Technology launches and announcements to expect in April 2022

April is normally not a busy month for the tech world. But this year, companies like Apple, Microsoft, AMD and HTC are planning to bring their new offerings in April to make for an exciting month for tech enthusiasts everywhere. The rumor also suggested that apart from the confirmed plans, we could see new phones hitting the market next month. These could include the highly anticipated Nothing Phone as well as an upgrade to the OnePlus Nord 2.

In this article, we cover all the confirmed and expected April 2022 launches to detail everything coming next month. We highlight listings with “confirmed” and “rumored” labels to distinguish them based on their confirmation status.

Launching Windows 11 hybrid job (confirmed)

One of the major confirmed April launches is a new Windows 11 launch where we could see Microsoft detailing new features to power hybrid working. Scheduled for April 5, the event will include a keynote address from Windows Executive Vice President and Product Manager Panos Panay.

Overwatch 2 beta (confirmed)

Overwatch 2, the shooter sequel, gets its first beta release on April 26 to showcase the new gaming experience we’ll be getting later this year. Developer Blizzard Entertainment has announced the release of the Overwatch 2 beta which will only be available for the PC platform.

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D debut (confirmed)

To please gamers, AMD is expected to start shipping the Ryzen 7 5800X3D in April. The desktop chip that was first announced at CES 2022 in January is touted as the “world’s fastest gaming processor” – designed to offer better caching over the Ryzen 9 5900X. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D is priced at $449 (around Rs 34,200) and will go on sale from April 20. It comes with eight cores, 16 threads and compatibility with AMD’s existing AM4 socket.

iMovie update (confirmed)

Apple is updating its iMovie video editing software with a few features in April. One of the new features is Magic Movie which allows users to create stylized and edited videos with titles, transitions and even music all instantly with just a few clicks. The other new feature coming to iMovie next month is the addition of 20 different storyboards. These will be based on genres such as cooking, product reviews, and science experiments that will guide you with steps to capture footage, organize clips, and learn different story structures. Both new features were announced at the “Peek Performance” event earlier this month.

World of Warcraft expansion (confirmed)

Along with the introduction of the Overwatch 2 beta, developer Blizzard Entertainment is developer expansion of its online role-playing game World of Warcraft in April. It will take place on April 26. The World of Warcraft expansion will also come just before its mobile game release which arrives in May.

HTC ‘Metaverse’ Phone Launch (Confirmed)

Aside from the planned announcements for gamers and PC users, April is the month when we could see the launch of HTC’s “Metaverse” phone. The new phone is supposed to be a “premium” model and is likely to have some features that support augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences. The exact launch date of the HTC “Metaverse” phone has not yet been revealed.

No phone is coming (rumored)

Nothing – the brand created by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei – reportedly plans to launch its first phone in April. The smartphone could feature a transparent design and a Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC. The Nothing Phone is also likely to run on Android 12 out of the box, with few customizations beyond the stock experience. Nothing is holding its event on Wednesday, March 23, where we got to see some official details on the phone.

Vivo X Note, X80 series coming soon (rumored)

Vivo X Note is expected to launch as the company’s signature smartphone in April. It is rumored to have a 7-inch 2K Samsung E5 AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a large-area 3D ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. Alongside the Vivo X Note, the rumor has suggested the Vivo X80 series will launch next month. The new series would include the Vivo X80, Vivo X80 Pro and Vivo X80 Pro+ which would all launch in China first and then could make their way to India.

OnePlus Nord 2T launched (rumored)

In addition to the Vivo phones, the OnePlus Nord 2T is expected to debut in April. The new smartphone could be a slight upgrade from the OnePlus Nord 2 and could be equipped with a 6.43-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. It is also rumored to have a MediaTek Dimensity SoC 1300 octa-core and would include 80W SuperVOOC fast wired charging.

Realme Book Prime debuts in India (rumored)

Realme Book Prime is rumored to launch in India in April. The laptop was unveiled at MWC 2022 last month and is rebranded as Realme Book Enhanced Edition which launched in China in January. The Realme Book Prime comes with an 11th Gen Intel Core processor and has up to 12 hours of battery life.