Tech NewsWrap: iPhone 13 launch date tipped again… and more

iPhone 13 launch date tipped again

iPhone 13 launch has reportedly been reiterated for the third week of September in a note to investors reportedly prepared by Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives. The analyst, in the note, is also said to have mentioned that there would be a 1TB storage option for the high-end iPhone 13 Pro models. Separately, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has released a roundup of the iPhone 13 launch, which will be the showstopper of the event, we could see the Apple Watch Series 7, AirPods 3, and iPad Mini 6 among new Apple hardware.

Motorola Edge 20, Edge 20 Fusion launched

Lenovo-owned smartphone brand has launched its mid-range smartphones – Moto Edge 20 and Moto Edge 20 Fusion. Both the smartphones come with triple rear cameras, offer 20:9 OLED displays and carry IP52-certified builds that are dust and water resistant. The price of Motorola Edge 20 in India has been set at Rs 29,999 for the 8GB + 128GB storage variant, whereas the price of Motorola Edge 20 Fusion starts at Rs 21,499 for 6GB + 128GB storage variant and goes up to Rs 22,999 for the 8GB + 128GB storage variant. These phones will be available for purchase through Flipkart and major retail stores from August 27.

Asus launches its e-store in India

Taiwanese consumer technology company Asus launched its official online store in India, ending reliance on e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart. The online store will off some of the best laptops and smartphones of Asus for customers in India. It will be serviced by one of the leading sellers online – AYR Technologies. According to the company, the Asus store will provide value-added features for consumers. The store will provide services approximately 30,000 pin-code areas. Asus is marketing its new online store with the #ShopwithASUS campaign.

iQOO 8, iQOO 8 Pro launched in China

Chinese smartphone brand iQOO has unveiled its iQOO 8 and iQOO 8 Pro smartphones in its home country. Both the phones come with flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon, triple cameras and there is a ‘Legendary Edition’ of these phones that offers BMW M Motorsport design. The new smartphones also run Android 11 with Origin OS 1.0 for iQOO on top and has super-fast charging support. iQOO 8 price in China has been set at 3,799 Yuan (around Rs 43,600) for 8GB + 128GB storage variant while 12GB + 256GB version will cost 4,199 Yuan (around Rs 48,200). The iQOO Pro with 8GB + 256GB storage costs 4,999 yuan (Rs 57,300) while the 12GB + 256GB and 12GB + 512GB variants cost 5,499 yuan and 5,999 yuan respectively.

WhatsApp gets new features

The instant messaging app WhatsApp has dropped several new features to offer users a better experience. It has added a Payments Backgrounds feature. The platform has announced that users in India can add Payments Backgrounds while sending money to family and friends. The Facebook-owned has rolled out one more feature that allows iOS users to transfer chat history to an Android phone. It now even lets you send disappearing photos and rejoin calls. For a major app, it’s a lot of features to roll out in the space of a month.