Zohaib Ahmed, Author at Gizmochina

Xiaomi 12 Ultra alleged official poster reveals launch date

Zohaib Ahmed — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 12:29:28 +0000

It was expected that the Xiaomi 12 Ultra would be launched alongside the Xiaomi 12, Xiaomi 12X, and Xiaomi 12 Pro in China with the launch event for the three held back in December 2021. When that did not happen, the release date was unofficially set for March given the Mi 11 Ultra was made available during the same time. But an alleged poster now shows that the Xiaomi 12 Ultra could be launched on May 10th.

Shared by Ben Geskin on Twitter, the alleged poster only mentions the name of the device, its launch date, and that it will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ processor. While the thing does look quite convincing, it isn’t clear if it’s the real deal or not. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ is an unannounced chip, so its appearance on a poster looks far-fetched.

But even if false, all fingers do seem to be pointing toward a May launch for the device. A new report that cited reliable tipster Mukul Sharma as the source revealed the month when it will be made official.

Recent reports have revealed that the Xiaomi 12 Ultra will be equipped with a 6.73-inch E5 AMOLED display, which uses LTPO 2.0 technology. It is expected to carry support for 10-bit colors and has a 120Hz refresh rate.

According to Digital Chat Station, the flagship phone will continue to use ceramic for its rear and will be sold in at least white and black color options.

Upcoming HUAWEI Mate 50 series could ship with HarmonyOS 3.0

Zohaib Ahmed — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 11:58:29 +0000

HUAWEI’s next big operating system update has been tipped to land sometime in July by Wangzai Knows Everything on Weibo. Called HarmonyOS 3.0, the update is currently under its Developer Preview phase with builds being released regularly.

HarmonyOS 3.0 beta rollouts were originally scheduled for March with stable releases following in July but a report from a few days back indicated that the launch may be delayed. However, it now looks that the stable version of the update will in fact be released per schedule.

If the news holds true, then we may likely see the HUAWEI Mate 50 series, that’s scheduled to launch also in July, boot into HarmonyOS 3.0 right out of the box. The phone will be sold in two variants — one with the Snapdragon 888 4G chip and the other with the Kirin 9000 4G chip — yep, no 5G once again owing to the US ban.

At the end of 2021, it was reported that more than 220 million devices have been equipped with Huawei’s HarmonyOS operating system, and over a hundred HUAWEI mobile phones will be eligible for the upcoming version.

Huawei’s Hongmeng Zhilian has already acquired 2,000 partners meaning we should be seeing even more devices supporting the HarmonyOS hardware ecosystem and deeper integration with the world of IoT.

Motorola Edge S30 gets treated to MYUI 3.0 based on Android 12

Zohaib Ahmed — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 11:08:24 +0000

Motorola today announced that the Moto Edge S30 is now receiving the MYUI/My UX 3.0 update based on Android 12.

The complete official changelog for the update has been given below (via IT Home).

Brand new Android 12 interface, smoother system experience
Ready for the latest experience, support as PC camera, fast file transfer, mobile network sharing
New desktop drop-down control center, more choices
The application is multi-open and fully covered, and some applications may have adaptation problems, which are gradually optimized

My UX is very much like the software that the Google Pixels run but there are a few tweaks here and there. Unlike skins like One UI and MIUI, the skin strictly adheres to Material You guidelines so you’ll be getting a very pure Android experience, quite like how Google intends it to be.

It is important to note here that after installing this update, users will not be able to downgrade to previous software versions. The update instructions show that the installation process can take up to 30 minutes, although the phone can be used normally for much of the duration. After the installation is complete, you will be prompted to restart, and the system upgrade will be completed thereafter.

The Motorola Edge S30 was released in December last year and is equipped with a Snapdragon 888 Plus processor. It uses a 6.8-inch LCD screen with an FHD+ resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate. The battery is sized 5000mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging.

HUAWEI nova 10 series could launch with 5G-enabling case in June

Zohaib Ahmed — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 10:23:22 +0000

The HUAWEI nova 10 series is scheduled to tentatively release sometime in June and will continue to miss 5G capabilities, tipster Factory Director has said with a post on Weibo.

Due to the US ban, HUAWEI has been forced to stick to 4G for its smartphones for a couple of years now, so smartphones from the company with Snapdragon 888 and Kirin 9000 come with 5G disabled.

For this, it has been reported that HUAWEI will launch a mobile phone case, likely with an extra SIM card slot that can enable 4G phones to support 5G networks. It isn’t clear if the case is being developed by HUAWEI or if it’s the work of a third-party manufacturer, but it does bring hope to many HUAWEI fans.

The same tipster has also revealed that the said case could be launched together with the HUAWEI nova 10 series at the June launch event. If not with that, then it will likely be released after the third quarter.

Aside from the above, barely anything is known about the nova 10 series.

The last model of HUAWEI’s nova series was the nova 9 series, released in September last year. It comes with a 6.57″ display and has a quad-camera setup at the rear comprising 50 MP primary, 8 MP ultrawide, 2 MP depth, and 2 MP macro units. Under the hood, there’s the super-efficient Snapdragon 778G, although the chip loses its 5G capabilities.

vivo Pad roundup: specs, price, availability – what to expect

Zohaib Ahmed — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 09:12:15 +0000

The vivo Pad has been generating quite some hype for a while now, being the very first tablet offering from vivo, and multiple leaks over the past few weeks have revealed nearly all of its specifications. The device has been confirmed to launch on April 11 alongside the vivo X Note and vivo X Fold, and now that the day is nearly here, we’ve curated all there’s to know about it into a single piece.

Design and display

The vivo Pad has a fairly minimalistic overall look with a circular camera module — something that appears to have been standardized for vivo’s more premium offerings. Aside from the cameras, there isn’t much to the back of the device, which is flat. The edges look flat as well. vivo recently shared official live images of the tablet, which you can check out from here.

In terms of display, you get an 11-inch panel having a 2.5K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. Dolby Vision support is also rumored to be present.

Cameras

For photography, the circular module at the rear houses a dual-camera setup comprising a 13MP primary unit and an 8MP secondary unit (ultrawide?). On the front, the device is said to house an 8MP camera that looks to be stuffed into the top bezel.

Performance

The vivo Pad will feature a Qualcomm octa-core chipset having one core clocked at 3.19GHz, three cores capable of going up to 2.42GHz, and four cores with a max clock speed of 1.80GHz. Going by the this chip, the chip appears to be none other than the Snapdragon 870 SoC, which is paired with the Adreno 650 GPU. The chip will be assisted by 8GB of RAM.

Pricing and availability

There’s no information on the pricing as of yet but Digital Chat Station previously did state that the vivo Pad has a “lower positioning,” meaning it will not be priced as much as other flagship tablets in the market. The launch for China is scheduled for April 11 and a global launch can be expected sometime after that.

vivo X Note official live images show all three gorgerous color options

Zohaib Ahmed — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 07:44:51 +0000

The vivo X Note is all set for a launch on April 11 where it will be joined by the vivo X Fold foldable phone and the vivo Pad tablet. We previously saw some live shots of the phone but those were shared unofficially. Now, we’ve managed to get our hands on some official live promo images of the phone, shared by vivo through its Weibo handle, showing all of its colors.

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The three images only show the rear of the phone, so you’d want to head here if you want to check out the front. A third of the back panel is covered by the huge rectangular camera module that spans the width of the phone. This module houses another circular module that actually contains a 50-megapixel + 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 8-megapixel quad-lens setup.

Since the device is a flagship-level “Note,” a large display is pretty much expected — and the vivo X Note has just that. The 7-inch panel makes the phone a modern-day phablet and is well suited for the stylus pen it will ship with. But despite the size, vivo claims that the X Note will have a “slim feel.”

The images show that the vivo X Note will be sold in blue, black, and gray colors, although the company has yet to reveal the fancy names for the three options.

Lastly, from what we can tell, the back panel of the phone seems to have a texturized finish that looks something akin to leather.

realme Q5 series tipped to feature flagship-grade 80W fast charging

Zohaib Ahmed — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 12:05:49 +0000

Yesterday, realme vice president Xu Qi hinted on Weibo that the realme Q5 series will be launching soon, and today, some more information about the series has been exposed. Digital Chat Station broke the news that the realme Q5 series will support 80W fast charging, which has the ability to fill a 5,000mAh to 100% in just 30 minutes.

The realme Q5 series is supposed to be a budget-friendly offering, so flagship-level 80W charging is surprising. 80W fast charging is a fairly new standard and is associated with flagship-level devices since it’s seen on the likes of the OPPO Find X5 series and the OnePlus 10 Pro.

The realme Q5 earlier appeared on the TENAA certification website where its live images were also posted. The phone looks to be having a flat-edged design and has a dual-camera setup at the rear housed within a rectangular camera module.

The listing also revealed some key specifications of the devices. The realme Q5 series will come with Snapdragon 870 processors, with up to 12GB of memory and 512GB of storage.

The series will comprise two models that’ll most likely be named the realme Q5 and realme Q5 Pro. While the former is equipped with a 64MP + 8MP + 2MP triple camera setup, the latter will come with 13MP + 2MP dual cameras. The Pro model has a 4880mAh (dual-cell) with a body thickness of 8.65mm and 194.5g weight. The vanilla model has a thickness of 8.1mm with 190g weight.

Redmi Note 12 series given the green light by Xiaomi, model numbers emerge

Zohaib Ahmed — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 11:09:46 +0000

New Xiaomi phones with model numbers 22041216UC and 22041216C were given the green flag recently by the company, and the duo is expected to be a part of none other than the Redmi Note 12 series.

The certification doesn’t reveal any useful information about the two devices aside from showing that both will support 5G. 5G will be enabled by high-performance MediaTek Dimensity series chips, tipster Digital Chat Station had tipped earlier. While flagship offerings from the chipmaker seem to be a stretch since the Redmi Note 12 series will be mid-range, the Dimensity 1300 or Dimensity 8000/8100 look within reach for the lineup.

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Aside from this, barely anything’s known about the Redmi Note 12 series currently, but we should be seeing more info leak ahead of their launch, slated to be in the second quarter of this year.

The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ supported 120W fast charging while the Redmi Note 11 Pro supported 67W, so we should be seeing similar speeds with the Redmi Note 12 series as well.

Last year, Lu Weibing, general manager of Redmi brand, has started a new iteration strategy where two generations will be launched each year, mainly to satisfy the increasingly diversifying needs of users. He added that the series will be focusing on performance.

realme GT 2 Pro purchase will also fetch you the realme Watch S for free, other offers available too

Zohaib Ahmed — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 10:20:42 +0000

realme today lifted the curtains on its latest flagship device in India — the realme GT 2 Pro. The phone, aside from offering the latest and greatest in smartphone tech, also goes easy on the environment (a little) thanks to its rear panel being made of an ISCC-certified biopolymer, which also feels quite like paper.

The phone’s priced at Rs 49,999 for the 8GB+128GB variant while the 12GB+256GB variant will set you back by Rs 57,999, which is pretty neat for the features you get, but can be brought down a bit through offers and discounts.

If you own an HDFC card, either debit or credit, then you can avail of an instant ₹5,000 discount on both Flipkart and realme.com. The same price cut is available with SBI credit cards as well. Purchases through EMI will land you the same offer too.

Along with the discounts, you can also grab a Google Nest Hub (2nd gen) for only Rs 4,999 (down from Rs 7,999), while the Google Nest Mini that’s currently selling for Rs 3,799 can be picked up at just Rs 1,999.

But perhaps the best part is that a realme GT 2 Pro purchase will also fetch you a realme Watch S worth Rs 4,999 for free. It isn’t clear if this offer is a limited-time affair.

The realme GT 2 Pro’s first sale has been set for April 14th, 12 PM, and you’ll be able to pick it up in Paper Green, Paper White, and Steel Black color options.

OPPO Reno3, K7x ColorOS 12 open beta recruitment starts

Zohaib Ahmed — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 09:04:32 +0000

ColorOS 12 open beta recruitment for the OPPO Reno3 5G and K7x has started in China, kicking off on April 7th and will last until April 8th. Applications will be reviewed within 5 working days following which selected applicants will get an OTA for the update after another 3 days.

OPPO K7x users need to ensure that they’re on firmware version C.08 while OPPO Reno3 5G users need to check they’re updated to firmware C.14, in order to receive the OTA. This can be done by heading over to Settings > About Phone > Version Information > Version Number.

It should be noted here that the ColorOS 12 update that will be rolled out will be a beta, meaning it’s not guaranteed to provide a stable experience. It’s true that the builds will have passed internal testing, but they’ll likely be rough around the edges, so expect bugs and abnormal power consumption. Therefore, it’s not recommended to apply for the beta unless you’re sure of what you’re doing.

OPPO also warns that since ColorOS 12 is based on Android 12, some third-party applications may run into compatibility issues — although the version has been out for months now so you should be just fine. Also recommended is backing up the data prior to the update process.

To apply for the open beta, head over to Settings > Software Update > Click the settings icon on the screen > Apply for Beta Version > Update Beta Version.

Do keep in mind that you’ll only be able to apply if you reside in China. There’s no word yet on the open beta recruitment for the global variants of these devices so you’d wanna wait a bit for that.

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The post OPPO Reno3, K7x ColorOS 12 open beta recruitment starts appeared first on Gizmochina.

realme Buds Air 3 launched in India with exclusive first sale offer

Zohaib Ahmed — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 07:59:44 +0000

The realme Buds Air 3 were launched a couple of weeks back in China and have now made their way through to India as well. The TWS (true wireless earbuds) will be sold exclusively through Flipkart and realme’s official web store.

The realme Buds Air 3 pack 10mm dynamic bass boost drivers that include a liquid crystal polymer diaphragm, promising clear vocals and powerful bass. The quality can be further enhanced when used in combination with Dolby sound on realme smartphones.

Another great feature is ANC that’s claimed to reduce noise by up to 42dB. It works through dual microphones — 1 feedforward and 1 feedback — and an advanced De-wind technology that reduces the sound of the wind. When not wanting to cut off the outside world, you can even switch to the transparency mode.

In terms of battery life, you get up to 30 hours of playback on normal mode with charging case, 5.5 hours without charging case, and 22 hours with ANC + charging case. The Buds Air 3 feature IPx5 water-resistance and can be paired with two devices simultaneously.

With Game Mode activated, latency can be as low as 88ms, allowing for a super-synchronized audio experience.

Sale of the realme Buds Air 3 starts at 2 PM on 7th April, 2022 and the first flash sale will also land you an additional Rs 500 discount, meaning you’ll be able to grab the earbuds for under Rs 3,499. The normal price is Rs 3,999 and color options are two — Galaxy White and Starry Blue.

HONOR’s new 100W wireless charger also serves as a fancy-looking dock

Zohaib Ahmed — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 12:54:55 +0000

The HONOR Superfast 100W Vertical Wireless Charger is now up for grabs in China through the Honor Mall online site for 399 Yuan (around $62). The unique charger not only charges your phone but will also hold it upright, making usage while it’s being refilled far easier. Viewing notifications will also get a lot easier.

In terms of appearance, the HONOR Superfast 100W Vertical Wireless Charger adopts a 65-degree elevation vertical design and has a fairly minimalistic design while also looking luxurious. It’s made of metal and also uses a dual-coil design, allowing the phone to be placed either vertically or horizontally. There’s even a built-in cooling fan, with speeds that adjust intelligently based on various scenarios.

When the 100W tech is properly utilized, the wireless charger will be able to fill up your device to 100% in just 35 minutes. Phones currently supporting the ultrafast 100W wireless charging standard include the HONOR Magic4 series.

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It’s also worth mentioning that the charging unit is equipped with an LED indicator at the bottom, which not only indicates the charging status, but also flashes if there’s is any metal object nearby that can compromise safety.

In addition to mobile phones, the HONOR Superfast 100W Vertical Wireless Charger can also charge devices such as headphones that support wireless charging, and is compatible with a variety of electronic devices that support the Qi standard.

iQOO Neo6 complete specifications revealed ahead of launch, will come with MEMC for games

Zohaib Ahmed — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 12:38:08 +0000

The iQOO Neo6 has been officially confirmed to launch on April 13th, and ahead of that, iQOO has been busy teasing the device’s specifications.

First of all, the iQOO Neo6 will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, which reportedly has a 60% better GPU performance compared to the Snapdragon 888. The phone even comes with an independent display chip which helps achieve a higher frame rate through MEMC, allowing games to reach the 90FPS or 120FPS mark easily.

In terms of display, you get an OLED E4 panel that supports a 120Hz refresh rate, 1,200Hz enhanced touch sampling rate, 360Hz actual touch sampling rate, 1,300nits peak brightness, 600000:1 contrast ratio, HDR10+ certification, and SGS low blue light eye protection certification. The enhanced 1,200Hz sampling rate is currently limited to a few games like Call of Duty Mobile though.

The independent display chip also comes with an intelligent adaptation algorithm allowing for a 16,000-point dimming level, which helps the eyes during extended gaming sessions.

The iQOO Neo6 has a body thickness of 8.5mm, its display is sized 6.62-inches, and its battery is rated 4580mAh, a recent certification of the phone revealed. The device is also equipped with up to 12GB of RAM, comes pre-installed with Android 12, and scored 1,193 points and 3,523 points in the single and multi-core Geekbench tests, respectively.

Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) first pictures and specifications leaked ahead of imminent launch

Zohaib Ahmed — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 11:52:33 +0000

The Moto G Stylus (2022) was launched only a couple of months back but Motorola will soon be selling another variant of the device, this time with support for 5G.

Design-wise, both phones look the same from what we can tell, but the upcoming 5G variant packs a significantly more powerful chipset in the form of the Snapdragon 695, whose octa-core CPU is paired with the Adreno 619 GPU. Storage configs that’ll be available are unknown as of yet but Evan Blass (via 91mobiles) has revealed that the standard memory configuration consists of 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM alongside 128GB of storage.

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Motorola phones typically have ever so slightly taller displays than your typical bezel-less smartphone, and the Moto G Stylus 5G has a display with an unconventional 1080×2460 resolution. Sized 6.78-inches, the LCD panel supports a refresh rate of 120Hz and houses a 16MP selfie camera within a center-aligned punch-hole. Its brightness peaks out at 650nits.

The rear camera module is made up of a 50MP primary unit, an 8MP secondary unit for ultrawide shots, and a 2MP depth sensor, which is identical to the 4G Moto G Stylus. For charging, there’s a USB-C port at the bottom, which is joined by a headphone jack.

The device looks rather thick, which is quite expected considering it houses a stylus inside along with a large 5,000mAh battery.

Just take the aforementioned specifications with a pinch of salt as none of them look officially confirmed as of yet.

Mi Notebook Ultra and other laptops get significant price cuts with ongoing Fan Festival

Zohaib Ahmed — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 11:05:26 +0000

Xiaomi today kicked off its Fan Festival and it will last until April 12 in India, offering attractive discounts across almost its entire product lineup. Through it, customers will be able to grab Xiaomi/Redmi phones, TVs, or laptops at their cheapest possible rates. The only catch is that most of the eye-watering low rates can only be availed if you’re an SBI cardholder.

The Mi Fan Festival 2022 will run through all of Xiaomi’s retail stores and the official online store (mi.com). Few buyers also get a chance to win 100% cashback on their purchase. Additionally, the Chinese consumer tech company is also offering discount coupons.

Some of the best offers as part of the sale will be found with laptops and we’ve curated these below.

Name	Discounted price	Original price
RedmiBook 15	Rs. 32,499	Rs. 36,999
RedmiBook 15 Pro	Rs. 42,999	Rs. 47,999
Mi Notebook Pro	Rs. 55,499	Rs. 55,999
Mi Notebook Ultra	Rs. 53,999	Rs. 58,999

The RedmiBook 15 becomes one of the most value-for-money laptop purchases around with the discount, and will set you back by only Rs. 32,499 after applying the SBI offer. It currently looks out of stock, though, and it isn’t clear when it will be made available again.

The RedmiBook 15 Pro and Mi Notebook Ultra meanwhile have received the highest raw discount amounts, slashing their prices by Rs. 5,000 each. The RedmiBook 15 Pro is powered by the Intel Core i5-11300H processor and offers a 15.6″ FHD display while the Mi Notebook Ultra is Xiaomi’s flagship lappy with 16GB RAM + 512GB NVMe SSD, i5 11th Gen + Iris Xe Graphics specifications.

Samsung vulnerability allowing attackers to factory reset phones without user authorization identified

Zohaib Ahmed — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 09:08:00 +0000

Samsung devices running Android versions 9 through 12 could be affected by a serious software vulnerability that allows local applications to mimic system-level activity. Malicious apps have the potential to hijack critical protected functionality through them, giving attackers the ability to factory reset, make phone calls, install/uninstall apps, and weaken HTTPS security — no user approval required.

The CVE-2022-22292 vulnerability was discovered by Kryptowire, a mobile security company, and was communicated to Samsung on November 27, 2021, receiving a “High severity” rating. Samsung patched it through a security update rolled out in February 2022 as part of its ongoing Security Maintenance Release (SMR) process.

The vulnerability’s origin is in the pre-installed Phone app which contains an insecure component allowing local apps to perform system-level operations without user authorization.

Kryptowire recommends that automated mobile security scanning should become a common practice to ensure peace of mind for end-users and businesses.

“Ever think someone else has access to your phone? Unfortunately, you may be right,” said Alex Lisle, CTO of Kryptowire. “Mobile applications are becoming the primary point of personal and professional activity, representing an increasingly attractive target for bad actors.”

Samsung Galaxy S22 FE could be equipped with a MediaTek processor

Zohaib Ahmed — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 07:54:06 +0000

Samsung flagship-level phones could soon launch equipped with MediaTek processors — something that’s currently limited to the company’s budget Galaxy A series. This means that the share of self-developed Exynos chips in the flagship realm could see a dip.

The first phones to reflect on the move are expected to be the Galaxy S22 Fan Edition, which will likely be released in the second half of this year, followed by the Galaxy S23 series. Not all of the units will be featuring MediaTek chips, though, as only about half of the Galaxy S22 FE and Galaxy S23 phones are expected to use them (via Business Korea).

Samsung has to date relied on a Qualcomm + Exynos combo for its premium smartphone lineup so it isn’t clear what the division will look like if the MediaTek deal goes through. Three variants feel like a stretch but aren’t impossible. Jumping on to the MediaTek bandwagon should also bring in additional benefits such as increased profitability since Qualcomm chips have always been pricier.

MediaTek’s share in the global mobile application processor market stood at 33 percent in Q4 2021, second only to Qualcomm with its 30 percent share, according to a report from Counterpoint.

Meanwhile, Samsung’s Exynos chips only had a 4% share in the same quarter, which isn’t even close to the other two market giants. The company is having a hard time shaking off the impression about Exynos chips running hot and inefficiently, and had to even resort to increasing the share of Qualcomm chips over Exynos ones with the Galaxy S22 series.

Samsung Galaxy S9 series software updates hit the end of the road

Zohaib Ahmed — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 13:05:07 +0000

The legendary Galaxy S9 series has finally hit the end of the road with regards to software updates and Samsung has removed it from the support list, meaning the series will not be getting updated any further.

Both the Galaxy S9 and S9+ currently run Android 10 based on One UI 2.5, which while is quite dated version-wise, is fairly up to date in terms of security, since Samsung has been rolling out security updates for both of the devices for around three years now.

The company recently increased software support to some of its newer devices to an industry-leading 5 years, but sadly, the Galaxy S9 series will not be benefitting from it.

Thankfully, the duo has a fairly active custom ROM development scene, so if the dated software is a point of bother and you’re unwilling to switch over to a newer device, then installing an Android 12-based ROM should freshen up the devices.

As with nearly every Galaxy S series flagship phone, the S9 series comes in two regional variants — one with the Snapdragon 845 and the other with the Exynos 9810. The former is limited to the US, Latin America, and China while the rest of the world gets the latter.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 packs a 5.8-inch curved screen while the S9+ uses a larger 6.2-inch panel with a higher resolution. In terms of cameras, the S9 comes with a single 12MP rear camera while the S9+ comes with a dual-camera setup comprising 12MP primary and 12MP telephoto units.

POCO M3 Android 12 internal testing starts, will be the second Android upgrade

Zohaib Ahmed — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 12:02:04 +0000

Xiaomi is currently on a roll with updating its budget offerings after having rolled out the Android 12-based MIUI 13 update for most of its flagship models. Yesterday, the wallet-friendly Redmi 9T became one of the first devices to begin testing for its second Android version upgrade, signaling a change in the company’s update strategy. And now, it’s been found that the POCO M3 has begun Android 12 internal testing as well.

The POCO M3 first arrived with Android 10 based on MIUI 12, making Android 12 the second upgrade for it. Xiaomi doesn’t typically grant more than a single Android version bump for its offerings, favoring MIUI updates instead, so it could be possible that the company has now upped the maximum Android updates to two.

Via Xiaomiui

The build number of the POCO M3 Android 12 update released internally is 22.4.2 (via Xiaomiui). It isn’t clear if the build will be labeled with MIUI 13 when it hits the stable branch but it’s highly likely.

As for when the leaked build will be rolled out officially for the POCO M3, there’s no indication as of yet. Xiaomiui expects it to be seeded after 3-4 months, which definitely isn’t the speediest we’ve seen, but considering the device was never meant to receive a second Android update in the first place, we aren’t complaining.

MIUI 13 isn’t a major update by any means and its list of new features seems to vary based on the price of the device you own, for some reason. Devices like the Xiaomi Mi 11X have seen multiple changes with the update while others like Redmi Note 10 Pro are left with barely any new stuff over MIUI 12.5.

Xiaomi Mi 6 continues to be a fan-favorite even 5 years after release

Zohaib Ahmed — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 11:05:39 +0000

Xiaomi is about to turn a dozen years old, and ahead of that, company founder Lei Jun has been busy commemorating some of its most popular phones. Yesterday, a poll posted by Jun showed that Xiaomi Mi 6 has continued to be a fan favorite, beating the likes of Mi 11 Ultra and Mi 10 by a significant margin.

The Xiaomi Mi 6 was launched back in April 2016, making it exactly five years old now, but has amassed a cult following over the years. It was the first flagship phone from Xiaomi with a dual rear camera setup but was also the last to have a 16:9 display with thick bezels on the top and bottom, making it a very memorable design. Its successor — the Xiaomi Mi 8 — had a kind-of bezel-less design with a notch implementation and people weren’t too fond of notches at the time.

The Xiaomi Mi 6 also had a very slim and light build and was fairly compact with its 5.15″ screen, although there was a ceramic back variant too with an increased weight.

Lei Jun had earlier revealed three of his all-time favorite models and the trio also included the Xiaomi Mi 6. Last year, it was officially revealed that there are still over 2 million active Mi 6 users and it’s probable that the figure hasn’t gone down much since. This explains the 21,000 votes for the phone on the poll.

Such was the love for the phone that Xiaomi was even tipped in 2020 to re-launch it in a more modern form-factor, complete with a bezel-less design. However, the project was canceled since the model never turned into reality.

Galaxy S22 series sales see decline in Korea following GOS-throttling debacle

Zohaib Ahmed — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 09:51:28 +0000

Samsung was caught red-handed last month limiting performance on the Galaxy S22 series through an application identifier-based list containing over 10,000 apps. Following the news, Geekbench kicked not just the latest flagship series but multiple older flagship models from the company off its benchmark charts.

As if that wasn’t enough bad news for Sammy, a new Korea Times report now shows that the controversy is taking its toll on the sales of the Galaxy S22 series in South Korea, leading to the company’s carrier partners sharply raising subsidies in order to raise demand.

Carriers KT and LG Uplus say they’ve increased subsidies for the Galaxy S22 and S22+ by up to 500,000 won (around $410), while subsidies for the Ultra model have already been raised. The subsidies now are more than triple the 150,000 won worth of subsidies offered previously.

Customers didn’t like what Samsung was doing here for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the workings of GOS were kept rather hush-hush, and it wasn’t possible to disable the service even if users wanted to. Samsung did roll out updates to address the thing but it clearly hasn’t been enough, as the home country sales figures suggest.

After all, the measure was rather devious as the 10,000 apps list included all but benchmarking apps, meaning benchmark scores weren’t representative of the actual performance. A local mobile carrier official is quoted as saying that “There is a view that the GOS issue adversely affects the sales of the S22.

Samsung Galaxy Buds2 gain 360 Audio support with update

Zohaib Ahmed — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 08:53:01 +0000

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro released last year came with a feature similar to Apple’s Spatial Audio tech, allowing audio to respond to head movements. Called 360 Audio, the feature is now coming to the more recently launched Galaxy Buds2 with an update.

The firmware update R177XXU0AVC8 is sized 3MB and is currently rolling out to the Galaxy Buds2 with its changelog mentioning the 360 Audio feature along with call quality and Bluetooth stability improvements (via GSMArena).

However, there’s a difference compared to Spatial Audio — 360 Audio is intended to work with audio from most apps and simply shifts the positioning of audio channels based on your head movements. Spatial Audio, on the other hand, is designed to work only with audio content that’s built for 360 degrees.

Being a more recent release means the Galaxy Buds2 hasn’t received many updates. One of the more notable improvements arrived right after the earbuds’ launch, allowing the Buds2 to work with Samsung’s Galaxy Buds app for Windows.

If you haven’t yet received firmware update R177XXU0AVC8, then try pairing your Galaxy Buds2, launching the Galaxy Wearable app, selecting Earbuds settings, and tapping Earbuds software update.

Aside from the Galaxy Buds2, the Galaxy Buds Live have also been treated to the same feature with update R180XXU0AVC2.

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No Xiaomi MIX 5 this year but new MIX Fold model in the works, tipster says

Zohaib Ahmed — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 08:08:11 +0000

Xiaomi after releasing the Xiaomi 12 series a few months back now has a couple of other flagship phones in the pipeline. There’s the much-leaked Xiaomi 12 Ultra and then there’s the MIX FOLD series, although a tipster now says that one of the models from the bunch will be skipped this year.

The Xiaomi MIX series caters to the enthusiast market and as such offers experimental, bleeding-edge tech. It currently comprises the more conventional phone design in the form of the MIX series and the newer foldable lineup sold under the MIX FOLD series. The last model from the former was the Xiaomi MIX 4 from August 2021 but tipster Ice Universe has revealed that its successor will not be launched this year, contrary to many previous reports.

Xiaomi will be focusing solely on the Xiaomi MIX FOLD 2 instead, which according to leaks will be the world’s first foldable phone with a 360° hinge, meaning the device can be folded in both directions.

It’s also reported that the Xiaomi MIX FOLD 2 is expected to be launched in June this year, carrying model number 22061218C. Codenamed zizhan, it will only be available in China, as has been the case lately with every MIX offering. The phone is equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip and adopts a 2.5K LTPO high refresh rate internal screen.

A better aspect ratio for the external screen is expected along with an improved, less-visible crease. Crease-less foldable phones seem to be smartphone OEM’s biggest fixation this year. A trend first started with the OPPO Find N, we should be seeing even more foldables with smoother inside displays.

Ola S1 Pro could be suffering from a serious reverse mode glitch

Zohaib Ahmed — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 11:21:23 +0000

After a Pune-registered Ola S1 Pro electric scooter caught fire for an unknown reason, Ola now seems to be having another PR nightmare coming its way. A video shared by an Ola S1 Pro owner shows the scooter plagued with a glitch that causes it to run in reverse mode without stopping.

The video (via Zee News) shows the scooter lying on its side with its wheel spinning at 90kmph and its turn signal blinking, possibly stuck as well. Of course, an issue like this is highly dangerous — turning the scooter upright will immediately cause it to zoom backward. And if the glitch strikes while the scooter is being ridden, there can be grave consequences.

It is worth mentioning here that this isn’t the first time an issue involving the wheel spinning in reverse mode has been reported, meaning Ola could be having a genuine problem in its hands. The last time the problem was reported was when the scooter switched to reverse mode while it was being ridden at 102kmph.

The Ola S1 Pro offers a reverse mode feature which is useful for stuff like pulling the vehicle when it’s stuck in a ditch or out of a tough spot when it’s parked. It could be possible that this feature glitched out in the aforementioned incidents.

As with every EV, the Ola S1 Pro is largely software-controlled, meaning that the glitch is probably nothing that can’t be fixed with a software update. But given its nature, Ola sure needs to hurry up.

Mi Note 10 bags MIUI 13 update in China with one bit you may not like

Zohaib Ahmed — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 11:00:35 +0000

The Mi Note 10 was launched as a premium mid-ranger back in 2019. Having already received two Android version upgrades in the form of Android 10 and 11, it’s obvious that the device won’t be getting a taste of Android 12. And that’s exactly what’s come about with the MIUI 13 update released for the phone today in China — it’s based on Android 11.

Still, the update comes with a slew of changes in the form of new widgets, improved system font, new super wallpapers, and numerous optimizations, so the missing Android upgrade shouldn’t be too much of a bother.

The complete changelog for the update has been given below (via Xiaomiui).

Highlights

New: Privacy camera for face recognition and protective watermarks for images
New: Introducing comprehensive anti-fraud protection mechanisms
New: All-new Mi Sans system font with better readability
New: “Crystallization” super wallpapers
New: A new widget ecosystem with app support and personalization options
New: New features for performing tasks seamlessly on multiple connected devices
Optimization: Improved overall stability

Widgets

New: A new widget ecosystem offers lots of items that can make your Home screen more informative
New: New gorgeous widgets for system and third party apps
New: Lots of customizable widgets, including different clocks, signatures, and sticker

More features and improvements

New: Apps can be opened as floating windows directly from the sidebar
Optimization: Enhanced accessibility support for Phone, Clock, Weather, and Themes
Optimization: Privacy protection, secure web browsing, and better feed
Optimization: Mind map nodes are more convenient and intuitive now

System

Stable MIUI based on Android 11

Sized 3GB and carrying firmware version 13.0.1.0.RFDCNXM, the update is only available for Mi Pilot Testers as of now. But once it’s found to be bug-free, it should be rolled out for more users in China, after which a global rollout should commence. As with every other update, not all of the features will be making their way into the global MIUI 13 build for the Mi Note 10, though.

Razer headset turns guardian angel, blocks bullet and saves Californian kid’s life

Zohaib Ahmed — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 10:36:44 +0000

A Reddit user going by the name Enough_Dance_956 shared a strange tale where a headset, apparently the original Razer Kraken, turned guardian angel and blocked a bullet, saving their life.

A bullet came in through their bedroom window and was on course to hit the head of the OP but was deflected by the head strap of the headset, hitting the wall and landing on the user’s bed. The bullet allegedly came from a block away and was a stray, meaning it wasn’t meant to hit the user. The incident happened in California.

“hello to everyone who sees this. i’m trying to get a hold of someone at razer to thank them with all my heart. wednesday morning at 10:30am a stray bullet went through my window and hit the razer headphones on top of my head. if it wasn’t for the headphones made with good quality i would’ve been a dead kid at the age of 18. i couldn’t even imagine all the pain my family and friends would’ve been through,” says the original post.

The post (via Windows Central) also includes photos showing the damage done to the headphones as well as the window, while another post shows where the bullet hit the wall and the bullet itself.

The Razer Kraken seems to come with a very solid build and has quite some padding in the head strap, with a metal band inside. It’s hard to say if the headset would’ve offered similar protection had it been of a plastic construction.

In another comment, the Reddit user stated that Razer had reached out and offered to replace their headset but they had declined the offer, saying they only meant to express their gratitude to Razer.

Redmi 9T has surprisingly started testing Android 12 internally, change in update strategy?

Zohaib Ahmed — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 10:11:05 +0000

Xiaomi doesn’t usually grant more than a single Android update for its budget devices, but news of Android 12 internal testing for the Redmi 9T seems to be signaling a change in the company’s update strategy. The phone, which was launched with Android 10-based MIUI 12, may soon be getting its second Android upgrade in the form of Android 12.

As spotted by Xiaomiui, build 22.4.2 based on Android 12 has begun testing internally for the global variant of the Redmi 9T. It isn’t clear if the build will be labeled MIUI 13 when it’s rolled out, although it does look quite probable.

Via Xiaomiui

Of course, Android 12 will be the very Android version bump that the Redmi 9T will receive, but it’s not known if MIUI 13 will be the final MIUI upgrade.

As for when the leaked build will be officially rolled out for the Redmi 9T, well, there’s no clue as of yet. Xiaomiui expects it to be seeded after 3-4 months, which definitely isn’t the speediest we’ve seen, but considering the device was never meant to receive a second Android update in the first place, we aren’t complaining.

MIUI 13 isn’t a major update by any means and the number of new stuff you get with it seems to depend on the price of the device you own, for some reason. Devices like the Xiaomi Mi 11X have seen multiple new features while others like Redmi Note 10 Pro are left with barely any new items over MIUI 12.5.

Xiaomi issues statement justifying Samsung-like performance throttling

Zohaib Ahmed — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 09:40:36 +0000

After the Samsung app throttling debacle, it has now come to light that Xiaomi may be just as guilty. Geekbench co-founder John Poole earlier claimed on Twitter that Xiaomi is limiting performance based on app names, much like Samsung was, and revealed that disguising Geekbench as Fortnite caused the Mi 11’s single-core performance score to drop by 30% and multi-core performance score by 15%.

For that, Xiaomi has now issued an official response (via Hardware Info):

“Xiaomi applies temperature management strategies to ensure an optimal product experience, especially with demanding apps that are often used for extended periods of time. On many of our devices, we offer 3 types of performance modes, allowing users to adjust the balance between performance and energy efficiency At the system level, all optimizations related to application performance weigh many essential factors, such as power consumption, performance, and thermal impact.”

To summarize, Xiaomi hasn’t denied the allegations and has admitted to the employment of “temperature management strategies” to adjust power consumption and performance in order to “ensure an optimal product experience.”

Looks like Xiaomi is also making performance decisions based on application identifiers.

— John Poole (@jfpoole) March 27, 2022

Xiaomi also seems to be implying that the performance limitations can be bypassed to a certain degree through the built-in performance modes. Switching to the performance mode should prioritize performance at the cost of reduced battery life, so if you feel your phone’s running a little jittery, you know what to do.

However, it is worth mentioning here that the 3-level performance modes are limited to phones with high-end chips, making it likely that Xiaomi’s app-name-based throttling is a premium phone-only affair.

John Poole had previously posted some comparison data showing that Geekbench on the Xiaomi Mi 11 when disguised as Fortnite resulted in some significantly dropped scores — single-core dropped from 1,129 to 791 while multi-core dropped from 3,714 to 3,125. Similar reductions were seen when Geekbench was disguised as Genshin Impact.

Last month, Geekbench had kicked multiple Galaxy S series phones off its benchmark charts following the debacle, so it would be interesting to see how the benchmarking platform handles this new case.

HONOR flagship tablet tipped to launch in May, will feature tablet version of Dimensity 9000

Zohaib Ahmed — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 08:50:18 +0000

The HONOR product launch scheduled for May has been tipped to lift the curtains on a number of products. Along with a new laptop series, the company will also be launching a new flagship tablet, says tipster Factory Manager.

The flagship tablet will be equipped with a “very powerful” chip, likely a flagship one, and will set the benchmark for 2022 Android tablets. While not explicitly mentioned, the tipster did hint that the said chip will be another version of the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 with a higher frequency. This version is aimed specifically at tablets and power-efficient notebooks and will likely not be making its way to smartphones.

HONOR released the V7 Pro tablet last year with a similar chipset called the MediaTek Kompanio 1300T. The processor is based on TSMC’s 6nm process and has 4×A78 large cores + 4×A55 small cores, and it’s likely that the chip described above will be a part of the Kompanio series as well.

In terms of laptops to be launched with the May event, there will be a new HONOR MagicBook series that will be equipped with 12th Gen Intel or Ryzen 6000 series processors.

Earlier, the same tipster also said that Huawei will hold an event in April to launch the new MateBook notebook and Huawei Band 7.

HONOR Play6T thin and light phone series launch date announced

Zohaib Ahmed — Sat, 02 Apr 2022 11:18:08 +0000

HONOR today announced that its upcoming Play6T phone series will be launched on April 7th.

According to its filing with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the front of the HONOR Play6T Pro will have a straight screen with a punch-hole for the selfie camera. The edges of the phone will be flat and will retain a 3.5mm headphone jack. The rear has a squarish camera module containing a dual-lens setup — a 48MP primary camera paired with a 2MP macro lens. Upfront, there’s an 8MP selfie shooter.

The phone has a thickness of 7.45mm and weighs just 175g and its display will be a 6.7-inch 120Hz LCD panel with 2388×1080 resolution. Its built-in 4000mAh battery supports 40W wired fast charging.

The Honor Play6T Pro should be available in 8+128GB and 8+256GB variants. It isn’t clear what processor the phone will be equipped with — some say that it will be the Snapdragon 680 while others claim it to be the Dimensity 900. Some even say that it will be the Dimensity 8100 but honestly feels a bit too high-end for the device.

The series seems to be comprised of two models — there’s the HONOR Play6T Pro and then there’s the HONOR Play6T. As usual, both will be launched in China first with a global launch following sometime after, that is, if HONOR indeed decides to make them available globally.

Xiaomi 12 Ultra to come with a ceramic back, leather variant may be offered too

Zohaib Ahmed — Sat, 02 Apr 2022 11:00:58 +0000

Flagship phone lineups seem to be getting expanded lately with a greater number of variants being launched this year and the last. The Xiaomi 12 series, for example, included not only the Xiaomi 12 Pro, 12, and 12X but is set to soon get a fourth model in the form of the Xiaomi 12 Ultra. This phone has reportedly already hit the mass production stage and may reach consumers by June.

A number of unofficial renders have been making rounds on the internet for a while now but some digital bloggers on Weibo today revealed some new bits about the upcoming phone. According to Digital Chat Station, the new flagship codenamed l1 will continue to use ceramic for its rear and will be sold in white and black colors. Glass options may be present too.

Compared to glass, ceramic is more difficult to mold, has a better texture, and offers greater durability due to improved scratch resistance.

The tipster also stated that while they’re yet to see a leather version of the Xiaomi 12 Ultra, the possibility of a variant with the material cannot be ruled out (via IT Home).

In other respects, the Xiaomi 12 Ultra will be powered by the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus chipset with the model number SM8475, based on TSMC’s 4nm process. It will also have a 120Hz QHD OLED display, a 4,900 mAh battery with 120W fast charging support, and a Leica-branded camera module at the rear.

The camera module is arguably one of the most interesting parts of the device and its ginormous module spans across almost the entire top half of the device. This module contains a center-aligned circular camera island with 3 cameras inside.

OPPO K10 series with Dimensity 8000 chips tipped to release this month

Zohaib Ahmed — Sat, 02 Apr 2022 10:34:21 +0000

OPPO had announced back with the launch of the MediaTek Dimensity 8000 series that the OPPO K10 series will be the first to be equipped with the Dimensity 8000 chip. Today, prominent leakster Digital Chat Station revealed that the upcoming phone lineup will be released this month, sometime after April 5th.

The OPPO K10 series first made an internet appearance early last month and its 3C certification showed that it will support up to 80W fast charging, which is currently both OPPO and OnePlus’s flagship configuration. Accordingly, the K10 series is expected to be an upper-mid-ranger.

It is speculated that there will be two models in the OPPO K10 series, namely the K10 and the K10 Pro. The K10 will be equipped with the Dimensity 8000, while the K10 Pro will be powered by the more powerful Dimensity 8100.

The Dimensity 8000 series uses TSMC’s 5nm manufacturing process and has an octa-core setup including four A78s and four A55s, with the GPU being a six-core Mali-G610.

A MediaTek official had earlier claimed that the Dimensity 8000 series chips are positioned to be nearly flagship-level but are easier on the battery compared to actual flagship chips. Benchmark-wise, the performance of the Dimensity 8000 series is at the same level as the Snapdragon 888, although it does appear to be more power-efficient.

AnTuTu top 10 list for March features a MediaTek chip for the first time

Zohaib Ahmed — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 17:01:29 +0000

While pre-release benchmark scores had favored MediaTek’s Dimensity 9000 over Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (at least on Geekbench), it’s clear from the AnTuTu top 10 list for March that Qualcomm has dominated the charts once more. Eight out of ten devices are powered with the latest Snapdragon flagship, but MediaTek has made quite some strides this year, actually coming in fourth for the first time.

The REDMAGIC 7 Pro came in first with a score crossing the 1 million mark with the iQOO 9 series following closely. Number four was the Redmi K50 Pro with the Dimensity 9000 with a score nearly touching 1 million and is accompanied by the OPPO Find X5 Pro in the MediaTek camp.

Aside from the Dimensity 9000 and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, no other chip has made it to the top charts. The Galaxy S22 Ultra with the Exynos 2200 did appear briefly on the February list but has failed to outperform some newer launches.

In the past two years, MediaTek first focused on the low-end and mid-end market where it quickly gained market share, and then moved on to high-end flagships, so as to establish a firm foothold.

The Dimensity 9000 not only adopts the most advanced TSMC 4nm process but also has a unique architectural technology. The CPU is a combination of 1x X2 super core, 3x A710 large cores, and 4x A510 small cores, which is ARM’s latest solution for flagships.

For those not looking for the absolute best in performance, desiring better battery life instead, MediaTek also offers the arguably more stable 5nm-based Dimensity 8100 platform. This one uses the usual 8+8 ARM big.LITTLE architecture and promises a better power to efficiency ratio.

Sony Xperia 1 III, Xperia 5 III, Xperia PRO-I Android 12 update now rolling out

Zohaib Ahmed — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 11:19:39 +0000

Sony last week announced the Android 12 upgrade plan for a total of five devices — Xperia 1 III, Xperia 5 III, Xperia PRO-I, Xperia 1 II, and Xperia 5 II. Some of these models are now beginning to receive the update, namely the Xperia 1 III, Xperia 5 III, and the Xperia PRO-I.

Aside from the brand new system interface and all of that Material You goodness, the Xperia Android 12 update also brings a host of improvements to system functions. Some of the newly added features include long screenshots, conversation widgets, and call recording.

A new emergency call function has also been added, allowing a very speedy emergency call dial simply by tapping the power button 5 times. There’s also fresh support for emergency contacts.

The one-handed mode has also received a complete revamp. Just slide down on the bottom navigation bar and the mobile phone interface will sink to the bottom, making it easier to reach the content at the top of the screen.

The two apps, Photography Master and Movie Master, have also been further optimized. First of all, they have added a prompt page, through which one can easily access tips and tricks. The second is for photographers, adding custom functions for AEL buttons, DISP buttons, and function menu buttons, making the app more convenient to use.

ColorOS 12 global update timeline for Q2 2022 is here for multiple models from Reno, A, F series

Zohaib Ahmed — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 10:40:44 +0000

After announcing the ColorOS 12 Q2 2022 rollout plan for China, OPPO has now revealed the global rollout dates for the same quarter as well. The list contains a slew of devices spanning the Reno, A, and F series.

There are several devices that will be getting ColorOS 12 based on Android 12 in a beta form first, which we’ve listed below. That’s not all though as there are also a few devices that will be getting treated to stable now, after having tested ColorOS 12 beta for some time.

We’ve compiled both kinds below:

ColorOS 12 global beta update timeline for April-June 2022

From 8th Apr.2022

F19 (India)
F19s (India)
A74 (Indonesia)

From 12th Apr.2022

A95 (Indonesia)

From 14th Apr.2022

F17 (India)
A73 (Vietnam)

From 19th Apr.2022

A53 (India)

From 26th Apr.2022

Reno3 Pro (India)

Reno3 (Indonesia)

From May 2022

Reno7 5G (India)

Reno 10x Zoom (India)

A76 (India)

From June 2022

Reno7 Z 5G (Indonesia)
F21 Pro 5G (India)

ColorOS 12 global stable update timeline for April-May 2022

From 12th Apr.2022

Reno4 Z 5G (Thailand, Philipines)

From 25th Apr.2022

A53s 5G (India)

From May.2022

Reno7 Pro 5G (India)

Do note here that beta builds will require registration beforehand, so stay tuned to the OPPO community forums for announcements concerning your device. Or you could just keep an eye on our site as we’ll be sure to notify you of any new beta programs.

Both stable and beta updates will be rolled out in batches so if you don’t receive a notification for the OTA at the specified date, then just wait for a while. You can also head over to Settings > Software update to perform a manual check, alternatively.

ColorOS 12 update timeline is here for OnePlus 7 series & bunch of other devices in China

Zohaib Ahmed — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 09:07:09 +0000

OPPO is currently on a streak of rolling out the ColorOS 12 for eligible devices, with a bunch of phones receiving the update in March alone. Continuing with that, the company has now announced ColorOS 12 update timeline for the entirety of the second quarter of this year — and it even includes devices like the OnePlus 7.

Without jumping into anything else, let’s check out the timeline straightaway:

ColorOS 12 China beta update timeline for April-June 2022

From April 7

OPPO Reno3 5G
OPPO K7x

From April 26

OPPO A53 5G

From April 28

OPPO Reno7 5G

From May

OPPO Reno Ace
OPPO Reno 10
OPPO Reno Ace Gundam Edition
OPPO Reno Barcelona Custom Edition
OPPO K9s 5G
OPPO A36

From June

OnePlus 9RT
OnePlus 7 Pro
OnePlus 7T Pro
OnePlus 7
OnePlus 7T
A96 5G

ColorOS 12 China stable update timeline for April 2022

OPPO A92s 5G
OPPO A55 5G

A total of 18 devices will be getting the update in China in the second quarter of 2022. While most of these will be getting it in the beta form for which users will have to register, the OPPO A92s 5G and A55 5G are set to get stable ColorOS 12 this month.

The OnePlus 7 and 7T series are also a part of the list but it’s obvious that their global counterparts will be receiving OxygenOS 12 rather than ColorOS. June is the expected rollout date for these devices, meaning a global OxygenOS 12 release is still months away.

realme Book Prime India launch date announced

Zohaib Ahmed — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 12:07:05 +0000

The realme Book Prime has been making rounds on the internet for a while now and is a rebranded Realme Book Enhanced Edition, which was announced in January this year in China. It was launched for the global market alongside the Buds Air 3 but the Indian market was given a miss. That changes soon though as realme has now revealed the laptop’s launch date for the country.

The company’s official site for India now has a big banner on the home screen with the launch date for the realme Book prime. Set for April 7th, 12:30 PM, looks to be a premium offering and will therefore likely carry a premium price as well.

While the banner doesn’t reveal much in terms of specifications, only saying that the realme Book Prime will have an 11th Gen Intel processor and a 2.8K display, most of its specifications are already known. We have given these below.

The realme Book Prime is likely to feature a 14-inch LCD screen with an aspect ratio of 3:2. It will offer a screen resolution of 2160 x 1440 pixels. It will be powered by the 11th gen Intel Core i5 CPU that’s paired with the Intel Xe iGPU.

The laptop will include 16GB of LPDDR4 RAM, 512GB of PCIe SSD storage, and a 54Wh battery. It will likely come pre-installed with Windows 11 OS and is expected to support 65W fast charging.

On the connectivity front, the realme Book Prime is expected to feature a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port, a USB-A 3.1 Gen 1 port, a 3.5mm headphone slot, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.2.

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vivo X80 Pro takes gaming into consideration, features an extensive cooling solution

Zohaib Ahmed — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 11:39:20 +0000

The vivo X80 series is nearly here now with a launch possible scheduled on April 11th along with the much-anticipated X Note and X Fold phones. If that indeed happens, it would mean the arrival of five flagship phones together, which isn’t something you see often. Ahead of the purported big day, tipster Digital Chat Station has revealed some of the specs of the vivo X80 Pro.

The vivo X80 Pro should be one of three models and will be sold alongside the vivo X80 and vivo X80 Pro+, just like last year’s vivo X70 series. The tipster says that it will be powered by the top-of-the-line MediaTek Dimensity 9000 processor and will be taking gaming into consideration, featuring a 4000mm² VC plate for heat dissipation. As such, it will be supporting the Honor of Kings game at 120Hz right out of the box.

In terms of display, it will have a 6.78″ FHD+ E5 AMOLED curved panel with a single punch-hole for the selfie camera. The display will also support DC dimming and will therefore be easy on the eyes. The haptics experience should be top-notch too, thanks to the presence of X-axis linear motor.

Lastly, the phone will have a 4,500mAh dual-cell battery, which will likely support 80W wired fast charging and 50W wireless charging.

Jia Jingdong, vice president of vivo brand, earlier said that the original NEX series’ legacy of innovation will not disappear, and will instead be carried forward by the flagship product X series.

Chrome 100 and Chrome OS 100 now rolling out with multiple new features

Zohaib Ahmed — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 10:44:04 +0000

After having first appeared on Chrome Canary in January this year, version 100 of the browser has now made it to the stable branch, touching triple digits for the first time. The update is now rolling out to Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows.

The most notable change with the update is the new iconography, which Google says has been adjusted to match the system icons on various platforms. It gains a subtle gradient on Windows, a 3D look on macOS, and a flatter design on Chrome OS. All in all, the new logo appears more lively.

In addition to that, with Chrome 100, Google has also eliminated “Lite Mode,” which was previously available on Android and iOS and allowed users to save data. With the feature enabled, some of your web browsing would go through Google’s servers and then back to you in a more compressed format, rather than directly to your device.

The new version also brings a new multi-screen window placement API that allows certain windows to be displayed on certain monitors, which is useful for those who frequently use multiple monitors.

Google is known for updating Chrome OS synonymously with its Chrome browser so the operating system has been bumped up to v100 as well. Changes with it include a new launcher that doesn’t take up the entire screen anymore, search improvements, the ability to edit text using your voice, and more.

Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite gets MIUI 13 based on Android 12 in Europe

Zohaib Ahmed — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 09:35:42 +0000

The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite is now beginning to receive the MIUI 13 update based on Android 12 in Europe. Along with a bunch of optimizations, the update also carries the February 2022 security patch.

The firmware is labeled V13.0.1.0.SFNEUXM and the complete ROM zip should be sized 2.9GB. The MIUI 13 launch events outside of China hadn’t introduced much in terms of features aside from new wallpapers, so don’t expect too much from the build.

Anyway, the complete official changelog has been given below for your reference.

System

‌Stable MIUI based on Android 12
‌Updated Android Security Patch to February 2022. Increased system security

More features and improvements

‌New: Apps can be opened as floating windows directly from the sidebar
Optimization: Enhanced accessibility support for Phone, Clock, and Weather
Optimization: Mind map nodes are more convenient and intuitive now

Xiaomiui says that the update is being rolled out only for those that are part of the Mi Pilot Testers program currently so it may be a while before it arrives on your device.

Still, you can download the update manually through this link, and install it by heading over to Settings > About phone > System update. No guarantees, though, since the build is currently Pilot-exclusive.

The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite was launched back in April 2020 and first booted into Android 10, meaning that this Android 12 update is the last Android version upgrade for it.