Xiaomi-backed Redmi launched its first entry-level tablet, dubbed Redmi Pad, a few weeks ago in its home country China. When the device went on sale in China, it sold over 75,000 units on the first day of the sale.
Today, the company has launched a new model of the Redmi Pad in China, which comes packed with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, for the price of 1,799 yuan which roughly converts to $250.
Prior to the launch of this 8GB RAM and 128GB storage model, the Redmi Pad was already available in two memory options — 4GB RAM with 128GB storage and 6GB RAM with 128GB internal storage, costing 1,299 yuan (~$180) and 1,499 yuan (~$208), respectively.
Coming to the specifications, the tablet features a 10.6-inch IPS LCD screen with a 2K resolution of 2000 x 1200 pixels and a 90Hz refresh rate. It offers a peak brightness of 400 nits and boasts SGS eye protection and TUV Rheinland certification.
Under the hood, the device is powered by a MediaTek Helio G99 processor, coupled with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. It also has a microSD card slot, allowing users to expand the storage capacity up to 1TB.
As for the cameras, there’s an 8-megapixel on the back and an 8-megapixel snapper with a wide field-of-view of 105 degrees at the front for taking selfies and video calling. It also has a quad-speaker system for audio, which also supports Dolby Atmos.
It runs the Android 12 operating system out of the box with the company’s own custom user interface. The device is powered by an 8,000mAh battery that supports 18W fast charging.
It’s been a couple of months since Apple released the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro series smartphones in the market but the rumors and leaks for the next-generation iPhone 15 lineup have already started surfacing online.
In the latest development, it is being reported that the upcoming Apple iPhone 15 series will come with a new design language, something that many users had been waiting as the company hasn’t changed the design of the phone for quite some time.
As per the report, the Apple iPhone 15 lineup will be redesigned to have a rounder body instead of the flat design that it currently features. It is not yet know how the design will exactly look like but it is being claimed that the device will have a rounded back instead of square.
A render of the phone (via PhoneArena) shows a flat screen and flat edge at the front side but the phone’s edges are rounded at the back, making it easier and feel better to hold the phone in hands. However, these are just concept renders and not what the official phone looks like. It’s also noteworthy that this won’t be the first time Apple adopts a rounded design for the iPhone models as the technology giant had used a similar design for the iPhone 5C.
It is also being claimed that the upcoming iPhone models will have a titanium body to make the devices lightweight. However, in that case, we expect to see the change only in the Pro models of the smartphones while the standard models could keep using aluminum.
Apart from design and material changes for the iPhone 15 series, there are few more changes that are expected to happen with the upcoming lineup. The phones are expected to come powered by a new chipset manufactured using a 3nm process and the devices will have USB-C port instead of Lightning port.
Honor launched its second foldable phone ever: the Honor Magic Vs. Even though it is one of the first foldable devices ever released by this brand, it is perfectly able to compete with the best foldable phones in the market. Unfortunately, it is still not available in the global market, but if you are from China or if you import it, you can currently grab a unit. But is it the best foldable phone you can get? There is no better way to understand it than comparing it to the most widespread foldable phone out there. Currently, the only last-generation foldable phone able to transform into a tablet sold in the global market is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4. So, we decided to publish a comparison between the main specifications of the Honor Magic Vs and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4.
Honor Magic Vs vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
Honor Magic Vs
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
THICKNESS
12.9 mm when folded, 6.1 mm when unfolded
15.8 mm when folded, 6.3 mm when unfolded
DISPLAY
Main display: 7.9 inches, 1984 x 2272p (Quad HD+), Foldable OLED
External display: 6.45 inches Full HD+ (1080 x 2560p), OLED
Foldable display, secondary external display, 5G, reverse wireless charging, S Pen support
Design
Honor Magic Vs and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 have the same form factor. They come with a foldable internal display able to transform the phone into a tablet, as well as a smaller external display that transforms it into a traditional phone while it is folded. I personally prefer the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 because its dimensions are more compact and its design is more minimalistic. Further, this phone is waterproof with the IPX8 certification and it has an armor aluminum frame with high drop and scratch resistance. So, it also comes with a very high build quality. However, the color option of the Honor Magic Vs with a leader black and a magnesium alloy frame is very interesting. Unfortunately, the Honor phone is not waterproof, but the build quality remains very high.
Display
The displays of these two phones are not so different in terms of image quality. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 has an internal AMOLED display with a diagonal of 7.6 inches, a 2K+ resolution, a 120 Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ certification, and a peak brightness of 1,200 nits. With the Honor Magic Vs, you get an OLED display with one billion colors, a 7.9-inch diagonal, a 2K+ resolution, a 90 Hz refresh rate, and HDR10+ certification. On the external part, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 sports a smaller 6.2-inch display with an HD+ resolution and a 120 Hz refresh rate, while the Honor Magic Vs has a bigger 6.45-inch display with a Full HD+ resolution, one billion colors, and a 120 Hz refresh rate. Note that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 supports the S Pen, while the Honor phone does not.
Specs & Software
The hardware departments are at the same level with the exception of the internal storage of the most expensive configuration. Both phones are powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 mobile platform built with a 4 nm production process and with an octa-core architecture composed of a Cortex X2 core running at a max frequency of 3.19 GHz, three Cortex A710 cores running at 2.75 GHz, four Cortex A510 cores running at 1.8 GHz, and an Adreno 730 GPU. The chipset is paired with 12 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of storage on the Magic Vs, while the Samsung has up to 1 TB of internal storage to offer. The Samsung runs Android 12L out of the box, a special version of Android optimized for large screens like one of the foldable phones, while the Honor device is based on Android 12.
Camera
It looks like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a better main camera: a 50 MP main sensor with OIS. It also features a better telephoto sensor, with 3x optical zoom. On the other hand, the Honor Magic Vs has a better ultrawide camera with a 50 MP resolution instead of just 12 MP.
The Honor Magic Vs has a bigger battery and its battery life is longer, as well as charging speeds thanks to 66W fast charging.
Price
The starting price of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 roughly translates into $1190/€1190, while the Honor Magic Vs starts from €1020/$1020. Which one would you pick?
Honor Magic Vs vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4: PRO and CONS
Samsung Galaxy S23 has been in the news for quite some time now. We’ve already had leaks and rumors detailing the specifications of the upcoming smartphones. Now, a new report reveals that the Korean company will launch the Galaxy S23 series at the Unpacked event scheduled for the first week of February.
A Korean publication, citing a Samsung Electronics executive with knowledge of the matter, reports that Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Unpacked event will take place in early February 2023. “The S23 series will be shown during our own Unpacked event in the United States, which will be held in February,” said the source.
The executive did not provide the name of the city or the exact launch date, but the publication claims the event could happen in San Francisco. This will be the first in-person Unpacked event since the pandemic.
This new report contradicts rumors that the company might unveil the device during CES 2023 in Las Vegas. Since Samsung has never used CES for launching Galaxy S devices before, the odds of that happening are very slim anyways.
The Galaxy S23 lineup is expected to include three models— Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus, and the Galaxy S23 Ultra. All smartphones will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, with no Exynos chipset in any region this time. The processor is said to have a higher clock speed than the actual models, offering slightly better performance.
The top-of-the-line Galaxy S23 Ultra is reported to have a 200-megapixel primary sensor, accompanied by a 10-megapixel 10x zoom sensor and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens. It is expected to feature an AMOLED panel with a peak brightness of 2,200 nits.
Former World Footballer of the Year and Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo may be currently using a Huawei mobile phone. A Weibo post by Sina Digital shows a photo of Ronaldo with a possible Huawei smartphone.
The speculations surrounding the post point to the Huawei Mate RS Porsche Design Edition. It is however speculated that the Weibo photo was from 2021 and some netizens believed it could be a non-Huawei phone in the picture. It is also speculated that Ronaldo uses up to eight mobile phones and the Huawei model was specifically for navigation purposes. The other phones, according to unverified speculations, are all Apple products.
The phone was sighted on Ronaldo’s Porsche and the superstar has never hidden his love for Porsche cars. The Mate RS Porsche Design Edition was released in 2018 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Porsche sports car. It coincided with the release of the Porsche 911nGT 3 RS. Huawei had partnered with Porsche to release the anniversary Huawei Mate RS which was customized for the car. It is possible that Porsche offered the customized Huawei Mate RS as part of the package for any purchase of the car.
The smartphone has a 40MP Leica three-camera setup and uses in-screen fingerprint unlocking, in addition to its rear fingerprint scanner. The smartphone was released in black and red color variants and also features face unlocking. The Huawei Mate RS Porsche Design Edition has a 6GB/ 512GB RAM/ storage configuration and has a 12,999 yuan (~$1,803) price tag. Ronaldo became the only player to have scored in 5 consecutive World Cups with his goal against Ghana during the Mundial.
With the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 officially announced, smartphone brands are scrambling to launch their first flagships with the new and improved chip. The recently launched Vivo X90 Pro+ is the first smartphone to be equipped with the latest processor. Xiaomi and iQOO will also be joining the party soon with their upcoming flagship devices. Motorola doesn’t want to be left behind either; the company has confirmed it will be launching the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-equipped Moto X40 in December.
Chen Jin, General Manager of Lenovo’s Mobile Division, revealed through a Weibo post that the upcoming Motorola Moto X40 will have IP68 dust and water resistance (via ITHome). Further, he confirmed the handset will be released in China in December. The executive did not share the exact launch date. However, we can expect the smartphone to debut in the first half of the month.
Previously, Jin revealed the Moto X40 will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and also shared its AnTuTu benchmark scores. The scores reveal the SD 8 Gen 2 will offer significantly better performance than the MediaTek Dimensity 9200. In the test, the former scored 1312901, while the latter managed to get 1266101.
Reports suggest the handset will come with a 6.67-inch OLED panel with curved edges on all four sides. It will support an FHD+ resolution, 10-bit colors, and feature an under-display fingerprint scanner. The device is expected to arrive with up to 18 GB of LPDDR5x RAM and up to 512 GB of internal storage. It will likely run on the MY UI 5.0-based Android 13 OS.
Moto X40 could pack a 5,000mAh battery with 68W fast charging. For photography, it may have a 50-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide unit, and a 12-megapixel telephoto sensor on the back. The handset is expected to feature a 60-megapixel selfie camera.
The sight of a smartphone that is possibly smaller than a palm is not common. The array of tech features in a smartphone generally requires a much bigger form factor. However, The Unihertz Jelly 2E is changing the narrative. The new smartphone is smaller than the palm and comes with decent features for a smartphone. The Jelly 2E has officially gone on sale in China.
The Unihertz Jelly 2E National Bank version is an extremely rare and super-compact smartphone. It appeals to users who are more comfortable using small-sized mobile phones with the needed functions also present. The smartphone has a 3-inch 354 x 480p display and is powered by the MediaTek Helio A22 processor. It has a RAM/ storage configuration of 4GB/ 64GB and a 2000mAh battery. The Jelly 2E is compatible with global 4G LTE network connectivity and has a fingerprint scanner. It runs on Android 12 out of the box.
The super-compact smartphone has dual card slots and supports storage expansion via microSD. It also supports infrared functionality and has a 3.5mm headphone jack. There is an obvious departure between the Jelly 2E and its predecessor, the Jelly 2. The newer model comes with a less-powerful processor than its predecessor’s MediaTek Helio P60 (MT6771). The Jelly 2 has a larger memory, and supports NFC, and OTG. It also allows fingerprint-based payment operations.
The Unihertz Jelly 2E National Bank version is available from the e-commerce platform Jingdong with a price of 1,099 yuan (~$152). The Jelly 2E is available in limited quantities but it is unclear how many units are available for sale.
Samsung has rolled out the latest update for the Galaxy Watch5 and Galaxy Watch5 Pro smartwatches. The new update comes with a Ball watch face to celebrate the ongoing FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The latest software update for the Watch5 and Watch5 Pro is up to 500MB with its firmware version RgxxXXU1AVK7. It comes with the November 2022 security patch, with stability codes to improve the notification and behavior of both smartwatches. It is not clear what Samsung exactly means about the stability improvements. The update can be downloaded via the Galaxy Wearable app when you choose the Watch settings menu. The update is currently not available for the LTE version of the Galaxy Watch5 Pro. The update for the 4G version of the Galaxy Watch5 Pro is expected to follow soon.
After installation, the new Ball watch face can be located on the Galaxy Wearable app and it features the flags of the 32 participating teams in the World Cup. The Ball watch face takes the shape of a ball with an analog clock on it. The ball can take any of the colors of the participating countries in the 2022 World Cup. Samsung is also introducing a new dial with a ball for the Watch5 Pro via the update. The FIFA World Cup is arguably the largest sports event after the Olympics. It is a gathering of the best football teams in all the continents of the world. This year’s FIFA World Cup is currently held in Qatar till December, unlike previous editions that are held in the summer.
iQOO has confirmed it will launch the iQOO 11 alongside the iQOO Neo 7 SE on December 2 in China. The iQOO 11 will debut with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Soc and the mid-range Neo 7 SE will be the first to be equipped with the MediaTek Dimensity 8200 chipset. Ahead of the launch, these two smartphones are now available for pre-order in China. Here are the details.
iQOO 11 and iQOO Neo 7 SE can now be pre-ordered in China from Jingdong. The sale of the smartphone will begin after the launch (after December 2). The pricing details of the two models are still under wraps.
iQOO has confirmed the iQOO 11 will come with the newly announced Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 internal storage. In addition, the flagship is rumored to feature a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a 3200 x 1440 pixel resolution, a 144Hz refresh rate, a 300Hz touch sampling rate, and an independent display chip.
For photography, it could have a 50-megapixel primary sensor, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide lens, and an 8-megapixel macro unit. On the front, the device could have a 16-megapixel selfie shooter. iQOO 11 may pack a 4,700mAh battery with support for 200W fast charging.
Moving to the iQOO Neo 7 SE, it is confirmed to feature the MediaTek Dimensity 8200 chipset. The SoC is said to be a significant upgrade over the Dimensity 8100. Further, the handset is rumored to come with a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The smartphone will also likely have a 5,000 mAh battery with 120W fast charging.
Xiaomi has started teasing its latest custom Android skin—MIUI 14. As expected, the Android-13-based software will debut alongside the Xiaomi 13 series on December 1 at 7 PM Beijing time. Ahead of the launch, the Chinese OEM commenced the MIUI 14 early access program in China. It will allow interested users to try their hands on the latest software before it goes public. Here are the details.
Xiaomi recently announced the MIUI 14 early access program in China (via ITHome). The program will begin today (November 28) and end at 23:59 on December 28, 2022. During this time, Xiaomi community users will be able to sign up and try out the new software. However, users can only register one Xiaomi device, be it a tablet or smartphone. Also, after successful registration, the device cannot be changed.
The early access build will likely be rolled out to different devices in a phased manner, and it may take some time to reach every registered user. It is important to note that the program is currently limited to users residing in Mainland China. It may extend to other regions soon.
If we talk about the software itself, MIUI 14 is claimed to be lightweight. A Xiaomi executive said the company wants to make MIUI 14 the most streamlined and lightweight flagship mobile operating system. We can expect the software to get a visual overhaul and introduce a new design language.
It will be interesting to see how light the new software is. We are bound to know it all on December 1 at the Xiaomi 13 series launch event. Stick around for the updates.
With the release of the Apple Watch Ultra, the company expanded into the rugged smartwatch market. The Sapphire Crystal, one of the toughest minerals ever discovered, is used in the manufacturing of the Apple Watch Ultra, making it nearly impossible to break or perhaps even scratch. Internet people generally support Apple’s approach, yet many also disapprove of it. Whatever the case, JerryRigEverything recently compared the Apple Watch Ultra against other smartwatches that feature the same Sapphire build cover.
Many various items, including smartphones, tablets, and even smartwatches, have been subjected to durability tests by JerryRigEverything. The Apple Watch Ultra is being contrasted with other high-end smartwatches in a new video that the creator has just posted. In addition, he evaluated it against the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and the Garmin Fenix 7. Additionally, Zack, the channel’s owner, stated that the metal’s hardness level is quite similar to that of diamonds.
Image Credit- JerryRigEverything
The YouTuber demonstrates how scratch-resistant the screens of gadgets like phones and smartwatches are using a Mohs scale, which rates the hardness of minerals from 1 to 10. Sapphire can scratch at levels 8 or 9, depending on how pure it is, while glass generally scratches at level 6. There are a few factors to bear in mind, but JerryRigEverything’s testing demonstrates that the Apple Watch Ultra’s display is in fact protected by genuine sapphire. The Apple Watch Ultra’s sapphire crystal experienced mild abrasions at levels 6 and 7 of the testing, but major damage only begins at level 8. Which is indeed quite good!
Although the abrasions at levels 6 and 7 were less obvious than on the Apple Watch Ultra, the results were comparable with the Galaxy Watch 5. This is most likely caused by impurities in the substance or polishing difficulties, the YouTuber explains. The Garmin Fenix 7 exhibited the least amount of abrasions at levels 6 and 7, which indicates that it has the clearest sapphire crystal of the three watches.
This test demonstrates that, as compared to the other two smartwatches, Garmin has the purest Sapphire. But this doesn’t mean that Apple and Samsung are lying; in reality, they both use pure Sapphire, although possibly not to the same extent as Garmin. In either case, the variations are hardly noticeable and are very comparable.
Samsung is one of the world’s leading technology companies. The company, which consists of many different departments, operates in various sectors. One of them is telecommunications technologies. In fact, Samsung is one of the biggest telecommunications equipment manufacturers in the world. Lastly, the company reportedly plans to invest in making4G and 5G telecom networking gear in southern India.
Samsung reportedly to make telecom gear in India
According to the latest reports, Samsung plans to invest $49 million in its manufacturing facility in India to make 4G and 5G telecommunications infrastructure equipment. The company already has one of its largest smartphone factories in the world in the region. Samsung Networks will now join Ericsson and Nokia in domestic telecommunications production in India.
While this development significantly contributes to the Indian economy, it also provides cost and qualified personnel advantage for the South Korean technology giant.
Samsung has big plans for the country
The company also makes TVs and has plans to make OLED panels for smartphones in the country. Based on this information, it is possible that Samsung has big plans for India. These investments can also benefit the South Korean tech giant’s activities in the country. With each passing day, Chinese smartphone manufacturers are increasing their market share in the country. Domestic production can prevent this situation.
Samsung has already received the Indian government’s (National Security Council Secretariat) approval as a trusted source of telecom equipment. This stamp of approval is required in India before any company makes telecom equipment in the country. Samsung Networks has already received orders from the two biggest telecom operators in the country.
Although the use of 5G technology is increasing rapidly, it is still not widespread in many countries. However, this is not an obstacle to the development of technology. Technologically developed countries such as China and ADB have already started working on 6G. So who will win this nascent rivalry between the two countries? According to the latest reports, China maintains its lead in 6G, but the US has two secret weapons.
China continues to lead in the 6G race
Chinese ZTE and the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) conducted a sample test of some technologies that will be important for the creation of 6G. ZTE provided some of the staff and equipment used in the tests. The five tests that ZTE took part in included:
6G distributed autonomous network and digital twin network concept sample
6G computing power network key tech concept sample
6G terahertz key tech concept sample
6G communication perception integration key tech concept sample
6G intelligent metasurface tech concept sample
All reports of ZTE’s tests with the government have been positive, but that doesn’t mean we will start using 6G technology soon. We are still years away from talking about this technology in a way that would allow us to compare its potential to 5G. However, As we said, China is not the only country investing in 6G, research is continuing in the U.S. and Europe.
Last year, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) claimed that out of approximately 38,000 patents related to 6G worldwide, 13,449, or 35% came from China. The U.S. was second with 18% of the 6G patents. The difference is quite large, but the USA intends to close it.
Huawei and ZTE are banned so the U.S. is turning to Ericsson and Nokia. Ericsson is reportedly following a ten-year plan that would lead to a commercial launch of 6G service sometime in 2030. The company will soon release a strategy on how it plans to develop 6G. CEO Katherine Ainley said, “We will establish a team of 20 high-level researchers in the U.K., and will also provide funding for students. The initial focus will be on 6G network and hardware security.”
The product range of technology companies is expanding day by day. For example, Apple and Huawei continue to work to make electric vehicles. Moreover, Xiaomi and a few other companies are following in their footsteps. However, the situation is slightly different for NIO. Because this time, the car manufacturer is preparing to launch a smartphone.
NIO smartphone will launch in 2023
NIO continues its efforts to produce smartphones without slowing down. The company’s boss William Li stated that mobile phone progress was relatively smooth as he urged NIO users to hold off changing their phones within the following year. While opening a new NIO house in Dongguan, Guangdong, Li also revealed that the automaker had no plans to build an MPV this year or anytime soon.
Nio Mobile Technologies Co. Ltd’s establishment has been official for some time. Nio wholly owned the business and has scaled the necessary regulatory requirements. The registered capital of the company is 100 million dollars. Nio already has substantial capabilities in mobile technologies through its highly connected Nio EVs.
The models take full advantage of advanced technologies to deliver a great experience using the Nio EVs. It is expected that the Nio phone when it arrives, will fit snugly into the Nio ecosystem and deliver a seamless driving experience. There is no definitive official statement from Nio yet on its smartphone plans.
Before now, Li had stated that it shouldn’t be compared to other mobile phone giants with significant sale figures. He admitted that developing a phone wasn’t difficult, but the company hoped to design something unique. The firm hopes to develop a mobile phone that will be compatible with NIO cars, with a new model released each year, just like Apple. It is expected that the phone will come under $1,000.
The launch of Oppo’s latest foldable— Find N2—is fast approaching. Reports suggest the smartphone will launch in December with a Samsung E6 AMOLED display, a 50MP triple camera setup, a 4,520mAh battery, and more. Now, ahead of any formal announcement, Oppo Find N2 has appeared on the Geekbench website with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip. Here are the details.
An Oppo smartphone has been spotted on the Geekbench website with model number PGU110 (via MySmartPrice). The handset is believed to be the upcoming Oppo Find N2. It is listed on the benchmarking site with a single-core test score of 1262 and 3902 points in the multi-core tests. The handset could feature 12GB of RAM and an Adreno 730 GPU.
It is shown on Geekbench with an octa-core chipset with the codename “Walt” will power the phone. Previous reports suggest it is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC. The handset has been listed with Android 13.
A new leak by tipster Digital Chat Station reveals the Oppo Find N2 will feature a foldable 7.1-inches E6 AMOLED 120Hz panel with a resolution of 1920 x 1792 pixels. On the front, it will have a 5.54-inch E6 AMOLED 120Hz display with a resolution of 2120 x 1080 pixels.
For photography, there is a triple camera setup on the rear. The primary camera sports a 50-megapixel Sony IMX890 sensor that supports optical image stabilization. It also has a 48-megapixel Sony IMX581 camera with a 114-degree viewing angle and a 32-megapixel Sony IMX709 telephoto camera.
On the front, Oppo Find N2 could have a 32-megapixel selfie camera, and on the inside, there’s another 32-megapixel camera. Further, the handset will feature a MariSilicon X image signal processor (ISP) and Hasselblad optimizations.
A new security flaw with phones using ARM Mali GPUs was found by Google a few days ago. In essence, Google’s Project Zero team discovered a serious kernel-related flaw in all smartphones, including MediaTek and Exynos, which use the Mali GPU. The manufacturer of GPUs, ARM, was allegedly informed of the problem by the brand, and the security flaw was subsequently patched. However, no other Android OEMs, including Google itself has released any security fix for the issue yet.
About five different flaws were found by the Project Zero team’s research, which they submitted to the ARM. Project Zero’s Ian Beer stated in a blog post that “one of these flaws led to kernel memory corruption, one to physical memory addresses being leaked to userspace, and the remaining three lead to a physical page use-after-free condition.” These would give an attacker the ability to read and write physical pages even after the system had received them back.
Three months after ARM corrected these problems, Project Zero discovered that all of the team’s test devices were still prone to the defects. As of Tuesday, no “downstream security bulletins” from Android makers had acknowledged the problems. Beer pointed out that if a hacker could get around Android’s permissions policy and have “wide access” to a user’s data, it would be easy for them to take control of the entire system. By causing the kernel to use the aforementioned physical pages as page tables, the attacker might do this.
A Google representative informed Engadget that the “fix released by ARM is presently undergoing testing for Android and Pixel devices and will be delivered in the next weeks.” To meet future SPL requirements, “Android OEM partners will be obliged to take the patch.” Anyway, it is worth mentioning that the devices powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset are unaffected from this vulnerability.
Edifier has unveiled its W860NB Pro Bluetooth Headphones with active noise cancellation in China. The new Edifier headphones offer up to 45dB deep noise reduction, which is quite impressive. The new head-mounted wireless headphones adopt an independent cavity design for maximum comfort and extended use.
The Edifier W860NB Pro has a built-in 40mm titanium-plated diaphragm that supports LDAC high-definition codec. The diaphragm’s unit comes with durable voice coil wires for optimal performance. The headphones come with an upgraded 4-mic CrossBean call noise reduction technology, with significant improvements from its previous iteration. Edifier says the new headphones are about 28% more effective in noise reduction than the previous generation. The active noise canceling mechanism can handle environmental noise both indoors and outdoors.
As per usage time, the W860NB Pro can deliver up to 55 hours of activity on a full charge and supports super-fast charging. A 10-minute charge translates to 7 hours of playtime and it is fully charged under an hour. The headset is compatible with HarmonyOS, Android, and iOS smartphones, as well as Windows and Mac operating systems. Personalized EQ sound effects can be accomplished using the companion app.
The Edifier W860NB Pro noise-canceling headphones currently retail in China for 749 yuan (~$104). It can be purchased directly via Jingdong as well as other e-commerce platforms in China. There are no global availability details yet for the head-mounted headphones.
Famous Chinese smartwatch maker Mobvoi has teamed up with the classic game “Fantasy Westward Journey” to launch the TicWatch GTH 2 Fantasy Westward Journey smartwatch. The classic game is produced by NetEase and is inspired by the Chinese novel Journey to the West. It was first released for the Microsoft Windows platform in December 2001 and turned out to be the most popular online game in China as of May 2007, six years after its release. The game is also one of the highest-grossing video games of all time, having grossed an estimated $6.5 billion in lifetime revenue, as of 2019 and having 400 million users as of 2015.
The new TicWatch GTH 2 Fantasy Westward Journey smartwatch has the theme logo of Fantasy Westward Journey inscribed on the crown. It also comes with customized Fantasy Westward Journey-themed watch faces. The customized smartwatch also comes with five built-in interactive games including “Truth or Dare”, “Challenge Countdown”, “Multiple Choice Assistant”, “Choice Board” and “Book of Answers”.
Apart from these features, TicWatch GTH 2 Fantasy Westward Journey smartwatch is similar to the regular TicWatch GTH 2. As a reminder, the watch comes with dual-mode Bluetooth calling, one-key health measurement, sleep quality analysis, Alipay offline payment, etc. It also provides users with 100+ sports mode support, including mountaineering, archery, yoga, skiing, and other popular sports.
The new custom TicWatch GTH 2 version is on sale in China for 399 yuan (~$55) via Jingdong.
The Reno series is a lineup of lifestyle smartphones from Oppo. Introduced in the first half of 2019, the series is currently in the ninth generation with the launch of the Oppo Reno 9 series.
Products are known to get better with every iteration. It was the case with the Reno lineup for a while as well.
However, that has changed recently. The newly introduced Oppo Reno 9 brings little to no upgrades over its predecessors.
The Pro and Pro Plus models do come with important features. On the other hand, the Pro model is basically the same as the older models.
The only major change on the vanilla model is a 32MP selfie camera with autofocus and a curved display. Unfortunately, we cannot term the screen as an upgrade as it is a preferential feature. Some users may like it, while others may despise it.
With that out of the way, let’s take a look at all the major reasons why we think that Reno 9 is the most boring Reno series smartphone.
The Oppo Reno 9 comes powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G chip. It is a downgrade over the MediaTek Dimensity 1300 present inside the Oppo Reno 8 from earlier this year.
That’s not all, the Snapdragon 778G had already been used by a Reno series handset last year. The phone we are talking about is none other than Oppo Reno 7.
Hence, performance-wise, the Reno 9 is the same as the year-old Reno 7. Whereas, the few months old Reno 8 is more powerful.
2. Downgraded Rear Camera System
The Reno series is known for its design and cameras. Though the vanilla Reno models have never offered stellar camera performance, they do come with capable cameras.
But unfortunately, the latest Oppo Reno 9 doesn’t even come with an ultra-wide camera. It has become the only base Reno series model other than the original Reno to not feature an ultra-wide camera.
As a result, users are limited to a single field of view. The secondary camera on the rear is nothing but a useless 2MP monochrome sensor.
The phone uses an unnamed 64MP primary camera without OIS and MariSilicon X NPU. Multiple Reno handsets have used 64MP cameras in the past but the sensor suppliers have been different.
3. Lack of Dual Stereo Speakers
Almost all smartphones now house dual stereo speakers. Despite being over 3 years, the vanilla Reno models are yet to get this feature.
The Reno 9, just like the previous base Reno models, lack dual stereo speakers. People consume content on phones more than ever before and surround speakers are known to elevate the experience.
Perhaps, the 10th-gen Reno 10 standard variant may finally bring stereo speakers.
4. Slower Charging
For some reason, Oppo has downgraded the charging speed on the Reno 9. The device only supports 67W wired charging, while the Reno 8 can charge at the rate of 80W (wired).
As per Oppo, charging from 1%-100% on the Reno 9 takes 44 minutes. On the other hand, the few months old Reno 8 can achieve the same in only 28 minutes.
Earlier today, Xiaomiannounced the date of its upcoming launch event. The brand also confirmed that it will unveil the Xiaomi 13 series smartphones, Xiaomi Buds 4, and Xiaomi Watch S2 at the event. The smartphones have already been subject to a lot of leaked renders and key specifications. However, not much is known about the wearable devices i.e. Buds 4 and Watch S2 apart from their design that was revealed in the official teaser.
Now, publication 91Mobiles has learnt about the pricing of the Xiaomi Buds 4 and Xiaomi Watch S2 from reliable industry tipster Ishan Agarwal. The pricing information is for the Chinese market. The report states that the audio device will carry a price tag of RMB 600 (~$83). On the other hand, the smartwatch will be available in two sizes i.e. 42mm in Black and Gold colour and another 46mm in Black and Silver option. The Watch S2 is tipped to start at RMB 999 (~$138).
The Xiaomi Buds 4 will arrive as the successor to the Buds 3 but is expected to be a toned-down version of the Buds 4 Pro that debuted in August this year. Meanwhile, the Xiaomi Watch S2 will succeed the Watch S1 from last year.
The teaser image of the Xiaomi Buds 4 reveals an AirPods-like in-ear design with microphone cutouts on each earbud whereas the charging case has a dual-tone design. The Xiaomi Watch S2 is seen with a circular dial and two pill-shaped physical buttons on the right side.
We will learn more details about the Xiaomi 13 series, Buds 4, and Watch S2 at launch event on Thursday.
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