AYANEO has announced the Air and Neo 2 handheld gaming consoles. While the AYANEO Air is the first Windows-powered handheld console with an OLED screen while the AYANEO 2 comes powered by the AMD Ryzen 6800U chipset.
The AYANEO Air is projected as the first Windows Handheld device with an OLED screen. It features an X-axis linear motor, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB-C port, and a microSD slot. The AYA Neo Air also has RGB rocker lighting and speaker openings at both sides of the device. The AYA Neo Air bears a close semblance to the Nintendo Switch Lite but is powerful enough to square up with the Steam Deck. The AYA Neo Air is already available for booking.
The AYANEO 2021 and AYANEO Next are two of the more expensive handhelds already released by the brand. The AYANEO Air handheld console is a pretty portable version of its predecessors. AYANEO could be targeting a vibrant segment of the untapped gaming market with the release of the affordable AYANEO Air.
The Air has a 5.5-inch screen and an AMD Ryzen 6800U processor- a first for a handheld gaming console. While there are lots of details yet to be known about the device, it is expected to enter the market by the year’s end. The externals of the AYA Neo Air could indicate an ergonomic design.
There are speculations that the AYANEO Air could be priced around $500, but that could be a tough sell in the highly saturated handheld market. It is however possible that the impressive features in the Air could drive its demand.
Previously Honor has teased that the company will bring Magic OS, its in-house developed desktop user interface over to Windows. Dubbed as MagicOS for Windows, this new user interface features a cleaner look, improved battery endurance and seamless integration for upcoming Honor notebooks and Honor smartphones.
And it seems that the project is bearing fruit soon, as the brand has officially announced that the company will be announcing the Honor Magicbook 14 2022, the first Honor laptop to feature MagicOS for Windows, in China on May 16th (Monday) at 2:30 pm Beijing Time (UTC +8).
Honor Magicbook 14 Launch Date Announcement. Source: Weibo
The company officially announced the launch date of the Honor Magicbook 14 2022 on its official Chinese social media account on Weibo. Honor explicitly teased that the device will be featuring exceptional endurance, as from the marketing, the company claims that the Honor Magicbook 14 has up to 20 hours of battery life on a single charge, which is quite bold considering the only other company that claims 20 hours of battery life is Apple with their M1 powered Macbooks.
This exceptional battery performance Honor claims to be the work of its new MagicOS for Windows which includes a new feature called “OS Turbo”. Under the assistance of OS Turbo, Honor notebooks are now better optimised for power efficiency. The company claims that the latest Honor Magicbook 14 2022 can reduce power consumption by up to 2X% with the optimisation features of OS Turbo.
As for the hardware packing under the Honor Magicbook 14 2022, ITHome reports that the Honor Magicbook 14 2022 will be sporting Intel’s latest 12th Gen Core i5 and i7 processors, with an optional dedicated graphics card from Nvidia which could be either the Nvidia MX550 GPU or the Nvidia RTX 2050 GPU depending on your preferred setup during checkout.
For more details on the Honor Magicbook 14 2022, stay tuned for Gizmochina’s coverage on the device on May 16th!
A recent report revealed that Motorola is working on a new Razr clamshell with the “Maven” codename. The report also carried the first live shots of the device and revealed some of its key specifications. However, it did not mention anything about the screen size of the display. Now, display analyst Ross Young has revealed that the upcoming Razr will be blessed with larger displays.
Young claimed that the next Motorola Razr will have a 6.7-inch foldable screen instead of the 6.2-inch display, which was made available on the predecessor, the Razr 5G. It appears that the company will also be increasing the size of the cover display.
Motorola Razr (Maven) live shot by 91mobiles
The Razr 5G featured a 2.7-inch external display, but the next Razr is likely to sport a large 3-inch cover display. Both screens will be built by CSOT (China Star Optoelectronics). Leaked information that surfaced in January claimed that the internal display of the phone will carry support for a 120Hz refresh rate, a Full HD+ resolution, and a 20:9 aspect ratio.
The device is expected to arrive with a 32-megapixel front camera and a 50-megapixel main camera and a 13-megapixel ultrawide lens. The latter may also function as a macro snapper. It may come with up to 12 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of storage. It is rumored to houe a 2,800mAh battery, but there is no word on its fast-charging capabilities.
The Maven model is likely to feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC. however, Motorola may release another variant featuring the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus SoC. Motorola is likely to announce its Razr clamshell by late July or early August in China. It is also expected to release in global markets. It may come in two colors: Quartz Black and Tranquil Blue.’
The Honor Play 30 went official quietly last week. However, the company did not confirm its pricing. Starting from today, the handset is now up for pre-orders in the home market. The pricing of the device has also been confirmed.
Honor Play 30 5G price
The Honor Play 30 is available for 1,099 Yuan (~$162) in China. It comes in four colorways like Magic Night Black, Aurora blue, Titanium Silver, and Dawn Gold. it is unclear whether the company has any plans to release it outside China.
Honor 30 Play 5G
Honor Play 30 5G specifications and features
The Honor Play 30 5G features a 6.5-inch LCD screen with HD+ resolution, a 20:9 aspect ratio, and a pixel density of 269ppi. it is powered by a Snapdragon 480+ 5G SoC It has 4 GB / 8 GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. The device is equipped with a microSD card slot for additional storage.
The display notch houses the 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The device’s rear shell features a square-shaped camera module with a 13-megapixel sensor and a diagonally arranged LED flash.
The device is equipped with a 5,000mAh battery, but it only supports 10W charging. It is preloaded with the Android 11 operating system and Magic UI 5.0 on top. Dual-SIM support, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, a USB-C port, and a 3.5mm audio jack are other features available on the device.
The Honor Play 30 5G is positioned lower than the Play 30 5G Plus, which was announced in December 2021. It offered specs like a 6.74-inch IPS LCD FHD+ 90Hz display, Dimensity 700, 13-megapixel dual cameras, a 5-megapixel front camera, and a 5,000mAh battery that supports 22.5W fast charging.
Last week saw the arrival of the first images of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. The CAD renders revealed that its design will be similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 3, but it will be a shorter and wider device. It was found that the device would sport a designed camera unit with protruding cameras. Now, a fresh leak has revealed the camera configurations o the Z Fold 4.
According to reliable tipster Ice Universe, the triple camera unit of the Z Fold 4 will have a 50-megapixel primary camera. It will be accompanied by a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens and a 12-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x zoom.
It appears that the Z Fold 4 may inherit the main and ultrawide snappers from the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus. The tipster claimed that it would come with the best 3x zoom camera ever seen on a Samsung phone. The leak suggests that the Z Fold 4 will offer an improved photography experience.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 render by OnLeaks / Smartprix
Coming to the other specs, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is expected a 6.2-inch cover display and a 7.6-inch internal display. Both displays are said to be shorter and wider than the previous generation. The internal display will have an in-screen camera, but its configuration is yet to be revealed. Also, there is no information on the front camera of the device. It remains to be seen to whether it will get the same 10-megapixel front camera and a 4-megapixel under-display camera.
If you think of folding displays and foldables, normally the first electronics manufacturer you have in mind is Samsung. And indeed our first instinctive thought does so since Samsung has been the only manufacturer, which brought folding smartphones to the mainstream global smartphone market with their Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip series.
But it seems that the company could look to innovate our mobile computing devices even further because during the SID 2022 Display Week held in San Jose California, USA last week, Samsung Display technologies revealed a brand new “Flex Note” folding display design that could bring foldables to the next level.
Source: Samsung Newsroom
This report comes from Ice Universe, a well-known industry insider on Twitter, who had shared a tweet regarding Samsung’s brand new Flex Note design showcased at the event.
Source: Ice Universe
Samsung has also shared a few photos of the Flex Note designs via its online newsroom.
Looking at the photos, it seems that the Flex Note design resembles that of a folding notebook and tablet hybrid. It features the same design we see on the current Galaxy Z Fold series like the Z Fold 3, albeit with a bigger screen for laptop use. It seems that the device is running on Windows as well, as the Windows start Menu logo is shown in the bottom left corner of the device.
The notable feature of the design is that when unfolded, during media consumption, the keyboard can disappear to allow for more screen real estate when watching videos, something you are not able to do when using conventional laptops with hardware keys.
Source: Samsung Newsroom
Another benefit of the design seems to be customisation, as shown in the physical demos, users can customise the keyboard to be an RGB keyboard, or a younger pastel coloured one, with a simple walkthrough of the settings menu.
Customisable Keyboard Comparison
Compared to Samsung‘s current foldables, this Flex Note design showcased during the event features a much thinner chassis, despite the screen being much larger. Truly an impressive feat by Samsung.
Global EV brand Tesla may have suspended its plans to enter the Indian market. This may be due to its inability to get the Indian government’s buy-in on a downward tariff review. The company is reported to have commenced reassigning local employees.
This could be a blow to the expected quantum of jobs that could be created in the subcontinent with Tesla’s presence. India remains the largest market in the world that lacks Tesla’s presence. Strong import tariffs hand been a major impediment to Tesla’s entry into the Indian market. There were though some indications that it could have entered the market in 2022. This followed the incorporation of an Indian entity in Bengaluru as the brand’s Indian arm.
India has a rich incentive regimen for local manufacturers of electric vehicles and this includes high import tariffs for EVs. The policy has made it difficult for foreign EV powerhouses in China and the US, have been unable to penetrate the market. Tesla had planned to build an EV production facility in India but intended to see how its vehicles fared first in the market. Currently, up to 7 Tesla EVs have been tested and approved in India. The Indian government, through its transport minister, has noted that it wants Tesla to build cars inside India, and not to rely on imports from China. The Service Center and Supercharger stations are yet to be established in the country.
Some of Tesla’s key employees in India are now being reassigned to overseas jobs. The main snag in Tesla’s inability to build an EV production facility in China is its insistence on a favorable import regime. The government will not give preferential treatment, and so it continues to pursue development elsewhere.
Just like last year, even in 2022 Xiaomi released several flagships, and we are not even at the half of the year. In order to make things clearer, we think it is worth comparing the flagships of the company with a similar quality price ratio and the same processor inside. So this is a comparison between the specifications of the Black Shark 5 Pro, the POCO F4 GT, and the Xiaomi 12: three amazing devices for gaming and power users available at non-excessive prices if compared to top-tier flagships.
Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro vs Xiaomi POCO F4 GT vs Xiaomi 12
Triple 108 + 13 + 5 MP, f/1.8 + f/2.4 + f/2.4
16 MP front camera
Triple 64 + 8 + 2 MP, f/1.9 + f/2.2 + f/2.4
20 MP f/2.4 front camera
Triple 50 + 13 + 5 MP, f/1.9 + f/2.4 + f/2.4
32 MP f/2.5 front camera
BATTERY
4650 mAh, fast charging 120W
4700 mAh, fast charging 120W
4500 mAh, fast charging 67W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Dual SIM slot, 5G
Dual SIM slot, 5G, mechanical pop-up triggers
Dual SIM slot, 5G
Design
Not everyone likes the designs of the Black Shark 5 Pro and the POCO F4 GT because they are very gaming-centric. The Xiaomi 12 wins the comparison because it is the most elegant one and it is suitable for a higher amount of people. Further, it is even the most compact phone of the trio and one of the most compact flagships of 2022, a very important added value for those who want a good phone to hold with one hand and to keep in a pocket. On the other hand, the Black Shark 5 Pro and the POCO F4 GT come with useful gaming triggers on the right side.
Display
The Xiaomi 12 has the most advanced display in terms of image quality. It has an AMOLED panel that is able to show up to 68 billion colors with a Full HD+ resolution, the HDR10+ certification, Dolby Vision, and a 120 Hz refresh rate. It even received the A+ vote by DisplayMate. The only weak point is the small diagonal: 6.28 inches are not exactly the best for power users, but compact phone estimators will love it. The Black Shark 5 Pro has a better panel for gaming not only because of its wider 6.67-inch diagonal but also because it comes with a 144 Hz refresh rate.
Specs & Software
If you are looking for the most advanced hardware department, choose the most advanced configuration of the Black Shark 5 Pro without thinking twice. All of these phones are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile platform, but the Black Shark flagship offers more RAM and a better kind of internal storage. It comes with up to 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of internal storage including UFS 3.1 storage and an NVMe SSD with faster reading and writing speeds. All of these phones run Android 12, but the Black Shark has Joy UI instead of MIUI.
Camera
The most advanced camera phone of the trio is the Xiaomi 12: it sports a 50 MP main camera with OIS, a 13 MP ultrawide sensor, and a 5 MP macro camera. None of its rivals comes with OIS, they have inferior main sensors, and even inferior ultrawide cameras and selfie snappers.
The POCO F4 GT has a bigger battery and it provides longer battery life, as well as the fastest charging speeds thanks to 120W fast charging. On the other hand, the Xiaomi 12 is the only one with wireless charging.
Price
Xiaomi 12 has a starting price of about €800/$833, the POCO F4 GT starts from €700/$729, and the Black Shark 5 Pro is still not available globally in the European market. For typical users, the Xiaomi 12 wins the comparison thanks to its better display, superior cameras, and wireless charging. But if you are a gamer or a power user, then you may prefer the Black Shark 5 Pro due to its higher-end hardware. The POCO F4 GT has the highest value for money thanks to its affordable price.
Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro vs Xiaomi POCO F4 GT vs Xiaomi 12: PRO and CONS
After recently releasing the third open beta build of the OxygenOS 12 for the OnePlus Nord, the company has finally greenlit a stable Android 12 build for a wider release in India.
OnePlus Nord
The new update containing the OxygenOS 12 has the firmware version AC2001_11.F.11. Open beta participants will receive the update first for which OnePlus has provided a changelog (for users on Beta 2) as below.
System
[Updated] Android security patch to 2022.04
[Fixed] the issue of abnormal Touch sounds
[Fixed] the issue of abnormal boot animation
[Fixed] the occasional issue that unable to start “OK Google” with voice
Known issues
The display of some pages in Settings will be different from the system.
The screen will glitch in specific scenarios when calling.
Camera may crash when shooting photos in Portrait mode.
The abnormal display of thumbnail when taking burst pictures.
The abnormal display of Quick device connects when in the Guest mode.
OnePlus will likely start the wider rollout of the update soon after the updates have made it to the Beta users. For stable users, they will receive the complete changelog with the OTA update.
Some of the highlight features of the OxygenOS 12 will be an all-new launcher, a new app drawer, the hidden apps feature, a tweaked notification shade, a One-handed mode, multiple dark mode options, and Material You teaming engine, and more.
Users eager for the new update can check its availability by navigating to Settings > System > System Updates.
OnePlus is planning to launch its next flagship smartphone, the OnePlus Ace Racing Edition in China on May 17th next week. And as fans are eager to know the specifications of this upcoming flagship, one of the higher OnePlus executives shared today the display highlights of the company’s next flagship on his social media.
OnePlus CEO (China Market), Mr Louis Li, took to Chinese social media site Weibo today to announce that the company will be launching its next flagship, the OnePlus Ace Racing Edition, with a 120Hz LCD display.
Source: Weibo
In the teaser photo he posted on his profile, it seems that the OnePlus Ace Racing Edition won’t be using your conventional LCD display found on the lower-end smartphone market, the device will be sporting a fast 120Hz LTPS IPS LCD panel that supports variable refresh rates of 6 different frequencies.
Introducing variable refresh rates to these LCD panels, Mr Li claims that the OnePlus Ace Racing Edition will have better battery life numbers and the phone can last longer throughout the day when breaking a sweat. He raises an example of when you’re just viewing a still image on your screen, the phone’s screen will refresh at a slower rate, but it will bump up the refresh rate when you are doing gaming or scrolling through social media like TikTok and WeChat, to ensure that the maximum battery is saved and smoothness is always there when needed.
OnePlus Ace Racing Edition 120Hz LTPS LCD teaser
In addition, the company wants to be the first to produce a flagship with an LTPS LCD display because the company has heard from feedback that several of its fans prefer LCDs over AMOLED displays. Thus with the power of the flagship MediaTek Dimensity 8100 MAX chipset, coupled with a smooth 120Hz display, the OnePlus Ace Racing Edition is aimed at a specific niche of mobile power users who want flagship performance on fast screen for an affordable price.
To learn more about what we know about the OnePlus Ace Racing Edition so far, you can head on over to our roundup article here.
On May 18th, Realme will launch the Narzo 50 5G series of smartphones in India. Along with the smartphones, the company will also be launching the Realme Watch SZ100 in the country on the same day.
So far, the upcoming smartwatch has been listed on Realme’s website revealing some of its specifications. According to the listing, the smartwatch will come with a 1.69-inch display with HD resolution. The device also features a sensor that enables skin and body temperature monitoring.
Other than that, it has been teased that the smartwatch will come with sports and health-related features, so we can expect a heart-rate sensor, a SpO2 sensor for blood oxygen monitoring, etc. The smartwatch will also likely come with multiple cloud-based watch faces to choose from along with many sports modes including outdoor and indoor activities.
Realme has claimed 12 days of battery life on the Watch SZ100 which is similar to its predecessor, the Watch S100 which was launched in India back in March 2022. We might also get the IP68 water and dust resistance that is featured on the Watch S100.
So far, there have been no reports regarding the pricing of the smartwatch. But going by the ₹1,999 price tag of its predecessor, we might also see the Watch SZ100 debut around the ₹2,000 ($26) price range in India.
Android 12 was released back in 2021 with promises of improving security and functionality of the Android operating systems for its users. And after months of waiting, Oppo has finally released the open beta ColorOS 12 x Android 12 upgrade for its Oppo A36 users in China. Here’s all that you that should know about the open beta.
ColorOS 12 x Android 12 Open Beta for Oppo A36
Firstly, the recruitment of this ColorOS 12 update open beta will be open from May 13 to May 16. Interested users of the Oppo A36 in China may apply to the open beta via the procedures below:
Go to Settings > About Phone > Version information > Version number, to ensure that your Oppo A36 is running on the latest firmware version, version A.06.
Then proceed to Settings > Software Update > Settings button in the upper right corner > Update early adopters > Upgrade to Open Beta
Follow the instructions on screen until your application is submitted.
Users will be recruited into the open beta within 5 working days, and the ColorOS 12 x Android 12 open beta will be pushed to users within 3 working days after successful recruitment.
Oppo does recommend its users to backup their data on their Oppo A36 before proceeding to apply for the open beta to resolve problems if any beta software issues arise.
As for the changelog for the ColorOS 12 x Android 12 update, the company mentions that users will now be able to a prominent green camera icon on the top left corner of the smartphone if any apps have any access to the sensitive permissions such as video recording and the camera. The company informs its users that this is indeed a new feature of Android 12 and users need not worry as they can now always know what apps are accessing their permissions in real time.
The company also informs its users that this update also brings in a new comprehensive game assistant called “Game+” available in the game center. This new assistant is a new integration of the game space and game center features found on previous ColorOS iterations brought into on in ColorOS 12.
Last but not least, Oppo mentions in the announcement post that many commonly used third-party Android applications are still not fully compatible with Android 12. Thus, after the upgrade to Open Beta, there may be situations where third-party applications can encounter software bugs and glitches like app crashes and abnormal battery consumption. Oppo recommends users to update their third party apps to the latest software version after the Android 12 update.
After the launch of the OnePlus Ace, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer is now gearing up to debut the OnePlus Ace Racing Edition in the domestic market. So here’s what we can expect from the upcoming device.
Design & display
OnePlus Ace Racing Edition
Starting with the design, the smartphone looks nothing like the OnePlus Ace and instead draws design queues from the OnePlus 10 Pro. Its camera module looks exactly the same as the one on the OnePlus 10 Pro and it also features curved edges. It features a volume rocker on the left side while the power button is located on the right side. The device, however, lacks an alert slider.
The OnePlus Ace Racing Edition will feature a 6.59-inch flat IPS LCD display with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2412 pixels and 120Hz refresh rate. It has a punch-hole on the top left, noticeable bezels, and a thick chin. The fingerprint sensor will be located on the power button. It has 164.3×75.8×8.7mm dimensions and will weigh 205g.
Specs
Under the hood, the device will feature the MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Max SoC that comes with the Mali G610 MC6 GPU. The device has LPDDR5 RAM paired with UFS 3.1 storage. It is expected to come in three variants – 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage, and 12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage.
Powering the smartphone will likely be a 5,000mAh battery (4,890mAh rated value) with 65W fast charging and the device will boot Android 12 out of the box.
Camera
For optics, the device will have a triple camera setup headlined by a 64-megapixel sensor. Other than that, it will also have an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 2MP macro camera. On the front, it will have a 16-megapixel snapper for selfies and video calls.
Pricing, colors & availability
The device is rumored to make its Chinese debut on May 17. It will be available in two color options namely Grey and Blue. As for the pricing, the company is keeping it tightly under wraps, but it is expected to have a cheaper price tag compared to the OnePlus Ace which debuted at a starting price of 2,499 yuan ($382).
Ths week is the International Display Week and Chinese display manufacturer BOE Display isn’t letting it slide past without unveiling one of its numerous innovative products. The company has showcased a 95-inch 8K OLED display product.
Although 8K display screens are not among the tp-selling smart TV at the moment, BOE is likely envisioning a proliferation in 8K displays in no distant time. The 8K display has a resolution of up to 7680×4320 pixels. It also comes with a display contrast ratio of 1 million to 1 as well support for a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 99% DCI-P3 wide color gamut.
The new 95-inch OLED screen adopts an 8K high aperture ratio based on transparent capacitive pixel design, which effectively improves the aperture ratio of the backplane. The TV also packs an ultra-narrow frame design. Under the condition of ensuring a high charging rate and high uniformity of the backplane, the display peak brightness can reach 800nits, while the average brightness is 150nits which is said to be an industry-leading level.
Furthermore, the smart display is equipped with HDR algorithm based on the OLED “true black” display effect, This enables it to achieve millions of ultra-high contrast ratios and 10 bits of color depth.
The 95-inch OLED display uses BOE’s super-large OLED oxide backplane technology, based on a series of technologies such as ultra-thick metal deposition technology, deep hole etching technology, and oxide TFT structure optimization. It is equipped with a drive compensation algorithm to further improve the uniformity and stability of the super-large 8K resolution OLED display in other to achieve the desired quality and to ensure pictures moving through the display at a high speed do not get smeared.
The is yet another leading product for BOE in terms of super-large OLEDs after its remarkable exploits in the liquid crystal display (LCD ) field.
As global demand for silicon processors continue to surge, TSMC (the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer that accounts for more than 50% of the production of the chipsets found in our smartphones, smart cars and computer of today) has achieved an all-time high record-breaking monthly sales for the company in 2022.
According to a report by Taiwanese news site Focus Taiwan, TSMC has put out a media statement stating the company has witnessed sales earnings of 172.56 billion NTD (5.81 billion USD) in the month of April 2022, setting a new record earnings figure for the company.
For context, TSMC’s previous record earnings were 172.18 billion NTD (5.78 billion USD), which the company had achieved earlier in January of this year. Compared to March 2022, TSMC April 2022 earnings were up by 0.3 percent and compared to April 2021, the company’s earnings grew up by 55 percent.
And from January to April 2022, the company had amassed a total consolidated sales earnings of 663.64 billion NTD (22.29 billion USD) in the first 4 months, which is a 40.1 percent increase over last year.
As for the future of the company, TSMC also forecasted in its statement that it would earn 17.6 billion to 18.2 billion USD in consolidated sales in Q2 2022, and that based on the median sales forecasts, the company’s quarter-on-quarter growth would reach 1.9 percent.
According to TSMC‘s second-quarter sales forecast, industry analysts said the chipmaker was expected to generate 162.7 billion NTD in revenue for May and 175.8 billion NTD for June on average consolidated sales.
Therefore, analysts claim that they did not rule out the possibility that TSMC would report another new sales high for the following two months after April.
TSMC earnings has remained on a positive trend because of strong global demand for tech devices in 2022, and the company is expecting its sales to grow 25 percent to 29 percent from a year earlier. It cited HPC (high processing computing) devices like the Apple Silicon and automotive electronics as the two pillars of the expected sales growth.
And despite the increasingly serious COVID outbreak in Taiwan currently, the chipmaker has also anticipated that its production capacity would still remain fully utilized throughout 2022.
Google has announced the much-expected Pixel Watch. We have been hearing rumors about the Pixel-brand watch for the last 4 years and Google finally made it official at the I/O 2022. The official launch is still months away and the specifications of the watch are yet to be known. However, there’s a report floating around that reveals some interesting and also surprising information regarding the processor of the watch. The report claims that the Pixel Watch will arrive with a 2018 Exynos processor.
9to5Google has learned from its sources that the Google Pixel watch will be using Samsung’s Exynos 9110 chip which was first released 4 years ago. The chip debuted with the Samsung Galaxy Watch in 2018.
Earlier, it was rumoured that the smartwatch would be powered by the Samsung Exynos W920, the same processor that powers the Galaxy Watch 4. This would have given the Pixel Watch an upper edge over its competitors, but it seems like Google chose to self-sabotage itself with a 4-year-old processor from a discontinued watch.
It’s definitely disappointing to know that the much-awaited Pixel watch may not land with top of the shelf processor but Google may counter this with the latest software improvements. The company has revealed that the watch will be running WearOS, which is expected to give a faster and more fluid experience under the fingers.
Moreover, the watch includes Fitbit tech which adds features like Sleep tracking and heart rate monitoring. It also lets you see active zone minutes, and allows you to track your progress against personal fitness goals.
Google will be launching this watch as a flagship device, which means it will be priced in the higher range. But will you buy it after knowing that it may feature an outdated chipset? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Although the PC market has seen a resurgence in sales in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic, this sales growth has seem to be slowing down in 2022. In fact, the well-renowned Taiwanese laptop manufacturer, Asus has boldly claimed that the PC market could witness supply exceeding demand in 2022, and the company has taken the necessary measures to ensure its PC business remains stable in this upcoming trend.
According to a report by ITHome, Asus’ Global APAC Chief Marketing Officer, Mr Rex Lee, warns that the European, Chinese and North American PC market is currently on a downward trend of demand and that if the trend continues on for the remaining months in 2022, the overall PC market in 2022 will witness an oversupply, in which supply from laptop manufacturers will outpace and exceed the demand of the current global PC market.
In the company’s press conference, Asus expressed that to avoid oversupply yet still remain competitive in the global PC market, the company has shifted its PC business strategy to its mid-range premium laptop lines, like its 2022 Zenbook and Vivobook lineup.
The new 2022 Zenbook lineup is aimed at the premium mid-range laptop market where the device is catered to creative professionals who want a high-quality OLED screen with high processing performance at a reasonably affordable price.
The best example is the company’s 2022 Zenbook 14 OLED, which features a 14-inch 2.8K OLED NanoEdge display with support for a 90Hz refresh rate, 16:10 aspect ratio, 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, and 550-nit brightness.
ASUS ZenBook 14 OLED
The device is then powered by the 12th generation Intel Core i5-1240P or Intel Core i7-1260P processor, coupled with Intel Iris Xe graphics. It also packs in 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB of fast PCIe Gen 4.0 SSD storage.
In his closing remarks, Mr Rex Lee, CMO of Asus, mentioned that the company is also shifting its sales focus in 2022 to India, as the country is one of the still steadily growing PC markets in 2022.
This is mainly due to the current PC market downturns in several key global markets for the company. He raises several examples such as the European market in which the current Ukraine Russia war has led to lower PC sales in the region., the Chinese market in which the current lockdowns have stifled the growth of the economy, and the North American market in which current inflation rates has limited the country’s spending.
Samsung originally launched the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite back in 2020 and now the company has released a revamped version of the device. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022 Edition has made a silent entry into the market. The refreshed Galaxy Tab S6 Lite slate is now available for pre-order on some online retail platforms.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2022) is speculated to begin shipments on May 23 and Amazon Italy had begun accepting pre-orders. The new model will run on the latest Android OS, the Android 12 with One UI 4.0, which provides much color and quality to users. The 2020 model ran on Android 10 out of the box and it was powered by an Exynos 9611 chipset. However, the new Galaxy Tab S6 Lite will be powered by the Snapdragon 720G chip from an 8nm process. The newer chipset provides greater depth for the new device, with noticeable improvements in CPU and GPU performance.
The 2022 version of the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite comes with a 10.4-inch LCD, a 7,040mAh battery, and support for the S Pen. It also has a 4GB/64GB RAM/ internal storage configuration. The storage can be expanded via its MicroSD slot. The Galaxy Tab S6 lite comes with two AKG-tuned speakers with Dolby Atmos providing an improved audio output.
The 4GB/64GB configuration seems to be the only available variant of the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2022) currently. We are yet to see the 128GB storage version, but this could be available subsequently. The 4GB/64GB Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is priced around $420, which is marginally higher than the cost of the original model.
We note that the original Galaxy Tab S6 Lite has enjoyed the Android 12 upgrade, with extended software support for the next year. We expect to see at least one OS upgrade for the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022 Edition in its lifetime.
Cubot is officially launching a new mini smartphone series under the label Pocket. The first phone under the pocket series is all set to make its official debut in the second half of May 2022.
Cubot Pocket series is created to enhance the in-hand user experience of smartphones. The company wanted to design a smartphone that could give you all the necessary and interesting features of a 21st-century phone, in a lightweight and compact design that can easily fit in the palm of your hand.
The highlight feature of every phone in the Pocket series lies in its mini size i.e. a 4” display. In a market where brands are trying to expand their screen size, Cubot has chosen to go small and design a mini smartphone as it aims at bringing portability and convenience to your phones, without compromising on the technology. Thus with the pocket series, you get a beautifully designed lightweight, mini-phone that you can easily carry in your purse or pocket, unlike the big phones which need to be carried in hand all the time.
Cubot is yet to announce the specs and price of the Pocket series, but what we know for sure is that it will be packed with almost all the necessary and interesting features of a contemporary smartphone including the NFC function.
As of now, we are not privy to the exact design and specs of the phone but with the first look at the images, we can gauge that the brand is going for a retro look with the Pocket series. Cubot Pocket phones will most likely be available in gorgeous colors like Black, Pink, Green, Red, and Purple. For more information on the specs and price stay tuned to their official website.
Android Auto-powered display screens have become vital parts of modern cars. Even owners of cars that don’t have Android screens from the factory have found a way around by installing third-party Android Auto dongles like the Motorola MA1 Android Auto dongle. So it is fitting that Google is introducing some upgrades to Android Auto bringing not just a new look but more features.
The main change in the application is that the user interface will be more flexible in adapting to different car screen sizes and orientations. It will also have a default split-screen look, offering drivers easier control over the major functions. Google is also working to bring more video content and casting capability to the Android Auto. This will allow users to cast videos on the car’s display.
Android Auto is mainly deployed by most drivers for map information, media, and messaging mainly. The Google Assistant and notifications will be more accessible with the new Android Auto outlook. The dock will also be able to will be at the side closest to the car’s steering wheel for easier access.
Google Assistant will deliver suggested quick solutions to issues including sharing estimated time or arrival with your contacts. Furthermore, more recent cars with built-in Android Automotive OS will get more features like web browsing, watching YouTube videos, and other options when the car is parked. Some of the car brands that will have this feature include Ford, Volvo, and GMC.
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