Tech

Honor GT Pro was launched in China on Wednesday. The new GT series smartphone from the Chinese smartphone brand is powered by a 7,200mAh battery with 90W wired fast charging support. The Honor GT Pro runs on a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, coupled with up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. It boasts a triple rear camera unit comprising three 50-megapixel sensors and a 50-megapixel selfie camera. The Honor GT Pro has an IP68+IP69 rating for water and dust resistance.

Honor GT Pro Price

Honor GT Pro price is set at CNY 3,699 (roughly Rs. 43,000) for the 12GB+256GB RAM and storage model. The 12GB+512GB, 16GB+512GB, and 16GB+1TB RAM and storage models are priced at CNY 3,999 (roughly Rs. 46,000), CNY 4,299 (roughly Rs. 50,000) and CNY 4,799 (roughly Rs. 56,000), respectively. 

The handset is currently up for purchase in China in Burning Speed Gold, Ice Crystal, and Phantom Black (translated from Chinese) colourways.

Honor GT Pro Specifications

The dual-SIM (Nano) Honor GT runs on MagicOS 9.0, which is based on Android 15. It features a 6.78-inch full-HD+ (1,264×2,800 pixels) LTPO OLED display with up to 144Hz refresh rate, 2,700Hz touch sampling rate, PWM value of 4,20Hz and a peak brightness level of 6,000 nits. The Oasis polarised eye protection gaming screen has Honor’s Giant Rhino Glass coating. It runs on an octa-core Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset with an Adreno 830 GPU, up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage.

Honor GT Pro Phantom Black colour variant
Photo Credit: Honor

For optics, the Honor GT Pro has a triple rear camera setup headlined by a 50-megapixel wide-angle 1/1.56-inch sensor with an f/1.95 aperture and OIS support. The camera unit also includes a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera with an f/2.0 aperture and a 50-megapixel telephoto sensor with OIS support, 3x optical zoom, 50x digital zoom and f/2.4 aperture. For selfies and video chats, there is a 50-megapixel front camera with an f/2.0 aperture.

Connectivity options on the Honor GT Pro include Bluetooth 5.4, GPS, Beidou, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, NavIC, NFC, OTG, Wi-Fi 7 and USB Type-C port. Sensors onboard include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, e-compass, IR sensor, gravity sensor, gyroscope, X-axis linear motor and proximity sensor.

The Honor GT Pro is also equipped with a self-developed RF-enhanced chip C1+ for enhanced signal strength. The phone has IP68 + IP69-rated build for dust and splash resistance. It boasts a 3D ultrasonic fingerprint sensor for biometric authentication.

The handset packs a 7,200mAh battery with support for 90W wired fast charging. It comes with the company’s in-house E2 chip for enhanced energy efficiency. The phone measures 162.1×75.7×8.58mm and weighs around 212g.

Intel is poised to announce plans this week to cut more than 20 percent of its staff, aiming to eliminate bureaucracy at the struggling chipmaker, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

The move is part of a bid to streamline management and rebuild an engineering-driven culture, according to the person, who asked not to be identified because the plans are private. It would be the first major restructuring under new Chief Executive Officer Lip-Bu Tan, who took the helm last month.

The cutbacks follow an effort last year to slash about 15,000 jobs — a round of layoffs announced in August. Intel had 108,900 employees at the end of 2024, down from 124,800 the previous year.

A representative for Intel declined to comment.

Intel shares rose as much as 3.5 percent in premarket trading before New York exchanges opened on Wednesday. The stock has declined about 43 percent in the past 12 months and closed at $19.51 (roughly Rs. 1,666) on Tuesday. 

Tan is aiming to turn around the iconic chipmaker after years of Intel ceding ground to rivals. The Santa Clara, California-based company lost its technological edge and has struggled to catch up with Nvidia Corp. in artificial intelligence computing. That contributed to three straight years of sales declines and mounting red ink.

Tan, a veteran of Cadence Design Systems Inc., has vowed to spin off Intel assets that aren’t central to its mission and create more compelling products. Last week, the company agreed to sell a 51 percent stake in its programmable chips unit Altera to Silver Lake Management, a step toward that goal.

Intel needs to replace the engineering talent it has lost, improve its balance sheet and better attune manufacturing processes to the needs of potential customers, Tan said last month at the Intel Vision conference.

The company is scheduled to report first-quarter results on Thursday, giving Tan an opportunity to lay out more of his strategy. Though the worst of Intel’s revenue declines are now behind it, according to Wall Street estimates, analysts aren’t projecting a return to its previous sales levels for years, if ever.

The 65-year-old executive was hired after last year’s ouster of CEO Pat Gelsinger, who struggled to execute his own turnaround bid for Intel. He had embarked on a costly effort to expand the company’s factory network — and sought to turn Intel into a made-to-order chip manufacturer.

But Intel has now delayed much of its expansion effort, including plans for an Ohio facility that was once expected to become the world’s largest chip production hub. Intel also had been poised to be the biggest beneficiary of money from the 2022 Chips and Science Act, but that program is now in flux under President Donald Trump. 

A manufacturing partnership with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. — the source of investor speculation in recent months — also seems less likely to happen. TSMC CEO CC Wei said last week that the company would remain focused on its own business.

Along the way, Intel missed out on the most lucrative new field for the chip industry in decades. The company, which long dominated the market for personal computer and data center processors, was slow to respond to the shift to AI. That upheaval allowed Nvidia to grow from a niche player into the world’s most valuable semiconductor company — with revenue that now eclipses Intel’s sales. 

Gelsinger himself admitted that the company had lost its competitive spirit and expressed frustration with the speed at which it reacted to a changing market. He wasn’t given the time he’d said he would need to do something about that. Tan, in his first public appearance as CEO last month, said the turnaround would take time and wouldn’t be easy.

“It won’t happen overnight,” he said. “But I know we can get there.” 

© 2025 Bloomberg LP

Nintendo has suggested a new Mario game will make its way to the Nintendo Switch 2 at some point. In an interview this month, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser asked eager fans to “stay tuned” when asked about the next Mario title. Many expected the Switch 2 to launch with a new Mario game, possibly a sequel to Super Mario Odyssey. But Nintendo revealed Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza as first-party games coming to the Switch 2.

Nintendo Hints at New Mario Game

Bowser, in an interview with CNN earlier this month, suggested the next Mario game could arrive on Switch 2 sooner rather than later.

“Stay tuned,” Bowser said. “You know, we have a long, long catalog, and a long list of (intellectual property) that I’m sure will make its way to the platform.”

Nintendo has not revealed its first-party slate for the Switch 2 beyond the titles confirmed for the console in 2025. During the Switch 2-focussed Nintendo Direct stream on April 2, the company revealed some first-party titles in addition to third-party games coming to the new platform.

Only two first-party games are confirmed to be launch titles that will be available on June 5 when the Switch 2 is released. These include open-world racing title Mario Kart World and Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, an interactive guide for the new console.

Beyond that, 3D action-platformer Donkey Kong Bananza arrives July 17, while Kirby Air Riders, Drag X Drive and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment are confirmed for launch in 2025. The revealed first-party slate likely means there will be no mainline Mario or The Legend of Zelda release this year.

Nintendo will, however, release a host of Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrades for existing and announced Switch 1 games like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Super Mario Party Jamboree, Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Pokémon Legends: Z-A — all in 2025, with the two acclaimed 3D Zelda titles from the original Switch coming on launch day.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows could launch on the Switch 2
Photo Credit: Ubisoft

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Could Launch on Switch 2

While heavy first-party heavy hitters like Mario and Zelda are missing, third-party developers have announced a robust lineup of games coming to the Switch 2 this year and beyond. This includes FromSoftware’s new Switch 2 exclusive The Duskbloods and popular games like Hogwarts Legacy, Split Fiction, Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4, Star Wars Outlaws and many more.

Recently, listed information on the PEGI ratings website suggested that Assassin’s Creed Shadows could be coming to Switch 2, as well. As per a VGC report, Switch 2 appeared as a supported platform for the title as seen on the website’s most searched games section.

The listing since seems to have been changed and Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ page on the PEGI website now only shows PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X as supported platforms. However, the earlier listing suggests Ubisoft’s newest action-adventure title will reportedly launch on the Switch 2. Do note, that while Ubisoft has confirmed that Star Wars Outlaws will launch on Switch 2 on September 4, the company has not yet announced a Switch 2 port for the newest Assassin’s Creed title.

The Nintendo Switch 2 was fully unveiled on April 2 and was set to be available for pre-orders in the US from April 9. The widespread reciprocal trade tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump, however, led Nintendo to push the pre-order date to April 24. The hybrid console will be available from June 5.

Meta Platforms’ Oversight Board on Wednesday sharply rebuked the Facebook and Instagram owner over a policy overhaul in January that cut fact-checking and eased curbs on discussions of contentious topics such as immigration and gender identity.

The board, which operates independently but is funded by Meta, urged the world’s biggest social media company to assess “potential adverse effects” of the changes, put in place just before US President Donald Trump began his second term.

It cited concerns that Meta had announced the changes “hastily, in a departure from regular procedure, with no public information shared as to what, if any, prior human rights due diligence the company performed.”

The announcement set the board on a possible collision course with Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, who has been working this year to mend fences with Trump and roll back a decade’s worth of initiatives aimed at mitigating harms like hate speech, misinformation and incitement to violence on his company’s services.

It came as the board issued its first rulings on individual content cases since the January changes, in some upholding Meta’s decisions to leave up controversial content like posts discussing transgender peoples’ access to bathrooms, and in others requiring the company to remove posts containing racist slurs.

Meta, in a statement provided by a spokesperson, said it welcomed the board’s decisions “that leave up or restore content in the interest of promoting free expression on our platforms.” It did not address the other rulings that called for content to be removed.

With its January shake-up, Meta scrapped its US fact-checking program and reduced curbs on discussion of contentious topics, bowing to longstanding criticism from conservatives that its content moderation practices had gone too far.

Zuckerberg said in announcing the policy changes that those mitigation efforts had resulted in “too many mistakes and too much censorship,” although the company did not provide examples of overreach or data on error rates.

Meta removed restrictions on referring to gay people as mentally ill and to women as “household objects or property” and said it would stop proactively scanning its platforms for unspecified “less severe policy violations.” Instead, it said, it would aim its automated systems only at detecting content like terrorism, child sexual exploitation and fraud. 

Along with its individual case decisions, the Oversight Board made 17 recommendations related to the overhaul, calling on the company to improve enforcement of its bullying and harassment policies and clarify precisely which hateful ideologies are banned on its services.

It urged Meta to assess whether the changes could have “uneven consequences globally, especially in countries experiencing current or recent crises, such as armed conflicts.” 

It also asked Meta to assess the effectiveness of its new Community Notes tool and disclose the results every six months. The tool, which is similar to one used by Elon Musk’s X, replaced the company’s partnerships with news organizations and fact-checking groups as its primary mechanism for curbing the viral spread of false information.

Reuters was one of Meta’s partners on its fact-checking program.

Meta said it would respond to the board’s recommendations within 60 days.

Meta Still Committed to Board

Despite the company’s content moderation pivot, Co-Chair of the Oversight Board Paolo Carozza said all signals currently pointed toward Meta remaining committed to its work with the board.

“We have no reason to think that Meta is soured on the board or planning to make any large scale structural changes in terms of its commitment with the board,” he told Reuters. 

Carozza said Meta has continued to send a steady stream of new cases to the Oversight Board since January, consistent with volumes over the past four years, and to follow up on its recommendations.

Meta has committed to funding the Oversight Board through 2027, with at least $35 million allocated annually over the next three years, according to a blog post by the Oversight Board last year.

The Meta spokesperson told Reuters the company’s commitment to that funding remained unchanged.

Meta previously committed $150 million (roughly Rs. 1,282 crore) to the board in 2022 and $130 million when the board was launched in 2019.

As with previous allocations, the latest funding will be placed in the Board’s Irrevocable Trust, a mechanism designed to protect the body’s operational independence.

© Thomson Reuters 2025

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Electronic Arts has fully revealed its next Star Wars game, Star Wars Zero Company, a single-player turn-based tactics title developed by Bit Reactor in collaboration with Respawn Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games. The game is set towards the end of the Clone Wars and is described as a “gritty and authentic story” featuring an unconventional squad of operatives who take on a new threat to the galaxy. Star Wars Zero Company will be released in 2026 on PC, PS 5 and Xbox Series S/X.

Star Wars Zero Company Announced

The strategy game was first confirmed last week after a leak, with the full announcement following on Saturday at the Star Wars Celebration event in Japan. Star Wars Zero Company will put players into the shoes of a former Republic officer named Hawk, who’ll recruit and lead an unconventional team of elite mercenaries. Zero Company members come from across the galaxy and feature multiple classic Star Wars archetypes like astromechs, Jedi and droids. The characters will come with distinct personality traits and abilities in combat.

EA also debuted an announcement trailer alongside the reveal featuring both cinematics and gameplay from the strategy title.

“Our vision for Star WarsZero Company is grounded in gameplay design pillars that weave in the immersive Star Warsgalaxy with engaging turn-based tactics gameplay,” Greg Foertsch, CEO and Creative Director at developer Bit Reactor, said in a press release. “It’s our aim to deliver a game with an original Star Warsvstory from the Clone Wars era that has meaningful outcomes from player choices, and deep turn-based tactical combat with an approachable and cinematic presentation.”

Players will lead Zero Company on a campaign of tactical operations and investigations across the galaxy, while also developing a base of operations. Hawks’ appearance and combat class can be fully customized, EA said. The rest of the operatives can be picked from a range of original Star Wars character classes and species. Players can edit their appearances, loadouts and abilities across a range of character archetypes, including Clone Troopers, astromechs and Jedi.

The squad members in Star Wars Zero Company will have distinct abilities
Photo Credit: EA

While out on missions, forming close bonds with squad members will be crucial to unlocking combat synergies that help during battle. Tactical operations will require preparation, the right squad and strategy.

EA unveiled four original Star Wars characters from the game during the event, as well. They include Trick, a clone soldier, Luco Bronc, an incendiary sharpshooter, Cly Kullervo, a Mandalorian gunslinger and Tel, a Tognath Jedi Padawan.

According to EA, Star Wars Zero Company will feature one of the largest and most interactive maps ever featured in a Star Wars game, taking players to familiar planets from other Star Wars media like Serolonis from The Bad Batch, Vandor from Solo: A Star Wars Story, Mapuzo from Obi-Wan Kenobi and more.

While there’s no confirmed release date yet, Star Wars Zero company arrives on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X in 2026. The game can now be wishlisted on all supported platforms.