Garmin rolls out Alpha Version 11.5 Update With Jet Lag Advisor Feature For the Fenix 7 & Epix

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Dec 22, 2022

Garmin has rolled out the latest software update for its smartwatches. The Alpha version 11.5 update comes with a new feature that advises the user on jet lag. The Jet Lag Advisor allows the user to get tips and advisories relating to travel. The Jet Lag Advisor can help reduce the impact of travel on your body.

The latest software update from Garmin also brings support for Connect IQ System 6. The Connect IQ System 6 allows the user to leave his/her gender unspecified. The update is available for the Fenix 7, Fenix 7X, Fenix 7S, Enduro 2, Epix (Gen 2), and MARQ smartwatches. The update also provides initial support for HRV TrueUp which ensures biometric data is synced between your devices. The update however omits support for the overnight HRV graph which may be available in subsequent updates.

The Alpha version 11.5 software update features additional sailing tools like the Distance to Start data and the Race Day Card. Other tools added to the new firmware are stamina data for bike sports and a workout execution score in the post-activity summary.

Wake surfing and wakeboarding have been added to the activity tracker. There are also bug fixes in the new update and overall improvements. Some of the bugs caused the smartwatch to become very slow or even to shut down automatically. The new Alpha 11.5 update, according to Garmin, is only available to users who manually download and install it.

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Honor X5 With Helio G25, Android 12 Go Launched In Select Markets

By

Viraj Gawde

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Dec 22, 2022

Honor has quietly launched a new smartphone in the global market. It is dubbed Honor X5. The latest offering is a budget device and it packs decent specifications. Read on to know what the Honor X5 offers out of the box.

The Honor X5 features a 6.5-inch display bearing an HD+ resolution and a waterdrop notch on the top. The back panel features a leather texture and houses a square camera module. The device lacks a fingerprint scanner and relies on facial recognition.

The Honor X5 features an 8MP rear camera paired with an LED flash. It supports 1080p video shooting. There is a 5MP front-facing camera for selfies.

Under the hood, the Honor X5 is equipped with a MediaTek Helio G25 processor coupled with a PowerVR GE8320 GPU. It packs 2GB RAM and 32GB onboard storage expandable via a microSD card slot. The smartphone draws its power from a 5,000mAh battery unit. Software-wise, the Honor X5 runs on Android 12 Go Edition out of the box.

Connectivity options on the Honor X5 include a micro USB port, 3.5mm jack, VoLTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, and dual SIM.

The Honor X5 is offered in Sunrise Orange, Ocean Blue, and Midnight Black colours. The pricing and availability depend on the market regions. In Jordan, the price of the smartphone is set at 75 Jordanian dollars or about 99 Euros.

In other news, Honor is set to launch the Honor 80 GT and Pad V8 Pro in China on December 26th.

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Lenovo Go Desk Station Lamp Functions as a Webcam Stand and Charging Hub

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Dec 22, 2022

The Lenovo Go Desk Station lamp with multiple functionalities has been unveiled. The new desktop lamp can function as a webcam and USB charging hub. Lamps are gradually taking new functionalities over the years. Before now, we do have lamps that function as audio speakers. The new Lenovo Go Desk Station is expanding the lamp’s functionality.

The Go Desk Station features a strip of LED lights along an arm that can be rotated up or angled down for more focused illumination. It can be used in combination with a webcam or for reading on the desk. The desk lamp offers three color temperature settings – 3,000K, 4,500K, and 6,500K. The LED light settings help to match the time of the day.

The Lenovo Go Desk Station lamp comes bundled with the Lenovo Go 4K Pro Webcam with a 30fps frame rate. The webcam features autofocus and automatic framing, which provides greater clarity in the video output.

The lamp serves as a tripod stand for the webcam which can be attached to its own rotating arm or at the end of the lamp’s arm. When attached to the end of the lamp’s illuminated arm, the reach of the webcam is extended. The camera can be adjusted to point downwards to highlight a document on the desk.

The base of the Lenovo Go Desk Station is a charging hub. It comes with a 20W USB-C port, a 65W USB-C port for laptops, two USB-A ports, and an HDMI port. There is also a wireless Qi charging pad with 15W output on the base.

The Lenovo Go Desk Station is similar in functionality to the Dyson Lightcycle lamp priced at $600. The Dyson Lightcycle has a horizontal arm that can be extended or retracted using a cantilever system. It also features automatic color temperature adjustment.

The Lenovo Go Desk Station will be released in March 2023 with a starting price of $329. The Lenovo Go 4K Pro Webcam is purchased separately for $150. The Go Desk Station comes with an affordable price and greater functionality than the Dyson Lightcycle.

Samsung Cuts Production of Samsung Galaxy A23 5G

By

Chandan

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Dec 22, 2022

The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G‘s production volume has reportedly been reduced by the South Korean electronics giant Samsung. The number of smartphones produced in the future could decrease by as much as 70%. Let’s look more closely at the actual intentions behind Samsung’s choice to build and release fewer Galaxy A23 5G handsets to the market.

According to a report from TheElec, Samsung has substantially cut its shipping target for its mid-range smartphone, the Galaxy A23 5G, this year. The Korean electronics manufacturer had previously projected shipping 12.6 million units, but this number has now fallen to under 4 million units, a 70% decrease. Samsung set a goal to ship 17.1 million Galaxy A23 4G and 12.6 million Galaxy A23 5G smartphones earlier this year.

30 million devices, or around 10% of Samsung’s entire yearly shipping, would have been shipped by both companies together. Earlier this year, the 4G variant was introduced. Later on, in the year’s second half, the Galaxy A23 5G was released. The phone’s operation was severely hampered by a feature that was meant to be there. The issue was discussed by Samsung with a number of partners. A month-long examination of the issue was also done by the IT giant to identify the problem.

Despite the fact that the issue was fixed, the business plans to produce fewer Galaxy A23 5G devices in the future because of the difficulties it ran into. Additionally, Samsung will only plan to deploy about 5 million of the model in 2023. For Samsung, changing its chosen development partners was the largest change in the creation of the Galaxy A23 5G.

The 50MP wide-angle primary camera with optical image stabilisation was created by Sunny Optical. Patron began working on the Galaxy A23 4G at the same time. Sources claimed Sunny Optical was not to blame for the problem Samsung had with the Galaxy A23 5G. They said that the unidentified issue was the root cause because the issue the model experienced adversely affected the functionality of other parts of the phone, including the camera.

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EU is now pushing for Smartphone Batteries being replaceable again

By

Sean

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Dec 22, 2022

Over the period of the last decade, there have been various trends in smartphone designs that have changed. For example, the 3.5mm headphone jack is now a lot more uncommon. Similarly, smartphones used to come with removable batteries that made it replaceable as well. This feature is now only seen in a handful of models, but this might be changing soon due to the EU.

Just recently, the European Union had forced Apple to also comply with the universal standard for smartphones with the use of the USB Type C port to charge its iPhone models in the future. This decision was approved but the Cupertino based giant has till 28th December 2024 to comply with this order. Now, it seems like the Union is now aiming on strong arming the entire industry into bringing back replaceable battery packs.

According to a new report, Europe might be planning on forcing smartphone makers, including both the iOS and Android brands, to revive removable batteries. Unlike iPhones, Android models typically came with a replaceable battery pack back in the early days of Android phones. Although, this was before OEMs managed to pack a lot more power and equipment into smaller frames thanks to intricate internal design and layout. Furthermore, many high end phones also feature water and dust resistance thanks to a tight seal.

In other words, having a replaceable battery might work against such an important durability feature. Back in the day, users could simply go out to a store or order an extra battery online to replace the aging or dying one inside their smartphones. Some OEMs even offered larger capacity batteries that were sold separately. So it is unclear whether this practice has more pros or cons. Let us know in the comments section down below about your thoughts regarding this matter.

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Vivo S16e, S16, S16 Pro With 120Hz AMOLED Displays Launched In China

By

Viraj Gawde

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Dec 22, 2022

Vivo S16 series has launched in China today. The lineup comprises three devices – S16, S16 Pro, and S16e. The smartphones arrive as the successor to the Vivo S15 series. All three newest devices have the same design language. They have slightly different specifications. Read on to know what the Vivo S16 series offers out of the box.

The Vivo S16 series has a compact form factor and a rectangular camera module on the back panel. All three devices feature an AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and an integrated fingerprint scanner. The S16 has a flat 6.62-inch screen whereas the S16 and S16 Pro come with a 6.78-inch display with curved edges. There is a centre-aligned punch-hole cutout on all three devices.

On the imaging front, the Vivo S16e features a 50MP main sensor, 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth snapper. There is a 16MP front-facing camera. The camera setup on the S16 includes a 64MP primary shooter, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2MP macro unit. On the other hand, the Pro model comes with a 50MP OIS-enabled main lens, a 12MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, and a 2MP macro unit. The regular and Pro models have a 50MP selfie snapper.

Under the hood, the Vivo S16e is equipped with Exynos 1080 SoC. The S16 and S16 Pro house Snapdragon 870 and Dimensity 8200 chipsets respectively. All three devices pack up to 12GB RAM and 512GB onboard storage. The S16 series is backed by a 4,600mAh battery unit with support for 66W fast charging. Software-wise, the smartphones run on OriginOS 3.0 based on Android 13.

The Vivo S16e starts at RMB 2,099 (~$300) for the 8GB + 128GB option. The 8GB + 256GB and 12GB + 256GB variants are priced at RMB 2,299 (~$329) and RMB 2,499 (~$358) respectively. The same RAM and storage configurations of the S16 are priced at RMB 2,499 (~$358), RMB 2,699 (~$386), and RMB 2,999 (~$429). There is also a 12GB + 512GB option priced at RMB 3,299 (~$472). The S16 Pro starts at RMB 3,299 (~$472) for the 12GB + 256GB variant and costs RMB 3,599 (~$515) for the 12GB + 512GB configuration. The Vivo S16 series is offered in Hyacinth Purple, Sea Foam Green, and Starry Night Black colours. Pre-sales of all three smartphones begin today.

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Lu Weibing to Soon Take Over as President of Xiaomi as Wang Xiang Retires

By

Chandan

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Dec 22, 2022

On December 22, The Paper learned from insiders at Xiaomi that founding member Lei Jun had written an internal letter announcing that Wang Xiang, the company’s president at the time, will take a long-anticipated retirement on December 30 of this year. Continue to work for the business as a senior consultant at the same time. The changes in Xiaomi management will take place very soon, by the start of the new year.

The company’s co-founders, Hong Feng and Wang Chuan will continue to support and promote the company’s strategic development in the partner committee despite their withdrawal from the commercial front at the end of this year. According to the reporters, it was determined to promote Lu Weibing as the new group president after thorough consideration and conversation with the company’s partner committee; he will take office on December 30.

Weibing and I have been friends for a long time; he has extensive knowledge of the mobile phone sector and a strong network inside it. He was dependable and well-known when he joined Xiaomi at the beginning of 2019. Weibing gradually gained control of the group management team, rising through the ranks to become the person in charge of the Redmi brand, the president of the Chinese region, and the commander of the three main theatres in the Chinese region, the International Department, and the Indian region. Excellent esteem and regard. Reporters wrote in the articles.

The news stories that were released today are historic for Xiaomi. In an internal message, it was further claimed that this demonstrated Xiaomi’s management had completed the transition smoothly and was prepared for long-term sustainable growth. The Xiaomi Group is about to enter a new arena. The high-end strategy has just delivered a phased solution book for the Xiaomi 13 series after three years of investigation. Unexpectedly, the smart electric car industry has advanced, and it has high hopes for a smooth transition to mass production in the first half of 2024. The group’s overall technological system is also expanding; numerous innovations are continuously emerging; the humanoid bionic robot CyberOne “iron-to-large” and other frontier explorations are still progressing, and the intelligent manufacturing system is continuously exporting to the entire manufacturing industry everlasting empowerment

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iQOO 11 5G India Variants, Price Range Revealed Before January 10 Launch

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Dec 22, 2022

The iQOO 11 5G is all set to launch on Jan. 10 in India. Ahead of the launch, GizmoChina learned about the variants and price range of the device through a media briefing. The iQOO 11 will release as India’s first phone with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile platform.

In India, the iQOO 11 5G will be available in two configurations: 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage and 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. It will come in two colors: Legend (white) and Alpha (black).

The iQOO 11 5G will be priced between Rs 55,000 (~$664) and Rs 60,000 (~$725) in India. The company is touting that the iQOO 11 is the world’s fastest smartphone since it is packed with some top-notch specs like SD8G2, LPDDR5x RAM, and UFS 4.0 storage.

On AnTuTu, the device has scored more than 1.3 million points. It is the highest AnTuTu benchmark score among the SD8G2 phones available in the market. The iQOO 11 also promises a better photography experience thanks to the Vivo V2 chip, especially in low-light conditions.

It will be the first phone to land in India with the latest E6 AMOLED display, which promises up to 1800 nits of peak brightness. It is a flat panel that produces a Quad HD+ resolution and a refresh rate of up to 144Hz.

The iQOO 11 will come preinstalled with Android 13 OS and FunTouch OS UI. The company has confirmed that it will be offering 3 years of Android OS upgrades and 4 years of security patch updates to the iQOO 11. Lastly, it will pack a 5,000mAh battery with 120W fast charging support.

The iQOO 11 has already been released in other markets like Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and China. The same device is now heading to India. It will be made available for purchase through Amazon India. It appears that the company has currently no plans to release the iQOO 11 Pro in markets outside of China.

(The writer of this post attended the iQOO 11’s media briefing)

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Xiaomi patents battery tech for its upcoming Xiaomi Car EV

By

Sean

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Dec 22, 2022

The automobile arm of the Xiaomi Corp has filed for a new patent for its upcoming EV model (electric vehicle). The company has patented a new Power Battery technology that will be housed in the Xiaomi Car.

For those unaware, the Chinese tech giant has long been rumored to be working on its very own electric car. The company then confirmed these rumors and also set up a dedicated automobile unit. This department reportedly had a research and development team of over 500 and was apparently planning on releasing its first model sometime in the first half of 2024. But prior to any official announcement, a new patent was spotted that was for the Power Battery that could power the Xiaomi Car.

Based on the patent’s official documents, the company is working on a Power Battery that houses multiple rows of cells, multiple liquid cooling plates, liquid inlet components, and liquid output components as well. Furthermore, both sides of each row of cells are attached with liquid cooling plates. All of these components for the battery pack like the liquid cooling plates might just imply that the brand is working on a way to improve the service life of EV batteries as well as its safety performance as well.

We can also expect this battery tech to be used in the upcoming EV model from the company. Although this is still just speculation as of right now and Xiaomi could just be covering every base with this patent. So take this report with a pinch of salt for now.

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Upcoming Samsung Galaxy A54 and A34 Will Have A Slightly Different Aspect Ratio

By

Chandan

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Dec 22, 2022

The Samsung Galaxy A54 and A34 smartphones are currently under development by Samsung. We might soon learn more about the devices’ official launch details. Anyway, the devices are still being developed, and no significant details or specifications have been publicly disclosed. However, according to a recent piece of information floating around online, both of the next smartphones will feature a slightly different aspect ratio than their predecessors.

Samsung introduced the Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A33 in the spring of 2022. Both devices resembled the Galaxy A52 in terms of aesthetics. The fact that the A52, A53, and A33 all share the same aspect ratio—20: 9—is therefore not surprising. Samsung is particularly focused on the aesthetics of the Galaxy A54 and A34 for the A series in 2024. The aspect ratio also changes depending on where.

The Galaxy A54 and A34 both get a somewhat wider display than the A53 and A33, according to the well-known website GalaxyClub. The latest gadgets will eventually sport a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. That compares favourably to the Galaxy S22 and, eventually, the Galaxy S23. The information is available from both phones’ entries in the HTML5Test browser test.

This change is consistent with their long-held vision of Samsung phones in 2023. They all receive a slightly different version of the same design: without a camera island, but with separate rear-facing lenses. You could also argue that the A series’ debut in 2023—or at the very least, the A54 and A34—will bring it even closer to the S series. However, the difference in the screen aspect ratio is not going to have any major difference, the normal users may not even spot the difference in the first place.

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Honor Pad V8 Pro Will Be IMAX Enhanced-certified

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Dec 22, 2022

The Honor Pad V8 Pro is scheduled to launch on December 26 in China. It will be accompanied by the Honor 80 GT.

Ahead of the event, the brand has been teasing the features of this tablet. Earlier today, the company revealed the product’s entertainment features. Let’s check them out.

According to the official teasers, the Honor Pad V8 Pro will be IMAX Enhanced-certified and will house eight speakers for an immersive audio-visual experience. Hence, customers will be able to stream IMAX Enhanced titles from Tencent Video and iQIYI on the tablet’s large 12.1-inch canvas.

It is worth noting that Honor’s Magic 3 and Magic 4 series of smartphones also come with this certification. However, the upcoming Pad V8 Pro will be the world’s first large-screen tablet to arrive with this feature.

Honor has also partnered with Disney-owned 20th Century Studios for the promotion of Avatar: The Way of Water. For the unaware, the latest James Cameron movie is filmed for IMAX. The brand is giving away 10 tickets for the motion picture.

According to previous teasers and leaks, the Honor Pad V8 Pro’s display will offer a 1.5K resolution, a 144Hz adaptive refresh rate, and protection against eye fatigue. The device will be powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8100 chipset and will boot MagicOS 7.0 based on Android 13.

The front camera will be located on the right edge and there will be a pogo pin connector for the official keyboard accessory on the back. Last but not least, the product will carry support for 33W fast wired charging.

We are expecting Honor to reveal more features of the device in the coming days.

Oppo Find X6 Pro to feature 100W fast charging, IR blaster, & more: Tipster

By

Sean

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Dec 22, 2022

Oppo is gearing up to launch its latest generation of flagship smartphones from its upcoming Find X6 series. However, prior to its official announcement, a new leak has revealed some details regarding the higher end Find X6 Pro variant.

For those unaware, we recently covered a report in which we talked about all of the leaked information regarding the Find X6 Pro. In this report, most of the key specifications regarding the premium grade handset was revealed and now we some additional details about the new flagship phone. According to known tipster Digital Chat Station, the Chinese tech giant’s Find X6 Pro will feature 100W fast charging, which is in line with our previous reports.

Apart from this, the tipster also added that the device will feature a dual speaker setup that porbably hints at a stereo setup. Furthermore, Oppo Find X6 Pro will reportedly be equipped with an X axis linear motor as well as an IR blaster as well. This is basically an infrared sensor, which would enable your smartphone to act as a remote control for the various home appliances that users have in their homes.

Unfortunately, this was all the information shared by the tipster. Although, based on our previous reports, we know that the Find X6 Pro will come with Qualcomm’s latest and greatest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC. This chipset will apparently be paired with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of internal storage. Under the hood, a large 5,000mAh battery pack will power the device, which might also support up to 50W wireless fast charging as well.

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Grab the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G for Just $99.99 with an Unlimited Plan

By

Oğuz Çakır

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Dec 22, 2022

The holiday season is upon us, and that means it’s time to start thinking about gift ideas for friends and loved ones. If you’re in the market for a new smartphone, Boost Mobile has a great deal that you won’t want to miss. The wireless carrier is offering the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G for just $99.99 with the purchase of a Boost Mobile unlimited plan.

Save $350 on the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G with Boost Mobile unlimited plan

The Boost Mobile unlimited plan costs $40 per month and includes unlimited text and talk, as well as unlimited 4G/5G data (up to 35GB, after which speeds are reduced). You’ll also get a mobile hotspot with 12GB of data. This deal also includes a full month of wireless service and a brand-new phone for a total of just $139.99. That’s a discount of $350 on the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G, which is a great value for a phone with top-of-the-line features.

The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is a powerful smartphone with a 6.5-inch AMOLED 120Hz display, an Exynos 1280 5nm SoC with 5G, 6/8GB of RAM, and 128/256GB of onboard storage. It also has a 5,000 mAh battery with 25W fast charging, as well as a 64MP primary camera with OIS, a 12MP ultrawide camera, a 5MP depth sensor, a 5MP macro sensor, and a 32MP front-facing camera. It recently received the Android 13 One UI 5.0 update, making it even more powerful and feature-rich.

In addition to all of these great features, the Boost Mobile unlimited plan also gives you the freedom to cancel at any time, so you’re not tied to a contract. This is a great opportunity to upgrade your smartphone and get a good deal on a new phone and unlimited plan just in time for the holiday season. Don’t miss out on this amazing offer from Boost Mobile and the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G.

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Samsung Installs Europe’s Largest Circular LED Signage

By

Oğuz Çakır

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Dec 22, 2022

Samsung has been making waves in the world of LED technology with its recent installations of large, impressive screens. The company recently installed the largest indoor LED Cube in all of Europe in the Swiss Life Arena, and now it has installed Europe’s largest circular LED signage at the Futuroscope theme park in Poitiers, France.

Samsung equips France with Europe’s largest circular LED signage

The circular LED signage at the theme park’s “Chasseurs de Tornades” (Tornado Hunters) attraction provides a breathtaking audiovisual experience for visitors. Samsung collaborated with Futuroscope Management and Development (FMD) to create the 17 meter diameter, 8 meter tall screen, which has a total surface area of 420 square meters. This makes it the largest LED screen installed in an amusement park by Samsung anywhere in the world.

The screen is comprised of 800 LED cabinets from the Samsung Indoor IFR series and offers 21K resolution. It also features HDR LED technology, high contrast, lifelike images, a peak light output of 2,400 nits, and a static contrast ratio of 12,000:1, all of which contribute to its impressive picture quality.

The Chasseurs de Tornades attraction features a 120-seat dynamic motion theatre surrounded by a 360-degree LED screen, providing an immersive experience for visitors. Yannis Marchet, Development and Projects Director at FMD, noted that the screen’s technology is durable enough to last at least 15 years.

In addition to its impressive LED installations, Samsung is also reportedly working on developing special OLED panels for use in certain iPad models in 2024. Previously, the company had planned to develop full-cut OLED panels, but it has since shifted its focus to the development of two-stack tandem OLED panels, which use two layers of pixels instead of one and offer higher brightness and longer life than current-generation OLED panels.

These panels could also potentially be used in some Apple Macs. Full-cut OLED panels are reportedly more advanced than two-stack OLED panels, but Samsung has prioritized the development of panels with higher near-term demand.

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Google Pixel 6a beats every flagship phone including Pixel 7 Pro & iPhone 14 Pro in MKBHD’s blind camera test

By

Sean

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Dec 22, 2022

MKBHD also known as Marques Brownlee, a popular tech based YouTuber, has just released a new video on his channel. In this video, he compared a bunch of smartphones like the Google Pixel 7 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, and more against one another in a blind camera test and some of these results might surprise you, so let’s have a look.

Marques Brownlee recently setup a dedicated page on his official website where he had his large audience participate in multiple rounds of voting. There were multiple categories that the audience could vote on like the overall camera performance, standard shots, low light images, and even portrait shots. There were a total of 16 smartphones with a vast majority of them being premium flagship grade devices. But despite being pit against some major names like the Galaxy S22 Ultra, iPhone 14 Pro, and even the Pixel 7 Pro, the Google Pixel 6a took the top spot in the overall rankings.

This is quite notable considering the camera on the Pixel 6a is the same one that the company has employed on the Pixel series since the Pixel 2. Although, the overall results do not show the entire picture. MKBHD’s blind camera test had 21.2 million votes that divided the results between three categories. In the standard test, the Oppo Find X5 Pro is the winner for regular shots. Meanwhile, the Pixel 7 Pro took the throne for portrait shots, while the Vivo X80 Pro+ lead the pack in the low light category.

Interestingly enough, the Apple iPhone 14 Pro saw some rather unremarkable results as it only got the 6th place in the standard, 10th place in the low light, and 5th place in the portrait blind camera tests. In the overall average rankings, the Pixel 6a surprisingly came first in a David and Goliath kind of fashion, with the runner up being the Pixel 7 Pro. Rounding up the top three list was the ASUS Zenfone 9.

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Realme X7 Max 5G Android 13 Open Beta program commences

By

Sudhanshu

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Dec 22, 2022

Back in 2021, Realme launched the Realme X7 Max 5G. The device debuted with Android 11 onboard and was upgraded to Android 12 earlier this year. Now, Realme has gotten one step closer to rolling out Android 13 on this device as it has announced the Android 13-based Realme UI 4.0 open beta program for the X7 Max 5G.

The brand took to its official community forum to announce the open beta program for the Realme X7 Max 5G. If you want to try out the open beta build, you can apply in the program by going to Settings > Software Update > Tap on the settings icon in the top right corner > Trial Version > Submit your details > Apply Now. Before applying, make sure that your device is on version RMX3031_11.C.15 or RMX3031_11.C.16.

If your application passes the review, you can expect the update OTA to arrive in a few days. You can expect the update to arrive with the changes mentioned below.

Changelog

Aquamorphic Design

Adds Aquamorphic Design theme colors for enhanced visual comfort.
Applies the Aquamorphic Design philosophy to animations to make them natural and vivid.
Adds Shadow-Reflective Clock, with shadows to simulate the orientation of the sun and moon.
Adds a Home screen world clock widget to show the time in different time zones.
Upgrades to Quantum Animation Engine 4.0, with a new behavior recognition feature, which recognizes complex gestures and provides optimized interactions.
Optimizes UI layers for a clearer and neater visual experience.
Applies real-world physics to animations to make them look more natural and intuitive.
Optimizes the widget design to make information easier and quicker to find.
Optimizes fonts for better readability.
Optimizes system icons by using the latest color scheme to make the icons easier to recognize.
Enriches and optimizes illustrations for features by incorporating multicultural and inclusive

Efficiency

Adds large folders to the Home screen. You can now open an app in an enlarged folder with just one tap and turn pages in the folder with a swipe.
Adds media playback control, and optimizes the Quick Settings experience.
Adds more markup tools for screenshot editing.
Adds support for adding widgets to the Home screen, making information display more personalized.
Optimizes Shelf. Swiping down on the Home screen will bring up the Shelf by default. You can search content online and on your device.

Security & privacy

Optimizes Private Safe. The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is used to encrypt all files for enhanced security of private files.

Health & Digital wellbeing

Adds Eye comfort in Kid Space to protect children’s vision.

Health & Digital wellbeing

Add Eye comfort in KidSpace to protect children’s vision

Gaming experience

Upgrades to HyperBoost GPA 4.0 to stabilize the frame rate and balance the performance and power consumption in key scenarios.

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Tecno drops Pova 3 price tag in India by Rs 2000 ($24)

By

Sean

-

Dec 22, 2022

Tecno had launched the Pova 3 in the Indian market back in June 2022. Now, the company is dropping the price tag of this device following the release of the successor of this smartphone earlier this month.

Talking about the smartphone itself first, the Pova 3 is an affordable mid range model. It sports a tall 6.9 inch LCD panel that offers Full HD+ resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. Under the hood, the handset is equipped with a MediaTek Helio G88 processor and Mali G52 GPU that is paired with up to 6GB of RAM and up to 128GB of internal storage. This model boots the Android 11 OS based HiOS out of the box.

The company offers a 50 megapixel triple camera sensor on the rear of the device, while the front packs an 8 megapixel selfie shooter. This device is also powered by a 7,000mAh battery pack that supports 33W fast charging. Other features include, a side mounted fingerprint scanner, USB Type C port, stereo speakers, Bluetooth 5, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, GPS, Glonass, and Beidou. The Tecno Pova 3 was originally launched for 11,999 INR for the 4GB + 64GB configuration earlier this year, while the 6GB + 128GB variant costs 12,999 INR on launch.

But now, following the release of the Pova 4 smartphone, the Pova 3’s base 4GB + 64GB model will be available for a discounted price tag of 9,999 INR. On the other hand, the 6GB + 128GB version will now cost 10,999 INR. Meaning, both models is being offered for a total discount of 2,000 INR.

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Google Developing Android Answer to Apple’s Find My Network

By

Oğuz Çakır

-

Dec 22, 2022

According to the latest Play System update, Google appears to be launching its own version of Apple’s Find My network for Android devices. The network, will allow users to track their lost or stolen devices even if they are not connected to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth and are powered off.

Tracking your lost Android just got easier with new Google find my device network

Google seems to be preparing to launch its own version of Apple’s Find My network, according to the latest Play System update. The update includes mention of a “privacy centric framework” and encrypted last-known-location reports, which suggest that the company is planning to roll out its Find My Device network for Android devices.

This network would allow users to track their lost or stolen Android devices even if they are not connected to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth and are powered off, similar to Apple‘s Find My network for its products. There were rumors in 2021 that Google was working on this type of network, but there hasn’t been much progress until now.

The updated Play System update includes a number of new features in addition to the Find My Device network. These features include automatic archiving of apps when storage space is low and Digital Car Key support for Xiaomi phones (previously available only on select Samsung and Pixel devices). The update also allows Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 2 users to manage their payment cards linked to the Google Wallet app through their wearables.

Google is improving its ID verification process by checking the quality of ID images that are uploaded. These changes are part of the Google Play Services v50.22 and Google Play Store v33.5 updates. The Google Play Services update was released on December 15, and the Google Play Store update started rolling out on December 12.

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Redmi K60 Series Launch Timeline Hinted Officially

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Dec 22, 2022

We have been hearing about the Redmi K60 series for a long time. Today, the brand has shared a teaser hinting at the launch timeline of these smartphones.

Since a few details about these phones have already leaked, let’s take a look at everything that’s known about them in this article.

According to the official Redmi Weibo account, the Redmi K60 series will ‘focus on ultra-high performance’. The lineup is dubbed as ‘performance series’.

As far as the launch date is concerned, the Redmi K60 series is said to arrive as the first New Year’s gift in 2023. Hence, it may go official in the first week of January. We also could not rule out the possibility of these handsets getting announced by the end of December.

Talking about specs, the vanilla Redmi K60 is expected to be powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. Whereas, the Redmi K60 Pro will house the older Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 SoC and Redmi K60e will be equipped with a Dimensity 8200 chip.

As per the MIUI codebase, the K60 and K60 Pro will boot MIUI 14 based on Android 13, while the K60e will ship with Android 12-based MIUI 13. That’s because the latter is based on the canceled Redmi K50s (Xiaomi 11T for China). Hence, it will come with 120W charging support but the other two models will be limited to 67W charging.

Last but not least, the Redmi K60 Pro is expected to release as Poco F5 in global markets. It will be the first Poco-branded smartphone with a 2K display. The Poco F4 Pro would have had this title if it had not been canceled.

Lenovo Ideapad Slim 5 laptops with Ryzen 7000U CPUs, IPS & OLED panels announced

By

Sudhanshu

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Dec 22, 2022

Lenovo has recently launched a bunch of new laptops and accessories like the Ideapad Flex 3i, Ideapad Pro 5 series laptops, new ThinkVision mini-LED monitors, a 4K Pro webcam, and more. The brand has also unveiled the specifications, pricing, and shipping window of the latest-gen IdeaPad Slim 5i laptops.

The new Ideapad Slim 5 lineup from the brand comes with AMD Ryzen 7000 U-series processors and IPS LCD as well as OLED screen options. The new Slim 5 models, which come in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes, also contain additional security measures and an AI Engine Smart Power function that improves battery life and dynamically adjusts performance. Let’s examine their specifications in more depth.

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 14 / 16 specs

There are three different Ryzen processor options: Ryzen 7 7730U, Ryzen 5 7530U, and Ryzen 3 7330U versions, all of which combine Zen 3 cores with RX Vega graphics. Both 8 and 16 GB of DDR4 RAM and up to 1 TB of PCIe NVMe SSD storage can be used with them.

The 14-inch model includes an OLED option in addition to two IPS options for displays, whereas the 16-inch model only offers two IPS options. The 14-inch OLED is notable for its 400 nits of brightness, 1920 x 1200 resolution, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, and 60 Hz refresh rate.

Additionally, there is a 1920 x 1200 IPS screen with a 45% NTSC color gamut and a 2240 x 1400 IPS panel with a 60 Hz refresh rate, 300 nit brightness, and 100% sRGB color gamut. Lenovo offers two IPS displays in the 16-inch size: a 2560 x 1600 IPS with 350 nit brightness and 100% sRGB color gamut, and a 1920 x 1200 IPS with 300 nit brightness, 60 Hz refresh rate, and 45% NTSC color gamut. TÜV low blue light and SGS Eye Care display certifications are included with every display.

Other features of the laptops include an FHD webcam with IR and ToF sensors plus a privacy shutter, an optional fingerprint sensor, 2 x 2 W Dolby Audio speakers, and Wi-Fi 6E + Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity. Ports offered on the laptops include 2x USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (full function), 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, HDMI 1.4 video out, combo audio jack & a miniSD card reader.

Depending on the model, the laptop will feature a 47 / 56.6 / 75.4 Wh battery. The 16-inch model can weigh up to 4.39 lbs, while the 14-inch tops out at 3.51 lbs. The new IdeaPad Slim 5 laptops from Lenovo will be available starting in May 2023 for a starting price of €799 for both sizes.

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