WhatsApp is getting dark mode on desktop, animated stickers, and more

With over 2 billion users around the globe, WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app on the planet. As such, the service is continually adding features and enhancing the experience. However, with that big of a user base, it doesn’t roll out features haphazardly. Things tend to be in development for a long time, which is the case with animated stickers, QR codes, and extended dark mode.

WhatsApp has been working on animated stickers for over a year and they’re finally ready to roll out. Like you can find on plenty of other messaging platforms, animated stickers are simply stickers that move. They add an extra layer of expression to the static stickers (which are still available as well).

Next up is QR codes for profiles, which was added to the beta channel in late May. These make it easy to share your profile with other WhatsApp users by generating a scannable code. In some situations, it’s easier to scan a QR code than to give out your phone number.

WhatsApp finally rolled out its long-awaited dark mode on Android back in March. However, the web and desktop apps didn’t get it. There was evidence of the desktop app getting dark mode earlier this year and now it’s official. The dark theme is available on the web and the desktop.

Lastly, WhatsApp is adding the ability to long-press on a person in a group call to maximize their video. There is also now an icon in group text chats of 8 people or less to quickly start a video call. This all goes along with WhatsApps’s recent expansion of the group calling feature.

Look for all of these features to be rolling out to WhatsApp over the “next few weeks.”

WhatsApp Messenger (Free, Google Play) →

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Source: WhatsApp

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5 Deals on HP Monitors and More Starting at Just $119

If you have been working from home over the past few weeks, you might now be aware of a few gaps in your setup. If you would like to upgrade without breaking the bank, check out these deals on HP hardware at the XDA Developers Depot. Right now, you could save up to 14% off MSRP.

HP EliteDisplay E223d 21.5″ Docking Monitor

With nine integrated ports, this 21.5″ LED monitor provides both stunning visuals and impressive connectivity. The supplied stand lets you tilt and pivot the screen to the perfect angle, while the streamlined bezel on this display makes it perfect for dual-monitor setups. It usually retails for $269, but you can pick up the EliteDisplay now for $229.99.

HP EliteDisplay E243p 23.8″ 16:9 IPS Sure View Monitor

If you have a little more to spend, the EliteDisplay E243p is worth the step up. This 23.8” full HD display has IPS technology for incredible color and brightness of 260 cd/m2. Privacy mode dims the screen to keep your view under wraps, and the flexible stand can be tilted, raised, and swiveled. Normally priced at $364, it’s now only $309.99.

HP Chromebook 11.6″ (Certified Refurbished)

Ideal for checking your emails, browsing the web, and writing on the move, this lightweight Chromebook offers 12 hours of battery life. According to CNET, it also features a “sharp design, comfortable keyboard, bright IPS display, and loudspeakers.” This portable workhorse was originally $229.99, but you can get a certified refurb now for $199.99.

HP M01-F0057C Desktop Core i3 1.1TB SATA

This beautiful beast runs Windows 10 Home on a quad-core Intel i3 processor and 8GB RAM. It also has integrated Intel UHD 630 Graphics, a huge 1.1TB hard drive for storing media, and even a DVD drive — remember those? The retail price is $399.99, but you can grab it now for just $349.99.

HP EliteDisplay E273d 27″ Docking Monitor

Rated at 4 stars by Expert Reviews, the EliteDisplay E273d delivers full 1080p crispness with 250cd/m² brightness. In addition, it has 10 ports including USB-C and USB-A, meaning you can easily connect your laptop, charge devices, and daisy-chain displays. Made from ocean-bound plastics, this eco-friendly monitor is now 10% off MSRP at $364.99.

Prices subject to change 

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Spotify now offers a cheaper “Duo” plan for two people

Beyond the free accounts that anyone can sign up for, Spotify offers a few different ad-free Premium subscription plans. The Individual plan costs $9.99 per month, the Student plan costs $4.99 per month, and the Family plan (for up to 6 people) costs $14.99 per month. Last year, Spotify was testing a new “Duo” plan for two people, and now it’s official.

The Spotify Duo plan costs $12.99 per month and is aimed at couples, though there’s no reason it can’t be shared between any two people living at the same address. The plan costs $2 less than the Family plan, which is a savings of $24 per year. That might not seem like much, but if you’re only using 2 of the possible 6 accounts on the Family plan, why not save some money?

US pricing

Other than the two account limit, the Spotify Duo plan is essentially the same as the Family plan. Each person gets their own Premium account with their own playlists and saved content. The custom “Family Mix” playlist is replaced by the “Duo Mix” playlist. The only thing you might miss is the Spotify Kids app if you’re a couple with children.

Spotify Duo is available right now in the US, UK, India, and other locations in Europe (though Spotify did not give a clear list). Existing subscribers and new customers can sign up for the plan right now. Again, the one big stipulation is both accounts must live at the same address. News users are also eligible to get the first month for free.

Spotify: Listen to new music, podcasts, and songs (Free, Google Play) →

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Source: Spotify

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Samsung’s 5G Galaxy Z Flip shows up on TENAA with an overclocked Qualcomm Snapdragon 865

Samsung clearly dominates the market of smartphones with foldable displays. After launching the horizontally folding Samsung Galaxy Fold last year, the Korean giant launched Galaxy Z Flip with a much smaller footprint and a vertically folding screen earlier this year. Despite being launched alongside the Galaxy S20 series, which is powered by the Snapdragon 865 and features 5G support across all models, the Galaxy Z Flip ran on the Snapdragon 855+ mobile platform and lacked intrinsic support for 5G, which can be a dealbreaker for a $1,400 phone in 2020. To address this, Samsung has been working on a 5G variant of the Flip phone, and the same has now been listed on Chinese regulatory body TENAA.

The TENAA listing of the 5G Galaxy Z Flip reveals the specifications of the phone while also showing the phone in the familiar black color. According to the listing, the smartphone comes with a Snapdragon 865 chipset that has been overclocked to 3.09GHz (presumably for the Prime core). There isn’t any other observable change to the smartphone in terms of specifications – the 5G variant features the same dimensions of the chassis and the display, RAM and storage configurations, and battery capacity.

As per the listing, the Galaxy Z Flip 5G will carry a model name “SM-F7070” which varies from the previously certified model “SM-F707B.” It is possible that the former is targeting the Chinese market while the latter could be for another region. The Chinese variant listed on TENAA will support n41, n78, and n79 bands for both SA as well as NSA 5G networks.

While there isn’t much information about the launch of the Galaxy Z Flip 5G, it is quite possible that the company reveals the phone alongside Note 20 series that is expected to be revealed on August 5th via a virtual event. The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 series is also likely to be accompanied by the Galaxy Fold 2 while the Z Flip 5G could be the mysterious “Project Zodiac” device spotted earlier.

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Source: TENAA

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Today’s OnePlus Day sales include deals on the OnePlus 8 series, 7T, and Bullets Wireless Z

Last week, OnePlus kicked off its new weekly series of “OnePlus Day” deals. These deals will be posted every Wednesday and they include discounts and bundles for a variety of OnePlus smartphones and accessories. This week, the company is offering deals on the OnePlus 8 series, OnePlus 7 Pro/7T, and Bullets Wireless Z earphones. Just like last week’s savings, these deals are only available in North America.

United States:

• Purchase a OnePlus 8 Pro 12GB Black version ($999), get a Bullets Wireless Z free
• Purchase a OnePlus 8 12GB Interstellar Glow version ($799), get Andre Case and OnePlus Type-C Bullets Earphones(Black) free
• Purchase a OnePlus 7 Pro 12GB Black version ($599), get OnePlus 7 Pro Protective Case Sandstone free
• Purchase OnePlus OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z Black ($49.95), get $20 OFF, making the price $29.95

Canada:

• Purchase a OnePlus 8 Pro 12GB Black version (CA$ 1549), get a Bullets Wireless Z free
• Purchase a OnePlus 8 12GB Interstellar Glow version (CA$ 1249), get an Andre Case and OnePlus Type-C Bullets Earphones (Black) free
• Purchase OnePlus OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z Black (CA$ 69.95), get Get CA$ 30 off, making the price only CA$ 39.95

These deals are available on OnePlus.com and they are only valid today, July 1st, 2020. If there’s nothing that interests you today, the company will have new OnePlus Day promotions next Wednesday. In addition to the weekly offerings, OnePlus is running some monthly deals in the US:

• Purchase OnePlus OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren ($899), get 50% off on OnePlus 7T T-Mobile Version. (Promotion lasts until July 31th 2020)
• Purchase OnePlus OnePlus 7T T-Mobile Version($499), get a 3D Tempered Glass Screen Protector, a Silicone Bumper Case, and Type-C Bullets Earphones Black free. (Promotion lasts until July 31th 2020)

OnePlus 7 Pro Forums ||| OnePlus 7T Forums ||| OnePlus 7T Pro Forums ||| OnePlus 8 Forums ||| OnePlus 8 Pro Forums

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Realme X50 5G with Snapdragon 765G and 120Hz display and Realme Buds Q launch in Europe next week

Realme is among the fastest-growing smartphone brands worldwide. Born in India after spinning off from OPPO, the company reportedly holds the seventh position in the list of top smartphone brands globally. The company is poised to expand further in markets such as Europe and has been launching devices with the same vigor as it does in India. In 2020, Realme has already launched the mid-rangers Realme 6, 6i, 6 Pro, and 6s globally alongside its flagships Realme X50 Pro 5G and the Realme X3 SuperZoom. Now, it is vying to launch another phone – the Realme X50 5G – in the European market along with Realme Buds Q TWS earphones.

Realme Italy took to Twitter to announce that the Realme X50 5G will be launching in the country on July 8th ay 10:30 AM local time. Notably, this is the first 5G-enabled mid-range device from the company launching outside of China. As you’d expect, the Realme X50 5G is a stripped-down version of the Realme X50 Pro (review) that runs on the Snapdragon 865 mobile platform. It was, however, unveiled before the Pro and has been limited to China since its launch in the first week of January 2020.

A tutto 5G.
Ti aspettiamo per scoprire il nuovo #realmeX50 5G. Segui il live streaming di lancio mercoledì 8 luglio, ore 10:30.#SaveTheDate

— realme.it (@realmeItalia) June 30, 2020

The Realme X50 5G is powered by Snapdragon 765G chipset with RAM variants going up to 12GB. Other highlights of the phone include a 120Hz refresh rate display, a 64MP quad-camera setup on the back along with dual cameras on the front. It supports N1 and N41 5G NR frequency bands for SA and N78 and N79 for NSA 5G networks as well as supports NFC.

In China, the Realme X50 5G starts at around $360 for the 8GB/128GB variant and goes up approximately to $450 for the Master Edition with 12GB/256GB configuration. With the OnePlus Nord about the launch around the same time, it will be interesting to see how Realme positions its sub-premium smartphone for the Italian market. Realme Europe is also teasing the launch of a 5G phone so we can expect it to be this device only.

Along with the 5G smartphone, the company will also launch its in-ear TWS earbuds, the Realme Buds Q, in Italy. These are affordable TWS earphones from the company that cost about $27 in India and could be priced around the $30 mark in Europe as well.

Meanwhile, here are the specifications of the Chinese variant of the phone:

Specifications	Realme X50 5G
Dimensions & Weight	163.8×75.8×8.9 mm 202g
Display	6.57-inch hole-punch FHD LCD 1080 x 2400 120Hz, 20:9 aspect ratio Gorilla Glass 5
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G Adreno 620
RAM & Storage	8GB/128GB 6GB/256GB 12GB/256GB
Storage Type	unknown
Battery	4,200mAh 30W VOOC 4.0 fast charging
Fingerprint Sensor	Side-mounted fingerprint
Rear Cameras	64MP Samsung ISOCELL GW1 primary sensor, f/1.8 8MP 119° wide-angle sensor, f/2.3 12MP 2X telephoto, f/2.5 2MP macro camera, f/2.4
Front Cameras	16MP Sony IMX471, f/2.0 8MP 105° wide-angle sensor, f/2.2
Android Version	Realme UI based on Android 10

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Download: Realme X50 Pro gets its first Android 11 Beta 1 build with Realme UI

Shortly after Google released the first beta build of Android 11 for the Pixel lineup, Realme announced that it would deliver a similar beta update with Realme UI to its flagship Realme X50 Pro (our review) after a month. The pattern is entirely predictable, as several Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 powered smartphones have received Android 11 Beta 1 builds to date. The list includes the OnePlus 8/8 Pro, the OPPO Find X2/X2 Pro, and a bunch of Xiaomi and Vivo/iQOO devices. And now, Realme has finally pushed the first Android 11 beta for the Realme X50 Pro.

Realme X50 Pro XDA Forums

Staying true to their word, the company delivers the initial Android 11 beta with Realme UI on top. Note that the “Developer Preview” build is intended for the Chinese variant of the Realme X50 Pro (model number RMX2071), and it might not be possible to install it on the Indian RMX2076PU or the European RMX2076EU units. Interested users need to flash the latest stable Android 10 firmware for the China region (RMX2071_11_A.20) before sideloading the Android 11 beta build.

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Download Android 11 Beta 1 with Realme UI for the Realme X50 Pro

According to Realme, the current build is best suited for developers and other advanced users. Do not flash this on your daily driver unless you’re prepared to deal with a lot of bugs. The flashing process completely wipes your device. Thus it is highly recommended that you back up your data before proceeding. Proceed with extreme caution.

You can download Android 11 Beta 1 from the following link. Grab the rollback file as well, in case you want to revert back to the stable channel.

• Realme X50 Pro 5G (RMX2071)
  • Update file (Password: yovk)
  • Rollback file (Password: t9j5)

After downloading, move the OZIP file(s) to the root of the phone storage. Then open the stock file manager app and select the appropriate file to initiate the flashing process. Make sure not to cross-flash the above packages onto the Realme X50 Pro Player Edition. The company is planning to roll out a separate beta build for that variant later this month.

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Source: Realme Community

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