Good morning, and welcome to the Daily Authority. I spent the weekend dodging national power cuts, but at least the mask mandate has finally lifted in South Africa. No more nose creases!

Can Carl Pei do it again?

Today’s smartphones enjoy exponentially more power on paper than devices from five to 10 years ago, and it’s not uncommon to find mid-range devices with capable chipsets in theory. 

Original article: May 23, 2022: The Versa series is Fitbit‘s bread-and-butter smartwatch series. Ever since the first Versa debuted in 2018, the two successive devices have improved the formula, added more features, and upped the company’s smartwatch credentials. We earmarked the Fitbit Versa 3 as the company’s best wearable considering its excellent value, decent battery life, and accurate health tracking. There’s plenty of room for improvement for the rumored Fitbit Versa 4.

Fitbit’s new smartwatch details are coming thick and fast, so it’s not a stretch to suggest it’ll be landing soon. But what do we know about Fitbit’s next smartwatch? Below, we look at the latest rumors surrounding the Fitbit Versa 4 and everything we hope to see on the smartwatch.

Xiaomi launched the Xiaomi 12 series globally earlier this year, with the Xiaomi 12 packing both a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset and 67W charging. However, it looks like the company is working on a device that could up the ante in these areas.

Original article: May 22, 2022 (12 PM ET): Apple’s tried and tested smartphone formula means we’re gradually closing in on its next iteration — the Apple iPhone 14. Given the rather incremental improvements found between the Apple iPhone 13 and 2020’s models, the suspense is building that Apple may have something more exciting in store for its successor.

Let’s look at everything we know about the Apple iPhone 14 and everything that we want to see from the flagship handset.

Apple’s formula doesn’t leave much room for out-of-the-box thinking. Each new generation of Apple Watch tends to look, cost, and function essentially the same as the year before. However, the company consistently makes improvements large and small, and we anticipate the Series 8 to be much the same. From a rumored low-power mode to a possible rugged model, there is plenty to keep an eye out for in the coming months. Let’s take a look at everything we know about the Apple Watch Series 8 so far, and run down some of the features that we hope to see.

Will there be an Apple Watch Series 8?

There are plenty of great AAA titles coming out this year (and next), but what if you want to play something from the independents? The year’s showcases have brought us some great options to get excited about so far, and we’ve rounded up the best Xbox indie games that you can currently play — as well as some that are coming soon.

Note: Titles listed as included with Game Pass are currently included at the date of writing, subject to change.

Credit: YouTube

Opinion post by

Dhruv Bhutani

The original OnePlus was a watershed moment in smartphone history. By stripping down the smartphone to its essentials — performance and value — the company clenched its claim to fame as the maker of the first affordable flagship. More importantly, it was the non-trivial task of creating a community of die-hard fans willing to take a bet on an unknown company and part with cold, hard cash that set the brand apart. And for the most part, it came down to one person — Carl Pei. And now he’s back at it again with the Nothing Phone 1.

Related: Nothing reminds us that smartphone design innovation isn’t dead

There are few things that scream out the gamer aesthetic more than RGB lights. Combine that with nerd-friendly elements like Peltier cooling and you’ve got my curiosity piqued. So when Gamesir reached out to me to check out its latest phone gaming controller combined with a full-blown RGB LED-equipped fan and heatsink assembly, well, there was only one choice.

Our picks: The best Bluetooth gaming controllers for Android, PC, and more

Opinion post by

Calvin Wankhede

Most people will agree that the smartphone industry is in desperate need of disruption. Outside of the foldable market, we’ve seen very little in terms of innovation and feature differentiation over recent years. So when a young startup with a pedigreed team announces that it’s building a smartphone to challenge that status quo, it’s hard not to get a little bit excited.

That’s exactly what happened when we first heard about the privacy-focused OSOM OV1 smartphone last year. In case you’re unfamiliar with the OSOM brand, it’s a new startup established by former Essential employees.

Originally, we saw a very regular smartphone release schedule from OnePlus. There was a standard flagship phone in the first half of the year and a “T” upgrade in the second half. At this point, though, things are way more confusing. In 2023, the only sure thing to expect would be the OnePlus 11 Pro, as we’ve seen a new Pro phone every year since the OnePlus 7 Pro back in 2019.

Regardless of the company’s ever-more-confusing portfolio, the OnePlus 11 Pro could end up being one of the better phones from the brand. But what should we expect and what do we want to see? Here’s what we know and our wishlist for the OnePlus 11 Pro.

The Asus ROG Phone 5 and 5S are among the best phones for gamers. Not only do they look the part, but they are packed with features that make them fantastic handheld gaming devices. When you aren’t playing games, the two are excellent Android smartphones. Nothing is perfect, though, and the Asus flagships have their fair share of issues. We look at some common Asus ROG Phone 5 and 5S problems and how to fix them.

Our verdict: Asus ROG Phone 5 review

Apple is forging ahead with its custom-silicon efforts, announcing its next-generation Apple M2 chipset at WWDC 2022. While initially heading to a new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, it surely won’t be long until an M2-powered iPad Pro and iPad Air arrive as well. The new iPad Pro model is rumored to launch as soon as fall 2022, although it may not be available to buy until later.

iPads are already the best tablets in the business and the M2 poses an even bigger purchasing conundrum for those looking forward to the Google Pixel Tablet, which isn’t set to launch until sometime in 2023. Not only will the new iPads likely be available to buy sooner, but they’re shaping up to be far more powerful than anything Google could hope to put on the market.

Welcome to the 438th edition of Android Apps Weekly. Here are the big headlines from the last week:

• Gaming Chromebooks are apparently on the way from Lenovo and HP. They’ll even include some gamer features like RGB keyboard support and other stuff. However, it seems like the main focus for these Chromebooks is game streaming rather than gaming directly. Reports say that they’ll ship with Stadia installed out of the box along with access to Nvidia GeForce Now game streaming. Hit the link to learn more.
• Google’s Password Manager is now usable straight from your home screen. Basically, you just open the password manager, hit the Settings cogwheel, and add it to your home screen. It’ll add an icon to your home screen that you can use to access your passwords much faster. Here is a how-to in case you want step-by-step instructions.
• Twitter’s board approved the Elon Musk buyout already. However, Musk is delaying the sale. This week, we found out a few reasons why that might be. The fake accounts problem is one we already know about. Additionally, putting together the financing and getting shareholder approval still stand in the way. A shareholder vote is expected in late July or early August.
• Samsung Pay morphed into Samsung Wallet this week and that comes with both good and bad news. We’ll talk more about the new features later, but one of the bad parts is that it no longer works on non-Samsung devices. People without Samsung phones can’t install it and even if they can, it doesn’t work anymore. That’s a bit of a bummer.
• Telegram Premium officially launched this week and it’s a pretty big deal. It costs between $5 and $6 per month and includes some new features. The premium version includes up to 4GB upload size, up to 1,000 channels, voice-to-text conversion, faster download speeds, no ads, and more. It’s still perfectly usable for free. Hit the link to learn more.

Bloodline: Heroes of Lithas

Price: Free to play

If you’re thinking about turning your house or apartment into a smart home, one of the first upgrades you’re probably considering is smart light bulbs. They’re relatively cheap, yet they can have an outsized impact on the appearance and convenience of your surroundings. Here’s what you need to know before getting into smart bulbs, as well as the top brands you should be shopping from.

Why should I consider a smart bulb?

Opinion post by

Adamya Sharma

Design is a word that's come to mean so much that it's also a word that has come to mean nothing.

When we talk about smartphone design, we often say and hear things like, “design is subjective,” “design is a personal choice,” and so on. Yes, design is polarizing. Almost every smartphone design poll we put out at Android Authority divvies people up into opposing camps. But there are times when you just have to come out and appreciate something for the good it brings. In the case of the Nothing Phone 1, it’s the design.

Welcome to The Weekly Authority, the Android Authority newsletter that breaks down the top Android and tech news from the week. The 200th edition here, with Pixel 7 Pro news, Samsung’s stock problem, a peek at the ASUS ROG Phone 6, and much more…

It was the June solstice on Tuesday, which means summer is officially, astronomically here — and Scotland has been seeing a heatwave (which means about 24 degrees centigrade for us!)

Credit: Rita El Khoury / Android Authority

When it was first introduced at Mobile World Congress 2022, the Huawei Matepad Paper intrigued me a lot. An e-reader with an e-ink display perfectly suitable for outdoor and indoor reading, a pencil to sketch or jot down all the thoughts that come to my mind, and support for third-party Android apps? Sign me up right away.

I’ve spent the last few weeks with a Huawei Matepad Paper in hand and, in real life, the combination of an e-ink reader and a pseudo-tablet is leaving me a little underwhelmed. The idea is great in theory, but the technology isn’t there yet in reality. Part of it is Huawei’s software limitations, the other part is due to the very nature of e-ink displays.

Gaming alone is never as fun as sharing the experience with others. Even narrative-driven game nuts that focus entirely on a game world for its eight-hour playthrough know there’s something magical about sharing that world with others. As a streamer, Twitch allows you to share your current goings-on with a live global audience anytime. As a viewer, you have tons of options to support your favorite streamers through subscribing or donating. Whether you’re in it to start making money as a gamer or to simply share your gaming experiences with an audience, let’s go over what Twitch is and how it works.

READ MORE: What is Twitch Turbo and how does it differ from Twitch Prime?

Google is moving forward with its already announced Pixel 7 series of smartphones, with plans to launch them later in 2022. We’ve already seen leaks of a Pixel 7 prototype via eBay, but we haven’t gotten a ton of concrete info on the phone’s specs. Now a new report from XDA’s Mishaal Rahman on Twitter (via Droid Life), seems to strongly suggest that the display on the Pixel 7 Pro could be much brighter compared to the current Pixel 6 Pro.

Rahman bases this prediction on another Pixel 7 leak report this week on Android Police. which claims the phone will have the Samsung S6E3HC4 display panel. The current Pixel 6 Pro uses the Samsung S6E3HC3 panel. This report directly contradicts another supposed leak from a few weeks ago, which claimed the Pixel 7 series would have the same display tech as the Pixel 6 series.