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Microsoft Surface Duo review: Two screens aren't always better than one

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  Phones  are like lifeboats, now.  iPads  and Chromebooks are classrooms.  VR is my escape pod . Every device in my house has taken on a special purpose, connecting to schools, work, and everywhere else in some sort of insane clockwork dance. I pick my tools carefully. Experimentation happens, of course, but things need to work. This is the life of  gadgets  in our overburdened virtualized world, 2020. From the outside   it looked promising . I like the feel, the hinge. But if only the experience was as good on the inside. My time using the Surface Duo has been a rough ride through what feels like not-fully-baked software, and so far it most definitely has not convinced me of the value of dual screens. In particular, the sense of flow that the Duo aspires to -- that feel of things working well together, the device not getting in the way -- hasn't been there for me. There are some things the Duo does do well: Its feel and shape are compelling. It can stand up at multiple angles, wh
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iPhone 12 finally gives us a reason to get excited about 5G

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  High-speed wireless on the go is a tough sell when you're stuck at home. Enter Apple's uncanny ability to generate hype for the wonky. Sorry to  Samsung ,  Verizon ,  T-Mobile  and everyone else in the mobile industry trying to make  5G  a thing. The next-generation wireless technology still needs a cheerleader who can break through to the mainstream. Fortunately,  Apple  is right around the corner with the  iPhone 12 , which won't be launching at  Apple's just-announced Sept. 15 event  (it'll likely come later).  If this were any other year,  5G  would already be a much bigger deal. After a  mixed start in 2019 , 5G coverage has improved, the number of devices -- including last month's  Galaxy Note 20  -- has grown, and pesky network compatibility issues have largely been resolved. Apple's next  flagship iPhone, widely expected to support 5G , would serve as the capper to a year of 5G excitement.  Of course, it's far from a normal year. The  coronavir
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Apple's next online-only launch will be Sept. 15 with Apple Watch, iPad on tap

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  Apple has set the date for its next event. The company's latest devices -- which will likely include the sixth-generation Apple Watch and a new iPad --  will be unveiled on Sept. 15 at 10 a.m. PT.  Like Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, the event will be held entirely online amid continued concerns about the  coronavirus  pandemic. Apple's event will be streamed via its website. Apple's invite, posted on its website, included a variation on its logo, done in swirling blue lines that turns out to be a bit of AR trickery. When viewed on an iPhone, the Apple invite logo morphs into the event's date: 9.15. The invite sent to reporters included another clue -- the phrase "Time Flies." That hints at the event focusing on the Apple Watch, the tech giant's popular wearable, instead of the first 5G iPhone. 
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Oppo F17 Pro hands-on review

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  At the beginning of this year, Oppo released the F15 but without a Pro version. The phone went by largely unnoticed. Today, skipping straight to 17, the new F17 series comes in two versions - Pro and non-Pro. We got the F17 Pro for this hands-on review and let us tell you more about it. The F17 Pro offers a strange combination of a chipset belonging to the lower-end spectrum of the mid-range segment, the Helio P95, while also boasting a Super AMOLED screen with dual-punch hole design. Other standout features include 30W VOOC 4.0 fast charging, an unusual quad-camera setup and extremely thin chassis. Oppo F17 Pro specs Body:  160.1 x 73.8 x 7.48 mm, 164g; Front glass, plastic body Screen:  6.43" Super AMOLED, FHD+ (1080 x 2400px) resolution Camera:  Primary: 48MP Quad-Bayer, f/1.8 aperture, 0.8µm pixel size, 1/1.2" sensor size; Ultra-wide: 8MP, f/2.2 aperture, 1/4" sensor size; Depth sensors: 2x 2MP mono sensor, f/2.4 aperture Front camera:  Main: 16MP f/2.4 aperture; D
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Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra review

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  The Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra - it is hands down the best phone you cannot buy so far. Celebrating Xiaomi's 10th anniversary, the Ultra pushes the limits of the Mi 10 series and brings the lineup to a close with the ultimate screen, the fastest charging, and the best of cameras. The Mi 10 Ultra upgrades on the already great Mi 10 Pro with plenty display enhancements - the screen now supports true 10bit color and hence it can display 1 billion colors. It is also much brighter at 800 nits, but the most important upgrade is probably the 120Hz refresh rate. The rear camera is truly impressive - it has everything you can think of, in the realm of current technology, that is. The main camera relies on a new OmniVision 48MP sensor with an OIS lens, then comes another 48MP snapper by Sony behind a 5x zoom lens. There is also a 12MP portrait shooter for 2x zoomed photos and a 20MP cam witha 12mm ultra-wide lens that is also suited for ultra-macro shots. One thing that is a first-ever is the opti
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Realme 7 Pro hands-on review

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  Introduction Realme's made it a habit of updating its mid-range number series twice per year and right on schedule the Realme 7 Pro comes six months after the 6 Pro and a year after the 5 Pro before it. Despite the rapid cycle the Realme 7 Pro comes with a slew of changes over its predecessor, and while most of them are clear upgrades there are a couple that may not go so well with potential customers. For instance, the camera setup lost the telephoto camera on the rear and the ultrawide cam on the front. Realme held multiple polls over its social channels asking people to pick between a 60Hz OLED panel and a 90Hz LCD and went with the first one, but the fact that it has shrunk in size may be considered a downgrade by some. Realme 7 Pro specs Body:  160.9 x 74.3 x 8.7mm , 182g; Gorilla Glass 3+ front, plastic body Screen:  6.4" Super AMOLED, FHD+ (1080 x 2400px) resolution Camera:  Primary: 64MP Quad-Bayer, f/1.8 aperture, 0.8µm pixel size, 1/1.72" sensor size; Ultra-wi
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Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra

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  It's Galaxy Note season and this year the best one is the Ultra. Samsung's mixed things up a bit atop the lineup and the one you want in 2020 is the Galaxy Note20 Ultra. We have it right here. Last year, in a one-off effort, Samsung put out the Note10 and Note10+ - a relatively closely-specced pair where size was really the key factor for picking one over the other. Not so this time around. The Note20 Ultra and Note20 are both big and feature parity is out the door - in a similar fashion to how the S20 Ultra is above and beyond the S20+, only even more so. Pounding on the Note20 in absentia isn't what we're here for and we'll deal with its shortcomings and limitations when one shows up at our doorstep. For now, let's focus on the Ultra. First appearing on the other S20 Ultra, the oversized camera hump makes a return on the Note20 Ultra. Most of the bits inside are the same, including the main 108MP cam and the 12MP ultra wide. But the periscope telephoto that&
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