HMD Global launches its first notched smartphone, the Nokia X6

HMD Global’s joining the notch bandwagon with its newest smartphone. The Nokia X6 was just unveiled in Beijing, China. It sports both a notch and a 19:9 display, a first for the brand. On top of this, the phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor, up to 6GB of RAM, and up to 64GB internal storage. The X6 runs on Android 8.1 Oreo and has a 3,060mAh battery. The phone comes with a fingerprint scanner at the rear and a headphone jack up top. When it comes to cameras, the X6 has a 16-megapixel and 5-megapixel (monochrome) dual rear camera setup with f/2.0 apertures. In front you get single 16-megapixel shooter with f/2.0 aperture. The camera comes with software features like AI image enhancements (like color balance adjustments and facial recognition), HDR photo mode, and the ability to use both front and rear cameras at the same time.

There are three versions of the phone available for pre-order in China. One is 4GB RAM/32GB ROM model, which retails for CNY 1,299 (around CA$260); another is 4GB RAM/64GB ROM, which retails for CNY 1,499 (around CA$300); and the last is a 6GB RAM/64GB ROM, which retails for CNY 1,699 (around CA$340). It comes in black, dark blue, and silver. No specific release date though or wider availability just yet.

Source: Android Authority

Color Pop editing feature starts showing up for some Google Photos users

One of the new editing features coming to Google Photos is one the company calls Color Pop. It turns the background into black and white and makes the subject of the photo pop since he/she stays in color. This particular feature seems to be rolling out slowly to the app’s users. Android Authority spotted a Reddit user’s photo showing off Color Pop’s capabilities. Said user didn’t show what the original photo looked like, though. If you want to check it out, you might want to try exploring your Google Photos app to see if the update made its way to you.

Gmail starts rolling out Nudges feature

Ever ignore emails and then completely forget to reply to important ones? One of the newest features in Gmail is its new Nudges feature. It’s an automated feature that will surface emails to the top of your inbox the service thinks require your attention and reply. It’ll include a highlighted message telling you how long ago you received the message. If you’re using the new Gmail, you get this AI feature enabled by default. You can, of course, turn this off in the settings if you don’t want it.

Source: Google

First time Google Pay users in select countries can get $10 Google Play credit after making five purchases

After rebranding Android Pay to Google Pay, the company is looking to get more people to use its payment platform by offering $10 Google Play credit. There are a few things you need to know, though. One is that it’s only open to users in Canada, the US and UK, and Australia. Two, you need to make five purchases, which doesn’t have a minimum amount required to be counted. Three, it’s only available to new Google Pay users. Four, it was initially supposed to last until May 14^th but according to Android Police the promo has been extended to August 31^st.