Evolution
Located 26,000 light-years from Earth, Sagittarius A* is a massive object, 4 million times the mass of the Sun. Its fast spin and odd tilt have long puzzled astronomers, but new research points to a violent past.
According to a study published in the Nature journal and led by Yihan Wang, an astrophysicist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), the black hole's strange spin is best explained by a merger with another supermassive black hole. This event could have occurred around 9 billion years ago and may have drastically altered Sagittarius A*'s spin.
Supermassive black holes are believed to grow not only by absorbing nearby gas and dust but also by merging with other black holes when galaxies collide. Bing Zhang, a professor of physics and astronomy at UNLV and co-author of the study, explained that the merger likely happened after the Milky Way collided with the Gaia-Enceladus galaxy. This adds significant evidence to the theory that black holes can expand by merging with others of their kind.
Future Discoveries Await
Astronomers are hopeful that future space-based projects, such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), set to launch in 2035, will help uncover more about the history of supermassive black holes. These tools will detect gravitational waves produced by such mergers, providing even more insights into the dynamic evolution of galaxies and their black holes.
New research suggests that a powerful El Niño cycle, fuelled by a massive release of carbon dioxide, may have contributed to Earth's largest mass extinction around 250 million years ago, during the end of the Permian period. Volcanic eruptions in what is now Siberia caused enormous amounts of carbon dioxide to enter the atmosphere, resulting in drastic climate changes. These shifts led to the extinction of 90 percent of species on Earth. While past events like this are rare, they hold serious implications for today's climate crisis.
Impact of Siberian Volcanic Eruptions
The eruption of the Siberian Traps, a series of massive volcanic rifts, spewed vast amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This phenomenon caused extreme climate heating, leading to a series of long-lasting and severe El Niño events.
Alex Farnsworth told Live Science, paleoclimate modeller at the University of Bristol, this period saw temperatures rise far beyond the boundaries that life had adapted to for thousands of years, pushing species past their limits. On land, forests that helped absorb carbon dioxide were destroyed, worsening the atmospheric crisis.
How Climate Changes Affected Oceans and Land
The lead author of the study, Yadong Sun, earth scientist at the China University of Geosciences, discovered that the temperature gradient between the western and eastern parts of Panthalassa, an ancient ocean, weakened during the warming period. The ocean became too warm for most marine life to survive, especially as the tropical waters reached temperatures of 40°C. On land, animals reliant on forests struggled to survive as extreme heat and loss of vegetation created a feedback loop that worsened conditions for survival.
Modern Implications
Although the carbon dioxide levels during the Permian period were much higher than today's 419 ppm, the rapid pace at which humans are adding carbon to the atmosphere could potentially lead to similar destabilising effects.
Elon Musk's X social media platform is unlikely to be subjected to landmark EU tech rules which aim to rein in the power of Big Tech because it does not meet the rules' gatekeeper criteria, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said on Friday.
The European Commission in May opened an investigation into X after the company rebutted earlier indications that it may have to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which imposes a list of dos and don'ts on Big Tech.
X has said it does not qualify as an important gateway between businesses and consumers.
Under the DMA, companies with more than 45 million monthly active users and 75 billion euros ($83 billion) in market capitalisation are classified as gatekeepers. They must make their messaging apps interoperable with rivals and let users decide which apps to pre-install on their devices. They are also not allowed to favour their own services over rivals' or prevent users from removing pre-installed software or apps.
The commission, which had said it would wrap up its investigation within five months, declined to comment.
X's bigger challenges are with the EU's newly adopted Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires big online platforms to do more to tackle illegal and harmful online content or risk fines of as much as 6% of their global annual turnover.
X is the target of several ongoing DSA investigations.
Bloomberg was first to report on X likely to avoid the EU tech rules.
Redmi 14R has been launched in China and the latest budget smartphone from the Xiaomi subsidiary is equipped with a Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset, along with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of inbuilt storage. The phone runs on Android 14 and comes with Xiaomi's HyperOS skin on top. It packs a 5,160mAh battery with support for 18W charging. The successor to the Redmi 13R is equipped with a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel selfie camera.
Redmi 14R Price, Availability
Redmi 14R price starts at CNY 1,099 (roughly Rs. 13,000) for the base model with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It is also available in 6GB+128GB and 8GB+128GB configurations priced at CNY 1,499 (roughly Rs. 17,700) and CNY 1,699 (roughly Rs. 20,100), respectively. There's another 8GB+256GB variant that costs CNY 1,899 (roughly Rs. 22,500).
The new Redmi 14R is available in Deep Ocean Blue, Lavender, Olive Green, and Shadow Black colourways (translated from Chinese) via the company's website in China. There's currently no word om whether the handset will also be introduced in global markets, including India.
Redmi 14R Specifications
The dual-SIM (Nano) Redmi 14R runs on Android 14-based HyperOS. It features a 6.68-inch HD+ LCD screen with a 120Hz refresh rate with a peak brightness of 600nits. The handset is powered by a Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset, which is paired with up to 8GB of RAM.
According to the company, the handset is equipped with a 13-megapixel primary camera along with an unspecified secondary sensor. It also has a 5-megapixel camera located in a waterdrop-style notch on the front, for selfies and video calls.
You get up to 256GB of inbuilt storage on the Redmi 14R and connectivity options include 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, a USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It also has a side mounted fingerprint sensor for biometric authentication. The Redmi 14R is equipped with a 5,160mAh battery with support for 18W charging.
OpenAI's new financing round is expected to come in the form of convertible notes, according to sources with direct knowledge of the matter, who said its $150 billion valuation will be contingent on whether the ChatGPT-maker can upend its corporate structure and remove a profit cap for investors.
The details of the conditions of the $6.5 billion funding, which have not been previously reported, show how far OpenAI, the most valuable AI startup in the world, has come from a research-based non-profit, and the structural changes it's willing to make to attract ever more investment to fund its expensive pursuit of artificial general intelligence (AGI), or AI that surpasses human intelligence.
The outsized funding round has seen strong investor demand and could be finalized in the next two weeks, given the rapid growth of OpenAI's revenue, sources added.
Existing investors such as Thrive Capital, Khosla Ventures, as well as Microsoft are expected to participate. New investors including Nvidia and Apple also plan to invest. Sequoia Capital is also in talks to come back as a returning investor.
If the restructuring is unsuccessful, OpenAI would need to renegotiate its valuation with investors at which their shares will be converted, likely at a lower number, sources told Reuters, who requested anonymity to discuss private matters.
OpenAI declined to comment.
The removal of the profit cap would require approval from OpenAI's non-profit board, consisting of Chief Executive Sam Altman, entrepreneur Bret Taylor and seven other members.
The company has also held discussions with lawyers about turning its non-profit structure to a for-profit benefit corporation, similar to what its rivals such as Anthropic and xAI are using, sources added, confirming media reports.
It is unclear if such fundamental corporate structural changes could happen. The removal of the profit cap, which put a limit on investors' potential returns in OpenAI's for-profit subsidiary, would hand early investors an even bigger win.
It could also raise questions about OpenAI's governance and departure from its non-profit mission. OpenAI has said the cap was put in place to "incentivize them to research, develop, and deploy AGI in a way that balances commerciality with safety and sustainability, rather than focusing on pure profit-maximization."
The San Francisco-based AI lab, founded in 2015 as a nonprofit research project, with the goal of building AI for the benefit of humanity, is currently controlled by a non-profit parent organization.
It has accelerated its commercialization efforts by selling subscription-based services like ChatGPT to consumers and enterprises, which now boasts over 200 million users.
Existing investors are beholden to a capped limit to their return on investment, with any additional returns to be routed to the non-profit.
Returns were capped at 100x the investment for investors in OpenAI's first round of financing. “We expect this multiple to be lower for future rounds,” the company said in a 2019 blog post detailing the structure.
OpenAI used this model to raise more than $10 billion in recent years, with the majority coming from Microsoft. It was last valued at $80 billion in February in a tender offer deal where the company sold existing shares led by Thrive Capital.
The Vivo T series, which stands for Turbo, has been one of the most important series for the brand. The series includes phones meant for power users at an affordable pricing. The company recently unveiled its next-generation T3 series phones, which include the T3 Pro, T3 5G, and more. However, these phones cater to the upper section of the mid-range segment. Now, the company is back with another product for the mid-range segment with the launch of T3 Ultra. The handset has a price tag of Rs 31,999 for the base variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The mid variant with 8GB RAM + 256GB storage is priced at Rs 33,999, while the top-end model with 12GB + 256GB storage is available for Rs 35,999.
The latest smartphone from the brand offers some good value-for-money propositions like the powerful Dimensity 9200+ chipset, the new Sony IMX921 sensor, and more. That said, is it enough to give stiff competition to the likes of OnePlus, Honor, and Realme? Let's find out in this review.
Vivo T3 Ultra Design: Deja Vu
Dimensions - 164.1 x 74.93 x 7.58mm
Weight - 192g
Colours - Lunar Gray and Frost Green
Vivo has played it smartly with the design of the Vivo T3 Ultra. The latest smartphone is based on the more expensive Vivo V40 series in terms of design and feel, but of course, it has some downgrades. On a positive note, the handset looks sleek and lightweight when holding it. The weight distribution on the Vivo T3 Ultra is fairly balanced, meaning you will not feel much strain while holding or using it for a prolonged period.
The Vivo T3 Ultra offers a sleek design with a thickness of 7.58mm.
I got the Frost Green colour for the review, and I can say that this will probably be a popular choice for the customers. It offers a refresh colour option that gives a cool-minty vibe, but if you like neutral colours, you can also go for the Lunar Gray colour option. The rear panel offers a soft, velvety touch, which makes it quite comfortable to hold in the hand. The camera module looks just like the Vivo V40 series.
Now coming to some downgrades compared to the Vivo V40 series. The frames present in the Vivo T3 Ultra are made of plastic. Secondly, the company has added Schott Xsenation glass for protection, which is also a downgrade from the Corning Gorilla Glass protection available with the Vivo V40 series. That said, the phone does come with an IP68 rating, which makes it water and dust-resistant.
Vivo T3 Ultra Display: Crisp and Bright
Display - 6.78-inch 1.5K curved AMOLED display
Refresh Rate - 120Hz screen refresh rate
Other Features - 480Hz touch sampling rate, Scott Xensation Glass protection, HDR10+, 4,500nits peak brightness
Coming to the display, the Vivo T3 Ultra 5G comes loaded with a curved AMOLED screen that offers a bezel-less experience. Being a curved display, the accidental touches are minimal, which is a common problem with such kinds of screens.
The handset comes loaded with a 6.78-inch quad-curved AMOLED display that offers crisp visuals.
The display offers crisp visuals and vibrant colours. The viewing angles are great, and the outdoor visibility is good, all thanks to the 4,500 nits of peak brightness. You also get three different colour modes to customise the display to your own taste. These include Standard, Professional, and Bright.
The Professional colours have better saturation, while the Bright mode makes the colours pop out slightly compared to the Standard. The handset also comes loaded with a dynamic 120Hz screen refresh rate, making the whole scrolling experience smooth. There is also a Visual Enhancement mode that optimises the colours and contrasts for apps like YouTube and Netflix to further make the viewing experience a better one.
The handset is available in two colour options: Lunar Gray and Frost Green.
The device also features an in-display fingerprint sensor, which is fast and reliable. The handset also packs stereo speakers, which deliver good audio output. However, you can crank it up to full volume, there is a little distortion.
Vivo T3 Ultra Software: Offers Good Features, though still bloatware-ridden
Software - FunTouch OS 14
Version - Android 14
Updates Promised - 2 Years of OS updates and three years of security patches
The Vivo T3 Ultra comes loaded with FunTouch OS 14, based on the Android 14 operating system. The user interface does have its fair share of hits and misses. On the positive side, you get a plethora of customisation options. One can change the colours, style, icons, and pretty much anything in the user interface. My personal favourite is the Kinetic Wallpaper, which makes the flower bloom based on your step count. So, if you reach 4,000 steps (which you can also customise), it will fully bloom, giving a sense of achievement.
The handset ships with Android 14 with FunTouch OS 14 running on top of it.
However, there are some misses as well. Like every iteration of the FunTouch OS, you get a noticeable amount of bloatware. Although you can delete third-party apps, the same cannot be said for first-party ones, which is a bummer. The next culprits are the Hot Games and Hot Apps, which offer ads for popular apps and games. You also have a V-Appstore that spams you with notifications. Then comes the iManager app, which scans for every app you install from the Play Store and displays trending apps and games, which is the biggest turn-off for me. And sadly, there is no option to delete or disable these apps, so you need to bear them for eternity.
Vivo T3 Ultra Performance: Fast and Snappy
Processor - MediaTek Dimensity 9200+
Memory - Up to 12GB
Storage - Up to 512GB
Vivo T3 Ultra comes loaded with the latest MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ processor, which is a rarity in this price segment as most of the phones are usually powered by the Dimensity 7300 variants or Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset. I must admit that the company has done a good job by introducing a flagship-grade SoC at this price point, which is also reflected in the synthetic benchmarks in the table below:
Benchmark
Vivo T3 Ultra
OnePlus Nord 4
Realme GT 6T
Motorola Edge 50 Pro
AnTuTu v10
1,426,439
1,074,178
1,462,980
818,387
PCMark Work 3.0
12,032
12,336
19,517
13,730
Geekbench 6 Single Core
1809
929
1,843
1142
Geekbench 6 Multi Core
5073
3,817
4,756
3124
3DM Slingshot Extreme OpenGL
Maxed Out
Maxed Out
Maxed Out
Maxed Out
3DM Slingshot
Maxed Out
Maxed Out
Maxed Out
8393
3DM Wild Life
Maxed Out
Maxed Out
Maxed Out
5394
3DM Wild Life Unlimited
14989
11588
11481
5457
GFXBench T-Rex
120
60
60
116
GFXBench Manhattan 3.1
118
60
60
61
GFXBench Car Chase
79
60
60
32
In day-to-day usage, the phone offers a smooth and fluid performance. The phone is responsive and offers a snappy performance. Whether it be scrolling Reels, watching videos on YouTube, or heavy multitasking, you will face no lag or stutter.
The smartphone is powered by a powerful MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ processor.
When it comes to gaming, the phone handles most of the casual and heavy titles like a boss. I played Call of Duty: Mobile at Very High graphics and Max frame rates. During the gameplay, I didn't notice any lag or stutter. However, on the downside, the phone did heat up quite a bit during prolonged gaming sessions. The heating issue was also noticeable while I ran benchmarks or recorded high-res video. The company should look into the throttling issue, and we might see some improvement in future updates (hopefully!).
Vivo T3 Ultra Cameras: Mixed Bag
Rear - 50-megapixel Sony IMX921 sensor with f/1.79 aperture + 8-megapixel Ultra-Wide Camera
Front - 50-megapixel sensor with f/2.0 aperture
Vivo has also added some good arsenals in the camera section. The smartphone comes with a better 50-megapixel Sony IMX921 sensor along with an ultra-wide-angle lens. The camera user interface is quite simple to use, and you can access all the important features with a simple swipe. One can also access different options in the More section, including High Resolution, Slo-mo, Supermoon, Astro, Pro, and more.
The handset comes with three different shooting modes: Natural, Textured, and Vivid. The Natural modes capture close-to-source colours, while the textured mode captures slightly contrast-driven photos. The Vivid mode offers more Instagram-worthy photos.
Vivo T3 Ultra daylight camera samples. (Tap to Expand)
Coming to the performance, the Vivo T3 Ultra delivers good results in the daylight. The primary sensor captures the right amount of details and decent colours. The dynamic range seems to be decent when the lights are apt. However, I noticed the camera to be a bit inconsistent in some conditions. In some photos, the shadows were a bit underexposed and in some, the highlights were a bit off. The phone does not have a dedicated 2x telephoto lens. However, it still manages to capture some good details in the daylight conditions.
Vivo T3 Ultra low-light camera samples. The top image is taken in 2x mode, while the middle one is 1x. (Tap to Expand)
Coming to the low-light performance, the phone was able to capture some decent photos with minimal noise. However, you can still see some noises and grains in dark areas after you zoom in. You will also notice a slight shift in colour temperature in 1x and 2x shots, which was odd.
Vivo T3 Ultra wide-angle camera samples in daylight and low light. (Tap to Expand)
The ultra-wide angle came out to be a mixed-bag one. In daylight, it does capture some decent photos, but the colour appears to be slightly washed out. Moreover, the issue of barrel distortion is quite prominent in the photos.
Portrait mode 1x (bottom) and 2x (top). (Tap to Expand)
The phone comes with portrait mode for both front and rear with 0.8x, 1x, and 2x. Although the rear camera does a decent job of capturing the photos with some natural-looking bokeh, I seriously don't get the point of using a 2x mode in the selfie camera. This usually results in a passport-like photo, which, for me, is completely unnecessary.
Vivo T3 Ultra selfie camera samples daylight and low light. (Tap to Expand)
Coming to the selfie performance, the handset does an excellent job of handling skin tones and colours. However, the HDR performance is subpar compared to the competition. In low light conditions, you get some decent shots when the lights are ample, but in dark areas, the photo came out to be grainy and full of noises.
The video recording capabilities of the Vivo T3 Ultra are decent as well. You get 4K video at 60fps on both front and rear cameras. The video quality is good, with natural-looking colours and decent stabilisation.
Vivo T3 Ultra Battery: Decent Output
Battery Capacity - 5,500mAh
Wired Charging - 80W Fast Charging
Charger - 80W (Included in Box)
The Vivo T3 Ultra is equipped with a decent 5,500mAh battery, which is again a rare thing in this price segment. The battery backup of the device was decent at best. With casual to moderate usage, I was able to get almost 1.5 days of battery life. However, with heavy usage that includes playing COD Mobile for almost one hour, using the camera to take photos and videos, watching YouTube, scrolling on Instagram, and more, the phone lasted until the end of the day.
The smartphone packs a 5,500mAh battery with 80W fast charging support.
The phone lasted 21 hours and 30 minutes in the HD battery loop test. The charging speeds are also quite decent. With the 80W fast charger provided by the company, the phone charged 33 percent in 15 minutes, 59 percent in 30 minutes, and 100 percent in 55 minutes.
Vivo T3 Ultra Verdict
To conclude, the Vivo T3 Ultra brings a lot of interesting features to the table. You get a premium design that is lightweight and comfortable to hold. The display is probably one of the best in the segment. The performance is up to mark, though there are misses in the software department. The cameras are decent, but we have seen better cameras in the form of Honor 200 (Review), Realme GT 6T (Review), Motorola Edge 50 Pro (Review), and OnePlus Nord 4 (Review). That said, if you are looking for a performance-centric phone with a decent design and a good display, then you can consider this smartphone.
Samsung Galaxy S25 is expected to launch early next year as a successor to the Samsung Galaxy S24. The handset will likely be introduced alongside the Samsung Galaxy S25+ and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. In recent days, leaked details of the Ultra version had surfaced online including design renders. Now, a new report has surfaced, sharing the leaked design renders of the standard Galaxy S25. The report also hints at the phone's dimensions and anticipated display size.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Design, Launch (Expected)
Tipster Steve H.McFly (@OnLeaks), in collaboration with AndroidHeadlines, shared the design renders of the Samsung Galaxy S25. The phone's design closely resembles that of the current Galaxy S24, with a few subtle changes. These include slightly thinner bezels and noticeable rings around the rear camera lenses. The three vertically aligned camera sensors are positioned on the top left corner of the back panel, accompanied by an LED flash.
The flat display of the rumored Samsung Galaxy S25 features ultra-slim, uniform bezels and a centred hole-punch cutout for the front camera. The volume rocker and power button are seen on the right side, while the bottom edge houses a USB Type-C port and a speaker grille.
As per the report, the Samsung Galaxy S25 will likely sport a 6.17-inch display, which could be marketed as a 6.2-inch screen. The upcoming handset is said to be slightly smaller than the current model. The Galaxy S25 is tipped to measure 146.9 x 70.4 x 7.2mm in size. Notably, the Galaxy S24 measures 147 x 70.6 x 7.6mm in size.
The Samsung Galaxy S25, along with the Galaxy S25+ and Galaxy S25 Ultra, is expected to be unveiled during the week of January 13, 2025.
Previous reports have suggested that the Samsung Galaxy S25 could be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 SoCs. Other reports claim that Samsung could equip these smartphones with its in-house Exynos 2500 chipsets. We are likely to learn more about the Galaxy S25 in the coming weeks.
AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) users will soon be able to utilise the company's truly wireless stereo (TWS) headset as a hearing aid. Apple has just been granted approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), clearing the path for the feature to be rolled out to customers in the future. The wireless headset will also be updated with support for a new hearing test that can create an audio profile that will be used for the hearing aid feature.
The FDA said on Thursday that the second-generation AirPods Pro will be the first over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid in the US. It has authorised the use of the hearing aid feature (HAF) which is a "software-only mobile medical application" that works with the AirPods Pro (2nd Generation).
When tested with 118 subjects, the FDA found that subjects using the HAF "achieved similar perceived benefit" as those who were wearing a professional hearing aid. Meanwhile tests also revealed that the levels of sound amplification in the ear canal and speech understanding in noise were also on par with hearing aid equipment.
The FDA issued guidelines for OTC hearing aids in October 2022, with the aim of making hearing aids more accessible. Under these regulations, people with "perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment" will be able to buy OTC hearing aids without a prescription or a medical exam. At the time, it was estimated that the action would reduce the cost of hearing aids by $2,800 (roughly Rs. 2,35,000).
Apple detailed how the AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) would function as a hearing aid at the company's 'It's Glowtime' launch event. Users will be able to take a hearing test while wearing the wireless headset, and tapping their smartphone screen when they hear a sound during the test. Their responses will help tune the HAF and generate an audio profile that is tailored to their requirements.
The regulator also says that users will be able to access hearing levels via HealthKit (Apple's repository for health and fitness data collected from its smartphones and wearables) while modifying settings like tone, volume, and balance.
At its hardware launch event on September 9, Apple announced that the new hearing aid functionality would be rolling out to users in 150 countries "this fall" pending FDA approval. Now that the regulator has approved the use of the software-based HAF on the wireless headset, it's only a matter of time before the feature is rolled out to users in supported regions.
Tecno Phantom V Fold 2 has lately been doing rounds of the rumour mill. In the last couple of weeks, several details of the purported book-style foldable including its price range and specifications have leaked. Some of the leaks have also given us a look at the design of the handset. Now, another set of leaked renders have surfaced online showing the Tecno Phantom V Fold 2 from all angles and hinting at two colour options. Notably, the phone is expected to succeed the Tecno Phantom V Fold.
Tecno Phantom V Fold 2 Design (Expected)
The Tecno Phantom V Fold 2 leaked renders leaked by 91Mobiles show the phone in black and blue colour options. The blue variant appears to have a vegan leather finish and is said to have been designed by the luxury brand Loewe.
Tecno Phantom V Fold 2 seen in a black colourway Photo Credit: 91Mobiles
A rectangular rear camera module is seen on the back of the Tecno Phantom V Fold 2 and appears to have a dual-tone finish. It is seen housing three cameras and an LED flash. For selfies, the handset appears to have a camera placed within a centred hole-punch slot on top of the cover screen and another within the inner display.
The bottom edge of the Tecno Phantom V Fold 2 is seen with the USB Type-C port and speaker grille, while the top edge has the SIM tray and another speaker grille. Engraving on the top edge seems to confirm Dolby Atmos support. The volume rocker and power button appear on the right edge.
Tecno Phantom V Fold 2 Price in India, Features (Expected)
The Tecno Phantom V Fold 2 has been tipped to get a MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ SoC paired with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of onboard storage. It is expected to sport a 7.85-inch 3D LTPO AMOLED inner display and a 6.42-inch cover screen. It will likely ship with Android 14.
For optics, the Tecno Phantom V Fold 2 5G is said to come with a triple camera unit, including two 50-megapixel sensors and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide shooter. For selfies, the phone could carry a 32-megapixel and a 16-megapixel front camera sensor. The foldable handset could be backed by a 4,860mAh battery.
While Tecno hasn't officially announced any details regarding the Phantom V Fold 2, a recent leak suggested the price details of the phone. It could cost between Rs. 75,000 and Rs. 80,000 in India and be offered in Karst Green and Ripling Blue colourways.
India led the way in global adoption of cryptocurrencies for the second straight year as investors braved the country's tough regulatory stance and steep trading taxes, a report from blockchain analytics company Chainalysis showed on Wednesday.
The report, which tracks adoption across four sub-categories in 151 countries, showed India ranked high on usage of centralised exchange and decentralised finance assets from June 2023 to July 2024.
India has taken a tough stance against cryptocurrencies since 2018, with the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) issuing show-cause notices to nine offshore cryptocurrency exchanges in December 2023 for non-compliance with local rules.
"India has also got a fairly wide spread level of adoption across different assets of crypto despite restrictions, implying new participants to crypto would have been participating via services that were not banned," said Eric Jardine, research lead at Chainalysis.
"Now we've started to see some of those restrictions get rolled back, for example with Binance, which is probably just going to amplify adoption in the country."
Binance, the world's biggest crypto exchange, was hit with a fine of 188.2 million rupees ($2.25 million) in June a month after it registered with the FIU in an effort to resume operations in the country. Crypto exchange KuCoin had registered with the watchdog in March but faced a smaller penalty amount of 3.45 million rupees.
Seven of the top 20 countries in Chainalysis' global adoption index were central and South Asian countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam and Philippines.
Overall decentralised transaction volume carried out in retail-sized transfers, under $10,000 (roughly Rs. 8.3 lakh) worth of crypto were recorded in countries with lower purchasing power per capita, the report said.
Trading was robust in Indonesia, which has banned the use of cryptocurrencies as a means of payment, but allows investment in the assets. The country recorded $157.1 billion (roughly Rs. 13,19,248 crore) inflows in trading of digital assets in the 12 months to July, the report said.
Love it or hate it, AI features on a smartphone will only grow in number with time. And if it's any indicator of how times are changing, even Apple, which has avoided taking any big strides for years (be it foldables, super high-resolution cameras, faster charging), has jumped aboard the AI (Apple Intelligence) train this year with iOS 18. I have been using Google's newest member of the Pixel family, the Pixel 9 Pro XL, for a few weeks, and I must admit that its take on AI is impressive and starting to make some sense. Google's push for running AI models also results in some much-needed hardware upgrades that we have been asking for years. Thanks to this, it turns out to be a very capable smartphone, even without its AI bits.
Google 9 Pro XL Review Design: Finally feels, just right
Dimensions - 162.8mm x 76.6mm x 8.5mm
Weight - 221g
Durability - IP68 (dust and water)
"This feels like an iPhone," said a non-techy friend of mine. While such a comment from an iPhone user does not validate the Pixel 9 Pro XL's design, I do understand that some bits of this year's Pro models do resemble an Apple iPhone.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL finally looks and feels like a high-end flagship should
From the flat sides of its aluminium frame to its bevelled edges to its flat back, the design is very iPhone-like and familiar. This is solely because Apple has used these design elements since the iPhone 12 (2020). If you look at it from the front, the only giveaway that it's not an iPhone is that tiny selfie camera module embedded in its display (instead of a large, omnipresent capsule).
The rear camera module, which now appears like a flattened capsule, still protrudes quite a bit. And unlike the Pixel 9 Pro, which is a lot shorter, you cannot use it to support the phone (when you hold it up) as it's too far up at the back.
While the mix of glass and metal lends it a very premium appearance, the overall finish of the edges of the frame, camera module and ports is the best I've seen on a Pixel smartphone to date and is way better than the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which had misaligned panels, sharp buttons and edges.
Fit and finish are top-notch, with no sharp edges around the ports, camera module and buttons
Despite adding a vapour chamber (VC) cooling system and maintaining the phone's wireless charging capabilities, the Pixel manages to be as light as the titanium-clad iPhone 15 Pro Max and slimmer than the Pixel 8 Pro it replaces. It also comes with the usual IP68 rating, making it good for submersion in fresh water and sand. But it's wise to keep in mind that damage due to submersion in water will not be covered under warranty.
Google 9 Pro XL Review Display: All about those rounded corners
Display - 6.8-inch, 1,344 x 2,992 pixel, 1Hz - 120Hz
Display Type - Flat, LTPO, OLED
Display protection - Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (front and rear panels)
The new ‘Pro XL' tag is basically a ‘Pro' from previous years, so we have a slightly bigger display (on paper) compared to the older ‘Pro' models to justify the ‘XL' tag. It's very bright (3,000 nits peak) under direct sunlight and can showcase natural-looking colours (with the Natural colour preset enabled in Settings).
While not as sharp as the Galaxy S24 Ultra's display, it still does the job nicely. The under-display fingerprint reader finally gets upgraded to an ultrasonic one, which is very reliable compared to previous models. The selfie camera can also be used to securely unlock the device using (banking-grade) AI-based facial recognition, provided there is enough light.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL's display is a huge upgrade in terms of brightness
The excessive curvature of the rounded corners, along with its skinny bezel, does lead to some wasted screen space, just like on iPhones. Google has pushed the status bar higher up towards the top edge of the selfie camera, and even then, there's plenty of wasted space above it. This reduces the usable area of the 6.8-inch display to the 6.7-inch display which we have on the Pixel 8 Pro. In fact, even the Pixel 7 Pro's display feels larger because it's wider than the 8 Pro and the 9 Pro XL in terms of aspect ratio because of its sharper corners. Regardless, the well-spaced-out content does look nice in terms of aesthetics.
Google 9 Pro XL Review Software: AI or nothing
Software - Pixel UI
Version - Android 14
Software commitment - 7 years of OS, security and Pixel Drop updates
Google's commonly known Pixel UI remains the same as before visually but gets a very heavy dose of artificial intelligence (AI) features. The ‘Pro'-branded models, in particular, get more features over the standard Pixel 9 smartphone.
Add Me is a fun new feature that may seem gimmicky at first but is actually very useful. It's one of the many features that may get you thinking about what's fake and what's real and whether you want to cross that line. It lets you add your humble self to that wedding photo even though you were not physically there with your friends in the said frame (or moment). Technically, it's not cheating (even though it is fake) because you were present at the said moment (just behind the camera), but it will trigger that hidden guilt whenever you check the photo.
Pixel Screenshots are a nice way to organise and keep track of all your screenshots. If you have a habit of taking tons of screenshots, whether that's to remember something, to use as evidence, or just to set the facts straight, this is going to be an excellent way to let you find details inside your screenshots and even pull out information from them at a later date.
Google's Pixel Studio works quite well for an app that's in beta
Another new feature circling this fake versus real debate is this fun tool called Pixel Studio. It's still in beta, but it lets you be an artist and type or bring your artistic visions to life with zero effort. Need an edible dog that looks like cake? Done! A pizza made out of Oreo cookies? Done! A bridge on fire? Well… that's where you begin to cross this tool's limits. While initially accessible (when I received this review unit), Google has been actively placing and lifting limits on what you can or cannot generate.
Pixel Studio has some limitations which constantly keep on changing from time to time
Even something that's borderline harmful to a human/animal will just not fly… for now. But at times, I do get a message saying that “the ability to edit human images is coming in the future”. At the same time, you can set the Gateway of India (Mumbai) on fire using the right words that don't sound destructive. Google is also adding smart workarounds to reduce the gore, and at times, it will ignore some of the keywords in your request to make for a palatable image (like the puppies in the KFC carton above). Apple's version of the same tool offers the same functionality but will only produce cartoon-like images and not realistic ones, and that somehow feels like a good safeguard to have in place.
However, there are two outcomes for this tool. Google handing out this free tool to the masses is going to result in a lot of internet junk, and it will, in some ways, make people rethink the need for a creative professional (at basic levels) in general.
The original image was captured by another smartphone
Auto Frame in the Photos app can use generative AI to imagine and expand on the original image
I changed the setting of the phone in the original image to a forest using the Reimagine tool in the Photos app
Reimagine is a new tool Google pushed out in the Photos app. It's a powerful image editing tool that lets you reframe or completely change the background in a given photo while retaining the subjects. While the results may be a hit or a miss (because of output quality), you can end up with some convincing results. In fact, it's hard to tell whether an image has been edited, as you can see from the above examples.
Zoom Enhance is yet another photo tool which uses the power of AI to “magically” enhance photos captured at 15-30X digital zoom by adding pixels and then sharpening an image. However, in my testing, I found that these results were slightly better than the original.
Gemini Live is indeed one of the biggest highlights of the new Pixel Pro models. Sadly, even as I write this review, Gemini Live is already available on other Samsung devices like our Galaxy Z Fold 6 review unit and will be coming to more with time. In short, it's not exclusive to Pixel devices.
While it's still not as smart as Open AI's GPT-4o and cannot view (or take inputs from the camera app yet), it is supremely responsive while giving out answers. Not all of these results are necessarily accurate. In one conversation, it contradicted its own earlier answer in the second go and laughed about being incorrect as well in the first go.
Gemini Live is a very conversational AI-powered assistant but is not necessarily accurate
But the interesting bit here is the fact that you are conversing with an AI assistant in a very human-like manner. One of the biggest limitations of Gemini Live is that unlike Google Assistant or Gemini, it is indeed all about conversation and not actions. So, if you need to set an alarm, you need to use Gemini and not Gemini Live. I loved interacting with Gemini Live. However, I did not find it useful enough to warrant the Rs. 1,920 per month price tag for accessing it along with other Gemini Advanced add-ons once the 1-year free trial ends. Again, some of Gemini Live's replies are based on US/EU data for some reason, especially when I asked for suggestions on buying products "in Mumbai" (or even "in India").
AI also makes its way into other unexpected places. Like the weather app (AI weather report), Keep (generating all types of lists), and even for the new Car Crash Detection feature, which is available for Pixel 9 and 9 Pro series users in India. Satellite SOS, which was announced at launch, is only available to users located in the US for now.
Google 9 Pro XL Review Performance: Meh
Processor - Google Tensor G4
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 256/512GB
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL may be big on AI, but it is nowhere close to the competition when it comes to raw performance. Premium flagships and even foldables like the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro are far ahead with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. Thankfully, the Pixel 9 Pro XL shows no signs of stuttering when browsing through the software interface or multitasking. The 16GB of RAM ensures that apps remain in memory and also helps greatly with the speed of accomplishing AI tasks or workloads.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL (right) looks very different compared to the Pixel 8 Pro (left) it replaces
Benchmarks
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
Google Pixel 8 Pro
Vivo X Fold 3 Pro (Cover/Main)
AnTuTu v10
10,67,971
10,38,343
20,51,650 / 20,63,526
PCMark Work 2.0
12,922
11,805
14,489 / 14,251
Geekbench V6 Single-Core
1,944
1,629
2,143 / 2,167
Geekbench V6 Multi-Core
4,667
3,274
6,562 / 6,800
GFXB T-rex
120
120
120 / 120
GFXB Manhattan 3.1
105
85
120 / 105
GFXB Car Chase
54
48
102 / 67
3DM Slingshot Extreme OpenGL
Failed to Run
Maxed Out
Maxed Out / Maxed Out
3DM Slingshot
Failed to Run
Maxed Out
Maxed Out / Maxed Out
3DM Wild Life
8,902
8,186
Maxed Out / Maxed Out
3DM Wild Life Unlimited
9,294
8,574
17,985 / 18,721
While the VC cooling system ensures peak performance is not affected by factors like heat, gaming performance is still not up there with other premium flagships. This is because of the display's slow touch sampling rate, which lags despite the new Adaptive Touch feature that automatically calibrates touch sensitivity depending on the environment activity. Usual touch interactions when browsing through the UI seem to work just fine.
With a new chip, more RAM and a VC system in place, I expected no hiccups when using the camera. Sadly, this is not the case, as the phone still chokes up after shooting 5 portrait photos back to back, which was also the case with the Pixel 8 Pro.
The device offers two speakers, which provide rich sound quality, but a lot of the heavy lifting is handled by the bottom speaker, which gets covered and muffled easily when playing games or when watching a video because of its placement.
Google 9 Pro XL Review Cameras: “Pixel” perfect?
Main camera - 50-megapixel (OIS), f/1.6 aperture, AF
Ultra-wide camera - 48-megapixel, 0.5X, f/1.7 aperture, AF
Telephoto camera - 48-megapixel (OIS), 5X optical, f/2.8 aperture, AF
Selfie camera - 42-megapixel, f/2.2 aperture, AF
The Pixel 9 Pro XL offers the slightly improved primary camera performance that arrived with the Pixel 8 Pro last year (tap image to expand)
The primary camera on the Pixel 9 Pro XL does a fine job of capturing detailed images with excellent dynamic range and sharpness. The colours appear balanced and very close to the real scene. Like in the past, the 2X magnification level is a digital crop of the primary sensor. But unlike the past, these photographs are very impressive.
2X (digital) zoom performance (shown here in dim light) has improved drastically and was a major pain point with the older Pixel Pro models (tap image to expand)
The Portrait mode even works well in low light or with strong backlighting, capturing images at 1.5X, 2X or 3X. What is a hit or a miss is the edge detection. As you can see in the images above and below, the edge detection may appear perfectly fine if you are lucky or an absolute mess if you aren't.
Despite packing a 42-megapixel camera, the results from the Pixel 9 Pro XL don't appear any different when compared to last year's Pixel 8 Pro (tap image to expand)
When capturing selfies, edge detection suffers quite a bit, even when compared to the Pixel 8 Pro (which does a better job). Despite having a high-resolution sensor, the quality of images is quite similar, with minor gains in daylight and low light.
Google's 5X telephoto camera captures sharp photos with good detail in all lighting conditions. But its zoom capabilities are decent till the next magnification level (10X), beyond which image quality isn't impressive. You can use the new Zoom Enhance AI sharpening tool in the Photos app to enhance these blurry images captured at 15X or 30X, but despite improving the overall quality, these aren't game-changing.
The ultra-wide camera manages slightly soft images in daylight with some blown-out highlights and purple-fringing. This is not the case with the Pixel 8 Pro. In low light, there's more detail (especially in the darker areas) visible in the Pixel 9 Pro XL's photos.
An ultra-wide camera sample from the Pixel 9 Pro XL under artificial light (tap to expand image)
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL's primary camera captures an impressive level of detail in low light (tap image to expand)
2X digital zoom has improved compared to previous models (tap image to expand)
The telephoto camera snaps some impressive photos in low light at its native 5X zoom (tap image to expand)
Video quality benefits a lot from the new VC cooling system, so this does not result in automatic downscaling or quality drops because it just does not get as hot as the older Pixels did.
When recording the video, I did find the resolved detail on the Pixel 8 Pro to be better than the softer and brighter visuals of the 9 Pro XL. The noise was present in low light or street-lit conditions, but the overall quality was just fine. It's still nowhere near the rock-steady frame rates of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, especially when panning or walking. But all of this is tolerable because Video Boost is here to save the day.
Video Boost actually went live with the Pixel 8 Pro post-launch. Having the review unit with me for a while, I did not find all the results useful, and they somehow did not seem very impressive. But all of this changes with the Pixel 9 Pro XL.
With the Pixel 9 Pro series, Google claims to have improved video rendering, making it twice as fast as last year. Moreover, there's even 8K upscaling support along with HDR+. Video boost improves clarity (removes noise), boosts contrast and colours and stabilises the video overall, making for smoother panning movements. It even does this for footage captured in low light (Night Sight Video), resulting in noise-free footage.
The whole problem with Video Boost is that one has to wait for the processing to happen, and there is no approximate time duration provided for when the boosted video will be ready either.
Google 9 Pro XL Review Battery: Meets expectations... For a Pixel
Battery capacity - 5,060mAh
Charging rate - 45W
Wireless charging - 23W
I did not expect many changes to the phone's battery life, given the meagre 10mAh bump over the previous model. Our video loop battery life test also managed just 12 hours and 19 minutes, which is lower than last year's Pixel 8 Pro. With heavy usage, which involved shooting photos, video, and some calls, the phone just managed to deliver a day of usage that touched 18 percent by the end of the work day. All in all, this is fine for Pixel, but it is still a one-day smartphone and far behind the competition.
The phone took 1 hour and 30 minutes when I plugged it into my 65W GaN charger. Google claims that the 45W charging rate can only be achieved by plugging it into its proprietary charger, which sadly is not on sale in India.
Google 9 Pro XL Verdict
Priced at Rs. 1,24,999 for the base 256GB variant and Rs. 1,39,999 for the 512GB variant, Google's Pixel 9 Pro XL, in terms of hardware, is basically the top-end Pro model we wanted to see last year. Instead, all we got was a Pixel 8 Pro, which was hard to recommend as it was not a big improvement over the Pixel 7 Pro it attempted to replace.
While this year's Pixel 9 Pro XL is not as advanced as Samsung or Vivo's flagships in terms of raw performance and hardware, it's packed with AI features that can literally change the way you work or even exist socially. Google pitches these AI features as "helpful" or "time-saving" when getting a variety of things done, but it does cross a few lines in its quest to impress users. The Pixel 9 Pro XL surely builds a strong case for why AI features should exist on a smartphone, but owners can choose to use them and live with them or ignore them.
This is because this year's Pixel Pro also feels far more premium than any of the previous models and takes care of some major hardware pain points that have plagued Google's devices for years, like heat management, a brighter display, and the list goes on. Battery life is not the best in the business, and Gemini Advanced features come at a premium price. But I can see many Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 7 Pro users and even some curious iPhone owners instantly upgrading to one because there's finally a Pixel that gets a lot of things right.
Boeing's Starliner spacecraft has completed its Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission, landing safely at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, on September 7, 2024. After more than three months in space, the uncrewed capsule returned with a successful parachute-assisted landing at 12:01 a.m. EDT (0401 GMT). This marked the end of a mission initially planned for just ten days, but delays arose due to thruster issues experienced as the capsule neared the International Space Station (ISS). Although no astronauts were on board, NASA confirmed that they would have been unharmed if they had been.
Safe Landing Despite Challenges
NASA's Steve Stich, manager of the Commercial Crew Program, explained during a press conference that Starliner's descent followed the planned procedure. The spacecraft performed its deorbit burn, re-entry, and landing as designed. According to Stich, even with crew aboard, the landing would have been equally safe, despite the unexpected problems during the mission. Boeing and NASA have spent the past three months at White Sands performing tests to understand the thruster malfunction, which delayed Starliner's return.
Astronaut Reassignment and Starliner's Future
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, initially part of the mission, had to be reassigned. They were originally scheduled to return after ten days but will now stay on the ISS for ten months. Wilmore and Williams will return to Earth on SpaceX's Crew Dragon in February 2025, after Crew-9's rotation.
The future of Starliner's operations remains uncertain, with plans for its crew transport missions to the ISS now delayed until at least August 2025. Boeing's Commercial Crew Program vice president, Mark Nappi, confirmed that the data from this mission will be reviewed to decide the next steps for the spacecraft.
