For a while now we’ve been hearing rumors of a OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G , and now OnePlus itself has confirmed that the phone is real and goes by that name.

The company hasn’t properly unveiled the handset yet, but it has said that the phone will be fully announced on February 17 at 8:30am ET / 5:30am PT / 1:30pm GMT, or 12:30am AEDT on February 18.

But this is OnePlus, so of course the company couldn’t help but reveal some details ahead of time, saying that the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G supports 65W wired charging, has a 3.5mm headphone port, and a microSD card slot which allows for up to 1TB of storage expansion. Plus, from the name we know that it supports 5G.

The company has also shared a shadowy picture of the phone, highlighting its camera block. This lines up with leaks and shows four circles, though it’s likely that only three of these are lenses, with the other being a flash.

That’s it for now, but the company has promised more details in the lead up to launch, so don’t be surprised if almost everything has been officially revealed before February 17.

We’ll update you as soon as OnePlus says any more – or when there are more OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G leaks and rumors.

Analysis: what we’ve heard so far

Beyond what OnePlus itself has revealed, leaks have done a good job of painting a picture of the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G. If they’re to be believed, the upcoming phone has a 6.4-inch FHD+ AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, a MediaTek Dimensity 900 chipset, up to 12GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage.

We’ve also heard that the phone might have a 4,500mAh battery, a 64MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide one, and a 2MP macro one, along with a 16MP camera on the front.

It’s said to run Android 12 as well, while unofficial renders show it with a flat screen, small bezels, and a punch-hole camera in the top left corner of the display.

While we’d always take leaks with a pinch of salt, it’s worth noting that leakers also accurately revealed the few details OnePlus has now shared about the phone, with the only thing they got wrong being the announcement date, as we’d heard that could be February 11.

Battlefield 2042 refund petition hits 200,000 signatures

A petition calling for EA to offer refunds to all Battlefield 2042 players has now surpassed 200,000 signatures, and continues to grow.

The petition, launched on Changerg several weeks ago, demands that EA offers refunds to all players of the game on all platforms, calling Battlefield 2042’s release “a mockery of every customer who purchased this video game for $70 (USD) due to EA’s false advertising”.

“Electronic Arts and DICE did not keep many promises made at launch, and Battlefield 2042 was launched as unplayable,” the petition’s description reads.

“Even today, Battlefield 2042 has bugs that drastically change the in-game experience so much that it’s deemed an unfinished release by many community members.”

Sitting at 200,000 signatures, the petition now dwarfs the game’s active playerbase on PC. A slate of bugs, glitches, and server issues, followed by a delayed first season of content , has meant Battlefield 2042’s player count has plummeted since it launched late last year. On PC, the game has dropped from over 100,000 active players to less than 2,000 in little more than three months.

According to figures on SteamDB , the number of signatories to this refund petition is close to 100 times larger than the number of players Battlefield 2042 has pulled in at some points of the last few days.

In fact, the game’s player count now sits at a rather awkward number , having fallen below 2,042 players - the very number in its title.

While some players on Steam have been able to secure refunds, those playing the game on PS5 , PS4 , Xbox Series X /S, and Xbox One aren’t so fortunate, with the refund policies on those platforms far more restrictive.

According to Changerg, if the petition hits 300,000 signatures, it will become one of most-signed petitions currently active on the website.

Analysis: is a refund likely?

The petition’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, is unsurprisingly optimistic about its potential. “Signing this petition will get you one step closer to getting a refund on Battlefield 2042,” its description reads. “Suppose this petition receives 50K signatures or more. In that case, I will reach out to some of the best class action lawyers in the country to evaluate a case against EA and DICE.”

There’s nothing in the petition’s details or update page to suggest  Nakamoto has followed through with that idea, but comments later in the description reveal the project is more an expression of frustration than a serious attempt to demand mass refunds from EA.

“Signing this petition is the equivalent of saying, ‘I wish I got a refund on this game,’” its description says. “Please sign this petition if you feel you deserve a refund for Battlefield 2042.”

“The gaming community should not tolerate this abuse and bullying from multi-billion dollar corporations who make unfinished games and false advertisements.”

Despite reaching a fifth of a million signatures, the petition is unlikely to lead to the change that many of its signatories are after. The refund policies of Microsoft and PlayStation are notably stricter than that of Steam, and EA has shown no sign of handing out refunds. Although the publisher admitted the first-person shooter “did not meet expectations” during an earnings call earlier in the year, it has neither acknowledged the petition nor publicly expressed that it thinks refunds are appropriate.

In the last major update from Battlefield 2042’s developers, DICE said it had delayed the game’s first season of content to spend the intervening months removing glitches and bugs, fixing connectivity issues, and implementing several gameplay improvements off the back of player feedback. We’re more likely to see the game walk a long, slow path to death than EA hand back its profits.

Shokz (formerly AfterShokz) launches bone conduction headphones with a bass boost

Shokz (the company formerly known as AfterShokz) has launched a new set of Bluetooth bone conduction headphones designed with runners in mind. The OpenRun Pro, revealed at CES 2022 , is a new flagship headset, and has improved sound quality thanks to new bass enhancers in the transducers.

At the same time, Shokz is rebranding some of its existing headsets so their names are more consistent. The water resistant Xtrainerz are now called OpenSwim, and the Aeropex are now OpenRun.The entry-level OpenMove and office-oriented OpenComm remain the same.

The Shokz OpenRun Pro offer some thoughtful design tweaks, such as larger buttons that make it easier to control the volume and switch tracks while on the move.

As with the company's previous sports headsets, there's also a built-in noise-cancelling microphone and, you can accept a call mid-run or open your phone's voice assistant by pressing a button on the left earpiece.

Like the OpenRun, the new headset attaches to a magnetic charging cable, and Shokz promises battery life of up to 10 hours. If you accidentally forget to connect them, charging them for five minutes while you prepare for your run will give you 1.5 hours of listening time.

We're currently testing the OpenRun Pro, and so far we're very impressed by the sound quality, which surpasses what we've come to expect from bone conduction headphones. We'll continue to put them through their paces in a variety of sports over the coming days, and will bring you a full review very soon.

The headset is available to pre-order today in black for $179.95 (about £130 / AU$250), and Shokz will be announcing other colors plus the exact shipping date later in the year.

Opinion: bone conduction is the smart choice

As a runner, being aware of your surroundings is essential. It might be tempting to opt for noise-cancelling headphones , and immerse yourself in your favorite music or an audiobook while you pound the pavement, but doing so means you're at risk of missing dangers like traffic (including emergency vehicles that might run red lights), cyclists approaching from behind, dogs, and children. It could also make you a tempting target for a mugger, who could approach you unnoticed.

Many noise-cancelling earbuds (particularly running headphones ) have a 'transparency' mode that uses a microphone to pick up external noise, but in our experience it's no substitute for the spatial awareness you get directly from your ears.

Bone conduction headsets like the Shokz OpenRun Pro leave your ear canals open, so you can hear your surroundings while also hearing audio that's transmitted to your auditory nerves via vibrations in your cheekbones. If there's a noise like a siren, you'll immediately know whether it's approaching from in front or behind, and be able to take action to avoid it.

Many race organizers discourage the user of any headphones, but if you really want to run with music then bone conduction is the safest choice. In fact, Shokz headsets are the only ones approved by England Athletics for all road running races.

Not everyone enjoys them, but if you're in the market for a new pair of running headphones then we advise you to at least try a bone conduction headset when making your choice. The tech has come a long way in recent years, and you may be surprised by just how good they can sound.