Redmi 10A China variant with Helio G25 processor makes Geekbench appearance

By

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Jan 28, 2022

The Redmi 9A and Redmi 9i launched back in 2020 were long due for a refresh, and it now looks that they’ll be getting just that with the soon-to-launch Redmi 10A, which has made a fresh Geekbench appearance.

The Geekbench 4 listing (MySmartPrice) reveals that the Redmi device carrying model number 220233L2C scores 787 points and 3,710 points in the single-core and multi-core tests, respectively. Powering the phone will be the MT6762G, which is a codename for the entry-level MediaTek Helio G25 processor.

The octa-core chip is rather old and slow by 2022 standards and isn’t really an upgrade considering the Redmi 9A also came with it. Hopefully, the recycling of an older chip will mean better-optimized software.

The benchmark listing further reveals that the MediaTek chip on the Redmi 10A will be supported by 4 gigs of RAM, out of which 3.71GB appear to be actually available. It is likely that more configs will be available at launch though.

On the software front, the Redmi 10A will be booting into Android 11 out of the box, which while isn’t the latest, will hopefully be layered with MIUI 13 atop.

Do keep in mind here that the handset in question is the Chinese variant, and a global variant of the Redmi 10A with model number 220233L2G has already appeared on the IMEI database. Both will likely be launching quite soon.

As for the specs other than mentioned on the Geekbench listing, they’ll again most likely not differ much from the Redmi 9A. The Redmi 10A will hence likely offer a large HD+ display and be equipped with a 5,000mAh or larger battery.

RELATED:

China smartphone market grows by just 1% in 2021, with Vivo in the lead

By

Sean

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Jan 28, 2022

Earlier today (28th January 2022), a new report revealed some interesting information regarding the China smartphone market in 2021. While we have already reported on smartphone brand rankings previously, the latest information shares more details regarding the overall market.

According to an ITHome report, a known analytics based firm Canalys revealed that the smartphone market in Mainland China barely saw any growth last year. The report adds that the Chinese market had a rough road in 2021 with a number of ups and downs. While the first quarter of last year, saw aggressive expansion from various brands, the second and third quarters saw a slight cool down. By the fourth quarter, growth had further declined, recording just 3 percent year on year.

All in all, the overall smartphone shipments in the region hit 333 million units, which marked a barely noticeable rise of 1 percent over the previous year. On the other hand, comparing this figure to the pre pandemic 2019 market, the market fell by more than 10 percent. Thanks to the launch of the iPhone 13 series, Apple took the lead as it shipped 21.5 million units in the fourth quarter of 2021 alone. As per our previous report, the Cupertino based giant had a 23 percent market share in China.

Furthermore, Oppo (including OnePlus) ranked second with 14.3 million smartphones being shipped while Honor followed close behind with 14.2 million units. Xiaomi and Vivo took the fourth and fifth spots respectively with 13.5 million and 13.4 million smartphones units being shipped in the fourth quarter of 2021. But while Q4 was in Apple’s favor, Vivo, Oppo, and Xiaomi took the top three spots in China in terms of annual market share. Vivo and Oppo held a 21 percent share, while Xiaomi accounted for 15 percent.

RELATED:

Samsung Galaxy S22, S22+, S22 Ultra charging speeds revealed

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 28, 2022

Samsung is scheduled to announce the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22 Plus, and Galaxy S22 Ultra on Feb. 9. These models will be announced through a virtual global launch event. Plenty of leaks has revealed the appearance and specifications of all three smartphones. Now, fresh findings that have appeared in the DEMKO certification platform have revealed the charging rates that could be supported by the Galaxy S22 family members.

Rumors have revealed that the Galaxy S22 will be housing a 3,700mAh battery. At the DEMKO certification, the S22 has appeared with its SM-S901E, SM-S901E/DS, and SM-S9010 model numbers. The certification shows that it may carry support for 25W rapid charging.

Fast charging speeds of #GalaxyS22Series, confirmed by UL (Demko) certification body.

–#GalaxyS22 (SM-S901E): 25W
–#GalaxyS22+ (SM-S906E): 45W
–#GalaxyS22Ultra (SM-S908E): 45W#Samsung #SamsungUnpacked pic.twitter.com/as32QA52e8

— Sudhanshu Ambhore (@Sudhanshu1414) January 28, 2022

The Galaxy S22+ is likely to house a 4,500mAh battery. It has surfaced with model numbers SM-S906E, SM-S906E/DS, and SM-S9060 along with a 45W charger at the certification site. The Galaxy S22 Ultra is speculated to come packed with a larger 5,000mAh battery. At DEMKO, the device has appeared with its SM-908E, SM-S908E/DS, and SM-S9080 model numbers and a 45W charger.

Here's that 45W PD Charger for your new S22 Ultra (EP-T4510)

the pic I posted a while back for this was obviously the wrong one. pic.twitter.com/jZw8Gu4Giq

— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) January 5, 2022

Earlier this month, reliable tipster Roland Quandt had teased an image (shown above) of Samsung’s 45W PD power adapter. It is unclear whether the charger will be included in the retail package of the S22+ and S22 Ultra. It is likely that the South Korean company may sell the charging brick separately.

The Galaxy S22 trio are likely to carry support for wireless charging and reverse wireless charging. The S22 series will be available with Exynos 2200 or Snapdragon 8 Gen 1v chip depending on the market. The S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra may ship with a 6.1-inch, a 6.6-inch, and a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with an ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint scanner. The Ultra model will support Quad HD+ resolution, while the S22 and its Plus edition will offer FHD+ resolution.

(via)

RELATED:

Face ID on iPhone 12 and newer models will now also work with masks

By

Zohaib Ahmed

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Jan 28, 2022

Apple has rolled out iOS 15.4 beta for developers and with it comes a useful new feature that allows Face ID to unlock the iPhone even if its user got their mask on, although you do need an iPhone 12 or newer to enable it.

Currently, iPhones require you to take your mask off to use Face ID, which isn’t convenient at all when you are outside in the age of the pandemic. Apple does offer a workaround in the form of the Apple Watch, which lets users unlock the iPhone even when wearing a mask or sunglasses, but that is obviously not an option for everyone.

The new option on iOS 15.4 beta now aims to address this shortcoming (via MacRumors).

face id with mask feature — Image: MacRumors

“Face ID is most accurate when it’s set up for full-face recognition only. To use Face ID while wearing a mask, iPhone can recognize the unique features around the eye area to authenticate,” a warning within the page for enabling the new “Face ID with a Mask” feature reads.

Obviously, Face ID is at its best when full-face authentication is used, but while Face ID with a Mask may be a bit less secure, it does fix a major inconvenience. Another perk is that unlike Face ID with Apple Watch, the mask version can also be used to authenticate third-party apps.

Do keep in mind here, though, that Face ID still requires you to take your sunglasses off. You will still be better off removing your sunglasses than your mask in public, so there’s that. Hopefully, Apple with time will also make Face ID accurate enough to work with sunglasses as well, with little to no compromise on security.

It would also be great if “Face ID with a Mask” is added to older iPhones as it currently only supports the iPhone 12‌, 12 mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max or an iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro, or 13 Pro Max. The reason for this limitation isn’t clear at the moment.

RELATED:

Redmi Smart TV X43 with Dolby Vision to launch in India on February 9

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Jan 28, 2022

Back in March 2021, Xiaomi debuted the first-ever Redmi-branded televisions in India in the form of the Redmi Smart TV X series. The lineup includes three models. They have the exact same set of features, except for the size. Almost a year later, the company is now all set to introduce a fourth model in the family.

According to the official Twitter account of Xiaomi TV India, the firm will be launching the Redmi Smart TV X43 on February 9. The new television will be unveiled alongside the Redmi Note 11S and the Redmi Smart Band Pro.

The teaser page on the company’s official website reveals some details about the upcoming TV. The television will arrive with a 4K panel with support for HDR and Dolby Vision. It will run the latest version of PatchWall with IMDb integration and will house Dolby Audio-powered 30W speakers.

The aforementioned features and the renders of the Redmi Smart TV X43 suggest that it will be identical to the older three models, except for the size. As the name suggests it will flaunt a 43-inch canvas as opposed to 50-inch, 55-inch, and 65-inch panels on the other models.

The Redmi Smart TV X50 currently retails at ₹37,999. Therefore, the price of the Redmi Smart TV X43 will be lower as it is smaller.

AutoX expands autonomous RoboTaxi service zone to 1000km² in China

By

Sean

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Jan 28, 2022

AutoX, a pioneer in autonomous driving technology, has just announced that it will be expanding its self driving taxi’s operations in China. Now, the RoboTaxi service will have an ‘Operatinal Zone’ of more than 1,000 km² in the region.

For those unaware, the company is the one behind the Level 4 fully autonomous RoboTaxis that are currently running in China. The service includes an unmanned vehicle that helps people in commuting and is wholly autonomous. To expand on its service, the Chinese brand will now have its RoboTaxis navigate through roads inside a large 1,000 square kilometer area.

This region will include small and congested streets, as well as, highways and major roads. According to AutoX, the expansion in services would enable it to improve its presence in China, especially in major cities like Shenzhen, Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. These cities are large in terms of area, so the bigger operation zone would enable it to better cover these regions.

The company even shared a new video announcing this expansion, in which we can see the RoboTaxi driving through the commercial center and highways of Shenzhen and finally arriving at the Shenzhen international airport. This highlighted a total of six hours of driving without any issues. As of right now, the brand’s RoboTaxis have been in service for a whole year, with commercial operations first commencing in January 2021. Since its launch, the service area in Shenzhen has also expanded to become the largest fully driverless RoboTaxi zone in China.

RELATED:

Vu Premium 32 inch Smart TV launched in India, features thin bezels & Dolby Audio

By

Sean

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Jan 28, 2022

Vu has just launched a new product in India. The company is one of the most popular smart TV brands in the region, and has just unveiled the Vu Premium Smart TV 32 inch in India, which arrives with minimal bezels and more.

As the name suggests, the new smart TV from the brand sports a 32 inch D-LED display that has a resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels. It also offers an A+ grade high bright panel with 300 nits of maximum brightness. Despite not being a high end model, it still manages to feature a near bezel less design on the front for a more modern look from its matte black finish. For audio, the smart TV houses a 20W speaker setup with support for DTS TruSurround and Dolby Audio as well.

But for those planning on using an external speakers, the TV also houses ARC, Optical, and a headphone jack. Under the hood, it is powered by a quad core CPU along with 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. In terms of software, the Vu Premium TV 32 inch runs on Linux smart OS and features popular streaming apps like Netflix, YouTube, YouTube Music, Eros Now, YuppTV, Prime Video, and other such platforms. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz, a LAN port, two USB ports, two HDMI ports, AV port, Digital Audio, ARC, and optical audio output.

The new smart TV also arrives with an IR remote with hotkeys for Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, YouTube Music, Browser, apps, and Internet browser. It is currently available for pre orders in India via Flipkart. The first sale is set for 1st February 2022 and the company is even offering a wall mount bracket in the box. So for those interested, you can buy the smart TV for 12,999 INR (roughly $173). Notably, the company is also offering various bank offers as well, which includes:

10% off on Axis Bank Credit Cards, up to Rs 1,250 (roughly $16.65)
10& off on Citi Credit/Debit Cards, up to Rs 1,500 (roughly $20)
5% Unlimited Cashback on Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card
Get Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen) at Rs 4,999 (roughly $66.59)
Get Google Nest Mini at Rs 1,999 (roughly $26.63)
Get Lenovo Smart Clock Essential at Rs 2,999 (roughly $40)
Get up to Rs 500 off on select furniture

RELATED:

Redmi 9, Redmi Note 9, and POCO M2 to get Android 12 update: Report

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Jan 28, 2022

Xiaomi is known for providing two Android updates and three MIUI updates for the majority of its smartphones. However, most phones powered by MediaTek usually only get fewer updates when compared to the Qualcomm models. Thankfully, that’s not the case for three popular MediaTek-powered Xiaomi handsets from 2020.

Redmi Note 9 All Colors Featured — Redmi Note 9

According to Xiaomiui, Redmi 9, Redmi Note 9, and POCO M2 will not only receive MIUI 13 but Android 12 as well. The trio has already got an internal update based on the latest version of Android.

Most of the time, Xiaomi limits the budget MediaTek smartphones to a single or no Android update. However, the company manages to deliver at least one MIUI update.

The aforementioned phones have already received an Android update in the form of Android 11. Hence, Android 12 will be their second Android update. At the same time, MIUI 13 will also be their second major MIUI update as all three debuted with MIUI 11 and were updated to MIUI 12.

This means the forthcoming Android 12-based MIUI 13 update will likely be the last major software update for Redmi 9, Redmi Note 9, and POCO M2. Finally, it is worth noting that the former two handsets are also known as Redmi 9 Prime and Redmi 10X 4G in India and China respectively.

Here’s the list of smartphones getting ColorOS 12 update in February

By

Jeet

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Jan 28, 2022

It’s been a few months since OPPO announced its latest ColorOS 12 custom user interface for its smartphones. The ColorOS 12 is now also available on smartphones manufactured by OnePlus after both OPPO and OnePlus merged their operations as well as the codebase of custom UIs ColorOS and OxygenOS.

The newly announced custom user interface from OPPO comes with several improvements and is also one of the first brands to roll out the Android 12 update for its devices. Last month, it had revealed the ColorOS 12 update rollout plan for Q1 2022.

Now, the company has revealed the list of smartphones getting the new ColorOS 12 update in the month of February 2022. The list includes devices set to receive the stable update as well as the public Beta update.

Stable Update:

22 February: OPPO Reno5 K 5G, K9 5G, A93 5G
23 February: OPPO A72 5G
24 February: OnePlus 9R 5G
28 February: OPPO Ace2, Ace2 EVA Limited Edition

Beta Update:

16 February: OPPO K9 Pro 5G
17 February: OPPO Reno4 SE 5G
24 February: OPPO Find X3 Pro Photographer Edition
28 February: OPPO Reno3 Pro 5G, Reno3 Vitality Edition, Reno3 Pro 5G Classic Blue Custom Edition, OPPO K7

The company recently introduced ColorOS 12.1 version which is currently limited to the newly launched OnePlus 10 Pro smartphone in China. It comes with new features like HyberBoost to improve the gaming performance, Omoji, and the company promises a faster and smoother software experience for the users.

RELATED:

Global smartphone market records 4% growth for first time after 2017, Apple takes lead

By

Zohaib Ahmed

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Jan 28, 2022

The global smartphone market recorded growth for the first time in almost 5 years, with annual shipments touching 1.39 billion units in 2021. But despite 4% year-on-year growth, yearly sales still remained lower than pre-pandemic levels due to component shortages paired with the impact of COVID-19, Counterpoint has revealed.

For comparison, global smartphone shipments were the highest ever in 2017, reaching 1.55 billion units — a record that remains unbroken.

The restoration of growth was driven to the post-peak-pandemic pent-up demand in regions like North America, Latin America, and India. In the US, it was mostly the demand for Apple‘s first 5G-supporting offering — the iPhone 12 series. And in India, good sales came from higher replacement rates, better availability, and more attractive financing options. China came as a surprise though, with the market shrinking due to supply-side issues combined with demand-side issues from lengthening replacement cycles.

Global Annual Smartphone Market Shipments 2021 — Image: Counterpoint Research

Apple’s global smartphone shipments grew 18% YoY to reach a record 237.9 million units in 2021 due to great response for the iPhone 12 series. The Cupertino-based company even became the top smartphone brand in China, passing vivo, and consequently overtaking Samsung as the #1 phone brand globally in Q4 2021.

Xiaomi‘s global shipments reached a record high as well, totaling 190 million units in 2021, which is a 31% YoY growth. While it performed well in the first half of the year, supply shortages in H2 2021 led it to slip in the fifth position in its home country.

Joining the aforementioned is also OPPO that’s yet another OEM achieving record shipments in 2021, growing by 28% and selling 143.2 million units. OPPO again suffered due to supply constraints in the final quarter and a larger part of its shipments came from H1 2021.

vivo grew 21% YoY, reaching annual shipments of 131.3 million units last year. This was thanks to its strong offline penetration and a wide-ranging product portfolio. However, it declined 9% YoY in Q4 2021, after getting dethroned by Apple in China.

RELATED:

Lenovo Legion Y7000P 2022 teaser reveals some key details about the gaming laptop

By

Jeet

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Jan 28, 2022

Lenovo is gearing up to launch a new range of gaming devices under the Legion brand, including a smartphone, tablet, and laptop. The upcoming gaming laptop from the company is the Lenovo Legion Y7000P 2022.

The device has been leaked online previously and now the company has officially shared a new teaser image for the product, which reveals some of the key details about the laptop.

The poster image confirms that the Legion Y7000P 2022 gaming laptop will be 11.6 percent thinner than the previous generation model. Further, it adds that the thinnest part of the fuselage is just 19.9mm.

The company has also clarified that the heat dissipation has not been affected even though the thickness of the device has been reduced. The main heat pipe has been upgraded from 8mm to 10mm and the fan blade has been reduced from 0.25mm to 0.15mm.

Lenovo Legion Y7000P 2022 has a maximum CPU power consumption of 135W while the GPU, which is RTX 3050 Ti, has a full power consumption of 95W. The image adds that the dual-bake performance can be achieved at 45W + 95W.

Previously, the company had revealed thorugh a teaser poster that the upcoming gaming laptop will come with a 16:9 aspect ratio display and the screen resolution will be upgraded to Quad HD+ while the refresh rate will be increased to 165Hz.

We expect the company to share more details about the Lenovo Legion Y7000P 2022 laptop’s specifications and features in the coming days or weeks. The company has not yet confirmed the launch date for the device, but we expect that to be revealed soon.

RELATED:

POCO F4 GT appears on IMEI database before launch

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Jan 28, 2022

Back in late November, a report gave some insights into the upcoming Redmi K50 Gaming series. Two months later, the higher model of those two devices has emerged on the IMEI database revealing its official marketing name. As expected, this phone will be known as POCO F4 GT in international markets.

According to Xiaomiui, the IMEI database has updated the listing of Xiaomi Matisse’s (L10) Global variant (21121210G) with its final market name. Previously, it was only mentioned as a POCO-branded handset. But now, we know that it will be sold as POCO F4 GT.

For the unware, this smartphone has two more regional variants, namely China (21121210C) and India (21121210I). In Xiaomi’s home country, the device is rumored to launch as Redmi K50 Gaming Edition Pro. Whereas, in India, it may bear the same POCO F4 GT name like the Global variant.

Talking about specs, the phone was previously said to come with a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 SoC, a 120Hz or 144Hz OLED display, Goodix/FPC in-screen fingerprint sensor, a 64MP Sony IMX686 or 108MP Samsung ISOCELL HM2 primary camera, a 13MP OmniVision OV13B10 ultra-wide camera, an 8MP OmniVision OV08856 telemacro camera, and a 2MP GalaxyCore GC02M1 depth sensor.

But now, for some reason, Xaomiui calls this phone Ingres instead of Matisse and paints a different set of specifications.

Apple sees 11% rise in iPhone sales, while its Services jump by 24% in Q1 2022

By

Sean

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Jan 28, 2022

Apple has just revealed its earning for the first fiscal quarter of this year. The company is projecting a strong Q1 2022 performance, while also exceeding market expectations in the previous quarter as well.

In the last quarter of 2021, the Cupertino based giant reported a revenue of 123.9 billion US Dollars, which was higher than Wall Street’s estimates of 118.66 billion US Dollars. Notably, this figure was also 11 percent higher than the its top line of 111.4 billion US Dollars during the same period in 2021. The brand’s iPhone was undoubtedly performed well last year, with the smartphones crossing Wall Street’s initial expectation of 68.34 billion US Dollars and reaching 65.60 billion US Dollars. This marked a growth of 9 percent year on year as well.

The newly launched iPhone 13 Pro, which arrives with a 120Hz ProMotion, upgraded cameras, improved battery life, and even 5G support was an integral part of this growth. Despite the ongoing pandemic, educational institutions are opening up and lesser people are working from home. This, in turn, lead to the decline of iPad revenue by 14.1 percent in this, falling to 7.25 billion US Dollars from 8.44 billion US Dollars that it recorded in the first fiscal quarter of last year. The Wall Street had estimated that the brand will bring in 8.18 billion US Dollars in revenue from its tablets, so this segment under performed.

However, an area where the iPhone maker saw the strongest growth was its various services. This includes the likes of App Store, Apple Pay, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Care+, Apple News, and more. The segment saw a revenue rise reaching 19.52 billion US Dollars this year over 15.75 billion US Dollars from last year. Notably, the figure also crossed Wall Street’s projection of 18.61 billion US Dollars as well, and marked a significant 24 percent jump year on year.

RELATED:

REDMAGIC 7 transparent design teased, key features revealed

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 28, 2022

REDMAGIC 7 gaming smartphone is confirmed to launch in February. The company has now rolled out a teaser video to celebrate the Chinese New Year. The video gives a look at the rear design of the REDMAGIC 7.

The teaser video showcases the transparent design of the REDMAGIC 7 gaming phone. Some of the key specifications are also seen mentioned on the transparent shell of the device. The REDMAGIC 7 is equipped with features like a 165Hz refresh rate display with a 720Hz touch sampling rate, an ICE 8.0 cooling system, a 20,000 PRM Turbofan with RGB lighting, and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile platform.

The rear shell of the REDMAGIC 7 has a vertically aligned triple camera unit. Below it is an LED flash, followed by REDMAGIC branding and the company’s logo. Apart from the transparent edition, the gaming phone is expected to arrive in other colors such as black, gradient blue, green, and red.

REDMAGIC 7 Specifications (Rumored)

The REDMAGIC 7 has a 6.68-inch OLED display that offers a Full HD+ resolution with an in-screen fingerprint scanner. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 powered handset may ship with 8 GB / 12 GB / 16 GB of RAM and 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB of storage. It will come preinstalled with Android 12 OS with RedMagic UI.

The REDMAGIC 7 gaming smartphone is likely to come with a 4,500mAh battery, which may carry support for 165W fast charging. The rear side of the phone has a 64-megapixel primary camera. There is no word on the auxiliary cameras and the selfie camera of REDMAGIC 7.

RELATED:

Lenovo Legion Y90 specifications emerge through TENAA certification

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Jan 28, 2022

Lenovo is expected to soon unveil the Legion Y90 gaming smartphone in China. According to a recent leak, the device will be released in global markets with the Legion 3 Elite / Pro moniker by Q1. It seems that the Legion Y90 may launch after the ongoing Chinese New Year holidays since it has just bagged approval from the country’s TENAA telecom authority.

Lenovo Legion Y90 specifications (rumored)

The Legion Y90 gaming smartphone has appeared with its L71061 model number in TENAA’s database. The listing states that the gaming phone features a 6.9-inch screen that offers an FHD+ resolution of 1080 x 2460 pixels and an in-screen fingerprint scanner.

The camera details are incorrectly mentioned in the listing. Previous reports have revealed that there will be a 64-megapixel (main) + 16-megapixel (ultrawide) dual-camera setup on the backside of the Legion Y90. For selfies, it will feature a 44-megapixel camera on the bezel above the display.

Lenovo Legion Phone 3 Pro render by Evan Blass

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 octa-core chipset is present under the hood of the Legion Y90. The TENAA listing states that China will be receiving the Y90 in 8 GB / 10 GB / 12 GB / 16 GB RAM variants and 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB of storage. The Y90 is expected to come with LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. It is likely to come preloaded with Android 12 OS.

The Legion Y90 is backed by a 5,600mAh (typical value) dual-cell battery. However, only the rated value of one of the cells as 2,650mAh is mentioned in the TENAA listing. It is known through the 3C certification of the Y90 that it may carry support for 68W fast charging. For security, it has an under-display fingerprint scanner.

The Y90 has 177 x 78.1 x 10.9mm dimensions and weighs 252 grams. The handset is expected to arrive in multiple colors such as black, white, blue, cyan, green, gold, red, silver, and grey.

RELATED:

TCL 30 V 5G smartphone launched in the United States for $299

By

Jeet

-

Jan 28, 2022

TCL has today launched yet another low-cost 5G smartphone in the market under its 30-lineup, dubbed TCL 30 V 5G. The device, which is currently exclusively available through Verizon in the United States, has support for the carrier’s C-band 5G spectrum.

The smartphone was first announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier this month and is priced at $299. Apart from the C-band spectrum, the device also supports “Nationwide” and mmWave 5G connectivity.

The TCL 30 V 5G features a 6.67-inch Full HD+ display with 2400 x 1080 pixels screen resolution and comes powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 5G chipset. It packs 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage and there’s also a microSD card slot for expanding the phone’s storage capacity.

As for the camera configuration, the device comes with a 50-megapixel primary sensor, coupled with a 5-megapixel ultrawide lens, and a 2-megapixel macro sensor. On the front side, the device has a 16-megapixel snapper for taking selfies and video calling.

The smartphone is running the Android 11 operating system out-of-the-box and is powered by a 4,500mAh battery which supports 18W charging through the USB Type-C port.

With a price tag of $299 for the off-contract model, the TCL 30 V 5G seems like a good option to get started using 5G connectivity. Verizon has also confirmed that the Motorola One 5G Ace, which is also priced at $299, will soon be enabled with C-band support.

RELATED:

New Honor Magic products to launch at Mobile World Congress on February 28

By

Jeet

-

Jan 28, 2022

Honor has officially announced that the company will be attending the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Not just that, the company has also teased the arrival of its new Magics series lineup.

A teaser image officially shared by the company reads “The Power of Magic,” hinting that the company will launch new Magic series smartphones. The event, titled “Honor Global Product Launch Event,” is scheduled to take place on 28th February at 1:00 pm CET.

While the company has not revealed the name of the lineup set to go official next month, it is expected to be the Honor Magic4 series. As the name indicates, it will be launched as the successor of the Magic3 series phones.

If we are to guess, then the upcoming Magic4 series smartphones will come powered by the newly launched Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, which is also powering the brand’s first foldable smartphone — Honor Magic V.

As of now, nothing is known about the Honor Magic4 series but as the company is set to launch the devices towards the end of next month, we expect to get details about the smartphones in the coming days or weeks.

The Honor Magic3 series included three models — Magic3, Magic3 Pro, and Magic3 Pro Plus and we expect the company to keep the lineup intact. To know for sure, we will have to wait for more details to surface online.

There’s also a possibility that the company could announce the global launch of the Honor Magic V foldable smartphone or some other device, like a MagicBook laptop or tablet.

RELATED:

boAt Airdopes 111 with 28 hour battery life Launched in India for Rs. 1,499

By

Sudhanshu

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Jan 28, 2022

Earlier this month, boAt launched the Airdopes 181, and Airdopes 601 TWS earbuds. And now, the Indian smart wearable and audio accessory brand has launched a new entry-level product in this lineup dubbed the boAt Airdopes 111. So let’s take a look at what these new earbuds have to offer.

boAt Airdopes 111 features

The entry-level earbuds come with 13mm audio drivers and feature boAt’s signature tuning with extra emphasis on bass. For connectivity, the TWS earbuds pack Bluetooth 5.1 support. The device has IWP technology thanks to which it connects seamlessly to your device as soon as one opens the lid of the carry case. The Airdopes 111 can provide up to 7 hours of playback time on a single charge which can be further extended to 28 hours with the charging case. The Airdopes 111 supports ASAP quick charging which is claimed to provide 45 minutes of playback time for 10 minutes of charge.

It features quick response touch controls for controlling music, responding to calls, and activating the smartphone’s voice assistant like Siri and Google Assistant. The Airdopes 111 also come with an inbuilt microphone that provides clear audio output for voice calls.

boAt Airdopes 111 pricing, availability, and colors

The boAt Airdopes 111 is available for purchase on e-commerce websites like Flipkart and Amazon. The TWS earbuds will cost you Rs. 1,499 if you purchase it on Flipkart. On Amazon, however, it’s going for Rs. 1,299 right now.

Coming to the color variants, the Airdopes 111 are available in four color options – ocean blue, sand pearl, carbon Black, and snow white.

RELATED:

Apple iPhone 14 series may have eSIM-only models

By

Jeet

-

Jan 28, 2022

Apple’s upcoming iPhone 14 series smartphones have been making the rounds for the past few months, despite the lineup being months away from getting launched. There have been several reports about the upgraded features of the device.

The iPhone 14 models are also rumored to ditch the nano-SIM card slot and will instead have support for eSIM. Now, an analyst has indicated that this could indeed turn out to be true and the Cupertino-based tech giant may launch eSIM-only iPhone models this year.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Render — Apple iPhone 14 and 14 Pro Renders

Emma Mohr-McClune, a Technology Service Director at GlobalData, says (via iMore) that the Apple iPhone 14 series may come with only eSIM support without any nano-SIM card slot. However, Mohr-McClune adds that the company may offer a variant with a SIM card slot for those carriers that still don’t support eSIM functionality.

The company has been slowly expanding the eSIM functionality on its smartphones. It first added support for eSIM with the iPhone XS and XS Max launch and with the recent iPhone 13 models, it added support for dual eSIMs.

Recently, it was reported that Apple is even working on a transition as some U.S. carriers will start offering select iPhone 13 models without a nano-SIM card in the retail box from Q2 2022. The company is already selling iPhone 13 models without a nano-SIM in the box if the product is sold through Apple Store or Apple.com.

If the reports about the eSIM-only models for the upcoming smartphones from Apple turn out to be true, then Apple must be testing waters and expect the company to completely do away with the physical SIM cards for the iPhones with new iterations.

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Upcoming iPhone feature will turn your device into a card swiping machine: Report

By

Sudhanshu

-

Jan 27, 2022

Apple is working on a new feature that would make it easier for their iPhones to accept credit card payments. The feature will likely take advantage of NFC technology present on the iPhone and enable small business owners to accept card payments directly through their iPhones.

According to a Bloomberg report, a Canadian company Mobeewave was developing this technology that would allow smartphones to take payments with just a tap of the card like a Point of Sale (POS) terminal. The feature is directed towards micro-merchants like street vendors, street artists, food trucks, etc., and provides them with an easy solution for accepting card payments without the hassle of additional equipment like a payment terminal machine.

The company was acquired in 2020 by Apple, which has ever since been working to retire and integrate into their iPhones. It is worth noting that before its acquisition by Apple, Samsung sponsored the company as a startup and the South Korean giant even integrated the Mobeewave payment acceptance technology into their smartphones and tested it in Canada. Back then, the technology was usable through a dedicated app and used NFC for reading card data.

It is currently unknown whether this feature will be a part of Apple Pay are will come with a different dedicated app on the iPhones. In the past, Mobeewave has partnered with Canada national bank to use their payment network app EasyPay, however, it remains unclear if Apple intends to partner up with an existing payment network for this endeavor.

Sources have stated that iPhone users can expect the feature to arrive on their devices in the coming months via a software update. Apple is also rumored to announce the iOS 15.4 beta soon, which may bring this feature along for testing.

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