XDA

samedi 22 janvier 2022

What is Wordle, and how do I play it on my phone?

If you’ve been remotely active on Twitter in the past couple of weeks, you’re sure to have encountered colored boxes on your timeline accompanied by the text Wordle. You’re either super intrigued to know what it’s all about or annoyed to the point where you’ve muted the word. Nonetheless, it’s a trend that has taken the internet by storm. If you too want to jump onto the bandwagon to tackle your FOMO, we’ll tell you everything about Wordle and how you can play this game on your smartphone.

Navigate this article:

What is Wordle?
Why has Wordle become so popular?
How to play Wordle?
Wordle alternatives on Android/iOS
Wordle Tips and Tricks

What is Wordle?

Wordle is a web-based word game that refreshes every day. The aim of the puzzle is to guess the word of the day. You get six tries to guess a five-letter word with color-coded boxes to help you place letters in the right positions. We’ll talk more about the nuances of the game and how to play it in the subsequent sections of this article. To give you a basic understanding of Wordle, you can think of it as a puzzle that gives you a new challenge every day.

Wordle rules

Josh Wardle, a software engineer, created the game for his wife who was hooked to word games like Spelling Bee and Crossword. The name of the game is unsurprisingly a wordplay on Josh’s last name. While the game was initially meant just for the couple to play, it was made public in October 2021 and started to get traction in the subsequent weeks thanks to the power of social media FOMO. The idea behind Wordle seems to be similar to that of a British game show called Lingo.

Of course, unlike the game show, you don’t win any money for guessing the right word on Wordle. What you win, though, is bragging rights for the number of turns you took to arrive at the right word. Wordle is played via a website that has no ads and its success is purely based on word of mouth. The fact that millions of users are playing the game all over the world intrigued by a random set of green boxes on a social media platform seems like just the kind of marketing Wordle needed to become popular! Think of it as Among Us for the Omicron wave, as the peak in the game’s popularity coincided with the recent COVID lockdowns, giving people reasons to find creative ways to spend their time indoors.

Why has Wordle become so popular?

What makes Wordle so interesting is that it’s available to play just once a day. The anticipation to play the game again the next day is what brings users back to it. It’s also not very time-consuming as you only get six attempts to solve the puzzle, and how much time you spend per attempt is dependent on your English vocabulary. Given that a new word is available every morning, it’s also a great way to churn your brain and begin the day on a high. The fact that the same word is available to everyone all over the world also brings in an element of unison.

I’ve seen several people mentioning how a dormant group on WhatsApp suddenly became active after Wordle started gaining popularity. It’s good to see that a simple internet game can be a conversation starter while also adding a hint of competition to see who can guess the word in the least number of attempts.

Our school friends group has turned in a wordle group. It used to be that useless Good morning flower group… but it’s a bright and better change!

— Giridhar (@cgiridhar) January 21, 2022

Another reason for Wordle to become so popular is the boxes you see on Twitter. Multiple well-known personalities on Twitter have shared their Wordle scores on the platform. As a result, a bunch of their followers would also have tried the game and that’s how the word spreads. Alright, now that you know what Wordle is all about and how it came to being, let’s try solving our first Wordle together!

How to play Wordle?

The best and the “official” way to play Wordle is by heading to the website — https://www.powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle/ either on your computer or a smartphone. Once you’re on the website, you will see 5 columns and 6 rows followed by an on-screen keyboard. The 5 columns indicate that you need to guess a five-letter word while the 6 rows mean you have 6 chances to guess the right word.

Wordle Blank

The game begins when you start with your first guess. Your first guess can be any random five-letter word, but there are various strategies you can apply here. The most popular one is beginning with a word that has as many vowels as possible. The idea here is that most words in the English language have at least one vowel. If you start with a word that has multiple vowels, there’s a good chance you’ll get at least one letter right in the word. Examples of five-letter words with multiple vowels are AUDIO, ADIEU, AURAE, IRATE, RAISE, AROSE, etc. Let’s start with AROSE for this tutorial. Input the word and hit Enter.

Wordle round 1

You will now see that the background of all the letters you entered has changed. Some letters may have a green background, others may have a yellow or gray background. This is the important bit that you need to understand. If a box has turned green, it indicates that you’ve guessed the right letter in the right position. In this case, the letter R has turned green which means R is the second letter in the word. If a box turns yellow, which it hasn’t in this case, it means that the letter is right, but it’s not in the correct position in the word. If a box is gray, it means the letter isn’t present in the word.
Now, keeping in mind that R is the right letter in the right place, think of another word with R as the second letter. Also, make sure that the word you think of doesn’t have any of the gray letters. In this case, you need to think of a word that doesn’t have the letters A, O, S, E. If a letter turned yellow, make sure to use the same letter but in a different position from your initial guess.
Let’s now try the word DRINK.

Wordle second guess

As you can see, we have three green squares now which means the letters R, I, K are correct and in the right positions. The letters D, N are not present in the word. We just have to guess two more letters now to arrive at the correct word. Think of the different permutations and combinations of letters that you can come up with to form a word with these letters. The possible combinations I can think of are BRICK, PRICK, TRICK. Let’s try TRICK.

Trick as third guess

Alright, we’ve now got the last 4 letters of the word as RICK. Let’s try the other combinations from the previous step.

Brick fourth guess

Since B has turned gray, the only other possible guess I could think of is PRICK.

Wordle final guess

That’s it, we’ve successfully guessed the right word! Congratulations on solving your first Wordle!

It took us five attempts to solve the Wordle which is the number you see accompanying the boxes in tweets. Wordle (5/6) indicates that we guessed the word in five attempts out of 6. Once you’ve guessed the word, you will be shown your statistics along with the option to share your performance. Social media shares also mention a number besides Wordle, which is just how many daily Wordles have been there so far, so you can compare your performance on the same number with others.

Statistics

If you choose to share it on Twitter, the game will automatically create those colored boxes for you based on your guesses along with the number of guesses. You can also see the time remaining for the next word displayed here. Once the timer elapses, you can come back to the same page and try guessing the new word.

Share Wordle

While having a rich English vocabulary does help, luck also plays a big factor in determining whether or not you’ll be able to guess the right word. Nevertheless, the objective of the game is to have fun so guess your way to the top, tweet your scores, share them with your friends, and challenge them to get the word in lesser attempts!

Wordle alternatives on Android/iOS

The original Wordle game can be played only via the website mentioned above, and it is quite convenient to simply bookmark the website and play through your phone browser. Some people may prefer playing on an app instead. There were some cloned versions of the game turned into apps going by the same name — Wordle. Those have been taken down now but there still are some word-based puzzle games that can work as alternatives on both the Google Play Store as well as the Apple App Store.

Primel

Hannah Park has created an open-source version of Wordle that developers can now make use of to create their own variations of the game. Twitter user DavidLawrenceMiller has taken advantage of this and created a mathematical version of the game — Primel. Instead of guessing words like you would on Wordle, you take chances to guess a five-digit prime number on Primel. This is meant to be a tongue-in-cheek take on Wordle, but if you would rather scratch your head finding prime factors of a number than revising your vocab, this could be your thing!

Word Bound

Word Bound is a word-based puzzle game that is similar to Wordle. You need to guess the right word using various combinations. There are multiple levels and you can even play online against your friends. The game claims to have over 1,000 puzzles with a daily word challenge. If you want something more extensive than Wordle since the latter only allows you to play once a day, you can check this game out.

Wordle Unlimited - Word Games (Free⁺, Google Play) →

Scrabble Go

Scrabble is one of the most popular word games across the globe. You are given a board on which you need to make words using the available letters. You get a certain number of points for each word that you make. You can play offline or against a friend, and the person with the most number of points wins. It’s a fun game that’s different from Wordle but still revolves around making words.

Scrabble® GO-Classic Word Game (Free⁺, Google Play) →

Wordlets

This is a proper replica of Wordle but in an app form for iOS devices. Wordlets gives you the same amount of guesses to arrive at a five-letter word as Wordle and with the exact same layout. This app is for those who want to play the exact same game but on an app instead of on the website.

Wordly

Wordly is a game on iOS that displays a 4×4 box with different letters. You have to draw lines inside the box to connect various letters to form a meaningful word. This is a slightly different take on a word game and I’m glad that it brings something unique to the table instead of being a blatant copy of an already existing game.

Wordle Tips and Tricks

Wordle is a pretty straightforward game. You just have to guess the right word in six attempts. However, there are some tips and tricks for Wordle that can improve your experience while playing the game. A basic tip as already mentioned earlier is to start off with a word that covers a lot of vowels or frequently used letters in the English alphabet. Letters like S, T, A, E, I, R are frequently used and hence, might give you a good start with a few yellow or green squares.

This isn’t really a trick but an Easter Egg present on Google when you search for Wordle. When you enter Wordle on Google and hit the Search button, you will see an animation resembling how Wordle works. Neat!

The next trick involves going back in time (at least, on your phone’s clock) and playing Wordle with past words. Technically, Wordle can only be played once a day. There’s a new word every day and once you’ve guessed that, you have to wait for the timer to reset before playing the game again with a new word. However, if you’re new to Wordle and want to guess the previous days’ words, there’s a small hack discovered by Reddit user r/pompeusz. All you need to do is change the date on your smartphone to a day in the past and open the website. You will now be able to play that day’s Wordle.

Using this trick LeagueBright9916 has created a Wordle Archive where you can play all 215 Wordles till now in random order. This is a great way to pass time if you’ve already solved the current puzzle and want to get the hang of the game by guessing older words.

Another basic trick is to tap on the small gear icon on the top-right corner to access some settings. You can enable/disable dark mode from here, along with the option to change the color scheme if you’re colorblind. You can also toggle a Hard Mode if you want the game to be more challenging.

That’s pretty much everything you need to know about the latest fad on social media — Wordle! If you haven’t played the game yet, start today by heading over to the link and following the tutorial above. If you’re unsure of what to do or are stuck somewhere, feel free to leave a comment below. It’s quite addictive though, so tread with caution!

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vendredi 21 janvier 2022

OnePlus 9RT Review: A solid package overshadowed by fierce competition

Over the years, OnePlus had cemented its place in the Indian market as a brand catering to enthusiasts. It didn’t take long for OnePlus to achieve the premium tag thanks in large to top-end specifications and more importantly, clean software. OxygenOS was a fan favorite due to multiple reasons — it felt close to stock Android, had fast animations, and was fairly feature-rich. In fact, OxygenOS became one of the key selling points of a OnePlus device. It wasn’t the case for long, though, since the OnePlus-OPPO merger meant that the beloved OxygenOS was now getting the ColorOS treatment.

While OnePlus received a lot of backlash for this move, it didn’t stop the brand from making good phones that continued its legacy of speed. The OnePlus Nord 2 is a solid mid-range option and the OnePlus 10 Pro also looks promising. While we wait for the latter to arrive in India, OnePlus has launched the successor to its affordable flagship from last year — the OnePlus 9RT. When the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro launched last year, OnePlus also unveiled the OnePlus 9R in India targeted towards mobile gamers. It was a cheaper alternative that had the previous year’s flagship chipset.

OnePlus 9RT front

The OnePlus 9RT carries over the same legacy. It packs in the Snapdragon 888 from last year and is made specifically for mobile gamers who don’t want to spend too much but also don’t want to compromise on speed, while also looking for a phone that doesn’t go overboard on its “gamer aesthetic”. While you don’t get the coveted OxygenOS anymore, the performance DNA from previous OnePlus phones carries over to the OnePlus 9RT making it a Really Tempting option for gaming. But, is there more to the phone than just raw performance? Is it also a good option for a standard user who doesn’t play games on their phone? Let’s answer those questions.

About this review: OnePlus India sent us the OnePlus 9RT and the device was used for a period of ten days before writing this review. OnePlus did not have any input into the contents of this review.

OnePlus 9RT: Specifications

Specification	OnePlus 9RT
Build	Glass back Metallic frame
Dimensions & Weight	163.2 x 73.2 x 8.7mm 197g
Display	6.62-inch FHD+ Samsung E4 AMOLED 120Hz refresh rate 600Hz touch sampling rate 1300nits peak brightness 1000000:1 contrast ratio 100% DCI-P3 coverage HDR10+
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 1x Kryo 680 (ARM Cortex X1-based) Prime core @ 2.84GHz 3x Kryo 680 (ARM Cortex A78-based) Performance cores @ 2.4GHz 4x Kryo 680 (ARM Cortex A55-based) Efficiency cores @ 1.8GHz Adreno 660 GPU
RAM & Storage	8GB/12GB LPDDR5 RAM 128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 storage
Battery & Charging	4,500mAh 65W fast charging support
Security	In-display fingerprint scanner
Rear Camera(s)	Primary: 50MP Sony IMX 766, f/1.8, OIS Ultra-wide: 16MP, f/2.2 Macro: 2MP, f/2.4
Front Camera(s)	16MP, f/2.4
Port(s)	USB Type-C
Audio	Stereo speakers
Connectivity	5G LTE Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.1 NFC GPS/A-GPS
Software	OxygenOS 11 based on Android 11
Other Features	Large vapor chamber for cooling

Build and Design

OnePlus 9RT back

When I mentioned initially that OnePlus had attained the premium tag in India, it wasn’t only about what was under the hood. Externally too, OnePlus has been doing a great job with the way its phones look and feel. Right from the beginning, OnePlus has tried doing something different, be it the sandstone back on the OnePlus One or the Silk White finish on the OnePlus 6. The OnePlus 9RT also gets the same premium treatment in the design department.

This is one of the best black-colored phones I've used recently

The phone is available in two color options — Hacker Black and Nano Silver. For what it’s worth, both these finishes are similar to what we saw on the flagship OnePlus 9 Pro from last year. OnePlus sent me the Hacker Black variant of the device and boy, does it feel great to look at and hold! It’s got a silky texture on the back that feels great to hold and when light falls on it, you almost see a velvet-like pattern. It’s hard to describe exactly how the phone looks, but this is one of the best black-colored phones I’ve used recently.

OnePlus 9RT design

Black is generally considered a boring color on smartphones since its ubiquitous. Full marks to OnePlus here for making the black color stand out. The camera module has a slightly different finish but it matches the rest of the back very well. The rings around the camera also have a darker chrome finish that gives the phone an elegant look. The back is made of glass with aluminum side rails that also have a black paint job.

Apart from the good-looking back, OnePlus has also done a good job with the weight distribution on the OnePlus 9RT. The phone doesn’t feel heavy even when you’re using it with one hand. The alert slider, one of OnePlus’ hallmark features is present on the right edge and works as intended. The phone has a dual-SIM slot and a dual speaker setup. OnePlus also bundles a case inside the box that’s different from the traditional clear cases manufacturers provide. It’s still a TPU case but a matte black one that provides basic protection. It’s rather slippery and feels cheap, thus spoiling the premium look of the phone. I recommend getting a better aftermarket case.

OnePlus 9RT case

The OnePlus 9RT feels like a premium high-end smartphone

The attractive back coupled with a solid mid-frame and good weight distribution means that the OnePlus 9RT feels like a premium high-end smartphone. I’m glad that OnePlus hasn’t made any compromises in this department, especially at this price point.

Display

OnePlus 9RT Display

This is another department that’s in favor of OnePlus. The OnePlus 9RT uses a Samsung E4 AMOLED display measuring 6.62-inches. It is a Full HD+ panel with a refresh rate of 120Hz. While the refresh rate is quite standard, the touch sampling rate of the display is 300Hz which can further increase to 600Hz in supported games. This is massive since competitive gamers need the added advantage of registering a touch as fast as possible.

Anybody buying this phone will be absolutely content with the display

During my usage, I could actually tell that the phone was registering touches faster while gaming at 600Hz. If you play a lot of games and want to get into the e-sports arena, you’re going to have a slight edge with the OnePlus 9RT’s display. Apart from the refresh rate and touch sampling rate, the quality of the display itself is fantastic. The colors look great, the contrast levels are excellent, and there’s little to no color-shift and viewing the display off-axis. Anybody buying this phone will be absolutely content with the display and the media consumption experience.

Display brightness

You can also enjoy watching your favorite shows and movies in HDR on Netflix with the peak brightness hitting 1300 nits. The phone has Widevine L1 certification, so there’s no resolution cap on streaming platforms. While the 1300 nits value can be achieved only while consuming HDR content, the display is adequately bright even without that boost. I had no problems viewing the display outdoors either. One thing I observed is that the OnePlus 9RT comes with a pre-installed screen protector that gets smudged easily and ruins your experience. I would suggest getting rid of it and it replacing it with a good quality tempered glass screen protector.

In-display fingerprint scanner

The OLED display houses an in-display fingerprint scanner under the panel which is both fast and accurate. The position of the scanner is slightly lower than I would’ve wanted and it took a couple of days for me to get used to it. I would’ve liked it if it would have been slightly higher since that would be the natural resting position for my thumb.

OnePlus 9RT: Performance and Software

Performance and Software

OnePlus is marketing this phone as a performance powerhouse and the OnePlus 9RT actually lives up to it. I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I said that this is one of the best-performing Snapdragon 888 phones I’ve used. Of course, the chipset by itself packs in a lot of punch, but OnePlus has done a few additional things to ensure you get the best performance out of the hardware on this phone. While the Snapdragon 888 was one of the most powerful chipsets of last year, some phones with the SoC exhibited thermal buildup with prolonged usage.

This is one of the best-performing Snapdragon 888 phones I've used

The OnePlus 9RT tackles that with a large vapor chamber for cooling. I ran BGMI at Smooth + Extreme graphics and had no signs of throttling even with prolonged gameplay. The phone performed consistently even on Call of Duty Mobile. The fact that you can push the Snapdragon 888 chip to its limits while not impacting sustained performance is a great sign, especially for gamers who spend long hours at a stretch.

OnePlus 9RT UI

The vapor chamber seems to be making a difference

The vapor chamber seems to be making a difference. Another aspect that makes a difference is the high touch sampling rate that I already talked about. It just makes the entire experience feel smoother when you’re gaming. The third aspect that contributes to good performance is the software. Now, of course, OxygenOS isn’t what it used to be, but it’s still nimble and well-optimized.

There’s a dedicated gaming mode to boost performance along with additional perks like mistouch prevention. The OnePlus 9RT has three Wi-Fi antennas instead of two which should help with better network reception. When you combine these features, the OnePlus 9RT is an excellent option for mobile gamers. It does get warm to the touch, but the performance of the phone does not get affected which is important.

ColorOS Settings

OxygenOS isn't what it used to be, but it's still nimble and well-optimized

Coming back to the software, you will see a lot of ColorOS elements in the UI like the camera app and multiple options in the Settings app. This doesn’t impact the usability of the phone, though, since everything flies through the UI just like it did on older OnePlus phones. I did not encounter any bugs either during my usage. What’s slightly disappointing is that being a premium phone, the OnePlus 9RT still runs Android 11 out of the box despite being launched in 2022.

OnePlus does promise 3 Android version updates and 4 years of security patches, but that’s technically only two more years of Android updates since Android 12 should be out for the device any day now. Ideally, the phone should have launched with Android 12 with a promise of three additional version updates. The OnePlus 9R from last year will also get the same amount of updates as the OnePlus 9RT which isn’t justified since the 9RT has just been launched.

Cameras

OnePlus 9RT Cameras

The recent generation of OnePlus phones has improved considerably in the camera department. The OnePlus 9R last year had underwhelming cameras but the OnePlus 9, 9 Pro, Nord 2, and now the OnePlus 9RT have substantially improved camera systems. The primary sensor on the OnePlus 9RT is the IMX 766 which is the same 50MP sensor used on the ultra-wide camera on the OnePlus 9 Pro. It’s paired with a 16MP ultra-wide camera and a 2MP macro lens.

Shots from the OnePlus 9RT look great in terms of color reproduction but the dynamic range could have been better. Shadows tend to get crushed especially if there’s not a lot of light in the scene you’re capturing. The shots are detailed for the most part at the center of the frame but get softer as you move to the corners. I’m not a big fan of the way the OnePlus 9RT captures skin tones. It tends to add a slightly reddish tinge that’s not very pleasing.

When you move to low-light situations, the OnePlus 9RT’s primary shooter holds its own and captures images with a good amount of detail with Night Mode enabled. The images aren’t very noisy thanks to ISO levels staying low, but I would have liked to see slightly better colors. The camera leans towards warmer color temperatures in low-light situations. The ultra-wide camera is good in daylight but starts to get noisy at night. There’s a noticeable difference in the color parity between the two lenses which isn’t ideal.

Cameras

The cameras have improved considerably but are still not flagship-grade

Selfies haven’t looked great on OnePlus devices for a while now and that’s, unfortunately, the case with the OnePlus 9RT as well. The OnePlus 9 Pro clicked selfies which were soft and did not depict skin tones that well. The same can be said about the OnePlus 9RT. This is even more apparent in low-light conditions. The 2MP macro camera is there when you need it but the images it took look sort of muddy.

The OnePlus 9RT has a good set of cameras that have considerably improved from the last-gen OnePlus 9R. However, they’re still not flagship-grade and something like the Xiaomi 11T Pro would serve you better if your primary requirement is a great set of cameras.

Battery Life and Charging

Battery Life

The OnePlus 9RT has a 4,500mAh battery which gave me about 5-5.5 hours of screen-on time on average. That’s good, but nothing extraordinary. If you play a lot of games, you will end up draining the battery faster. This is a one-day battery phone at best. But for when you are running low on juice, OnePlus gives you a 65W charger in the box that can top-up the phone from around 5% to 100% in 32 minutes in my experience. That’s pretty good since you gain a considerable amount of charge even with a short break while you’re gaming.

This is a one-day battery phone at best

There’s no wireless charging on the OnePlus 9RT which is no surprise since the Indian version of the OnePlus 9 didn’t have it either. I would’ve liked to see a 5,000mAh battery on this phone which would probably have resulted in much better endurance. The battery life isn’t bad, but a phone that’s targeted towards gamers ought to last longer.

Verdict: Should you buy the OnePlus 9RT?

OnePlus branding

The OnePlus 9RT starts at ₹42,999 (~$580) in India, which if you read the performance section of this review, is a tempting deal for gamers. You’re getting last year’s flagship chipset, a premium design, an excellent display, a good set of cameras, and 65W fast charging. However, Xiaomi just launched the Xiaomi 11T Pro in India which also gets the same Snapdragon 888 chipset but comes with a bunch of additional perks over the OnePlus 9RT such as a 10-bit display, a 108MP camera setup, a larger 5,000mAh battery, and crazy 120W fast-charging — all for ₹3,000 cheaper.

The OnePlus 9RT is a solid phone that is unfortunately overshadowed by its competition

The Xiaomi 11T Pro starts at just ₹39,999 and is a better deal compared to the OnePlus 9RT. There’s no particular aspect about the OnePlus 9RT that stands out and justifies the additional premium, except the performance maybe. The vapor cooling chamber keeps the thermals under check and enables excellent performance, but the Xiaomi 11T Pro isn’t going to be too far behind either. There was a time when I would have recommended the OnePlus 9RT for the better software experience that OxygenOS provides, but there’s not a lot of difference in that department now. In fact, MIUI has improved so much that I would even prefer it over OxygenOS in some instances.

OnePlus 9RT rear view

The OnePlus 9RT is a tempting option for gamers, but not the best value proposition for everyone else

Not to forget, the iQOO 9 is also expected to launch sometime soon in India with a similar set of specifications. If history is anything to go by, iQOO will definitely price the phone very aggressively which will bring a third competitor into the mix. The OnePlus 9RT is a solid phone that is unfortunately overshadowed by its competition. It’s a tempting option for gamers, but not the best value proposition for everyone else.

OnePlus 9RT

The OnePlus 9RT is a good phone that delivers on almost all fronts. However, there are better phones out there with more aggressive pricing that make the OnePlus 9RT feel slightly expensive.

Features:

Pros:

Cons:

View at Amazon

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OnePlus 9RT Review: A solid package overshadowed by fierce competition

OnePlus 9RT front

OnePlus 9RT: Specifications

Specification	OnePlus 9RT
Build	Glass back Metallic frame
Dimensions & Weight	163.2 x 73.2 x 8.7mm 197g
Display	6.62-inch FHD+ Samsung E4 AMOLED 120Hz refresh rate 600Hz touch sampling rate 1300nits peak brightness 1000000:1 contrast ratio 100% DCI-P3 coverage HDR10+
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 1x Kryo 680 (ARM Cortex X1-based) Prime core @ 2.84GHz 3x Kryo 680 (ARM Cortex A78-based) Performance cores @ 2.4GHz 4x Kryo 680 (ARM Cortex A55-based) Efficiency cores @ 1.8GHz Adreno 660 GPU
RAM & Storage	8GB/12GB LPDDR5 RAM 128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 storage
Battery & Charging	4,500mAh 65W fast charging support
Security	In-display fingerprint scanner
Rear Camera(s)	Primary: 50MP Sony IMX 766, f/1.8, OIS Ultra-wide: 16MP, f/2.2 Macro: 2MP, f/2.4
Front Camera(s)	16MP, f/2.4
Port(s)	USB Type-C
Audio	Stereo speakers
Connectivity	5G LTE Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.1 NFC GPS/A-GPS
Software	OxygenOS 11 based on Android 11
Other Features	Large vapor chamber for cooling

Build and Design

OnePlus 9RT back

This is one of the best black-colored phones I've used recently

OnePlus 9RT design

OnePlus 9RT case

The OnePlus 9RT feels like a premium high-end smartphone

Display

OnePlus 9RT Display

Anybody buying this phone will be absolutely content with the display

Display brightness

In-display fingerprint scanner

OnePlus 9RT: Performance and Software

Performance and Software

This is one of the best-performing Snapdragon 888 phones I've used

OnePlus 9RT UI

The vapor chamber seems to be making a difference

ColorOS Settings

OxygenOS isn't what it used to be, but it's still nimble and well-optimized

Cameras

OnePlus 9RT Cameras

Cameras

The cameras have improved considerably but are still not flagship-grade

Battery Life and Charging

Battery Life

This is a one-day battery phone at best

Verdict: Should you buy the OnePlus 9RT?

OnePlus branding

The OnePlus 9RT is a solid phone that is unfortunately overshadowed by its competition

OnePlus 9RT rear view

The OnePlus 9RT is a tempting option for gamers, but not the best value proposition for everyone else

OnePlus 9RT

The OnePlus 9RT is a good phone that delivers on almost all fronts. However, there are better phones out there with more aggressive pricing that make the OnePlus 9RT feel slightly expensive.

Features:

Pros:

Cons:

View at Amazon

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OPPO Enco X2 leaked render reveals design and Dynaudio collaboration

Besides smartphones, OPPO also makes some of the best wireless earphones. Last year, we had the opportunity to review the company’s flagship TWS OPPO Enco X and were quite impressed with its overall performance. With fantastic ANC performance and great sound quality, the earbuds gave premium TWS such as the Apple AirPods Pro and Huawei FreeBuds Pro a run for their money. OPPO is now gearing up to unveil a direct successor the Enco X and a new leak has given us our first look at the upcoming earphones’ design.

According to known tipster IceUniverse, OPPO’s next flagship earphones will be called Enco X2. The tipster has also shared a render of the Enco X2, giving us our first look at the earphones’ design. As you can see, the Enco X2 doesn’t seem to look radically different from its predecessor in terms of the overall design. The earbuds still come inside a cobblestone case but it’s unclear whether it has a glossy finish or matte finish. OPPO has once again teamed up with Danish audio company Dynaudio and their logo is prominently featured on earbuds and the case. OPPO Enco X2 earbuds sitting beside a charging case

The leak didn’t shed any light on possible features or specifications of the OPPO Enco X2. But in any case, we expect the Enco X2 to offer improved sound quality and ANC performance over their predecessor. We’re also hoping to see some improvements in battery life and charging speed.

OPPO Enco X Review – True Wireless Earbuds with fantastic noise cancelling

We don’t know when OPPO plans to launch the Enco X2. But considering the Enco X2 came out all the way back in October 2020, the official launch shouldn’t be that far off. As always, the earphones will likely launch first in China before making their way to other markets.

Are you looking forward to the OPPO Enco X2? Let us know in the comments below.

The post OPPO Enco X2 leaked render reveals design and Dynaudio collaboration appeared first on xda-developers.

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Flock could be Twitter’s answer to Instagram’s Close Friends feature

In July last year, Twitter showed off three concept features that aimed to give users greater flexibility and control over their tweets and profiles. One of these features aimed to help users make their tweets visible to only a small group of people, much like Instagram’s “Close Friends” feature. At the time, Twitter called this feature “Trusted Friends.” But it could soon make its way to users under a new name — Twitter Flock.

An APK teardown can often predict features that may arrive in a future update of an application, but it is possible that any of the features we mention here may not make it in a future release. This is because these features are currently unimplemented in the live build and may be pulled at any time by the developers in a future build.

A teardown of Twitter for Android version 9.27.0-beta.2 has revealed new strings pointing towards the upcoming feature. The strings clearly state that the feature will let users limit the visibility of their tweets to a small group of people. Like Instagram’s Close Friends feature, Twitter will give users the option to add users to their “Twitter Flock” and only members of the Flock will be able to see and reply to the tweets.

<string name="trusted_friend_tab_label_inner_circle">Inner Circle</string>
<string name="trusted_friend_tab_label_recommended">Recommended</string>
<string name="trusted_friends_add_button_label">Add</string>
<string name="trusted_friends_appbar_back">Back</string>
<string name="trusted_friends_appbar_done">Done</string>
<string name="trusted_friends_focal_message">You can see and reply to this Tweet because %s has added you to their Twitter Flock</string>
<string name="trusted_friends_list_management_description">People won’t be notified when you edit your Twitter Flock.</string>
<string name="trusted_friends_list_management_description_label_link">How it works</string>
<string name="trusted_friends_remove_button_label">Remove</string>
<string name="trusted_friends_timeline_message">You can see this Tweet because %s has added you to their Twitter Flock</string>
<string name="trusted_friends_timeline_reply">Everyone in %s’s Twitter Flock can see this reply</string>
<string name="trusted_friends_timeline_title">You’re in the Twitter Flock</string>
<string name="trusted_friends_title">Twitter Flock</string>

Prolific app reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi has managed to enable the feature ahead of the rollout and shared the following screenshot. As you can see, the feature will let you add up to 150 people to your Twitter Flock and share tweets privately with them. Only members who are part of the Flock will be able to view and reply to these tweets. Users will also get the option to add or remove people from their Flock at any time, and people won’t be notified when removed from a Flock. However, as the aforementioned strings reveal, Twitter will notify people when users add them to a Flock.

#Twitter continues to work on Twitter Flock by adding an explanation of how it works

You can choose up to 150 people to include in your Twitter Flock
People won’t be notified if you remove them from the list pic.twitter.com/xtGcDiHgxS

— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) January 21, 2022

The feature is currently a work in progress and it isn’t live in the latest Twitter release. Twitter hasn’t shared any official information about the rollout so far, but we’ll make sure to let you know as soon as it shows up in an upcoming beta update.

The post Flock could be Twitter’s answer to Instagram’s Close Friends feature appeared first on xda-developers.

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