Samsung Galaxy S20+, latest M1 13-inch MacBook Pro and more devices on sale

You already know how this goes so as per usual, let’s begin today’s show with deals. Starting off with the Samsung Galaxy S20+ which is $250 off, leaving the entry level variant for $950 shipped which is actually cheaper than what you would pay for the regular S20. The Galaxy Note 10+ is also $250 off, leaving the 256GB of storage variant for $850. The latest M1, 13in MacBook Pro is $49 off, that leaves the entry-level variant for $1250 and trust me, that thing is worth it. We also have discounts on Logitech Peripherals, like in the case of the G903 gaming mouse, which is $22 off, leaving it at $128 shipped. Finally, the Galaxy S10 Lite is $145 off, leaving that at $500 shipped. We have more deals on other Logitech products, Samsung Gaming monitors and more, in the links in the description.

OPPO Find X3 series to come with system-wide 10-bit color support

Google Pay app gets a redesign and some new features

Now let’s talk about Google as the company has just unveiled a revamp to their Google Pay app through a livestream today. Basically it delivers a complete redesign. It now shows you friends and family to which you can pay directly and nearby businesses that accept Google Pay as well in the top right corner. You also get other features like payment history at certain establishments as well as a new Explore Tab and a new Insights Tab. Google’s objective is for you to manage your money better with a budget feature in the Insights tab and they are also adding support for Plaid which lets you connect your bank or credit card. Another cool feature is letting you import pictures of receipts from Google Photos, that is if you’re still using it after the dilemma. There’s a ton of other features coming to the app so, check out the links below and FYI, the update is currently rolling out in the US to both Google Play and iOS.

Google offers an optimized version of Chrome for Macs with Apple’s M1 chip

Chrome gets a huge performance boost and a useful tab search tool

And since we started with Google, Let’s talk about Google Chrome as, the company is bringing some very interesting and welcome changes. Yesterday they announced v87, which is currently rolling out, and it gives Chrome its biggest boost in performance in years. You get upgrades like it opening 25% faster and page loading speed is going up by 7%, all while using less RAM and cutting down on the power consumption. They’re also adding other things like tab search, action buttons for better productivity and more. Something else we just got is an optimized version of Chrome for the new M1 Macs which we are testing as, the regular Chrome app quits pretty often if you’re not on the optimized version. Now, if you go to their website, you might not see the optimized one so if you’re rocking one, make sure to check out the link in our description to get it. So yeah, we hope Chrome works out all of their resource issues as they have been working on it for quite some time now.

Samsung might be working on a cheaper foldable phone called Galaxy Z Flip Lite

Samsung has really shifted their strategy towards foldables as of late and with those rumors of the Galaxy Note disappearing it makes a lot of sense. Well, a couple of days ago we covered a list of Samsung flagships that we should expect next year and a couple of them were cheaper foldables, one of them being a Z Fold FE and a a Z Flip Lite. Well, according to a new tweet from Ross Young, they are no longer hearing about a Z Fold Lite or FE anymore but apparently the Z Flip Lite is still on the table. What’s kind of impressive here is that Samsung will still be using their UTG technology on this phone, despite it being a cheaper device. This means that it won’t be as fragile as the original Galaxy Fold and it ensures some longevity. Of course this is still a rumor though, we are somewhat close to the Spring already which is when we got the original Z Flip. The thing about it is, we know that a lot of you guys are interested on foldables but the price tag is simply a deal breaker so, would you guys like a Z Flip Lite?

Story of the day:

Apple is halving its commission rate to 15% for most developers

And finally for the hottest news today, we have something that’s oddly for the ban section which Diego still hasn’t made graphics for. Well not really but, almost part of the ban section let’s move on to Apple. If you remember, the whole Apple vs Epic situation started because of Apple’s infamous 30% tax, which Epic Games wanted them to waive for customers to pay the actual value at which they sell their cosmetics. Well, you already know how that went but, it seems like Apple is doing something for smaller developers through their new “Small Business Program”. Cupertino just announced that they are lowering their commission to 15% but, it is strictly for developers that earned $1M or less in the previous calendar year. Apple mentions that this will benefit the vast majority of developers that sell digital goods and other services on the App Store, with this new Business Program launching on January 1st, 2021. They also said how small businesses are the backbone of the global economy and the beating heart of innovation and opportunity in communities around the world. For developers who surpass the $1M threshold, they will still get the 30% commission but, if somehow they fall below that $1M mark by the end of the year, they will be able to apply and get the 15% through the program. So, it looks like what Epic Games was doing did work, just not for them. Subscribe: http://bit.ly/pocketnowsub http://pocketnow.com Follow us: http://flipboard.com/@Pocketnow http://facebook.com/pocketnow http://twitter.com/pocketnow

Samuel Martinez

A former bilingual teacher that left the classrooms to join the team of Pocketnow as a news editor and content creator for the Spanish audience. An artist by nature who enjoys video games, guitars, action figures, cooking, painting, drawing and good music.