Gadgets Weekly: Nothing Ear(stick) and more

Technology companies such as Apple, Nothing, and Xiaomi, launched a new line of smartphones, iPads and earphones this week (October 24-30).

DH's Gadgets Weekly edition lists the latest personal technology products to keep you abreast of everything that's happening in the world of consumer electronics.

Nothing Ear(stick)
It features a unique, compact cylindrical case inspired by cosmetic silhouettes. The earbud sports an ergonomic design and tested on over 100 people, to ensure earbuds sit less intrusively in the ear canal for a naturally comfortable fit. And, each earbud weighs just 4.4g.

It boasts a 12.6mm driver, just large enough to deliver rich depths, clear highs and bold details, while still being small enough for a comfortable fit. By using the highest-grade driver magnets in the market, and strengthening the diaphragm, the sound quality is expected to stay consistent even at the highest and lowest frequencies for a powerfully true-to-life sound experience.

It also supports Bass Lock Technology, which can measure the user’s unique ear canal shape and the fit of the earbuds, and detects how much bass is lost during wear. The equaliser curve is automatically tuned to the optimal level for the user, delivering perfectly punchy depths, every time.

Nothing Ear(stick). Credit: Nothing

And, it features Clear Voice technology and three high-definition mics, which work together with updated algorithms to filter out louder background noises, amplifying the voice for wind-proof and crowd-proof calls.

With a full charge, Ear(stick) promises to offer seven hours of talking. And, up to 3 hours of talk time with the earbuds. The case packs another 22 hours of charge. It also supports fast charging. With just 10 minutes in the case, earbuds can deliver up to two hours of extra listening time.

All device settings and features are directly integrated into Phone (1) for a seamless experience in Device Details. Effortlessly customise gesture controls and EQ settings like low, mid, and high-frequency levels via Quick Settings. For all other Android and iOS devices, all features are available in the new Nothing X app.

It costs Rs 8,499 and will be available on Flipkart and Myntra from November 4 onwards in India.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 series
It features a 6.67-inch full HD+ (1080×2400p) OLED display with support for variable 60Hz/90Hz/120Hz refresh rate and offer up to 1,200 nits peak brightness. It also comes with dual-SIM slots (nano+nano), a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and an IR sensor.

Inside, it houses 6nm class Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 octa-core CPU, 4GB / 6GB / 8GB LPDDR4X RAM with 128GB/256GB UFS 2.2 internal storage, 5G modem, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, Android 12-based MIUI 13 OS, dual-camera module--main 48MP + 2MP depth sensor with LED flash on the back, an 8MP front camera and a 5,000mAh battery with 33W charger.

Initially, it will be available in China with prices starting at ¥1,199 (approx. Rs 13,647) and comes in three colours--black, blue and white.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 series. Credit: Xiaomi

Xiaomi also unveiled Redmi Note 12 Pro and 12 Pro+ series. Except for the camera, they have almost the same design and internal specifications.

They come with a 6.67-inch FHD+ (1080×2400 pixels) OLED display with variable 30 / 60 / 90 / 120Hz refresh rate, supporting 900 nits peak brightness. It comes with an in-display fingerprint sensor, dual SIM slots (nano+nano) and an Infrared sensor.

They also come with a 6nm class MediaTek Dimensity 1080 processor with Mali-G68 MC4 GPU, 6GB/8GB/12GB LPDDR4X RAM with 128GB/256GB UFS 2.2 internal storage, Android 12 with MIUI 13, 16MP front camera and a 5,000mAh battery. The Pro model supports a 67W charger and the Pro+ comes with a 120W charger.

The standard Redmi Note 12 Pro features a triple-camera module-- main 50MP (with 1/1.56-inch Sony IM766 sensor, OIS, f/1.88) + 8MP 120-degree ultra-wide angle camera (f/2.2) + 2MP macro camera (f/2.4) with LED flash on the back.

On the other hand, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ features a triple camera module – main 200MP (1/1.4-inch Samsung HMX sensor, OIS, f/1.65) + 8MP (f/2.2) 120-degree ultra-wide angle camera + 2MP macro camera (f/2.4) with LED flash.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro's price starts at ¥1,699 (around Rs 19,337) and the Redmi Note Pro+ at ¥2,199 (roughly Rs 25,028).

Apple iPad (10th Gen) and iPad Pro with M2

Apple earlier in the month unveiled the new line of iPad and iPad Pro and now, they are available for purchase in India.

The generic iPad sports a full-view screen with a uniform bezel around the premium metallic frame. However, the TouchID is moved to the top edge, which also doubles as the wake button as well.

It sports a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display that promises to offer a beautiful visual experience with the 2360x1640-pixel resolution, nearly 4 million pixels, 500 nits of brightness, and True Tone technology.

It is powered by the A14 Bionic chip which promises 20 per cent increase in CPU and 10 per cent improvement in graphics over the previous iteration. The new iPad is said to be up to 5x faster than the best-selling Android tablet and users looking to upgrade from a device like the iPad (7th generation), will see up to 3x improvement in overall performance with the new iPad.

With 16-core Neural Engine in A14 Bionic, on-device machine learning capability is said to be 80 per cent better than the previous model. It promises to deliver smoother performance while working on tasks such as a school project, editing a high-resolution video, or playing a graphics-intensive game.

The new iPad (10th Gen). Credit: Apple

Another notable aspect of the iPad 10th gen is the Type-C, a first for the generic Apple tablets to date. It promises super-fast data transfer and faster-charging capabilities too. Also, it supports 5G with support for up to 3.5Gbps internet speed.

It boasts 12MP Ultra Wide (f/1.8) front camera on the back with up to 5X digital zoom, Smart HDR 3 photos and 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps. On the front, it features 12MP Ultra Wide (f/2.4) camera with 2X zoom, retina flash, and 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps. It comes in four vibrant colours -- blue, pink, white and yellow-- with prices starting at Rs 44,900. It comes in two storage options-- 64GB and 256GB and also Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi-LTE variants.

On the other hand, the iPad Pro features a premium metallic case and splendid mini-LED backlit multi-touch Liquid Retina XDR display with IPS technology with 2732x2048 resolution, pixel density 264 ppi and support for peak brightness up to 1600 nits. They come in two sizes— 11.0-inch and 12.9-inch

It is powered by Apple M2, which features an 8-core CPU — up to 15 per cent faster than M1 — with advancements in both performance and efficiency cores, and a 10-core GPU, delivering up to 35 per cent faster graphics performance for the most demanding users. Combined with the CPU and GPU, the 16-core Neural Engine can process 15.8 trillion operations per second — 40 per cent more than M1 — making iPad Pro even more powerful when handling machine learning tasks. The M2 chip also features 100GB/s of unified memory bandwidth — 50 per cent more than M1 — and supports up to 16GB of RAM, making multitasking and working with large assets even more fluid.

Apple iPad Pro 6th Gen. Credit: Apple

It comes with a dual-camera module on the back— 12MP Wide (f/1.8) and 10MP Ultra Wide (f/2.4) cameras with LiDAR, and brighter True Tone flash and support ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps. On the front, it features 12MP TrueDepth camera and supports FaceID for security and CentreStage, which ensures the user’s face is focused at all times and remains at the centre of the frame during a video call.

As far as the battery life is concerned, it can offer up to 10 hours of video playback on Wi-Fi and supports Apple Pencil 2 stylus, Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio.
screen-size, type (Wi-Fi only or 5G cellular + Wi-Fi) and storage configurations (128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB), its price ranges between Rs 81,900 and Rs 2,37,900.

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