OnePlus 9 Pro’s base 8GB/128GB model has been delayed in the US

If you have been meaning to buy the base OnePlus 9 Pro model in the US, you’ll have to wait some more time. OnePlus has officially confirmed the 8GB + 128GB variant of the Pro model won’t be launching anytime soon in the country.

The OnePlus 9 Pro Cements OnePlus as a Premium Smartphone Brand

The base OnePlus 9 Pro is not yet on sale in the US and will be available in North America “in the future”, OnePlus said in a statement to 9to5Google. The company didn’t provide any reason for the delay, nor provided a concrete timeline for the launch. At this time, OnePlus’s official website is only listing the top-end 12GB + 256GB model which is priced at $1069 — $100 more than the base model. The US is one of the only few markets where OnePlus has yet to bring the 8GB/128GB model. For what’s worth, the top model does give you double the storage and 4GB extra RAM for a $100 premium.

Apart from this, OnePlus also confirmed that the 12GB + 256GB model of the standard OnePlus 9, which is currently sold out in the US, will be soon back in stock, but again, no specific date was given by the company. Currently, the OnePlus’ website is only listing the base 8GB + 128GB model.

OnePlus 9 Pro XDA Forums

With a starting price of $969, the OnePlus 9 Pro is the company’s most expensive flagship to date. But as we concluded in our review, it cements OnePlus’ status as a premium smartphone brand in the crowded market. Compared to the standard model, the Pro model has a superior display and a more capable camera setup. You get a 6.7-inch QHD+ LTPO AMOLED display with a variable screen refresh up to 120Hz, Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, up to 12GB RAM, and 256GB of storage, a quad-camera system tuned by Hasselblad, a 4,500mAh battery, and 65W wired and 50W wireless fast charging support.

OnePlus 9 Pro

With a large, 6.7-inch Quad HD OLED display and a Smart 120Hz refresh rate, the OnePlus 9 Pro may have the best display on the market. The cameras, tuned in collaboration with Hasselblad, produce excellent still photos and capture superb 4K video.

Buy from OnePlus.com

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Master 14 languages with lifetime access to Babbel — now just $199 for a limited time

Traveling is tricky right now. But while you are stuck at home, you can be preparing for your next adventure. Babbel is a highly-rated language learning app that can help you master the vocabulary of any destination. For a limited time, you can get lifetime access to all 14 language courses for just $199 at the XDA Developers Depot — that is $300 off the standard price.

Even if you don’t have travel plans, learning a language is a great way to explore new cultures. Speaking another language can also open doors in the professional world. 

With over 10 million users, Babbel is one of the most popular language-learning apps around. Rated at 4.5 stars on Android and 4.6 stars on iOS, this app provides interactive lessons that take only 10–15 minutes each day.

You start with the basics, learning new words through simple picture quizzes. The courses focus on everyday language, and Babbel uses speech recognition to provide feedback on your accent. 

The app can take you all the way to advanced vocabulary, with later chapters covering topics such as food, family, and business. Personalized review sessions ensure you retain the information you have learned previously. 

As a lifetime subscriber, you get access to every language on Babbel — including Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, English, and more. In addition, you get to download lessons for offline study.

Order today for just $199 to get lifetime learning, normally priced at $499.

 

Babbel Language Learning: Lifetime Subscription (All Languages) – $199

See Deal

Prices subject to change 

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With LG gone, which smartphone are you looking at next?

The smartphone industry has just lost a key player. Last night, LG confirmed it’s closing the doors on its mobile division. The Korean electronics company was one of the first brands to sell an Android smartphone, releasing the Android 1.5 Cupcake-running LG GW620 back in 2009. Since then, the company has released hundreds of phones across multiple different product lines, was once a contender in the U.S. market, partnered with Google on multiple Nexus and Pixel phones, and has led the industry in several technologies. With them out of the picture now, we’re wondering what fans of the brand will gravitate to.

LG’s smartphone business has always been overshadowed by fellow Korean tech giant Samsung, but they’ve always managed to pump out dozens of new smartphones a year. From the flagship G and V series to the budget K series, the company always had a phone for everyone. Their phones may not have offered the best value compared to the competition, but they were generally reliable, available in stores, came with decent after-sales support, and checked other boxes that people were looking for. Of course, they had their fair share of issues with quality control (tech enthusiasts will never, ever forget LG’s bootlooping issues) and overpromising on software, but they were a known quantity that sold phones that got the job done.

For the last few years, every LG flagship phone launched at an overpriced price point only to plummet in value a few months following launch. LG phones just didn’t offer as much value compared to phones from Samsung or Chinese brands. We can’t really say the company didn’t try to make great phones, it’s just that the ahead-of-their-time innovations weren’t enough to offset the higher prices.

Just as an example of some of LG’s contributions to the industry, the G2’s “Knock Knock” popularized tap-to-wake gestures, the G3 was one of the first phones on the market with a Quad HD resolution display, the G Flex was one of the first phones to have a flexible OLED panel, the G5 brought an ultra wide-angle camera and modular phone addons, the V10 had a secondary display, the G8 ThinQ had 3D face unlock with a time-of-flight sensor and a sound-emitting OLED panel, and LG’s last few G and V series phones can be snapped into an accessory that turns them into dual-screen phones. Then there’s the LG Wing which provided a unique and interesting take on the traditional smartphone form factor, and there’s also the unreleased LG Rollable which provided a promising look at the future of smartphone design.

Left: The LG Velvet in its Dual Screen attachment accessory. Middle: The LG Wing with its crazy swivel design. Right: LG’s unreleased rollable phone.

Not all of their gimmicks caught on in the industry, obviously. The previously mentioned LG G8 shipped with gimmicky Air Motion gestures and vein pattern recognition. The LG G6 ditched the G5’s modularity just one generation after its introduction. And the Dual Screen attachments are clunky stop-gap measures to satisfy buyers before the company was ready to unveil a true foldable phone (which will obviously never happen anymore, RIP).

Despite its more mainstream appeal, LG phones always had features that catered to creators and power users. They were one of the few flagship devices to ship with 3.5mm headphone jacks until last year. They were also one of the few to really emphasize audio quality, touting features like a Boombox speaker and a Hi-Fi Quad DAC. Far-field microphones, desktop mode, and Active Stylus support were also some features you could find on LG devices that you won’t find on many other devices.

It’s hard to condense LG’s smartphone history because they have such a storied past with mobile devices. This post isn’t about the history of LG, though. Instead, we’re wondering what existing LG phone users plan to do next.

With LG out of the picture, what phone are you now considering? Which smartphone brand do you think is the most likely to absorb LG’s customer base? Let us know in the comments below!

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7 smartphone trends that LG pioneered and others copied

After weeks of rumors, LG Electronics has officially announced it is shutting down its mobile phone business. While the writing has been on the wall for a while — LG’s mobile business has been a money-loser for the otherwise very profitable South Korean tech giant — it still leaves many of us phone enthusiasts sad.

For me, the swiveling two-screened LG Wing was a very well-built and clever device that brought genuine practicality to a new type of phone, and as our chief content officer Nirave shared on Twitter, LG’s mobile team tried many things when other brands were playing it safe.

Farewell LG, you've given us some incredible times! On the phone front, you tried things that others wouldn't and you're the reason we have Ultrawide cameras on every phone right now. I'll truly miss some of your phones https://t.co/kmrCpt3HpK

— Nirave 尼拉夫 (@nirave) April 5, 2021

Some of these things LG tried were complete flops, like the modular concept for the LG G5, or the hand vein scanning of the LG G8, but there were many more features that not only were proven useful but have since become the industry norm. Here are seven trends — listed in order of significance — LG smartphones started that are now common, expected features of the modern-day smartphone.

Capacitive Touchscreen

There is no doubt that the original iPhone was a groundbreaking device that altered the course of the smartphone industry. But the narrative that it practically re-invented the touchscreen for the smartphone era is not entirely accurate.

The LG Prada (or known by its codename LG KE850 in some regions) actually launched months before the first iPhone, and it featured a capacitive touchscreen too. This makes the LG Prada the first smartphone to use a touchscreen. Of course, Apple’s multi-touch which offered gestures like pinch-to-zoom is more refined, but if we are purely talking about who got there first, it was LG, not Apple.

Ultra-wide Angle Camera

The ultra-wide-angle camera is such a must-have feature for all smartphones at any price range today that it’s hard to believe that there was a two-year window when LG was the only smartphone brand offering it. The ultra-wide lens made its debut on the LG G5 during the spring of 2016, and it wasn’t until the fall of 2018 before the next Android brand (Huawei) adopted the lens. Samsung and Apple both jumped on the ultra-wide bandwagon in spring and fall of 2019 respectively.

Removing front hardware buttons for thinner bezels

Every smartphone nowadays — even budget ones — has a face that’s almost entirely screen. It wasn’t always that way: remember when smartphones had huge bezels that housed physical buttons that looked super clunky by today’s standards?

LG G2

The LG G2, released in September of 2013, was the first major release to do away with the physical buttons on the front for a cleaner look. Samsung and Apple wouldn’t make this same move until 2017 with the Galaxy S8 and iPhone X respectively.

Here’s a personal anecdote: I had been an iPhone user from 2007 all the way to fall of 2014 when I upgraded to the iPhone 6 Plus for the larger 5.5-inch screen but hated the large size of the phone. I saw my friend’s LG G3 and noticed it had the same screen size as my iPhone but in a far smaller package — because of the slimmer bezels. The next day I sold the iPhone 6 Plus and purchased an LG G3 and I have been an Android user ever since.

The iPhone G3 and the iPhone 6 Plus side-by-side courtesy of PhoneArena’s size comparison tool

Manual/Pro Camera Mode

A good smartphone camera should allow a user to point-and-shoot without thinking and churn out a good shot most of the time. That’s exactly the philosophy Apple and Google live by, hence their basic, almost bare-bones camera apps. But there are some enthusiasts who want more control, and that’s who LG had in mind when its G3 included “manual mode,” which gave users the ability to tweak settings like white balance, ISO, shutter speed, and focus area. A little more than a year later, LG would add manual controls to video shooting too in the V10.

Manual mode, now perhaps better known as “Pro Mode,” can be found in virtually every Android smartphone, except the Pixel, of course.

Quad HD Resolution Display

The last two years have seen most Android brands engaged in a display resolution arms race, with brands pushing for WQHD+ resolution (along with 120Hz) that drastically impacts battery life. Well, LG, for better or worse, was the first brand to push the idea that it might be worth sacrificing battery life for more pixels on the screen. The LG G3 was the first phone to offer Quad HD resolution (1440 x 2560) back when phone screens maxed out at 1080p. It led to mediocre battery life, but that screen looked oh so crisp back in 2014 I put up with it anyway, just like how I put up with the middling battery life of the OnePlus 9 Pro because WQHD+ and 120Hz look so, so smooth.

Longer/Taller Aspect Ratio

Smartphone screen sizes began getting larger and larger in the mid-2010s, to the point that phones like the Nexus 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and LG’s own V10 were quite difficult to hold comfortably with one hand. This made LG’s decision to go with a taller/narrower 18:9 aspect ratio (instead of the longstanding 16:9) with 2017’s G6 important because it allowed phone screens to keep inching upwards without making it too wide to hold. Samsung’s Galaxy S8 also deserves credit for pushing for an 18:9 aspect ratio too, but the LG G6 was introduced weeks before Samsung’s device.

Double-tap to Wake/Lock

Because LG moved the home button away from the front of the phone starting with the G2, it had to come up with an easier way for users to wake the phone screen. Their solution remains one of my favorite software features to date: double-tapping on the screen to wake or lock. It’s faster and requires less finger reach than pressing a side-mounted power button, and is also far more difficult to accidentally trigger than Apple’s single tap to wake (which was introduced with the iPhone X). Custom ROMs did have some different implementations of the same feature before the LG G2, but LG gets the credit for adopting it as an OEM.

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LG was always willing to try new things — for better and for worse

There are myriad reasons for the demise of LG’s smartphone business. Its marketing could be hit and miss (remember the insistence on adding “ThinQ” to their phone names?) and it had some unfortunate hardware misfires like the bootloop issue with the G4. But ultimately I think the gigantic flop of the G5’s modular experiment, along with other niche experiments like the previously mentioned hand vein scanning led to consumers and media thinking of LG phones as “gimmicky”. LG also backtracked on its hardware decisions, which doesn’t exactly instill confidence when you hope to build a long-life ecosystem.

LG’s exit from the smartphone market is unfortunate because, for every failed gimmick, there were three-four genuinely useful features that stuck. And of course, as I said at the beginning, I thought the LG Wing was genuinely useful.

I will miss LG in the phone space — they were not afraid to try new things in an industry that can sometimes be full of boring copycats — and I’m thankful for the things they introduced to the mobile industry. Thank you, LG, for all that you gave to us.

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ASUS ROG Phone 5: Everything you need to know before buying the gaming beast

The ROG range of products by ASUS is designed to facilitate serious gamers, and the ROG Phone aligns with this image. The ROG Phone is inarguably the most expedient gaming smartphone, featuring the most powerful chipset available for Android devices, RGB lighting, the highest refresh rate display on a smartphone, and a host of performance-enhancing accessories. After hailing the ROG Phone 3 as The King of Gaming Smartphones, we expect the next phones in the ROG portfolio only to go upwards and onwards. Skipping the number 4, ASUS launched the ROG Phone 5 series in March with three models instead of just one, including the ROG Phone 5, the ROG Phone 5 Pro, and a limited-edition ROG Phone 5 Ultimate.

ASUS ROG Phone 5 XDA Review

We will discuss all three in detail, but first, here’s a look at the ROG Phone 5 series specifications.

ASUS ROG Phone 5 Specifications

Specification	ASUS ROG Phone 5 / ROG Phone 5 Pro / ROG Phone 5 Ultimate (Limited Edition)
Build	Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on back Aluminum mid-frame Corning Gorilla Glass Victus on the display
Dimensions & Weight	172.8 x 77.2 x 10.29 mm 238 grams
Display	6.78″ FHD+ AMOLED display 2448 x 1080 pixels 395ppi Up to 144Hz refresh rate: 60Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz refresh rate supported, variable when set to Auto 20.4:9 aspect ratio HDR10+ 800nits peak brightness Always-On display 111% DCI-P3, sRGB : 150.89% Contrast ratio: 1,000,000:1
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888: 1x Kryo 680 Prime Core @ 2.84GHz 3x Kryo 680 Performance Cores @ 2.4GHz 4x Kryo 680 Efficiency Cores @ 1.8GHz
RAM & Storage	ROG Phone 5: 8GB LPDDR5 + 128GB UFS 3.1 12GB + 256GB 16GB + 256GB ROG Phone 5 Pro: 16GB + 512GB ROG Phone 5 Ultimate: 18GB + 512GB ( ROG Phone 5 Ultimate)
Battery & Charging	Dual 3,000mAh batteries in MMT design, total 6,000mAh 65W HyperCharge fast charging Qualcomm Quick Charge 5.0 support
Security	In-Display Fingerprint Scanner
Rear Camera(s)	Primary: 64MP Sony IMX686, f/1.8, 1/1.7″, 0.8µm, EIS, 4-in-1 Pixel binning Secondary: 13MP, ultra-wide-angle lens, f/2.4, 125° FoV, EIS Tertiary: 5MP, macro lens, f/2.0, EIS Video: 8K@30fps 4K@60/30fps Slow-mo: 4K@120fps, 1080p@240/120fps, 720@490fps
Front Camera(s)	24MP, f/2.4, 0.9µm, 4-in-1 pixel binning
Port(s)	USB 3.1 Type-C on the side USB 2.0 Type-C at the bottom 3.5mm headphone jack
Audio	7-magnet Linear 12x16mm dual front-facing speakers Powered by dual Cirrus Logic CS35L45 Mono AMP and tuned by Dirac ESS Sabre ES9280AC Pro QUAD DAC Quad mics with OZO Noise Reduction Technology
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.2 NFC Wi-Fi 6E 5G Dual-frequency (L1+L5) GNSS, Globass, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS, NavIC
Software	ZenUI + ROG UI based on Android 11
Other Features	Pixelworks i6 Processor Ultrasonic sensors for AirTrigger 5 Grip press detection RGB dot-matrix ROG logo (ROG Phone 5 only) 2 Touch sensors on the back (ROG Phone 5 Pro & ROG Phone 5 Ultimate) ROG Vision – PMOLED display: ROG Phone 5 Pro: Color ROG Phone 5 Ultimate: Monochrome
Colors	ROG Phone 5: Phantom Black Storm White ROG Phone 5 Pro: Glossy Black ROG Phone 5 Ultimate: Matte White

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ASUS ROG Phone 5 Features

Internal hardware

While countless features make the ROG Phone 5 a breathtaking smartphone, its performance is definitely what forms the basis of its beastly identity. There are no points for guessing that the ROG Phone 5/5 Pro/5 Ultimate edition is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888, which is among the most powerful mobile chipsets of 2021 — until we see a Plus upgrade of the same.

In addition to the mighty chipset, the ROG Phone 5 features up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. The ROG Phone 5 Pro takes it up by a notch and features 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. While 16GB of RAM on the phone might be overkill for some users, the ROG Phone is not the average consumer’s average phone. That is why the Ultimate edition of the phone features a whopping 18GB of RAM. Additionally, the company claims it has deployed a new cooling system to redirect heat away from areas where your fingers rest while gaming.

While the ROG Phone 5 series maintains a similar design language as the previous generation, some key changes set the new devices apart from the ones in the past. Firstly, the phones are slightly longer. The longer slab accommodates a larger display but with bezels that are 25% smaller than the ROG Phone 3. Just like the last time, there is no notch or cutout for the camera, and the areas above and below the display are utilized for dual stereo speakers.

Design

As confirmed by its TENAA listing prior to the launch, the vanilla ASUS ROG Phone 5 features a dot-matrix pattern for the ROG logo on the back instead of an RGB strip. This dot-matrix lighting strip can also be seen on various ASUS gaming laptops, including the ROG Zephyrus G14. The new dot-matrix element can show a gradient of two colors on the ROG logo instead of just one color at a time.

ROG Phone 5

Meanwhile, the ROG Phone 5 Pro comes with a tiny colored PMOLED display, which the company is calling “ROG Vision,” and this can be used to display custom visuals or messages for incoming alerts and while the user is gaming on the phone. The ROG Phone 5 Ultimate, on the other hand, comes with a monochrome PMOLED “ROG Vision” display. The ROG Phone 5 is available in Storm White and Phantom Black color variants. The ROG Phone 5 Pro comes in a Glossy Black color variant while the Ultimate edition will be available only in a Matte White finish.

ROG Phone 5 Ultimate

Like the previous generation, the ROG Phone 5 series also comes with touch-sensitive shoulder buttons dubbed “AirTrigger.” While the regular variant features nine AirTrigger sensors, the Pro and the Ultimate editions come with two extra touch-sensitive sensors, called “Rear touch,” on the back.

With the bundled AeroActive Cooler, you get two additional physical buttons that can be mapped for various actions with the phones’ UI. Besides gaming, you can also assign different functions to these triggers, like launching an app or an action.

Display

The display on the ROG Phone 5 is bigger and brighter. The 6.78-inch AMOLED display is an E4 material panel custom-made by Samsung. The longer form factor also stretches the display’s aspect ratio from 19.5:9 on the ROG Phone 3 to 20.4:9 on the ROG Phone 5 series. Like the previous generation, the ROG Phone 5’s display sports a refresh rate of up to 144Hz. While there is no adaptive refresh rate, the display can support different modes such as 144Hz, 120Hz, and 60Hz that can be set manually or set to an Auto mode that changes the display’s refresh rate according to the active application. The display also has improved touch input with a touch sampling rate of 300Hz and touch latency of 24.3ms.

The display is claimed to be 23% brighter with a peak brightness of 800nits. For low-light usage and minimal eye-strain, the display brightness can be reduced to as low as 5nits.  The display covers 111% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and comes with HDR10+ support.

The smartphones also come with a Pixelworks i6 display processor chip that uses AI to improve picture quality, upscale SDR content to HDR, suppress visual noise, improve the accuracy of adaptive brightness, and enhance color, especially skin tones. The Pixelworks processor also enables Always-on HDR on the ROG Phone 5.

Audio

The ROG Phone 5 series gets dual front-facing speakers with a 35% larger sound cavity (combined for both speakers), which results in a 21% louder output. For clarity, the speakers are tuned by Dirac. In addition to the dual stereo speakers, a 3.5mm headphone jack returns to the ROG Phone 5 along with an inbuilt premium-grade ESS SABRE ES9280AC Pro DAC for louder and more nuanced audio output through the jack. The smartphones are also Hi-Res certified and can play 24-bit audio files with supported audio devices. For audio via Bluetooth, the ROG Phone 5 supports codecs such as AAC, aptX HD, aptX adaptive, and LDAC.

Along with the hardware for an immersive sound, ASUS has included the AudioWizard app on the ROG Phone 5. The app comes with a 10-band equalizer, and different sound presets tuned by Dirac and headset profiles for improved sound output. Additionally, there is a bass enhancer, volume enhancer, and a game mode for improved stereo audio output.

Battery

The ASUS ROG Phone 5 series features the same 6000mAh battery but with many improvements this time around. Firstly, the battery is split into two cells of 3000mAh capacity and arranged in an MMT (Middle Middle Tab) orientation. The energy is supplied to these battery cells from the center instead of one of the ends to reduce impedance and heating while charging. The new battery design also benefits from the smartphone’s improved cooling system that further improves heat dissipation.

The ROG Phone 5 also benefits from much faster 65W HyperCharge fast charging technology. Both — the smartphone and the charger support Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 5.0 — and the charger is included in the bundle. To improve the battery’s life, you can also limit the maximum charge capacity to 80% or 90% or use the Scheduled Charging feature for slower yet more optimal charging if you tend to charge your phone every day — or night — at the same time.

Camera

The camera setup remains unchanged from the ROG Phone 3; the ROG Phone 5 series retains the 64MP Sony IMX686 sensor for the primary camera, a 13MP ultrawide-angle camera, and a 5MP macro camera. The smartphones also feature a 24MP selfie camera, which has also been carried over from the last time.

In terms of the software features, the ROG Phone 5 comes with a customizable camera UI, 8K video recording, 4K slow-motion, Dynamic Night Mode, Mic focus, Hypersteady Video, Pro Photo as well as Pro Video mode.

UI and Software features for gaming

Just like the previous devices, the ROG Phone 5 series comes with two prebuilt UI options. It allows users to switch between a gaming-inspired ROG UI or a simpler ZenUI, which resembles stock Android. The ROG Phone 5 devices come with Android 11 out-of-the-box. On top of these themes, you get customization options, including optional themes inspired by games. Using these themes, you can change the wallpapers, icons, in-call wallpapers, and the Always-on Display. Additionally, you get an assortment of new ROG-themed fingerprint indicator styles and animations, as well as new AOD clock options.

For gaming, ASUS has a special app called Armory Crate that lets users manage their games library and tweak settings per game with a console-like interface and haptic feedback. The Game Library shows different installed games in a card-view and allows users to sort them alphabetically or based on installation time or total gameplay duration.

Secondly, the “Scenario Profiles” let users change preferences for each game with different customization options for display, audio, and network performance settings. It also lets users change the level of CPU/GPU utilization that is permitted per game. Additionally, users can also modify settings for AirTriggers, lighting for the dot matrix display or the ROG Vision rear display, and the fan speed for the external cooler accessory using the Console feature in the Armory app. These individual settings override the default global settings.

Further, Game Genie gives users quick controls to enable or disable notifications while gaming on the phone, block navigation buttons, lock brightness to a specific value, and bypass charging so the charger’s power can be utilized directly. Users can also toggle details such as frame rate, refresh rate, CPU usage during the game, or use a shortcut to record their gameplay.

The ROG Phone 5 also features what ASUS calls the X Mode, which is a specialized gaming mode. When activated, the touch sensitivity of the phones’ display increases while the CPU, GPU, and RAM performance threshold limits are increased to delay throttling. When the AeroActive 5.0 cooler is connected, the X Mode changes to X Mode+.

In contrast, the Esports mode limits some features such as refresh rate and disables some other features such as AirTrigger sensors to ensure a sustained high performance during competitions.

Accessories

All three variants of the ROG Phone 5 come bundled with an Aero Case and a 65W HyperCharger, while the Pro and the Ultimate editions also come with a clip-on AeroActive Cooler 5.0 within the box.

ASUS claims the new AeroActive Cooler can help reduce the surface temperature by up to 15°C and the CPU temperature by 10°C. Additionally, it adds two physical trigger buttons and comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack and USB-C port, just like the previous generations. It also features a kickstand so you can enjoy gaming with an external controller or watch media on the phone while relaxing. What’s even more exciting is that the Cooler also comes with an illuminating RGB strip that can light up the ROG logo in different colors.

The ASUS ROG Phone 5 devices are also compatible with the ROG Kunai 3 gamepad, but you would need a new bumper case to install the phone in it. Alternatively, you can use the Kunai controller as is while resting the phone on a surface, enjoying the gameplay on either smartphone itself or an external display tethered to it.

You can also buy the ROG Gaming Clip that lets you mount the phone on top of an external controller like the official Xbox controller, Sony PlayStation DualShock, or Stadia controller. The mount also comes with a small USB cable that can be attached to the controller for lower latency than wireless transmission.

The ASUS ROG Lighting Armor case is an optional case that helps you enhance the rear lighting panel on the ROG Phone 5. It comes with pogo pin connectors to automatically match the color scheme of the rear display with the UI of the phone.

Lastly, you can get the Professional Dock which connects via USB-C and adds two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, a USB Type-C port, an Ethernet port, and an HDMI port. While the new Professional Dock is backward compatible with the ROG Phone 3, you will not be able to use the older Mobile Desktop Dock and TwinView dock with the new ROG Phone 5 series.

ASUS ROG Phone 5: Price & Availability

The ASUS ROG Phone 5 is priced as follows:

Sr. No.	Device	Global	India
1.	ASUS ROG Phone 5	8GB + 128GB: €799 (~$950) 12GB + 256GB: €899 (~$1069) 16GB + 256GB: €999 (~$1187)	8GB + 128GB: ₹49,999 12GB + 256GB: ₹57,999
2.	ASUS ROG Phone 5 Pro	16GB + 512GB: €1199 (~$1425)	16GB + 512GB: ₹69,999
3.	ASUS ROG Phone 5 Ultimate	18GB + 512GB: €1299 (~$1543)	18GB + 512GB: ₹79,999

Do note, the actual US prices are yet to be announced and the ones listed above are just direct EUR-USD conversions.

The vanilla ASUS ROG Phone 5 is already available in various markets around the world, but you will have to wait until April 15th, 2021 to buy the phone in India. The ROG Phone 5 Pro will be available starting later this month i.e. April 2021, while the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate will go on sale in May 2021.

The ROG Phone 5 Ultimate will be a limited edition release and it will come with a fan gift collection with a bunch of ROG merchandise. As you’d expect, the regional availability of the devices will differ greatly, but they will most likely be available on Amazon in most regions. In India, however, the phones will go on sale via existing e-commerce partner Flipkart.

ASUS ROG Phone 5 XDA Review || ASUS ROG Phone 5 XDA Forums

All of the variants will come with 65W chargers within the box.

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The Best Motorola One 5G Ace Cases: Evutec, Osophter, FollmeAir, & More!

Over the past few years, Motorola has launched a range of cost-effective Android smartphones that offer excellent specifications and features. One of its latest mid-range handsets is the Motorola One 5G Ace, and it’s perfect for those who want an affordable 5G smartphone. Costing just $399, it sports a large 6.7-inch display, super-fast 5G connectivity, a 5,000mAh battery that provides over two days of battery life, a 48-megapixel triple camera, a Snapdragon 750G 5G processor, a water-repellent design, and many other great features.

If you’ve purchased a Motorola One 5G Ace or are thinking about buying one, you’ll definitely want to keep the handset in a case so that it doesn’t get damaged in any way. Luckily, there are loads of great cases available for the Motorola One 5G Ace. But while it’s great to see many different cases on the market, you might be wondering which one to buy. So, to help you pick one, we’ve rounded up the best Motorola One 5G Ace cases.

Evutec AER Karbon

Sleek and robust

The Evutec AER Karbon offers both style and robust protection for the Motorola One 5G Ace. Made from aramid fiber composite and TPU, it features military-grade drop protection, scratch resistance, and stain resistance.

Buy from Motorola

Full Body Heavy Duty Case

All-round protection

If you want maximum protection for your Motorola One 5G Ace, you should definitely check out this case. It’s a full-body, heavy-duty case comprising front and back covers that offer military-grade drop protection.

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Osophter Clear Case

Keep things simple

This transparent polycarbonate case, from Osophter, offers a lightweight and slim design that won’t add unnecessary bulk to your Motorola One 5G Ace. Featuring reinforced bumper corners and raised edges, it’ll protect your phone from all sorts of damage.

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FollmeAir Silicone Case

Stylish and bright

Looking for a stylish Motorola One 5G Ace case? Then, you’ll love this option from FollmeAir. It sports a lightweight and slim design, impact-resistant bumper corners, raised edges to protect the screen and camera, and a range of colorful patterns.

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PULEN Shock Resistant Case

Compact and shockproof

Available in black, blue, or red, it provides a slim and lightweight design, shockproof protection, raised bezels to keep the screen and camera safe from damage, tactile buttons, and a non-slip textured back.

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Dzxouui Glitter Cover

Shine bright like a diamond

Want to stand out of the crowd? Then the Dzxouui Glitter Cover is the option for you. It offers a slim and lightweight design, a stunning glitter-infused back panel, shockproof protection, raised edges to protect the camera, and precise cutouts.

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As you can see, there are plenty of excellent cases available for the Motorola One 5G Ace. With any of them, you’ll be able to protect your brand new phone from scratches, dings, drops, and other types of damage. But which one should you choose? If you’re willing to spend more money on a phone case, then you can’t go wrong with the Evutec AER Karbon. However, there are certainly cheaper options out there that offer ample protection and other great features. For example, the PULEN Shock Resistant Case costs less than $10 and provides shock-resistant protection. Meanwhile, the FollmeAir Silicone Case and the Dzxouui Glitter Cover are great options if you’d like something more stylish.

Do you own a Motorola One 5G Ace, and have you found a great case for it? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post The Best Motorola One 5G Ace Cases: Evutec, Osophter, FollmeAir, & More! appeared first on xda-developers.

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Google Chrome will soon let you reopen tab groups you previously closed

Reopening tab groups in Chrome is soon going to be a lot easier. Right now, when you close a group by right-clicking on the group header, each tab in the group will get listed as a separate entry in the recently closed tab. If you accidentally closed a group, there’s no way to restore it wholly with a single click; you have to restore each tab one by one to recreate the group. But Chrome will soon let you reopen the whole group with a single click.

As spotted by Reddit user u/Leopeva64, in the latest version of Google Chrome Canary, closed tab groups now appear as a single unit under the “recently closed” dropdown menu.

When you close a group, it will appear as a single item rather than each tab shown individually, making it possible to restore the whole group with just one click — or by pressing Ctrl + Shift + T. Check out the GIF below to understand the point better.

Essentially, you will be able to restore the tab groups the same way you can restore a closed browser window with all previously opened tabs.

The tab grouping feature was rolled out last year. As the name implies, the feature allows Chrome users to group different browser tabs together, reducing clutter and making it easier to spot relevant tabs quickly. Users can right-click on a tab to create a group and can even assign a name and color scheme to it.

The ability to quickly restore groups is available in the latest version of Google Chrome Canary for desktop. It works out of the box without having to enable any flag. If you’re interested in trying out the feature, you can download the latest build here. We don’t know when the feature will arrive in the Chrome stable channel, but we will sure to let you know when it does. Tab grouping was already a very handy feature, and with this new quality of life improvement, it’s set to become even better.

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