Apple may face over €50 million in fines over Dutch antitrust case

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Mar 28, 2022

Apple has just been hit with another 5 million EUR (roughly 5.5 million US Dollars) in fines in the Netherlands. The fine arrives after the company failed to comply with the recently mandated alternative payment system for dating apps.

For those unaware, we had previously reported on the Dutch government mandating the Cupertino based giant to offer other forms of payment that bypassed its App Store. However, it seems like the brand failed to comply in time as it was again hit with the 5 million EUR fine like last time. So far, the iPhone maker has been fined for around 45 million EUR (roughly 49.5 million US Dollars) by the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM).

These fines have been stacking up week after week, as Apple continues to delay the changes on its App Store. Previously, the ACM had stated that it would fine the company for 5 million EUR each week, with a maximum fine of up to 50 million EUR. So apparently, it seems like Apple might just exceed the initially stated total fine soon. As per a Reuters report, the fines following the 50 million EUR threshold might be even higher than the original ones.

In other words, we will have to wait and see how the situation pans out for Apple. Notably, the ACM is not happy with Apple’s decision on forcing dating apps to choose between the standard in app purchase system or the new alternative payment platform. It has even stated that the dating apps might be able to offer both option in the future, which has caused these fines.

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DJI Drones removed from top German electronics retailer’s stores

By

Sean

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Mar 28, 2022

While DJI is known to be one of the most popular brands that makes drones, the company’s drones has recently been taken off the shelves from Germany’s top consumer electronics retailer, MediaMarkt.

According to a Pandaily report, local media reports found that MediaMarkt has removed the Chinese drone maker’s products from its stores. However, DJI did address the issue and stated that this occurred after the company and many of its partners were attacked by spammers earlier this month. Similarly, the German based MediaMarkt Saturn Retail Group has also faced a situation like this in the past. Last Driday, the German had to suspend sales of the company’s drones over security concerns.

DJI stated that “We have reiterated many times that all products of DJI are designed for civilian purposes and cannot meet the requirements of military use. At present, it is totally wrong to accuse DJI of supporting war on overseas social platforms. In addition, DJI’s internal compliance team is composed of experienced professionals to ensure that DJI’s business fully complies with international regulations.”

As of right now, the two firms are still discussing the spamming incident. Although, the drone maker has been facing scrutiny in the west, especially the US. The brand has been called out on the basis on national security in America, with certain US based firms even cutting ties due to compliance with sanctions.

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Get $200 OFF on Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra at Giztop

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Daily Deals

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Mar 28, 2022

Giztop is giving $200 OFF on the 2021 flagship phone Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra. You can now buy the 8GB + 256GB variant which generally retails for $999 at a discounted price of $799. The 12GB + 512GB variant which retails for $1199 is available at a discounted price of $999 only.

WHERE TO BUY

Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra at $799 (after discount)@Giztop

Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra comes with a 6.81” 2K E4 AMOLED display and supports 120Hz refresh rate. The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G processor and comes with multiple memory variants viz. 8GB / 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB / 512GB UFS 3.1 storage options.

The smartphone comes with a triple rear camera setup with a 50MP main camera and 48MP + 48MP secondary sensors. You have a 20MP AI front camera for selfies. Fueled by a massive 5000mAh battery the smartphone supports 67W wired and wireless charging. Available in Ceramic White and Black colors the smartphone runs Android 11 based MIUI 12.5.

For a limited period, Giztop is giving a massive discount of $200 on Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra. So hurry up and place your orders before the deal expires.

For more information on such exciting deals and offers check out our deals hub.

iQOO U5x, TD Tech M40, Infinix SMART 6 Plus, and other low profile launches from last week

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Mar 28, 2022

A couple of weeks back, we published our inaugural story in the ‘low profile launches from last week’s series. We are now back with the second post as there were multiple low-profile launches last week just like three weeks back.

Once again, we have included 7 launches. All of them are from different brands, namely TD Tech, OPPO, Hisense, HUAWEI, Infinix, iQOO, and itel. With that out of the way, let’s take a look at these products one by one.

Low Profile Launches from Last Week

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1. TD Tech M40

TD Tech is a licensee of Huawei hardware products. The company has planned to release almost all the popular consumer electronics from once world’s largest smartphone brand.

Last week, TD Tech finally announced the long-rumored HUAWEI Mate40 with MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ SoC. This version of the handset is officially called TD Tech M40.

Apart from a different chipset, the phone comes with a 64MP primary camera instead of a 50MP sensor found on the original model. The China-exclusive smartphone is priced at ¥4,599 and ¥5,099 for 8GB + 128GB and 8GB + 256GB memory configurations respectively.

2. OPPO A16e

OPPO A16e

The OPPO A16e went official in India last week as an entry-level smartphone. Priced at ₹9,990 (3GB + 32GB) and ₹11,990 (4GB + 64GB), the device offers an inferior set of specs when compared to the competitors.

It comes with a 6.52-inch HD+ display (LCD), MediaTek Helio P22 chip, LPDDR4x RAM, eMMC 5.1 storage, 13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, ColorOS 11.1 based on Android 11, and 4,230mAh battery.

The handset lacks a fingerprint sensor and uses the outdated MicroUSB port for charging as well as data transfer.

3. Hisense Hi Reader

Unlike other products in the list, the Hisense Hi Reader is one of the two that aren’t smartphones. Though it looks like one, it is actually an e-book reader and it is not the first one from the brand.

The latest e-book reader from Hisense sports a 6.7-inch e-ink display with a pixel density of 300ppi and supports 36-level DC dimming. It is powered by a UNISOC T610 SoC paired with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage.

The device boots Android 10 with a customized interface and gets its juice from a 3,000mAh battery. It carries a price tag of ¥1,799 ($282).

4. HUAWEI Vision S

Huawei finally unveiled its Vision S lineup of smart televisions in Europe last week. Officially called HUAWEI Vision S, the TV comes in 55-inch and 65-inch variants in the region priced at €800 and €1,000 respectively.

The television features an LED-backlit LCD panel with support for up to 120Hz refresh rate and 4K resolution, quad speakers, six microphones, 13MP camera, 3 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x USB Type-A, and HarmonyOS.

The TV was selling at insanely discounted price tags of €400 and €600 until March 27.

5. Infinix SMART 6 Plus

Infinix SMART 6 Plus debuted in Nigeria last week. The entry-level smartphone comes in a single 2GB + 32GB version priced at ₦58,400 ($141) for a limited time.

The phone offers a 6.6-inch HD+ display (LCD), MediaTek Helio A22 SoC, 8MP + QVGA dual-camera setup, and a 5MP selfie camera. It is backed by a 5,000mAh battery and boots Android 11 Go Edition.

6. iQOO U5x

iQOO U5x was announced last week in China as the latest budget smartphone from the company. It arrives in two memory variants, such as 4GB + 128GB and 8GB + 128GB. They are priced at ¥849 ($133) and ¥1,049 ($165) respectively.

The handset is built around a 6.51-inch HD+ display (LCD). It features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 chip, LPDDR4x RAM, UFS 2.2 storage, 13MP + 2MP dual-camera system, and 8MP front-facing camera.

It runs OriginOS based on Android 11 and is fueled by a 5,000mAh battery with support for 10W charging via the outdated MicroUSB port.

7. itel Vision 3

The itel Vision 3 is yet another entry-level smartphone that launched last week. It debuted in India priced at ₹7,999 ($105) for the sole 3GB + 64GB version.

The phone arrives with a 6.6-inch HD+ display (LCD), an unknown chipset comprising of an octa-core CPU, 8MP rear camera, and a 5MP front camera. Finally, it houses a large 5,000mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging and runs Android 11 out of the box.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro to have a larger camera sensor resulting in thicker camera bump

By

Jeet

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Mar 28, 2022

Apple‘s upcoming iPhone 14 series smartphones have been making rounds for the past few weeks as more and more leaks and rumors related to the device keep surfacing online.

In the latest development, well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has revealed that the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models will have a bigger 48-megapixel camera sensor.

To house this bigger camera sensor, the camera bump on the devices has also become a bit thicker, as revealed in the previously leaked schematics for the design of the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

If the reports about the sensor turn out to be true, then it is a significant change given that the Cupertino-based technology giant will shift from a 12-megapixel camera sensor to a 48-megapixel primary sensor.

It is being claimed that the diagonal length of the high-resolution image sensor will be bigger than the 12-megapixel version by between 25 percent and 35 percent. Along with the diagonal width change, the 7-piece (7P) lens for the sensor will also grow by between 5 percent and 10 percent.

This time, Apple is expected to make the non-Pro and Pro models of the iPhone 14 series significantly different from the devices, ranging from design to internal specifications. It is also said that the iPhone 14 and 14 Max to be powered by the Apple A16 SoC while the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will be powered by the A16 Pro processor.

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Apple cuts iPhones & AirPods production amid Ukraine crisis & inflation

By

Sean

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Mar 28, 2022

Apple is apparently planning on cutting down production of its iPhones and AirPods series of products. The news amid uncertainties caused by the Ukrainian crisis and inflations that may impact demand for its consumer electronic products.

As per a NikkeiAsia report, the Cupertino based giant is now planning on making around 20 percent lesser iPhone SE in the next quarter of this year. The brand might also lower production by around 2 million to 3 million units over its initial plans. This is in line with our previous report. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had also stated that Apple might lower iPhone SE 2022 production due to lower than expected demand for the smartphone.

For those unaware, the iPhone SE 3 is the latest smartphone from the company, and is the first within its affordable SE series to feature 5G connectivity. Furthermore, the iPhone maker isn’t stopping just there, as it might also be planning on reducing its orders for its AirPods truly wireless earbuds as well. Reportedly, orders to its supply chain might fall by more than 10 million units for this year.

The move follows as the brand is scaling back its inventory levels, again due to weaker than expected demand in the market. In the past, the company had also asked suppliers to make a few million lesser iPhone 13 series models to better adjust for the seasonal demands. So, this news isn’t really a big surprise. But unfortunately, Apple has yet to offer an official statement regarding this matter. So stick around for more updates.

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Xiaomi 11T Pro gets MIUI 13 update based on Android 12 in India

By

Zohaib Ahmed

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Mar 28, 2022

The Xiaomi 11T Pro was launched in January this year but booted into Android 11-based MIUI 12.5 out of the box. The phone even bagged Android 12-based MIUI 13 in February in multiple regions across the world but the Indian variant was left behind. After much delay, the Indian variant has now been updated to the same as well.

The official changelog for the update doesn’t mention much aside from improved system security and some optimizations for system apps and features. The MIUI 13 launch event for India hadn’t introduced any new features either aside from new wallpapers, so don’t expect too much from the build.

The complete changelog has been given below:

System

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

More features and improvements

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

As clear from above, the update also brings the February security patch, which while isn’t the latest, isn’t too far behind either. The recovery ROM is sized 3.4GB and you can download it through this link. A manual installation is possible through Settings > About phone > System update.

It is highly likely that the rollout is being done in batches so it may take a while for MIUI 13 stable to reach your Xiaomi 11T Pro in India.

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BYD will supply batteries to Xiaomi Auto and NIO for New Energy Vehicle

By

Sean

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Mar 28, 2022

FinDreams Battery, the power battery division of BYD will be the supplier of batteries to companies in the Chinese new energy vehicle market. The company will apparently supply the likes of both NIO and even Xiaomi Auto.

The news arrives from several sources (Via 36Kr) in China. Although, all three of the companies have yet to comment on the matter as of right now. One source added that “the designated cooperation between NIO and FinDreams Battery had been finalized before the Spring Festival, using BYD’s ferrous lithium phosphate battery.” Furthermore, it was also revealed that in the second half of last year, various NIO employees had visited BYD company location in Shenzhen often.

On the other hand, Xiaomi Auto is a relatively new automobile manufacturing brand. It has also signed a partnership deal with FinDreams Battery. As per the report, its first EV will have two sets of configurations. The low end model arrives with a voltage platform of 400V BYD blade batteries while the high end model will come with a voltage platform of 800V. The top end model might also use products from a leading Chinese battery maker, CATL. Although, the details for this deal is currently unknown.

Previously, CATL was also the exclusive supplier of power batteries for NIO. However, the company’s head, Li Bin had publicly stated that the battery had become a limiting factor for its production capacity. Notably, BYD is also a known automobile brand in China, but it even produces its own power batteries as well. Thus, it has been pushing in promoting new energy vehicles in the local market.

RELATED:

Chinese smartphone OEMs struggle to snatch premium smartphone market from Apple

By

Zohaib Ahmed

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Mar 28, 2022

Chinese smartphone OEMs have continued to try to profit off the gaping hole left by Huawei following its US ban, but have achieved only limited success. It’s true that average selling prices have risen in China as a result of companies targeting more premium segments. However, last year the market share of Android phones in the >$600 price band in the country was only 36.5% — down from the 44.6% share from 2020.

It’s clear that domestic companies are struggling to compete with Apple in the premium space despite various strategies like “dual premium.” This new strategy involves Android OEMs stretching their flagship lineup to span across a wider price spectrum by offering more models (via Counterpoint). For example, the Xiaomi 12 series comprises the Xiaomi 12 Pro, 12, and 12X, with a 12 Ultra on the way.

It’s possible that Android smartphones will recover some of the lost ground from Apple this year but the task isn’t going to be easy.

Counterpoint suggests that aside from getting the supply chain right, OEMs also need to focus on fundamentals — display, photography, and gaming experience.

LTPO screens need to be the staple for this year in order to offer better battery life in the wake of high refresh rate displays. The iPhone 13 Pro Max has continued to be the battery king and few Android phones have managed to beat it, let alone come close to it.

Photography is another important factor. While computational photography continues to be an extremely important component of mobile photography, OEMs are also realizing the importance of having better auxiliary cameras. Take the realme GT 2 Pro for example which comes with dual-50MP shooters.

The third factor is gaming experience and OEMs need to focus more on cooling to sustain gaming performance over longer periods.

Aside from this, strides also need to be made in developing an ecosystem — something where only Samsung has seen some success in the Android camp.

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Motorola Frontier live shot appears, reveals 200MP camera and familiar design

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 28, 2022

Qualcomm is expected to announce the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus (SM8475 part number) by early June 2022. It could be an overclocked version of the existing Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip. Rumors have it that an upcoming Motorola flagship, with ‘Frontier’ codename, could be the world’s first phone to feature the SD8G1. Today, a Weibo user (via) shared a live image of the Motorola Frontier flagship to reveal the appearance of its camera module.

The leaked image shows the Motorola Frontier’s rear shell has curved edges. The camera module of the device appears similar to the Xiaomi 12 series. As can be seen, the camera module has a main camera on top, and below it are the two other camera sensors.

Motorola Frontier leaked shot — Motorola Frontier live image

The edge of the camera module has an LED flash strip and ‘200MP HP1 OS f/2.2″ text imprinted. Motorola’s batwing logo can also be seen on the backside of the device. Its right side has a volume rocker and a power key. The authenticity of the leaked image is doubtful. Hence, it is advisable to digest the leak with a pinch of salt.

Initial reports of the Motorola Frontier flagship claimed that it had a 200MP main camera. In February, reliable tipster Evan Blass released a render of the Motorola Frontier, which revealed a 194MP primary camera. The leaked image that appeared to surface today matches with Blass’ leaked render. However, the only noticeable difference is that it has the 194MP | OIS 1/15″ text imprinted in the camera module.

Motorola Frontier specifications (rumored)

The Motorola Frontier will feature a 6.73-inch P-OLED FHD+ 144Hz display. It will be powered by the SD8G1+ chip, up to 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, up to 256 GB of UFS 3.1 storage, and a 4,500mAh battery with 125W fast charging support. It will also carry support for 50W wireless charging. For photography, it will feature a 60-megapixel front camera and a 194-megapixel (main) + 50-megapixel (ultrawide) + 12-megapixel (telephoto) triple camera unit. The Frontier handset is likely to launch as an Edge series device.

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Xiaomi MIX Fold 2 to come with a significantly improved crease, tipster says

By

Zohaib Ahmed

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Mar 28, 2022

Multiple specifications concerning the display of the upcoming Xiaomi MIX Fold 2 have been revealed by tipster Digital Chat Station through a post on Weibo. Just like the original MIX Fold, the MIX Fold 2 will once again come with a book-style folding solution, with an internal screen size of 8-inches and a cover display size of 6.5-inches.

The crease of the upcoming foldable device has been improved significantly compared to one of the previous generation, and both internal and external displays now support high refresh rates (120Hz), unlike the older model whose cover display was restricted to 60Hz. There’s DC dimming for eye protection onboard too. LTPO was also mentioned, although it looks limited to the inner panel.

The tipster also revealed that the Xiaomi MIX Fold 2 was last year planned to ship with the Samsung-made Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, but could now opt for the TSMC-made Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus. The latter is expected to address the shortcomings of the former, which has been losing out to the likes of the Dimensity 9000, at least in terms of benchmarks.

Both chips will have a very similar configuration though, with a “1+3+4” arrangement comprising 1x super-large Cortex-X2 core, 3x large Cortex-A710 cores, and 4x small Cortex-A510 cores.

The Xiaomi MIX Fold 2 is expected to be launched around the middle of 2022. Its price is expected to be about 9,999 Yuan based on the fact that its predecessor was launched for the same price.

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vivo X Fold has been under development for 4 years, claims company official

By

Zohaib Ahmed

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Mar 28, 2022

vivo today announced that the company will be hosting its next product launch event in China on April 11, where it will be lifting the curtains on its first foldable phone called vivo X Fold. And ahead of that, the company’s product vice president has divulged some interesting bits concerning the development of the upcoming foldable.

With a social media post (via IT Home), the executive wrote that vivo has been working on the X Fold for four years, with dozens of plans being scrapped and remade until the perfect one was realized. He believes that the “screen” of the folding screen is the top priority. The screen experience cannot be sacrificed because of the folding form, which is why the crease had to go away.

vivo x fold fingerprint — Leak showing dual under-display fingerprints

“The inner screen must be large enough and good enough, and the look and feel should not be affected by the continuous deepening of the creases due to frequent opening and closing for a long time. The outer screen is also used a lot, and the size must be the mainstream size, and the effect must be flagship level.”

“The switching of internal and external screens cannot have problems such as frame control and color difference. This involves screen selection, adjustment, especially hinge technology, which is a very complex system engineering,” he added.

He also claimed that vivo is the pioneer of under-screen fingerprints so he couldn’t give the technology up with the foldable device, and worked hard to overcome the difficulties involved. The result is an industry-first dual under-screen fingerprint design, with sensors being present on both the cover and inner displays.

The vivo spring product launch event is set to supposedly be the most significant launches for the company this year and will see devices like the vivo X Note and the vivo Pad alongside the vivo X Note. The curtains may also be lifted on the vivo X80 series smartphones.

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OnePlus Nord 2T specifications tipped once again ahead of rumored April launch

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 28, 2022

OnePlus is working on the OnePlus Nord 2T smartphone. It can be said based on recent reports that it will come as an updated version of the OnePlus Nord 2, which was announced in July 2021 in India. Several leaks have already spilled a lot of information about the device. Today, tipster Yogesh Brar shared the key specifications of the Nord 2T to reveal what to expect from it.

OnePlus Nord 2T specifications (rumored)

The OnePlus Nord 2T will have a 6.43-inch AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution. It is expected to support a 90Hz refresh rate.

The front of the Nord 2T will feature a 32-megapixel selfie camera. Its rear camera setup may comprise of an OIS-assisted 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 primary camera. It will be accompanied by an 8-megapixel ultrawide snapper and a 2-megapixel mono lens.

The all-new Dimensity 1300 chipset, which was announced earlier this month, will be present at the helm of the Nord 2T. The handset will come with 8 GB / 12 GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 128 GB / 256 GB of UFS 3.1 storage.

The Nord 2T will boot to the Android 12 operating system and OxygenOS 12. It will come packed with a 4,500mAh battery that supports 80W fast charging. The leak further mentions that the Nord 2T will arrive with an alert slider and a 3.5mm audio jack. The black variant of the device is expected to sport an attractive sandstone finish.

OnePlus Nord 2T price (rumored)

The base model of the Nord 2T could be priced under Rs 30,000 (~$393) with other variants may cost between Rs 30,000 (~$393) and Rs 40,000 (~$525). It is expected to launch either in April or May.

RELATED:

Apple sees lower than expected demand for iPhone SE 2022: Kuo

By

Sean

-

Mar 28, 2022

Earlier today (28th March 2022), a known Apple analyst revealed that the newly launched iPhone SE 2022 isn’t as popular as the brand hoped it would be, with the company seeing demand, which is lower than expected.

The news arrives from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who shared this information on his Twitter account. In the tweet, Kuo stated that the Cupertino based giant’s iPhone SE 2022 saw lower than expected market demand. Thus, he also said that he is lowering his shipment estimates for the 2022 iPhone SE. Notably, the analyst said that the lockdowns in Shanghai did not affect the brand’s iPhone SE production. But despite this, it still saw lower sales.

So now, the shipment estimates for the newly unveiled iPhone has been dropped to 15 to 20 million units, down from his initial 25 to 30 million units estimated shipments. For those unaware, the 2022 iPhone SE is the latest smartphone from the brand. The new device comes with 4GB of RAM, which is higher than the last generation’s 3GB of RAM. This model sports a 4.7 inch display that retains the typical Touch ID just like its predecessor.

Under the hood, the iPhone SE 3 houses an A15 Bionic processor, which is a 5G enabled chipset. The device also features a 12 megapixel rear camera sensor. Interestingly, the iPhone SE 3 is apparently seeing the same kind of market reception as the iPhone mini series. In other words, it appears that the demand for smaller iPhones have fallen, which is the primary reason that Apple is expected to drop the mini model in the iPhone 14 lineup.

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Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra receives massive price cut in China, Xiaomi 12 Ultra launch could be fast approaching

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 28, 2022

Xiaomi announced the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra in the first half of 2021 in China. It arrived as the company’s most powerful camera smartphone. Apart from flaunting stellar cameras, the Mi 11 Ultra offered a premium design and topnotch specs.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra was made official in three configurations, such as 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage, 12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage, and 12 GB RAM + 512 GB storage. The prices for these variants were 5,999 Yuan ($941), 6,599 Yuan ($1,035), and 6,999 Yuan ($1,098), respectively. In June 2021, the company slashed the prices of all three variants by 500 Yuan (~$78).

Today, the Chinese manufacturer confirmed that the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra will be available in China at a discounted price of 1,500 yuan ($235). Starting at 8 PM (local time) on March 31, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra will be sold with a starting price of 3,999 Yuan (~$627). The company has said that it is a limited-period offer.Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra specifications

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra has a 6.81-inch AMOLED QHD+ 120Hz display with an in-screen fingerprint scanner and Gorilla Glass Victus protection. The Snapdragon 888 powered device is equipped with LPPDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. It has a 20-megapixel front camera and a 50-megapixel (main, Samsung GN2) + 48-megapixel (ultrawide) + 48-megapixel (periscope telephoto) triple camera unit. It has a 5,000mAh battery that supports 67W fast charging, 67W wireless charging, and 10W wireless charging.

Now that the Mi 11 Ultra has received a massive price cut, it appears that Xiaomi could be working on the launch of the Xiaomi 12 Ultra. According to a recent report, the 12 Ultra will succeed the Mi 11 Ultra in Q2 of 2022.

RELATED:

Motorola Edge S30 Champion Edition runs out of stock across multiple platforms in just 10 mins of sale

By

Zohaib Ahmed

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Mar 28, 2022

The Motorola Edge S30 Champion Edition was only released this morning in China but has managed to pull in some really impressive sales figures already. Chen Jin, general manager of Lenovo China’s mobile phone business department, announced with a post on Weibo that the device sold 10,000 units within just 10 minutes of being put up for sale.

He added that the device sold a bit too fast and many platforms are reporting that they’ve run out of stock.

The Motorola Edge S30 Champion Edition is a souped-up version of the standard Edge 30 that was launched on December 21. It features an expanded memory config with 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage. Aside from this, it is the same as the vanilla model.

The phone is priced 2,499 Yuan (around $392) and is fairly cheap for the processor it packs — you get last year’s flagship from Qualcomm — the Snapdragon 888 Plus. It sports an FHD+ 6.8-inch LCD screen with a 144Hz refresh rate.

For photography, there’s a triple camera module at the rear comprising 108MP primary, 13MP ultrawide, and 2MP depth units. Fueling it all is a 5,000mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging.

The Motorola Edge S30 Champion Edition runs the Android 12 operating system with the company’s own My UI 2.0 on top.

RELATED:

Xiaomi tweaking performance in favor of benchmark apps: Report

By

Sean

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Mar 28, 2022

Xiaomi has apparently been tweaking the performance of its smartphones to alter the results on certain benchmarking applications. A new report has found that the company tweaks performance to show better synthetic benchmark results.

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

— John Poole (@jfpoole) March 27, 2022

The news arrives from a series of tweet from John Poole, who is a developer at GeekBench, a popular benchmarking platform. In the tweets, Poole stated that the Chinese tech giant’s handsets are making performance decisions based on application identifiers. In other words, the performance depends on the type of application being run on the device. Poole was using a Xiaomi 11 and found that the GeekBench scores were different when he ran the regular version of GeekBench and another build of GeekBench that was disguised as Fortnite.

In the single core tests, the device’s scores were around 30 percent lower on the disguised GeekBench version when compared to the regular build. Meanwhile, the multi core tests showcased results that were around 15 percent lower as well. He even shared a comparison between the two tests that is currently listed on the GeekBench website. Notably, this wasn’t the only case of performance being tweaked.

The issue did not affect just the Fortnite build. Apparently, the same performance tweaking can be observed in other games such as Genshin Impact as well. This means that Xiaomi has built identifiers into its devices to boost benchmark scores to showcase its smartphone’s raw performance, but in actual gaming scenarios, this performance is noticeably reduced.

RELATED:

OPPO Find X5 Pro new color variant with lighter material to start selling from April 1

By

Zohaib Ahmed

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Mar 28, 2022

The OPPO Find X5 Pro was launched in Glaze Black and Ceramic White colors for the global market but will soon be sold in another, third color in China. Called Aqua Blue, the color not only delivers a fresh lick of paint but also a whole new material — leather. OPPO announced today that this new option will go on sale starting April 1st for CNY 6,299 (~USD 988) for the 12GB+256GB config.

The blue leather model is slightly thicker at 8.8mm, which is 0.3mm more than its ceramic counterparts, but is also noticeably lighter at 195g (vs the 218g of the other two colors).

The OPPO Find X5 Pro is built around a 6.7-inch 120Hz QHD+ LTPO AMOLED display with a fingerprint scanner underneath and a punch hole in the top-left housing the 32MP front camera. At the back, there’s a triple camera setup comprising 50MP primary, 50MP ultrawide, and 13MP telephoto lenses.

But perhaps the best part (and the most marketed one too) is the usage of a self-developed NPU imaging chip for the first time. Dubbed MariSilicon X, the chip is built on TSMC’s 6nm process and is said to improve both photography and videography significantly.

Powering the entire package is a 5,000mAh battery with support for 80W wired and 50W wireless charging.

The OPPO Find X5 Pro is available in two chip variants — there’s the Qualcomm option that packs the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and then there’s the MediaTek option that features the Dimensity 9000. It isn’t clear if the Aqua Blue color will be for both options but that will be confirmed soon enough once it starts selling.

RELATED:

POCO X4 Pro 5G launched in India with a different main camera

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Mar 28, 2022

As scheduled, POCO has officially launched the POCO X4 Pro 5G in India today. The successor of POCO X3 Pro initially went official at MWC 2022 a few weeks back. It is basically a tweaked Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G (aka Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G), and therefore, it differs from its predecessor in almost every aspect.

POCO X4 Pro 5G Specifications and Features

The POCO X4 Pro 5G is the same as the variant sold in other international markets, except for two differences. The Indian version lacks NFC and features a 64MP primary camera instead of a 108MP sensor.

The device flaunts a 6.67-inch centered punch-hole AMOLED display with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels (FHD+) and up to a 120Hz refresh rate. The panel has support for 395 PPI, DCI-P3 color gamut, 4,500,000:1 contrast ratio, and 1,200 nits peak brightness level.

The handset is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset coupled with LPDDR4x RAM and UFS 2.2 storage. For comparison, the POCO X3 Pro houses a much more powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 SoC and a faster UFS 3.1 storage module.

Talking about photography and videography, the phone’s 64MP main camera is paired with an 8MP ultra-wide unit and a 2MP macro snapper. On the front, there’s a 16MP shooter for selfies and video calls.

The connectivity options on the smartphone include dual-SIM card slots, 5G, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.1, and GNSS. It also has a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB Type-C port, a MicroSD card slot (hybrid), dual stereo speakers, and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

The device boots MIUI 13 for POCO based on Android 11. It also has additional features, such as an IR blaster, a z-axis linear vibration motor, Hi-Res Audio certification, liquid cooling technology, and IP53 rating for splash resistance.

Last but not least, the POCO X4 Pro 5G is backed by a 5,000mAh battery with support for 67W fast charging.

POCO X4 Pro 5G Price and Availability in India

The POCO X4 Pro 5G will retail at the following price tags in India.

6GB + 64GB – ₹18,999 ($249)
6GB + 128GB – ₹19,999 ($262)
8GB + 128GB – ₹21,999 ($289)

Customers can purchase the handset in colors like POCO Yellow, Laser Yellow, or Laser Black. The first sale is scheduled for at 12 PM on April 5 via Flipkart.

Buyers can get a flat ₹1,000 discount on HDFC Bank credit/debit cards and EMI transactions. Also, previous-gen POCO X series users are eligible for an additional discount on exchange.

Apple to launch new M2 iPad Pro with MagSafe charging this fall: Gurman

By

Sean

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Mar 28, 2022

A new report has revealed that Apple is gearing up to launch a new iPad model later this year. It is expected to be the new 2022 iPad Pro that features next gen Apple Silicon and MagSafe support as well.

The news arrives from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman who shared the information on his Power On newsletter (Via MacRumors). In the report, Gurman added that the Cupertino based giant didn’t announce any new iPad Pro models earlier this month during its launch conference. So, the brand will likely launch new models sometime between September and November 2022.

Previously, Gurman had also staed that the iPhone maker will be releasing its “wildest array of new hardware products in its history” during fall 2022, so it appears that the new iPad Pros might be one of those products. As of right now, finer details regarding the upcoming iPad Pro is still unknown. However, we have covered a few rumors in the recent past. Furthermore, Gurman believes that the new high end iPads will feature MagSade charging support as well.

Apart from this, a major upgrade this year will be the shift towards the M2 based chipset, the highly anticipated successor to Apple’s first proprietary M1 chip. The M2 chip is also expected to feature 8 cores like the M1, but will arrive with boosted performance and improved energy efficiency thanks to the 4nm TSMC process. Keep in mind that this is still an unconfirmed report so take it with a pinch of salt for now and stick around for more updates.

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