This new Xiaomi flagship gets a Leica camera with a 1-inch sensor

Xiaomi is not resting on its laurels when it comes to its smartphones. It's been barely six months since Xiaomi announced its last flagship, but now it has a new one with its new partner. Xiaomi partners with Leica to launch its new 12S series. Its most distinctive point, which you really won't miss, is that massive 1-inch, 50.3-megapixel Sony IMX989 sensor. You get a pixel size of 1.6um, doubling to 3.2um via pixel binning for improved colour accuracy and low light performance. Unlike the Sony Xperia Pro-I, it uses the entire portion of the 1-inch sensor.

Xiaomi took part in developing this sensor with Sony, with the two companies splitting the US$15 million cost evenly. But they won't have exclusive rights to the sensor. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun said it'll be made available to his local competitors after the launch to "promote the advancement of mobile imaging together."

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Meta shutters Novi cryptocurrency digital wallet

Source: Meta

Meta is abandoning Novi, its digital wallet that supports cryptocurrencies. The wallet will no longer be available starting September 1, 2022, with all user accounts being deactivated then. After July 21, 2022, you won't be able to add money to your account. This announcement is also your signal to take out any money there. 

But that might not be an issue with you. Novi was never launched beyond the US and Guatemala, even if it was part of Meta's ambitious plans to invest in cryptocurrencies. Novi hasn't been around for long. It was launched in October 2021 as a standalone app, and then it was integrated into WhatsApp a few months later. So, if you've used Novi to transfer money on the app, you won't have a substitute for now.

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Don't expect the AirPods Pro 2 to get fitness tracking (yet)

Source: Apple Insider

Rumours surrounding the Apple AirPods Pro 2 suggested that the pro wireless earbuds were getting fitness tracking options. But the newest report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claims the feature might not be ready for this year's version of the AirPods Pro. Gurman writes in his Power On newsletter that the refreshed model is "unlikely to get heart-rate monitoring." There were rumours it could monitor body temperature, but Gurman also refutes that claim. He says Apple has reportedly been exploring the features. And it "could arrive one day."

You can still expect a new model to launch later this year, but the focus will be more on audio improvements. The battery wear of the original might also entice Apple users to upgrade. What are you hoping to see in the next AirPods Pro?

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Twitter Blue for Android gets app navigation bar customization

Do you want to remove the Spaces icon in your Twitter navigation bar? You'll need to subscribe to Twitter Blue. Twitter has finally brought this option to Android users. (iOS Twitter Blue subscribers got first dibs on the feature.) You can now tweak your navigation bar so it'll only show the features you use frequently.

This won't entirely get rid of Spaces in your timeline. In fact, Twitter is doubling down on bringing the audio feature to your attention. You'll see more information on active Spaces in a banner at the top of your timeline, and neither paid nor free users can get rid of this banner.

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