TECH

Can wind capture atmospheric water and convert it into freshwater?

A new atmospheric water harvesting system could turn wind directly into drinking water, without first converting the wind’s energy into electricity. The technology combines highly porous hygroscopic polymer sponges with eddy current heating, creating a compact approach designed to extract moisture from air and release it as freshwater. In experiments conducted under changing outdoor conditions, the system produced as much as 9.9 liters of water per day for every kilogram of sorbent material.

The work, published in Advanced Functional Materials, addresses a major limitation of many sorption-based atmospheric water harvesting systems. These systems use materials that attract and retain water vapor from humid air, but the captured water must later be removed through a regeneration step. Conventional designs generally rely on sunlight or electrically powered heaters to warm the sorbent. That additional energy requirement can restrict their use in remote locations, especially where electrical infrastructure is unreliable or absent.

The new strategy relies on hygroscopic polymer sponges engineered with a highly interconnected macroporous structure. Their open network of pores provides a large internal surface area and allows humid air to move efficiently through the material. Hygroscopic chemical groups within the polymer attract water molecules from the atmosphere, causing the sponge to absorb moisture even when the surrounding air is not saturated. Once loaded with water, the sponge can be heated so that the absorbed moisture evaporates and can be collected as liquid freshwater.

The researchers integrated the sponges with a wind-driven eddy current heating system. Eddy currents are circulating electrical currents induced inside a conductive material when it is exposed to a changing magnetic field. The electrical resistance of the material converts these currents into heat. In the reported device, wind energy powers the mechanical process that generates the changing magnetic field, allowing the system to produce heat directly rather than sending the energy through a wind turbine, electrical generator, and separate heater.

That direct energy pathway is central to the system’s claimed efficiency. According to the researchers, the wind-powered heating process achieved an energy conversion efficiency exceeding 90 percent. By avoiding intermediate electricity generation, transmission, and electrical heating stages, the design can reduce energy losses and simplify the hardware required for sorbent regeneration. The approach also allows the heating process to operate independently of sunlight, potentially extending water production into cloudy weather, nighttime operation, and locations where solar energy is inconsistent.

During operation, the polymer sponge first captures water vapor from ambient air. When the sponge reaches its moisture capacity, wind activates the eddy current heating component, raising the temperature of the sorbent. The heat weakens the interactions between the hygroscopic polymer and the captured water, driving evaporation. The released vapor is then directed toward a cooler surface, where it condenses and can be collected. Repeating the adsorption and desorption cycle allows the same sponge material to harvest water continuously.

The reported production rate—9.9 liters per day per kilogram of sponge—was measured under fluctuating ambient air conditions rather than in a perfectly controlled, constant-humidity environment. That detail is important because atmospheric water harvesting performance depends strongly on relative humidity, temperature, wind speed, and the duration of each adsorption and regeneration cycle. A sorbent may collect water rapidly during humid periods but require longer exposure when the air is dry. The system’s performance will therefore vary from one climate and season to another.

The researchers believe the technology could be especially valuable in wind-rich coastal and island communities, where atmospheric moisture and wind resources are abundant but freshwater supplies and electrical grids may be limited. It could also serve remote settlements, emergency response operations, and off-grid facilities that need a decentralized source of water. Unlike systems dependent on large solar collectors or grid-connected heaters, a wind-driven design could be deployed in areas where strong winds are available throughout much of the day.

The system is not intended to make freshwater production independent of engineering constraints. Practical deployment will require durable sorbents that can withstand repeated swelling, drying, heating, and cooling cycles. The device must also manage airborne dust, salt, and other contaminants, particularly in coastal environments. Water quality will depend on the composition of the sorbent, the collection surfaces, and any purification steps added after condensation. Further testing across dry, humid, hot, and cold climates will be needed to determine how consistently the laboratory-scale performance can be maintained in long-term operation.

Even with those challenges, the combination of atmospheric moisture capture and direct wind-to-heat conversion offers a new direction for renewable water technology. Instead of treating wind solely as a source of electricity, the approach uses it as a direct thermal resource for regenerating a moisture-filled sorbent. If the materials remain stable and the system can be scaled economically, wind-driven atmospheric water harvesting could provide a flexible source of freshwater for communities facing water scarcity and limited access to conventional infrastructure.

References: Li, Haiqing et al., “Wind-Driven Atmospheric Water Harvesting Enabled by Highly Interconnected Macroporous Hygroscopic Polymer Sponges and Eddy Current Heating”

SONY

Sony makes 100 – 400 mm full-frame zoom lens 80% cheaper and 65% lighter

Sony demonstrates that full-frame zoom lenses with long focal lengths don’t have to be heavy or expensive. While the brand-new FE 100–400 mm f/5.6–8 isn’t particularly fast, it is comparatively compact and affordable. Sony nevertheless promises fast autofocus, optical image stabilization, and sharp photos.

Sony is expanding its lens lineup with a third 100–400 mm zoom lens. However, while the two older models were relatively fast for a telephoto zoom lens with a maximum aperture of f/4.5, the new model has a maximum aperture ranging from f/5.6 to f/8, depending on the focal length. This also makes it more difficult to use teleconverters, which effectively reduce the lens’s light-gathering ability even further.

Super-telephoto shooting in a compact, lightweight package...This lightweight, compact 100–400mm super-telephoto zoom lens weighs just 654 g (23.1 oz.), with a maximum diameter of 78.2 mm (3-1/8 in.) and a length of 164.5 mm (6-1/2 in.). Fill the frame with distant subjects and use telephoto compression to achieve unique perspectives in panoramic shots. An optional teleconverter extends the reach to 800 mm—or 1,200 mm in APS-C format.

This decision offers significant advantages in terms of the lens’s price and weight. With a list price of $850, the new lens is $3,450, or 80 percent, cheaper than the Sony FE 100–400 mm f/4.5 GM. Weighing 654 grams, the new lens is also about 1.2 kilograms, or 65 percent, lighter. The lens is 16.4 cm long with a diameter of 7.8 cm. Despite its lower price, Sony has opted for a complex design consisting of 15 elements in 10 groups and includes Optical SteadyShot (OSS).

An optical design featuring two ED glass elements and two aspherical elements effectively reduces chromatic aberration and other distortions, delivering sharp, clear subject rendering at both close and long ranges. A 9-blade circular aperture contributes to smooth, natural bokeh. With up to 0.41x magnification and a minimum focusing distance of just 0.86 m, you can also capture impressive close-ups of flowers and insects.

Easily capture challenging subjects handheld...Dual linear motors drive fast, precise, and quiet autofocus, effortlessly locking onto and tracking moving subjects. When paired with the α9 III body, continuous shooting at up to 120 fps is possible with full autofocus performance. The lens's optical stabilization also works with compatible camera bodies to deliver enhanced stabilization performance, effectively compensating for the pronounced blur that can occur with telephoto lenses and ensuring consistently stable framing.

Two ED lenses and two lenses with aspherically ground surfaces are designed to deliver high image quality across the entire zoom range. With a minimum focus distance of 0.86 meters, the lens achieves a maximum magnification of 0.41. The lens barrel features three sliders that can be used to lock the zoom, switch between autofocus and manual focus, and turn image stabilization on and off.

Pricing and availability...The Sony FE 100–400 mm f/5.6–8 OSS full-frame zoom lens will be released in late August 2026 at a suggested retail price of $850.

 

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TECH

"AI can optimize, but it doesn't replace the information captured by the lens," says Zeiss executive

German company Zeiss, one of the world's leading manufacturers of lenses and optical technologies, has been adapting to a landscape of photography increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. Today, in partnership with the Chinese company vivo Mobile—which owns the Jovi brand in Brazil—Zeiss is launching a camera system designed for the X300 smartphone series, comprising the Ultra and Fashion Edition models.

In an exclusive interview with *O Globo*, Oliver Schindelbeck, Senior Manager of Smartphone Technology at Zeiss, states that lens and smartphone manufacturers will increasingly need to work together to develop more powerful cameras. "The next major steps likely won't come from a single 'magic' component, but from fine-tuning all the elements," he said.

How has the company been adapting traditional camera lenses for smartphones that are becoming increasingly thin and AI-equipped?

Today, imaging systems need to be intelligently designed, incorporating advances in multi-camera setups, chips, software, and AI. Yet, the fundamental laws of optics remain the same, whether working with a professional camera lens or within the space of a few millimeters inside a smartphone. Light still needs to be guided, directed, and corrected. In a smartphone, however, users still expect a device that is thin, lightweight, and convenient. This means every element requires precise balancing: lens design, materials, coatings, mechanical tolerances, sensor characteristics, manufacturing capabilities, and software processing.

And how is AI changing cameras?

AI is a very powerful tool in mobile imaging, but that doesn't make optics any less important. In fact, I would say it increases the need for a solid optical foundation. Anything the lens fails to capture correctly is either lost or must be reconstructed later—and reconstruction always has its limits. AI can assist with scene understanding, segmentation, noise reduction, depth mapping, or stabilization, but the foundation remains the optical image that reaches the sensor. The best results come from when optics and AI complement each other.

Is there a limit to what AI can achieve?

Yes, there are limits. AI can optimize, interpret, and enhance the image, but it cannot replace the physical information captured by the lens. A good lens helps deliver sharp detail, contrast, natural rendering, and stray light control before image processing even begins. Especially in challenging situations—such as strong backlighting, night scenes, telephoto shots, or fine textures—optical quality remains decisive. In other words, software can do a lot, but it works best when starting with high-quality optical data. The greatest progress occurs when both worlds develop in close alignment.

And how does the joint development process with a smartphone manufacturer work in practice?

It is a long-term collaborative engineering process. We have a six-year partnership with Jovi. We contribute expertise in optical design, coatings, validation, color, and image standards. Meanwhile, a manufacturer like Jovi leads the integration with the smartphone, software, and AI, as well as product implementation.

How do you adapt optical knowledge for an era where algorithms actively shape the final image?

In traditional photography, we think primarily about the lens, sensor, and post-processing. In smartphones, the image is shaped by an even closer interaction between optics, the sensor, the chip, software, AI, the display, and the user interface. Our role is to help translate optical principles and image standards into this compact, computational environment. A good example is portrait rendering. The goal isn't just to blur the background, but to create a believable visual impression that reflects the character of photographic optics.

Today, a smartphone packs a main lens, an ultra-wide, a telephoto lens, and various zoom levels into a space of just a few millimeters. What is the biggest engineering challenge in delivering this range of focal lengths?

The biggest challenge is physical space. Size matters—especially for smartphones—because consumers prefer devices that are slim and easy to carry. At the same time, focal length literally implies length. We need space to guide light through the lens system, particularly for telephoto imaging. But these limitations don't mean innovation stops; on the contrary, they make collaboration even more crucial. Progress stems from a combination of superior optical designs, new materials, more effective coatings, smarter stabilization, more powerful chips, AI-driven processing, and precision manufacturing. The next major leaps likely won't come from a single "magic" component, but from fine-tuning every element of the system so they mutually enhance one another's performance.

Can the smartphone already be considered a professional tool for photographers?

Professional cameras remain vital for specific workflows, specialized lenses, larger sensors, controlled production environments, and maximum flexibility. Smartphones aren't simply replacing professional cameras; they complement them and make professional-quality imaging accessible to a much wider range of users.

How does the company view the future of smartphone lenses? Will we continue to see multi-camera devices, or is the trend shifting toward simplifying hardware and offloading more of the workload to AI?

I expect both trends to continue. Multiple cameras and varied focal lengths are useful because they offer users different perspectives. Meanwhile, AI and computational photography will make transitions between these perspectives smoother and improve the final result. I don't believe the future is simply about less hardware and more AI. The future lies in a more integrated system that operates so naturally that the user can focus on the subject rather than the technology behind it.

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TECH

SBC35-474: Industrial single-board computer with Windows support, HDMI, DisplayPort, and M.2

A new single-board computer is designed for demanding environments and supports both Windows and DDR5 memory. The SBC35-474 also offers high-speed network connectivity and accommodates multiple M.2 expansion cards.

The manufacturer Winsystems has added a new single-board computer to its lineup: the SBC35-474. It is described as a “rugged SBC,” a term that may need some clarification. The board is not as well protected as, for example, a waterproof and drop-resistant rugged smartphone; instead, “rugged” refers to its suitability for industrial applications. The system can operate at temperatures ranging from –40 °C to 85 °C, making it suitable for use in uncooled outdoor enclosures in both summer and winter. The 146 x 102 mm board is not really comparable to a Raspberry Pi—not only in terms of size but also in its target audience—and the same applies to the processors. Depending on the configuration, it is equipped with an Intel Atom x7211RE, x7433RE, or x7835RE. The top model offers eight processing cores and has a TDP of 12 watts, so the use of a heat sink is generally recommended.

Supported operating systems include Ubuntu and Windows 11 IoT. The system features 8 or 16 GB of DDR5 memory, along with 128 GB of eMMC storage. Additional storage is supported. A total of three M.2 slots are available, with the M.2 2280 slot supporting SSDs via SATA or NVMe. The M.2 2230 slot is intended for a wireless module, while the third M.2 slot can be used to add cellular connectivity via a SIM card. Network connectivity is provided via two Ethernet ports, each supporting data rates of up to 2.5 Gbit/s. The board can drive up to three displays simultaneously via HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort, and eDP, with the eDP connection exposed through a 40-pin connector.

There are 10 GPIO pins for connecting external sensors and actuators, as well as two serial ports. This allows the SBC35-474 to be connected, for example, to industrial machinery, with status data transmitted via Ethernet to a control system. USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 are also supported, making it feasible to use the board on-site with a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. As is common for B2B products, pricing information has not been publicly disclosed. 

Processor options include Intel Atom x7211RE, x7433RE, and x7835RE with scaling from dual-core to eight-core performance hosting processor frequencies up to 3.6 GHz and integrated Intel UHD Graphics featuring 16 execution units.

The fanless platform has an operating temperature range of -40°C to +85°C and includes three M.2 expansion sockets for wireless connectivity, storage, AI accelerators, and other application-specific peripherals.

It provides local processing, AI acceleration, high-speed networking, and hardware security by utilizing the following features:

DDR5 memory support

Dual 2.5 GbE ports

TPM 2.0 hardware security

Triple-display support

Windows 11 IoT and Ubuntu Linux support

“Organizations developing industrial and infrastructure systems need more than processing performance. They need a platform they can standardize on for years,” said Robert Dunaway, Chief Revenue Officer, WINSYSTEMS. “The SBC35-474 delivers the rugged design, Intel performance, connectivity, long life-cycle support, and US-based manufacturing to help engineering teams innovate and accelerate deployment while helping project managers minimize program risk.”

The SBC35-474 is designed for industrial automation, machine control, machine vision, transportation systems, communications gateways, remote monitoring, and smart infrastructure applications.

The SBC35-474 is designed for organizations deploying mission-critical systems in harsh environments. Typical deployments include industrial automation and process control, machine vision, test and measurement equipment, transportation systems, communications infrastructure, energy management, security systems, remote monitoring, and other intelligent edge applications.

Whether deployed in factory automation, transportation, energy, or communications infrastructure, edge systems increasingly require a combination of local intelligence, rugged reliability, and long-term availability. The SBC35-474 is designed to provide that foundation across a wide range of industrial computing applications.

“Organizations developing industrial and infrastructure systems need more than processing performance. They need a platform they can standardize on for years,” said Robert Dunaway, Chief Revenue Officer, WINSYSTEMS. “The SBC35-474 delivers the rugged design, Intel performance, connectivity, long life-cycle support, and US-based manufacturing to help engineering teams innovate and accelerate deployment while helping project managers minimize program risk.”

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TECH

When the fake boss calls: a real-time warning system for fake videoconferences

Videoconferencing facilitates communication between different locations while still allowing people to look each other in the eye. However, more and more often we have to question whether the other person's eyes are real. This is because deepfake technologies are now capable of falsifying voices and images in real time more realistically than ever. In 2025, the CFO of a company in Singapore was ensnared by a deepfake Zoom call in which all the participants were AI-generated—including his boss. In the end, he got off lightly: The authorities were later able to recover the roughly 500,000 U.S. dollars he had transferred.

The Cyber Security Agency (CSA) in Singapore alone has recorded a massive increase in video fraud cases like this in the first quarter of 2026. The country saw over 1,200 cases in January alone. That number was 43 in the same month of the previous year. However, the problem is global. After analyzing over one billion cases worldwide, the 2026 Entrust Identity Fraud Report concludes: “Identity fraud is no longer a crime of opportunity. It has now become industrialized, globally organized and commercially optimized.” This is cause enough for Fraunhofer researchers such as Martin Steinebach to work intensively on this issue. Steinebach heads the Media Security and IT Forensics department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology SIT in Darmstadt.

“Videoconferences represent a special challenge for deepfake detection,” says the expert. “Image and sound quality fluctuate with variations in the network. Because the data streams are compressed, those specific image artifacts often used by earlier detection methods to identify deepfakes are lost.” The challenge is further exacerbated by automatic blur filters, variations in lighting as well as noise and movement in the background. A detector cannot be allowed to produce false positives for these normal videoconferencing effects.

A local solution for real-time detection...In an ATHENE research project, Steinebach and his team of experts at Fraunhofer SIT and at the Fraunhofer Heilbronn Research and Innovation Center (HNFIZ) for Cybersecurity have developed a solution combining video and audio deepfake detection. The AI-based software is designed to continuously inform participants in security-critical video calls of the likelihood of a deepfake. The warning is visual: “If a meeting is currently raising many flags, the system indicates a probability that it is a deepfake,” the researcher says. “But then the person in the meeting still has to verify the other party's authenticity by asking specific questions or by calling back on a different channel.”

The analysis can run locally on a high-performance laptop without requiring the transfer of image or audio data to an external server. It is thus compliant with data protection requirements and is suitable for companies conducting confidential meetings, such as with executive boards, finance departments or external partners. “A computer with a modern graphics card and twelve gigabytes of graphics memory is sufficient for the local real-time analysis in our solution,” says Steinebach.

This solution should also prove interesting to videoconferencing systems providers who could integrate it as a plugin or as an embedded security feature in systems such as Teams, Zoom or comparable enterprise solutions. Another possibility would be a central corporate infrastructure with a secure server area that analyzes especially important meetings. The exact form depends on the use case, the available resources and the data protection requirements.

Researchers at Fraunhofer SIT first create deepfakes themselves to train the system. Shown here is an example comparison between the detection of the authentic researcher on the left and a version in which the face has been replaced with that of Tom Cruise-image above (© Fraunhofer SIT)

AI beats signal processing...“One observation we made right at the start was that traditional signal processing methods quickly reach their limits in real-time detection today. Machine learning was significantly faster and more efficient,” Steinebach reports. He feeds the self-learning system with real and manipulated audio and video data to enable it to independently recognize differences. In the audio domain, the team drew on resources including publicly available datasets containing roughly 19,000 real recordings and about 160,000 spoofed, i.e., manipulated recordings.

What is critical here is that the training data should replicate a realistic videoconferencing environment as closely as possible. Typical effects that occur in videoconferences, such as compression, fluctuating quality and blur filters, must therefore also be simulated. The AI term for this is augmentation, explains Steinebach: “We apply interference to the data such as occurs in the real world and train the system to deal with it.” Because this is a specialized model designed for a clearly defined task, the training is significantly less expansive than in large language models. “It was especially interesting that it was almost more time-consuming and difficult to create deepfakes than to detect them in a real-time system like this.”

Outlook: practical testing of technology and processes...The Fraunhofer SIT demonstrator is currently still in the proof-of-concept phase. In the next step, the researchers plan to collaborate with companies and videoconferencing system providers to reliably integrate this technology in real-world infrastructures with appropriate data protection and user-friendliness. Legal questions also have to be clarified, such as whether meeting participants should be required to consent to the analysis or how the terms of use for a videoconferencing system would reflect this function.

Martin Steinebach has mixed feelings about the future development of deepfakes. On the one hand, there is a risk that even security-critical processes such as video identification by banks could soon be falsified using deepfakes. On the other hand, the risk can be mitigated by cryptographic security, additional authentication and technical detection systems. However, it remains important to combine technology with clear processes. For example, if a bank transfer is suddenly requested during a videoconference, a second, independent communication channel should be used for verification.

© Fraunhofer SIT (sit.fraunhofer.de)

TECH

Qualcomm to raise prices starting in September, and MediaTek is loving it...

Qualcomm has confirmed that all its products, including the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, will become more expensive starting next month. This hike opens a window of opportunity for MediaTek, which—according to supply chain rumors—could sell the Dimensity 9600 Pro to manufacturers for significantly less money...

Qualcomm confirmed that, effective September 1st, all its products will undergo a "double-digit" price increase, citing rising costs from its suppliers. The hike also applies to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, the flagship chipset the company is preparing to launch later this quarter. It is worth noting that this chip was already expected to be the most expensive ever for the mobile market due to its complexity and the fact that it is one of the first chips to utilize TSMC’s 2-nanometer N2P manufacturing process.

The latest confirmation of the price hike did not come as a standalone announcement but was instead part of Qualcomm's third fiscal quarter earnings report, released yesterday after market close. The company reported revenue of $9.9 billion—surpassing market estimates of $9.67 billion but still falling short of the $10.37 billion recorded in the same quarter last year. Adjusted earnings per share stood at $2.21, slightly below the estimated $2.23.

The smartphone (handset) chip segment generated $5.1 billion—a 20% year-over-year decline—which the company attributes to softening demand in the Chinese market. In contrast, the automotive segment continues to grow strongly, bringing in $1.59 billion (up 61% from a year ago) and marking the 23rd consecutive quarter of double-digit growth in this area. For the fourth quarter, Qualcomm anticipates total revenue between $9.70 billion and $10.50 billion.

The reaction to this announcement was somewhat guarded, especially given the ongoing supply crunch for memory chips. It was alongside these results that CEO Cristiano Amon reaffirmed the price hike taking effect on September 1st, framing it as part of Qualcomm's broader effort to expand margins. However, the most telling statement came when Amon acknowledged that current market dynamics are making low- and mid-range smartphones less competitive due to pricing.

This statement was accompanied by another revealing that even in the premium segment—where Qualcomm has historically dominated—customers are opting for cheaper choices within that same tier, including chips from previous generations. It is this admission from Qualcomm's CEO himself that makes the threat posed by MediaTek particularly credible, especially as market preference shifts toward the more affordable end of the high-end spectrum.

Worst possible timing...The timing of Qualcomm's price hike could not be more inconvenient for smartphone manufacturers, who have been grappling with steadily rising costs for RAM and NAND storage for over a year. Now, TSMC's 2-nanometer wafers are also set to cost significantly more than previous generations. Consequently, Qualcomm's announced price increase will compound a bill that was already ballooning due to costs from other areas.

According to supply chain estimates, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro could cost manufacturers over $300 per unit—a figure that, on its own, could account for roughly one-third of a high-end smartphone's total production cost. This is where MediaTek may find an opportunity. According to the Taiwanese business newspaper *Commercial Times*, the Dimensity 9600 Pro—a direct rival to the Qualcomm chip, both manufactured using TSMC’s 2-nanometer process—will sell for approximately $216 per unit; this represents a difference of about 28% compared to the price tag of over $300 commanded by Qualcomm. It is worth noting, however, that this information has not yet been officially confirmed by either company.

This price disparity is nothing new in the relationship between the two brands. The current Dimensity 9500, for instance, costs between $180 and $200 per unit, compared to the roughly $280 charged for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. In other words, even if these projected figures prove accurate, MediaTek’s strategy of positioning its flagship chips at a noticeably lower price point than Qualcomm’s is hardly a novelty.

What this could mean for 2026/2027 smartphones...With Qualcomm's price hikes already confirmed and a cheaper rival waiting in the wings, smartphone manufacturers now face a tougher choice than in previous years. Major market players are expected to stick with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro for their priciest "Ultra" models, despite the higher cost.

However, smaller brands—or models positioned just below the absolute flagship tier—now have a stronger financial incentive to lean toward the Dimensity 9600 Pro or even Samsung's upcoming Exynos 2700, which will benefit from Samsung Foundry's second-generation 2-nanometer process. This could translate into faster adoption of non-Qualcomm chipsets in mid-range and "near-flagship" smartphones over the coming months.

On a technical level, the Dimensity 9600 Pro is expected to replicate the 2+3+3 CPU architecture anticipated for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, combining ARM C2-Ultra and C2-Pro cores with the ARM Magni GPU and LPDDR6 memory support. In contrast, the standard Dimensity 9600 is expected to retain LPDDR5X memory to keep costs down. Meanwhile, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro relies on fully Qualcomm-designed Oryon cores, with a stated focus on AI-driven upscaling and frame generation capabilities.

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NOKIA

Nokia prepares an unexpected comeback with a phone that bets on something many smartphones have forgotten

While the market battles over who offers the most cameras, larger screens, and artificial intelligence features, a new Nokia device heads in the exact opposite direction. The model—not yet officially announced—focuses on durability, extreme battery life, and practical functionality to win over an audience that values ​​reliability over technological excess. And one specific feature could make it far more useful than it appears at first glance.

Recent reports indicate that HMD Global, the company behind Nokia-branded phones, is preparing to launch the Nokia 300 4G Power Bank. This device revives the philosophy of the manufacturer's classic phones, known for their durability and long-lasting batteries.

Rather than competing directly with premium smartphones, the device is designed as a practical alternative for those needing a reliable phone for travel, outdoor activities, or fieldwork—or simply as a backup device for emergencies.

This strategy aligns with a trend that has been gaining momentum in recent years. In a market dominated by sophisticated—yet expensive and fragile—phones, there is growing interest in basic models capable of handling essential tasks without requiring constant recharging.

Price is another highlight. According to reports, the Nokia 300 4G Power Bank will initially launch in the Asian market at around $32, making it a highly affordable option for consumers who prioritize functionality.

Rugged construction and a massive battery are its key selling points; the new device features a robust design built to withstand daily use in demanding conditions.

Its body features a non-slip finish and IP65 certification, offering protection against dust and resistance to water jets—features rarely found in phones of this category.

On the front, the device sports a 2.4-inch QVGA screen. This compact panel reduces power consumption while keeping navigation simple for calls, text messages, and other basic functions. But the real highlight lies under the hood.

The Nokia 300 4G Power Bank packs an impressive 3,700 mAh battery—a remarkably high capacity for a standard feature phone.

According to leaked specifications, this battery offers up to 45 days of standby time, around 26 hours of continuous talk time, or extended music playback without needing a recharge.

Additionally, the device supports 18W fast charging, significantly cutting down the time required to fully recharge.

The phone can also double as a portable charger...The new model's most intriguing feature is the very one that gives it its name.

Beyond powering the phone itself for weeks, its battery can also be used to charge other devices.

A physical button on the side activates the reverse charging function, allowing the device to act as a compact portable power bank.

The output power reaches 5W. While not enough to quickly recharge a modern smartphone, it is perfectly suited for emergencies, providing power to accessories like wireless earbuds, smartwatches, and other low-power devices.

To facilitate this, the package includes a 4-in-1 USB cable compatible with various connector types.

Modern connectivity proves that basic phones remain relevant...Despite its minimalist design, the device incorporates up-to-date features.

These include 4G connectivity for high-definition voice calls, an FM radio that works without headphones, a microSD card slot supporting up to 32 GB, and a 0.3-megapixel rear camera for casual snapshots.

The operating system prioritizes simplicity, focusing on essential calling and SMS messaging functions, without resource-heavy apps or features that would compromise battery life.

The model is expected to be available in black, green, and gold. If the launch is confirmed, the Nokia 300 4G Power Bank will reinforce a strategy HMD Global has been adopting: keeping the tradition of rugged phones alive while offering practical solutions for consumers who do not need a full-fledged smartphone but refuse to compromise on reliability, long battery life, and the durability to handle any situation.

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