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SSPAI Morning Brief: OpenAI Launches GPT-5.4 Models as Spotify Adds Lossless Audio and Exclusive Mode

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少数派编辑部

Morning Brief

  1. OPPO unveils Find N6
  2. GAC and Huawei jointly launch “Qijing” GT7
  3. Beats and Nike release co-branded Powerbeats Pro 2
  4. OpenAI releases GPT-5.4 mini and nano models
  5. Nintendo Switch rolls out handheld enhancement mode update
  6. Nikon announces recall of certain Z5II full-frame mirrorless cameras
  7. Spotify Windows version adds exclusive mode and lossless audio support
  8. Kagi launches Small Web mobile app and browser extension
  9. News Worth a Quick Look

OPPO unveils Find N6

On March 17, OPPO introduced its foldable flagship, the OPPO Find N6. The device is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Elite mobile platform and features an 8.12-inch inner display alongside an outer display with ultra-narrow bezels. Both screens support 1-nit eye-care brightness and a global peak brightness of 1800 nits. It adopts a titanium alloy “Sky Dome” hinge and “Sky Dome” memory glass, passing TÜV Rheinland’s 600,000-fold durability test, delivering a virtually crease-free experience both out of the box and after prolonged use. It is equipped with a 6000mAh “Glacier” battery, supporting 80W wired and 50W wireless fast charging. For imaging, it features a Hasselblad-tuned 200MP quad-camera system, including a 70mm portrait periscope telephoto lens and a Danxia color reproduction lens. The device also supports IP56/IP58/IP59 water resistance and includes a “Shanhai” communication enhancement chip with support for 66 frequency bands.

The OPPO Find N6 is available in Gold Orange, Raw Titanium, and Deep Black. Pricing starts at RMB 9,999 for the 12GB + 256GB version, RMB 10,999 for 16GB + 512GB, and RMB 11,999 for 16GB + 1TB. It will officially go on sale globally starting March 20. Source

GAC and Huawei jointly launch “Qijing” GT7

On March 17, Huawei Qiankun and GAC Group unveiled a jointly developed high-end intelligent vehicle brand, AISTALAND, in Guangzhou, and introduced its first model, the AISTALAND GT7. The GT7 measures 5050 × 1980 × 1470 mm with a 3000 mm wheelbase, featuring a 21.5° “shooting brake angle” and a 51.2% wheel-to-body ratio. It comes equipped with 275 mm wide tires, frameless side mirrors, and semi-hidden door handles. In terms of hardware, it features Huawei’s 896-line dual-path image-grade LiDAR, a triple-motor system, and CATL’s 800V/6C Qilin battery. It also integrates Huawei Qiankun Intelligent Driving ADS, the HUAWEI XMC digital chassis engine, an 88-inch HUAWEI XHUD, and a triple-layer silver PDLC smart dimming panoramic roof.

The AISTALAND GT7 is now open for pre-orders with a refundable deposit of RMB 999, with official launch and deliveries planned within 2026. Source

Beats and Nike release co-branded Powerbeats Pro 2

On March 17, Beats and Nike jointly announced their first co-branded hardware product, the Nike Special Edition Powerbeats Pro 2. This version features a fluorescent yellow colorway and marks the first time both brands share visible logos, with the Nike Swoosh on the right earbud and the Beats logo on the left. It also comes with a matte black charging case accented with fluorescent yellow speckles, with a Nike slogan engraved inside the lid.

Powerbeats Pro 2 supports adaptive active noise cancellation and transparency mode, and includes built-in heart rate monitoring for workouts, which can sync with fitness apps. It offers IPX4 sweat and water resistance and features a secure ear-hook design, with up to 45 hours of total battery life including the charging case. The Nike Special Edition Powerbeats Pro 2 will officially go on sale on Friday, March 20, priced at RMB 2,099, available via Apple.com and the Apple Store at Shanghai iapm. Source

OpenAI releases GPT-5.4 mini and nano models

On March 17, OpenAI announced two smaller models in the GPT-5.4 series: GPT-5.4 mini and GPT-5.4 nano. GPT-5.4 mini delivers more than 2× the speed of GPT-5 mini and demonstrates performance close to the full GPT-5.4 model in benchmarks such as SWE-Bench Pro and OSWorld-Verified, with particular improvements in coding, multimodal understanding, and computer-use capabilities. GPT-5.4 nano, as the smallest and most cost-effective model in the lineup, is designed for tasks such as data classification, extraction, and simple sub-agent workflows.

Both models offer a 400K context window. GPT-5.4 mini is priced at $0.75 per million input tokens and $4.50 per million output tokens via API. GPT-5.4 nano is available only via API, priced at $0.20 per million input tokens and $1.25 per million output tokens. GPT-5.4 mini is now available across the API, Codex, and ChatGPT (for Free and Go users). Source

Nintendo Switch rolls out handheld enhancement mode update

On March 17, Nintendo released system firmware version 22.0.0 for Switch and Switch 2 consoles. The update introduces a “Handheld Mode Enhancement” feature, which can be enabled under “Settings – System – Software Operation Mode.” Once enabled, software in handheld mode can run with performance equivalent to TV mode. The update also refines social and management features, adding private friend notes that can be edited on both the console and mobile app (version 3.3.0 or later), and allowing invitations to friends who have not completed initial setup to join game chats. Parental controls have been upgraded as well—when entering a PIN on the console, linked apps (version 2.4.0 or later) will receive real-time notifications. In terms of interface details, the HOME menu’s virtual game card loading animation has been redesigned; full-screen video playback in eShop and game news now supports 10-second skip forward/back using ZL/ZR buttons; edited album content is now included in automatic uploads; and airplane mode can retain Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and NFC settings. Accessibility features have also been expanded with multi-language text-to-speech support, though Chinese is not yet supported. Source

Nikon announces recall of certain Z5II full-frame mirrorless cameras

On March 17, Nikon announced a recall of certain Z5II full-frame mirrorless cameras. The recall is due to specific components in a small number of units that may, in rare cases, affect normal operation. Nikon has identified the affected serial number ranges, and users can check eligibility on the official website by entering their camera’s serial number. Nikon will provide free repairs for affected units and cover round-trip shipping costs, regardless of warranty status. Users can contact Nikon customer support or authorized service centers before sending in their devices. Additionally, some Z6III and ZR cameras purchased outside mainland China are also included in the recall. Source

Spotify Windows version adds exclusive mode and lossless audio support

On March 17, Spotify announced the rollout of “Exclusive Mode” for Premium users on its Windows desktop client. Combined with the newly introduced Lossless audio tier, the feature enables “bit-perfect” output at up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC quality. When enabled, Spotify takes full control of the system’s audio processing, bypassing the Windows mixer’s resampling and volume adjustments, and delivers the original audio stream directly to an external DAC or audio interface. While in Exclusive Mode, other applications cannot output sound through the same device. The feature does not support video, podcasts, or Canvas clips, and automatic mixing and crossfade are disabled when activated. Users can enable the feature under “Settings – Playback,” selecting a compatible output device and turning on “Normalize Volume” to maintain maximum output. The feature is currently available only on Windows, with a macOS version expected in the future. Source

Kagi launches Small Web mobile app and browser extension

On March 17, search engine Kagi announced the release of the Small Web mobile app and browser extension for iOS and Android. Small Web aims to bring human-created, non-commercial content—such as personal blogs, web comics, and independent videos—to mobile platforms. The initiative originated from Kagi’s 2023 project of the same name and now indexes over 30,000 such sites. The new app and extension support filtering results by categories such as videos, code repositories, and comics, and offer features like random discovery, distraction-free reading mode, and bookmarking.

Although some users on Hacker News have pointed out that its filtering criteria—such as requiring an actively updated RSS feed—may exclude certain single-purpose or experimental websites, Kagi maintains that the project is intended to counter the growing impact of AI-generated content on the web ecosystem. Users can currently submit suggestions for human-created sites via its GitHub page. Source

News Worth a Quick Look

  • On March 16, Dell announced the reinstatement of its Pro Precision workstation product line, reversing its previous rebranding under the Dell Pro Max lineup. The series includes both desktop and mobile models. The flagship tower workstation, Pro Precision 9 T6, features 15 PCIe slots and supports up to two 600W or five 300W NVIDIA RTX PRO Blackwell professional GPUs. The Pro Precision mobile workstations are available in 14-inch and 16-inch configurations. Source
  • On March 17, Apple officially released its first “Background Security Update,” delivering lightweight security patches for Safari, the WebKit framework stack, and other system libraries. The update supports iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, and is designed to address WebKit-related vulnerabilities. Background Security Updates can be downloaded automatically, but require a device restart to complete installation, which takes about one minute. Users can view update details under “Settings – Privacy & Security.” Source
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