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Xiaomi 12 Series World Premiere Sale: Get Huge Discounts, Deals and Free Gifts

Mi Global Store at AliExpress is giving out huge discounts and deals on the World Premiere of Xiaomi 12 Series. Under this world premiere, you can get Xiaomi 12, 12 Pro, and 12X smartphones at heavily discounted prices. Also, the first 1000 paid orders under this world premiere deal will get random assured gifts. Please note that the world premiere online launch event is happening on 15 March while the actual sale starts on 17 March, 00:00 PST. So be sure to add your product to the cart even before the sale starts, to avail of the discounts and assured free gifts. 

xiaomi 12 series

World Premiere of Xiaomi 12 Series

 

Xiaomi 12

Retail Price: $998           Discounted Price: $699

Xiaomi 12

Key Features:

  • Display: 6.28″ FHD+ Dot Display
  • 120Hz refresh rate
  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 
  • RAM: 8GB / 12GB
  • Storage: 128GB / 256GB
  • Triple Rear Camera: 50MP (main) + 13MP (ultra-wide) + 5MP (tele-macro)
  • Front camera: 32MP
  • Battery: 4500mAh – 67W wired + 50W wireless turbocharging
  • Colors: Gray, Blue, Purple

 

Xiaomi 12 Pro

Retail Price: $1427          Discounted Price: $999

Xiaomi 12 pro

Key Features:

  • Display: 6.73-inch AMOLED Flexible Screen
  • 120Hz refresh rate
  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 
  • RAM: 8GB / 12GB
  • Storage: 128GB / 256GB
  • Triple Rear Camera: 50MP (main) + 50MP + 50MP
  • Front camera: 32MP
  • Battery: 4600mAh – 120W wired + 50W wireless charging and 10W reverse charging
  • Colors: Gray, Blue, Purple

 

Xiaomi 12X

Retail Price: $784        Discounted Price: $549

xiaomi 12x

Key Features:

  • Display: 6.28″ AMOLED DotDisplay, FHD+
  • 120Hz refresh rate
  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 870
  • RAM: 8GB 
  • Storage: 128GB / 256GB
  • Triple Rear Camera: 50MP (main) + 13MP + 5MP
  • Front camera: 32MP
  • Battery: 4500mAh – 67W wired turbo charging
  • Colors: Gray, Blue, Purple

 

Please note that the prices mentioned above are applicable to the base variants only. The price may change according to the variant and color. 

The online launch event is happening on 15 March while the actual sale will be live from 17 March, 00:00 PST. Be sure to check out the online launch event, to know more about the products and the upcoming deals and discounts. 

Please note that the above price is region-specific and the final price may vary according to your shipping region, warehouse, and regional taxes.

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

* Please Note: When you buy something using the links in our articles, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you.

OPPO A53s 5G, A55 5G get access to ColorOS 12 beta based on Android 12

Following the update plans shared by OPPO earlier this month, the company has started recruiting Android 12-based ColorOS 12 beta testers for two of its budget 5G smartphones. These devices are OPPO A53s 5G and OPPO A55 5G.

OPPO A55 5G Rhythm Black Featured
OPPO A55 5G

The OPPO A53s 5G and the OPPO A55 5G are the same phones for different markets. The former is sold in India, while the latter is available in China. Unsurprisingly, the latter model debuted first in January 2021, followed by the former in April 2021.

The handsets launched with ColorOS 11.1 based on Android 11. But now, Interested users can finally try out Android 12-based ColorOS 12 by joining the beta program.

In order to do so, the smartphones should be on the following required firmware versions.

  • OPPO A53s 5G (India) – A.08 or A.09
  • OPPO A55 5G (China) – A.15

If you meet the criteria, then head over to Settings > Software Update > Gear Icon > Apply for Beta Version > Update Beta Version and follow the on-screen instructions to enroll in the ColorOS 12 beta initiative. The registrations will only remain open until tomorrow (March 16).

There could be more batches in the future but we cannot tell that for sure. Hence, if you are truly interested, then register yourselves as soon as possible.

Selected applicants will receive the beta software via OTA. They may receive more than one build during the testing process, which will be followed by a stable build in the future.

 

 

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Galaxy Z Flip3, Z Fold3 become Samsung’s first foldables to run stable One UI 4.1

The Galaxy Z Flip3 and Galaxy Z Fold3 are starting to receive the One UI 4.1 update with the March security patch, although it’s currently limited to Europe and South Korea.

The Galaxy Z Flip3 is getting it as firmware version F711NKSU2CVC5 in South Korea while in Europe, the firmware version is F711BXXU2CVC5. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Fold3 is only getting One UI 4.1 in Europe as of now, with firmware version F926NKSU1CVC5 (via SamMobile).

samsung galaxy z flip3 one ui 4.1 update

The One UI 4.1 update introduces a number of camera features so users of both devices can expect features like night portrait functions, pet recognition, lighting position editing functions, and an improved Director’s View. There’s also telephoto portrait video, but it’s limited to the Galaxy Z Fold3.

Other additions include Google Duo integration, updates to Samsung Health, Gallery, Keyboard, and Calendar, and more.

Also included is the March 2022 security patch, as already mentioned, which has so far only been released for select Galaxy phones, mostly flagships.

The update may have only rolled out in South Korea and Europe currently, but assuming that it’s bug-free, we should be seeing a wider release quite soon. Still, if you’re impatient then you can check for the update manually by heading over to the Settings app, opening up the About Phone section, and tapping on Software Update.

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Vivo V21, V21e, and Y73 get a price cut of up to Rs 2,000 in India

After the release of the Vivo V23 series in India and their latest addition to the lineup with the Vivo V23e, the brand has now reportedly slashed the prices of its Y73, V21e, and V21 models.

vivo V21 5G Featured 01
Vivo V21 5G

According to a 91mobiles report, offline retail sources have informed that the brand has issued a newly revised MOP for the smartphones that will be effective from March 15th i.e from today. For now, the price cut seems to be limited to offline stores only as the Y73, V21e, and V21 models are still selling at their original price on Flipkart.

Vivo V21, V21e, and Y73 new prices in India

The Vivo V21 which was previously priced at Rs 29,990 in India for the 8GB + 128 GB model will now cost Rs 27,990. Similarly, the 8GB + 256GB variant has also received a price cut of Rs 2000, bringing its price from Rs 32,990 to Rs 30,990.

The V21e which was priced at Rs 24,990 for the 8GB + 128GB model will now retail for Rs 23,990 in offline stores. Lastly, the Vivo Y73 has also received a Rs 1000 price cut, bringing its cost down from Rs 20,990 to Rs 19,990.

Vivo V21 5G specifications and features

Launched back in April 2021, the vivo V21 5G has a 6.44-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a resolution of 2404 × 1080 pixels, a 90Hz refresh rate, an in-screen fingerprint sensor, and a dewdrop notch.

It is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 800U SoC coupled with 8GB RAM and an optional 3GB virtual RAM that can be enabled or disabled as per requirement. The device comes with 128GB/256GB internal storage with support for expansion via a MicroSD card slot.

vivo V21 5G Dusk Blue Featured

The main highlight of this phone is its 44MP selfie camera equipped with OIS. Whereas, the rear camera setup on this handset includes a 64MP primary sensor with OIS, an 8MP ultra-wide unit, and a 2MP macro shooter.

On the connectivity front, the device supports dual-SIM, 5G, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.1, and GNSS (GPS, BEIDOU, GALILEO, GLONASS). Unfortunately, the phone lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack but features all the essential sensors like an accelerometer, proximity sensor, compass, ambient light sensor, and gyroscope.

 

As far as software is concerned, the smartphone runs Funtouch OS 11.1 based on Android 11. Further, it draws power from a 4,000mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging via USB Type-C.

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Here’s when HONOR 50, HONOR 50 Lite will get Android 12 update in global markets

HONOR announced the HONOR 50 series for global markets at the end of October 2021. The company only brought the HONOR 50 and HONOR 50 Lite outside mainland China. These handsets debuted with Magic UI 4.2 based on Android 11 with GMS (Google Mobile Services). Months later, the brand now reveals when these smartphones will be updated to the latest software.

HONOR 50 Mo Yuqing Green
HONOR 50

According to HONOR, the Android 12 update for the HONOR 50 series in international markets will arrive as Magic UI 6.0. The HONOR 50 will be the first to receive it in Q2 2022, followed by HONOR 50 Lite in Q3 2022.

The timeline shared by the company is lackluster by today’s standards. Considering that these are the only two main phones from the brand for global markets, it is even worse. Hopefully, HONOR improves its software situation sooner than later.

At the same time, it would be great if new HONOR smartphones made their way to international markets a bit earlier. The HONOR 50 series initially debuted in China in June 2021. But it took the company 4 months to announce it for global markets.

Similarly, the HONOR 60 series already went official in the brand’s home country in December. However, there’s still no official word from the company regarding its availability outside mainland China.

 

 

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vivo X Fold to be one of the first foldables with dual under-screen ultrasonic fingerprint sensors

vivo’s very first foldable smartphone codenamed ‘butterfly’ and named vivo X Fold is expected to be launched in April. After being spotted in the subway, revealing its near-crease-less front, the device’s under-screen ultrasonic fingerprint solution has now been exposed.

Tech blogger @Feiwei on Weibo today posted an image of what looks to be the disassembled displays of the vivo X Fold — both inner and outer ones. Both displays appear to have ultrasonic fingerprint sensors, which Feiwei describes as being more advanced and easier to use compared to side-mounted fingerprint sensors that most other foldables use.

vivo x fold fingerprint

The vivo X Fold will rival the OPPO Find N and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3, both of which have side-mounted fingerprint scanners, giving the vivo foldable an edge.

In addition, leakster Digital Chat Station had earlier said that the vivo X Fold comes with punch-holes in both the center of the outer screen as well as the center of the right half of the inner screen. The display will be a 2K+120Hz E5 LTPO screen from Samsung with support for DC dimming.

It is worth mentioning here that the vivo X Fold has already been certified by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and has even obtained 3C certification, meaning its launch is imminent.

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OnePlus Nord 2 OxygenOS 12 Closed Beta program commences for Indian users

OnePlus has announced the commencement of the OxygenOS 12 Closed Beta testing program for the OnePlus Nord 2 devices. The announcement came through a post on the OnePlus Community forums.

OnePlus Nord 2 5G featured

 

Currently, the beta program is limited to OnePlus Nord 2 users in India and does not include the Nord 2 PAC-MAN Edition smartphones. The company is recruiting around 200 people for the closed beta program and states that this time around, the Closed Beta testing phase will be shorter than before and therefore the company will only release a few OxygenOS 12 builds through its duration.

The company plans to recruit 200 OnePlus Nord 2 users for the program. Selected users will have to sign a non-disclosure agreement with the company. In order to be eligible, you need to meet the requirements below:

1. You are using a OnePlus Nord 2 India variant
2. You are an active OnePlus Community member
3. You are willing to regularly communicate and report issues/suggestions to the OnePlus team on Telegram
4. The CBT version is not the stable version, which is still in development. After updating to CBT version, you’ll remain to be patient and tolerate its instability and accept all risks which might be caused by it.

If you meet these requirements and want to participate in the Closed Beta testing program, you can follow this link to the registration page.

As for people wondering about the stable Android 12 update for the OnePlus Nord 2, since the company is just commencing the Closed Beta test now, we can expect to be followed by an Open Beta test and then a stable version release. So we might be looking at a Q2 2022 release date for the stable OxygenOS 12 for the OnePlus Nord 2.

 

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OnePlus 9, 9 Pro to get ColorOS 12.1 update by March-end

The OnePlus 10 Pro made its global debut in China in January. It is the first-ever OnePlus Pro series phone to release first in the brand’s home country. Also, it is the first handset to ship with ColorOS 12.1 Two months later, one of the company executives reveals when the last-generation OnePlus flagship smartphones will get an update to the fresh version of ColorOS.

OnePlus 9 Pro
OnePlus 9 Pro

Liu Fengshuo, the president of the OnePlus product lineup, revealed on Weibo that the last year’s OnePlus 9 and Oneplus 9 Pro will be soon updated to ColorOS 12.1. According to him, these devices are expected to receive the latest version of OPPO’s mobile operating system based on Android 12 by the end of March.

Per his post, the update is still in progress. Hence, if there are any issues with the software builds, then the rollout could get delayed. Hopefully, that doesn’t happen though OnePlus is known for software mishaps these days.

With that being said, the ColorOS 12.1 update for the OnePlus 9 and the OnePlus 9 Pro will be limited to China. Because it is the only country where these phones run ColorOS instead of OxygenOS. In fact, they are the first OnePlus-branded smartphones to ship with ColorOS out of the box.

As far as new features are concerned, ColorOS 12.1 comes with HyperBoost tech for gaming, AI features for a smooth experience, and other minor tweaks.

 

 

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HUAWEI Maimang 11 budget phone makes TENAA appearance, launch imminent

The HUAWEI Maimang 11 has reportedly passed the network access audit of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology with model number TYH622M.

The device appears to be a successor to the HUAWEI Maimang 10 that was launched in December last year by China Telecom for 2,299 yuan ($360). Maimang was previously known as Huawei Maimang but has changed ownership and is now under China Telecom, likely due to the US ban.

The information released by the Ministry shows that the HUAWEI Maimang 11 is equipped with a 2.2GHz octa-core processor, which looks to be the Dimensity 700 (via IT Home). This is actually a downgrade from the Dimensity 720 that powered by the Maimang 10.

In addition, the Maimang 11 is equipped with a 6.745-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 1600×720, a 5900mAh battery, an 8MP front camera, and 48MP+2MP dual cameras. The device measures 168.3×77.6×8.98mm and weighs 199g. It retains the 3.5mm headphone jack and has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.

HUAWEI Maimang 11 specs

Color options are three — black, blue, and white. Memory configs include either 6GB or 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of internal storage.

China Telecom is yet to announce the release date of the upcoming phone but we’ll be keeping an eye out for that. It isn’t clear if the device will be sold outside of China.

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Realme GT2 & GT2 Pro Indian launch officially teased

The Chinese smartphone manufacturer Realme launched its current flagship dubbed the Realme GT2 series back in early January in China. The brand has been rumored to debut the smartphones in other markets like India and Europe soon.

Realme GT 2 Pro poster
Realme GT 2 Pro

Now, Realme has officially teased the upcoming launch of the GT2 and GT2 Pro in India. The brand took to Twitter to announce that their flagship smartphones will soon arrive in India.

The company has not mentioned a specific launch date, however, a recent report revealed that the smartphone is set to debut in Indonesia on March 22, 2022, so we can expect the Indian launch to happen on the same date.

Realme GT2, GT2 Pro specifications

The Realme GT2 has a 6.62-inch AMOLED FHD+ 120Hz display, a 16-megapixel front camera, and a 50-megapixel (main, with OIS) + 8-megapixel (ultrawide) + 2-megapixel (macro) triple camera unit. It is equipped with the Snapdragon 888 chip and a 5,000mAh battery with 65W fast charging.

Realme GT2 series

The Realme GT2 Pro comes with an AMOLED panel with a WQHD+ 1440×3216 resolution and support for 120Hz variable refresh rate (1-120Hz). Its touch sampling rate can reach 1000Hz and its peak brightness reaches 1400nits.

For photography, you get a triple-lens setup at the rear comprised of a Sony IMX766 50MP OIS main camera, a 50MP ultrawide camera, and a 40x microscope lens. Upfront, there’s the 32MP Sony IMX615 for selfies.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip powers the device, complemented by up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 256GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage.

The phone’s battery is sized 5,000mAh with 65W charging support, promising a full charge in just 33 minutes.

The GT2 series is preinstalled with the Android 12 OS and Realme UI 3.0. Other key features include LPDDR5 RAM, UFS 3.1 storage, an in-screen fingerprint scanner, and 65W fast charging.

 

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Apple supplier Foxconn mulls building new factory in Saudi Arabia: Report

Foxconn, one of the primary supplier of Apple, is apparently in talks with Saudi Arabia regarding the construction of a new factory in the region. The company is mulling building a 9 billion US Dollar facility in the country.

Apple

According to a WallStreetJournal report, the supplier plans on setting up this site for the production of microchips, electric vehicle components, and other electronics as well. The report adds that Saudi Arabia is currently reviewing Foxconn’s offer to build a dual line semiconductor contract manufacturing factory, which is also simply known as a “foundry.” This new site will be situated in the region’s Neom. The city is known to be a tech focused city state that is currently being developed in the desert, as per sources close to the matter.

Unfortunately, the company and Saudi Arabian authorities have yet to officially comment on this news. For those unaware, Foxconn is a major supplier of the Cupertino based giant, but in recent times, it has been expanding its operations outside of consumer electronic products. The company is now diversifying its production to include electric vehicles as well, which has recently becoming popular in the automobile industry.

AppleThis news also arrives amid ongoing frictions between the US and China. Apart from Saudi Arabia, the firm is also planning on potentially building a production project in the United Arab Emirates as well. In other words, it plans on moving its production sites outside of China for technologies not related to consumer electronic gadgets.

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Apple starts selling refurbished models of iPhone 12 & iPhone 12 Pro

Earlier this week, Apple started to sell new refurbished smartphones. These models were the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, that are currently available in the United States. This marks the first time that the company has sold these models under the refurbished category.

Not Just Pro variants, the entire Apple iPhone 14 series will get 120Hz LTPO OLED panels

For those unaware, the iPhone 12 series was first launched back in late 2020. Now, the Cupertino based giant is relaunching the series in the US, but only the base iPhone 12 and the higher end iPhone 12 Pro models are listed as refurbished. In other words, prospective buyers do not have the option to buy an iPhone 12 mini or even the top end iPhone 12 Pro Max.

As of right now, the 6.1 inch iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro refurbished models are available for purchase in multiple color variants and even their different storage configurations. Customers can even opt for delivery or schedule a pickup from select Apple Store locations. Similar to previous generations, the new refurbished devices will be sold for a discount of around 15 percent compared to the brand new models. So now, an unlocked iPhone 12 with 64GB of internal storage can be purchased for 619 US Dollars in the US.

Apple

Meanwhile, the same model retails for 729 US Dollars for a brand new iPhone 12. These new refurbished phones will be unlocked and SIM free. Furthermore, the iPhone 12 models will come with a new battery and a new outer shell as well as a new white box that includes all the usual accessories like manuals and a USB-C to Lightning cable. Notably, the refurbished models are also covered under Apple’s standard one year warranty and its extended AppleCare+ coverage.

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MIUI 13 pilot update reportedly bricking some Mi 11 series devices

The MIUI 13 update has undoubtedly been quite controversial, mostly due to the fact that it has presented barely anything to global users other than new wallpapers. Still, a quicker-than-last-year rollout has helped compensate for that a bit, with Android 12 now reaching a few budget devices as well. But as Xiaomiui reports, the company may have got another screw-up in its hands.

Bricked devices as a result of new MIUI updates isn’t exactly something new for Xiaomi. Initial ‘stable beta’ Android 12 rollouts had late last year rendered some Mi 11 Ultra and Mi 11 units useless. As if that wasn’t enough, MIUI 13 now looks to be having a similar effect on not just the aforementioned devices but also the Mi 11 Lite 5G (via Notebookcheck).

So far, it appears that the issue is limited to pilot testers only. Xiaomi does notify beta testers of associated risks so it would be unfair to blow up at it. But Xiaomiui says that the Mi 11 Ultra had to actually be opened up for recovery from the bricked state, which is quite a mess.

Xiaomi is also yet to acknowledge the issue. In such a case, it is advisable for pilot testers to not flash the latest update on Mi 11 series devices and wait for the next one instead. Stable users are advised to not manually flash any experimental builds for the time being.

The technical cause is currently unknown but the problem does seem to strike upon installing the OTA through the Updater app.

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Ola S1 Pro gets new GERUA color to celebrate the Holi festive season in India

Weeks back, Ola halted the production of its S1 electric scooter from the S1 series. This came after the company saw a huge demand for the more feature-rich Ola S1 Pro over the S1 electric scooters. Accordingly, the company encouraged the S1 users whose delivery was pending to switch to the Ola S1 Pro, followed by opening its booking window. The company is now resuming its booking window again after a few weeks’ hiatus. Interestingly, the company is adding a new color for celebrating the festive season in the country.

Ola S1 Pro Gerua

Ola has announced a new color called ‘GERUA’, which is an addition to the already existing colors. However, it is a limited edition color having a marigold-like oranges tone. This new Ola S1 Pro in GERUA limited edition color will be available only for two days that’s on March 17 and March 18 – the Holi festive days in India. The new color can be booked from the Ola app.

In addition to this color, buyers can also purchase other colors of the Ola S1 Pro electric scooter. Notably, those who book the Ola S1 Pro on the aforementioned dates will get the delivery starting from April 2022.

Ola

The Ola S1 Pro is a feature-rich electric scooter that comes with an 8.5kW motor and a 3.97kWh battery. The electric scooter is claimed to have a top speed of 115 km/h and is said to deliver a range of 181 km. It features a 7-inch touch-screen display and has Bluetooth, Wi-Fi connectivity. It has 3GB of RAM and comes with different driving modes. It has an ex-showroom price of Rs. 1,29,999(~$1,700).

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Samsung sold more LCD smartphones than OLED models in 2021: Report

A new report has found that Samsung Electronics has sold more smartphones that feature an LCD panel than the ones that sport OLED displays technology last year. This is interesting considering the company is known for its OLED panels.

Samsung Galaxy F23 5G
Galaxy F23 5G

Although, smartphones with LCD panels are typically more affordable than their OLED counterparts. According to an Omdia report (Via BusinessKorea), the primary reason for this also due to the South Korean tech giant adopting LCD panels for their entry level handsets to cut costs. For those unaware, the ongoing chip shortage has caused prices for chips as well as related materials to rise. Thus, smartphones of various segments have also seen hike in pricing.

Samsung Electronics shipped around 135.8 million units of LCD smartphones, while its OLED models saw 135.1 million units in terms of sales. Looking at the shipment figures from a year prior, we can see that LCD smartphone shipments grew by an impressive 41 percent, while shipment of OLED devices fell by around 15 percent. However, the brand’s profitability also increased as shipments for LCD handsets saw a rise. Last year, the company’s LCD smartphone sales revenue rose by about 4.23 trillion Won (roughly 3.4 billion US Dollars).

 

Samsung Galaxy M33
Galaxy M33

This marked a whipping 740 percent increase over the same period in the previous year. The company has been a major figure that led to OLED technology becoming more popular in the handset market and has been a known player in this category since 2010. But while OLED technology has become quite popular in recent years, analysts predict that it will slow down in 2022.

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India was one of the driving factors behind global smartwatch market growth in 2021

The global smartwatch market recorded a healthy 24% YoY growth in 2021 after seeing hardly any growth in the preceding year due to COVID-19. Q4 2021 alone saw over 40 million units shipped, which is the highest quarterly shipments for the category ever, the latest data from Counterpoint shows.

With newer features that help monitor health parameters like blood pressure, ECG, and SPO2 making it to cheaper watches, the market looks set to expand even further this year.

Global Top 9 Smartwatch Brands Shipment Share, 2021 vs 2020 (via Counterpoint)

Moving on to brand performance during last year, it was Apple that held the top spot in the smartwatch market globally, with a share of 30%. The company also accounted for half of the total market revenue.

Samsung stood second and was actually one of the most successful smartwatch OEMs in 2021, recording QoQ growth of over 200% in Q3 2021, and continued growing well into the end of last year. Moving on to Wear OS following a partnership with Google has helped partly with that.

Huawei ranked third, continuing its launch of various high-end and kids’ smartwatches despite the US ban. However, the company’s market share dipped from 10.7% in 2020 to about 7.7% in 2021.

Smartwatch-Shipment-Proportion-by-Region-2021-vs-2020
Smartwatch Shipment Proportion by Region, 2021 vs 2020 (via Counterpoint)

The rest of the market was captured by brands like imoo, Amazfit, Garmin, Fitbit, Xiaomi, and Noise — in order of their market share. From these imoo was actually the top choice in the kids’ smartwatch segment. Amazfit, meanwhile, expanded its position in the market in 2021, recording a 20% YoY growth.

That aside, it’s important to highlight here that India was actually one of the driving forces behind the global smartwatch market growth in 2021. The country only accounted for 3% of the global market in 2020 but grew nearly four times to close at 10% in 2021.

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Nvidia $40bn acquisition deal failing leads to Arm cutting 1,000 jobs

Arm has just revealed that it might have to downsize its total workforce by around 12 to 15 percent across the globe. In other words, it might have to cut up to 1,000 jobs following the Nvidia acquisition deal falling through.

NVIDIA Logo Featured

According to a SkyNews report, the UK based chip designer stated that most of the proposed downsizing will be felt in the UK and US, although, it did not reveal any finer details regarding other regions. In a statement, the company said that “Like any business, Arm is continually reviewing its business plan to ensure the company has the right balance between opportunities and cost discipline.”

The chip designer further added that “Unfortunately, this process includes proposed redundancies across Arm’s global workforce.” The news follows after Nvidia failed to acquire Arm. For those unaware, the known graphics card maker was set to takeover the chip designer for a 40 billion US Dollar deal. But, opposition from various rival firms and anti-competition regulators from various nations stopped this deal. The deal would have Team Green buy the chip designer from Japanese conglomerate SoftBank.

Nvidia

Notably, the Arm employees would have shared a 1.5 billion US Dollars acquisition payout and retention bonus if the takeover actually took place. But now, former Arm’s co founder, Hermann Hauser, who has since left the company claims that the deal have resulted in thousands of job being cut in the UK, as the headquarters was planned to shift to the US.

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iQOO U5x tipped to launch soon with these specs

Chinese smartphone brand iQOO will reportedly launch iQOO Z6 5G in India tomorrow (March 16). Ahead of that, details about yet another upcoming iQOO phone have emerged. Dubbed as iQOO U5x, this device will be a 4G variant of iQOO U5 5G, which went official in China in late December.

iQOO U5 5G
iQOO U5 5G

According to Ishan Agarwal (via MySmartPrice), the iQOO U5x will soon launch in China. Unfortunately, he is not sure if the device will be made available in India.

The tipster says that the handset will be built around a 6.81-inch display (LCD) with an HD+ (1600 x 720 pixels) resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate. It will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 SoC paired with 4GB RAM and 128GB UFS 2.2 storage. If required, the storage can be expanded up to 1TB using a MicroSD card.

The smartphone will arrive with a dual-camera setup on the rear comprising of a 13MP primary sensor and a 2MP macro snapper. For selfies and video calls, it will use an 8MP front-facing shooter. There will also be a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for security.

The phone will get its juice from a 5,000mAh battery. It will only have support for 10W charging via a MicroUSB port. It will measure 8.3mm in thickness, weigh 180g, and come in two colors (black, blue).

In addition to the exact launch date, Ishan has no information on the iQOO U5x’s software and price. We think that the handset will go official quietly with either Android 11 or Android 12 and will likely cost under ¥1,500 ($235).

 

 

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Xiaomi teases its new Redmi MAX series of Smart TVs in China

Earlier today (15th March 2022), Xiaomi teased the upcoming Redmi K50 series that is set to be unveiled on March 17. But, the teaser didn’t stop their as the company also shared promotional images for a new Redmi MAX series of smart TVs that will launch in China soon.

XiaomiAccording to Lu Weibing, Redmi General Manager, the Chinese tech giant is planning on upgrading the Redmi Max series of smart TVs across the board. Furthermore, these new large TVs will also be unveiled alongside the new Redmi K50 series in the brand’s home market. Xiaomi had just announced new laptops and TVs today, including the likes of the RedmiBook Pro 2022 that featured 12th Gen Intel chip and the new Redmi MAX smart TV model as well, which received its “biggest update in history.”

Recently, we had covered a Bluetooth SIG and 3C certification, which listed the Redmi MAX 100 inch Giant Screen TV. In other words, this new teaser basically confirms that the new MAX TV will feature a humongous 100 inch panel. This model will also be the successor of the Redmi Smart TV 98 inch MAX that was released back in 2020. The predecessor sported a 98 inch panel and offered 4K resolution, so we can also expect a similar resolution if not higher with the upcoming model.

Xiaomi

The Bluetooth SIG certification also revealed some additional information, like support for Bluetooth 5.0. Meanwhile, the 3C listing showed that it will support the usual 60Hz refresh rate. Unfortunately, this is all the information we have regarding this new Redmi MAX series TV, so we will have to wait for the official launch to know more details regarding the new smart TV.

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realme 9 5G SE gets first update with a fix for refresh rate switching issue

Last week, realme launched the realme 9 5G SE (Speed Edition) in India. The smartphone went on sale starting yesterday (March 14). At the same time, the company had also started rolling out the first software update for it. Let’s take a look at the changes.

Realme 9 5G SE Speed Edition Featured A

According to an official announcement post on realme Community, the brand has begun to push a new software build for the realme 9 5G SE in India. The first-ever system update for the handset arrives with firmware version RMX3461_11.A.06.

Per the official changelog, the latest build brings a fix for a refresh rate switching issue, which is responsible for app stutters. It also comes with fixes for some known issues to improve system stability. Finally, it also arrives with March 2022 security patches.

The new software update is said to be seeded out in batches. Anyway, as the smartphone is on sale for only a couple of days, almost all buyers should be greeted with this update while setting up the phone. Therefore, most of them will not have to face the aforementioned app stutter issue caused by improper refresh rate switching.

Talking about the device, the main highlights of realme 9 SE are Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G chipset and 144Hz display (LCD). It is priced at ₹19,999 and ₹22,999 for 6GB + 128GB and 8GB + 128GB memory configurations respectfully.

 

 

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