Canadian smartphone manufacturer BlackBerry has sold its legacy patents covering mobile technologies to Catapult IP Innovations Inc. for $600 million. The company has disclosed that the sale consists of all its non-core patent assets.
According to a report by AppleInsider, this move from BlackBerry may spell trouble for other smartphone companies like Apple who may be subject to patent trolling in the future.
The concern arises as the Cupertino-based giant has been sued multiple times in the past for alleged BlackBerry patent infringements and the patents are now being sold to Catapult IP Innovations Inc. which could be considered a nonpracticing entity (NPE).
For those unaware, a patent troll is a derogatory term used to describe a business that utilizes patents and the court system to earn money. In other words, the company may use the patents it acquired from the deal with BlackBerry to demand royalties or outright sue other smartphone manufacturers for patent infringement.
BlackBerry will get $450 million dollars in cash, a promissory note for $150 million as well as the license for using the patents. In return, Catapult IP Innovations Inc. will acquire BlackBerry’s patents related to mobile devices, messaging, and wireless networking IPs. BlackBerry specifically says that the sale will not affect customers using its products or services.
The company says the deal will need to satisfy all regulatory conditions under the Hart–Scott–Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act in the United States and the Investment Canada Act, which could take up to 210 days.
Honor may be planning to release a new smartphone as an unannounced model with the model number GIA-AN00 has appeared on GeekBench. The model is believed to be the Honor 60 SE but little is known about the smartphone before now.
One important aspect that the GeekBench listing reveals is that the Honor 60 SE will be powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 900 processor with one of the memory configurations having 8GB of RAM. The Dimensity 900 SoC was first announced in May 2021 and it features an Octa-core architecture made up of two ARM Cortex A78 processors with a clock speed of up to 2.4GHz and six ARM Cortex A55 cores that can reach up to 2GHz.
The device will also ship with the Android 12 operating system out of the box which is one of the impressive things about the former Huawei brand. It isn’t bedeviled by Huawei’s problems since it was sold off.
Unfortunately, the GeekBench listing doesn’t reveal any further details of the upcoming premium mid-range smartphone. However, the listing is an indication that the device will launch in no distant time in China. The global launch will also likely follow thereafter.
Last week, we reported on rumors of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra deliveries being delayed up to 3 months due to high demand. But now, a new leak has surfaced stating that the Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus will be the ones getting delayed.
According to analyst and tipster Jon Prosser, undisclosed sources have informed him that the Galaxy S22 and S22+ availability will be delayed till March 11th. Jon states that the pre-order of all the devices will commence on February 9th, however, the Galaxy S22 Ultra will be made available from February 25th, following which, the Galaxy S22 and S22+ models will commence sales and delivery from March 11.
Netizens and Samsung fans have called out the move stating that it is a strategy from the South Korean company to push customers towards purchasing the higher-end model. For now, it remains unconfirmed whether the company will actually delay deliveries of the devices post their launch on February 9th at the Galaxy Unpacked event.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra specs (rumored)
The Galaxy S22 Ultra is rumored to feature a 6.8-inch Dynamic 2X AMOLED display that offers a Quad HD+ resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 1,750 nits brightness. It will come preinstalled with One UI 4 based Android 12 OS.
On the front side, the S22 Ultra will feature a 40-megapixel selfie camera. Its rear camera setup may include a 108-megapixel main camera with an OIS support, a 10-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x zoom and OIS, a 10-megapixel periscope telephoto snapper with OIS, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera.
The S22 Ultra will come with 8 GB / 12 GB of RAM and 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB of storage. It may house a 5,000mAh battery, which will carry support for 45W fast charging. The device will include a dedicated slot for storing an S-Pen. It may come in colors like Phantom White, Phantom Black, Green, and Burgundy.
To know more about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S22 lineup, check out our specs roundup of these smartphones.
The full measure of the US sanction regime against Huawei has been reflected in the latest shipment numbers for the company as shown by data released by Omdia. Huawei’s phone shipments for 2021 had declined to 35 million units, which is a massive 81.6% drop from its 2020 numbers, while its market share globally dropped from 15% in 2020 to just about 3% in 2021. Interestingly, however, Huawei’s former brand Honor sold about 40 million units, which placed it in 8th position globally ahead of Huawei.
Back in mid-2020 when the US embargo kicked in, Huawei was on the top echelon of the market, second only to Apple. It declined slightly at the end of 2020 to the third position, but its present 9th position indicates that the impact was massively felt in its smartphone segment. Huawei had been cut off from critical supplies for the software component of its smartphones and some hardware, especially important chips. Being put on the US Entity List was therefore a fundamental factor for Huawei’s steep decline. Huawei had continued to deny any ties with the Chinese military on the charge of being a security risk to the United States.
Samsung still maintains the lead in global smartphone shipments with 271.5 million units while Apple was second with 236.2 million units. Other strong performers were Xiaomi, Oppo, Realme, and Motorola. In terms of Q4 2021 performance, Apple outshone Samsung with its 87 million iPhones shipped, compared to Samsung’s 69.1 million units.
The China arm of electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla has instituted a court proceeding against a social media influencer for allegedly disseminating false information about the Model 3. The influencer has more than 14 million followers and is alleged to have simulated the malfunction of the Model 3 EV, and then published false claims relating to the car.
The automotive influencer in question, Xiaogang Xuezhang is seen as a car expert in many quarters and has a very large followership. The legal charge put together by Tesla China’s legal department against the media influencer was defamation, as noted by an official release by Tesla China. The case is the culmination of an extensive campaign by Tesla to warm bloggers and social media influencers to desist from publishing damaging and false information about Tesla vehicles. Defaulting persons were advised to publicly denounce such false claims or await a lawsuit. Several bloggers later publicly admitted that their claims were misleading.
There had been a few lawsuits against some of the false accusers who refused to denounce their claims. The latest lawsuit against the influencer with huge followership is the biggest lawsuit yet. Xiaogang Xuezhang has made several videos about testing and tuning cars which are placed on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. He is alleged to have published two videos in April 2021 where he compared the automatic emergency braking system in the Tesla Model 3 with that of the XPeng P7, saying that the Tesla vehicle’s emergency braking system failed twice, which was a false claim.
Xuezhang’s claim has been challenged by some Tesla owners, stressing that the influencer may have stepped his foot on the accelerator deliberately. There are also claims that he was on a de-marketing campaign at the instance of Tesla’s competitors. It is unclear how the case will pan out but Tesla hopes it will serve as a further deterrent for persons who consistently make false claims against its vehicles.
Last week, we witnessed the launch of new models in one of the best-selling budget smartphone series worldwide. Further, we learned that the global smartphone market grew for the first time in four years. Then, out of nowhere, two brands released shameless iPhone clones. At the same time, another company launched a Galaxy S21 Ultra-lookalike phone. All this and more happened in the last few days. Let’s take a look at them one by one in no particular order.
Before proceeding, we would like to let you know that the top stories listed here are based on our opinion. As your choices may vary, we would like to know your picks in the comment section below.
1. New Redmi Note 11 series for international markets
Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G
After debuting the Redmi Note 11 lineup in China in November, Xiaomi finally brought the family to international on January 26. However, the series for global markets include totally different devices, namely Redmi Note 11, Redmi Note 11S, Redmi Note 11 Pro, and Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G.
Out of these four, the Redmi Note 11S offers the best value for its asking price. Although it looks and has the same display as the vanilla model, its specs are more comparable to the Pros.
The entire series comes with features like a high-refresh display, dual stereo speakers, IR blaster, MUI 13, a 5,000mAh battery, and more. You can learn more about them by visiting this link.
2. Smartphone market observed multiple records
OnePlus Nord N10 5G
The global smartphone market grew for the first time in 2021 since 2017. Counterpoint Research revealed that the shipments reached 1.39 billion units by growing 4% YoY.
The Indian smartphone, in particular, grew 12%YoY last year by registering 162 million units in shipment. On the other hand, the Chinese market shipped 333 million units and incremented by only 1%.
Finally, pivoting to the budget segment at the right time (ahead of LG’s demise), OnePlus saw an insane 524% YoY growth in the US in Q4 2021.
3. iPhone clones from Gionee and Blackview
Gionee 13 Pro
Gionee 13 Pro went official last week with an uncanny iPhone 13 resemblance and HarmonyOS. However, it has entry-level specs like an HD+ display (LCD) and a UNISOC T310 chipset. For just ¥529 (483), it doesn’t sound like a bad deal after all.
At around the same time, Blackview A95 also got announced with an iPhone 13 Pro-like design. Its main highlights other than design include a MediaTek Helio P70 SoC, 6.5-inch HD+ display (LCD), and a 4,380mAh battery.
4. Face ID now works with a mask
After two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, iPhones can be finally unlocked with masks on. However, this feature is currently only available in the beta channel. Also, it requires iPhone 12 or newer models.
Additionally, Apple is working on a new feature that will turn iPhones into POS machines. This feature will be reportedly useful for micro-merchants.
5. MediaTek Kompanio 1380 is a new chip for Chromebooks
MediaTek announced a new SoC called Komapnio 1380 for premium Chromebooks on January 26. This 6m chip arrives with an octa-core CPU consisting of four ARM Cortex-A78 cores clocked at up to 3GHz and a five-core ARM Mali-G57 GPU.
It supports up to 4K 60Hz display, AV1 decoding, WiFi 6//6E, and Bluetooth 5. The chipset will make its global debut inside the Acer Chromebook Spin 513, which is scheduled to hit the shelves in June.
6. HUAWEI P50 Pocket reaches global markets alongside HUAWEI P50 Pro
HUAWEI P50 Pro and HUAWEI P50 Pocket
On January 26, Huawei announced the arrival of HUAWEI P50 Pro and HUAWEI P50 Pocket to multiple international markets like Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, Europe, and South America.
The 4G-only premium handsets from the once world’s largest smartphone brand sport the same set of features as the variant sold in China, except for software. The global editions of these devices run EMUI 12 without GMS (Google Mobile Services) instead of HarmonyOS.
Despite their shortcomings in terms of software, Huawei is charging a whopping €1,199 for the HUAWEI P50 Pro (8GB + 256GB) and €1,299 for the HUAWEI P50 Pocket (8GB + 256GB). There’s also a Premium Edition of the latter phone with a unique design and 12GB + 512GB memory configuration for €1,599.
7. JioPhone 5G could be Jio’s first 5G smartphone
JioPhone Next
A report on January 25 disclosed that the Indian carrier Jio is working on its first 5G smartphone called JioPhone 5G. This device is expected to go official in June with much better specs than the poorly received JioPhone Next.
The handset is said to come with a 6.5-inch HD+ display (HD+), 13MP (wide) + 2MP (macro) dual camera setup, 8MP selfie camera, side-mounted fingerprint sensor, Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 SoC, 4GB RAM, 32GB storage, 5,000mAh battery, and 18W fast charging.
8. OnePlus phones might run H₂OOS in the near future
OnePlus 10 Pro
On January 27, popular Indian tech influencer Mukul Sharma tweeted that the unified operating system of OPPO and OnePlus could be called H₂OOS. Since his claim is based on a trademark filing by OnePlus, he could be wrong.
Anyway, the H₂OOS (Water OS) trademark is interesting as it combines the names of OxygenOS (O₂) and the discontinued HydrogenOS (H₂OS). The name has no mention of ColorOS, which the software will be actually based on.
Furthermore, a couple of days before this tweet, a tipster stated that the OnePlus 10 Ultra could debut in H2 2022 as the brand’s first superphone or ultra-premium smartphone. The device is said to house OPPO’s MariSilicon NPU.
9. HONOR to showcase new products at MWC 2022
Honor Magic 3 Pro+
HONOR has confirmed to attend MWC 2022. The company has scheduled a launch conference for February 28. The event will kickstart at 1 PM CET.
The brand is teasing the launch of the new Magic series with a quote ‘The Power of Magic’. Unfortunately, nothing is known about the upcoming lineup of handsets.
10. Micromax IN Note 2 and vivo Y75 5G debut in India
Micromax IN Note 2
Micromax launched the IN Note 2 on January 25 as the successor of IN Note 1 for ₹13,490 (4GB + 64GB). The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra-lookalike phone arrives with a 6.43-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, MediaTek Helio G95 chipset, 48MP (wide) + 5MP (ultra-wide) + 2MP (macro) + 2MP (depth) quad-camera setup, 16MP selfie camera, side-mounte fingerprint sensor, Android 11, 5,000mAh battery, and 30W fast charging.
Chinese handset maker vivo debuted a new budget 5G smartphone called vivo Y75 5G in India on January 27. For ₹21,990 (8GB +128GB), the phone offers a 6.58-inch FHD+ display (LCD), MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC, 50MP (wide) + 2MP (macro) + 2MP (depth) triple camera setup, 16MP selfie camera, side-mounted fingerprint sensor, Android 12, 5,000mAh battery, and 18W fast charging.
Indian accessories manufacturer boAt has updated the Immortal gaming audio series with a new affordable model dubbed boAt Immortal 700 gaming headphones. The company first unveiled the Immortal gaming audio series last year pioneered by the Immortal 1000D and Immortal 200 headphones with the Immortal 1300 introduced later on. The new Immortal 700 is the fourth headset in the lineup and despite the affordable pricing, the hardware setup doesn’t disappoint.
The new boAt Immortal 700 is designed for gamers and features a huge 50mm audio driver that delivers powerful audio outputs. The headphones also feature 7.1 channel virtual surround sound support which delivers audio clarity.
It is also bundled with ENx Technology which ensures the user’s voice output is clear. There is also the liberty to customize the sound via the boAt Plugin Labz application. The device also features an in-line remote controller which allows users to adjust the volume and control the mic.
Further, the Immortal 700 headphones come with RGB LEDs with five different modes. It also comes with a USB braided cable for connectivity and the ear mufflers are comfortably padded.
The boAt Immortal 700 gaming headphone is presently available on Amazon India for Rs. 2,499 (~$33). It will be available in a sole black and red color combination.
As we enter the third year of the ongoing global pandemic, tablets remain in high demand for work and school needs. The latest report from the International Data Corporation (IDC) has revealed that although the fourth quarter of 2021 saw a decline in shipments of tablets by 11.9% when compared to Q4 2020, total shipments grew by 3.2% when accounted for the whole year.
So let’s take a look at the shipment numbers of top tablet and Chromebook manufacturers to figure out who came out on top in 2021.
Apple remains dominant in the tablet market with its iPad offerings. The Cupertino giant retains the top spot with 57.8 million units shipped in 2021. The brand enjoyed a 34.2% market share and experienced an 8.4% yearly growth. Apple also shipped the most tablets in Q4 2021 at 17.5 million, however, the brand experienced an 8.6% decline in shipments when compared to Q4 of 2020.
In the second spot, we have Samsung with 30.9 million tablet shipments in 2021. The South Korean giant commanded an 18.3% market share and enjoyed a 3.8% yearly growth in the tablet segment. Samsung shipped 7.3 million tablets in Q4 2021 which was a 21.6% decline compared to Q4 2020.
Lenovo came in third with 17.7 million tablets shipments in 2021, which amounted to a 19.2% yearly growth compared to 2020. The company shipped 4.6 million tablets in the last quarter of 2021 which was 1.6 million sell than the volume shipped by the brand in Q4 of 2020.
Amazon shipped 16.1 million Fire Tablets in 2021 giving it the fourth-largest tablet market share at 9.5%. The brand grew 15.1% compared to 2020 and even enjoyed a positive growth of 1.3% in Q4 shippings year-on-year.
On the fifth position, we have Huawei and Honor who suffered a 32.1% decline in shipments at 9.7 million units shipped in 2021. However, the initial decline in shipping volume somewhat stabilized in Q4 of 2021, with the brand shipping 2.5 million tablets compared to 2.9 million shipments in Q4 2020.
The sharp decrease in the yearly shipping numbers is most likely due to the recent sanctions by the U.S. which prevents the brand from doing business with any American companies like Qualcomm and even Taiwan’s TSMC, which is the leading contract manufacturer for chipsets in the world.
Despite the market moving past its peak demand for tablets, senior research analyst Anutoopa Nataraj has stated that the shipments will remain above pre-pandemic levels as virtual learning, remote work, and media consumption remain priorities for users.
Last week, renders of the upcoming Motorola Edge 30 Pro surfaced revealing an in-display fingerprint sensor. And now, a new report has popped up revealing the launch timeline of the Edge 30 Pro in Indian and global markets.
According to 91mobiles, noted tipster Mukul Sharma has stated that Motorola plans to launch the new smartphone in February 2022. The leakster did not provide any specific date but stated that the launch would occur in Indian and global markets. Sharma also hinted that the phone might come carrying a different moniker in India. Considering that February has all but begun, we should soon hear more details regarding the Moto Edge X30 rebrand launch across the globe.
Moto Edge 30 Pro specifications (rumored)
Being a rebadged version of the Moto Edge X30 which was released in China around the end of 2021, we expect the Edge 30 Pro to be mostly identical to the Chinese variant in terms of specs. However, the Moto Edge 30 Pro is said to come with an in-display fingerprint sensor and a slightly altered back design with the ‘M’ branding being on the bottom left of the phone’s rear panel.
image via MySmartPrice
The Moto Edge 30 Pro is expected to sport a 6.7 inch OLED FHD+ display with a 144Hz refresh rate and a 576Hz touch sampling rate. The screen will offer 100 percent DCI P3 color gamut and HDR10+.
For photography, It is expected to come with a 50-megapixel (main) + 50-megapixel (ultrawide) + 2-megapixel (depth) triple camera unit. For selfies, it will come with a 60-megapixel front-facing camera.
Similar to the Edge X30, the Moto Edge 30 Pro will house a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip paired with up to 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and 256 GB of UFS 3.1 storage. It will run MYUX 3.0 based Android 12 OS out of the box. For power, the device may come with a 5,000mAh battery that supports 68W fast charging.
No details on the Indian or global pricing have surfaced as of yet. But with the rumored launch being just around the corner (February), we can expect more information to appear in the coming days, so stay tuned.
Chinese phone maker Infinix is expected to launch a new smartphone dubbed Infinix Zero 5G in the Indian market. Just a day back, the company teased the phone on the Internet and we also saw images of the phone in Black color. Now, we get to see the Zero 5G in Orange color in the new live image.
Thanks to the live image, we get a closer look at the back panel of the Infinix Zero 5G. The smartphone sports a triple camera system at the rear. It seems to have AI cameras. It has two LED flash units beside the lenses. At the back itself, we get to see the ‘Infinix 5G’ branding at the bottom left.
The smartphone has physical buttons on the right spine and has a 3.5mm headphone jack and a USB Type-C port at the bottom. It is the Orange color variant out of the two rumored colors – Black and Orange.
Apart from this, the Infinix Zero 5G will feature a 6.67-inch OLED display with an FHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It is expected to have a 16MP selfie snapper. Last time, its cameras were also detailed. These three lenses as the rear will be a 48MP primary lens, an ultra-wide snapper, and a telephoto sensor.
Image Courtesy – XDADevelopers
Rumors are rife that the smartphone could be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 900 SoC. It will be paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. It is touted to pack a 5,000mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging support.
In terms of its launch, reports reveal that the phone will debut in February in multiple markets including India. It could arrive at around Rs. 20,000(~$266) in India.
Huawei on Sunday said that it initiated arbitration proceedings against Sweden under the World Bank Group after the country banned the Chinese tech giant from releasing 5G products.
In a statement to Agence France-Presse (via South China Morning Post), the Chinese company said, “The Swedish authorities’ decision to discriminate against Huawei and exclude it from the 5G roll-out has significantly harmed Huawei’s investment in Sweden, in breach of Sweden’s international obligations.”
As a result, Huawei had to initiate arbitration proceedings under the World Bank Group’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) “against the Kingdom of Sweden following a number of measures taken by the Swedish authorities targeting directly Huawei’s investments in Sweden and excluding Huawei from the roll-out of 5G network products and services in the country.”
Sweden has become the second country in Europe following the UK, and the first in the EU, to ban network operators from using Huawei equipment in their 5G products. The country has ordered Huawei to remove equipment that’s already been installed by January 1, 2025.
Huawei did not specify the damages it was seeking but it’s reported by broadcaster SVT that the initial sum stood at 5.2 billion Swedish Kroner ($550 million), although it could end up reaching much higher.
The ban has strained Swedish-Chinese relations, with Beijing warning earlier that it could have “consequences” for the Nordic country’s companies in China.
The Apple iPhone 13 mini was launched in September 2021 and has received its first price cut on Flipkart, dropping its starting price from Rs 69,900 to Rs 66,900. The offer is effective across all storage models and further discounts can be availed through bank offers.
Banker offers include Citi Bank cards, using which you can get an additional discount of Rs 1,000. Another Rs 500 be subtracted if a Citi credit card is used for purchase through EMI. All in all, the iPhone 13 mini can be purchased for as low as Rs 65,400, but if you got exchange in mind, you can bring down the cost further by up to Rs 15,850.
The iPhone 13 mini packs the same hardware as the iPhone 13, only in a much more compact build. Its display is sized 5.4 inches and is an FHD+ OLED panel with a 1080×2340 resolution and peak brightness of 1,200nits. Under the hood, there’s the hexa-core A15 Bionic, paired with 4GB RAM. A dual-camera setup is featured at the rear comprising of 12MP primary and 12MP ultra-wide cameras. The battery is sized 2,406mAh with 20W charging support.
You get three storage options — 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB, although 256GB looks out of stock at the moment. The 512GB variant will set you back by Rs 96,900, which again includes a Rs 3,000 discount.
The Indian smartphone market grew 11% YoY, reaching the highest-ever shipments of 169 million units in 2021, and Xiaomi stayed in the lead with almost a quarter of the market share. The festive season didn’t help much during the December quarter, though, with shipments declining 8% YoY owing to supply issues.
Most of the growth was driven by high replacement demand fuelled by increasing smartphone affordability in the mid and high ranges due to offers, discounts, and better financing options (via Counterpoint Research).
Source: Counterpoint Research
The revenue set a new record too, crossing $38 billion in 2021, which is a growth of 27% over 2020. Average selling price rose 14% YoY in 2021 to reach its highest ever at $227 (~₹16,900).
“The price hikes in the budget segment due to component price rise, increasing focus of OEMs on the premium segment, and increased demand for mid-range and premium smartphones due to increasing uses and availability of financing options contributed to the increasing ASP,” research analyst Shilpi Jain says.
Local manufacturing contributed nearly 98% of shipments in 2021, which is an 8% rise compared to 2020. PLI (Production Linked Incentive) schemes have been a great booster to the Indian smartphone manufacturing industry and have attracted the likes of Apple and Samsung.
Moving on to brand-wise distribution, Xiaomi stayed at the top spot, recording a 2% YoY growth. The company grew 258% in the premium segment, thanks to the Mi 11X series, even as component shortages hit hard in the second half of the year.
Samsung remained at the second position in 2021 with an 8% decline in shipments, owing to supply chain disruptions, reduced focus on the entry-level segment, and fewer mid-range launches. This was kind of made up by the Korean company being the top 5G smartphone seller in Q4 2021.
Next up is the fastest growing brand in 2021 — realme — with 20% YoY growth. It also managed to grab second place in Q4 2021 for the very first time.
vivo emerged as the top 5G smartphone company in 2021 with a 19% share, growing 2% YoY, mostly thanks to its Y series and V series.
OPPO stood fifth with 6% YoY growth and was actually the fastest growing brand in the premium segment.
Source: Counterpoint Research
Transsion Group brands comprising itel, Infinix, and TECNO oversaw YoY growth of 55% last year and crossed a landmark 10 million shipments for the first time in the Indian smartphone market in a single year.
Apple registered 108% YoY growth in shipments, becoming one of the fastest-growing brands in 2021, and led the premium segment with a 44% share. OnePlus reached its higher-ever shipments in 2021, crossing the 5-million mark with 59% YoY growth, fuelled by the Nord series.
With the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S22 series being just around the corner, we have reported on various rumors regarding the upcoming flagship lineup. So now, here’s a roundup that sums up all we know so far.
Galaxy S22 series
Design and Display
The South Korean tech giant’s latest flagship series, the Galaxy S22 series, apparently does not feature any major redesign over its predecessor. Although, this still means that it will likely have a premium build. The base Galaxy S22 will feature a 6.1 inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display that has a 1080 x 2400 pixels resolution (FHD+). Meanwhile, the Galaxy S22+ and Galaxy S22 Ultra models are rumored to sport a larger 6.6 inch and 6.8 inch screens respectively. These panels are also AMOLED 2X displays, although, the Ultra variant is expected to offer a higher 1440 x 3200 pixels resolution (QHD+).
Similar to the last generation models, the new launches would also include at least 120Hz variable refresh rate support as well. Notably, the Galaxy S22 Ultra variant will be slightly more defined this year. By this we mean that its design will stand out from the vanilla and Plus models. It has straight edge corners similar to the classic Note series, along with support for S Pen stylus that will be housed within the smartphone’s body. The model will also no longer be featuring the large camera island module, rather, the lenses protrude directly from the rear panel.
Cameras
Talking about the Galaxy S22 and S22+ first, the two models feature a triple camera module on the rear. This comprises of a 50 megapixel primary sensor, paired with a 12 megapixel ultra wide angle lens, and a 10 megapixel telephoto sensor that offers at least 3x optical zoom. On the front, both smartphones will also feature a 10 megapixel selfie camera housed in a punch hole cutout.
Arriving at the high end version, the Galaxy S22 Ultra will house a 108 megapixel Super Clear lens with OIS support. Furthermore, it also features a 10 megapixel telephoto lens with 3x zoom and another 10 megapixel telephoto sensor with 10x zoom. The last sensor is a 12MP ultra wide camera. The selfie camera on this model is a 40 megapixel sensor, which is also housed in a punch hole cutout.
Specifications
Being a premium grade flagship series, the Galaxy S22 series is set to feature Qualcomm’s latest and greatest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC or its in house Exynos 2200 chipset. Although, the availability between the two chip variants depends on the market. For memory, the base and Plus model may start with 8GB of RAM, reportedly reaching up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM. Storage configurations may include a 128GB and 256GB variants. Similarly, the Ultra will also arrive in the same RAM and storage configurations, but its capacity is believed to top out at 512GB.
Galaxy S22 Plus (Black)
Under the hood, a large 5,000mAh battery pack powers the Galaxy S22 Ultra, while the Galaxy S22 has a 3,700mAh battery capacity and the Plus model is houses a 4,500mAh battery pack. As per our recent report, the base model will only support 25W fast charging rates. The Galaxy S22+ and Galaxy S22 Ultra will apparently offer 45W fast charging support. All models are expected to support wireless charging as well. In terms of software, the devices will likely run on Android 12 based OneUI 4.
Pricing and Launch
According to rumors, the Galaxy S22 series will start from 899 US Dollars for the vanilla variant. The higher end Galaxy S22+ is rumored to be priced at 1,099 US Dollars, with the Ultra arriving with an expensive 1,299 US Dollars price tag. Samsung is set to unveil these new smartphones during its Galaxy Unpacked launch event next month. The date of announcement is 9th of February 2022, with availability details being revealed during the same event. However, a separate report has hinted at Galaxy S22 Ultra deliveries taking up to 3 months due to delays. So stick around, as we will be covering the launch event.
Police have dismantled an illegal crypto mining farm in Santiponce, Spain that was assumed to be a marijuana setup initially, but turned out to be a mining hub with an approximate value exceeding 50,000 Euros.
An official press release (via NotebookCheck) detailing the bust reveals that the farm had an illegal connection to the town’s electricity grid and used elaborate cooling systems, complete with powerful industrial fans designed to clear all of the generated heat.
Image: El Chapuzas Informatico
According to the electric company whose power was being drained, the farm was capable of generating a monthly electricity fraud of 2,000 Euros. Spain has one of the highest electricity rates per kWh in Europe, so the miscreants figured that theft would bring in much higher profits.
Speaking of profits, the setup has been estimated to generate gains of around 2,500 Euros, made possible by a RIG mining equipment with a value of 13,000 Euros.
Investigators analyzing the seized equipment say that the facility was in its early phase of operation, meaning the police intervention halted the operation before it could turn profitable.
Police investigations had begun on a possible indoor marijuana plantation that could be located in some stables located in Santiponce. The cryptocurrency mine came as a surprise but the farm owners are yet to be nabbed.
Chinese tablet manufacturer Alldocube has launched a new budget Android tablet dubbed Alldocube Smile X. The new slate features a decent hardware lineup alongside a nice design.
For the specs, the Alldocube Smile X packs a 10.1-inch LCD display with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 pixels and an aspect ratio of 16:10. The budget tablet is powered by a Unisoc Tiger T610 processor which is an Octa-core SoC with two ARM Cortex-A75 cores and six Cortex-A55 cores. The processor also bundles a Mali-G52 MP2 GPU running at 614 MHz.
The processor is paired with 4 GB of RAM while there is 64 GB of storage onboard with the option of storage. The slate comes with two SIM card slots but you’ll have to sacrifice one of the slots if you need to add a microSD card.
For interface, the Alldocube Smile X runs on the Android 11 operating system and we doubt if that will ever get updated to Android 12. The tablet packs one camera a piece at the front and rear. The front camera is a 2MP sensor while the back camera is a 5MP sensor. The slate also comes with Bluetooth 5.0 and GPS support.
The Alldocube Smile X is presently on sale on Banggood and is priced at $149.99.
Chinese display maker BOE Technology has reportedly manufactured the world’s first 500Hz display. The company showcased the prototype recently when it announced some breakthroughs achieved in the display field.
BOE Innovation Exchange’s official Weibo account made a post a few days back detailing the important breakthrough the company made in the field of oxide semiconductor display technology. The breakthrough saw the display maker overcome industry problems such as the ease of Copper (Cu) getting diffused, oxidized, and drilled.
BOE took the lead in the industry to realize the mass production of copper interconnect stack structure, and the integration of high refresh rate, high resolution, low power oxide display technology, breaking Samsung’s monopoly. The company also continues to launch low power consumption, ultra-narrow bezel OLED panels in the industry, including the 500Hz+ gaming display, variable frequency refresh rate display, and a series of high-end technologies and products.
The new prototype is a 27-inch oxide FHD 500 Hz+ display said to be the world’s highest refresh rate display. According to reports, this monitor uses a high mobility Oxide backplane, supports 8Lane eDP output, true 8bit output, and has a 1ms response.
The tech giant also disclosed that it has creatively developed copper diffusion barrier technology, and proposed a unique theory of nitrogen and oxygen balance and interface repair. It is the first to achieve mass production in China.
The new display is yet to be mass-produced. In fact, the company is yet to say if it plans to start producing the 500Hz+ display anytime soon. When it does, it will beat other displays from gaming hardware manufacturers like Alienware, ASUS, and Acer who can only boast of 360Hz displays. The industry may not be ready for such a refresh rate, though, as the computer hardware required to run this kind of display isn’t rampant.
US State of Ohio is seeking to offer large incentives to Intel over its chip factory project. The state government will offer 2 billion US Dollars in incentives to bring in the company’s 20 billion US Dollar manufacturing plans.
According to a Clevelandreport, the American chipmaking giant will receive 2 billion US Dollars in grants, infrastructure spending, and tax credits. These benefits were pledged by Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik last week. In other words, this deal would be the largest economic incentive package in Ohio history. Furthermore, the aforementioned sum does not include the state’s economic development non profit, and millions more in local government money.
As per Mihalik, these pricey incentives are worth the cost, as Intel has been planning on setting up two computer chip production factories would potentially create thousands of jobs. It would even boost Ohio’s gross state product by an estimated 2.8 billion US Dollars per year. The director further added that Team Blue is possibly looking to invest up to 100 billion US Dollars in its Ohio operations, which also makes it one of the largest semiconductor factory plans.
Mihalik said that “When you look at what we’re giving Intel and compare it to what we’re getting in return, some may wonder if it’s worth it. And the answer is yes” Out of the 2 billion US Dollars sum, 1.3 billion will be through direct cash incentives. This includes a 600 million US Dollars “onshoring” grant. On the other hand, the state also agreed to provide 691 million US Dollars to improve infrastructure, such as 300 million US Dollars for a new water reclamation facility, 290 million US Dollars for roadwork, and around 101 million US Dollars for other water and wastewater systems as well.
OPPO released the Find N quite recently in December last year as its very first foldable phone, and the company now appears to be gearing up for the release of another, only this time it will be a Galaxy Z Flip3-like clamshell model.
The information comes from tipster Mukul Sharma (via 91mobiles) who says that OPPO has now started working on its first-ever foldable smartphone with a clamshell/flip design. The device is expected to hit the shelves sometime in Q3 2022. Its name hasn’t been finalized as of yet but it’s expected to be launched under the umbrella of the OPPO Find series.
The pricing will reportedly be lower than that of the Galaxy Z Flip3.
Oppo Find N
While foldables with the usual Find N-like form are great, they’re extremely expensive, even surpassing regular flagship phones with a huge margin. And that’s where clamshell foldables become more important strategically — being priced much lower and featuring more traditional designs, they sell a lot more.
However, OPPO is working on yet another foldable smartphone and it’s expected to be a successor to the current OPPO Find N. A launch timeline is unavailable for now but we can expect it to go live in late 2022 or early next year, around the same time the Find N was launched.
For now, this is all the information at hand regarding OPPO’s upcoming foldables, but we should be seeing more leaks and rumors in the coming days, so stay tuned.
MSI (Micro Star International) has just released a new PC in the Chinese market. The company has launched the PRO AP241Z AIO (all in one) desktop computer, which is powered by an AMD Ryzen 5700G APU.
Talking about this new product, it features a slim design that is targeted towards professionals. It features minimal bezels surrounding its 24 inch display. This is an IPS panel that offers a wide viewing angle and FHD resolution. Under the hood, the PC houses an 8 core and 16 threads processor, the Ryzen 7 5700G. This is an APU, which means that the CPU is paired with an integrated Vega 8 graphics.
Furthermore, the PC features DDR4 3200MHz memory paired with an M.2 SSD, 2.5 inch hard disk, and built in twin 3W speakers as well. Unfortunately, the company has yet to announce the official pricing of the device or its release date as of right now. However, it is clear that the device is geared more towards professionals rather than high end gaming. Although, with the APU, the new AIO PC should be capable of running esports titles easily. While it doesn’t have a built in webcam, it does arrive with an included Full HD webcam that is further supplemented by WiFi 6E technology for a fast and stable connections.
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