OnePlus is still dribbling out details of its sub-$500 Nord ahead of the phone’s July 21st launch, and its latest may be noteworthy if you loathe redundant pre-installed apps. The company has revealed (via 9to5Google) that the Nord will use Google’s phone, Messages apps rather than OnePlus’ own. It’ll come with Duo, too. The phone maker wasn’t specific about the reasons why, but said the Google apps would deliver the “smoothest” experience.

Raw performance shouldn’t be an issue — the Nord will use a Snapdragon 765G that can easily handle a dialer or text chat. This does, however, give Nord owners access to RCS messaging, the deep integration of Duo video chats and a common calling experience. We wouldn’t expect OnePlus to make similar changes elsewhere, but it’s clear the company is willing to use stock apps if it thinks they’ll bring more users into the fold.

Starting next week, you’ll be able to start a video call with multiple contacts by asking your Assistant to “make a group call on Duo” or “make a group call on Meet” or create one via the visual interface on the screen. The feature will support up to 32 people on Duo and a maximum of 100 on Meet. On Duo, you’ll have to create groups in the mobile app, then start calls with those circles by asking Assistant.

Google

On Meet, you can also join existing calls by typing in the room code, or enter scheduled meetings by pulling up calendar entries on the display. You can also ask the Assistant to open a call from a calendar appointment by saying “Hey Google, join my next meeting,” though this only works on personal accounts not enterprise ones for now. Those joining via a room code will have to enter it on the screen.

People aren’t just using their smart displays for family calls — they’re using the devices as second screens for work, too. To support users who want to dial into work conferences on their smart displays, Google is also enabling G Suite meetings on the Nest Hub Max in a beta that’s rolling out over the next few weeks. It’ll be available for G Suite domains enrolled in the Assistant beta program — organizations that want to take part can have their administrators sign up.

Google is also rolling out a speed dial feature that it announced at CES, which should make it slightly more convenient to launch your daily check in with your family, for example. This tool arrives today on Assistant-enabled smart speakers and displays, and once you have your favorite contacts set up, you can tell Google to “Call Mom” or “Call Brian.” On a smart display, you can start a call quickly by tapping a contact’s name.

Google

These new features make Google’s smart displays more useful than before — even though you could conduct video calls on them previously, support for groups was an important feature that was missing. Facebook has been marketing its Portal display as a means to have calls with family members, complete with filters and stickers. With today’s announcement, Google will be giving Facebook more competition on this front and possibly giving smart displays more room to grow.

We are grateful that Duo is helping users see their loved ones all around the world. We recognize group calling is particularly critical right now. We have increased group calling from 8 participants to 12 effective today. More to come. #AllInThisTogether #COVID19

— Sanaz (@sanazahari) March 27, 2020

Last year, Google added group calling to Duo with an eight-party limit, the same as the messaging app Houseparty (now owned by Fortnite creator Epic). Skype, meanwhile, supports up to 50 users on group video calls, while FaceTime supports 32 users, as long as they all have Apple devices. Google’s Meet by Hangouts apps supports up to 100 participants, but only if they’re G-Suite business users.

The news was tweeted out by Google’s communications suite lead Sanaz Ahari Lemelson. “We recognize group calling is particularly critical right now,” she wrote. “We have increased group calling from 8 participants to 12 effective today.” The update has taken place on the server side, so there’s no need to update your mobile app or take any other actions.

Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra

If you’ve been looking for more 5G support and improved camera performance, the Galaxy S20 series might be for you. The lineup includes three models (the 6.2-inch S20, 6.7-inch S20+ and the 6.9-inch S20 Ultra). Each will support “lightning fast 5G” — though Samsung will offer a 4G version in some countries.

The S20 has a triple camera setup on its rear, and the S20+ and S20 Ultra have an additional depth sensor. The cameras include a 12-megapixel “Ultra Wide” option with a 120-degree field of view, a 12MP sensor with a 79-degree field of view and f/1.8 aperature, plus a 64MP telephoto with an aperture of f/2.0. All three phones use a combination of 3x hybrid optic zoom and software to allow a 30x zoom on the S20 and S20+ and a 100x zoom on the Ultra.

The Galaxy S20 models feature panels that run at 120hz, at 1080p, and you can tweak the refresh rate to find a speed and resolution balance that works for you.

The phones will be available March 6th starting at $999. The S20+ will cost $1,199, and the S20 Ultra will set you back $1,399.

Galaxy Z Flip

Samsung’s next attempt at a foldable phone is the Galaxy Z Flip, which looks an awful lot like Motorola’s recently-revived Razr. The phone has a giant 6.7-inch screen when it’s open and a three-stop hinge, which allows it to open at three different angles, rather than open and closed.

The front-facing cameras has a 10MP with a f/2.4 aperture. On the back, you’ll find two cameras. The main wide-angle camera has a 12MP sensor with an f/1.8 aperture, optical image optical image stabilization, and up to 8X digital zoom. The second ultra wide-angle camera has another 12MP sensor with a f/2.2 aperture.

The Galaxy Z Flip will be available February 14th for $1,380, and Samsung says this time it used glass, rather than plastic, to protect the screen, so it shouldn’t run into the same problems the Galaxy Fold experienced.

Google Duo integration

Since users don’t just use their cameras for photos, Samsung is also taking steps to improve the video chat experience. It has partnered with Google to bring Duo video calls directly to the Samsung dialer. Users will simply tap Duo to start a video call in Full HD, with up to eight friends. Samsung said it’s bringing Duo to the Galaxy S20 phones first, which we hope means it might arrive on older devices eventually.

Galaxy Buds+

Samsung had already leaked everything you need to know about the Galaxy Buds+ ahead of today’s event. The biggest change is that the Galaxy Buds+ up the battery life from six hours to 11 hours. Supposedly, Samsung has made changes to audio quality, and it has added a Spotify button. Unfortunately, the Galaxy Buds+ still don’t have active noise cancellation (ANC).

The Buds+ will be available on February 14th in white, black, red and blue via Samsung’s website for $149.99. You can pre-order them now, and they’ll arrive at other retailers in March.

First Forza mobile game

Samsung will make the free-to-play racing game Forza Street available on its Galaxy devices. This is the first time a Forza game will be available outside of PC and Xbox, and it could help showcase the 120Hz refresh rate on the S20 phones.

Microsoft/Turn 10 StudiosDiscounted Galaxy S10 Series

Discounted Galaxy S10 series

Samsung’s former flagship phone, the S10 series, is already on sale. The S10e now costs $599, while the standard S10 is $749. If you want the larger S10+, that will cost you just $849. If you can live without the very latest hardware (including the S20’s larger screens and advanced cameras), these deals might be appealing.

Follow all the latest news from Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event here!

The Pixel 4 will automatically screen robocalls using Call Screen. The feature will silently filter out junk calls. If it’s not spam, you’ll get a description of who’s calling and why, so you can decide whether you want to answer. Because Call Screen works on the device, it won’t use Wi-Fi or data.

Google is making a few changes to Duo calls, too. On the Pixel 4, Duo will keep you centered in the video frame as you chat. If another person joins you, the frame will automatically adjust to fit them in. If the connection is spotty, a machine learning model on the Pixel 4 will fill in the gaps, guessing which sound was cut out and filling it in, and to reduce video choppiness, Smooth Display will refresh up to 90 times per second.

Pixel 2, 3 and 4 models will also get a portrait filter in Duo, which will blur the background slightly to make you look sharper. You’ll be able to apply a similar filter to photos, too. Whether you just took the picture or snapped it years ago, Pixel owners can now add the Portrait Blur in the Google Photos app.

The features are already rolling out, and they should arrive on Pixel devices in the coming weeks. Google plans to make feature drops a regular occurrence, but we don’t know what other changes are in the pipeline.

Duo’s low light mode might also be available in the near future. Google has been working on it for a while now — this XDA Developers hands-on that shows how it works was from January this year — but some new strings of code suggest that it’s coming soon. Low light mode, as you might have guessed, makes it possible for you and the other person on the line to see each other when you’re video chatting in the dark.

Google is also looking to introduce a “Messages from Duo Team” feature, which could detail the app’s updates in a Story-like forma. Like any other upcoming feature discovered through APKs, though, it’s unclear when these will be available and if they’re truly arriving in future iterations.

Screenshots show that there’ll be a “Create group” button underneath the search bar, and you can then save that group for quick access later. So you can select your three besties and name the group “BFFs” for example. Right now, it seems that the feature only supports up to four people however, even though an earlier test showed that it supported up to seven. After creating said group, making a call is as easy as tapping a button.

That aforementioned test also showed that there could be a low-light mode for nighttime conversations and an “in-progress” feature. Otherwise we don’t know too much about it. That said, since the group chat is already live in a few countries, it probably won’t be long before it arrives stateside as well.

#GoogleDuo


in select regions https://t.co/QeQCrroGJ6

— Justin Uberti (@juberti) April 24, 2019

It seems weird that Google would reuse the Max branding from its premium speaker for a Nest device, but now that we’ve heard “Stadia” it’s hard to put anything past them. 9to5Google previously found clues of a “Sherlock” device that matches up well with its capabilities, so it could be close to release, even without any picture, or mention of a price or release date.

The specs make this seem pretty real, as they don’t match up with Google’s own 7-inch Home Hub that doesn’t have a camera. It also makes sense that Nest would build a relevant device in the category that’s more tightly tied to its existing line of smart home products including security cameras, thermostats and more. While dropping the camera makes the Home Hub more appealing for privacy reasons, someone looking to put a Nest in a highly-trafficked area of their house wouldn’t have the same concerns and can kill two birds with one stone.