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Nothing OS 3.0 for Nothing Phone (2), Nothing Phone (2a) Will be Released Simultaneously

Abhishek Malhotra
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Nothing OS 3.0 for Nothing Phone (2), Nothing Phone (2a) Will be Released Simultaneously

Nothing announced the roadmap of its Open Beta of Nothing OS 3.0 for Nothing Phone (2), Phone (2a), Phone (2a) Plus, Phone (1), and the CMF Phone 1 earlier this week. Following the announcement, users were surprised to see the Phone (2a) receiving the Open Beta of Nothing OS 3.0 ahead of the Phone (2), the brand’s flagship model, especially since the Phone (2a) is a lower-end mid-range device. Nothing has since provided an explanation for why this occurred and said that the Phone (2) and Phone (2a) will receive the stable build of Nothing OS 3.0 simultaneously

As explained in a community post, Nothing says that it is a young company, and has a relatively smaller team than established brands developing and maintaining Nothing OS. Due to that, it has to make choices about how the teams do the work that’s needed to ensure it is maintaining the quality and pace of development the company desires.

“Staggering releases is a tried-and-tested method that even the biggest makers use and it’s the one we’ve chosen as well. It allows us to gather the feedback we need to make adjustments and fixes that roll into the other devices in the portfolio,” said the brand.

As for why Phone (2a) received Open Beta of Nothing OS 3.0 before Phone (2), the brand explained that it prioritised its newest and best-selling phones: Phone (2a), so it could receive the “best feedback.” The Software team aims to use the larger sample size to collect the insight they need and then rapidly move to Phone (2) and close on Phone (1) / Phone (2a) Plus and CMF Phone 1, says Nothing.

Read More: Nothing OS 3.0 Overview: Superficial or Big Changes?

Furthermore, Nothing noted that it received significant support from MediaTek as to how quick it optimised the software for the Dimensity 7200 Pro that’s used in the Nothing Phone (2a), compared to Qualcomm’s turnaround time for the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 employed in the Phone (2).

”So instead of holding it back to wait for the Phone (2) implementation, we wanted some of our users to start testing Nothing OS 3.0 beta as soon as possible. This allows us to begin collecting feedback and ensure we’re ready to start rolling out Nothing OS 3.0 public release by the end of the year,” read the community post.

Nothing says it “could do all the betas at the same time” but it would have caused a delay in releasing the first open beta, which would have made users wait until January and further pushing out the full release. “We talked about this option but rejected it as we felt you would prefer to try it as quickly as possible and, for us, it would mean delaying vital feedback,” the post added.

Nothing also confirmed that it will improve the release timelines in the future as it continues to receive feedback from users, scale its capabilities, and update its processes.

In addition, the company announced that the final and stable build of Nothing OS 3.0 for Nothing Phone (2) and Phone (2a) will be released at the same time.

Indus International Tournament 2025 Announced with a Rs 2.5 Crore Prize Pool

Abhishek Malhotra
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Indus International Tournament 2025 Announced with a Rs 2.5 Crore Prize Pool

SuperGaming, one of India’s leading game development studio, has officially unveiled its year-long esports roadmap, the ‘Clutch India Movement’. The initiative kicks off with the Indus International Tournament 2025, featuring a massive prize pool of Rs 2.5 crore, making it the largest esports prize pool for a battle royale game in India.

The tournament, set to run from October 2024 to February 2025, “will bring together top teams from India and around the globe to compete in a series of four tournament phases,” said SuperGaming in a press release.

This announcement follows SuperGaming’s recent reveal of the launch date for its Indo-futuristic battle royale game Indus, which will be available to players in India starting October 16, 2024, on both the Store and Google Play Store.

The competition is open to both seasoned professionals and emerging talent, says the company. The Indus International Tournament 2025 will kick off with the ‘Homegrown’ phase, offering a prize pool of Rs 15 lakhs, with registration currently underway. Matches for this phase will run from November 6th to December 3rd. This will be followed by the ‘Nationals’, which offers a prize pool of Rs 10 lakhs.

Read More: FAU-G: Domination Reaches 1 Million Pre-Registrations

The ‘Powerplay’ phase, catering to professional esports teams, will feature a prize pool of Rs 25 lakhs. SuperGaming will also host the ‘International’ phase, exclusively for invited global teams, from November 15 to December 30, 2024, leading to the Grand Finale, where the final 15 teams will compete for the Rs 2 crore prize pool.

The MVP of the Indus International Tournament 2025 will be rewarded with a new Mahindra Thar. Additionally, SuperGaming will host another major event, the Indus International Mahasangram in October 2025.

Apart from its own first party tournaments, SuperGaming has also planned various community events to nurture emerging talent within the community. By providing Indus’ tools, the company is set out to enable third-party tournament organisers to host events and tournaments with the same level of efficiency as SuperGaming. 

Registration for the Indus International Tournament Homegrown is now open.

Microsoft is Pushing for Passkeys in Windows

Abhishek Malhotra
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Microsoft is Pushing for Passkeys in Windows

In a move similar to that of Google’s, Microsoft is pushing for Passkeys in Windows with a better user interface and ease of access. “Passkeys are safer and easier to use than passwords, which are vulnerable to phishing and data breaches. That is why, in support of a passwordless future, we partnered in the FIDO alliance with other platforms in supporting passkeys,” said Microsoft in a blog post.

The blog post further reads that Microsoft is announcing a set of new features to better integrate Passkeys in Windows OS, which will be available in our Windows Insider channels in the coming months. These are as follows:

  • A Microsoft synced passkey provider
  • A plug-in model for third-party passkey providers
  • Enhanced native UX for passkeys

Microsoft has announced API support for third-party passkey providers to plug into the Windows 11 platform. Microsoft is partnering closely with 1Password, Bitwarden and others on integrating this capability to provide users with seamless third-party passkey provider integration into Windows 11. With this integration, you will be able to use the same passkey on Windows 11 that you’ve created on your mobile device.

Read More: Microsoft Redesigns its Copilot App, Also Launches Copilot Voice, Copilot Vision, and More

Next, when creating and using passkeys, Windows 11 now has a redesigned Windows Hello experience. As a user, you can navigate to a website that supports passkeys and get prompted to select how you want to save your passkeys.

Then, you will be asked to complete a one-time setup with your Microsoft account, and you will be prompted to save a recovery key that will be used to verify your identity and protect your passkeys through end-to-end encryption. You can then seamlessly authenticate using your preferred sign-in method (facial recognition, fingerprint or PIN), and save your passkey with Windows Hello.

After creating a new passkey, you can choose to save it with Windows Hello and sync it for use on another Windows device. Simply sign in to another Windows 11 device with your Microsoft account, complete a one-time setup, and access your synced passkeys across all your Windows 11 PCs. Microsoft notes that the users’ passkeys are secured by end-to-end and safeguarded by the device’s Trusted Platform Module (TPM).

WhatsApp Chat Themes on Android Now Rolling Out in Beta

Abhishek Malhotra
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WhatsApp Chat Themes on Android Now Rolling Out in Beta

WhatsApp chat themes on are now rolling out shortly after they were made available on iOS earlier this week. The feature allows users to enhance their personalisation experience by selecting different themes with various colours for specific conversations, rather than being restricted to a single theme across the entire app.

As spotted by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp chat themes on Android are now available in the beta version of the app for select users. The feature is available in the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.21.34 update. Same as on iOS, users will have access to 22 distinct themes and 20 colours to choose from.

With the new WhatsApp Chat themes on Android, users will get an option within the app settings to select a default chat theme that will be applied to all chats. In addition, for users who want more variety, they can choose different themes for specific conversations within the chat info screen, making it easier to differentiate between personal, work, and group chats.

Read More: Voice Input Support for Meta AI in WhatsApp Announced Alongside Other New Features

WhatsApp will automatically assign a wallpaper based on the selected message colour to ensure the chat’s aesthetic matches the chosen theme. However, users have the option to select different wallpapers that better suit their preferences or the context of the conversation. This allows for chats with the same theme to still appear unique through different wallpaper choices.

Note that selecting a theme for a specific chat will not change how it appears on the recipient’s device unlike Instagram and Facebook Messenger chat themes.

The said version of WhatsApp Beta is available to download from Google if you have enrolled into the beta program. In addition, this is a phased rollout, which means that you just might not receive it and it might take a few days or couple of weeks to reach you.

Game Changer: Epic has Forced Google to Open Play Store to Rival App Stores, Wins Major Antitrust Lawsuit

Abhishek Malhotra
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Game Changer: Epic has Forced Google to Open Play Store to Rival App Stores, Wins Major Antitrust Lawsuit

Epic has forced Google to open to rival app store as it has scored a major win against the tech giant in an antitrust lawsuit. This verdict mandates that Google must allow third-party app stores, such as the Epic Games Store, to be accessible directly from the Google Play Store.

As a result of the lawsuit ruling against Google, it is required to allow rival third-party app stores access to its full catalog of Google Play apps, unless developers specifically choose to opt out. This policy means that unless developers actively decide not to participate, their apps will be made available on other app stores beyond Google Play. The jury’s decision applies to Google for three years, starting November 1st, 2024, and ending November 1st, 2027. From this November, Google must:

  • Stop mandating the use of Google Play Billing for apps distributed on the Google Play Store (the jury ruled that Google had unlawfully tied its payment system to its app store)
  • Allow developers to inform users about alternative payment methods within the Play Store
  • Permit Android developers to provide links for downloading their apps outside of the Play Store
  • Enable Android developers to set their own app prices, independent of Google Play Billing

Google will retain a degree of control over safety and security as it opens the Google Play Store to rival app stores. The injunction allows Google to “take reasonable measures” that are “strictly necessary and narrowly tailored,” similar to how it currently manages security on the Play Store. Additionally, Google is permitted to charge a fee for these security measures.

Google is also prohibited from:

  • Sharing app revenue with any individual or entity that distributes Android apps or plans to launch an app store or app platform
  • Offering developers financial incentives or perks to launch their apps exclusively or first on the Play Store
  • Offering developers financial incentives or perks to avoid launching their apps on rival app stores
  • Offering device manufacturers or carriers money or perks to preinstall the Play Store
  • Offering device manufacturers or carriers money or perks to avoid preinstalling competing app stores

Google has been given eight months by the judge to develop a system as suggested by jury. The system should also provide developers with an option to opt out of having their apps listed in competing Android app stores.

While Epic Games scored a major win, it didn’t get everything it wanted. These demands included a six-year opening of Google Play to third-party app stores, rather than three; a one-tap process for users to sideload apps, over which it sued both Samsung and Google last week; and an end to Google’s ability to link Android APIs to Google Play.

Explaining why the jury didn’t order Google to open up the Play Store for six years, the judge said in his order, “The provisions are designed to level the playing field for the entry and growth of rivals, without burdening Google excessively.” “As competition comes into play and the network effects that Google Play unfairly enjoys are abated, Google should not be unduly constrained as a competitor.”

Epic Games still considers this a notable victory. “The Epic Games Store and other app stores are coming to the Google Play Store in 2025 in the USA — without Google’s scare screens and Google’s 30% app tax — thanks to victory in Epic v Google,” Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said in a post on X.

Read More: Epic Games wins antitrust lawsuit against Google over Play app store

Google’s Response to the Verdict

In a blog post, Google said it will appeal the Epic Games verdict. “The Epic verdict missed the obvious: Apple and Android clearly compete. We will appeal and ask the courts to pause implementing the remedies to maintain a consistent and safe experience for users and developers as the legal process moves forward,” said Google in a blog post.

Google believes that these changes would put “consumers’ privacy and security at risk, make it harder for developers to promote their apps, and reduce competition on devices.” “Ultimately, while these changes presumably satisfy Epic, they will cause a range of unintended consequences that will harm American consumers, developers and device makers”, noted the company.

The decision further fails to take into account that Android is an open platform and developers have always had many options in how to distribute their apps, according to Google. The company says that developers have other options too, such as offering their apps directly to users from their websites. For example, Epic Games has made its popular Fortnite app available to Android users through the Samsung Galaxy Store, sideloading, and the Epic Games Store – all while Fortnite was not distributed through Google Play.

You Can Now Send Video Messages on Google Chat; Voice Message Transcription Also Added

Abhishek Malhotra
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You Can Now Send Video Messages on Google Chat; Voice Message Transcription Also Added

Google has announced that users can now send Video messages on Google Chat, along with the ability to auto transcribe voice messages sent on the communication platform. The automatic transcription of voice messages will be available to Google Chat users both on the web and mobile.

”Starting today, users will be able to see an automatic transcription of voice messages in Chat on web and mobile,” said Google in a Workspace updates blog post. This update enables content consumption in a user’s preferred format or the format that is most convenient at that particular moment. 

Google notes that this feature will be ON by default and can be disabled at the domain or OU level by disabling all attachments. Further, end users can send voice messages on mobile (to direct messages, group chats and spaces) and receive them on all platforms, including web.

To review the voice messages transcription, click “View transcript” underneath the voice message. You can close the voice transcription by clicking “Hide transcript”.  For screen reader users, voice transcripts are treated as readable texts.

The voice message transcription feature in Google Chats will be available to all Google Workspace customers and Google Workspace Individual subscribers. It has already begun rolling out to users on web, Android, and iOS.

Video Messages on Google Chat

In a separate post, Google announced that it is introducing video messages on Google Chat, “a new capability that helps you save time, convey more information, add tone or emphasis, and can be useful in a number of scenarios.” Google also highlights some of the use cases of Video messages, such as:

  • Sales or customer support team members sending video updates about new features or account changes. 
  • Executives sharing company-wide announcements or strategic updates, fostering transparency and engagement across the organization. 
  • Team members sending a video with outstanding updates in lieu of attending a live meeting.

Google notes that a Video message cannot be recorded on ChromeOS, Linux and Firefox browsers and operating systems. In the future, just like transcription of voice messages, Google also plans to add transcription services to video messages.

To record a video message, select the record button in the Chat compose box and click “video message.” Then simply record your message and press send. You can preview or re-record your video before sending your video message and you can send video messages in individual chats, group DMs, and spaces, and they can be interacted with (quoted, reacted to, replied to in thread, etc) just like any other Chat message.

Video messages will be stored in the Media section of the Shared tab. You can send video messages on web and receive them on all platforms. The ability to record and send video messages on mobile is not available yet. Video messages on Google Chats are available for Google Workspace consumers including:

  • Business Starter, Standard, Plus 
  • Enterprise Standard, Plus 
  • Essentials Starter, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Essentials Plus 
  • Nonprofits 
  • Frontline Starter, Standard 

Google Might Place a Gemini Button on the Android Lock Screen

Abhishek Malhotra
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Google Might Place a Gemini Button on the Android Lock Screen

Google wants you to make use of Gemini as much as possible and has continued to integrate it in each of its services. A seamless Gemini integration is now being developed at Google for Android, where the company might place a Gemini button on the Android lock screen so users instantly access the AI-powered assistant.

As found by Mishaal Rahman (via Android Authority) in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2, there is a flag that enables a new way to invoke the default assistant, i.e. Gemini, on Android devices. This flag determines whether a button appears on the lock screen. Currently, tapping the button has no effect.

The button itself is pill-shaped and positioned directly below the fingerprint reader. It’s noticeably larger than the two lock screen shortcuts located at the bottom of the screen. At its center, there’s a sparkle icon, making it stand out visually. The sparkle icon, nowadays is usually associated with AI-powered applications, and in Google’s case, it denotes Gemini.

The new Gemini button on the Android lock screen could help users instantly access Google’s assistant without even unlocking the phone. However, Rahman couldn’t make out “what the button is actually supposed to do or if it’s actually something that Google intends to ship.” There’s a possibility that this button exists for Google engineers to purely experiment with upcoming AI features in Android 16 and not ship it in the stable build of Android.

As for Android 16, a report from the same publication last month suggested that the next version of Android will bring a major redesign for the quick settings panel. In the new panel, swiping once still brings down the notifications panel like the current implementation, but the panel now takes up about a quarter of the screen rather than the entire display. Further, you can no longer see any Quick Settings tiles in the new notifications dropdown. On the other hand, the you are using before you swiped down the panel is visible in the bottom half of the screen.

Apple Swift Student Challenge 2025 Applications to Open in February

The Mobile Indian Network
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Apple Swift Student Challenge 2025 Applications to Open in February

The Apple Swift Student Challenge offers students worldwide a unique platform to demonstrate their creativity while building practical, real-world skills. Through this challenge, students are empowered to join a global community of developers using Swift, the programming language employed by professionals to create innovative apps. The company has now announced that the applications for Apple Swift Student Challenge 2025 will open in February next year.

The Swift Student Challenge initiative not only encourages young minds to explore coding but also fosters the development of ideas that could lead to the next generation of groundbreaking applications. It’s an opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience with industry tools and showcase their talents on a global stage.

Submissions for the 2025 Swift Student Challenge will open in February for three weeks. Students, educators, and their advocates can find out how to prepare for the challenge and sign up to be notified when applications open at developer.apple.com. Apple will recognise a total of 350 Swift Student Challenge winners whose submissions demonstrate excellence in innovation, creativity, social impact, or inclusivity.

Read More: Apple iPhone 16 Review: Is Camera Control Appealing Enough?

From this esteemed group, 50 Distinguished Winners will receive additional recognition and be invited to Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino next summer. Apple is also unveiling updated Swift Coding Club resources to help students prepare for the Swift Student Challenge, while building community and developing skills for a future career.

The Swift Coding Club starter kit provides activities to empower students with a passion for app development to further explore Swift and SwiftUI and spread the word among their peers. “In addition, new Develop in Swift Tutorials offer students a great first step toward a career in app development using Swift, SwiftUI, and Xcode — Apple’s integrated development environment — as they build innovative apps for all Apple platforms,” says Apple.

MediaTek Dimensity 9400 3nm SoC Announced: Check Details

The Mobile Indian Network
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MediaTek Dimensity 9400 3nm SoC Announced: Check Details

MediaTek today launched the Dimensity 9400, the company’s new flagship smartphone optimized for edge-AI applications, enhanced gaming and photography, and more. The Dimensity 9400, the fourth and latest in MediaTek’s flagship mobile SoC lineup, offers a boost in performance with its second-generation All Big Core design built on Arm’s v9.2 architecture.

MediaTek Dimensity 9400: Specifications

The Dimensity 9400 adopts MediaTek’s second-gen All Big Core design, integrating one Arm Cortex-X925 core operating over 3.62GHz, combined with 3x Cortex-X4 and 4x Cortex-A720 cores. This design offers 35% faster single-core performance and 28% faster multi-core performance compared to MediaTek’s previous generation flagship chipset, the Dimensity 9300. Built on TSMC’s second-generation 3nm process, the Dimensity 9400 is up to 40% more power-efficient than its predecessor, claims the chipmaker.

It packs MediaTek’s 8th Generation NPU, and is the first mobile chipset to offer on-device LoRA training, high-quality on-device video generation, and developer support for Agentic AI. The Dimensity 9400 allegedly offers up to 80% faster large language model (LLM) prompt performance while also being up to 35% more power efficient than the Dimensity 9300.

The MediaTek Dimensity 9400 also integrates MediaTek’s new Dimensity Agentic Engine (DAE), which is designed to turn traditional AI applications into sophisticated agentic AI applications. MediaTek is working with developers to offer a unified interface between AI agents, third-party APKs, and models that efficiently run both edge AI and cloud services. This streamlined approach allows models to work with many different third-party APKs, which reduces development time and will help bring in a new ecosystem of agentic AI applications.

The chip further employs the 12-core Arm Immortalis-G925 with up to 40% faster raytracing performance compared to the previous generation. The Dimensity 9400 also brings PC-level features to smartphones with opacity micromaps (OMM) support for realistic effects.

MediaTek also announced yesterday that the chip is optimised to support multimodal Gemini Nano AI model by Google. By enabling multimodal models, MediaTek says that users will be able to take images and receive detailed descriptions of what’s been captured.

The chipset’s GPU also offers 41% peak performance boost with up to 44% power savings compared to the Dimensity 9300, allowing users to game for longer. Additionally, the Dimensity 9400 supports HyperEngine technology for super and impressive picture quality, which is co-developed by MediaTek and Arm Accurate Super Resolution (Arm ASR).

It gets MediaTek Imagiq 1090 ISP, enabling HDR video recording throughout the entire zoom range, MediaTek’s Smooth Zoom technology to capture moving subjects, and more. Additionally, it is designed to minimize power consumption while users are taking photos and videos, offering up to 14% lower power consumption in 4K60 video capture compared to the Dimensity 9300.

For connectivity, there’s a refreshed 3GPP Release-17 with 4CC-CA and up to 7Gbps sub-6GHz performance, a new 4nm Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo chip with 7.3Gbps data rates performance and up to 50% lower power consumption compared to the previous generation, support for Wi-Fi 7 tri-band MLO, MediaTek Xtra Range 3.0, and 5G/4G Dual Dual Active support.

MediaTek Dimensity 9400 Powered Smartphones

The chip brings support for tri-fold smartphones as well. Meanwhile, MediaTek says that the first smartphones powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9400 will be available in the market starting in Q4 of 2024. The Vivo X200 series as well as the OPPO Find X8 series devices will be the first set of smartphones to come employed with this SoC. The Vivo X200 series is all set to launch on October 14, as confirmed by the brand itself.

Tecno Spark 30C 5G Launched in India: Should You Consider it?

Abhishek Malhotra
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Tecno Spark 30C 5G Launched in India: Should You Consider it?

Tecno has announced the launch of Tecno Spark 30C 5G in India at a budget price point, where the device comes powered by a MediaTek Dimensity chipset, paired with a two-camera setup on the back, flash on the front, and much more. Here’s everything to know about the device and whether you should buy it or not.

Tecno Spark 30C 5G: Price, Availability

The Tecno Spark 30C 5G comes in Midnight Shadow, Aurora Cloud and Azure Sky colours while buyers will also receive an additional back panel skin in the box. It is priced at Rs 9,999 for the 4GB + 64GB trim and Rs 10,499 for the 4GB + 128GB model. There’s a Rs 1,000 bank offer buyers can avail, while purchasing the device from Flipkart.

Tecno Spark 30C 5G: Specifications

Tecno spark 30c 5g colours

Tecno Spark 30C 5G sports a 6.67-inch 720 x 1600 pixels LCD screen with 120Hz refresh rate, and a 263 ppi. It is powered by the MediaTek Dimwnsity 6300 5G Processor with 4GB RAM and up to 128GB storage which is expandable via a card.

There’s a 48MP Sony IMX582 primary sensor on the back, paired with an AI sensor and a triple-LED flash. On the front, it gets an 8MP sensor for selfies also with dual-LED flash. The device also has stereo speakers and is IP54 rated. It packs a 5000mAh battery with 18W fast wired charging.

Connectivity options on the device include 5, v5.1, GPS, 4G LTE, NFC, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a USB-C port for charging. It runs on Android 14-based HiOS out of the box, and also has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for biometrics.

Read More: Tecno Spark 30 Series Launched: Check Details

Tecno Spark 30C 5G: Should you buy it?

The Spark 30C 5G looks like a rebranded Pop 9 5G smartphone which the brand launched earlier in September. However, the Pop 9 5G is priced starting at Rs 9,499 which saves you 500 bucks on both the variants of the handset.

If you want to steer away from Tecno, you could consider the Samsung Galaxy M15 5G for Rs 10,999, where you would get a inferior chipset, but you are offered a better camera setup, a bigger battery, a more polished software experience where you are offered 4 years of OS updates, and a superior display.

Overall, we’d say you should skip the Tecno Spark 30C 5G and explore other options in the market, including those from Tecno itself, and other brands like Samsung and Motorola.

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