Oppo has confirmed that the Find N5 — a foldable phone barely thicker than a USB-C port — will launch worldwide at the same time as its China debut in two weeks. A US launch is unlikely under the Oppo banner, but a release later in the year as the OnePlus Open 2 is plausible.
Confirmed specs include IPX9 water-resistance, a Snapdragon 8 Elite, and 50W wireless charging.
Asus just launched its first ‘Fan Edition’ phone, in Thailand only for now, and unlike Samsung’s stripped back FE handsets the ROG Phone 9 FE doesn’t give up much. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip is slightly slower than the regular model’s 8 Elite, and at 5,500mAh the battery is a bit smaller, but everything else is the same.
That also means it appears similar to the leaked Zenfone 12 Ultra, which launches tomorrow.
Samsung stripped Bluetooth features from the stylus in the Galaxy S25 Ultra as a cost-cutting measure, citing a survey reporting only one percent of users took advantage of the Bluetooth controls and Air Actions anyway.
It’s a cut to Samsung’s costs though, not users’ — the company is selling its official replacement S25 Ultra S Pens for $49.99, the exact same price as last year’s Bluetooth versions.
[samsung.com]
Adweek reports media buyers and marketers are “eager” to test the new ad features on Threads, hoping for new audiences and lower ad costs. Ads launched with a “handful of brands” last month.
Advertisers don’t seem deterred by Meta’s much publicized loosening of its content moderation policies, even as X expands a lawsuit against advertisers it says boycotted the network over fears for brand safety after Elon Musk’s takeover.
New images of the flagship don’t leave much to the imagination. It’s apparently based closely on the ROG Phone 9 Pro, with the same Snapdragon 8 Elite, gimbal-stabilized camera, and a 3.5mm headphone jack that pushes the USB-C port awkwardly to one side. The Zenfone adopts a smaller 5,500mAh battery and a simpler design though.
We’ll know the rest when it launches on February 6th.
