Pixel 5 pricing leak, OnePlus 8T/Xiaomi Mi 10T launch date, and more tech news

Your tech news digest, by way of the DGiT Daily tech newsletter, for Tuesday, 22 September 2020

1. Google Pixel 5 pricing

Leaks for the Google Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 are coming in thick and fast now, with the reveal event a week away tomorrow.

• Yesterday saw information from telco listings revealing the Pixel 5 and 4a 5G will have 128GB of storage.
• And today’s leak adds colors — the Pixel 4a 5G will be available in black and white, while the Pixel 5 will be offered in black and green colors.

But more important is pricing, and European sticker prices may have just surfaced via reliable journalist Roland Quandt.

• So, we already know that Google announced pricing for its 5G smartphones starting from €499 in Europe and $499 in the US.
• Quandt confirmed this: the Google Pixel 4a 5G will debut in Europe for €499.
• But what we haven’t known is the Pixel 5 pricing range, and the new information is that the Pixel 5 will reportedly start at €629.
• Given the sort of €1 = $1 pricing on offer from Google in recent cases (excluding sales tax in the US), that means that the Pixel 5 is going to be announced in just over a week at $629, or at least very close to that mark, give or take.
• What you get from both the Pixel 4a 5G and the Pixel 5 won’t just be 5G. Both should pack a speedier processor, bigger body devices means bigger battery too (although 5G power demands might balance that out).

Google’s Pixel reveal event, along with the expected reveal of the already teased new smart speaker and new Chromecast, is set for September 30, at 2 PM ET, so circle that date for confirmed pricing and availability details.

2. Microsoft buys Bethesda in $7.5 billion deal: The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Doom might eventually be Xbox exclusives, it is less about that and more about Xbox Game Pass growing bigger. And, games currently announced as PlayStation 5 exclusives will be honored as such, for now. Comparatively: Star Wars sold for $4.05B in 2012, Marvel for $4B in 2009, both to Disney. Gaming sure is big. (Android Authority).

3. Here’s more on why Microsoft paid big for Bethesda (The Verge).

4. It’s official: The OnePlus 8T will be revealed on October 14th (Android Authority).

5. Also, it’s official: the Xiaomi Mi 10T will be revealed on September 30th (Android Authority).

6. The world’s first foldable phone has a sequel: the Royole FlexPai 2, and it might not be awful this time! But it’ll be $1,500 or so (Android Authority).

7. See inside the new Apple Watch Series 6 with iFixit’s latest teardown. Battery size boosts are in the 40mm (8.5% more capacity) and 44mm (3.5%) (iFixit).

8. Logitech’s new MX Anywhere 3 mouse has buttons to control Zoom calls (Engadget).

9. Android 11 — ‘The Ars Technica Review’ is rarely worth missing, and this one details all those quality of life improvements (Ars Technica).

10. Report: New 5.4-inch iPhone to be called ‘iPhone 12 mini’ (MacRumors).

10. How to watch Tesla’s Battery Day Event — and what to expect. Elon Musk has already warned that tech on show won’t be in production until 2022 (Wired).

11. Quibi, the short-content startup that has had a tough time since launch, is exploring “strategic options” including a potential sale (Wall Street Journal).

12. A new tool detects counterfeit whiskey without opening the bottle, not a dram wasted (Wired).

13. Airbus looks to the future with hydrogen planes (BBC).

14. “If there is indeed microbial life on Venus producing phosphine gas, is it possible the microbes came from Earth and were introduced at some point during the last 80 years of sending probes?” (r/askscience). (The answer is no, btw, but it is interesting!)

The DGiT Daily delivers a daily email that keeps you ahead of the curve for all tech news, opinions, and links to what’s going down in the planet’s most important field. You get all the context and insight you need, and all with a touch of fun. Plus! Rotating daily fun for each day of the week, like Wednesday Weirdness. Join in!