Motorola may be the first to launch phone with new Snapdragon 8 series SoC again

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Jan 17, 2022

As we inch closer to February, Xiaomi is about to lift the curtains of its Redmi K50 series. The rumour mill has started to spin faster as more specs of the Redmi K50 lineup are leaked in China.

Redmi-k50-imx766-weibo — Redmi K50 Pro to use IMX766 sensor Source: Panda is Bald Weibo

One leak comes from the popular Chinese leakster, Panda is Bald. The leakster recently took to Weibo to leak and share his excitement on the upcoming Redmi K50 series using the Sony IMX766 imaging sensor as the flagship’s main camera sensor. The Sony IMX766 is the same sensor featured on many well-known flagships such as the Xiaomi 12, Realme GT 2 Pro and Oppo Find X3 Pro.

However, the Weibo post does not specify which Redmi K50 model is getting the sensor, but previous leaks indicate that the sensor will be featured on either the Redmi K50 Pro, the Redmi K50 Pro Plus, or both.

As per previous leaks, the Redmi K50 Pro is also rumored to feature a 6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a 4700mAh battery, and 120W charging.

In addition, a few days ago, leaked renders and the casing of the Redmi K50 Pro had surfaced online. The leaked render of the Redmi K50 Pro reveals that the smartphone will come with a single punch-hole cutout in the top-center position and the display will have rounded corners, similar to the phone’s body.

On the back, the device will have a camera module placed in the top-left corner. The black-colored square section will hold the three camera sensors in a triangular format, and a silver-colored rectangular section will house the LED flash.

As for case renders, we have exclusive images of the transparent silicone case for the Redmi K50 Pro smartphone which, as mentioned above, is in line with the leaked render. This pretty much confirms this to be the phone’s final design.

Xiaomi also has officially confirmed that it will debut the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 on one of its Redmi K50 series models. The Dimensity 9000 is MediaTek’s flagship SoC for 2022, and it is built on TSMC’s industry-leading 4nm process. From Geekbench 5 scores, the Dimensity 9000 is on par and can outperform the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in many demanding scenarios.

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OPPO Find X5 Pro live shots emerge, key specifications revealed

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Jan 17, 2022

OPPO Find X5 Pro is expected to go official by March in global markets. Other models such as the Find X5 and Find X5 Lite are also likely to go official with the Pro model. A new leak that has surfaced on Coolapk (via) has the live shots of the Find X5 Pro. The leak has also revealed the key specifications of the device.

OPPO Find X5 Pro live shots

The images that have surfaced on the Chinese site showcases the front and rear sides of the device. However, the images do not show the top and bottom areas of the phone. The CPH2305 model number mentioned on the device suggests the images belong to its global variant. This model number has been previously spotted at the Indonesian telecom certification and TKDN in December 2021.

As far as the design, the Find X5 Pro has a curved edge display on the front, which seemingly features a punch-hole at the top-centre position. The rear side of the device has an irregular-shaped camera module with “powered by MariSilicion” text inside it. The right corner of the phone’s back has the OPPO and Hasselblad branding.

Last year, OnePlus teamed up with Hasselblad to provide optimized photography experience on the OnePlus 9 series. OnePlus was merged with OPPO by mid-2021. Hence, it appears that forthcoming OPPO flagships may also carry Hasselblad branding.

OPPO Find X5 Pro specifications (rumored)

The leak reveals that the OPPO Find X5 Pro has an AMOLED LTPO 2.0 display that offers a 2K resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. It has a 32-megapixel Sony IMX709 front-facing camera. Its rear-facing camera setup has a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 primary camera with OIS support. It is coupled with a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 secondary lens and a 13-megapixel Samsung S5K3M5 tertiary camera.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset and a 5,000mAh battery are present under the hood of the Find X5 Pro. It carries support for 80W fast charging and 50W wireless charging. The device will ship with 12 GB of RAM, 3 GB of virtual RAM, 256 GB of built-in storage, and ColorOS 12.1.

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Vivo X80 series specifications leaked online; could soon get launched

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Jeet

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Jan 17, 2022

A few months ago, Vivo officially launched the Vivo X70 series smartphones globally and now it seems that the China-based manufacturer is ready with its successor devices, dubbed as the Vivo X80 series.

Just about four months after the global launch of Vivo’s X70 series phones, its successor, the Vivo X80 lineup is set to launch. Ahead of the launch, some key features and specifications of the devices have leaked.

VIVO X70 Pro Plus 5G — Vivo X70 Pro Plus

The company is expected to launch three models in the lineup — Vivo X80, X80 Pro, and X80 Pro+. All three smartphones will feature an AMOLED display and the screen will have 120Hz refresh rate support.

The X80 will come with a 6.56-inch LTPO display with Full HD+ screen resolution while the X80 Pro and Pro+ models will have a 6.78-inch LTPO display with Full HD+ and Quad HD+ screen resolutions, respectively.

It is being claimed that the Vivo X80 will be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8000 SoC while the X80 Pro will pack MediaTek Dimensity 9000 processor. On the other hand, the X80 Pro+ will come powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, the same processor that’s powering most of the flagship smartphones.

As for the memory configuration, the X80 will have LPDDR4X RAM while the Pro models will have up to 12GB LPDDR5 RAM. In terms of storage, all three models are expected to come packed with UFS 3.1 internal storage.

Coming to the camera configuration, the standard model will have a triple-camera setup that includes a 50MP Samsung GN5 sensor, a 13MP secondary sensor, and a 12MP Sony IMX663 sensor with 2X optical zoom.

The Vivo X80 Pro is expected to come with a quad-camera setup of a 50MP primary sensor, a 50 MP Samsung JN1 sensor, a 12MP Sony IMX663 lens with 2x optical zoom, and a 50MP sensor with 5x optical zoom support.

On the other hand, the Pro+ model will have a 50MP primary lens, a 49MP Sony IMX598 sensor, a 50MP sensor with 2x optical zoom, and another 50MP lens with 5x optical zoom. The X80 and X80 Pro are said to have a 44MP snapper on the front side for taking selfies and video calling while the X80 Pro+ will pack a 50MP sensor.

All three smartphones will come pre-installed with the Android 12 operating system and will likely run the latest OriginOS Ocean on top. The X80 will have 55W fast charging support while the Pro models will have support for 66W fast charging and 50W wireless charging.

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Realme Buds Air 3 design and key features leak ahead of launch

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Jeet

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Jan 17, 2022

It’s been about a year since Realme launched its Realme Buds Air 2 true wireless earphones in the market. Now, the company seems to be all set to launch a successor in the Indian market.

According to the latest report, the Realme Buds Air 3 could get launched in India very soon but the exact launch date is not confirmed. Along with this, some of the key features and specifications of the upcoming TWS earbuds have leaked online.

Realme Buds Air 3 Leak (Image: MySmartPrice)

In terms of design, they will have an in-ear design similar to the Buds Air 2. For the Active Noise Cancellation feature, the earbuds will have a triple-microphone array, which will also support Transparency Mode. The size of the charging case for the earbuds also seems to have been significantly reduced.

It is also claimed that the users will have to go through app-based testing which will generate a customized user experience. The users will also be able to further customize the overall experience as per their preferences.

There will also be a Dual Device Connection, which as the name itself indicates, allows users to connect the product to two different devices simultaneously and allow users to switch between those devices with just a simple tap.

Along with the Low-Latency Game Mode, the Realme Buds Air 3 will also come with support for the Bass Boost+ mode. It will also have in-ear detection which can pause the audio playback when the earbuds are taken out or not worn by the user.

It is going to offer around 30 hours of usage with the charging case and the Active Noise Cancellation feature turned off. There will be a USB Type-C port for charging the project.

While the exact launch date of the Realme Buds Air 3 is not yet revealed, the device is expected to get launched in the Indian market pretty soon, maybe in the coming weeks. As for the pricing, it is likely to be priced under ₹4,000 (~$54).

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Huawei 9um Smart Positioning Children’s Schoolbag features an LCD display, IP67, GPS

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Jan 17, 2022

Huawei has ubnveiled a new school bag for children that it would soon be launching. The product dubbed Huawei 9µm Smart Positioning Children’s Schoolbag will be launched in no distant time. This is no ordinary bag as it presents with some exceptional features that you may likely not find in any other bag.

The Huawei 9um Smart Positioning Children’s Schoolbag comes with support for smart positioning function which ensures parents can keep track of their kid’s location even in situations where they are not allowed to bring smartphones and GPS-packing smartwatches to school. The comes with Beidou and GPS with an outdoor accuracy of up to 5CEP.

The schoolbag also comes with support for app control and HarmonyOS Connect. After the schoolbag is successfully connected to the “Smart Life” app on the mobile phone, three guard areas can be set: home/school/other. Parents can receive a message alert when the child’s backpack enters and exits the set area, such as when the child enters the school.

At the same time, parents can check the location of their children’s schoolbags on their mobile phones. The high-frequency mode will check in at a fixed point every 2 minutes to know the child’s location information in real-time, and the historical track can be retained for up to three months.

In terms of ergonomics, the 9um Smart Positioning Children’s Schoolbag has a five-dimensional load-reducing design. There is also a U-shaped shoulder strap design that makes the shoulder strap of the schoolbag fit the child’s shoulder and neck more. The bag is breathable and cushioned, making it more comfortable to carry.

In addition, the structural design of the horizontal schoolbag is about 6-7 cm shorter than the height of the general schoolbag. The strap design will ensure that the bottom of the schoolbag can not be dragged below the waist to avoid damage to the waist due to force. Thus, it is more suitable for children under 135cm.

Perhaps, the most outstanding feature onboard the new bag is the 1.54-inch IP67 dustproof and waterproof fun screen display which can set class schedules, electronic signatures, theme clocks, etc. Parents can all the class schedules from the mobile app. The schedule for the next day can also be automatically updated every day. This will make it easy for the child or parent to select the books the child will be needing the following day.

Although the product won’t be available soon, Huawei is currently recruiting public testers on Vmall who will get the chance to snap up the smart schoolbag for just 699 yuan (~$110). Of course, when it goes on sale, the price will be way higher but there is no word yet on when it will be launched.

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Samsung could increase Galaxy S22 series pricing due to global chip shortage

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Jeet

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Jan 17, 2022

In a few weeks, Samsung is expected to launch its next-generation Galaxy S-series flagship smartphones. Ahead of the official launch expected on 8th February, several details about the Galaxy S22 series have leaked online.

Now, the latest report coming from Korea hints about the increasing price for the lineup. It claims that because of the global shortage of chipsets, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S22 series phones could see a price hike.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Render Leak via Evan Blass

The pricing of several important components for smartphones has increased by 30-40 percent while pricing for the power management chips and image sensor chips has increased by 10-15 percent.

The report hints that the Samsung Galaxy S22 could carry a starting price of $899, which is about $100 more compared to its predecessor. However, some reports also indicate that the company will stick to the same pricing as the Galaxy S21 series because of the increasing competition from Apple and Chinese brands.

Samsung will be launching three smartphones — Galaxy S22, S22 Plus, and S22 Ultra. The phones will come powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset or the company’s own Exynos 2200 processor, depending on the region of availability.

The standard Galaxy S22 is expected to be a compact flagship from the South Korean giant, offering a 6.06-inch display that will have a peak brightness of 1000nits. On the other hand, the S22 Plus and Ultra models will have the highest brightness on phones, offering 1750nits brightness and contrast ratios of 3,000,000:1.

The Galaxy S22 Plus will reportedly have a 6.55-inch display while the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s display measures 6.81-inches. The Ultra model will come with a slot for holding an S-Pen stylus. For charging, the phones are said to come with a new 45W fast charging support.

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Nubia New Sound C1 TWS Earbuds arrive with Bluetooth 5.3, up to 32 hours battery life

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Jan 16, 2022

Nubia’s RedMagic gaming headsets are quite popular but the company also has a non-gaming lineup of accessories. The company has now unveiled the Nubia New Sound C1 Truly Wireless earbuds in China with a semi-in-ear design and price tag of 158 yuan (~$25).

The new Nubia New Sound C1 TWS Earbuds supports the latest Bluetooth 5.3 protocol, which is more energy-efficient and has a wider range. The earbud also supports a two-way communication rate that is 50% higher latency than that of Bluetooth 5.0. In addition, you can manually switch to low-latency mode when playing games, with latency as low as 60ms.

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The new Nubia TWS earbuds equally feature a battery life of up to 8 hours. The carrying case crams a 400mAh charging compartment which can provide an additional 32 hours of battery life. The product equally supports IPX4 waterproof and dustproof making them suitable for use during workouts.

The Nubia TWS earbuds will officially go on sale at 10:00 am on January 18. The headset is available in blue, white, and green colors.

Eleksa launches the affordable CityBug EV with up to 200km range in South Africa

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Jan 16, 2022

Chinese EV maker Eleksa has introduced the CityBug electric vehicle in South Africa. The Eleksa CityBug is the most affordable EV yet to hit the South African market at a price of 230k Rand (($14,945). It is a two-door compact car which can seat four persons and it weighs about 450kg. The CityBug offers some decent features within its compact cabin to justify its price tag.

The Eleksa CityBug has already berthed in Europe, the United Kingdom, and other parts of the world, although it is arriving in Africa for the first time. Eleksa says the CityBug is an ideal urban runabout with minimal charging costs around 15 cents per kilometer.

It has a 9kWh battery and a 4kW electric motor which gives the electric vehicle a range of 100km on a single charge and a top speed of about 60km/h. The CityBug can carry loads up to 300kg, and its range can be doubled to 200km via an upgrade. The range is heavily dependent on the cargo carried by the CityBug.

The Eleksa CityBug could be used as a small delivery vehicle within the city radius. Eleksa is also lining up a couple of electric vehicles for unveiling in due course. This includes a bakkie delivery van and a family compact SUV.

The CityBug offers some standard features like electric windows, an air conditioning system, a digital instrument cluster, and an infotainment hub with an Android operating system. The Eleksa CityBug also provides an integrated navigation system.

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Xiaomi invests more into UWB technology in China, here’s what you need to know

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Jan 16, 2022

The Chinese governmental business registration agency, QCC, has recently updated its database in January 2022, and a reporter from ITHome has noticed that Xiaomi recently invested in a small tech startup called Ultraception that focuses on UWB technology.

From the database, it is known that Ultraception was established in 2019, registered under its CEO Dong Zongyu, and the company is currently worth 6.5 million in shares after Xiaomi had purchased shares of the company. From its company description, the company also dabbles in the data server business, the semiconductor business and in the telecommunications business as well.

Ultra-Wide Band technology, also commonly referred to as UWB in the industry, is a radio-based communication technology for short-range use and fast and stable transmission of data. It is set to replace the infrared light sensors found inside of our technology today because UWB technology consumes less energy compared to infrared technology.

Although UWB technology has been with humanity since the early 1990s, it was until the 2020s when the technology was readily available to the general public with the technology incorporated into our smartphones, smart home and trackers. Most notably, the Samsung SmartTag Plus and Apple Airtags were launched in 2021 with UWB technology on board to enable more accurate tracking in a more power-efficient manner, since these devices are not meant to be plugged into a power outlet daily.

Ultraception Company Shareholders List QCC — Ultraception Company Shareholders List Source: QCC

As for details of how Xiaomi may use this UWB technology for its products in the future, Xiaomi demonstrated that it will use UWB technology for controlling its smart home devices. With help from software calculation algorithms, Xiaomi had achieved centimeter-level positioning and ±3° angle measurement accuracy using UWB technology.

Xiaomi says that this Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology gives smartphone and smart devices spatial perception capabilities, similar to something like Indoor GPS. With this technology, the user can just point the smartphone to any device and a control card for the same will automatically pop up on the screen.

Xiaomi Mi MIX 4 featured- — Xiaomi MIX 4 has UWB technology

As of now, only the Xiaomi Mix 4 supports the UWB technology but hopefully, with the latest update on Xiaomi investing more into UWB technology, we hope Xiaomi brings this technology to more of its devices in the future.

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(Via)

iPad Pro 2022 could feature Magsafe Wireless Charging thanks to a clever redesign

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Jan 16, 2022

Apple is set to release its next-generation iPad Pro series in 2022 and from previous rumours, Apple is planning to redesign the iPad Pro to accommodate MagSafe, its wireless charging solution.

iPad Pro with Magsafe — iPad Pro 2022 may feature MagSafe

Integrating MagSafe wireless charging is not as easy as it sounds, because current iPad Pros have an aluminum back, and for wireless charging to work, the back must be made of glass to allow the current to flow through. However, based on rumours from 9to5Mac, Apple has found a clever workaround to the problem.

The upcoming 2022 iPad Pros are to retain the aluminium back case design, but the centered Apple logo will now be made of glass and made bigger to include the magnetic contact pads to conduct electricity for wireless charging. Insider sources claim the reason why Apple chose this design over the full glass back design of its iPhones is that a glass back design would make the iPad Pro much more fragile, heavier, and easier to be damaged.

9to5Mac sources also claim that Apple is already developing iPad Pro prototypes that utilize the bigger made-of-glass Apple logo for MagSafe wireless charging and the great news is that it supports wireless charging at higher wattages compared to the iPhones and features stronger magnets to prevent accidents from happening.

Besides integrating wireless charging, the iPad Pro 2022 may also feature the infamous Apple notch design, like the iPhone 13 Pro and Macbook Pro M1 Pro. There are some leaked renders of the upcoming iPad Pro 2022 that show off slimmer bezels, rounded corners, and the notch centered on top of the display.

iPad Pro 2022-front and back — Leaked Renders of iPad Pro 2022

The renders also show the back design of the iPad Pro 2022. It does seem that the Apple logo has been enlarged and that the camera module design now more resembles that of the iPhone 13 Pro lineup with the diagonal triple camera setup.

Whether the aforementioned prototypes will be sent for production, we will have to wait for the next Apple launch event. So do take the leaks with a grain of salt as the product has not been officially revealed yet.

(Source, Source, Via)

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ColorOS 12 Open Beta now Available for Oppo Reno 4 5G series in China, based on Android 12

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Jan 16, 2022

Oppo released its ColorOS 12 Q1 2022 rollout plan for its less recent smartphone models last month, and it looks like Oppo is keeping up with its promise as it seems that all is going even better.

The rollout is ahead of schedule!

Oppo Reno 4 5G Beta — Oppo Reno 4 5G series Chinese Beta

According to the plan, it was mentioned that Oppo will release its ColorOS 12 open beta for its Chinese variant of the Oppo Reno4 5G and Oppo Reno4 Pro 5G phones on Jan 17, 2022. However, in the latest announcement in the Chinese Oppo forum as of recent, Oppo announced that it will be conducting recruitment for its Oppo ColorOS 12 Open Beta from Jan 14 to Jan 17 3PM CST for Oppo Reno4 5G and Oppo Reno4 Pro 5G users in China.

Here’s are the key details provided by Oppo that you need to know if you want to join the open beta:

The recruitment is for Oppo Reno4 5G and Oppo Reno4 Pro 5G users in China only.
The recruitment is running from Jan 14 to Jan 17 3PM CST.
Users will be reviewed within 5 business days after they submitted their application to join the open beta.
The ColorOS 12 update will be pushed to beta users within 3 business days once the review has been passed.

Do note here that beta builds are still under the development stage and will hence not be as stable as regular updates. Prepare to run into bugs, abnormal power usage, and other issues. While issues aren’t exactly guaranteed to exist, if you do run into them, then just be sure to report them to Oppo.

If you are interested in signing up for the beta Android 12-based ColorOS 12 builds for the Oppo Reno4 5G and Oppo Reno4 Pro 5G, here’s how to apply in two simple steps.

First, ensure your Oppo Reno4 5G and Oppo Reno4 Pro 5G are on the required latest builds: Reno4 5G(C.33 and above), Reno4 Pro 5G(C.32 and above). Then just head over to “Settings > Software Update > Settings icon > Upgrade early adopters > Upgrade to beta build” to upgrade to the open beta build.

Do note that this Android-12 based ColorOS 12 open beta is only available currently in China, however, the global beta is believed to be announced soon in the coming months.

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(Source)

TSMC and MediaTek to recruit 10,000 more employees into their workforce in 2022: Report

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Jan 16, 2022

The Taiwanese media outlet, Economic Daily News, reported on January 15 that TSMC and MediaTek are looking to recruit 10 thousand more employees (8000 TSMC and 2000 MediaTek employees respectively) into their workforce in 2022.

For those who don’t know, besides being known as the tech giants in the chip-making business, TSMC and MediaTek are also the top 2 highest valued companies listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. Besides bringing forward innovation and advancement in the technology industry, both companies also play a crucial role in Taiwan’s regional economy.

To combat the ongoing chip shortage, the world’s largest chip manufacturing company, TSMC announced back in April 2021 that TSMC was going to invest 100 billion USD over the next 3 years to increase its chip manufacturing capacity to meet the market’s high demand. The money was going to be invested into building new plants globally, increasing the capacity of production in its current plants, and also incorporating new semiconductor manufacturing technology into its machines for faster production.

With more factories popping up, it is to no one’s surprise that more manpower is needed to monitor and to run all these machines. Initially projected by analysts to recruit over 10 thousand more employees into the company in 2022, TSMC is now instead projected to recruit over 8000 employees. As for more details, TSMC is said to reveal more about its 2022 recruitment plan in the Taiwan Campus Recruitment Event happening soon.

As for MediaTek, the company had 19,300 employees as of December 2021, and compared to its workforce of 17,300 in April 2021, the company had recruited 2000 more employees in the span of 8 months alone. Today, MediaTek has become a multinational with over 1000 employees in India, around 500 in the United States, and several researchers employed across Japan and across the European continent.

As for MediaTek sales numbers in 2021, it was great news all around for the company, With the release of its Dimensity chips such as the Dimensity 1100 and Dimensity 1200 in early 2021, the company managed to rake in 493.41 billion NTD (17.91 billion USD) of revenue last year and its sales growth reached a new peak of 53.1% YOY (year-on-year).

In relation to the news above, TSMC and MediaTek are also close partners in the semiconductor industry. In November 2021, MediaTek officially announced its industry-leading Dimensity 9000 SoC last year, built on TSMC’s 4nm process. The chip was the first SoC to use Cortex-X2 high-performance cores and was the first SoC to run on the latest ARMv9 architecture.

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(Source)

Xiaomi 11T Pro likely to get MIUI 13 update soon after launch in India

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Jan 16, 2022

Xiaomi will be announcing the Xiaomi 11T Pro on Jan. 19 in India. It will be competing with the likes of the OnePlus 9RT and Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G affordable flagships that have recently gone official in India. According to a new report by My Smart Price, the 11T Pro will come preinstalled with MIUI 12.5 Enhanced Edition, which allows users to some of the system apps among other features. The publication claimed that it will be one of the first Xiaomi phones in India to receive the Android 12 update.

The publication also reported that the 11T Pro will be treated with 3 years of Android updates and 4 years of security patches. This means that Xiaomi will reportedly offer updates until 2025 for 11T Pro users in the country.

Xiaomi 11T Pro specifications

The Xiaomi 11T Pro features a 6.67-inch Full HD+ resolution. The AMOLED panel will offer a 120Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass Victus protection. For security, it is equipped with a side-facing fingerprint scanner.

The device is expected to arrive in variants such as 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage, and 12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage. It features the Snapdragon 888 mobile platform and a 5,000mAh battery, which carries support for 120W HyperCharge fast charging. The SoC is coupled with LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage.

For selfies, it is fitted with a 16-megapixel front-facing camera. The rear camera setup of the device has a 108-megapixel primary camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide lens, and a 5-megapixel telemacro camera. The 11T Pro is also expected to arrive with Harmon Kardon branded dual stereo speakers.

Xiaomi 11T Pro price in India (expected)

The Xiaomi 11T Pro is likely to be priced around Rs 40,000 (~$537) in India. It may arrive grey, white, and blue.

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OPPO Find X5 Lite likely to be rebranded version of this phone

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Jan 16, 2022

OPPO is expected to announce the OPPO Find X5, Find X5 Pro, and Find X5 Lite smartphones in the global markets in March. An EU certification spotted by tipster Sudhanshu Ambhore reveals that the Find X5 Lite will be a rebranded version of the OPPO Reno7 5G that debuted in China in the recent past..

OPPO Reno7 5G will launch as OPPO Find X5 Lite for European market. pic.twitter.com/bhHaEku66q

— Sudhanshu Ambhore (@Sudhanshu1414) January 15, 2022

As can be seen in the above tweet, an OPPO phone with a CPH2371 model number has appeared on an EU certification platform. The listings suggest that the Reno7 5G may get renamed as the Find X5 Lite in markets outside China. If it is true, the X5 Lite’s design language will not be similar to the Find X5 / X5 Pro, which is expected to arrive with an irregular-shaped trapezoid camera module.

OPPO Find X5 Lite specifications (rumored)

The Find X5 Lite could be packed with the same specs that are available on the Reno7 5G Chinese edition. It may house a 6.43-inch AMOLED display that offers a Full HD+ resolution, a 90Hz refresh rate, and an in-screen fingerprint scanner.

The Snapdragon 778G chipset is present under the hood of the Find X5 Lite. It will be equipped with 8 GB / 12 GB of RAM and 128 GB / 256 GB of storage. The Android 11 OS with ColorOS 12 is expected to come preinstalled on the device.

The Find X5 Lite may come with a front camera of 32-megapixel. Its rear camera setup may include a 64-megapixel primary camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide lens, and a 2-megapixel macro camera. It may house a 4,500mAh battery that supports 60W fast charging. At present, there is no information on the pricing of the Find X5 Lite.

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Motorola Frontier flagship with 200MP, new Snapdragon flagship chip could be in works

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Jan 16, 2022

Motorola is reportedly gearing up to launch the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra flagship in global markets. This device is said to be the rebranded version of the Motorola Edge X30, which was announced back in December 2021. New documents obtained by Technik News reveals that the Lenovo-owned company is working on a new flagship phone with “Frontier” codename. This device is expected to feature the next-generation Snapdragon chip and a 200-megapixel camera.

Motorola Frontier specifications (rumored)

The report reveals that the Motorola Frontier will be equipped with a 6.67-inch P-OLED curved edge display that will offer a Full HD+ resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate. The front side of the Frontier will feature a 60-megapixel OV60A OmniVision camera for snapping selfies. It will be equipped with the “Always-On” security feature of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip.

The rear camera setup of the Motorola Frontier may feature a 200-megapixel primary camera. It is said to be the new Samsung S5KHP1 image sensor. The main camera could be coupled with a 50-megapixel Samsung SKJN1SQ03 ultrawide lens and a 12-megapixel Sony IMX663 telephoto camera.

Coming to the processor of the device, the report claims that the Motorola Frontier will be powered by the successor of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, which is said to have a part number of SM8475. The device may arrive in two variants such as 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage.

The Motorola Frontier is likely to run on Android 12 OS. While the report has no information on the battery of the device, it mentions that it will offer advanced charging capabilities such as 125W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. At present, there is no word on the launch date and final marketing name of the Motorola Frontier.

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Yeelight Smart Light Panels Hands-on: A customizable and colorful LED set for your room

By

Paco Zheng

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Jan 16, 2022

Today, we’ve got our hands on something very special. These lights has been gaining a lot of popularity in the tech community that it became like a new “fashion” for tech-savvies. It was considered to be over-priced when it first came out, but how many new brands have emerged and they offer options at affordable prices to the consumers.

First off, in the box, you’ve got 6 individual light panels, the package is very nice, so nothing got damaged. And we’ve got these little connecting nanochips, this is going to connect each panel, you’ve also got a lot of stick tape to attach these things to your wall or whatever surface you want and the power brick, connecting wires, etc.

Because you are going to stick them up to the wall, you have to consider the weight of these panels. These are very light and thin, which is perfect for the purpose, and you can connect them up with nanochip connectors with corresponding cutouts, so you have a very flexible way of putting them up very creatively, and if you are looking for more panels you get it with extensions pack which includes 3 more panels to create more patterns you prefer. Connecting a power brick to only one of them is going to light all of them up. You can do some basic control using the controller, but I highly recommend using the app.

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When I have them lightened up, and it looks really nice and gorgeous. With the app you have many lighting options to explore, not just the colors but also some the action of the light too.

But one thing I didn’t like is that you can’t control each panel separately to come up with different customized combination, that kind of limits the whole experience.

So, in my opinion, the only function this thing serve is to make your room look good. The lights are bright and colorful, definitely enough to stimulate your emotion and while you are gaming sometimes, you can create the specific color for the atmosphere around you and that really increases the immersion of the gaming experience. Because it changes with the rhythm when you are playing audio in the room, that, too, sometimes can be very cool.

However, there are few things I wasn’t very enjoying. First is the power cable, it just hangs up on the wall mid air, it’s no big deal if you have a white wall, but if not, it can be kind of an eyesore. And the connector is too weak, after connecting them up, while I was going to hang them, I was so worried that I might break the connector with the weight of the panels which I am not holding, so surely be careful while you are sticking them up.

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To conclude, if the main reason to spend this amount of money on this product is to make your room look cooler and more immersive in some situations, then this can totally do the job and the result might even surprise you.

The Yeelight Smart LED panels start at $49.99 and go up to $179.99 depending upon the bundle.

Xiaomi Debuts “Pure Mode” on its MIUI in China, similar to “Security Check” Found on ColorOS

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Jan 16, 2022

In September 2021, Xiaomi started to recruit beta testers for its “Pure Mode” found on the Chinese version of MIUI. However, Xiaomi didn’t update the progress of the development of the “Pure Mode” until recently. Initially thought to be scrapped, one MIUI user in China has noticed that Xiaomi has already silently rolled the “Pure Mode” functionality to its smartphones as of 15 January 2022.

In a nutshell, “Pure Mode” in MIUI helps to guard your online safety by preventing you from downloading malicious apps from the Internet, which is essentially the “Security Check” found on Chinese ColorOS devices from Oppo, Realme, and OnePlus but now on your Xiaomi smartphone. However, the one important difference is that ColorOS’ implementation is to scan the app for malware after installation, whereas MIUI’s implementation is safer for the end-user: the app is installed after Xiaomi has done a background check of the app.

The specifics of “Pure Mode” are in the system menu and when using “Pure Mode”, it has 4 highlighting features:

Virus Detection: To detect if there’s any virus, Trojan horses or malware hidden within the app
Privacy Detection: To detect if the app is unknowingly collecting the user’s personal data without consent
Compatibility Detection: To detect if the app is compatible with the phone it will be installed, to prevent any crashes or bugs from occurring.
Manual review: Apps allowed in Pure Mode are manually reviewed, installed, and tested by real users to confirm their compatibility and safety.

As to how to enable “Pure Mode” in MIUI, there are 2 methods to do so.

Method 1: After entering into the app installer of MIUI, on the top right corner, tap into “Settings” and then “Pure Mode”, and then tap the “Turn On Now” button to turn on Pure Mode.

Method 2: When installing an app that has not been checked by “Safe Mode” yet, in the successful installation popup afterward, select “Turn On Pure Mode” to do a security check on the app.

Xiaomi-Pure-Mode-1 — MIUI Pure Mode User Interface

After Pure Mode is turned on, apps that have not been manually reviewed by Xiaomi will undergo manual security tests to ensure it meets the necessary requirements of “Pure Mode”. If the app has been reviewed as Safe by Xiaomi, then you may proceed to install the app.

For apps that have not yet been reviewed or have been deemed risky by Xiaomi, users won’t be able to install them. If you trust the unreviewed or risky app, you can continue to install it after you go into “Settings” > “Pure Mode” > “Authorize this installation”, to continue to install your app.

If you want to disable “Pure Mode”, then the steps are simple too. Entering into the app installer of MIUI, on the top right corner, tap into “Settings” > “Pure Mode”, and then tap the “Turn Off Now” button to disable Pure Mode.

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Report indicates that lack of Galaxy Note 21 affected Galaxy S21 sales

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Jan 16, 2022

A report from South Korea indicates that the absence of the Galaxy Note 21 could have limited the sales of the Galaxy S21 series. If Samsung had skipped the Galaxy Note series in 2021 to boost expected sales of the Galaxy S21 series, expectations were apparently not met, going by the sales numbers for 2021. The South Korean report says that the Galaxy S21 series sold mid-20 million units, in the same range as the 2020 numbers.

The report is credited to South Korean firm The Elec and points to the fact that Samsung’s strategy may not have been successful after all. The Covid-19 pandemic could have played its role in slowing down the sales, but there could be several other factors responsible for the under-par performance of the Galaxy S21 series. However, the decision not to deliver the Galaxy Note 21 to the market may be a calculated risk, and it remains to be seen how it could have panned out if we had the model in the mix.

The report indicates that the low sales number may have been due to production issues that prevented Samsung from meeting its production targets and deadlines. The company says it could have logged in higher sales if its Vietnam-based production facilities were not hampered by several issues. It may have been a hard-boiled economic decision by Samsung considering all the factors and risks it faced. It remains to be seen though, how the new strategy will flow with the Galaxy S22 lineup. The Galaxy S22 Ultra may well be a Galaxy Note 22 and we expect Galaxy Note fans to have a go at the flagship model.

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Alleged Samsung Galaxy S22+ official renders and key specs leaked

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