First and foremost, I would like to offer my apologies. In our previous newsletter, which was sent out on Tuesday, we provided information on how to watch and what to expect from Amazon’s Alexa press event. However, aside from unveiling the capabilities of Alexa+, there were no ridiculous hardware announcements and no upgraded Echos, but rather . We discovered that Alexa+ will be included with an Amazon Prime subscription, and the company will also offer the enhanced digital assistant separately, for $20 per month. Currently, Prime costs $15 per month in the US, which seems a bit unusual.
In the meantime, Apple’s new entry-level iPhone, the 16e, is now available for purchase online and in stores. The $599 phone is arguably $100 too expensive, but it packs a processor that can deliver Apple Intelligence to the masses. It features a stunning screen with a notch, albeit not a Dynamic Island, and a long-lasting battery. Thanks to the A18 chip, it is as powerful as iPhones that cost several hundred dollars more.
This phone is ideal for individuals who do not upgrade their device every year or two. If you’re coming from an older iPhone, such as an iPhone 11, you’ll be treated to a brighter screen, enhanced image processing, and 5G connectivity. Apple claims that the newer process will ensure the 16e is 80 percent faster than the iPhone 11, and you will undoubtedly notice the difference. Additionally, you’ll get an action button.
Our primary concern is the single-camera setup. Although it’s a great camera, we already miss the versatility of optical zoom, which exceeds the digital cropping used by the iPhone 16e. You can read our in-depth review here. If you’re open to exploring alternatives to iPhones, we’re entering the mid-range smartphone season, so stay tuned.
— Mat Smith
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Nothing’s new devices might be the headline grabbers.
The world’s biggest smartphone event, Mobile World Congress, is returning to Barcelona. While it’s no longer the dominant force it once was, smartphone manufacturers from China, such as Xiaomi, Honor, and Huawei, still use the event to unveil technically impressive devices. Except maybe not Oppo, as it has already made its announcements.
At MWC 2022, Nothing’s Carl Pei showcased a prototype of the company’s first handset, the Nothing Phone 1. Now, it appears that the company is ready to unveil its third-generation phone, with the usual drip-drip of specs, features, and hype already underway. Nothing has already revealed the design of one phone, the 3a Pro, in a nearly 11-minute video, which features a large camera bump to accommodate a periscope telephoto lens.
Xiaomi is also teasing some impressive camera hardware, with its 15 Ultra expected to be a photography powerhouse, featuring a 1-inch main sensor and 200-megapixel periscope telephoto lens.
Will Samsung showcase the slimline ? Perhaps. It might also be time for the company to unveil an update to its A-series mid-range devices. Maybe the company will do both.
