Should Manufacturers be Punished for Not Including Chargers with their New Phones? Here’s what China’s MIIT has to say

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Dec 29, 2021

Since 2020, Apple has started a trend in the smartphone industry with its iPhone 12 lineup. Yes, we’re talking about the controversial decision from Apple to remove all chargers from the boxes of its brand new iPhone 12 series.

iphone-12-box — iPhone 12 without a charger in the box

In the name of environmental awareness, Apple clarifies that it is looking to reduce its carbon footprint via reducing the production of its plastic chargers that come in its sealed new iPhone 12 boxes. Apple further explains that it has gathered surveys from its users and many iPhone users mention that they don’t use the new charger in the box as they reuse back the charger they got from their previous iPhone.

Since then, Android manufacturers, specifically Samsung, followed the trend and started removing chargers starting with its Galaxy S21 flagship series. Xiaomi almost followed the trend with its Mi 11, however, during the launch in China, they did give consumers the choice of choosing between a box with a charger or one without the charger.

In a Chinese forum, one Chinese netizen specifically voiced his disgust against the new policies practiced by Apple and Samsung, because this practice has affected consumers directly as they had to spend more to buy a new charger that supports fast charging. This was mainly because the new phones only support the marketed fast charging speeds with the supported brand charger (which is not included in the box). In turn, the consumers had to pay more, and more plastic packaging was wasted in the process of packaging the phone and charger separately as opposed to packing them together in the same box in the first place. So the netizen hoped that the Chinese government takes action on these companies.

Renminwang-China-MIIT-reply-charger-sold-seaparately — China MIIT replying to the forum user’s complaint

China’s MIIT (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology) took notice of the social media post. It replied that regarding the issue of chargers being sold separately from the phone, manufacturers should explicitly list in all of its marketing materials that the device does not include the charger in the box when they advertise the phone comes with fast charging. This is because it is the consumers’ right to be informed before making a purchase decision. And in the end, the consumer should be the one in charge of making the purchase decision themselves, whether they should buy the device or not.

MIIT further adds that if it is explicitly stated in the marketing materials, the consumer is already informed that they have to pay extra to buy the faster charging, therefore they should be ready to pay more to get the extra feature that they want in their phone. While it is indeed true that we are seeing the trend of chargers sold separately in several flagships from the likes of Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi, MIIT notes that if the practice is not a safety hazard or health hazard to consumers, the feasibility of the practice can be observed over time.

Xiaomi Mi 11 retail package — Xiaomi Mi 11 box in China didn’t include the charger

Further, China’s MIIT also suggested companies should ensure that the correct information is passed on to their users to ensure that the satisfaction rate of their customers still remains at a competitive level.

Considering this comment comes from the official Chinese organization which regulates the development and approval of smartphones in China, it looks like the trend of selling separate chargers from the smartphone will continue in China.

So, what do you think of this increasing trend of removing chargers from smartphone boxes?

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(Source, Via)

OnePlus 10 Pro to have 80W fast charging support

By

Pranav Sawant

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Dec 29, 2021

OnePlus 10 Pro will go official next week and ahead of its launch the phone passed several certifications. Today, the device has yet again passed one such certification, this time of the Chinese 3C authority. The 3C documents confirm that the phone will come with crazy-fast charging speeds.

As per the 3C certification, the OnePlus 10 Pro with model number NE2210 supports output of 7.3ampere at 11V. It translates to a whopping 80W fast charging speed. This is way faster than the predecessor phones. So far the fastest charging supported by the OnePlus devices is 65W. With the 80W fast charging speeds, the OnePlus 10 Pro will become the fastest charging OnePlus device.

Other than this, the phone was previously touted to come equipped with a 5,000mAh battery. It will be supported by a 50W wireless charging support. In terms of its other specs, the phone is rumoured to feature a 6.7-inch punch-hole curved LTPO AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and a QHD+ resolution.

There will be a 50MP Hasselblad-branded triple rear camera system on the phone. It will boast a 32MP selfie shooter placed in the punch-hole cut-out of the screen. One of the highlights of the phone would be its processor. The device will come powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC and is expected to run on Android 12 OS out of the box.

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Salt and Sanctuary is FREE on Epic Games right now!

By

Sudhanshu

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Dec 29, 2021

As the holiday-season 15-day giveaway from Epic Games is fast approaching its climax, the company has dropped one of the all-time great games to be claimed for free. The latest addition to the giveaway brings Salt and Sanctuary, which is currently available on epic games for free.

Salt and Sanctuary features beautiful 2D hand-drawn visuals, as well as gameplay mechanics similar to the Souls series. The game at its core is an action hack and slash RPG with a well-written enticing storyline.

The game begins with the player stowed away in a ship that is also carrying a princess from an unnamed country who is to be married to an opposing country’s king in order to avert war. However, a group of marauders attack the ship, murdering its crew. If the player kills all the marauders and escapes to the deck, they are then set upon by a giant “Kraekan” (a corruption of Kraken) of the sea resembling Cthulhu. Whether or not they are able to defeat the marauders and the powerful kraeken, the ship is wrecked, sending them drifting to shore on a mysterious island.

The game is a joy as well as a challenge to play and guarantees enjoyment and a sense of accomplishment. The game is one of if not the best to come out of this Epic games giveaway so far and is free to claim for the next 24 hours. But if you miss the time window, you can’t claim the game again.

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Amazon’s Alexa updated after advising a 10-year-old to put a coin on a mains electricity socket

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Dec 29, 2021

The uncharted territory and black boxes that some tech devices are in are brought to the fore by a recent incident with Amazon’s Voice Assistant Alexa. A 10-year-old girl who asked Alexa for a challenge was advised by the voice assistant to partake in the penny challenge which entails touching a coin to the prongs of a half-inserted phone charger with the switch turned on. The dangerous “penny challenge” started circulating on TikTok in 2020. Amazon said it has fixed the error immediately it became aware of the incident and has now updated the voice assistant.

The report indicates that the young girl was with her mother when the incident happened and the mum immediately intervened by shouting “No, Alexa, no”, although she knew her daughter was knowledgeable enough not to take on the dangerous challenge. It is unclear how Alexa got to suggest a very dangerous endeavor and this brings to focus again on the need for greater scrutiny of these devices and their algorithms.

Amazon stated that it had updated Alexa to prevent the suggestion of dangerous activity in the future, but it remains to be seen how effective the new updates will be. The risk remains and the voice assistant should be put to fair usage. Amazon insists that customer trust is at the heart of its activities and operations, stressing that Alexa is designed to provide accurate, relevant, and helpful information always.

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Xiaomi Fold Smartphone with stylus pen spotted in a new patent

By

Pranav Sawant

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Dec 29, 2021

Yesterday, Xiaomi’s Flip phone patent was surfaced on the Internet showcasing the tall clamshell design of its upcoming phone. Today, we’ve spotted a patent filed by the company for its new foldable smartphone with a Stylus Pen.

The Xiaomi Fold phone’s patent was filed with the United States Patent Trademark Office (USPTO). It showcases a device with a two-way folding mechanism, something which we’ve seen with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold. It also looks similar to the company’s Mi Mix Fold foldable phone.

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Interestingly, the schematics show the Stylus Pen attached magnetically on the left spine of the phone. At the rear, the device seems to have a single camera with an LED flash beside it. The right-side of the foldable phone has the volume button and the power key. The device has a USB Type-C port and a speaker grille at the bottom.

Unfortunately, we do not learn any specs of the foldable phone but we may hear about it in the coming months. Netizens on the internet tout that it could be the upcoming folding phone from the company that could succeed the Mi Mix Fold.

In related news, A Xiaomi Flip phone patent was also seen earlier. It showed a Galaxy Z Flip3-like clamshell flip design with a large primary folding screen. It has a punch-hole display with a dual-selfie camera cut-out. The device has a dual-camera system at the rear and a small secondary screen.

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Vivo V23e Indian price and release timeline leaked

By

Sudhanshu

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Dec 29, 2021

Ahead of its January 5th launch in the Indian market, leaks have revealed the full specifications and pricing details of the upcoming vivo V23 5G and the vivo V23 Pro 5G smartphones. Now, further leaks suggest that there will be a third device included in this lineup and also hinted to its launch timeline.

According to a report by 91mobiles, vivo will include the V23e variant to their Indian lineup. As you might remember, the vivo V23e first debuted in Thailand as a budget 5G offering. Now, industry sources have revealed that the device will launch in India in February, which is a month after the official release date of the V23 and V23 Pro. Additionally, sources have suggested that the device is expected to be priced between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000.

As the device is already available in Thailand, it is expected to come packing the same specs and features for the Indian variant as well.

Vivo V23e 5G specifications & features

To recall, the vivo v23e 5G features a 6.44-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with 2400 x 1080 pixels screen resolution. Internally, the device is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 810 processor, coupled with 8GB of RAM. It packs 128GB of internal storage and comes with a microSD card slot that allows you to further expand the storage capacity up to 1TB. There’s also an on-screen fingerprint sensor as an additional security measure.

The phone features a triple-camera setup on the back that consists of a 50-megapixel main sensor with f/1.8 aperture, an 8-megapixel wide-angle sensor with f/2.2 aperture, and a 2-megapixel sensor with f/2.4 aperture. On the front side, the device has a 44-megapixel snapper for taking selfies and video calling.

Connectivity options on the device include Dual SIM, 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5.1, USB Type-C port, and GPS. It runs the Android 11 operating system out-of-the-box with the company’s own FunTouch OS 12. The device is powered by a 4,050mAh battery that comes with support for 44W fast charging technology.

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Realme Narzo 50 appears in multiple certifications hinting at an imminent launch

By

Pranav Sawant

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Dec 29, 2021

Realme is expected to launch the Narzo 50 smartphone soon in the market. However, the exact launch timeline and specs are yet to be known. Now, the phone has passed several certifications like the NBTC, BIS, and EEC hinting at a launch sooner than expected.

A Realme phone with model number RMX3286 has passed the NBTC certification. Thanks to the past few leaks, we know that this model number belongs to the upcoming Realme Narzo 50. Furthermore, the device was also seen on BIS and NBTC certification again affirming its moniker.

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The handset was also spotted on EEC and Indonesia telecom portals with the same model number. It confirms that the phone may launch soon in Indonesia, India, and other Asian markets.

Talking about the phone, the Realme Narzo 50 is expected to come with a similar design to its siblings the Narzo 50A and 50i. The other specs, however, are unknown at the moment.

Realme Narzo 50A Specifications

The Realme Narzo 50A, launched in September this year, comes with a 6.5-inch dew-drop notch display and has a triple rear camera system. It has a 50MP primary lens, a 2MP portrait sensor, and a 2MP macro lens. Upfront, it has an 8MP selfie snapper.

Under the hood, it is powered by the MediaTek Helio G85 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of onboard storage. It has a microSD card slot for storage expansion up to 256GB. It houses a 6,000mAh giant battery with 18W fast charging support.

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Apple gives $180K bonuses to top employees so they don’t leave for Meta

By

Sudhanshu

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Dec 29, 2021

Competition in silicon valley is getting tough with tech giants scrambling to gain and retain talented employees. In its latest effort to achieve the same, Apple has issued unusual and significant stock bonuses to some of its employees.

According to a Bloomberg report, Apple is providing some hefty bonuses to select engineers in order to prevent them from leaving for competitor companies like Meta (formerly known as Facebook). According to the report, select engineers from silicon design, hardware, and software development, and operations were informed that they would be receiving a stock bonus which ranged from $50000 to $180,000.

Most engineers received stock worth $80,000 to $120,000, but the bonus isn’t a no-strings-attached reward as it comes in the form of restricted stock units that are set to vest over the course of four years provided the employees stay with Apple and do not take jobs at other companies.

The Bloomberg report further reads that “The payouts aren’t part of normal Apple compensation packages, which include a base salary, stock units and a cash bonus. Apple sometimes awards additional cash bonuses to employees, but the size of the latest stock grants were atypical and surprisingly timed, the people said. They were given to about 10% to 20% of engineers in applicable divisions.”

The Cupertino company has informed its managers that these bonuses could be provided to engineers as a bonus payout for high performance. After losing more than 100 employees to Meta in the last few months, the move comes as a preventative measure to keep the tech giant from conceding any more ground to Meta ahead of their AR headset launch.

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TECNO SPARK Go 2022 launched in India with Android 11 Go Edition

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Dec 29, 2021

Apart from TECNO SPARK 8 Pro, the brand also launched an entry-level smartphone dubbed as TECNO SPARK Go 2022 in India. As the name suggests, it is the successor of TECNO SPARK Go 2021 from earlier this year. Let’s check out what’s the new phone has to offer.

TECNO SPARK Go 2022 Featured A — TECNO SPARK Go 2022

TECNO SPARK Go 2022 Specifications and Features

The TECNO SPARK Go 2022 flaunts a 6.5-inch HD+ LCD screen with a dewdrop notch. It is powered by an unnamed chipset with a quad-core SoC. This silicon is paired with 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage.

The device has a dual rear camera setup comprising a 13MP primary sensor and an AI lens. For selfies and video calls, it uses an 8MP snapper.

As for connectivity, the handset comes with dual SIM card slots, 4G, WiFi, Bluetooth, and GNSS. It also sports a MicroSD card slot, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a MicroUSB port.

The remaining features of the smartphone include a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, Android 11 Go Edition, a 5,000mAh battery, and an 8.95mm thickness.

TECNO SPARK Go 2022 Price and Availability in India

The TECNO SPARK Go 2022 arrives in a single 2GB + 32GB memory configuration in India priced at ₹7,499. It is already up for sale on Amazon India in a sole Turquoise Cyan color option. It could be later available in an Atlantic Blue hue option.

Oppo A16K to launch in India in early January 2022

By

Pranav Sawant

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Dec 29, 2021

Back in November, Oppo unveiled the Oppo A16K budget-centric smartphone in the Philippines market. Rumours are rife that the phone may land in the Indian region soon. Now, 91Mobiles has learned from the tipster Mukul Sharma that the device will launch next year.

According to the tipster, the Oppo A16k will debut in the first or second week of January 2022. The device will be marketed with the tagline “live a worthy life”. Some key specs of the smartphone have also been revealed.

The upcoming Oppo A16K India version may come with a 6.52-inch display with an HD+ resolution. It is touted to have an eye-case water-drop display with flat edges. It will feature is a dual-camera setup with a 13MP primary lens and a 5MP secondary sensor.

Inside, the phone is expected to pack a 4,230mAh battery with support for 10W fast charging technology. The device will run on Android 11 out of the box with ColorOS 11.1 on top of it. It will weigh 175 grams and have a 7.85mm thickness. The device is touted in three colour variants – Black, Blue, and White.

With the reference to its Philippines launch, the phone may come powered by the MediaTek Helio G35 SoC paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.

As for the pricing, the Oppo A16K was launched in the Philippines for PHP 6,999(roughly $137) and it may launch in India at similar pricing. Since the launch is touted to be in early January, we can expect the company to drop teasers in the coming days.

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[Update] Lenovo Legion Y90 roundup – What we know about Lenovo’s upcoming gaming smartphone

By

Sean

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Dec 29, 2021

Update [31/12/2021]: Lenovo has just shared another teaser for the Legion Y90. The new poster image reveals the rear design of the gaming smartphone. It features RGB lighting at the back for the Legion “Y” logo and also appears to have a middle bump, similar to the previously launched Legion Phone 2 Pro.

Original story continues…

With the launch of the Lenovo Legion Y90 being just around the corner, let’s have a look at all the rumored and confirmed specifics and features that we know about the upcoming gaming smartphone.

Design

Since the upcoming Legion Y90 is a gaming smartphone, the Chinese smartphone maker has placed an emphasis on its design, especially in regards to its thermal management system. The company has previously teased its Double Engine Air Cooling technology, which it claims will help keep the device’s temperature in check despite playing intensive multiplayer games at high framerates. While the device looks like any other modern smartphone from the front, the rear panel would likely feature a gaming aesthetic with the “Legion” branding and physical fans as well, for its air cooling mechanism.

Specifications & Display

Under the hood, the device is expected to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, which will be paired with LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. Arriving at its display, Lenovo has officially revealed that the Legion Y90 will feature a large AMOLED display that measures 6.92 inches. The panel is a Samsung E4 AMOLED screen that supports a 144Hz refresh rate and a 720Hz touch sampling rate. One of its highlighting features will be the anti blue display and HDR support. The screen will have an anti blue light eye protection certification ensuring that it lowers the blue light getting emitted from the screen.

Pricing and Availability

Unfortunately, the pricing and availability details regarding the upcoming Lenovo gaming smartphone are still unknown. While it was initially rumored that the company will be unveiling the device during the CES 2022 event, it was officially announced that the Legion Y90 smartphone will be announced on the New Year, which is 1st January 2022. So stick around as we wil be covering the launch event.

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TECNO SPARK 8 Pro launched in India with Helio G85 SoC, 33W fast charging, and more

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Dec 29, 2021

Tecno has officially launched the TECNO SPARK 8 Pro in India as scheduled. The latest budget smartphone from the brand offers a large display, a MediaTek chipset, a triple camera setup, and a huge battery with fast charging support. It is also priced on par with the competitors.

TECNO SPARK 8 Pro Featured A — TECNO SPARK 8 Pro

TECNO SPARK 8 Pro Specifications and Features

The TECNO SPARK 8 Pro flaunts a 6.8-inch FHD+ LCD panel with a centered punch-hole and 500 nits peak brightness. It is powered by a MediaTek Helio G85 chipset paired with LPDDR4x RAM and eMMC 5.1 storage.

It houses a vertically aligned triple camera setup on the rear consisting of a 48MP primary sensor, a 2MP depth sensor, and an AI lens. Whereas, an 8MP shooter resides on the front for selfies and video calls.

Connectivity options on the handset include dual SIM card slots, 4G, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, and GNSS. Since it’s a budget smartphone, it also has a MicroSD card slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack, in addition to a USB Type-C port.

The remaining features of the phone include a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, Android 11, a 5,000mAh battery, 33W fast charging, and 8.77mm thickness.

TECNO SPARK 8 Pro Price and Availability in India

The TECNO SPARK 8 Pro arrives in a single 4GB + 64GB memory configuration in India. The handset carries a special introductory price tag of ₹10,599 ($142).

It will be available for purchase starting January 4 on Amazon India in Interstellar Black, Turquoise Cyan, Winsor Violet, and Komodo Beach color options.

Geely’s Zeekr partners with Waymo to build its self-driving taxi fleet for the US market

By

Sudhanshu

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Dec 29, 2021

On Tuesday, the Chinese multinational automotive company Geely announced that their premium electric brand, Zeekr, will partner up with Waymo. This partnership is to build an all-electric, self-driving vehicle for the Waymo One ride-hailing autonomous fleet in the United States.

For those unaware, Waymo LLC is an American autonomous driving technology development company that is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc (Google’s parent company).

Both Geely and Waymo stated in a press release that the ride-hailing cars would be designed and developed by Zeekr, Geely’s electric mobility brand, at a facility in Gothenburg, Sweden using “a new proprietary and open-source mobility architecture.” Once the cars are delivered to Waymo in the United States, the company plans on setting it up with their autonomous driving technology called Waymo Driver.

The company did not provide any specific timeline of when we can expect the vehicles to hit the streets but stated that the cars would be introduced in the Waymo One fleet in the years to come. However, the company has already has been testing its self-driving vans in Phoenix, Arizona for more than a year now.

Google first established its self-driving car project in 2009. It was later re-named Waymo and made a separate subsidiary of Alphabet. However, after almost 13 years of its establishment, it looks like we still have a while before Waymo offers a widespread, fully autonomous ride-hailing service to the general public.

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Samsung’s only chip manufacturing plant in China reduces production due to lockdown

By

Zohaib Ahmed

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Dec 29, 2021

A strict lockdown put in place in Xian to contain COVID-19 in light of the Omicron variant has resulted in Samsung Electronics reducing its chip production in the region. The company through a press release said that it has “decided to temporarily adjust operations” at its chip factory in the city.

The press release further stated that the decision was made to protect the health and safety of our employees and partners, which remains the top priority. Necessary measures will also be taken to ensure that consumers are not affected, including leveraging Samsung’s global manufacturing network.

Chinese authorities had earlier on December 22 enforced a lockdown in Xian, prompting an emergency response from Samsung which shifted all of its available personnel on the production line to continue operating at maximum capacity.

“Due to the lockdown, there are difficulties in employees’ commutes and logistics, so it was inevitable to adjust operations. When the lockdown is lifted, operations will be normalized,” a company official told Korea Herald.

The Xian factory is Samsung’s only overseas memory chip factory and has been operational since 2014. Roughly 40% of the company’s NAND flash chips originate from it.

Meanwhile, Samsung SDI’s electric vehicle battery factory in China seems to be unaffected by the lockdown, with a company official saying that it’s currently “in normal operations.”

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TSMC plans on launching its 2nm production in 2025: Report

By

Sean

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Dec 29, 2021

TSMC has been working on launching its 3nm process technology sometime next year, with risk production of the node already being underway. But now, a new report has suggested that the company might already have plans to shrink its process node even further.

According to a WccFTech report, the world’s largest contract chipmaker is seeking to build a second 2nm production facility on a gold course next to the Zhonke Park in Taichung, Taiwan. Apparently, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s CEO, C.C. Wei paid a surprise visit to the Taichung city government last week. The mayor of Taichung, Shiow-Yen Lu, stated that the cost to set up this new 2nm fab might be a staggering 1 trillion New Taiwan Dollars (roughly 36 billion US Dollars).

Another major hurdle is that city officials are concerned about the environmental impacts of this facility. On the other hand, the production site would also create a number of new jobs and bring an inflow of money to the region as well, helping in its development. Thus, the mayor suggested that the chipmaker use renewable energy for the electricity requirements of this plant.

Since mass production through its 3nm process is expected to start in the second half of 2022, the production of the 2nm process would possibly be in 2025. With the smaller process node, the number of transistors inside the chip can be raised again, making it more energy efficient as well. However, it is still too early to tell if the plans to build the 2nm production site will actually go through, so stay tuned for more updates.

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Samsung Galaxy S10 series gets a taste of Android 12 with stable One UI 4 update

By

Zohaib Ahmed

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Dec 29, 2021

Samsung on Wednesday released One UI 4 based on Android 12 for the Galaxy S10 series, making it yet another flagship lineup from the company to get the update after the S21 and S20 series.

The rollout has hit the Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, and the Galaxy S10+ and is currently limited to some regions, with Germany being one of the very first. The new updated firmware version is G97xFXXUEGULB and includes the December security patch that fixes a few privacy and security vulnerabilities.

No ETA has been given out for when the update will be released in other regions but we imagine it to be quite soon, that is, if everything goes well and no bugs are reported during the initial rollout.

Also, now that the Galaxy S10 series has been treated to One UI 4, it is safe to assume that the Galaxy Note 10 series will be the next in line.

To check if you have received the update on your Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, or Galaxy S10+, simply head over to Settings > Software update. If available, then just tap on Download and install.

One UI 4 is based on Android 12 and brings along a number of changes including dynamic wallpaper-based theming, re-designed widgets, new animations, tweaked quick settings panel, and some new features.

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Xiaomi crowdfunds MIJIA LCD Blackboard Storage Edition

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Dec 29, 2021

Xiaomi has launched multiple MIJIA LCD Blackboards in the past. But those merely differ in terms of size. Today, the company has started crowdfunding a new model with internal storage and Bluetooth connectivity. Let’s take a look at what the new variant is all about.

The new LCD blackboard from Xiaomi is called MIJIA LCD Blackboard Storage Edition. As the name suggests, it features 121MB of internal storage. On top of that, it also supports synchronization with smartphones and tablets via Bluetooth 5.0.

Both these features are not found in the previous MIJIA LCD Blackboards. Hence, it is costlier than the older models.

The Xiaomi MIJIA LCD Blackboard Storage Edition comes in a single 13.5-inch size and it is priced at ¥349 ($55) in China. However, its crowdfunding price is only ¥299 ($47). For comparison, the regular 13.5-inch model of the product retails at ¥89 ($14).

Thanks to Bluetooth and storage space, users can connect this blackboard to their smartphone or tablet using the MIJIA app and Mi Cloud. By doing so, users can share content vice versa.

As for other features are concerned, the screen offers 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity, the device is backed by a 1,000mAh battery with a rated endurance of a week on a full charge, and the 0.7m nib of the stylus is made of ‘super-steel polymer.’

Samsung C-Lab 2022 will show off a smart guitar with LED guide and much more

By

Zohaib Ahmed

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Dec 29, 2021

Samsung has lifted the curtains on this year’s C-Lab incubator projects with the aim of gauging the marketability and customer response to help cherry-pick the projects worth advancing.

The initiatives are all a product of Samsung employees themselves who are afforded the ability to create pet projects. While products and ideas showcased as their part aren’t always exactly practical, they can be quite interesting.

The star of the show is easily ZamStar. This one allows a user to sync up your music with other musicians around the world to almost create an online band of sorts. The feature is assisted by lights on the fretboard that sync with a given song and guide you on where to put your fingers.

Another interesting project but arguably more important in today’s age is Piloto – an AI solution that aims to help kids develop proper smartphone usage habits by teaching them “self-regulation skills.”

Innovision, meanwhile, is “a daily life eye-care system with a nursery mobile to catch suspicious symptoms of the strabismus and monitor visual ability development status for babies.” And finally, there is PROBA, an AI-based online exam service for administrators, test-takers, and supervisors.

Along with the aforementioned inside incubators, there is also a C-Lab Outside comprised of nine startups that are ready for the global market, one of which is Petnow — an AI-based biometric recognition solution for pets

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U&i launches four new affordable wireless earphones in India

By

Sudhanshu

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Dec 29, 2021

U&i, one of India’s most progressive Gadget Accessory & Consumer Electronics brands, offers a wide variety of products in their lineup. Now, the company officially brings four new wireless earphones to their lineup. The new release offers a diverse range of wireless earphones with something for everybody. So let’s take a closer look at these products.

U&i Batman Series Wireless Earphone

The U&i Batman Series is a TWS offering that comes with up to 30-hour of battery backup. The device comes equipped with a 40mAh battery built into the earphones that grant it up to 6 hours of talk time. The charging case comes with a 350mAh battery and is capable of charging from 0-100% in just 1 and a half hours. Similarly, the earphones also take 1.5 hours to charge from zero to 100%.

The TWS offers a 5V/100mA output which is in line with the market standards and uses Bluetooth version 5.1+EDR for connectivity up to 10 meters. Additionally, the TWS has a standby time is 500 hours. U&i has priced this product at Rs. 3,499 ($47 approx)

U&i Missile Series Wireless Earphone

The Missile series is the next TWS offering from U&i which comes in a green camo theme. It is equipped with a touch sensor offering you control over functions like volume management, track switching, etc. on your fingertips. The device has 5V/100mA and offers 4 hours of talk time with its 30mAh inbuilt battery. With its case, the battery backup can be extended up to 20 hours with up to 400 hours of standby time. The TWS offers 10 meters connectivity range thanks to Bluetooth 5.0+EDR and has a total charge time of 1 hour for the earphones and 1.5 for the case. U&i has priced the Missile series wireless earphones at Rs. 3,499 ($47 approx)

U&i Pink Series Wireless Neckband

The next offering from the brand is the Pink Series Wireless Neckband which comes with Bluetooth 5.1 with a transmission distance of 10metres, and offers a standby time is 2100 hours. The talking time, as well as music time of this neckband, is 25 hours each. This U&i Pink Series Wireless Neckband has a battery capacity of 210mAh and takes 1-3 hours to fully charge. Moreover, it comes with a C-Type charger.

Its input power is 1.0A and that of output is 3mWX2, which means comparatively, it takes much less power to charge as compared to its performance. U&i Pink Series Wireless Neckband is available at Rs 2,499 ($33 approx).

U&i Screw Series Wireless Single Earphone

The U&i Screw Series Wireless Single Earphone is a single earpiece aimed at professionals and has a talk time of 24 hours. It comes with a Bluetooth version of V5.0 and its frequency ranges from 20-20000Hz. This earphone comes with a sensitive microphone at -85dBm to make sure nothing you say is missed and offers freedom to walk around with a wireless distance of 10m.

The device has a charging time and standby time of 2 hours and 20 hours each. It contains a lithium battery of 3.7V, with a capacity of 60mAh. The file formats supported by this earphone are A2DP/HFP/HSP/ AVRCP, easing the process of connectivity. U&i Screw Series Wireless Single Earphone is available for just Rs 799 ($11 approx).

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Xiaomi 11i Series to be one of the first to feature Dimensity 920 SoC in India

By

Sean

-

Dec 29, 2021

Xiaomi 11i Series is set to launch in India soon. Now, a company official has revealed that the upcoming lineup will be among the first smartphones in India to feature the MediaTek Dimensity 920 chipset.

While we already know that the Chinese tech giant is gearing up to launch the 11i series of 5G smartphones in India in a few days, finer details regarding these devices were still at large. But now, a MySmartPrice report has revealed some interesting information about the upcoming handsets, which include the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge and a base 11i model as well. Raghu Reddy, Chief Business Officer of the company’s India unit told MySmartPrice that “The Xiaomi 11i is going to be the first, or among one of the first to feature the MediaTek Dimensity 920 SoC.”

For those unaware, the Dimensity 920 SoC was announced back in August and has already been powering smartphones in China, although, this chip has yet to make its way to India. In other words, the 11i lineup will be among the first to bring the 5G MediaTek chipset to India. Unfortunately, the senior executive refrained from revealing any finer details regarding the new devices.

Talking about the upcoming smartphones, the Xiaomi 11i and 11i HyperCharge will be based on the Redmi Note 11 series in China. The Note 11 Pro will be the base 11i while the Pro+ variant will be the HyperCharge version. Most specifications are expected to be the same if not identical, but we will have to wait for an official announcement to know for sure.

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