Huawei Nova 9 SE Design Revealed, First to Launch Globally in Malaysia on March 11th

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Mar 6, 2022

We’ve been hearing leaks and rumours of Huawei’s latest addition to the Nova family, the Huawei Nova 9 SE for the past few weeks, and Huawei even showed a teaser of the upcoming device on Twitter.

After days of teasing the launch, Huawei has finally confirmed the launch date of the Huawei Nova 9 SE. The device will be launching first globally in Malaysia on 11 March 2022, at 3 PM MYT across all Huawei Malaysia channels such as its Official Huawei Malaysia Website and Official Huawei Facebook Page.

Let’s start with the design, the Huawei Nova 9 SE shares similarity with its more premium siblings such as the standard Nova 9 and the Huawei P50 series with its double camera island ring setup with a curved ergonomic back design. The front features a 6.78″ hole-punch display with ultra-thin 1.05mm thin bezels, and as to whether the display is an IPS or AMOLED and its refresh rate, Huawei is saving the details for the launch on March 11th.

According to the product landing page, Huawei lists that the Huawei Nova 9 SE is running on Qualcomm’s latest 6nm processor with 4G connectivity, and as to our knowledge, the only Qualcomm processor with 4G connectivity only is the Snapdragon 680, found on the Redmi Note 11(Global).

Another highlighting feature of the Huawei Nova 9 SE is its camera. The Nova 9 SE features a 108MP camera that Huawei claims to bring “high-res” photography for the masses, and bring a creative vlog experience for those on the go. The device also features Huawei’s 66W Supercharge which can top-up your phone within 30 minutes to last a full day.

Coming to colours, the Huawei Nova 9 SE will be coming in 3 dazzling colours: Crystal Blue, Midnight Black, Pearl White.

Huawei Malaysia is currently running an Early Bird Campaign, whereby interested buyers can reserve a spot with a payment of RM20 non-refundable deposit(5 USD) for 1 Nova 9 SE unit at the company’s official website here to participate in the lucky draw with Huawei vouchers worth RM3,442(823 USD). After the campaign, buyers can complete the balance payment from 11 March until 18 March 2022.

For more details on the specs and pricing of the Huawei Nova 9 SE, stay tuned on 11 March, as here at Gizmochina, we’ll be reporting on the story as well.

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McDonald’s sued by Ice Cream machine hack manufacturer for $900 million

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 6, 2022

US startup Kytch has filed a $900 million lawsuit against the fast-food chain, McDonald’s for the latter’s unfair claims that had vicariously affected the company. Kytch had worked to invent and sell a device that was meant to fix the ice cream machines in the McDonald’s franchise. However, in the course of the evolution of the Kytch solution, McDonald’s pulled the plug and terminated the arrangement. The Kytch legal complaint against McDonald’s was filed a few days back and Kytch is accusing the company of false advertising and tortious interference in its contracts with customers. The Kytch co-founders are therefore asking for $900 million in damages for the stated infringements.

The complaint relates to Kytch’s phone-sized gadget which was designed to be installed inside McDonald’s ice cream machines. Since 2019 when the Kytch devices started to be installed in McDonald’s franchises, the device was able to help owners of McDonald’s ice cream machines remotely monitor and troubleshoot their devices. But a November 2020 email from McDonald’s to its franchisees directed them to immediately remove the Kytch device from their ice cream machines.

McDonald’s had stated that the Kytch device violated the ice cream machine’s warranties and intercepted their confidential information. McDonald’s also alleged that the Kytch device posed a safety threat that could lead to serious human injury. Kytch insists that these claims were false and defamatory.

Kytch also stated pointed to an alleged demarketing campaign which also led to McDonald’s promoting a new ice cream machine built by another company and offering similar features as the Kytch’s device. McDonald’s latest lawsuit is not the first by Kytch, as the company had also sued McDonald’s and others for allegedly stealing its trade secrets.

McDonald’s says it has committed no crime and the Kytch claims were meritless. It remains to be seen how the case pans out when the legal fireworks begin.

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The new Cannondale Mavaro Neo e-bike has built-in Garmin radar & up to 175km range

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 6, 2022

The just-released and updated Mavaro Neo e-bike from Cannondale packs several features including its extended range on a single charge, which is up to 175km. The new Mavaro Neo e-bike has an in-built Garmin radar as an added navigational feature. The Garmin radar alerts the driver of vehicles that are approaching the bike from behind.

The Cannondale Mavaro Neo e-bike sports the Bosch e-bike smart system including its high-capacity battery. That is the main reason for the above 100-mile range on offer with the e-bike. The bike also enjoys an upgrade of power assistance absent in the previous model. The Flow app is also part of the Bosch e-bike ecosystem that offers the rider firm control over the performance and behavior of the bike. It allows users to also receive OTA updates and need to take the bike to a designated service facility for updates is no more needed.

The e-bike’s settings are customizable to suit the rider’s choices in terms of the modes and configuration in tandem with individual driving styles. The Mavaro Neo e-bike is a low-maintenance model. It has a belt drive system that does not require lubrication and tensioning together with its step-less hub gearing setup.

As per pricing, the updated Mavaro Neo e-bike can be gotten directly from Cannondale for $7,800. Two frame sizes are available and it is unclear how the new e-bike will sit on the market, as several current models are in the segment are about half the price of the new e-bike.

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Sony partners Honda to jointly manufacture & sell electric vehicles

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 6, 2022

Japanese giants Sony and Honda are planning to jointly manufacture electric vehicles. The two companies have already signed a memorandum of understanding that highlights the roadmap to the accomplishment of the goal of a Sony-Honda EV. A joint venture arrangement will be used for the new partnership although this has not been finalized yet. The plans entail the formation of the new company this year and the first EVs from the joint venture are expected to roll out by 2025.

This exciting pairing holds a lot of promise as traditional automakers continue to transit into the fast-expanding EV space. Several tech companies have also pursued similar engagements with automakers for the production of electric vehicles. An Apple electric vehicle has remained on the rumor radar for a while and some other tech companies have similar plans. Honda will manufacture the first model while Sony is expected to develop its mobility platform, while the new company will drive the design, development, and sales of the EV. Both Sony and Honda will thus bring their technical strengths and expertise in the manufacturing of the EV.

Sony has a strong presence in imaging, telecommunications, and entertainment. It comes to the table with a repertoire of exciting tech products and capabilities that could yield a mouth-watering electric vehicle even with autonomous capabilities. In a statement, Sony’s CEO Kenshiro Yoshida says the company’s purpose is to fill the world with emotion using a mix of creativity and technology. Yoshida underscored the vast expertise also presented by Honda and says their goal is to manufacture mobility solutions centered upon safety, entertainment, and adaptability. Sony indeed has made progress in the development of electric vehicles and it already had two concept cars.

In a statement as well, Honda’s CEO Toshiro Mibe also highlighted the innovative leanings of the new company. Mibe stressed that the new company will leverage Honda’s cutting-edge technology while maintaining a focus on safety and the environment. Both Sony and Honda share a historical connection. The new company will hold a lot of promise and its takeoff is expected within this year.

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Yamaha unveils two sturdy electric bicycles with a top speed of 48km/h

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 6, 2022

Yamaha has updated its electric bicycle line with the unveiling of its refreshed Wabash RT and CrossCore RC. The two models come with Yamaha’s newly minted PWSeries ST mid-drive motor. The two models are capable of a top speed of 28mph and the two bikes are both built on sturdy frames. While the Wabash RT is suitable for off-road riding, the CrossCore RC is a conventional road running electric bike.

Yamaha Power and Assist Bicycles is the arm focused on the production of the Yamaha electric bikes and it says both models reflect the finer ideals of the company in producing functional and efficient models. The company says there is a growing need for electric bicycles as fitness and mobility tools, and the two e-bikes will be useful in several scenarios.

The PWSeries ST motor has a capacity of 500W and provides four levels of pedal assist to reach the top speed of 28mph. Four sensors namely for the torque, crank cadence, wheel speed, and bike angle, combine to continuously calculate and apply the precise amount of power while riding. Both bikes reflect massive improvements from the original 2019 Wabash RT and CrossCore RT models. They also come with individual innovations and features that put them in good stead in their respective rid segments.

As per pricing and availability details, the price of the Wabash RT is $4,099 while the CrossCore RC will cost $3,099. The two models will be available in the summer and there will be a few color options on offer.

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Realme GT2 Pro India launch likely this month, variants and color options tipped

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 6, 2022

The Realme GT2 and GT2 Pro were unveiled first in China in January. Both devices were announced for the global markets last week. New information reveals that the GT2 Pro will be launched in India this month. A report by MySmartPrice has leaked the RAM, storage, and color variants of the GT2 Pro for the Indian market.

Citing Mukul Sharma as the source, the publication reported that the Realme GT2 Pro will be arriving in India in two options such as 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage. It will be made available in three color options, such as Paper Black, Paper White, and Paper Green. At present, there is no information on the pricing of the GT2 Pro for India.

Now that the Realme GT2 Pro is tipped to launch this month in India, it is likely to soon confirm the launch date in the coming days. It is unclear whether the vanilla Realme GT2 will be launching alongside the Pro model in the country.

Realme GT2 Pro specifications

The Realme GT2 Pro has a 6.7-inch AMOLED LTPO 2.0 display that offers a Quad HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset is present under the hood of the GT2 Pro. The device will include LPPDR5 RAM, UFS 3.1 storage, and a 5,000mAh battery that supports 65W fast charging.

The GT2 Pro will be equipped with a 32-megapixel front-facing camera. Its rear camera setup will comprise a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 primary camera, a 50-megapixel ultrawide lens with a 150-degree FOV, and a 2-megapixel microscope camera. For security, it has an in-screen fingerprint scanner. The device will come preinstalled with Realme UI 3.0 and the Android 12 OS.

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iPhone SE (2022) design, chipset, color variants, and other details leaked

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 6, 2022

Apple is expected to announce the successor to the iPhone SE (2020) on March 8. It is unclear if the next one will be called the iPhone SE (2022) or iPhone SE 3. A couple of days ahead of the launch, an Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has shared key details about the design, chipset, and color variants of the iPhone SE (2022).

According to Kuo, the iPhone SE (2022) will have a form factor similar to the iPhone SE (2020).Like the predecessor model, the iPhone SE (2022) will come in multiple color variants and storage capacities of 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB.

The iPhone SE (2022) will come in color variants such as white, black, and red. The device will be driven by the Apple A15 Bionic chipset, and it will carry support for 5G connectivity (mmWave and sub-6GHz). Kuo added that the iPhone SE (2022)’s mass production this month. It is expected to ship around 25 to 30 million units of the phone in 2022.

It appears that the support for 5G connectivity will be the only major improvement on the iPhone SE (2022) as compared to its predecessor. Based on previous reports, it can be said that the iPhone SE 3 may retain the 4.7-inch LCD display and a physical home button at the front integrated with the Touch ID fingerprint scanner.

The March 8 event will also see the arrival of a couple of other Apple products. The iPad Air 5 is likely to launch with some upgraded features such as an Apple A15 chip, 5G support, a 12-megapixel FaceTime camera, and Centre Stage support. Other products that could be announced include an M2 chip-powered MacBook Air, a 23-inch Mac with an HDR display and an M1 Pro/Max chip, and a Mac Mini with an M1 Pro/Max chip.

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Realme 9 Pro vs POCO X4 Pro: Specs Comparison

By

Michele Ingelido

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Mar 5, 2022

POCO X4 Pro 5G has just hitten the global shelves with amazing specifications at a very affordable price. Despite it being an upgrade of the POCO X3 Pro, its performances are not superior because the processor mounted is actually inferior. But the rest of the specifications are definitely better, that is the reason why it is a better phone for average users. However, this year it has an important rival on the global market: the Realme 9 Pro. Given that it comes with very similar specifications and a similar price, it is hard to establish which one offers the higher value for money, at least for non-expert people. This comparison between their specifications will let you find out.

Realme 9 Pro vs Xiaomi POCO X4 Pro 5G

	Realme 9 Pro	Xiaomi POCO X4 Pro 5G
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT	164.3 x 75.6 x 8.5 mm, 195 grams	164.2 x 76.1 x 8.1 mm, 205 grams
DISPLAY	6.6 inches, 1080 x 2412p (Full HD+), IPS LCD	6.67 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), AMOLED
PROCESSOR	Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G, octa-core 2.2 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G, octa-core 2.2 GHz
MEMORY	6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD slot	6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – micro SD slot
SOFTWARE	Android 12, Realme UI	Android 11, MIUI
CONNECTIVITY	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS
CAMERA	Triple 64 + 8 + 2 MP f/1.8, f/2.2 and f/2.4 16 MP f/2.1 front camera	Triple 108 + 8 + 2 MP, f/1.9 + f/2.2 + f/2.4 16 MP f/2.4 front camera
BATTERY	5000 mAh, 33W fast charging	5000 mAh, fast charging 67W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES	Dual SIM slot, 5G	Dual SIM slot, 5G

Design

The Realme 9 Pro has a more elegant and suggestive design. Its color variants are very attractive and it is a more compact phone than the POCO X4 Pro 5G. Further, it has an important killer feature: the color-changing back cover. If you put the Realme 9 Pro under direct sunlight for about twelve seconds, it will change its colors. The color-changing back cover is only available on the Sunrise Blue color variant which goes from pink to blue and vice versa if placed under sunlight. The POCO X4 Pro 5G has a more aggressive design, more suitable for gamers. Further, it features the IP53 certification making it dust resistant and splash resistant.

Display

The POCO X4 Pro 5G is the winner of this comparison if we consider the displays. It comes with an AMOLED panel showing brighter colors and deeper blacks. It has a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, a 120 Hz refresh rate, the HDR10 certification improving the image quality on streaming platforms, a peak brightness of up to 1200 nits, and a wider 6.67-inch diagonal. Unfortunately, the Realme 9 Pro has an inferior IPS LCD panel. It sports the Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and a 120 Hz refresh rate, but the color reproduction is less impressive. Both the phones come with an in-display fingerprint reader, but the POCO X4 Pro 5G is the only one with stereo speakers.

Hardware/Software

Realme 9 Pro and POCO X4 Pro 5G are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G mobile platform built at 6 nm and running at a max frequency of 2.2 GHz. It is a good and sufficient chipset for everyone, including gamers and power users. It remains a midrange SoC, but it is never disappointing. The phones come with up to 8 GB of RAM, but the POCO mid-ranger offers more internal storage: up to 256 GB instead of just 128 GB. On the other hand, the Realme 9 Pro runs Android 12 out of the box, while the POCO X4 Pro 5G is still based on Android 11. Both the phones feature a micro SD slot to expand the internal storage, as well as a UFS 2.2 native storage.

Camera

The POCO X4 Pro 5G is the winner of the camera comparison thanks to a better 108 MP main sensor capturing a higher level of detail in bright light conditions. The sensor is paired with an 8 MP ultrawide camera and a 2 MP macro camera. In both cases, the selfie camera is a 16 MP sensor, but the Realme 9 Pro provides a brighter f/2.1 focal aperture.

Battery

The batteries of these two phones come with the same, good 5000 mAh capacity, but the POCO X4 Pro 5G is supposed to last longer on a single charge because it has a more efficient AMOLED display. Further, it chargers quicker thanks to 67W fast charging.

Realme 9 Pro vs Xiaomi POCO X4 Pro 5G: Price

You need less than €300/$328 to purchase the base variant of the Realme 9 Pro in Europe, while the POCO X4 Pro 5G starts from €329/$360. However, the POCO mid-ranger wins the comparison thanks to a better display, superior camera, and faster charging.

Read More: POCO announces free YouTube Premium for POCO X4 Pro 5G, M4 Pro buyers

Realme 9 Pro vs Xiaomi POCO X4 Pro 5G: PRO and CONS

Realme 9 Pro

PROS

More affordable
Elegant design
More compact
Color-changing

CONS

IPS display

Xiaomi POCO X4 Pro 5G

PROS

Faster charging
Up to 256 GB of internal storage
AMOLED display
Better main camera
IP53 certification

CONS

Price

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ZTE Unveils the World’s 1st Wi-Fi 7 Consumer Ready Product, Here’s What It Looks Like – MWC 2022

By

Leo Wong De Quan

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Mar 5, 2022

Although Wi-Fi 6 and 6E adoption rates are still relatively low in 2022, ZTE has already jumped ahead of the competition by offering an even faster consumer-ready internet solution at its MWC Convention this year, Wi-Fi 7.

At MWC 2022, ZTE unveils the world’s first Wi-Fi 7 consumer-ready product, called the ZTE MC888 Flagship. The MC888 Flagship is a Wi-Fi 7 5G CPE(Customer Premises Equipment) device that receives cellular data such as 4G LTE/5G which then converts them into WiFi signals for users to connect to. Normally CPEs are most commonly seen in hospitals, factories and villages, as CPEs save the cost and hassle of installing fibre optic cables in these areas.

ZTE-WIFi-7-3 — ZTE Wi-Fi 7 MC888 Flagship

Back to the highlights of the ZTE MC888 Flagship. Under the hood, the device supports global sub6 and mmWave frequency bands, whilst adopting ZTE’s smart antenna X technology. Said technology features the industry’s highest antenna gain, reaching 10dBi. It is worth mentioning that the MC888 Flagship adopts the world’s first auxiliary antenna technology to achieve high-power mmW antenna transmission. With the LED screen on the router, you can also monitor network signal changes in real-time, as the device automatically rotates and tracks and locks the mmWave signals, to achieve peak Internet speeds of up to 10Gbps.

Currently, the MC888 Flagship holds the record for the world’s fastest Wi-Fi 7 solution, and its support for 2.4GHz/5GHz/6Hz frequency bands, with up to 19GBps speeds if all three bands were utilised to their full potential. And since the router runs on Wi-Fi 7 technology, it includes many new key features of Wi-Fi 7, such as a 320MHz bandwidth, multi-link operation (MLO), and 4K QAM ensure that 256 users can be able to use the Wi-Fi network with extremely fast and stable speeds. Wi-Fi 7 also brings wider signal coverage, in relation to that it supports more users connecting the network at once.

From the exterior, ZTE mentioned that the MC888 Flagship was designed to resemble some sort of futuristic outer-space rocket. The design of the top metal decorative ring takes inspiration from the thrusters found on rockets. The 3 sets of colour-changing LED strips on the sides of the router combined with the futuristic UI interface on the router’s circular touch screen, provides the users with the experience that they are using industry-leading Internet with industry-leading convenience.

ZTE hopes the design elevates the router’s immersive experience. At the same time, the MC888 Flagship is equipped with the world’s fastest 10 Gigabit Ethernet port, providing reliable 10 Gigabit connection for computers, Smart TVs, 8K video streaming, etc.

ZTE mentions that it will be bringing the Wi-Fi 7 MC888 Flagship to market by the end of 2022, but expect a higher premium since this is 1st Generation Wi-Fi 7 product that is coming to market.

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The Samsung Galaxy A53 Does Not Have a 3.5mm Headphone Jack – Leaked Press Materials

By

Leo Wong De Quan

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Mar 5, 2022

Samsung is speculated to launch its much-anticipated mid-range Samsung Galaxy A53 in March of 2022, and as we approach closer to launch, more and more details of the device start to emerge from the shadows. The latest news story is that leaked press materials of the Samsung Galaxy A53 launch seem to have been uploaded online detailing the specs of the device, and it seems that the trend of removing the headphone port has finally reached Samsung’s mid-range lineup of devices.

The leak comes from Twitter leakster, TechInsider, who is also a fellow tech journalist in the industry. In the post, he shared several photos of the press materials that he had obtained regarding the specifications of the Samsung Galaxy A53.

Samsung-Galaxy-A53-Leaked-Press-Specs — Leaked Press Materials, Source: TechInsider on Twitter

Let’s start with the major differences compared to its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy A52. For starters, Samsung will be removing the 3.5mm headphone jack from the Galaxy A53, a feature that was available on the Galaxy A52. The audio input/output jack will instead be relocated to the USB-C charging port. This is the first time that Samsung will be releasing a mid-range A-series without a headphone jack, although the headphone jack was already absent on its flagships since the Galaxy Note 10 series. However, unlike Samsung’s latest flagships, the Galaxy A53 still retains the SD card slot, with expandable storage up to 1TB.

The next major change is the battery capacity of the device. The Samsung Galaxy A53 features a large 5000mAh battery, a hefty upgrade over last year’s 4500mAh. However, the device still remains light to hold at 189g with its matte polycarbonate design.

Coming to the processor under the hood, the Samsung Galaxy A53 will be coming with an Exynos 1280 processor, with 5G connectivity and better performance over the Snapdragon 720G found on the Galaxy A52.

As for the screen, the Samsung Galaxy A53 will feature a flat 120Hz AMOLED FHD+ display, an upgrade over last year’s 90Hz, with a 20:9 aspect ratio. The device will also feature Dolby Atmos speakers for a better multimedia experience.

Coming to the cameras, the Galaxy A53 still retains the quad-camera setup as last year’s A52 with its 64MP OIS main sensor, 12MP ultra-wide lens, and 5MP macro and depth cameras. On the durability front, the A53 retains the IP67 dust and water resistance rating and receives Gorilla Glass 5 on the front from drop and scratches.

As for the colours, previous leaked renders also confirmed that we will be seeing the device in 3 youthful colours: Blue, Orange, White and Black. The Samsung Galaxy A53 is said to be available in regions such as the U.S. India, Europe and Asia once it officially launches.

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Oppo Enco X2 Indian launch timeline revealed along with other TWS earphones and smartwatches

By

Sudhanshu

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Mar 5, 2022

Oppo has gradually been diversifying its product offerings to include more IoT products like TWS earphones, smart wearables, and power banks. And according to a new report, the company plans on launching many new products in India this year.

According to MySmartPrice, tipster Mukul Sharma has revealed Oppo’s IoT roadmap for India for the year 2022. The tipster states that the Chinese tech giant will launch three new TWS earbuds in India this year. This will include the successor to the Oppo W31 budget TWS, the recently unveiled Oppo Enco X2 premium earbuds, and the successor to the Enco W11 earbuds. These three TWS earbuds are said to release in the month of July.

For the second half of the year, the brand plans to launch more products in India like an Oppo smartwatch and power bank. The brand is yet to launch the Oppo Watch 2 in India, which launched in China back in July 2021, so we could see it make its Indian debut in the second half of 2022.

As for its specs and features, the Oppo Watch 2 series is designed similar to the original Oppo Watch from 2020. It flaunts a 3D AMOLED flexible display with curved edges and narrow bezels. The screen comes with a 60Hz refresh rate, 326 PPI, and 100% DCI-P3 color gamut.

Users can choose over 100 dials and can even generate new dials using the AI Outfit 2.0 watchface function. Further, the wearable sports a skin-friendly fluoroelastomer strap with a buckle. It is offered in three variants. Two models have a 42mm dial and the third model has a larger 46mm dial. The 42mm version comes in both eSIM and Bluetooth-only variants, whereas the 46mm is only available in an eSIM variant.

The smartwatch is powered by two chips, namely Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100 and Apollo4s. It also boots dual-OS: ColorOS Watch based on Android and RTOS. Hence, it offers up to 4-day battery life. Additionally, as per OPPO, users can get up to 16 days of battery life when completely switching over to RTOS. The wearable offers all other common smartwatch features like sports modes, heart-rate monitoring, sleep tracking, snore tracking, blood oxygen level monitoring, and more.

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Realme mid-range smartphone with OnePlus like Alert Slider coming in April: Report

By

Sudhanshu

-

Mar 5, 2022

Realme is the fastest-growing smartphone brand in the world right now due to its feature-packed smartphone offerings with aggressive pricing. And it appears that the brand has no plans of slowing down as it is rumored to launch a mid-range smartphone with a OnePlus like Alert Slider on it.

According to a MySmartPrice report, noted tipster Yogesh Brar has informed on Realme testing a device with an Alert slider on it. He adds that this device will debut as soon as April 2022. For those unaware, the alert slider is a physical slider that enables users to switch switches between ringer and vibrate mode, just like the iPhone. In the Android space, it was made popular by OnePlus which has provided the functionality on almost all of its smartphones.

Realme sharing this feature is not that surprising as both Realme and OnePlus come under the BBK Electronics group from China. And as we know, companies under BBK electronics often share their technologies like OnePlus and OPPO now sharing the same codebase and Hasselblad camera tuning in their flagship devices.

It would be interesting to see what other features the alert slider-equipped Realme smartphone will bring and how much it will cost. As we know, OnePlus does not provide an alert slider in their OnePlus Nord CE devices like the recently launched OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G which launched at a starting price of Rs 23,999 in India and €349 in Europe. So if Realme is able to provide the upcoming smartphone around this price segment with decent specs, they might even be able to steal some of the OnePlus customers away.

Compared by price, Realme currently offers the Realme 9 Pro Plus at a similar price point of Rs. 24,999 ($333). The device features a 6.43-inch AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. For selfies, it has a front camera of a 16-megapixel front camera, and its rear-mounted camera island has an OIS-assisted 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 primary camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro camera.

The device is powered by the Dimensity 920 SoC and ships with 6GB LPPDR4x RAM (8GB variant available) and 128 GB UFS 2.1 storage (256GB variant available). The device houses a 4,500mAh battery that supports 60W rapid charging.

An interesting feature of the Realme 9 Pro+ is the hear-rate sensor, which can be accessed through the in-display fingerprint scanner. The device offers other features like a vapor chamber cooling system, X-axis linear motor, 5 GB of virtual RAM, Android 12 OS with Realme UI 3.0, dual speakers, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a Light Shift Design.

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Redmi Watch 2 Lite priced leaked ahead of Indian launch

By

Sudhanshu

-

Mar 5, 2022

Earlier this week, news Xiaomi announced that the Redmi Watch 2 Lite will launch in India on 9th March 2022. The brand had already launched this model in Europe back in December where it retails for €69.99. Now, before its Indian launch, the price range of the smart wearable has been leaked.

According to a MySmartPrice report, tipster Yogesh Brar has stated that the smartwatch will be aggressively priced in India. According to the tipster, the Redmi Watch 2 Lite will debut with a price tag between Rs. 5000- Rs. 6000 in the country.

Specifications and Features

As the smartwatch is already available in other markets, we already know all the details regarding its specifications. The Redmi Watch 2 Lite features a 1.55-inch 360 x 320 pixels touch screen color display with support for over 100 watch faces. It has a button on the side for navigation and accessing the menu.

Similar to most modern smartwatches, it offered biometric sensors like heart rate monitoring, steps country, blood oxygen levels measuring, and more. Furthermore, it also offers over 100 sports modes and the wearables also arrive with GPS along with support for Galileo, GLONASS, and BDS. It is rated 5ATM for water resistance as well. Xiaomi even launched the Redmi Watch 2 Lite with its proprietary operating system that offered 100 watch faces.

The wearable is powered by a 262mAh battery pack that it claims can offer 10 days of battery life. Other features include music control, weather, message notification, DND, call alerts, alarm, find my phone, and timer. The new Redmi Watch comes in Ivory, Black, and Blue color options. Also, there are six strap options – Ivory, Black, Blue, Pink, Olive, Brown.

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Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 now gets beaten by Dimensity 8100 on Geekbench, as if Dimensity 9000 wasn’t enough

By

Zohaib Ahmed

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Mar 5, 2022

The Samsung-manufactured Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is having a tough time keeping up its most prominent rival, MediaTek, which has lately been acing it with its latest TSMC-produced Dimensity chips. Early benchmark scores of the Dimensity 9000 were found to be higher than that of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and as if that wasn’t enough, the Qualcomm flagship has now apparently been beaten by the Dimensity 8100 as well.

Tipster Digital Chat Station today shared Geekbench results of the Dimensity 8100, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and the Snapdragon 888, where the MediaTek chip easily beat the other two on the multi-core test. Devices used were all from realme, with the RMX3562 being the upcoming realme GT NEO3.

1 of 3

But the D9000 ranked last in the single-core test due to the presence of a super-powerful Cortex-X1 core on both the Qualcomm chips.

Regardless, it’s still remarkable to see a chip that isn’t even MediaTek’s best for this year beat two flagship processors from Qualcomm. MediaTek’s flagship solution for 2022 is actually the Dimensity 9000 chip, and the Dimensity 8000 series is only aimed at upper-mid-range smartphones. On top of that, the Dimensity 8000 chips use an older 5nm process compared to the cutting-edge 4nm process employed by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

But Qualcomm does have another card up its sleeve. Another flagship processor from the chipmaker has been making rounds lately and judging by its SM8475 model number, it will most likely be an upgraded Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, likely a Plus version. This one will be manufactured using TSMC’s superior 4nm process as opposed to Samsung’s 4nm process used for the first-gen 8 Gen 1. It will thus be interesting to see how well the upgraded version stacks up against rivals.

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Nokia N150DL makes Bluetooth SIG appearance, looks budget-friendly

By

Zohaib Ahmed

-

Mar 5, 2022

Nokia looks to be on a streak of launching entry-level smartphones currently. After announcing Nokia C21, C21 Plus, and the C2 2nd Edition, the company is now gearing up to launch another budget offering, as apparent from its appearance on the Bluetooth SIG certification site.

Carrying model number N150DL, the Nokia device will be supporting up to Bluetooth 5.0, the certificate shows. The version isn’t really up to date but isn’t too far behind Bluetooth 5.2 either, which is currently the latest.

Aside from this, tipster Piyush Bhasarkar has also shared an alleged render of the same handset, courtesy of Evan Blass. It shows that the Nokia N150DL will indeed be a budget device with a plastic cover at the rear and a waterdrop notch + thick chin combination upfront.

Additionally, the device will have a triple camera setup, a USB-C port, and the good, old 3.5mm headphone jack.

Everything else about the device remains unknown at the moment, including its name, but we should be seeing more of it in the coming days as leaks and official teasers emerge. The phone could be sold as part of the C series, just like the aforementioned launches, but that’s just speculation at this point.

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Geekbench kicks multiple Galaxy flagships off its benchmark charts following throttling debacle

By

Zohaib Ahmed

-

Mar 5, 2022

Amid record-breaking Galaxy S22 sales, Samsung now finds itself in the midst of a scandal-like situation involving benchmark cheating, threatening the so far excellent response for its new flagships. The company was recently found to be artificially limiting system performance of its Galaxy phones on a list of 10,000 apps. And as if the resultant outrage wasn’t enough, benchmarking utility Geekbench has now announced the removal of several Galaxy flagships from its Android Benchmark charts.

The performance throttling, or ‘optimization’ as Samsung puts it, is managed by the GOS service. This service has been cited by Geekbench in a tweet that stated that throttling was discovered to be done on the basis of application identifiers and not application behavior.

Following extensive internal testing, Geekbench determined that the following models use GOS:

Samsung Galaxy S22 (all models)
Samsung Galaxy S21 (all models)
Samsung Galaxy S20 (all models)
Samsung Galaxy S10 (all models)

Consequently, all of these handsets were removed from the Android Benchmark chart on the Geekbench Browser. This has likely been done because their scores did not reflect the performance one expects and because the entire thing is rather unfair.

Another interesting bit to note here is that the list excludes the Galaxy S22 series despite Samsung confirming that the lineup comes with GOS, at least in South Korea. The reason for this is unclear at the moment.

Regardless, Samsung has issued a statement saying that it’s planning to update the Game Booster Lab as soon as possible to offer an option to prioritize performance.

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Upcoming Smartphones: iPhone SE 2022, Galaxy F23 5G, realme 9 5G SE, and more

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Mar 5, 2022

Around 7 smartphones are expected to launch next month. Out of these, only 4 are new, while the remaining 3 are making their way to India. In other words, the number of releases in the upcoming week will be fewer than the last week.

Almost all the handsets launching next month are successors of their bestsellers. With that being said, let us take a look at all the forthcoming phones one by one.

Upcoming Smartphones Next Week

Prev Next

1. realme C35

realme C35

The realme C35 made its global debut in Thailand in February. It has been now confirmed to launch in India on March 7. Interested readers can watch the announcement of the handset on the brand’s official YouTube channel starting at 12:30 PM.

The highlights of the realme C35 include a 6.6-inch FHD+ notched display (LCD) with up to 600 nits peak brightness, UNISOC T616 chipset, LPDDR4x RAM, UFS 2.2 storage, 50MP (wide) + 2MP (macro) + 2MP (monochrome) triple camera setup, 8MP selfie camera, side-mounted fingerprint sensor, 5,000mAh battery, 18W fast charging, and Android 11 (realme UI 2.0).

2. Samsung Galaxy F23 5G

Samsung has scheduled to launch the Galaxy F23 5G in India on March 8. The Flipkart-exclusive smartphone will be announced in a live stream that will begin at 12 PM on the company’s official YouTube channel.

The South Korean tech giant has disclosed some of the features of the device already. It will arrive with a 120Hz FHD+ display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection, Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G SoC, a triple-camera system comprising of a 50MP primary sensor and a 123° ultra-wide lens, 5,000mAh battery, and support for 25W fast charging

3. Apple iPhone SE 2022

Apple iPhone SE 2020

Apple will be hosting its first event of 2022 labeled ‘Peek Performance. The live stream is planned to kickstart at 10 AM PT. It can be watched on the official YouTube channel of the company.

The American tech giant is expected to announce multiple products at this virtual conference. One of them is said to be the iPhone SE 2022, the successor of the iPhone SE 2020. The handset will reportedly retain the design of its predecessor and bring 5G connectivity. Most interestingly, it may cost as low as $300.

4. Redmi Note 11 Pro and Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G

Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G

Xiaomi has already announced Redmi Note 11 Pro series in multiple markets. The handsets are finally making their way to India on March 9. They will be unveiled in a live stream, which will kickstart at 12 PM on the brand’s official YouTube channel.

Talking about the devices, the company has confirmed to debut two models, namely Redmi Note 11 Pro and Redmi Note 11 Pro+. According to teasers and earlier reports, the former will be the same as the international Redmi Note 11 Pro with 4G connectivity. Whereas, the latter will be a rebranded international Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G.

5. realme 9 5G and realme 9 5G SE

Chinese tech brand has planned yet another launch event for India on March 10. It will be also live-streamed starting at 12:30 PM on the said date on the firm’s official YouTube channel. The stars of the show will be realme 9 5G and realme 9 5G SE.

These two will be the third and fourth phones in the realme 9 series respectively. The realme 9 5G will be almost identical to the realme 8 5G. On the other hand, the realme 9 5G SE is expected to be a rebadged realme Q3s.

Xiaomi 12X and Mi Pad 5 Pro get a limited period price drop in China

By

Pranav Sawant

-

Mar 5, 2022

Xiaomi 12 series was launched in December 2021, with the series comprising the Xiaomi 12X, 12, and 12 Pro. Out of the three, the Xiaomi 12X brings an interesting specs sheet to the table like the Snapdragon 870 at a cheaper price. Now, the smartphone has received a price drop in China making it even more affordable. Additionally, the Mi Pad 5 Pro has also received a limited period price drop in the region.

Xiaomi 12X

The Xiaomi 12X was launched in China for a starting price of CNY 3,199(~$506) for the 8GB + 128GB variant, CNY 3,499(~$554) for the 8GB + 256GB variant, and CNY 3,799(~$601) for the 12GB + 256GB variant.

Now, the smartphone’s price has gone down by CNY 200(~$32) making the new discounted prices as follows: CNY 2,999(~$475), CNY 3,299(~$522), and CNY 3,599(~$570). The smartphone can be bought in Black, Blue, and Purple colors. Notably, the phone will be available for the discounted price till March 10 in China.

The Xiaomi 12X sports a 6.28-inch AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It has a 50MP + 13MP + 5MP triple camera system and has a 32MP selfie snapper. It is powered by the Snapdragon 870 SoC and packs a 4,500mAh battery. The phone has 67W fast charging support and boots on Android 12 OS out of the box.

Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 Pro

In addition to this, the Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 Pro has also received a price drop in the region. The tablet’s price has gone down by CNY 100(~$16). The tablet now starts at CNY 2,399(~$380) over its launch price of CNY 2,499(~$396). It can be picked up in Black and Dazzling White colors.

The offer price for the Mi Pad 5 Pro stays till March 8.

Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 Pro has an 11-inch LCD display with 2560 x 1600 pixels resolution and a refresh rate of 120Hz. The tablet comes with eight Dolby Atmos branded speaker-setup and is powered by the Snapdragon 870 SoC. It houses an 8,600mAh battery and has 67W fast charging support. It boots on Android 11 out of the box.

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Realme Watch T1 gets EEC certified confirming a sooner global release

By

Pranav Sawant

-

Mar 5, 2022

Back in October 2021, Realme launched the Realme Watch T1 with a circular dial and over 110 sports modes. However, the smartwatch is still limited to China. There’s no global launch date, nor there have been any leaks. But, a Realme Watch with model number RMW2103 was previously spotted on India’s BIS. It was said to be the Watch T1. Now, the smartwatch with the same model number has appeared on the EEC certification.

The listing was first spotted by the tipster Piyush Bhasarkar. Unfortunately, the listing doesn’t reveal any details of the smartwatch but it does confirm its global release. Coming to its name, this smartwatch is expected to be the global version of the Realme Watch T1 since the Chinese version of the Watch T1 has the model number RMW2102.

So the #realme's upcoming smartwatch is listed on EEC certification🇷🇺

Model no. RMW2103

Asian launch immediate

(Already listed on BIS🇮🇳https://t.co/6pgKC8dwl0)#Russia #realmeWatch #realmeTechLife https://t.co/Oqm6JeZn6y pic.twitter.com/fyXObw2DP7

— Piyush Bhasarkar (@IndianTech_1) March 4, 2022

If we go by this, then we can expect the smartwatch to have similar specs as the China’s Realme Watch T1. The Watch T1 was launched with a 1.3-inch round display with a resolution of 416 x 416 pixels. It has Always On Display and supports NFC.

The smartwatch comes with 110 sports modes and has over 50 watch faces. It has a Bluetooth calling feature with the help of Bluetooth v5.0 and is 5ATM waterproof. It packs a 228mAh battery and has 7-day battery life. It comes with health features like a real-time heart rate monitor, Sp2 sensor, and also has a sleep tracker.

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Oppo K10 arrives on 3C revealing 80W fast charging support

By

Pranav Sawant

-

Mar 5, 2022

A few days back, we learned that there will be a new smartphone from Oppo named the Oppo K10. Rumors are rife that it will be one of the models to come powered by the new MediaTek Dimensity 8000 series chipset. Now, in new development, we learn that the smartphone will come with an impressive fast charging solution.

The Oppo K10 has passed China’s 3C certification site with model number PGIM10. The smartphone has a charger with model number VCB8JACH and it will have 80W fast charging support.

Furthermore, the tipster @BaldPanda revealed that the smartphone will come with a combination of the new Dimensity 8000 SoC and 80W fast charging technology. This clears up the previous confusion, where we were unsure of which 8000 series processor the K10 would have, whether the 8000 or the 8100.

For starters, the Dimensity 8000 and 8100 are new mid-range chipsets, but the Dimensity 8000 has a slightly slower GPU compared to the Dimensity 8100. MediaTek has officially confirmed that the first smartphone coming with these chips would be by the end of Q1. So, we can expect the Oppo K10 to arrive in the coming months.

It is worth noting that Oppo will not be the only brand to bring the Dimensity 8000 series chipset phones. Some of the first brands to launch phones with either the 8000 or 8100 SoCs would be OnePlus and Redmi. While the name of the upcoming OnePlus handset powered by this chip is yet to be known, we do know that Redmi’s K50 Pro will use the 8000 series processor.

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