Category: Technologies

The new Google Pixel Fold and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 are expensive. In fact, they have the highest prices of any phone currently out that I know. But does a premium price mean they take the best photos? I was curious to find out.

I should note that later this month, Samsung is holding an Unpacked event where I expect the next-gen Galaxy Z Fold to be announced. And it might have even better cameras. Once it’s out, we will happily pit the new Z Fold against the Pixel Fold. In the meantime, let’s dig into the details.

Both the Pixel Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 4 costs $1,799 and has five cameras. However, neither set any high marks for camera performance. As you might infer from their names, each phone’s key feature is a foldable screen — which is largely the reason for their beefy price tags. To make each phone pocketable when closed, the bodies are ultrathin, leaving less room for camera sensors and lenses. That means both Google and Samsung rely on their machine learning and AI prowess to make photos look good.

Read more: Best Camera Phone of 2023

Pixel Fold camera specs vs. Galaxy Z Fold 4

Both the Pixel Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 4 have three rear cameras, one cover screen camera and one interior screen camera. Resolution-wise it’s pretty close between what Google and Samsung each offer. I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you that comparing image sensor resolution is like trying to compare the calories in food; 100 calories of broccoli has different benefits than 100 calories of ice cream. So yeah, more megapixels isn’t always better. The biggest differences are actually in the software processing, which Google seems to be better at.

The hardware is nearly identical in terms of specs, with the Pixel Fold having a 48-megapixel sensor, while the Z Fold 4 rocks a 50-megapixel sensor.

Google Pixel Fold camera specs vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4

	Google Pixel Fold	Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
Main camera	f1.7 aperture, 48MP sensor	f1.8 aperture, 50MP sensor
Ultra wide camera	f2.2 aperture, 10.8MP sensor	f2.2 aperture, 12MP sensor
Telephoto camera	f3.05 aperture, 10.8MP sensor	f2.4 aperture, 10MP sensor
Cover screen camera	f2.2 aperture, 9.5MP sensor	f2.2 aperture, 10MP sensor
Interior screen camera	f2 aperture, 8MP sensor	f1.8 aperture, 4MP sensor

The interior screen cameras are also different, with the Pixel sporting an 8-megapixel sensor and the Galaxy having just a 4-megapixel one. Samsung’s camera is buried under the display, however, which is brilliant. It’s the camera you use the least, and I think Samsung was wise to improve the inner display experience by “hiding” the camera, even if it comes with the trade-off of a lower-resolution sensor.

The last main hardware difference is the telephoto camera, which on the Pixel Fold has a 5x optical zoom, while the Z Fold 4 has a 3x optical zoom.

Pixel Fold photos vs. Galaxy Z Fold 4

Before we get into some direct comparisons, take a look at some of my favorite photos from the Pixel Fold and the Z Fold 4.

On the whole, Pixel Fold photos have better detail, a wider dynamic range and are more color accurate. And that’s even under a perfect summer day with blue skies, which is one of the most forgiving environments for any phone camera.

Take a look at the images below, each taken with the main camera, of a lunch area in Salesforce Park in San Francisco. The Pixel Fold’s snap balances the exposure better and has more details in the grass and tree leaves. And, yes, things were actually that green. But Samsung’s photo is messy. It’s overly bright, details are muddy and the color temperature is off — notice the green in the trees in the background and the sky.

Below are two more images from the main cameras. This time the differences aren’t quite as drastic. Both phones did a good job of capturing the cappuccino’s texture in the foam. But notice around the rim of the cup. The Pixel Fold’s photo looks more natural, with the cup’s rim in focus along with the top of the drink. The Z Fold 4’s image is strange. I know Samsung has a food optimizer setting, but I don’t remember it being on; it might have been. The edge of the cup is soft.

Next, take a look at the photos below, which were taken indoors under a mix of window light and low light. Here’s where the differences between Google and Samsung are huge. In Google’s photo of Peebles the cat, it handles the mixed light well, but captures some texture in his fur and whiskers. The photo is soft, but not in a bad way. Samsung’s photo looks bad. It suffers from over brightening, and is marred by a ton of image noise and heavy noise reduction, which makes the photo of Peebles look like a painting of Peebles.

Pixel Fold zoom vs. Galaxy Z Fold 4

Based purely on the specs, the Pixel Fold has the edge when it comes to zoom, since it has a 5x optical telephoto lens compared to the 3x on the Z Fold 4. That 5x is the sweet spot, helping you get closer to your subject without being in someone’s face.

Take a look at the zoom range on each phone.

At 5x it’s hard to tell any real differences between the two, aside from some loss of resolution on the Galaxy Z Fold because of the digital zoom.

Below are 10x digital zoom photos from both phones. Neither one looks great.

And last are photos taken at the max digital zoom magnifications on each phone: 20x on the Pixel and 30x on the Samsung. Despite the different magnifications, both have roughly the same amount of zoom/crop.

Samsung’s image has completely fallen apart and looks super soft and processed. The Pixel Fold’s photo isn’t great, but looks better thanks to Google’ Super Res Zoom, which uses a combination of hardware, software and AI to make it look better.

Pixel Fold night mode vs. Galaxy Z Fold 4

Moving on to night mode, things start to swing back in Samsung’s favor. Below are images of some apartment buildings taken an hour after sunset with night mode. Both look good, but the one from the Z Fold 4 looks better overall. The Galaxy phone protects the highlights better in the moon and in light sources like at the entrance of the apartment building in the middle.

Below are two more night mode shots. Again, both are good, though I like the one from the Galaxy Z Fold 4 more. The white balance is more true to the scene.

Pixel Fold selfies vs. Galaxy Z Fold 4

You have the option on both phones to take selfies several different ways. The first is using the cover screen camera on each phone. In the photos below, I think Samsung’s cover screen camera takes better selfies than the Pixel Fold’s cover screen camera. It does a better job at nailing focus and I like the brighter exposure.

Because these are foldable phones, you can also take a selfie with the main rear camera using the cover screen as a preview. I do like being able to use the rear camera to take selfies, but it feels like more of a chore. Between the two images below, I like the rear camera selfie from the Z Fold 4 better, since the brightness is more flattering.

There is a third way to take a selfie and that’s to use the inner display’s camera. Both the Pixel Fold and Z Fold 4’s inner screen camera are meant for video calls, so I tested them in the video that accompanies this article. Neither look good for a Zoom call, but the higher resolution on the Pixel Fold’s inside screen camera gives it a slight edge.

Pixel Fold videos vs. Galaxy Z Fold 4 and final thoughts

On the whole, videos aren’t great from either phone. Video recordings suffer from image noise and have less dynamic range than photos from each phone. Most of the machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence Google and Samsung use in their photos is absent for videos. If you want to see sample video clips from each phone, please watch the video attached to this story.

So which phone has the best cameras? Neither the Pixel Fold or Z Fold 4 offer top-of-the-line phone cameras. But as far as these two phones go, I lean towards Google’s device more than Samsung’s (purely in terms of the cameras). The Z Fold 4, however, has an edge in other ways like the amazing inside screen, the premium fit and finish of the hardware and the software that seemed less fussy than the Pixel Fold.

Remember each of these phones costs $200 shy of two grand. For that price you get a phone that folds in half, that has two screens and five cameras. While the big interior screens of these foldables are great for editing your photos, few foldables offer the pristine image quality you’d find on their nonfolding counterparts. You should still look towards Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra or Google’s Pixel 7 Pro if you want amazing imaging skills, but you’ll have to decide what your priority is: beautiful photos or an exciting folding screen? Right now, you can’t have both.

Just know that a month from now, things could change with the launch of the rumored Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5.

A day after Facebook parent company Meta went live with its Twitter-like social media app Threads, Twitter has reportedly threatened to sue Meta.

Twitter lawyer Alex Spiro sent a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg accusing the company of intentionally stealing “Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property,” according to a report by Semafor.

“Competition is fine, cheating is not,” Twitter Executive Chairman and Chief Technology Officer Elon Musk tweeted in response to the report Thursday.

Spiro accused Meta of getting Twitter’s secrets by hiring dozens of former Twitter employees and claimed the Facebook parent company put them to work making a Twitter copycat, using their insider knowledge to speed up development of the Threads app — which is “in violation of both state and federal law as well as those employees’ ongoing obligations to Twitter,” Spiro said in the letter.

Meta communications director Andy Stone rebutted the accusations, saying in a Thread that “no one on the Threads engineering team is a former Twitter employee — that’s just not a thing.”

Threads launched Wednesday, with Meta positioning the new social media app as a Twitter rival. You can sign up for Threads using your Instagram credentials and keep your username, followers and verification status. Here’s everything you need to know about Threads, which reached 30 million sign ups in just 16 hours, according to Zuckerberg.

Read more: Why You May Not Want to Sign Up for Threads, Meta’s New Twitter Competitor

Spotify Premium subscribers paying through Apple’s App Store will need to use another payment method to continue listening without ads.

Spotify hasn’t offered new Premium subscribers the chance to pay using in-app purchases via the App Store for quite a while, but now it’s pulling the plug for legacy subscribers using that payment method, according to multiple reports. Affected subscribers will be moved to a free account (with ads) after their current billing cycle ends and will need to re-upgrade to Premium through the music service’s website.

Spotify and Apple have been at odds over Apple’s App Store policies and fees. In 2016, Spotify opted out of Apple’s in-app payment system, alleging the fees associated with it were unfair. Then in 2019, Spotify filed a complaint against Apple with the European Union, claiming Apple uses App Store rules to smother competition. The complaint led to antitrust charges from the European Commission, which Apple is still attempting to fend off.

Last year, Apple began allowing some apps to include links to outside payment options as part of a settlement with Japan’s Fair Trade Commission. The tech giant has pointed to the change, which allows app developers to bypass its fees, in its attempt to counter EU arguments. Google, which has also faced criticism over its app store fees, also began allowing Spotify and some other apps to offer their own in-app payment option alongside Google’s Android billing system last year.

Spotify didn’t immediately respond to a request for additional information on the billing change.

How to pay for Spotify Premium

Spotify Premium costs $10 per month for one account and lets subscribers play any song they want on demand and download and listen to songs offline. It also removes the ads that come with the free version.

People can subscribe on Spotify’s website or through the Android app. Spotify allows you to pay using a credit or debit card, prepaid card, PayPal, or gift card, among other methods.

Payment methods vary by country or region, according to Spotify. You can get more information about Spotify payments on the company’s support site.

Google and Meta, parent company to Facebook, will block links to Canadian journalism later this year for people in Canada in response to a new law that forces technology companies to compensate publishers for linking articles.

With Australia passing a similar measure in 2021, more countries are looking toward compensatory legislation as news outlets continue to layoff journalists in record numbers while Silicon Valley giants rake in hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue.

As we face a potential standoff between lawmakers and journalists on one side and the gatekeepers of the internet on the other, here’s what you need to know about Canada’s Online News Act and how it might impact you.

What’s up with Google, Facebook and Canada?

The Online News Act, which goes into effect at the end of 2023, compels Google and Meta to compensate publishers when linking to news content. It’s part of an effort to inject news publishers with an infusion of cash after the internet revolution upended traditional revenue streams for outlets.

Previously, newspapers relied on subscriptions, advertising and classified sections to keep their newsrooms operational. But with the move to information online, subscription revenue dried up as people began searching news for free, and sites like Craigslist and eBay, rather than newspaper classified sections, were used to sell people’s goods.

Between 2008 and 2021, 450 Canadian news outlets have closed, according to Pablo Rodriguez, the minister of Canadian heritage. He says this has led to public mistrust and the rise of disinformation. At the moment, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is encouraging Canadians to visit its site directly to catch up on the latest news.

Does this impact people in other countries?

Right now, Google and Facebook’s restrictions will only affect Canadians later this year when the law goes into effect. This means that Americans wanting to read up about news in Canada should still find news results from Canadian publications in Search.

Canada isn’t the first government to push a publisher compensation law. The first was Australia, where in 2021 it passed the News Media Bargaining Code. It’s expected to bring in $130 million annually, with Australia’s Treasury already calling the law a success. Both Google and Meta resisted the Australian law before eventually coming to the negotiating table.

The California state legislature has also advanced a similar law last month requiring Big Tech giants to pay for linking to content, with Meta already threatening to pull news content if the law passes. US senators tried passing a similar law titled the Journalism Competition Preservation Act last year, but it ultimately failed to pass it through Congress. Although, lawmakers resurrected the legislation last month and hope to bring it to the floor for a vote.

How to find news without Google or Facebook

For Canadians wanting to stay up-to-date on news later this year, here are some ways you can still find news.

• World news. The new law only affects Canadian publishers, so searching for news topics in Google will still bring you news from non-Canadian publications.
• Bing. Microsoft reportedly said it will continue serving up news links for Canadians on its search engine Bing.
• Canadian news sites and social media. You can go to Canadian news sites directly, and consider setting a Canadian news website like the CBC or Global News as your default home page on a web browser.
• Social media accounts. You can also follow those news outlets on social media platforms like Twitter. Meta says it’s still assessing how the Online News Act will impact news links on its newly launched Twitter competitor, Threads. There are also website aggregation sites like Feedly that can give you a Twitter-like feed of all the news publications you follow.
• Get a VPN. It should also be possible for Canadians to use a VPN and set their location to the US or another country. This should allow links from Canadian publishers to appear in search and on Facebook. Be sure to check out CNET’s guidance on the best VPN services before subscribing.
• Reddit. For Reddit users, subscribing to the r/Canada subreddit is a good way to find the top stories people are discussing. Cities and provinces like r/Toronto and r/BritishColumbia also have their own dedicated Reddit pages.
• Support Canadian journalism. Post.news is a new website that lets you redeem points to read local articles. You can follow publications in the same way you do on Twitter, and it’ll bring you a feed of all the latest stories. Signing up gives you 50 free points and each point costs less than a cent to buy. Even though the cost is minuscule, using a few points to read articles pays websites far more than a banner ad on the side of a webpage.

How has Big Tech affected journalism?

The state of journalism is one of many concerns governments around the world have regarding the power of Big Tech. The industry has largely been unregulated, allowing tech giants to expand rapidly around the globe. Regulators are also noticing the closure of newsrooms and continued layoffs. In the US, 2,500 news outlets have closed since 2005.

As the internet’s matured, major tech platforms like Google and Facebook took the lion’s share of traffic online, being the de facto way people sought out information.

Google, in particular, not only controls the window into the internet for billions of people through Search, Chrome and Android but also the advertising marketplace and associated technology, which is its own US Justice Department-led antitrust lawsuit. This gives Google a huge influence in driving traffic, meaning that for a site to succeed, it needs to optimize its content for Google Search. And as Google has floated more ads to the top of Search, including e-commerce links, that’s had an immediate impact on how much money websites can make.

What will the law do for Canadian journalism?

The Canadian law is estimated to bring in $329 million to Canadian newsrooms. By comparison, Google and Meta brought in $285 billion and $117 billion in revenue last year, respectively. Assuming each company had to pay out $329 million, this would only be 0.11% of Google’s 2022 revenue and 0.28% for Meta.

“Big tech would rather spend money changing their platforms to block news from Canadians instead of paying a small share of the billions they make in advertising dollars,” Rodriguez said in a tweet. “Canadians won’t be bullied. Big Tech isn’t bigger than Canada.”

Google has already shown it’s willing to play the long game, however; Google News backed out of Spain for eight years following the passage of a similar publisher compensation law before coming back last year.

Google didn’t respond to a request for comment. Meta said it had nothing further to add.

It can be a huge undertaking to shop for a new TV. Finding the right TV that meets your needs, wants and, perhaps most importantly, your budget can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The TV market is massive these days, which can be somewhat intimidating when you’re shopping for a new model. If you need a little help deciding what is right for you, be sure to check out our TV buying guide for a full breakdown of the different screens and specs available so you can find the right TV to meet your needs.

But whatever features you decide you want in a new TV, there’s no reason you should be overspending. There are plenty of TV deals on a wide range of sizes, styles and brands. That’s why we’ve scoured the web to find the deepest discounts and biggest bargains available right now from top brands like Samsung, LG and Amazon, and compiled them below. If you’re on the hunt for more specific options, you can also check out our roundups of the best 4K TV deals or best cheap TV deals. We’ll continue to update this page as offers come and go, so be sure to check back often to make sure you’re getting the best prices out there on TVs both big and small.

Samsung TV deals

• 65-inch QN800B Neo QLED 8K smart Tizen TV: $1,600 (save $1,698)

• 75-inch QN800B Neo QLED 8K smart Tizen TV: $2,290 (save $2,420)
• 55-inch The Frame QLED 4K smart Tizen TV: $1,073 (save $427)
• 55-inch QN90B Neo QLED 4K smart TV: $1,000 (save $900)
• 65-inch Q70A QLED 4K smart TV: $1,100 (save $300)

Amazon Fire TV deals

With Prime Day heaving into view, there are plenty of TV deals that are Prime exclusives, but a few are available to everyone. They are marked accordingly.

• 32-inch 2-Series HD TV: $130 (save $70 with Prime)
• 40-inch 2-Series HD TV: $190 (save $60 with Prime)
• 43-inch 4-Series 4K TV: $260 (save $110)
• 50-inch 4-Series 4K TV: $310 (save $140)
• 55-inch 4-Series 4K TV: $380 (save $140)
• 43-inch Omni Series 4K smart TV: $100 (save $300 with Prime)
• 55-inch Omni Series 4K smart TV: $430 (save $120 with Prime)
• 75-inch Omni Series 4K smart TV: $720 (save $330 with Prime)

LG TV deals

• 86-inch Class 80 Series QNED 4K smart TV: $1,600 (save $400)
• 65-inch Nano75 UQA Series LED 4K smart TV: $700 (save $200)
• 48-inch Class C2 Series OLED evo 4K smart TV: $925 (save $575)

• 65-inch Class B2 Series OLED 4K smart TV: $1,747 (save $1,453)

• 65-inch LG G2 Series OLED evo Gallery Edition: $2,000 (save $200)

Toshiba, Sony and other TV deals

• 50-inch Sony Class X80K Series 4K smart Google TV: $550 (save $50)
• 75-inch Toshiba C350 Series 4K UHD smart Fire TV: $540 (save $260)

• 55-inch Insignia Class F30 4K UHD smart Fire TV: $230 (save $170)
• 50-inch Vizio V Series 4K UHD smart TV: $268 (save $90)
• 32-inch Insignia F20 Series LED smart Fire TV: $80 (save $70)

It’s Mario and Luigi versus Bowser in a fun animated tale that brings Nintendo’s video game characters to life in an epic battle.

After hitting theaters in April as a mega event, The Super Mario Bros. Movie will be available to stream on your TV screen. The adventure film stars Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong and Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach.

The story walks us through the Mario brothers’ plumbing business woes before launching them into the Mushroom Kingdom. Packed with nostalgic shout-outs and Easter eggs, the film boasts a road race for the ages, dangerous brushes with lava and Peach as a badass.

Read on to learn the movie’s streaming release date, where to watch it and how a VPN can get make your viewing experience easier.

Read more: Best VPN 2023: VPNs Tested and Rated by Our Experts

When to watch The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Fans can rev up to watch The Super Mario Bros. Movie when it’s released exclusively on Peacock on Aug. 3. In addition to the film, you can watch behind-the-scenes footage with the cast, stream an interactive, immersive field guide for the movie and catch a lyrical video for Bowser’s serenade to Peaches. Peacock is only available in the US and its territories (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands).

If you aren’t a Peacock subscriber but want to be, there’s an ad-supported and ad-free plan to choose from. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is also currently available to purchase digitally for $20 from places including Amazon.

How to watch The Super Mario Bros. Movie from anywhere with a VPN

Perhaps you’re traveling abroad and want to stream Peacock while away from home. With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the movie from anywhere in the world. There are other good reasons to use a VPN for streaming too.

A VPN is the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds by encrypting your traffic. Using a VPN is also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network and want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins. Streaming TV can be a bit smoother with a reliable, quality VPN that’s passed our tests and security standards.

You can use a VPN to stream content legally as long as VPNs are allowed in your country and you have a valid subscription to the streaming service you’re using. The US and Canada are among the countries where VPNs are legal, but we advise against streaming or downloading content on illegal torrent sites. We recommend ExpressVPN, but you may opt for another provider from our best list such as Surfshark or NordVPN.

Follow the VPN provider’s instructions for installation and choose a country where The Super Mario Bros. Movie will be streaming on Peacock (i.e. the US). Before you open the streaming app, make sure you’re connected to your VPN using your selected region. If you want to stream the film on more than one device, it’s possible you’ll need to configure each one to ensure you are signed in. Go to settings and check your network connections to verify you’re logged in and connected to your VPN account. Now you’re ready to open Peacock to stream.

If you run into issues with streaming, first make sure your VPN is up and running on its encrypted IP address. Double-check that you’ve followed installation instructions correctly and you’ve picked the right geographical area for viewing. If you still encounter connection problems, you may need to reboot your device. Close all apps and windows, restart your device and connect to your VPN first. Note that some streaming services have restrictions on VPN access.

Meta’s Twitter rival, Threads, was released Wednesday night, with over 10 million signups in the first seven hours of the service launching on iPhone and Android. Millions more are expected to sign up in the coming days, but if you haven’t just yet, one thing might dissuade you from joining Threads: If you change your mind, there’s no way to delete your Threads profile without also deleting your Instagram account.

That’s right. If you decide you no longer want to use Threads and want to permanently delete your account, you must delete the Instagram account you used to sign up for Threads. In this Instagram help page, you’ll see that you do have the option to delete individual posts on Threads — but there’s no way to delete your Threads profile without also getting rid of your Instagram.

You do have another option, however, it’s just not as permanent. If you do decide to join Threads, here’s how to deactivate your account without deleting your Instagram.

If you want to learn more, check out everything you need to know about Threads and how Meta is using AI to organize your feeds on Instagram and Facebook.

If you don’t want to delete your Instagram profile, you can temporarily deactivate your Threads account

When you sign up for Threads, you only have the option to log in with your Instagram account. As you flesh out your profile, you use Instagram to import your profile photo, bio and links, and you can follow the same accounts you follow on Instagram in one fell swoop — making Instagram and Threads intrinsically linked.

So if you’re hesitant about joining Threads, you can still step back and not delete your account. Instead, you do have the option to individually deactivate your Threads profile. Instead of permanently deleting your profile and data, deactivating hides your Threads profile, posts, comments and likes from everyone else, until you decide to return.

To deactivate your Threads account, launch the Threads application, tap the profile icon on the bottom-left and then go to Account > Deactivate profile. You must hit the black Deactivate Threads profile button to confirm. At the bottom of the page, you’ll see a notice that says, “This will not affect your Instagram account.”

Want to check out more about Instagram? Here’s how to fix low-quality videos on your Instagram feed and how to develop a healthier relationship with Instagram.

Less than a week before Amazon Prime Day, the company announced Thursday that its fall Devices and Services event will be held on Sept. 20 at Amazon’s second headquarters, also known as HQ2, in Arlington, Virginia.

“Now that Amazon’s HQ2 is officially open, it only feels right to gather there in a few months to share a bit more of what we’ve been working on,” David Limp, Amazon’s senior vice president of devices and services, posted on LinkedIn. “Mark your calendar for 9/20 for some news from us!”

Amazon launched a handful of new devices, like the Kindle Scribe, Halo Rise and the Eero PoE 6 router, at its 2022 event.

The company announced construction of HQ2 in 2019, but reports said the facility’s construction wouldn’t be finished until 2025. Amazon beat that prediction and opened HQ2 on June 15, albeit without the ambitious original swirl design.

For more on Amazon, check out some of the best early Prime Day deals, how you can use Amazon Layaway on Prime Day and how to get Prime Day deals from other retailers.

If you’ve been watching Wimbledon, which kicked off Monday, you’ll probably have noticed the brand name Oppo emblazoned on the edges of a couple of key tennis courts. The name may not ring a bell for the average sports fan, but the Chinese smartphone maker is hoping that exposure through these high-profile sporting events will let us know it exists — or at least remind us that it does.

Although Oppo isn’t a household name outside its native China, the company has ascended rapidly. It now consistently ranks among the top five smartphone makers globally, along with some fellow Chinese phone makers. Oppo’s rise underscores that Chinese manufacturers, which have worked hard to shed their copycat image, are increasingly capable of building products with global appeal.

Unlike Apple, which has made the iPhone a global status symbol, Oppo primarily generates sales from its entry-level and affordable midrange phones. In the first quarter of this year, Oppo shipped 27.4 million units, according to Statista. Homegrown rival Huawei, meanwhile, continues to grapple with the implications of US sanctions. But Oppo aspires to be known as more than just a cheap phonemaker; it’s striving for an upscale image.

“A key aspect of Oppo’s global strategy in building its brand globally was to establish a consistent brand image as a premium and international technology brand globally,” said Jan Harling, Oppo’s former global media director. “Oppo’s global sporting partnerships, particularly with tennis and football events, play a significant role in the overall marketing strategy.”

Oppo wants you to see it as upscale

As part of that strategy, Oppo has been pulling out all the stops to keep its brand at the forefront of people’s hearts and minds globally. It inked a multiyear contract with Wimbledon, arguably the most prestigious tennis tournament on the circuit, to become its first Asian sponsor in 2019. This put Oppo alongside globally renowned companies including Rolex, Slazenger, Ralph Lauren and IBM, all of which can call themselves “official suppliers” of the Wimbledon tournament.

Oppo didn’t stop at Wimbledon — or tennis. It’s since partnered with Roland Garros, also known as the French Open, and more recently the UEFA Champions League — both of which attract a worldwide audience. For the latter, Oppo appointed Brazilian soccer legend Kaka as its global brand ambassador as well as offering experience booths, where Oppo product were available for demonstration for fans. Prior to all this, it partnered with the International Cricket Council as the official mobile handset partner. Cricket is a national pastime in India — a crucial market for Oppo, and one that recently overtook China as the country with the world’s largest population.

“Being a part of the most exhilarating sporting tournaments and competitions is very important to Oppo,” Elvis Zhou Oppo’s overseas chief marketing officer, told CNET in an interview ahead of Wimbledon. “The international influence and local appeal of sporting events will not only help to enhance Oppo’s global brand influence but also help to create an emotional connection with local users.”

Oppo’s involvement in Wimbledon is the latest opportunity for the Chinese company to expose its brand name to a captive global audience. The championship is estimated to have tens of millions of viewers worldwide. But experts say being visible and being accepted as an upscale brand are two different challenges. It’s one thing to have your logo seen by millions of people at high-profile sporting events, but another thing for people to pick your product in a competitive premium segment that counts Apple and Samsung as rivals, they say.

Sports partnerships in the smartphone industry are common. Google was a big sponsor of NBA playoffs with its Pixel brand. Ahead of its annual developer conference, Google released an ad featuring NBA stars and its first-ever folding phone, the Pixel Fold. In 2020, Motorola partnered with the New York Yankees amid the relaunch of its iconic Razr phone series.

Whether Oppo’s sports partnerships help it sell more phones or not, it’ll likely be a win in the longer term for shoppers since Oppo is giving frontrunner Samsung more competition to the foldable segment, along with Google and Motorola.

“Since smartphones have been a commoditized product, we are expecting to see a more competitive pricing strategy in the foldable market, especially since the key Android vendors aim to utilize it to penetrate the high-end segments,” said Will Wong, senior research manager at International Data Corporation.

“Thus, globally, IDC is expecting the average selling price of the foldable market (including both foldable clamshell and foldable inward/outward form factors) to decline by 8% year-on-year to around US$1,160 in 2023, while the non-foldable form factor’s ASP to stay nearly unchanged at around $400.”

Oppo’s European ambitions

While Oppo has yet to launch a product in the US, it’s making inroads in other places. In the European Union and the UK (both premium markets), Oppo is actively crafting a high-end image with fancy foldable phones forming a cornerstone of its strategy. Earlier this year, Oppo launched its first foldable phone — the Find N2 Flip, its answer to Samsung’s popular Galaxy Z Flip 4 — in the UK and Europe. The clamshell foldable is the crown jewel of Oppo’s marketing blitz for its smartphone division; the company’s first foldable to receive an international release and hit retailers globally.

“We want to make a stride in the premium sector, especially the foldable phone sector, as Oppo believes foldable phones provide more diversities and flexibility for consumers’ lives,” said Zhou.

But it’s not just talk. The Oppo flip phone has high-end specifications to back up Oppo’s ambitions. The Find N2 Flip drew praise from consumer technology reviewers, including myself, for its slick hardware and large vertical cover screen, which could lend itself to more utility than the smaller one seen on the Galaxy Z Flip 4. It doesn’t offer as much functionality as the screen on Motorola’s Razr Plus, which lets you watch YouTube videos and take advantage of a full keyboard.

Although foldables represent a small sliver of the smartphone market, the Find N2 Flip allows Oppo to position itself as an innovator. This helps cultivate a premium brand image, along with Oppo’s sports partnerships.

“Oppo’s Find N2 Flip has actually initiated more competition in the foldable market, especially in the foldable clamshell field. Its competitive pricing and a larger cover screen size, which were well-received in the market, reinforced that these two factors played a key part in consumers’ decision journeys,” said IDC’s Will Wong. “Thus, we are seeing Motorola taking similar tactics in its latest [2023’s] foldable products.”

Oppo has made notable progress in capturing market share in the EU over recent years. There are a number of reasons for this, including the large exodus of people moving away from Huawei phones now that the full power of Google software and services is no longer available on those devices. According to IDC, Oppo is the fourth-largest smartphone player in the EU with a total of 3.8% market share. Industry watchers say Oppo still has more scope to grow, however.

“A mammoth acquisition opportunity naturally presents itself for competitors, with Huawei retaining a diminutive 13% of those who purchase a new smartphone [in the EU],” market research firm Kantar wrote in a 2022 report.

“Chinese brands will continue to increase their share in the top brands in the next few years when they learn how to become better global marketers,” Harling said.

Instagram’s parent company Meta on Wednesday debuted Threads, which is billed as a text-based conservation app that can potentially rival Twitter. You can sign in with your Instagram credentials and keep your username, followers and verification status.

Though the platform has reportedly been in the works since January, the Threads rollout comes on the heels of Elon Musk announcing limits to how many tweets you can read on Twitter per day.

Amid all the changes at Twitter, some social media users may be looking for an alternative, such as Mastodon or Bluesky. Threads provides the option to post text, videos and photos, and the ability to engage in real-time conversations.

In a post on Threads, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday that the app passed 2 million signups in its first two hours. He followed up later saying the app had reached “10 million sign ups in seven hours.”

Read on to learn more about how to join Threads and what features are available.

What is Threads by Meta?

Created by Meta’s Instagram team, Threads is a platform that allows you to publish short posts or updates that are up to 500 characters. You can include links, photos or videos up to 5 minutes long. The app is linked to your Instagram account, and according to Meta, you can “easily share a Threads post to your Instagram story, or share your post as a link on any other platform you choose.”

Your feed will include posts from people and accounts you follow on Instagram or Threads, as well as recommendations for undiscovered content. You also have the ability to filter specific words from your feed and restrict who is allowed to mention you.

Threads is free to use and is available to download from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.

How to use Threads

You must have an Instagram account to join Threads, as the platform requires you to use your Instagram login credentials to sign in. Once you launch your account, your Instagram username will be ported over, but you can create a customizable profile, though Meta notes that UK users who are younger than 18 will receive a default private profile.

You can easily follow the same accounts you already follow on Instagram with a few clicks and port your following over rather than start from scratch on Threads. When you create a post or “Thread,” you can select who’s able to view it, which may be the entire world or your followers.

As far as features, Twitter and Instagram users may be happy to learn that you have the ability to unfollow, report, block or restrict a profile. Access it using the three dots drop-down menu, and anyone you’ve blocked on Instagram will automatically be blocked on Threads. Other features include screen reader support and AI-generated image descriptions.

Meta says it’s working to make Threads compatible and integrative with other apps that support the ActivityPub protocol, such as WordPress and Mastodon. In the future, the company ideally wants Threads posts to be accessible for anyone with a compatible app, whether you have a Threads account or not.

Meta’s Threads vs. Twitter

Competition between the two tech giants is going beyond the proposed cage match between Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. With Threads’ built-in connection to Instagram, it can make it much easier to gain users within a short period of time. Though Musk changed Twitter’s cap to 10,000 posts a day for verified users, 1,000 per day for unverified and 500 for new unverified users, the move could result in the loss of subscribers — and advertisers.

However, the new Threads platform does have its detractors as well. Forrester analyst Mike Proulx asserts that Meta is taking advantage of the current wave of dissatisfaction with Twitter and that the company unsuccessfully launched and shut down Threads before.

“While credit should be given to Meta’s steadfast test and learn strategy, the company doesn’t exactly have a successful track record launching standalone apps outside its core family,” Proulx said in a statement to CNET, pointing to apps like Slingshot and IGTV.

Proulx added that the market is inundated with Twitter challengers such as Bluesky, Mastodon and Hive. “This only serves to fracture the Twitter alternative-seeking user base,” he said.

The launch of Threads in the European Union is also reportedly delayed due to data sharing concerns between the two apps.

Check out CNET’s additional coverage on social media platforms, including TikTok rules and Meta’s paid verification system for Instagram and Facebook.