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Redmi Smart Band Pro pricing leaks ahead of launch in India on February 9

Xiaomi has confirmed that the company will be hosting a launch event in India on 9th February to unveil the Redmi Note 11 series smartphones. Along with that, the company will also launch the Redmi Smart Band Pro.

It will mark the launch of the brand’s first wearable device for this year. Now, just a few days before the official launch in the Indian market, the pricing details for the fitness tracker have leaked online.

Redmi Smart Band Pro India launch date

The report coming from MySmartPrice claims that the pricing for the Redmi Smart Band Pro, as mentioned on its retail box, is ₹5,999. This means that the actual sale price for the product could be lower and some reports indicate that it could be made available for purchase in India for around ₹2,999.

Even though the device is a fitness tracker, the design makes it look like a smartwatch, which it isn’t. The Redmi Smart Band Pro features a 1.47-inch Super AMOLED display with 194 x 368 pixels screen resolution and 264ppi pixel density.

The product comes in a black-colored body and for the build material, it uses glass fiber reinforced and 2.5D tempered glass and polycaprolactam. It comes with support for more than 50 watch faces.

Redmi Smart Band Pro

It comes with several features, including more than 110 workout modes that include popular activities such as running, cycling, swimming, and yoga. The company says that the Redmi Smart Band Pro can detect when a workout has started and can also measure the effort made by its user.

There’s support for apps like Strava and Apple Health. It can measure stress levels and also offers features related to female health. Apart from a 24/7 heart-rate monitor, the fitness tracker also supports sleep quality tracking.

It also supports checking blood oxygen levels, which can also be set to be carried out automatically while the user is sleeping. The device is rated for 5ATM for water resistance, and it can last up to 14 days of typical usage or 20 days in power-saving mode after being fully charged via the magnetic charger.

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Telegram brings easy-to-make video stickers, better reactions and more with version 8.5 update

Back in December, Telegram introduced a major update that brought some highly anticipated privacy features like deleting messages by date, managing connected devices, anonymous posting in public groups, and more. Now, the messaging platform has put out the version 8.5 update that makes it even easier to use while making the process of chatting more fun and enjoyable.

Telegram v8.5 update

The company states that this update brings easy-to-make video stickers, better reactions with compact animations and extra emoji, a button to review unseen reactions, improved navigation between chats, and more. so let’s take a closer look at these new features.

Video Stickers

Telegram Video stickers

Telegram has made it easier for users to create video stickers by adding support for stickers converted from regular videos. This feature now requires you to just upload a video that you want to be made in a sticker to the Stickers bot in .WEBM format.

Better Reactions

Telegram new reactions

The update adds more compact animations to reactions. Users can press and hold the reaction in the menu to send a larger effect. In addition to that, users also get read status for reactions, meaning if someone reacted to your message and you haven’t seen it yet, a new ♡ button will appear on the chat or in the corner of the chat if you currently have the conversation open.

New Reactions and Interactive Emoji

Telegram Interactive Emoji

Telegram has added 5 new reactions to its for users to be able to display a wider range of emotions. These stickers also double as interactive emoji and also offer full-screen effects in private chats.

Navigating Recent Chats

Telegram new navigation menu

Telegram users can now press and hold the “Back” button to view all their recent chats in a small popup list. They can then use it as a shortcut to switch between chats. Opening chats from forwarded messages, links, usernames, profiles, etc. adds the chat to the list.

Bug fixes and more

Telegram IOS Tab bar animations

Telegram says that they have focused on fixing known issues with the January update. The update brings improved call quality, added support for translation to Instant View pages (and bios on iOS), added the option to send silent messages from the sharing menu – and many more improvements. The iOS version also has new animations which can be explored by tapping icons in the tab bar.

You can check out Telegram’s complete change list for more details on this new version 8.5 update.

 

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OPPO Enco M32 in Green launching in India on February 4

BBK subsidiary OPPO has already confirmed that it will be launching the Redno 7 and Reno 7 Pro smartphones in India alongside the OPPO Watch Free. The company has also confirmed that it will be updating the Enco M32 lineup with the introduction of a new color variant for the budget earbuds. oppo enco m32

A teaser poster released by the company today reveals that the Enco M32 will be getting a new Green color variant and it will be launched on February 4.

OPPO first launched the Enco M32 wireless earbuds in Janauary 2022 and it was available in a single Black color that was sold exclusively on Amazon India. The new Green color variant will be sold exclusively on Flipkart. The new variant will be sold for Rs. 1,799 (~$24).

The Enco M32 features an in-ear design but with a new ear-wing style. It comes with support for fast charging which is touted as capable of delivering up to 20 hours of battery life when it is charged for just 10 minutes. That is impressive, innit?

The OPPO Enco M32 comes with 10mm dynamic drivers as well as an independent sound cavity design for strong bass. The device comes with a lightweight design, weighing just 33g. It equally features support for Bluetooth 5.0, dual-device pairing, and has an IP55 waterproof and dustproof rating. The Enco M32 charges via a USB-C port with a full charge delivered in just 35 minutes. The battery can last up to 28 hours with consistent music playback.

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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Exynos and Snapdragon models offer similar performance on paper

As we know, Samsung ships its flagship Galaxy S series in two SoC variants namely the Qualcomm Snapdragon and their inhouse Exynos series SoC.

Previous generations of flagship Exynos chips have developed a reputation for providing inferior performance when compared to the Snapdragon counterpart but that might change this time around.

In a recent PhoneArena report, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 variant (codename Samsung SM-S908U) was pitted against the Galaxy S22 Ultra Exynos 2200 variants (codename Samsung SM-S908B) based on the Geekbench results of the two SoC variants. The data used in the comparison are the highest scores by both SoC variants and the results are quite surprising.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Snapdragon vs Exynos

 

The Geekbench benchmark reveals that the Exynos 2200 variant scores 1168 points compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1’s 1226. In multi-core tasks, the Exynos variant edges out the Snapdragon variant scoring 3508 points compared to 3462 points from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

It is worth noting that the single-core performance of the Exynos 2200 variant of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is nearly double that of an earlier revealed Geekbench score of the handset back in November 2021.

Historically speaking, the Galaxy S Exynos variants have always had an issue with heat management and often fall off compared to the Snapdragon variants under sustained use, so it would be interesting to see if Samsung has made improvements in that area with their upcoming Galaxy S22 Ultra offerings.

The Geekbench 5 benchmark mainly focuses on CPU testing so the scores are not indicative of the SoC’s GPU performance.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

On the subject of GPU, we know that the AMD-based Xclipse 920 GPU on the Exynos variants does not outperform the Adreno 730 in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 variant of the Galaxy S22 Ultra, however, the AMD GPU does offer ray tracing and variable rate shading support which can be considered a fair trade for the lack in performance.

On paper, it appears that the Exynos and Snapdragon variants of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra will offer similar performance which is great news for the regions getting the Exynos-powered Galaxy S22 series device this time around. However, sustained performance still remains up for debate, so stay tuned as we will be covering any notable developments on the subject.

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Alleged Xiaomi 12 Mini render showcases the possible design

Xiaomi has been upping the stakes by providing pretty small smartphones like the Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12X, but the latest renders connected with the Xiaomi 12 Mini indicate that the company’s next mini flagship smartphone may be much smaller. Although there are questions about the authenticity of the render, if the images are to be countenanced, then we could see the Xiaomi 12 Mini featuring a three-camera setup for the main camera.Xiaomi 12 Mini 

Although the Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12X are currently available only in China, the new render is still of interest outside China, as some variants of the mini models could berth in the global market. Both the Xiaomi 12 and 12X have 6.28-inch screens, which is still relatively large when compared with some mini models from Apple, Samsung, and other OEMs. The Apple iPhone 12 mini has a 5.4-inch display, even though it is a flagship smartphone.

Purportedly, Xiaomi is in an advanced stage in the development of the mini flagship model that would be under the 12 series. The company has reportedly finalized the design of the model and that was the content of the render by tipster @Shadow_Leak. It is speculated that the new Xiaomi 12 Mini could have a screen under 6 inches, but there is no way of ascertaining the veracity of the released render. The report is therefore definitive and Xiaomi may go in a different direction when it releases its next flagship compact smartphone.

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Vivo T1 5G with Snapdragon 695 SoC to be Flipkart Exclusive

Vivo has set an unveiling date for its upcoming Vivo series T and the launch will happen as early as next week on February 9 in India. Previous rumors have revealed that the T1 5G smartphone will be the company’s first series T phone and it will be only available in the online market. Now, a new report reveals the official sales channel on which the phone will be sold.

Reportedly, the Vivo T1 5G is said to be Flipkart exclusive in the country. The smartphone will be only available on Flipkart. Furthermore, the company has already created a micro-site for the same. Starting from February 3, Flipkart’s micro-site will disclose the key highlights of the smartphone.

Vivo T1 5G teaser rear

Previously, rumored had it that the smartphone will be entirely different from the one launched in China. The Chinese Vivo T1 5G has the Snapdragon 778G, whereas, the India model is tipped to have the Snapdragon 695 SoC. Interestingly, the smartphone’s AnTuTu result was surfaced and it scored 410,072 points. It has 122,481 CPU points and 101,345 points in the GPU department.

Apart from this, the teaser images of the phone showcased that the phone has a design similar to the recently launched Vivo Y75 5G. It has a teardrop notch display with modern aspect ratio. The smartphone has triple camera system and features a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.

The Vivo T1 5G is expected to arrive under the sub-Rs. 20,000(~$268) price tag in India.

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Sony launches the affordable Bravia XR A75K 4K OLED TV with two HDMI 2.1 ports

Sony is pursuing a vigorous campaign to nick a substantial part of the TV market with its release of the potentially affordable Sony Bravia XR A75K 4K OLED TV with HDMI 2.1 support. Although Sony is yet to release the price of the TV, its specs sheet could indicate that it will be priced lower than the array of high-end TVs on the lineup of the company for 2022.Sony Bravia XR A75K 4K OLED TV

The Sony A90K is its first-ever QD-OLED TV, while the A80K OLED is also another premium offering with 4K support. The Sony A75K TV is also a 4K OLED TV but with a more restrictive specs sheet and a likely affordable price for the mid-segment of the market. Sony has also indicated that the A75K TV could be priced higher than the LG A1 TV which does not have any HDMI 2.1 port and is priced around $900.

The two HDMI 2.1 ports offer high-quality 4K video content with a display refresh rate of 120Hz and VRR features. The Sony A75K will be a great model for gaming enthusiasts due to its overall features including the VRR. Interestingly, the Sony A75K has Sony’s proprietary Cognitive Processor XR, which is a mainstay of its premium TV models. There are however areas where the design has been scaled down to accommodate the reduced price expected of the A75K. For example, the Acoustic Surface Audio speaker system has been pared down. This could also imply fewer speakers and reduced overall sound quality when compared with the more expansive models.Sony Bravia XR A75K 4K OLED TV

The Sony Bravia XR A75K 4K OLED TV comes in two sizes- 65-inch and 55-inch models. It runs on the standard Google TV operating system with an array of built-in video streaming apps, Chromecast and Google Assistant. As of this moment, Sony has not released the pricing and release information for the A75K TV.

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DIZO Watch S with AMOLED display launching next month in India: Report

The Realme TechLife sub-brand Dizo recently launched its first AMOLED display smartwatch in the Indian market dubbed the Dizo Watch R. And now, news has emerged that the brand is working on another AMOLED display smartwatch that it plans to launch soon.

DIZO Watch 2
DIZO Watch 2

 

According to a MySmartPrice report, tipster Mukul Sharma has revealed that the brand is working to launch a new smartwatch called the Dizo Watch S. The tipster states that we can expect the new smart wearable to launch in March 2022.

Pricing and most of the key specs of the Watch S remain unknown, however, the smartwatch is touted to be budget-friendly so we can expect prices below Rs. 5000 (~$67).

Dizo Watch R

DIZO Watch R

 

 

Information about the specs of the Watch S have yet to surface, however, we can look at the Dizo Watch R for reference which was released last month.

The Watch R features a round-shaped dial with a 1.3-inch AMOLED display and 360 x 360 pixels resolution. The smartwatch is equipped with a premium metallic frame and offers 5ATM water and dust resistance. Additionally, the device also features a fancy 2.5D curved glass.

The Dizo Watch R comes with the Always-On Display (AOD) feature and more than 150 customizable watch faces. The Watch R offers up to 12 days of battery life and fully charges in about 2 hours. The Dizo Watch R offers a bunch of health and fitness features like a heart rate tracker, SpO2 tracker, 110+ sports modes, sleep monitor, and more. The Watch R also offers the usual smartwatch functionalities such as music playback control, phone camera control, check notifications and incoming calls, etc.

The Dizo Watch R launched at an introductory price of Rs 3,499 (~$47) in India. After which the price was hiked to Rs 3,999 (~$54). So we might see a similar trend with the upcoming Dizo Watch S launch in March.

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Realme Buds Air 3 Indian launch timeline and color options revealed

A recent live image leak revealed the first looks of the upcoming Realme Buds Air 3 TWS earphones. And now, a new leak has surfaced giving us a launch timeline as well as color options of the upcoming earbuds.

Realme Buds Air 3 Live Image Leak

According to a MySmartPrice report, tipster Mukul Sharma has revealed that Realme be will launch the Buds Air 3 TWS earphones in the month of February for the Indian market. Previous reports have indicated the upcoming Realme 9 series smartphones will debut in India on February 15th, so it is highly likely that the brand might also launch the Realme Buds Air 3 alongside it.

The report also reveals that the earbuds will be launched in two color variants, namely Galaxy White and Starry Blue. However, it is highly likely that the company might later add more color options as they did with the Realme Buds Air 2.

Realme Buds Air 3 Specs and features (rumored)

Realme Buds Air 3
Realme Buds Air 3 render by OnLeaks

So far, we know that the buds will be of an in-ear style and will include a stem. The charging case, on the other hand, will be different than that of the older model.

Earlier image leaks have revealed that the new case will sport a unique glossy finish at the top of the lid along with realme branding. Although the pictures don’t show us, the rumors say that the case will have a button on the right side, in addition to a USB Type-C port at the bottom.

Talking about specifications, it has been revealed that the Realme Buds Air 3 will come with some upgrades over its predecessor. The earphones are said to offer in-ear detection, dual-device connection, and a customized audio experience.

Other than the aforementioned features, the yet-to-release earbuds from Realme will also have regular goodies like ANC (Active Noise Cancellation), transparency mode, Bass Boost+ mode, Bluetooth 5.1, support for AAC/SBC audio codecs, and up to 30-hour battery life.

 

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BYD’s new Han EV to launch with an improved range of 715km

BYD is working on a new refreshed model of its Han EV. But prior to its launch, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology shared the list of the latest batch of new energy vehicle models (NEV), which revealed some interesting information about the upcoming EV.

BYD

According to an ITHome report, the maximum cruising range of the new Han EV has been upgraded from 605 kilometers on the current model to 715 kilometers on the upcoming version. Furthermore, the Chinese automobile manufacturer is apparently also planning on launching another model that has a cruising range of 610 kilometers as well. Although, both the newer variants will be equipped with a battery pack of 85.44KWh.

The version with the 610 kilometer range is equipped with dual motors, with one on the front and one on the rear. The former packs a maximum power of 180kW while the latter has a 200kW motor, along with a peak torque of 350N.M. On the other hand, the 715 kilometer range model is only equipped with a single front motor that has a maximum power of 180kW and a peak torque of 350N.M as well.

BYD

The report adds that the car will feature a design similar to its predecessor, although, the front grille is slightly enlarged. The new BYD Han EV will also have a logo placed on the this front region that is built for air intake. Unfortunately, the report did not reveal any finer details regarding this upcoming model like its pricing or availability. So stay tuned for more updates.

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Xiaomi India teases MIUI 13, might launch on Feb 9

Xiaomi released the Android 12 based MIUI 13 back in December for the Chinese market. The company recently teased the upcoming launch of the MIUI 13 global version and Now, Xiaomi India has announced that the MIUI 13 Indian variant will also arrive soon in the sub-continent.

Although no specific date has been hinted at by the company, the Android 12 based OS is expected to launch on February 9th. Yesterday, Redmi India confirmed that the upcoming Redmi Note 11 and Redmi Note 11S will launch on February 9th. The brand will also introduce the Redmi Smart TV X43 and the Redmi Smart Band Pro at this launch event.

MIUI 13 Features

MIUI 13 Widgets

The MIUI 13 brings Liquid Storage which reduces fragmentation and actively manages stored data along with improving defragmentation efficiency by up to 60 percent. There’s also Atomized Memory that brings RAM efficiency.

It also has Focused Algorithms for dynamically allocating system resources based on usage scenarios which help make the interface fluid and responsive. It also prioritizes active apps, allowing the CPU to focus on important tasks.

There’s also a Smart Balance feature to automatically find the balance between performance and power consumption. It is also claimed to extend the battery life by up to 10 percent.

miui 13 material you support green

Visually, the MIUI 13 comes with the Material You theme engine, which changes the color theme of apps to match the colors of your current wallpaper; however, the functionality is currently only working for Google apps. Another visual change is the new control center which looks a lot like the control center of an iPhone.

The February 9th launch date of the MIUI 13 Indian version is still unconfirmed and therefore we will be keeping an eye out for any notable developments, so stay tuned.

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Realme 9 Pro series teaser reveals Sunrise Blue & Glittery Red color variants

Realme is gearing up for the launch of the new Realme 9 Pro series for the global markets. But prior to its release, the company has just shared an official teaser that has revealed some of its color variants.

realme 9 Pro+ featured

In a Twitter post, Realme’s Vice President, Madhav Sheth, offered us a look at two of the color variants of the upcoming 9 Pro and 9 Pro+ smartphones. The senior official’s tweet asked Twitter users about their preferences between the two colors, which included a Sunrise Blue and a Glittery Red. While the executive does not outright state that these colors are for the Realme 9 Pro series, we can safely assume that it’s for the upcoming smartphones since the 9 Pro was recently spotted in Sunrise Blue at the hands of a known Indian cricketer KL Rahul.

While the launch of both smartphones is just around the corner, we do have some specifications regarding these devices. The Realme 9 Pro+ is confirmed to feature the MediaTek Dimensity 920 processor alongside a Mali G68 GPU. On the other hand, the 9 Pro is expected to arrive with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 SoC paired with an Adreno 619 GPU.

Furthermore, both handsets will reportedly feature AMOLED display panels with higher refresh rates. The new devices are set to launch in India on 16th February 2022 and the company will also launch the Watch S100 and Buds Air 3 later this month in India. So stick around for more, as we will be covering the launch event.

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Noise ColorFit Icon Buzz smartwatch with 7 days battery life, Bluetooth calling launched in India

The Indian wearables company Noise has just released the Noise ColorFit Icon Buzz budget smartwatch in the Indian market. The smartwatch is listed on e-commerce websites like Amazon India, Flipkart, and Noise online store.

Noise ColorFit Icon Buzz

Noise ColorFit Icon Buzz specs and features

The Noise ColorFit Icon Buzz features a 1.69-inch (240×280 pixels) TFT LCD display with thick bezels and a thicker chin. The default screen can be customized with over 100 watch faces and the smartwatch comes with Google Assistant and Siri support. Bluetooth calling is also featured, meaning you can simply leave your phone untouched in your pocket for calls. In addition to that, the smartwatch also enables users to check their recent call records and contacts directly from the Noise ColorFit Icon Buzz.

Noise ColorFit Icon Buzz features

Health-related features include monitoring systems like sleep monitor, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring, and heart rate monitoring. A total of nine sports modes are supported including running, walking, cycling, yoga, and others.

One of the most interesting features of the device is the ability to play mini-games, a couple of which are pre-installed on the watch. The promo images show a Flappy Bird-like game so you already know how to pass time if stuck in a long queue.

Noise ColorFit Icon Buzz inline

For connectivity, the Noise ColorFit Icon Buzz supports Bluetooth 5.1 and can be paired with smartphones running at least Android 4 or iOS 8. There’s also an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance. Lastly, the battery is sized 230mAh battery and is claimed to last for 7 days on a single complete charge. A full charge takes about two hours.

Noise ColorFit Icon Buzz pricing and color options

Noise ColorFit Icon Buzz is priced at Rs. 4,999 ($67), though the smartwatch is initially going on sale with an introductory price of Rs. 3,499 ($47). It comes in Jet Black, Midnight Gold, Olive Gold, and Silver Grey colors.

The Noise ColorFit Icon Buzz is available for purchase through AmazonFlipkart, and the Noise online store.

 

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POCO tweets out cryptic puzzles, offers prizes to those that solve them

Over the last couple of days, POCO India has begun sharing cryptic puzzles on its official Twitter account. The company has been teasing these puzzles on social media, and solving them offers you a chance of winning special prizes.

Looking at these tweets, we can see various different types of puzzles being shared on the popular microblogging website. Some of these puzzles include puzzles like “What’s common between” a certain number of images, ‘find the word’ type puzzles, and more.  These puzzles are still ongoing, with the latest one being shared just an hour ago today (2nd February 2022).

As of right now, it is unknown what these puzzles are teasing and what they are leading up to. Although, it seems that the Chinese smartphone maker might simply be planning on sharing gifts with winners. On the other hand, these might be teasers that lead up to the POCO X4 NFC and its three other variants, including the X4, X4 GT, and X4 Pro. Earlier today, we had even reported on the X4 Pro being spotted with the 2201116PG model number.

Xiaomi Poco X4 NFC
Poco X4 NFC

Furthermore, the upcoming lineup is expected to be somewhat related to the Redmi Note 11 series of smartphones. The X4 Pro is expected to sport a 6.67-inch AMOLED FHD+ 120Hz display, Snapdragon 695 chipset, up to 8 GB of LPDDR4x RAM, up to 128 GB of UFS 2.1 storage, Android 11 with MIUI 13, and a 5,000mAh battery that supports 67W fast charging. Keep in mind that this is just speculation at the moment so take this report with a pinch of salt and stick around for more updates.

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Ford to spend $20 billion as it pushes for Electric Vehicles

Ford is planning on investing up to 20 billion US Dollars as it seeks to step into the electric vehicle market. The large sum will help reorganize its operations to include EVs in the future.

Ford

According to a Bloomberg report, the American automobile giant had previously announced that it will be spending around 30 billion US Dollars on electric and autonomous vehicle development by 2025. In other words, this news is in line with its initial plans. Furthermore, Ford is reportedly bringing Apple and Tesla executive Doug Field, who will be in charge of the reorganization.

This will have him oversee the conversion of its factories from gas based to electric vehicle production. Doug Field had also served as the vice president of special projects at Apple. He also led the Cupertino based giant’s efforts for a self driving electric car. He even worked as the chief vehicle engineer at Tesla.

The shift in focus will have the brand hire more engineers as well. As of right now, Tesla is leading the EV market, with Ford struggling to catch up. While the company is a major player in the automobile industry, selling more F series trucks alone than Tesla’s entire output, it still is behind the latter in terms of EVs. Notably, Elon Musk’s vision of an all electric future has also been successful with investors owing to its future potential. So it remains to be seen if Ford manages to successfully expand into the EV segment and rival both Tesla and other Chinese EV makers that have grown in popularity recently.

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Google Pixel 6 breaks company’s previous sales records

Despite the Pixel 6 series being in the news over various bugs and issues, the Google flagship lineup has seen great success in the market. Now, an official financial report from the company has revealed that the new phones have even managed to break past its previous sales records.

Google Pixel 6 Pro
Pixel 6 Pro

Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Alphabet (parent company of Google), stated in the earning’s call that the Pixel 6 series has set an “all time quarterly sales record.” The senior official attributed the latest Pixel phones’ success to its new real time translation tools (Via AndroidPolice). Unfortunately, the Search Engine giant did not reveal any accurate figures and groups its hardware products along with its software as “Google Services.”

It includes Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Search, Google Play, and YouTube as well. But looking at the overall financial figures, we can clearly tell that the brand saw a notable rise, as its revenue hit 69 billion US Dollars in Q4 2021. This also marked a noticeable bump compared to the fourth and final quarter of 2020, in which the company had a revenue of 52.8 billion US Dollars. Meanwhile, profits also saw a boost, reaching 26 billion US Dollars in 2021, compared to 19 billion US Dollars from back in 2020.

Google Pixel 6 series featured

With the Pixel series launching sometime between October and November, its clear great sales of the premium grade smartphones helped Google boost its revenue. However, it is still doubtful if the Pixel 6 is actually the best selling Pixel ever, considering it isn’t as widely available as its predecessors and has only been available since October 2021. But with its current pace, it might become the most popular Pixel model.

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Peloton Heart Rate ArmBand provides accurate heart rate tracking

Peloton has added a new armband to its lineup of fitness devices and it offers greater comfort than the chest-based heart rate monitors. The Peloton Heart Rate Armband is priced at $90 and will be appropriate for tracking workouts using its optical heart rate sensor. It is also easier to use than the chest strap which requires precise placement and a moistened contact point.Peloton ArmBand

The Peloton Heart Rate Band will be a great device for persons with mobility issues who may find it difficult or outright impossible to use chest-based heart rate monitors. It is available in the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom, while other regions could subsequently get access to the device.

The Peloton app provides greater depth for the heart rate armband, with several functions and data analysis available via the app. The Peloton Heart Rate Band also works with other devices like treadmills, and Bike models.

Interestingly, the armband is also compatible with other products that recognize common Bluetooth heart rate monitors although there is no ANT+ support.

The price of the Peloton Heart Rate Band ($90) may be on the high side in comparison with current heart rate bands. The corresponding Peloton chest strap is priced at $49, while arm-based bands might be ineffective for some persons.

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(source)

 

 

Microsoft Surface Duo spotted running ARM64 based Windows 11

Earlier this month, we had reported on Microsoft finally bringing the Android 11 OS update to its dual display smartphone, the Surface Duo. But while the official build seems to be behind the overall mobile market, it seems that an unofficial build is up to date with the PC market.

Microsoft

According to an ITHome report, developer Gustave Monce of the main LumiaWoA project shared images of a Surface Duo running on Windows 11 based on the ARM64 system. Previously, Gustave had also ported Windows 10 OS on the American tech giant’s Lumia 950XL as well. Similarly, he had also managed to port Windows 11 ARM on the dual display smartphone as well.

Now, it seems that the project has seen further progress as it is running on Windows 11 ARM64 system. For those unaware, Microsoft has officially ended the support for Windows 10 mobile, so the efforts of the WoA developers have helped older Lumia models receive updates and even refresh their entire OS as well. These developers are an independent group that has been working on the unofficial Windows on ARM project for the last year years.

Microsoft

The project initially focused on Windows 10, but with the launch of Windows 11, they are now also working on the newer operating system as well. Gustave even shared images of the Surface Duo running Windows 11. So it is safe to assume that the project will soon grow to include other devices soon.

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Apple AirPods Pro 2 could come with built-in sensor for fitness tracking

Apple is expected to host a new product launch event in spring, sometime in March or April where the brand could launch its new iPhone SE 3 model along with new iPad Air and at least one MacBook model with the new Apple Silicon chip.

Amid all this, there are also reports related to the much-awaited Apple AirPods Pro 2 making rounds. There’s now a new report about the upcoming TWS earbuds with a feature that Samsung experimented with a few years back.

Apple AirPods Pro

It is being claimed by Mark Gurman and Debby Wu of Bloomberg that the upcoming models of the AirPods 2 will come packed with motion sensors for the fitness tracking capabilities alongside the Apple Watch.

They are also claiming that the second-generation AirPods Pro will have a revamped design, eliminating the stems that drop below the earbuds. It is also expected to be powered by an upgraded chip that brings advanced audio-related functions like active noise cancellation and more improvements, resulting in improved battery life.

It is also being claimed that the earbuds may support Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) and if that happens, then it would be the first TWS earphones from the Cupertino-based tech giant to support lossless audio.

Another interesting development is that the charging case of the AirPods Pro 2 could have support for emitting sound. This is to help find the charging case if it’s separated from the AirPods or has been misplaced by the user.

Currently, the AirPods themselves make a noise when trying to locate them via the Find My app. Further, Kuo adds that the earphones may undergo a redesign to focus more on fitness which could include a more rounded shape.

As for the launch timeline, it is said that the AirPods 2 Pro won’t be available for purchase until Q4 2022, which means that they will go on sale for the holiday season this year, somewhere between October and December.

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Honor Magic V foldable smartphone again goes on sale in China for 9,999 yuan ($1,572)

A couple of weeks ago, the Honor Magic V smartphone, which is the brand’s first foldable smartphone, went on sale in the Chinese market. The device was sold out soon after it was made available for purchase.

Now, the company has again made the device available for purchase in China. This is the second time the Honor Magic V smartphone is up for sale.

Honor Magic V Second Sale in China

The Honor Magic V comes in configurations — 12GB RAM and 256GB internal storage which costs 9,999 yuan (~$1,572) and 12GB RAM with 512GB internal storage, which is priced at 10,999 (~$1,729). It is offered in three colors — Space Silver, Black, and Burnt Orange.

It features a 6.45-inch OLED single-curve external display with a screen resolution of 2560 x 1080 pixels, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 21:9 aspect ratio. On the inner side, the display is a near-square in shape, offering a 90Hz refresh rate and 10:9 aspect ratio.

The display also comes with support for 10bit color depth, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, HDR10+, 1920Hz high-frequency PWM dimming, 90 percent screen-to-body ratio, and a nano-ceramic coating on top that improves the anti-drop performance by five times.

Honor Magic V

Under the hood, the device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, which is manufactured using a 4nm process. The AI performance has been claimed to be increased by 300 percent, which helps Magic UI adapt to usage scenarios of the users through Magic Live AI Engine.

In the camera department, there’s a triple-camera setup on the back that includes a 50MP primary f/1.9 aperture sensor, a 50MP spectrally enhanced f/2.0 lens and a 50MP ultrawide sensor with f/2.2 aperture cameras. On the front side, there are dual 42MP cameras, one in the outer and one in the inner display.

The Honor Magic V is running an Android-based Magic UI 6 custom interface out-of-the-box with features dedicated to making multitasking and split-screen usage easier. The phone is powered by a 4,750mAh battery with support for 66W wired SuperCharge that is claimed to fill up the battery to 50 percent in just 15 minutes.

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