OnePlus has announced that it is partnering with Perfect World Games to bring Ray Tracing technology with Tower of Fantasy in-game play on the OnePlus 11 5G. Ray tracing is nothing but a method of graphics rendering that simulates the physical behavior of light. This allows the graphics to seem more real and requires a lot of processing power. Ray Tracing on mobile gaming Ray Tracing technology is essentially found on high-end computer and console games. The technology enables dynamic in-game lighting, reflections, cross-physics illuminations and shadows, allowing for environmental realism when gaming. It also enables more accurate capturing of shadows and occlusion effects of objects in the distance for a better visual performance compared to traditional rendering techniques. The US-based chipmaker announced hardware ray tracing support into its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor last year. The OnePlus 11 5G is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC that supports hardware accelerated ray tracing technology.
Compared to traditional massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG), incorporating ray tracing in open-world games has significant technical challenges. Perfect World Games said that it developed techniques such as a distance-based dynamic object frame-updating mechanism and range-based ray tracing culling based on light source perspective to incorporate realism in Tower of Fantasy. Ray Tracing on OnePlus 11 5G OnePlus said that the objective for this partnership is to improve the visual and performance experience on mobile devices. To improve the graphics quality, OnePlus and Perfect World Games co-developed the Real-time Inline Ray Tracing Pipeline and a Fast Temporal Convergence Algorithm for Ambient Occlusion for Tower of Fantasy. Since the OnePlus 11 5G comes with compatible hardware, including 16GB LPDDR5X RAM, 256GB storage with UFS 4.0, and the Cryo-velocity VC Cooling System, it can support the real-time rendering of mobile ray tracing on the graphics of Tower of Fantasy. (Disclaimer: The author is covering MWC in Barcelona on the invite of OnePlus)
Xiaomi 13 series has made its global debut. Xiaomi 13 series launched in China in December 2022. Today, the company launched the smartphone series globally ahead of the Mobile World Congress 2023 (MWC 2023) in Barcelona. Xiaomi launched Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro models. Of these, the company is set to launch the premium Xiaomi 13 Pro in India. Xiaomi 13 Pro is a camera centric phone that comes with Leica lens. The Xiaomi 13 Pro has been launched in India today in partnership with Leica. Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro prices Xiaomi has yet not announced Xiaomi 13 series India pricing. The company has announced the Euro prices. Xiaomi 13 starts at 999 euros for the base 8GB/128GB model. Xiaomi 13 Pro model is priced at 1299 euros onwards for the 8GB + 128GB storage model. Xiaomi is offering one-time out of warranty repair without any labour cost for the first 12 months. It remains to be seen if this offer will be available in India too. The smartphone can be purchased in India via Amazon and Xiaomi India websites. In India, Xiaomi 13 Pro comes in two colour variants — Ceramic Black and Ceramic White.
Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro specifications Xiaomi 13 series phones come with top-end hardware. Both Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro models are powered by the fastest Android processor, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. The phones have up to 512GB storage and 12GB RAM. The key differences between the two phones is the display and camera features. Xiaomi 13 sports a 6.36-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate screen, Dolby Vision and HLG support. While Xiaomi 13 Pro boasts of a 2K display with an LTPO panel for adaptive refresh rates. For photos, Xiaomi 13 has three cameras at the back with a 50-megapixel OIS sensor, a 10-megapixel telephoto lens provided by Leica, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor. Xiaomi 13 Pro on the other hand comes with a 50-megapixel 1-inch sensor, 50-megapixel telephoto Leica lens and another 50-megapixel ultrawide sensor. As for battery and charging, Xiaomi 13 packs a 4,500mAh battery and supports 67W fast charging, along with 50W wireless charging. With the 13 Pro, buyers get a 4,820mAh battery that offers 120W wired charging, 50W wireless charging and 10W reverse wireless charging. For connectivity options, Xiaomi 13 Pro supports 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth v5.3, and NFC. Xiaomi 13 Pro is IP68-rated for dust and water resistance.
The Apple AR/VR headset that’s rumored to be in production could be arriving as early as this year – but we’re already seeing predictions about a 2nd-gen version, which could include both high-end and low-end models.
This is via well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (opens in new tab) (via MacRumors (opens in new tab)), who says that the two devices are slated to make an appearance in 2025. Other than that, we don’t have too much information about them.
As an industry analyst, Kuo talks about some of the deals Apple is doing with manufacturing partners behind the scenes – but as far as consumers are concerned, it’s that promise of a cheaper headset that’s most interesting.
The price might be right
If the rumors are accurate, the first Apple AR/VR headset that’s coming this year or next will be on the very expensive side: prices of $3,000 (£2,510 / AU$4,460) and up have been mentioned by various sources who you would expect to be in the know.
That’s going to put it out of reach for a lot of us, hence the cheaper 2nd-gen model – maybe around half the price. This isn’t the first time a less expensive alternative has been mentioned, and it looks as though it might be replacing Apple’s planned augmented reality glasses.
As for the latest on the 1st-gen model, Kuo says (opens in new tab) that it’s now unlikely to appear in the first half of the year. Instead, the probability of it showing up alongside the iPhone 15 handsets in September time “is rising”.
Analysis: choose your reality
It’s always worth recapping the sort of realities we’re talking about here so you can understand exactly what Apple is working on. First there’s AR or augmented reality, which is digital elements being overlaid on top of the real world – so you point your phone camera at the ground and see a Pokémon magically appear, for example.
Then we have VR or virtual reality, completely enclosed digital worlds where everything is generated by software. You’ll have experienced this if you’ve ever strapped on something like the Oculus Quest 2, and the processing demands are higher because a greater number of digital objects need to be generated.
It would seem Apple’s headset could mix both AR and VR tech: Kuo calls it an “AR/MR headset”, with MR standing for mixed reality. Mixed reality tends to mean both AR and VR together in one device, although confusingly not everyone in tech uses it to refer to the same thing – sometimes it’s used to mean a higher, more immersive level of AR.
Rounding out the terminology there’s XR or extended reality, which most of the time is used as an umbrella term to cover AR, VR and MR all together. Now you can dazzle the guests at your next dinner party with your comprehensive knowledge of all the augmented and virtual reality jargon you need.
Leaks around the iPhone 15 are arriving thick and fast at the moment, with the latest imagery reveal focusing on the most expensive iPhone 15 Pro Max model – and there are a few changes from the current model to talk about.
These renderings are courtesy of well-known tipster Ice Universe (opens in new tab), and we get a look at the iPhone 15 Pro Max from just about every angle possible. The images are apparently based on schematic information that Apple has given to its supply chain partners.
Intriguingly, the same leak refers to the “iPhone 15 Pro Max (or iPhone 15 Ultra)” – we had previously thought that the iPhone 15 Ultra might be a completely separate model, but the implication here is that it will be rebranded Pro Max.
Exclusive：iPhone 15 Pro Max（or iPhone 15 Ultra），Rendering based on CAD.Compared with 14ProMax,bezel is narrower，but thicker.Titanium alloy middle frame with frosted process, Type-C ，No physical button design. pic.twitter.com/d4fLOeqWSuFebruary 25, 2023
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Camera bumps
There’s not a huge amount of change in the design from the iPhone 14 Pro Max, though the chassis is more curved than it has been before. The height and the width are said to be slightly less on the 2023 model, while the thickness has gone up a little. We’re talking fractions of millimeters here though.
Those fractions apply to the rear camera bump as well, it would seem, with the bump on the iPhone 15 Pro Max set to be a touch shallower than on its predecessor. It seems the camera bump will be slightly different on all the iPhones this time around.
You can see these images are showing the expected switch from Lightning to USB-C for the data and charging port, and there are gaps for the power and volume buttons – perhaps because Apple is using solid-state haptic buttons this year.
Analysis: a leaky time for Apple
In the last few days alone we’ve seen plenty of information about the upcoming iPhone 15 range, something that we imagine Apple boss Tim Cook isn’t all that happy about. We’ve seen unofficial renders for both the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Plus, for example.
On top of that, we’ve seen real life pictures of the new USB-C port, and rumors of a brand new dark red color that could be available as an iPhone 15 Pro special edition. And those are just the leaks from the last week or so.
That has to be a worry for a company that plays its cards as close to its chest as Apple does, and it feels as though we’re seeing more leaks than normal this time around. These phones aren’t expected to get a full unveiling for another seven months.
It shows how tricky it is to keep anything under wraps these days, especially when a host of partners and suppliers are involved too – leaks can come from any one of them, and it’s difficult for Apple to keep control over every link in the iPhone chain.
Xiaomi 13 Pro is all set to launch in India today (February 26) along with its global debut at Barcelona, Spain. The Xiaomi 13 Pro smartphone is launching on the sidelines of the annual biggest mobile industry trade show, Mobile World Congress (MWC 2023). Xiaomi announced the Xiaomi 13 series in China in December 2022. Xiaomi 13 Pro is a premium smartphone with Leica sensor. The phone is Xiaomi’s flagship camera phone of the year 2023. Xiaomi will also announce Android 13-based MiUI14 at the event. How to Xiaomi 13 Pro launch watch live Xiaomi fans can watch the Xiaomi 13 Pro launch event’s live-stream starting at 8:30PM tonight across Xiaomi’s social media handles and mi.com website. Xiaomi CEO announces Xiaomi 13 series launch “The Xiaomi 13 Series Launch event is on February 26th!” said Lei June, founder and CEO of Xiaomi, in a tweet. “The #Xiaomi13Series and all the upcoming masterpiece products are on their way!,” he said in another tweet. This means that there are likely to be more launches at the event. “From UI navigation to animations, everything just feels intuitive. When the #Xiaomi13Series launches, I encourage all users to get a firsthand feel,” said Jun on the launch of the company’s Android 13-based MIUI, MIUI14.
Xiaomi 13 Pro likely specifications Xiaomi 13 Pro has already launched in China. It is likely that the phone will launch with similar specs in India, if not exactly the same. The Xiaomi 13 Pro runs on Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC and comes with up to 12GB RAM and 512GB of storage onboard. The smartphone sports 6.73 inch QHD+ 120Hz LTPO OLED screen protected by Gorilla Glass Victus. The display has HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support and fingerprint reader for biometric authentication. For photos, Xiaomi 13 Pro sports a triple camera system comprising 50.3MP primary (with OIS), 50MP telephoto, and 50MP ultrawide units. The camera setup has Leica-branded lens. On the front is a 32MP punch hole selfie camera. The phone packs 4,820 mAh battery with 120W wired and 50W wireless charging support. It also supports 10W reverse wireless charging.
MWC Barcelona is one of the world’s largest mobile industry trade shows that sees participation of consumer electronics, connectivity, telecom, smartphone and other related companies. MWCS 2023 themes revolve around smartphones, 5G, FinTech, OpenNet, artificial intelligence (AI), and innovation ecosystems, among others. Here’s a ready reckoner on all that you can expect from this MWC 2023 including dates, venue, important launches and more. MWC Barcelona 2023: Date and Venue Just like in the past years, the MWC Barcelona 2023 will take place at Fira Gran Via, Barcelona. This year’s dates are: February 27 to March 2. Mobile World Congress 2023: 75000-plus attendees, 2000-plus exhibitors While Covid-19 pandemic did dent the footfall during the last edition of the global event, this year, MWC 2023 is expected to see 75,000-plus attendees. It is expected that there will be over 2,000 exhibitors at MWC 2023. The event will see consumer technology players showcasing their gadgets and services. There will be multiple announcements during the 4-day event. MWC Barcelona 2023: Smartphones This year’s event will see a lot of smartphone companies displaying their smartphone technologies. While Apple has never been a part of the event, Android smartphone brands including OnePlus, Realme, Oppo and Xiaomi and others will be present at the event to showcase their devices/concepts/innovations. OnePlus: OnePlus has already announced that it will showcase a ‘concept’ phone at MWC 2023. The OnePlus 11 Concept phone was announced during the company’s event where it launched the OnePlus 11 series of smartphones. The company has been teasing it through various social media channels. The phone is likely to come with a “flowing back” design and a larger camera module than the standard OnePlus 11 5G.
Realme: Realme will be showcasing the Realme GT 3 smartphone with 240W fast charging. The smartphone will also have a Pulse Light design that will allow users to customise the RGB settings for a unique look. The phone is a rebranded model of the Realme GT Neo 5 launching in China earlier this month.
We’re giving YOU the chance to decide what sets #realmeGT3 apart. Is it ourA. #240WchargeB. #PulseInterfaceC. All of the above
Xiaomi: Xiaomi will be launching the Xiaomi 13 series of smartphones that will include the company’s flagship Xiaomi 13 Pro. The Chinese tech company has once again partnered with German brand Leica to power the Xiaomi 13 Pro’s camera.
RSVP ⬇️ and discover everything #BehindTheMasterpiece at the #XiaomiLaunch.The #Xiaomi13Series and all the upcomi… https://t.co/XkpUGJmH1S
Oppo: Oppo recently launched its Find N2 Flip and it will be showcasing the foldable smartphone at MWC Barcelona. Other than the smartphone, the company will also showcase Assisted Reality smart glasses and Oppo Air Glass 2. MWC Barcelona 2023: 5G connectivity Popularly known for its smartphones and tablets, Nokia will be likely talking about 5G and other advanced future technologies. Other brands, such as Ookla, Ericsson and Cisco will also be present at MWC 2023 that will have their focus on 5G technologies. “At the dawn of 5G’s next phase, MWC Barcelona provides an incredible opportunity to take stock of the accomplishments we’ve made as an industry, but also gain insights into the industry’s trajectory,” said Peter Jarich, Head of GSMA Intelligence.
Tech at MWC 2023: Metaverse, AR and VR Another technology that is likely to make headlines during the MWC 2023 is metaverse. Companies involved in products related to augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) will also exhibit their technologies. MWC Barcelona 2023: New mobile processors from Qualcomm and Mediatek Mediatek at MWC 2023: MediaTek has announced that it will showcase Dimensity 9200 flagship SoC along with satellite connectivity technology at MWC 2023. The company will demonstrate 3GPP Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) technology that brings two-way satellite communications to smartphones. The first smartphones with Mediatek’s satellite connectivity are also launching, with more devices to be unveiled in the coming months.
The company will also be sharing information on its next-generation 5G New Radio NTN (NR-NTN) technology for the next wave of satellite-enabled devices. Qualcomm at MWC 2023: There will be a Qualcomm booth at MWC 2023 and the company is likely to showcase technologies related to 5G, AR and VR platforms.
Mobile World Congress (MWC) is back, promising a slew of big launches across the phones space including new handsets, new technologies and more.
It’s the biggest mobile tech show of the year, when major players from all across the industry get together to show off products, make deals, and check out some of the innovations that will be making their way to consumer devices over the next 12 months.
In recent years, we’ve seen fewer smartphone launches at MWC – these now tend to be at separate events, including Samsung Unpacked – but there will still be a lot of news and announcements coming out of the event across several days.
We’ll be on the ground at MWC as always, and will be bringing you all the big news as it happens. Ahead of the official start of the event, here are the most exciting launches to look out for.
When is MWC 2023?
MWC 2023 runs from Monday, February 27 to Thursday, March 2 – though expect most of the big announcements to happen towards the start of the week, rather than the end. It takes place in Barcelona, Spain, with a wide range of exhibitors in attendance, and plenty of conferences and meetings happening across the course of the event.
What to expect at MWC 2023
Just about everyone who’s anyone in mobile tech is going to be in attendance at MWC 2023: even if companies aren’t launching new products, they’ll certainly be showing off existing ones (like the Oppo Find N2 Flip, for instance).
We’ve already had a few hints and rumors about what to expect at this year’s Mobile World Congress, and these are some of the areas where we’re anticipating that there will be plenty of news and new gadgets to pore over.
Phones, foldables, and rollables
Expect to see more of the OnePlus 11 Concept (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
As we’ve already mentioned, we don’t get many phone unveilings at MWC these days – though there were a smattering of launches at MWC 2022. Launches we do know about are the OnePlus 11 Concept, an international expansion for Honor’s folding Magic Vs phone (above), and global availability for the Xiaomi 13 (plus maybe one or two other Xiaomi surprises).
We’ll also sure to get demos of the latest folding and rolling screen technology ready to be deployed in the phones of the future. Expect to see various screens and prototypes shown off at MWC 2023, with improvements in terms of resolution, clarity, and durability – particularly from the Chinese manufacturers such as Xiaomi, Oppo, and Honor.
It continues to get easier and cheaper to make folding phone screens, which means more models are on the way, and phone makers can get more creative when it comes to designs and form factors. As for screens that extend by rolling, we know that multiple manufacturers including Samsung are interested in this sort of tech.
AI, apps, and satellite tech
A robo-bartender at MWC 2022 (Image credit: MWC)
It’s difficult to get away from artificial intelligence at the moment – ChatGPT, anyone? – and this is undoubtedly going to spill over into MWC 2023. Expect to see plenty of AI demos running on smartphones, as we’ve already seen from Qualcomm’s Stable Diffusion test in the Galaxy S23, and news about how much better handsets are going to get in this regard in the not-too-distant future.
Apple steers clear of Mobile World Congress now – though that wasn’t always the case – but Google usually makes an appearance to promote Android and support its partners. We won’t get any major Android news, but there might be one or two software updates or new apps mentioned; plenty of app makers and developers are going to be in attendance at MWC 2023.
Speaking of Apple, the satellite tech that it has added to the iPhone 14 will most probably see a response from the mobile companies who are at MWC this year. Satellite connectivity and satellite messaging are likely to be on the agenda, giving us an idea of how we might be communicating without cell signal or Wi-Fi on the phones of the future.
6G and networking
5G is so 2022 (Image credit: MWC)
There’s a lot that goes on at Mobile World Congress that isn’t terribly exciting to humble consumers – supply chain deals, infrastructure upgrades and so on – but what this means at our end is hopefully cheaper tech and faster speeds. We haven’t heard much about 6G just yet, but that might be about to change at MWC 2023.
You might be thinking that the 5G speeds that you’re getting on your phone – if you’re getting them at all – aren’t good enough yet for us to even think about 6G right now, but this is part of what MWC 2023 is about: previewing future tech. We wouldn’t be surprised if we hear news of some 6G testing and theoretical upload and download rates.
Don’t panic, 5G fans, because there’ll be plenty in the way of news and updates about the existing technology too, whether that’s in terms of expanding coverage, better connection speeds for phones, or cheaper internal components that can maintain a high-speed link without using up quite so much battery life.
VR companies will be out in force at MWC (Image credit: MWC)
Virtual reality headsets count as mobile tech, and you’ll notice that MWC tech roundups are often accompanied by shots of people wearing weird and wonderful boxes on their heads. Just about all of the big names in VR and AR are going to be at MWC, even though there might not be many major new product unveilings.
Mobile World Congress is often a time for smaller tech companies to shine, and that could well be the case when it comes to realities virtual, augmented, and mixed. Look out for innovative new gadgets from manufacturers that aren’t so well known, as well as improvements in the underlying hardware technologies.
There are plenty of metaverse-related talks and discussions happening at MWC 2023 – so even if consumers aren’t completely sold on the idea at the moment, those who work in the mobile industry are still keen to push it. As always, we’ll pick out the news that’s actually newsworthy to share with you.
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has been in the news for a couple of months now. AI — or artificial intelligence — has become a part of the mainstream conversations and OpenAI can take a lot of credit for it. However, OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman is looking beyond AI and talking about AGI or artificial general intelligence. In a blog post, Altman detailed his views on AGI. Altman believes that if AGI is successfully created, “this technology could help us elevate humanity by increasing abundance, turbocharging the global economy, and aiding in the discovery of new scientific knowledge that changes the limits of possibility.” In the blog post, he says that AGI has the potential to give “everyone incredible new capabilities”. He said that OpenAI wants the benefits of, access to, and governance of AGI to be widely and fairly shared. Altman further said that AGI would also come with serious risks of misuse, drastic accidents, and societal disruption. “Because the upside of AGI is so great, we do not believe it is possible or desirable for society to stop its development forever; instead, society and the developers of AGI have to figure out how to get it right,” he noted.
In the last few months, there have been a lot of questions raised over the ethical use of AI in the world of academia. People have also questioned whether the use of AI could have a detrimental effect on certain jobs and if there is a need to tread with caution. On being cautious with AI, Altman does agree with that. As a company, Altman said that OpenAI is becoming increasingly cautious with the creation and deployment of its models. “Our decisions will require much more caution than society usually applies to new technologies, and more caution than many users would like,” he added.
Twitter has reportedly seen another round of layoffs. Micro blogging platform Twitter has seen massive job cuts ever since it was acquired by Tesla CEO Elon Musk for $44 billion in October 2022. The layoffs have been global and affected the company’s employees worldwide. In November 2022, the company laid off nearly 3,700 employees in a cost-cutting measure taken by Musk. He claimed that Twitter was experiencing a “massive drop in revenue” as advertisers stopped spending amid concerns about content moderation. New job cuts at Twitter In the latest round of job cuts at Twitter, the affected team include those working in ad sales, app and technology infrastructure. The latest round of job cuts are said to have reduced the company’s workforce count to around 2,000. The company has not officially confirmed these layoffs. Twitter users can soon earn money from the social media platform Musk recently said that the social media platform is “spinning up subscriptions” for users to “charge” their followers for specific content. The new Twitter Blue subscription includes a feature that allows users to post long tweets of up to 4,000 characters. This feature can be a good opportunity for users to earn money off their followers on the micro-blogging site.
Apart from this, the company also announced that it will no longer allow non-Twitter Blue users to access the text message-based two-factor authentication (2FA) method, after March 20. Moreover, Twitter Blue users will also see 50% fewer ads in their home timelines. Earlier in February, Twitter confirmed that it will charge Rs 650 per month for its Blue service with verification on the web. The company also confirmed that the subscription will cost Rs 900 for Android and iOS mobile device users in India. However, the long tweet feature with Twitter Blue subscriptions will be available in the US.
The CEO of chip giant AMD has said that the high-performance computing (HPC) industry needs to start becoming significantly more efficient, or it will need to turn to nuclear energy.
AMD CPU and GPU performance typically double every 2.4 years which is good progress by any means, but power efficiency has not seen such considerable improvements.
Speaking at International Solid-State Circuits Conference, Dr Lisa Su noted that with zettaflop HPCs on the horizon, we should turn our attention to performance per unit of energy in order to make zettaflop computation a reality.
Going nuclear
According to current trends and assuming that progress doesn’t slow down, AMD reckons that zettaflop computation could be here in about a decade (although Intel reckons it could be here in about half that time).
The reality is that when they arrive isn’t as important as when they will become available on a usable, energy-efficient scale.
Currently, Su generously estimates that an HPC capable of performance measurable in zettaflops would use 500MW of power, or the equivalent of several thousand homes. To provide such power, consistently and reliably, it’s likely that a nuclear reactor would be required.
While there have been noticeable improvements to efficiency in previous decades, progress is beginning to slow as the room for further improvements diminishes.
“This flattening of efficiency becomes the largest challenge that we have to solve, both from a technology standpoint as well as from a sustainability standpoint,” said Su.
She explained that compute efficiency should become the number one priority in order to solve the problem. While our existing means have slowed down, Su explained that there could be other solutions including employing artificial intelligence and machine learning to high-performance computing.
While there could be a nominal sacrifice to accuracy, working on improving this could be the way forward. Whichever combination of methods AMD and other companies ultimately use to deliver performance improvements, it’s clear that the journey between the first zettaflop-capable HPC and real-world use is likely to be a long one.
