Pocket-lint Daily - Asus' Steam Deck rival & Moto Edge 40 Pro reviewed

All the tech daily! By Rik Henderson | Tuesday April 04 2023 - If you're enjoying the email, why not get a friend to sign up too, so they can also be in the know? Get them to [sign up here](. [Facebook]([Twitter]([Instagram]( [Website](  Asus ROG Ally is the Steam Deck rival we didn't expect ASUS What's happened? Asus has surprised everyone [with a Steam Deck rival]( seemingly launched from nowhere. Why does it matter? The Asus ROG Ally is a Windows 11 gaming handheld with dual fan cooling and a custom AMD APU chipset. It will be available to pre-order soon. What's my take? Considering Asus announced its PC gaming handheld via a rather cheesy video posted on 1 April, many believed it to be an elaborate April Fools joke. However, it didn't really fit the criteria for a spoof product - there were no pets involved, for starters. Instead, the Asus ROG Ally looks to be a credible Steam Deck alternative, but with the added bonus of running on Windows from the box. That means it should be capable of playing games from multiple stores and platforms, maybe even cloud services such as GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming. It's early days at the minute though, with few specs available and only pre-notification sign-ups being accepted right now. We don't know how much it'll cost, for example, and the only obvious difference to the Steam Deck that I can see at present is that the Ally doesn't come with a trackpad on the front. Still, considering the brand's experience with gaming laptops and phones, this is definitely something worth keeping an eye on.  Vivo X Flip leaks in seemingly official marketing shot DIGITAL CHAT STATION / WEIBO What's happened? Vivo is [expected to announce its X Flip folding phone]( within the next few months and while we've seen a few leaks before, this is the biggest yet. It appears that one Chinese social media user has been able to share an official marketing shot of the unannounced phone. Why does it matter? If legit, and it definitely appears to be, this is the first photo of the phone that we've seen and shows much of what we'd been told to expect. What's my take? Flip phones are proving very popular and while the sector was effectively driven by Samsung initially, the Chinese brands are coming on strong with alternatives. Vivo is next to enter the fray, it seems, but will surely not be the last.  Motorola Edge 40 Pro review: Promisingly premium POCKET-LINT What's happened? You can be forgiven for being slightly confused about Motorola's line-up of phones. From a simple grouping aligned behind letters - Moto G, Moto E - parent company Lenovo expanded in a number of areas transforming these lettered models into families. That, along with launching models with different names in different regions, has left a lot of people scratching their heads. The Edge is the premium line and starts 2023 with the launch of Edge 40 Pro - previously announced as the Edge X40 in China. This phone slots into a flagship position, with specs that are set to challenge the best while keeping the price in check. Our quick verdict The Motorola Edge 40 Pro offers good value for money, with an impressive display, good build quality and IP68 protection. There's plenty of power and the benefit of 125W fast charging. The cameras give a mixed performance, offering plenty of options, but not quite competiting with the best when it comes to low-light shooting or zoom. [Read our review](.  In Case You Missed it A [future AirPods case]( could be like a mini iPod in your pocket. --- Sony's WH-1000XM5 are [now available in Midnight Blue](, and they look incredible. --- Amazon Echo Show 10 3rd gen has a $55 price cut at the moment [at $194.99, instead of $249.99](. That's a 22% discount on the 10.1-inch screen-based Alexa device, with a 13MP camera for video calling.  From The Gear Loop UNSPLASH The Gear Loop reveals some of the [best surfing wetsuits]( for the warmer spring/summer months.  And finally... JILL MEHNER / ANIMAL FRIEND COMEDY PET PHOTO AWARDS The Comedy Pet Photo Awards celebrates the very best in amusing photos of pets. [You should check out the latest winners](.  Have you checked out our podcast? It's packed with news, interviews, and top things to get. You can subscribe to the Pocket-lint Podcast via [iTunes]( and [Spotify](,  or access it on the web via [Acast](. In the latest episode, we interview the lead director of PSVR2 game, C-Smash VRS, about remaking a Sega classic and the future of virtual reality, plus talk about the Google Pixel Fold and the use of AI in cars. [Listen to the episode today.]( Thanks for reading - if you're enjoying the email, why not get a friend to sign up too, so they can also be in the know? Get them to [sign up here.]( [The Trust Project] [Why you can trust Pocket-lint]( You are subscribed to this email as {EMAIL}. Click here to modify your [preferences]( or [unsubscribe](.