Infinix X3 Smart TV launch imminent, key features reveled on Flipkart

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Mar 3, 2022

MediaTek on March 1 launched the new Dimensity 8000 series chips, following which Chen Junhong, deputy GM of the company’s wireless communication division said in an interview that the flagship mobile processor market is no longer a monopoly.

This is an obvious reference to the MediaTek Dimensity 9000, which was announced late last year, and has recently been found to outperform Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in some benchmark tests.

Chen also emphasized that high-end and flagship processors are no longer one and the same, pointing toward the Dimensity 8000 series which he declared caters to the high-end market, while the Dimensity 9000 is MediaTek’s entry into the flagship market for the first time.

The Dimensity 8100 inherits the excellent design of the Dimensity 9000, although it does not have the so-called top performance, he added (via IT Home). The aim with it is to allow high-end market consumers to enjoy a flagship experience across scenarios like games, imaging, display, and communication.

“The first terminal product of the Dimensity 9000 should have been officially released. It is MediaTek’s goal to stand firm as the flagship. We will continue to work hard to launch better flagship and high-end products,” concluded Chen.

The Dimensity 8100 is an octa-core unit, four of which are Cortex-A78 cores clocked at 2.85GHz, while for the Dimensity 8000, the same cores max out at 2.75GHz. Both chips use the Mali-G610 MC6 GPU assisted by MediaTek’s HyperEngine 5.0 gaming technologies for graphics.

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Another leak reaffirms global Redmi Note 11 Pro+ to be same as the Chinese model

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Mar 3, 2022

Xiaomi recently debuted the Redmi Note 11 series in international markets. The company is now said to introduce one more model in the lineup dubbed as Redmi Note 11 Pro+. This particular device is rumored to be the same as the phone sold with identical branding in China. A tipster has disclosed the key specs of this handset in accordance with the previous reports.

Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus Review featured 1 — Redmi Note 11 Pro+

Leaker Yogesh Brar has shared almost all the features of the global Redmi Note 11 Pro+ on Twitter. These specs clearly suggest that the smartphone will be nothing but the same as the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ available in China.

It is not surprising because MIUI code had already revealed in October that the phone will release under its original name in select international markets. Additionally, in India, it was said to go by the name of Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge, and so it does.

At the same time, India is also getting a Redmi Note 11 Pro+ on March 9. But that handset is different from the aforementioned model. For some reason, the global Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G will be sold as Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G in India.

With that being said, what are your thoughts on companies selling the same product under different names? Do let us know in the comment section below.

OPPO’s ‘ultra’ flagship tipped to debut in H2 2022, possibly with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus

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Mar 3, 2022

The OPPO X5 series currently comprises three models, namely, the OPPO Find X5, Find X5 Pro, and the Find X5 Pro Dimensity Version. There’s also a fourth called Find X5 Lite but it doesn’t make the cut since it’s only a Reno7 5G rebrand. Even so, OPPO isn’t done with the lineup just yet as it’s now been tipped that a possible ‘ultra’ model is on the way too.

Today, prominent industry insider Digital Chat Station broke the news that OPPO’s ‘ultra’ flagship model will debut in the second half of the year. Equipped with the upcoming SM8475 processor, which is purportedly the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus, the device may be the very first ultra model from the company.

The chip will reportedly use TSMC’s 4nm process, which is expected to be superior to Samsung’s 4nm process used with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Currently, the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 is the only chip made using the TSMC process, so that makes the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus the second.

Aside from the change in the foundries, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus may also feature higher frequencies, as is usually the case with ‘Plus’ iterations of flagship Snapdragon chips.

In addition, the OPPO ultra flagship model may bring a return of the periscope lens that was previously featured on the Reno 10x Zoom. It isn’t clear if the ultra model will indeed be an expansion of the Find X5 series, but if it will be, then it may be called the OPPO Find X5 Ultra.

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POCO F4 Pro spotted on IMEI Database, could be a rebranded Redmi K50 Pro+

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Mar 3, 2022

After expanding the POCO X and M lineups with multiple new models, POCO is now gearing up to launch successors to last year’s POCO F3. Key details about the standard model — the POCO F4 — are already out but it looks that the series will actually comprise three models this year. An alleged POCO F4 Pro+ was certified by EEC earlier and it’s now joined by the POCO F4 Pro, which has just made an appearance on the IMEI database.

A new Xiaomi device under the POCO brand has been spotted on the IMEI database with model number 22011211G L11 (via Xiaomiui). Codenamed ‘matisse,’ the POCO F4 Pro moniker has actually been mentioned in the certificate, effectively confirming the name. The same device could be rebranded as the Xiaomi 12X Pro in India, as customary.

Redmi K50 Pro Renders — Redmi K50 Pro render (via @OnLeaks x @zoutons_uae)

The appearance of the POCO F4 Pro and POCO F4 Pro+ signals a change in strategy for the lineup, which last year offered the POCO F3 alone. The POCO F3 was sold as the Xiaomi Mi 11X alongside the Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro in India, but global users were deprived of a Pro model. This looks to be changing now, though.

It’s worth mentioning here that the POCO F4 Pro’s model number is shared with the Redmi K50 Pro+ launched recently in China, meaning it’s again nothing but a rebrand. Both will thus also have identical spec sheets. The Redmi K50 Pro+ is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chip and has the 108MP Samsung ISOCELL HM2 sensor as its primary rear camera.

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realme 9 5G to come with 144Hz display: Leak

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Mar 3, 2022

Chinese tech brand realme is expected to launch realme 9 and realme 9 5G in the coming days. The duo will be the fourth and fifth smartphones in the realme 9 series after realme 9i, realme 9 Pro, and realme 9 Pro+. The upcoming phones are in the news for the last few days due to certifications and leaks. A new leak has now emerged revealing the refresh rate of realme 9 5G’s display.

Realme 9 Pro Plus review FEatured — realme 9 Pro+

A report by 91Mobiles confirms that the upcoming realme 9 5G will flaunt a 144Hz display. The publication has shared a promotional image detailing the 7-stage refresh rate feature on the device.

For the unaware, realme currently only sells a couple of handsets with a 144Hz display and they are exclusive to China. These phones are called realme Q3s and realme Q3t.

The former had already received BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certification in January. Hence, it is expected to debut in India but under a different name.

Going by the leaks and certifications surrounding the realme 9 5G, the smartphone will be most likely a rebranded or a tweaked version of realme Q3s for international markets.

If this is true, then the realme 9 5G will arrive with features like a 6.6-inch 144Hz display (LCD), Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G, 48MP (wide) + 2MP (monochrome) + 2MP (macro) triple camera setup, 16MP selfie camera, 5,000mAh battery, and 30W fast charging.

As of now, realme hasn’t announced the launch date for realme 9 5G as well as realme 9.

OPPO Find X5 series sees better sales compared to its predecessor: Exec

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Mar 3, 2022

Just a couple of days ago, OPPO launched its highly anticipated flagship series, which comprised of the Find X5 and Find X5 Pro. The two smartphones were its top end models, and now, a company official has claimed that the new lineup is seeing better sales than the previous generation.

The statement was made by the Chinese tech giant’s President, Liu Bo, in an interview (Via ITHome). According to the senior official, the Find X5 series sales are relatively higher than its predecessors. Furthermore, the executive added that the brand has also placed 10 million orders for its newly self developed NPU with TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company). For those unaware, the NPU in question is the MariSilicon X.

This is an imaging chipset that aims on delivering better photographic capabilities like ultra clear 4K night scene videos, HDR videos, and more. Back when it first launched, the Find X5 series saw great sales in the Chinese market across multiple major e-commerce platforms like JD.com, Tmall, and even its official website in the country. In other words, the company is expecting to see even more sales in the arriving weeks. With its MariSilicon X chipset also performing well in the market, we can expect to see the NPU chip in upcoming smartphone models as well.

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POCO X3 Pro gets MIUI 13 global stable with a rather boring changelog

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Mar 3, 2022

The POCO X3 Pro is one of POCO’s top-selling models and saying it lies in the same league as the legendary POCO F1 in terms of popularity wouldn’t be a stretch. Both devices are highly performance-oriented, and as such brought flagship processors to ridiculously low price points. But while the POCO F1 has hit the end of the road with software support, the X3 Pro is still going strong and has now bagged MIUI 13.

The update carries version number 13.0.3.0.SJUMIXM and the ‘global’ tag, meaning it’s being rolled out to multiple regions. Sized 3.1GB, it also brings along Android 12 and the February security patch (via Xiaomiui).

The changelog doesn’t mention much apart from the Android and security patch version, with the only highlighted feature addition being the ability to open apps as floating windows directly from the sidebar. This is paired with some optimizations for a couple of security apps:

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

Do note here that the MIUI 13 update for the POCO X3 Pro is still in its early stages of rollout and appears limited to Mi Pilot testers for now. If found free from bugs, it will be released widely. You can still give it a try after downloading it from here, though.

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Samsung Galaxy M23 5G chipset, display details emerge

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Mar 3, 2022

The upcoming Galaxy M23 5G is in the news for about a month now. The device is expected to release as Galaxy F23 5G as well. It has been spotted on Google Play Console revealing some of its key features.

The yet-to-release Samsung Galaxy M23 5G with model number SM-M236B has been listed on Google Play Console. According to the listing, the phone will flaunt a display with a resolution of 2408 x 1080 pixels (FHD+).

Unfortunately, it’s not known whether the screen will have a high refresh rate. Going by the market situation right now, the handset has a chance of flaunting at least a 90Hz panel.

Apart from the display, the listing also discloses the chipset powering the smartphone. It is said to house a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750 SoC. The said chip will be paired with 6GB RAM. There could be other memory variants as well.

According to previous reports, the phone will come with Bluetooth 5.0, a MicroSD card slot, 25W fast charging support, and boot Android 12 with One UI 4 skin atop. Finally, if the device is based on the Galaxy A23 5G, then we can also expect an OIS-enabled 50MP primary camera.

As of now, Samsung is yet to announce the launch date for Galaxy M23 5G. Anyway, going by the certifications and online listings so far, the handset should go official sooner than later.

Russia smartphone market declines in 2021, will likely sink further over Ukraine invasion

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Mar 3, 2022

In 2021, the smartphone market in Russia saw a slight fall over the previous year. But while there were many reasons for the initial decline, it seems that the negative trend might continue in 2022 as well, owing to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

The news arrives from Counterpoint Research, who noted that the Russian handset market fell by 7 percent year on year in 2021. Although, it saw a 10 percent rise quarter on quarter in Q4 2021. During this time, Samsung continued to lead the market with a sizeable 30 percent market share, which was followed by Xiaomi with 23 percent and Apple with 13 percent market shares. The modest decline in 2021 was primarily attributed to slower upgrade cycles for consumers that were using mid to high end devices.

Furthermore, Research Director Tarun Pathak stated that “Chinese brands contributed 44% of the total market in 2021 compared to 46% in 2020. The decline can be attributed to Huawei’s loss, but Chinese brands are gaining again, especially Xiaomi, HONOR and realme. Xiaomi has been steadily increasing its share in the market along with Samsung and Apple.”

However, the region might see a sharper fall in 2022, with Pathak further adding that “The current war has changed the entire landscape and pushed the handset market into uncertainty. The fall in ruble will lead to a steep price rise in the short term due to limited inventory and suspended deliveries. Also, as sanctions gather pace, it will be hard for OEMs to make a conclusive device strategy.”

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Apple to launch new iPad Air & iPhone SE in March 8 event: Report

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Mar 3, 2022

Apple had just sent out invites for its March 8 event earlier today (3rd March 2022). During this event, the company was expected to unveil a number of new products, and now, a new report has hinted at the launch of its next gen iPad Air and iPhone SE model.

The information arrives from a known Asian telecom carrier. The operator is one of Asia’s leading mobile networks, who had recently built a page that listed both devices. With the March 8 event being just around the corner, it’s no surprise that retailers, carriers and others are preparing pages for the upcoming products. So, it is highly likely that the Cupertino based giant will be announcing the new iPhone SE model alongside the latest generation of iPad Air next week.

Looking at the listings (Via 91Mobiles), the carried is creating a page for the new devices and even included product images for the new smartphone and tablet. It was already rumored that the new iPhone SE and iPad Air will be announced during this event, but the listing more or less confirms it. Furthermore, the metadata for the tablet’s page has also stated that the new iPad is the fifth generation of iPad Air. On the other hand, the iPhone SE will be the third iteration of the company’s most affordable phone.

Keep in mind that this information is still unconfirmed at the moment, so take it with a pinch of salt. We will have to wait for an official announcement to know more about these products as well, considering Apple typically waits till the launch of its electronics gadgets to reveal more details.

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realme Buds Q2s launched with Dolby Atmos, 30-hour battery life, and more

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Mar 3, 2022

After teasing for days, realme has finally launched the realme Buds Q2s in China. The latest truly wireless earphones from the brand were unveiled alongside the realme V25 smartphone earlier today. As we have already covered the handset, let’s check out the features and price of the new accessory in this article.

realme Buds Q2s Specifications and Features

The realme Buds Q2s sport a transparent design (case) and look near identical to the original realme Buds Q2 and realme BudsQ2 Neo. The product arrives in three colors, such as Interstellar Black, Forest, and Paper. The latter two hues are the same as the colors available for realme GT2 Pro Master Edition.

The buds house 10mm drivers each and they are IPX4-rated for splash resistance. They connect via Bluetooth 5.2 and offer up to 10m range. They have support for the two popular audio codecs – AAC and SBC.

However, these new earbuds lack ANC (Active Noise Cancellation). Anyway, they do come with AI ENC (Environmental Noise Cancellation) for calls. Interestingly, apart from 88ms low latency gaming mode, the buds also support Dolby Atmos.

As far as endurance is concerned, the earbuds are rated to last for 7 hours on a full charge and up to 30 hours with the charging case that refills via USB Type-C. Unsurprisingly, the buds have support for touch gesture controls as well as the realme Link app.

Last but not least, the realme Buds Q2s ship with three pairs of different-sized ear tips and a USB Type-C cable.

realme Buds Q2s Price and Availability

The realme Buds Q2s are priced at ¥199 ($31) in China. But during the first sale, which has already begun, the product is being offered at a discounted price tag of ¥149 ($24).

Like most realme-branded accessories, this one should likely make its way to other markets in the coming days.

Samsung found to be artificially limiting performance on 10,000 apps

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Mar 3, 2022

Samsung has been found to be putting performance limits on over 10,000 apps — a list that includes system apps, Google apps, and numerous third-party apps. The company says that this is to ensure the safety of consumers.

The limits are imposed through the Game Optimizing Service (GOS), which is supposed to prevent overheating and throttling issues by optimizing system performance. However, as Twitter user @GaryeonHan has discovered, the scope of the service extends far beyond games and meddles with apps too.

Samsung created an app called GOS and used the app to limit game performance, making the gaming experience worse. However, according to what the Korean community found out today, Samsung confirmed that it has put performance limits on more than 10,000 apps… pic.twitter.com/U58AreZZoo

— 한가련 (@GaryeonHan) March 2, 2022

GOS has been pointed out to be imposing performance limits even when a device’s temperature is within a reasonable range. And as if that isn’t enough, the service actually goes soft on benchmarking apps like Geekbench, omitting them from the throttle list. This is a clear indication of trickery, as scores through such apps wouldn’t be representative of the actual experience.

In short, as long as the GOS continues its imposition in its current form, users will not be getting the performance they paid for. If you are one of the customers brandishing a brand new Galaxy S22 model, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200 under the hood may not be outputting at its maximum.

Regardless, Samsung is investigating the GOS issue and approaching it as seriously as the Galaxy Note 7 debacle, according to information from Naver, so we should be getting a response from them soon.

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Xiaomi reveals launch date for the Redmi Watch 2 Lite in India

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Mar 3, 2022

Earlier today (3rd March 2022), Xiaomi announced the official launch date for the Redmi Watch 2 Lite. It is the company’s upcoming smartwatch and will be the latest wearable from the brand’s budget subsidiary.

The Chinese tech giant shared the launch date on Redmi India’s official Twitter handle. The latest smartwatch is set to be unveiled on 9th March 2022. This event will be streamed online and you can view the event live on YouTube. For those unaware, the brand had launched this model in Europe back in December 2021. It was initially only available in Germany and featured a 1.55 inch touchscreen display that had a 360 x 320 pixel resolution.

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 arrives with GPS along 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 gadget is powered by a 262mAh battery pack that it claims can offer 10 days of battery life. Xiaomi had launched the Redmi Watch 2 Lite for around 79 US Dollars, which is around 6,000 INR. In other words, we can expect its pricing in India being around this or possibly even lower. Unfortunately, we will have to wait for the March 9 launch event to know for sure. So stick around as we will be covering the launch event,

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Tecno LF7 spotted with Helio G88 & Android 12, might be the POVA 3

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Mar 3, 2022

Tecno is apparently gearing up to launch a new smartphone soon. The company had recently launched the POVA 5G and the Spark 8C, but now, a LF7 model was spotted on GeekBench, which might be the upcoming POVA 3.

The Chinese smartphone maker’s LF7 model was just spotted on the popular benchmarking platform. This new model would be its first major release for this year. Notably, the POVA 3 had just been certified on FCC, so this model on GeekBench might be the same smartphone that received the certification. For those unaware, the POVA 2 had launched with the model number LE7 and the original POVA had the LD7 model number. So it seems likely that the LF7 is for the POVA 3.

Looking at the GeekBench listing, Tecno POVA 3 will launch with the MediaTek Helio G88 that is paired with up to 6GB of RAM. Furthermore, it will run on Google’s latest Android 12 operating system out of the box. The previous FCC listing also revealed that the device will support up to 33W fast charging. While the exact battery capacity wasn’t shared, the current models offer a humongous 7,000mAh battery pack. Meaning, we might see a similar if not a larger battery size.

Apart from the specifications, the POVA 3 might also feature changes in design. Its camera module might also see a refresh. Although, the exact display size, camera specifications, and other finer details are currently unknown. Keep in mind that the report is also based on educated speculations and has not been confirmed by the company either. So take it with a pinch of salt and stay tuned for more updates.

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Apple revives its Beats Pill Plus speakers for a limited edition collab

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