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Canadians dodged disappointment with Nothing Phone (1) – MobileSyrup

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In keeping with the trend of making much ado about Nothing, it seems pertinent to point out that Canadian smartphone fans may have dodged disappointment thanks to Nothing not releasing its upcoming Phone (1) here.

That’s not to say Canadians would be better served by less choice when it comes to smartphones. I’d argue more choice is better, especially in an era where smartphone companies are increasingly disappearing. LG is gone, HTC emerges once every few years with a new scam crypto phone, and Motorola only seems to launch a few budget or mid-range options each year in Canada.

Until Nothing revealed its first new smartphone, the Phone (1), wouldn’t come to Canada, I was looking forward to its arrival. Admittedly, I probably got a little lost in the hype. The phone is exciting — it features a unique look, and it’s new and flashy.

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But as we’ve learned more about the Nothing Phone (1), I’ve found myself thinking that it’s maybe a good thing the first iteration will skip Canada.

Flagship hype for a stylish mid-ranger

Image credit: MKBHD

Most recently, Nothing confirmed that the Phone (1) runs a “custom-tuned” Snapdragon 778G+ chip. As previously reported, the 778G+ is really just a 778G with wireless charging capabilities. The thing is, the 778G (and by extension the 778G+) is a mid-range chip. There’s nothing wrong with mid-range chips, but Nothing’s hype machine has painted the Phone (1) as a flagship. People coming to the Phone (1) with that expectation might find themselves disappointed.

The thing is, Nothing’s Phone (1) will need to contend with some of the biggest players in the market to make any headway. It’s a big challenge, and a market like Canada’s makes it even harder to overcome.

Canada’s smartphone market isn’t big, at least compared to some other countries. As per StatsCan, about 85 percent of Canadians had a smartphone for personal use in 2020. Recent population estimates (also from StatsCan) put Canada at about 38.6 million, meaning roughly 32.8 million Canadians have smartphones. Emphasis on the ‘roughly,’ since the 85 percent comes from 2020 and numbers have likely shifted since then. Coupled with 2019 data that suggests Canada has a nearly equal split between Android and iOS use (46 to 53 percent, respectively, but I’m rounding here to make the math a bit easier) and you’ve got maybe 16.4 million potential customers for the Phone (1).

And since I can already hear the furious typing coming from the comments section, I want to acknowledge that this is just quick, back-of-the-napkin math. It’s not about the numbers so much as that Canada is a small market in the grand scheme of things (Apple and Samsung sold an estimated 239 million and 272 million smartphones, respectively, in 2021).

Obviously, Nothing isn’t going to move that many Phone (1) units, nor should anyone expect it to with its first-ever phone. Instead, if Nothing launched Phone (1) in Canada, it’d be signing up to fight for a fraction of an already small market, and it’d be doing so with virtually no backup (read: carriers).

We’ve been here before

Essential Phone

Sound familiar? That’s because we’ve seen this before from brands like OnePlus and Essential. You still can’t buy OnePlus phones from Canadian carriers, while Essential’s PH-1 was only available through Telus at launch. Yes, OnePlus has had considerable success, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone outside of tech circles that’s familiar with the brand.

Anecdotally, I used to work at a smartphone shop before I started writing for MobileSyrup. Nearly every customer I had was there to buy a new iPhone or new Samsung Galaxy, usually because their current iPhone or Samsung phone was broken or old. It was rare that a customer would show interest in a phone from another brand (I did have the occasional Pixel convert, though). The Essential Phone was available at the store I worked at too, but I don’t remember ever selling one even after it was steeply discounted at the end of its run.

Although I never owned an Essential Phone, I liked the device and always thought it was really unique. It was disappointing to see the phone come to Canada and languish in obscurity. Also, it’s worth noting Nothing scooped up what remained of Essential last year.

Need more than hardware gimmicks

So, breaking into the Canadian smartphone market is hard. You don’t need carriers to do it, but even if you have them, it might not help. Moreover, to get people to switch, you really need something to draw them in. Hardware gimmicks won’t cut it (as cool as those LED glyphs are). If I had to guess, the secret might be OnePlus’ anti-flagship tactic — the company garnered a lot of press by offering flagship smartphones at rock-bottom prices. That caught people’s attention and was enough to pull some away from the carrier upgrade pipeline.

Nothing’s Phone (1) doesn’t have that. Rumours point to the price being low, but that’s because it’s a mid-range device, not a flagship. Unfortunately, high-quality, mid-range devices exist in Canada from known brands — Apple’s iPhone SE, Google’s Pixel A-Series, and Samsung’s Galaxy A line, for example. Plus, those all have the benefit of being available from Canadian carriers.

With all this said, I think Nothing’s plan to skip Canada and the U.S. is the right play. Sure, it sucks for smartphone fans, but it also gives Nothing a chance to prove itself in less harsh markets. Maybe with some success attached to its name, Nothing could break through in Canada. Either way, Canadians dodge disappointment.

Image credit: Nothing

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Huawei's new Kirin 9010 brings minor CPU improvements – GSMArena.com news – GSMArena.com

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Huawei announced the Pura 70 series today, and once again offered no details regarding the chipsets. However, early benchrmarks confirmed they feature a new platform called Kirin 9010, which has an 8-core CPU, identified by apps as 12-core unit due to hyperthreading.

Hyperthreading is nothing new in the chipset industry, as the Taishan cores have been supporting the technology for some time; it has been part of the Kirin 9000s and now is a part of the 9010 as well.

First Geekbench results revealed a minor improvement in raw performance, coming from slightly faster core speeds. The numbers show improvement single digit percentage improvements in both single core and multi core tests.

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Kirin 9000S on Geekbench

Kirin 9010 vs Kirin 9000S on Geekbench

The actual octa-core combination of Kirin 9010 is as follows: one 2.30 GHz Taishan Big, three 2.18 GHz Taishan Mid and four 1.55 GHz Cortex-A510. The GPU remains Maleoon 910 at 750 MHz.

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'Kingdom Come: Deliverance II' Revealed In Epic New Trailer And It Looks Incredible – Forbes

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“You can save the world, or you can help punish it for its sins.” That’s the crux of Warhorse Studio’s “behemoth” of a sequel to 2018’s Kingdom Come: Deliverance. The sequel, which is slated for release later this year on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PS5 will be bigger, more fun, filled with adventure and more diverse thanks to its setting in the 15th century Bohemian city of Kuttenberg a city that creative director Daniel Vavra says is “really big, it’s even too big in my opinion.”

New weapons like the crossbow and primitive firearms will also make their debut in the continued story of the squire Henry (Tom McKay) and the knight he accompanies, Hans Capon (Luke Dale) as they leave the country behind.

Here’s the trailer, which features gameplay, cinematics and discussion from the actors and developers. Be sure to watch until the end to see the bit about the music. A full choir and orchestra in a beautiful Eastern European cathedral? Just gorgeous.

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“What we are making now is what it was supposed to be in the beginning, but we weren’t able to do it because we didn’t have enough resources and experiences and all that stuff,” Vavra says in the video. “We’ve proven the concept works, so now we can take it to another level, which is what we always wanted.”

“This is a behemoth of a game in comparison to the first. In my opinion I think it’s got so much more energy and pace and adventure and action and fun and trial and tribulation and everything you can want,” McKay says in the video.

The game will be “much bigger in scope” with a more in-depth story and a world roughly twice the size of the first. The story has evolved from a small-scale conflict to one about “the problem with kings,” Vavra says.

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Kingdom Come Deliverance II, like the first game, is not a fantasy RPG like Skyrim or The Witcher, but one that attempts to create a historically accurate world down to the weapons, costumes, locations and people. There are no magicians or dragons or elves here—but there will be plenty of adventure, exploration and knight errantry.

Pretty exciting!

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Save $700 Off This 4K Projector at Amazon While You Still Can – CNET

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While it’s true that high-end TVs seem to be getting ever bigger, they still can’t compete with the best projectors when it comes to image size. If you choose a good 4K projector you’ll even get top-notch image quality as well. Right now you can pick one of those projectors up and save a whopping $700 to boot. That’s possible thanks to an Amazon deal that slashes the Xgimi Horizon Pro projector’s price to just $999, a return to its best price ever there. This deal doesn’t require you to enter any pesky codes or clip any coupons, but these kinds of limited-time deals also don’t have a published end date which means that this discount could end at any minute and without warning — be sure to keep that in mind.

The Xgimi Horizon Pro 4K has a ton of features that make it a great option for anyone looking to upgrade their old projector or make the jump from a big-screen TV. The 4K resolution and support for HDR ensure you’ll get a great picture, while the ultra-bright 1,500 ISO lumens mean you won’t find yourself squinting at a dark image. Other features of note include auto keystone correction and an autofocus capability. And we didn’t even get to the fact that this projector can generate a 200-inch image yet, either.

Looking to enjoy content without the hassle of wires? This projector has Android TV built in so you can enjoy any of the more than 5,000 Google Play apps while Chomecast support is built-in as well.

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Alternatively, the Xgimi Halo Plus projector is our top pick for a portable 1080p projector, making it great for camping trips and more — and right now a 23% discount means you can get one for just $650. Finally, the Xgimi MoGo2 is another protector designed to help you want content on the go and now it’s available at almost its best price yet at just $250.

Not sure that a projector is for you but still want to enjoy a great picture? Our list of the best OLED TV deals is just the ticket.



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