Daily Authority: 🌟 The stars of IFA 2022

🕶 Good day, and welcome to the Monday edition of the Daily Authority. Happy Labor Day to all those who celebrate, and we hope this is the only email you’re reading today.

Highlights from Berlin

This week, Berlin hosted the annual Internationale Funkausstellung, better known as IFA. Europe’s largest tech convention was back to its full strength after smaller and virtual events in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Our team was also out in full force, roaming the halls and absorbing the latest tech on display. But what stood out to them? Read on to find out.

Honor’s inflation-busting mid-ranger

• It’s not every day that a mid-range phone really stands out from the crowd.
• But you have to take notice when it offers flagship specs at a mid-end price.
• The HONOR 70 Pro Plus brings a 6.78-inch 120Hz OLED.
• You also get a 50MP selfie camera, a 54MP primary snapper at the rear, a 50MP ultrawide lens, and an 8MP telephoto module.
• Internally, there’s a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 alongside up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
• Power comes from a 4,500mAh battery charged at 100W.
• All in all, that’s an impressive lineup you’d expect to pay close to $1,000 for.
• The HONOR 70 series piqued our interest and won our hearts with its modest €549 starting price.

Asus’ exciting foldable future

• Foldable phones have matured over the past few years, with the Galaxy Z Fold 4 clearly indicating this.
• Foldable laptops, however, are only just beginning their journey.
• ASUS gave us a closer look at its challenger at IFA 2022 — the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED.
• It comes hot on the heels of Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Fold.
• The 17.3-inch screen folds into a 12.5-inch laptop that can be used in either mode alongside a physical keyboard.
• In his brief hands-on time with the device, AA’s Bogdan Petrovan was convinced that the form factor had immense potential.
• “While the product itself makes a few too many sacrifices, especially for the huge price it commands, ASUS’s foldable laptop is undeniably cool.”
• It just needs a bit of refinement, but foldable laptops may well make more sense than foldable phones.

LG’s curve-on-command TV

• Big TVs were all the rage at IFA this year, and some had a few tricks up their sleeves.
• LG’s no stranger to bendable and curved displays.
• However, its latest device showcased at IFA is a different breed altogether.
• The LG OLED Flex might seem like a typical flat 42-inch display, but it can automatically transform into a curved screen at the touch of a remote button.
• Generally, the feature set suggests it’s geared towards gamers with a variable 120Hz refresh rate, and support for NVIDIA’s G-Sync and AMD’s FreeSync.
• The curve should enhance overall immersion when gaming, while flat screen viewing makes the display worthwhile for cinephiles.
• LG hasn’t announced a price, but expect to bend over backward to afford one.

You can find our full list of the best of IFA here, which includes electric scooters, short-throw projectors, and more.

Roundup

🔊 One for the IFA audiophiles: B&O showed off its $8,000 soundbar that’s gorgeous to look at and impressively sustainable (Android Authority).

🍏 Ahead of Apple’s September event, AA’s C. Scott Brown argues that this one (flat) feature sets iPhones apart from flagship Androids (Android Authority).

👹 Somebody once told me that Shrek was supposed to be a grumpier, grittier ogre. This is according to the character’s early concept artist and truly frightening leaked designs (Vice).

😐 WHOOPsie of the Week: The IRS mistakenly posted the personal data of around 120,000 US taxpayers on its website (The Wall Street Journal).

🛵 Sustainability done right? A small German company electrifying old 1980s-era motorcycles could be the greenest venture at IFA 2022 (Android Authority).

🍔 Speaking of green tech, just how sustainable are fake meats? The answer is a little complicated (Ars Technica).

🧟‍♂️ How are you planning for the apocalypse? The super-wealthy are decking out bunkers, hiring military personnel, and considering migrating to space to avoid the inevitable zombie horde (The Guardian).

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Mark Zuckerberg thinks the way you mindlessly scroll through social media is wrong. He wants you to build relationships (CNBC).

🍀 Nokia’s Circular eco-subscription is the company’s attempt to save the planet one smartphone at a time (Android Authority).

🌕 NASA cans its Artemis I launch until October after a hydrogen fuel leak was discovered on the SLS rocket. Guess the moon will have to wait a little longer (Engadget).

🦅 The eagles are coming: New Zealand was once dominated by large, angry, winged predators which seemingly kept the population of flightless birds on the island in check (Ars Technica).

🧂 Reddit debates why adding salt to food makes such a big difference in flavor (r/explainlikeimfive).

🧊 And if you’re begrudgingly attending a potluck today, here’s the most passive-aggressive thing you can bring (r/askreddit).

Monday Meme

2022 is seemingly the year the planet turns into an air fryer. It was Europe’s turn in late August, and now California is facing a stifling heatwave. Not only are daytime temperatures cracking long-standing records in some areas, but residents are also being asked to reduce power consumption during the hottest hours of the day. This also means decreasing AC usage. People aren’t best pleased. That’s where today’s meme comes in.

We can’t help with the heat, but whether you’re in California or other parts of the world with limited power supply, you must have a backup power solution for your mobile devices.

• This could mean grabbing a portable charger for your phone, tablet, or laptop, and using it to charge devices during peak demand periods.
• Pairing these with portable solar panels makes them a perfect power source in the searing sunshine.
• It’s also important to maximize your devices’ battery life. There are plenty of ways to do just that, from adopting sensible charging habits to tweaking services and features within Android and iOS.
• You could also consider these Android phones with the best battery life.
• Thankfully, there are some low-tech and pretty smart practical tips to keep cool during heatwaves, too.

Looking at LA’s weather forecast, the hot weather should last until Friday.

On that note, stay safe and stay cool.

Andy Walker, Editor.