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Motorola Edge S30 5G with a Snapdragon 888 Plus chip tags along with the Edge X30

Apart from the premium flagship Moto Edge X30, Motorola also took the wraps off a second flagship device. The second model is the Motorola Edge S30 5G, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Plus chipset. Motorola Edge S30

The Motorola Edge S30 5G is the second model under the new Edge S series with the first model, the Edge S 5G launched at the beginning of the year. The new model comes with a refined design and an impressive specs lineup.

The Edge S30 packs a 6.8-inch straight-edge LCD screen with an FHD+ resolution of 2460 X 1080 pixels. The display also supports a high refresh rate of 144Hz, a touch sampling rate of up to 576Hz, and also supports HDR. In terms of eye protection, the display is certified by SGS meaning it is friendly to the eyes.Motorola Edge S30

In terms of hardware, the Moto Edge S30 packs a Snapdragon 888 Plus chipset. The processor is built on Samsung’s 5nm process. It still uses a three-cluster architecture consisting of a 3.0GHz super core, a 2.4GHz Cortex A78 large core, and a 1.8GHz Cortex A55 energy efficiency core. The main frequency has been increased from 2.84GHz on the Snapdragon 888 to 3.0GHz, but the GPU is still the Adreno 660. In addition, AI performance has also been greatly improved, with computing power soaring to 32TOPS, an increase of up to 20%.

The device comes in three memory versions- 6GB, 8GB, and 12GB LPDDR5 RAM versions as well as 128GB and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage.

For optics, the Motorola Edge S30 packs a triple camera setup at the rear arranged vertically at the top left corner of the device. The camera setup consists of a 100MP main camera, teaming up with a 13MP ultra-wide angle lens and a 2MP depth sensor. The camera setup also integrates the moto AI camera algorithm.Motorola Edge S30

In terms of sound, Motorola edge S30 supports Dolby Atmos technology, and also adds Qualcomm’s latest Bluetooth audio sharing technology (QSS). Compared with the traditional Aptx, the upper limit of QSS delay is reduced to 170ms, and the lower limit of sound quality is increased by 100%.

Keeping the lights on is a mammoth 5,000mAh battery and the device also supports 33W fast charging. It runs on the Android 11 operating system.

The device will go on sale from December 10.

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Xiaomi Zizhan could go official as Xiaomi MIX Fold 2

Back in September, a Xiaomi smartphone codenamed Zizhan appeared in MIUI code. Almost three months later, this device has now made its appearance in the IMEI database. Although the listing does not say much about the phone, there’s a chance that it could be a foldable.

Xiaomi MIX Fold and MIX 4
Xiaomi Mi MIX Fold and Xiaomi MIX 4

According to Xiaomiui, Xiaomi Zizhan has been added to the IMEI database. The handset will arrive with model number 22061218C.

Going by its model number, the device could go official in June 2022. Further, it will be most likely a China-exclusive phone as other regional variants have not been listed so far.

Xaomiui says that this handset could be a foldable smartphone. The Telegram channel suggests that the device could go official as Xiaomi MIX Fold 2. Unfortunately, there’s no further information on this product.

Earlier this year, Xiaomi launched its first-ever foldable smartphone in the form of Xiaomi Mi MIX Fold. It is sold exclusively in China like the Mi 11 Pro.

Although the company has not shared the number of units sold, it continuously works on improving the phone’s software. This suggests that there are clearly an acceptable number of users providing regular feedback.

In fact, the Mi MIX Fold recently became the Xiaomi device to receive a MIUI system update with the longest changelog to date.

Hence, there could be a successor of this handset in 2023, given Xiaomi’s dedication towards the current-gen model.

 

 

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Full specs of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE surface online

Samsung‘s upcoming Galaxy S21 FE has had a tortuous ride that had resulted in its late release At a point, the device was almost ruled out as vaporware as the global component shortage, in combination with several other issues, had made it possible for the device to miss its scheduled unveiling twice, allegedly. However, the wait is almost over and the impending launch of the Galaxy S21 FE has been heralded by a full specs overview of the smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE standing rugged cover
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE standing rugged cover

The Galaxy S21 FE is scheduled for an early 2022 launch, most likely January 2022- that is, barring any shifts due to unforeseen circumstances. The phone had been the subject of much speculation due to its extended period of suspense as a result of its non-release on schedule. Some renders, images, and specs details have been speculated for the Galaxy S21 FE, but it seems we now have the most authentic details yet for the device. The full specs sheet of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE has emanated from what some industry buffs are calling informed sources.

Although pricing details are still lacking for the Galaxy S21 FE, we can seemingly confirm that the major hardware changes were done in the new smartphone, compared to its predecessors, the Galaxy S21 and S21+. The Galaxy S21 FE will be powered by either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 or the Exynos 2100 and the smartphone will have the much improved Gorilla Glass Victus protecting its display. These two changes put the Galaxy S21 FE on a higher pedestal, although it sports similar specs to its direct predecessor, the Galaxy S20 FE.samsung galaxy s21 fe 5g

The Galaxy S21 FE will have 6GB/8GB of RAM in combination with 128GB/256GB of internal storage and will run on Android 12 out of the box. The 4,500mAh battery will enjoy 25W wired charging, among other features including the triple camera setup. There are software updates that could extend to Android 15 for the Galaxy S21 FE, thus enhancing its lifespan. The extended software support for the Galaxy S21 FE will put it on a higher plane than the Galaxy S21 or Galaxy S21+.

As we inch towards the January 2022 launch date, the few remaining key details for the Galaxy S21 FE are expected to be out including pricing and global availability details.

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(source)

 

vivo announces OriginOS Ocean with a colorful UI, better shortcuts, & new features

vivo has officially announced the second iteration of its OriginOS today, bringing in new and customizable card-style elements on the homescreen, an optimized camera UI, and a smart nano music player. In fact, the homescreen gets a significant revamp with more colors, rounder UI elements, and better customizations.

Here’s a quick overview of what’s new on vivo’s ORIGIN OS Ocean.

1Customizable Icons and Folders

Vivo OriginOS Ocean folder
Vivo OriginOS Ocean folder

vivo’s new Origin OS Ocean brings rounder and customizable icons in a card-type layout. The icons can be resized in small, medium, and large sizes, and you can even add custom folders with different colors. Android 12’s Dynamic themeing also makes it to the new OS with the icons and folders picking up the colors of the wallpaper and theme in use.

2Origin Cover Lock Screen

Vivo OriginOS Ocean Lock Screen
Vivo OriginOS Ocean Lock Screen

vivo’s new lock screen, called officially as the Origin Cover supports quick actions like opening your favorite apps by simply dragging the fingerprint button to the designated app on the lock screen.

3Revamped Control Center

Vivo OriginOS Ocean control center
Vivo OriginOS Ocean control center

vivo OriginOS Ocean gets a redesigned control center that offers more information on the battery, network, and sensitive permissions at a glance.

4New Special Oceans Live Wallpaper

originos ocean wallpaper live

Apart from the wallpapers available last year, the vivo OriginOS Ocean gets a new custom wallpaper created in collaboration with Star Trek’s special effects team called the Ocean Live Wallpaper.

5Nano Origin Music Player

Vivo OriginOS Ocean OriginOS

vivo’s Nano Music player is still available on the OriginOS Ocean iteration. You can control the music player with just an icon on the lock screen allowing for a simple and non-intrusive listening experience.

6Nano Notifications

Vivo OriginOS Ocean nano notification
Vivo OriginOS Ocean nano notification

Nano notification gets new optimizations in the Ocean OS with more colors and improvements in the way the small notifications on the icons are displayed. vivo also adds that more apps and services now support nano notifications.

7New Caller UI

Vivo OriginOS Ocean Caller UI
Vivo OriginOS Ocean Caller UI

vivo’s OriginOS Ocean brings a dynamic caller UI. Unsaved and unfamiliar calls and contacts will get a different caller UI than the ones saved as your favorites. This allows you to identify the significance of the call at a glance. The animations while receiving and making calls have also become more bright and colorful.

8Emergency Calls

Vivo OriginOS Ocean Emergency Call
Vivo OriginOS Ocean Emergency Call

In a first in the industry, vivo’s OriginOS Ocean will use a 3-channel information transmission system for emergency calls. The OS sends out emergency calls via phone call, text message, as well as a flash message (home screen alert). Simultaneously, the location of the caller will be displayed to the emergency contact.

9Nano Reading + New Font

Vivo OriginOS Ocean Reader UI

vivo’s Nano reading adds breakpoints in a long article with a page-flip-like animation when moving on to the next section. vivo says this enables a real life-like experience to the reader. The OS also comes with Zhu Zhiwei’s custom fonts and other reader optimization options like typesetting, background, and word spacing.

10New Multi Window Interaction

Vivo OriginOS Ocean multi-window
Vivo OriginOS Ocean multi-window

The new OS gets an improved multi-window interaction. You can basically swipe up from the bottom left corner of the display to resize an app into a smaller window. You can drag / drop this window for a split-screen configuration.

11Faster Payments from Home Screen

Like last year’s OriginOS, the Ocean iteration also comes with one-tap payments via on-screen fingerprint recognition.

12New Camera UI with Multi-Functional Focus Ring

The vivo OriginOS Ocean comes with a multi-functional focus ring which can also control the stabilization, focus length, exposure etc. Further, custom swipe gestures can add real-time effects on the viewfinder, enabling users to add quick and accurate effects to your videos.Vivo OriginOS Ocean camera swipes

13Memory Slimming + Nano motion

vivo’s memory slimming and memory fusion technology reduces unnecessary processes and saves memory space. vivo says this can increase up to 50% of memory storage. Further, transitions between animations are smoother and more natural than before.

14Privacy Features

Vivo OriginOS Ocean Camera Privacy
Vivo OriginOS Ocean Camera Privacy

When using vital services like camera, recording, and position, respective icons pop up on the right side of the status bar. You can slide down those icons for more information. The Origin OS Ocean also comes with a Privacy System wherein you can swipe left from the bottom dock and enter your dedicated private space after verifying with your fingerprint. vivo adds that this private space features multiple layers of security by way of biometric verification as well as hardware-level encryption.

15OTHER FEATURES

QUANTUM KIT, much like Huawei’s multi-device collaboration software, supports collaborative editing, cross-device file transfer, and seamless drag and drop transfer among other devices.

Nano Notes get a revamp too, with better fingertip interaction for editing a note or a document.

 

For more details on the vivo OriginOS Ocean update rollout schedule, check out this article. 

Motorola Edge X30 with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 scores over 1 Million on AnTuTu, offers upto 60% more GPU performance than SD 888

Motorola Edge X30 launched today in China, becoming the first smartphone powered by Qualcomm’s latest and greatest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

Moto Edge X30

The 4nm-based SoC has been the talk of the town for quite some time, with people debating the amount of performance increase that can be expected from the new chip. Today, we have the answer for you.

Moto Edge X3O AnTuTu

Motorola officially announced various benchmark scores of the Latest Moto Edge X30 at the launch event. The smartphone becomes the first to break one million points, at 1,061,361 points on AnTuTu, a known smartphone benchmarking platform. When uploaded to AnTuTu’s database, Moto Edge X30 will dethrone the Black Shark 4S Pro, which currently sits at the top with 875,382.

Compared to the Snapdragon 888, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 gains about 21% overall performance. This sizable performance gain can be credited to a couple of factors: the SD 8 Gen 1 being the first SoC built on Samsung‘s 4nm process while adopting the ARM v9 architecture. The CPU on board is a “1+3+8” architecture octa-core unit, with Cortex-X2 clocking in at 3Ghz, three Cortex-A710 cores running at 2.5Ghz, and 4 Cortex-A510 efficiency cores with a frequency of 1.8Ghz.

Moto Edge X30 GFXBench

On the GPU side of things, Motorola has claimed that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 can reach 267fps in GFX Manhattan 3.0, which is about 60% higher than the 169fps of Snapdragon 888. This is possible due to the new Adreno 730 GPU, which is about 30% more powerful while being 25% more energy efficient than the previous generation (via).

After its official Chinese launch, the Motorola Edge X30 is expected to hit the global market under the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra moniker, so stay tuned as we will be covering any notable news regarding the new handset.

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Pre-order Motorola Moto Edge X30 for $599 at Giztop

Motorola has just launched its latest smartphone the Edge X30 and Moto Edge X30 is now available for pre-order at Giztop for $699. Please note that Giztop is accepting pre-orders and the actual shipment will start from December 20 only. 

WHERE TO BUY
Moto Edge X30 pre-order at $599 @Giztop

 

Moto Edge X30 

Moto Edge X30

Key Features:

  • 6.67” OLED display with 144Hz refresh rate, HDR10+
  • SGS eye protection certification
  • Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor
  • 8GB / 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB / 256GB ROM
  • Triple Rear Camera: 50MP + 50MP + 2MP
  • Front camera : 60MP
  • Side mounted finger print sensor
  • Wi-Fi 6
  • Battery : 5000mAh , 68W TurboPower Fast charging
  • Android 12 OS

Please note that this is a Chinese edition smartphone but comes with Complete Google mobile services, play store, and supports OTA updates. It supports English and Chinese languages. 

For more information on such exciting deals and offers check out our deals hub.

China shipped over 35 million wearable devices in Q3 2021, hearable sales rose 40% YoY: IDC

Earlier today (9th December 2021), IDC shared a new report titled “China Wearable Device Market Quarterly Tracking Report” for third quarter of this year, which revealed the regions growth in the wearable segment.

China

According to the report, the Chinese market shipped 35.28 million units in the third quarter of 2021. This marked an overall growth of just 5 percent year on year and signified a decline in the growth rate of the market. There were three primary reason for the slow down, including a weak market demand, supply chain issues, and a lack of products in certain segments of the category. But despite the overall market slowing down, the hearables category still saw a notable growth.

During the third quarter, the hearables category, which includes earphones, headphones, and earbuds, saw sales reaching nearly 20 million units. This showcased a growth of a sizeable 40 percent. However, while this is a health rise in shipments, the hearables segment also saw a decline in growth rate. On the other hand, the smartwatch shipments hit just 10.68 million units, which saw the market decline by a modest 2.3 percent year on year.

China

IDC China’s Senior Research Manager, Pan Xuefei, stated that with the improvement in living standards and impacts of the pandemic, products that offered sports and health related features saw great success in the region. Wearables like smart bands became even more popular with the low and mid segments seeing the most growth. Although, the shortage of semiconductors leading to fewer launches caused the market to see a slow down in China.

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Moto Edge X30 unveiled as the world’s first Snapdragon 8 Gen1-powered phone

A couple of years back, the Motorola brand was in a severe financial mess as a result of a lull in smartphone sales. The company was eventually acquired by Lenovo who tried to turn around the fortunes of the once-beloved brand. The Lenovo-owned company has seen a change in its fortunes in recent times and it is no surprise that the brand is putting efforts at deepening its market presence. That it has done with the unveiling, today, of the Moto Edge X30 flagship smartphone.Moto Edge X30

The Moto Edge X30 arrives as the first Snapdragon 8 Gen 1-powered smartphone. It comes alongside the Snapdragon 888-powered Moto Edge S30. Both smartphones are indeed set to go on sale before the year’s end! Isn’t that awesome? According to the brand, the Moto Edge X30 and Edge S30 will be on pre-order from tonight and will go on sale for the first time at 10:00 AM on December 15th.Moto Edge X30

Motorola Moto Edge X30 Specifications & Features

No doubt, the major highlight of the Moto Edge X30 is the new generation of Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. The chipset uses Samsung’s 4nm process and the CPU is made up of a Cortex-X2 super core with a clock frequency of 3.0GHz, three Cortex-A710 cores clocked at frequency 2.5GHz each, and four Cortex-A510 cores, each clocked at 1.8GHz.Moto Edge X30

The new processor brings about a 20% increase in performance compared to the previous generation CPU. Energy consumption is also reduced by up to 30%, GPU performance is increased by 30%, energy consumption has been reduced by 25%, while the AI performance is four times that of the Snapdragon 888 series. The device was able to record an AnTuTu benchmark score of 1061361, making it the number one Android smartphone presently. Moto Edge X30

In terms of battery life, the Edge X30 has a built-in 5000mAh super-capacity battery, and it also supports 68W fast charging, which can replenish 50% of the battery in just 13 minutes. Moto Edge X30

For photography, the flagship Moto packs a triple camera setup at the ear aspects. The camera setup at the rear includes a 50MP wide-angle main camera, teaming up with a 50MP super wide-angle macro main camera and a 2MP depth-of-field sensor. For selfies, there is a 60MP front shooter. One of the main rear cameras is the OV50A sensor, which has a 1/55-inch ultra-large bottom and supports OIS optical image stabilization.

In terms of the display, the Moto Edge X30 comes in two versions. One is the regular version which uses a center-punched 1 billion color ultra-sensitive color screen that supports a 144Hz high refresh rate and up to 576Hz touch sampling rate. It also supports Dolby surround sound dual speakers, which can provide a very good audiovisual and gaming experience.

The second display version is the Under-screen Proactive version. This version is touted to have the strongest under-screen camera solution in the industry with its 60MP front sensor which can take into account both the display effect and the Selfie effect.Moto Edge X30

For interface, the Moto Edge X30 runs on MYUI 3.0 based on the Android 12 operating system, bringing an entirely new UI visual interface. Moto Edge X30 price

As for the pricing, the Moto Edge X30 standard version starts at 3,199 yuan (~$501) but there is a full-line discount of 200 yuan bringing the starting price to 2999 yuan ($470) for the base variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. Here are the entire prices.

  • Moto Edge X30 standard version 8GB + 128GB priced at 3199 yuan
  • Moto Edge X30 standard version 8GB + 256GB priced at 3399 yuan
  • Moto Edge X30 standard version 12GB + 256GB priced at 3599 yuan

The Under-display camera version of the Edge X30 is only available in a sole 12GB+256GB version priced at 3999 yuan (~$627).

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OriginOS Ocean update timeline for vivo, iQOO devices is here

Last year, vivo revamped its mobile operating system based on Android in China. The company changed the name of its software from Funtocuh OS to OriginOS. Today, the firm unveiled the second generation of its new OS dubbed OrginOS Ocean.  At the end of the launch conference, vivo announced the update timeline for eligible devices. Let’s take a look at them.

OriginOS Ocean Logo Featured A

OriginOS can be found on both vivo and iQOO-branded smartphones. Hence, it’s not surprising to learn that OriginOS Ocean based on Android 12 will be also available for handsets from both these brands.

According to the official OriginOS Weibo account, the following phones are eligible for OrginOS Ocean update. They will start receiving the update (most probably public beta) from the below-mentioned schedule.

OriginOS Ocean Eligible Devices and Update Timeline

From December 30, 2021

  • vivo X70 Pro+
  • vivo X70 Pro
  • vivo X70
  • vivo X60 Pro+
  • vivo X60t Pro+
  • vivo X60 Pro
  • vivo X60 Curved Screen Edition
  • vivo S10 Pro
  • vivo S10
  • vivo S9
  • iQOO 8 Pro
  • iQOO 8
  • iQOO 7

Late January 2022

  • vivo X60
  • vivo X60t
  • iQOO 5 Pro
  • iQOO 5
  • iQOO Neo5
  • iQOO Z5
  • iQOO Z5x
  • iQOO Neo5 Vitality Edition

Late February to March 2022

  • vivo X50 Pro+
  • vivo X50 Pro
  • vivo X50
  • vivo X30 Pro
  • vivo X30
  • vivo S10e
  • vivo S9e
  • vivo S7
  • vivo S7t
  • vivo S6
  • vivo NEX 3S
  • vivo T1

April 2022

  • iQOO 3
  • iQOO Neo3
  • iQOO Z3
  • iQOO Z1
  • iQOO Z1x
  • vivo Y76s
  • vivo Y71t
  • vivo Y53s
  • vivo Y53s (t1 Edition)
  • vivo Y53s (t2 Edition)
  • vivo S7e Vitality Edition
  • vivo T1x
  • vivo Z6

Just like the original OriginOS, the new OriginOS Ocean will not make its way to international markets. That’s because vivo and iQOO have already revealed their Android 12-based Funtouch OS 12 update plan for regions outside China.

Having said that, the above-discussed update plan is subject to change like any other software delivery schedule.

 

 

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Pangu M900 could be Huawei’s next ARM chip for computers

Huawei launched its first ARM laptop earlier this year. This notebook called HUAWEI Qingyun L410 is powered by the company’s older Kirin 990 SoC. A few days back, news broke out about another computer featuring a yet-to-be-announced Kirin 9006C. Followed by that, details about yet another ARM chip for laptops called Pangu M900 have emerged. 

HUAWEI Qingyun L410 Featured
HUAWEI Qingyun L410

Huawei currently uses HiSilicon’s Kirin and Kunpeng series of chipsets for its computer.  According to a tipster, a third chip lineup called  Pangu will be soon introduced for PCs. We reported on it a while back.

The leaker says that the first silicon in this new series will be called HiSilicon Pangu M900. The first devices housing this chipset will hit the markets in mid-2022.

Just like the current-gen ARM desktops and laptops from Huawei, the forthcoming Pangu models will remain exclusive to government organizations and enterprises. Hence, a normal consumer won’t be able to buy it.

Unfortunately, the tipster did not share any further information regarding Huawei HiSilicon Pangu M900. Hence, we will have to wait a bit to learn more about it.

Going by the previous ARM chip-powered Huawei PCs, we can expect the products featuring this upcoming chipset to run UOS (Unity Operating System), which is a Linux distro based on Deepin.

 

 

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Deal: Get Zhiyun Smooth X Gimbal for $29.30 (Retail Price $60)

If you are planning to buy a smartphone stabilizer or gimbal then check out this awesome deal on Zhiyun Smooth X Gimbal. The foldable gimbal which generally retails at $59.99 can be bought at a discounted price of $29.30 only at AliExpress. This deal ends in 2 days. Please note this is one of the lowest prices offered on the product yet. 

WHERE TO BUY

Zhiyun Smooth X Gimbal

Zhiyun Smooth X Gimbal is a highly portable gimbal cum selfie stick. The device comes with a 10.2-inch extendable aluminum rod that helps you to take group selfies and the lightweight and foldable design makes it very easy to carry around in your bag or purse. 

Zhiyun Smooth X Gimbal

The gimbal which is compatible with a wide variety of smartphones like iPhone 11/11 Pro/Xs/Xr/SE and Samsung Galaxy series etc, comes with an advanced hand gesture function and Bluetooth wireless control which helps you to effortlessly capture images and record videos. 

Zhiyun Smooth X Gimbal

Zhiyun Smooth X gimbal comes with an ‘M’ switch, that easily helps you to switch between portrait and landscape mode and works with the ZY Cami app to give you beautiful, creative, and professional editing tools. 

Zhiyun Smooth X Gimbal

Generally retailing at $59.99, you can now get the Zhiyun Smooth X Gimbal for $29.30 only at AliExpress. Please note that this is one of the best deals yet on this product. The deal ends in the next 2 days. So place your order before it expires. 

Please note that the above price is region-specific and the final price may vary according to your shipping region, warehouse, and regional taxes.

For more information on such exciting deals and offers check out our deals hub

* Please Note: When you buy something using the links in our articles, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you.

Smartphone brands shift to fewer camera sensors due to semiconductor shortage: Omdia

A new report has revealed interesting information about a recent trend with smartphone brands. Apparently, companies are now offering their handsets with fewer camera sensors due to a shortage of supplies.

Smartphone

The report arrives from Omdia, a known market research based firm, with its finding being shared on Weibo (a Chinese microblogging website) as well. Omdia added that OEMs are now shifting towards higher resolution image sensors for their rear modules that now house fewer number of cameras. The primary reason for this shift is reportedly due to the ongoing shortage of semiconductors that has affected various industries across the globe.

In the third quarter of this year, shipments of smartphones with triple camera setups rose to the same level as models with quad cameras. The triple camera segment got boosted as even low cost entry level handsets under 150 US Dollars saw a rise in adoption rate for multiple camera sensors on the rear. Meanwhile, the market share four devices with four cameras saw a decline, falling behind the triple camera phones. Interestingly, the market share of dual cameras which had been in decline for a while now, also saw a rise during this same period.

Smartphone

Jusy Hong, senior research manager of Omdia stated that this trend arrives as brands seek to reduce camera related costs caused by the continued shortage of semiconductors. He further added that smartphone brands are also reducing the number of cameras in mid range models from four to three. As of right now, the 48 megapixel lenses accounted for 25 percent of the entire market share in Q3 2021, while 64 megapixel and 108 megapixel sensors saw a rise to 19 percent and 5 percent share respectively.

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Deal: Get Mi SuperBass wireless headphones for ₹1299 at Amazon India (Retail Price ₹1799)

Mi SuperBass wireless headphones which generally retail for ₹1799 are now available at a discounted price of ₹1299 only at Amazon India. This is the lowest price yet offered for this product. 

WHERE TO BUY
Mi SuperBass wireless headphones at ₹1299 @Amazon India

Mi SuperBass wireless headphones

Mi SuperBass wireless headphones

Mi SuperBass wireless headphones

Key Features:

  • Stylish Black and red color combination
  • 40mm dynamic driver
  • Super Powerful Bass
  • Pressure-less ear muffs
  • Bluetooth v 5.0
  • Voice control
  • Up to 20 hours of battery life
  • Use wireless or wired

Mi SuperBass wireless headphones

Generally retailing for ₹1799 Mi SuperBass wireless headphones is now available for ₹1299 only on Amazon India.  Additional bank offers and no-cost EMI are also available on this product. 

For more information on such exciting deals and offers check out our deals hub

* Please Note: When you buy something using the links in our articles, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you.

MIUI 12.5 beta builds to soon get suspended likely in prep for MIUI 13

Xiaomi may very soon be giving the last MIUI 12.5 beta build for its devices as the latest beta release notes state that beta releases will be suspended due to the “adjustment of the software system architecture.” While the reason provided is rather vague, it is safe to assume that it’s just Xiaomi shifting its software onto the MIUI 13 base in prep for its beta releases.

alleged miui 13 screenshots
Alleged MIUI 13 screenshots (Image: Gizchina)

The release notes are a part of the changelog for the MIUI 12.5 beta 21.12.8 update and we have given the entire thing below (via Xiaomiui).

  • Due to the adjustment of the software system architecture, the MIUI development version will be suspended for a period of time starting from 12.13, always believe that beautiful things are about to happen.
  • Due to the major version upgrade of Android, Redmi K30 5G, Redmi K30i 5G, Mi 10 Youth Edition, Redmi Note 9 Pro, Redmi Note11 Pro, Redmi Note11 Pro+ will be temporarily suspended from December 13, 2021.
  • Due to the major version upgrade of Android, Redmi Note10 will suspend the release of the internal test from November 29, 2021 (Translated from Chinese).
  • Update log
    • Game service
    • Fix known issues and optimize user experience

As seen above, not only will MIUI 12.5 beta updates be halted, but the Redmi K30 5G, Redmi K30i 5G, Mi 10 Lite Zoom, Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G (Mi 10T Lite), and the Redmi Note 11 Pro will also stop receiving Android 12 builds temporarily. This is effective from December 13th and Xiaomi is yet to provide any information on when said builds will resume.

Coming to MIUI 13 itself, it is said to be a major upgrade over MIUI 12.5 and will be bringing along a number of UI changes and new features, although we are still clueless about what they might be. Still, a number of subtle changes have already begun showing up, a few of which we have mentioned in this piece.

An official announcement for the new OS version is expected this month but it may take a while for the update to reach all of the eligible devices globally.

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Google Pixel 3 has a bug caused by Microsoft Teams that prevents 911 calls

An odd incident recently occurred where a Google Pixel 3 user was unable to call 911 during an emergency. Now, the results of the official investigation from the company has revealed some interesting reasons as to why this happened.

Back in November 2021, Reddit user u/KitchenPicture5849 (Via AndroidPolice) shared his unfortunate experience on the social media platform. The user had placed an emergency 911 call for an ambulance, but only after the phone ringing once, the Pixel 3 froze completely. This further hampered any further attempts from the user to communicate with the person who was on the other side of the call. While the device had managed to reveal the location to the emergency services on the call, the user was unable to share crucial details like his address, apartment number, or even the condition of the person that required medical assistance.

Google

The Pixel 3 was basically stuck on the app screen. Fortunately, the Reddit users managed to reach emergency services through the landline. But considering the gravity of the situation, this could’ve been a fatal experience for those that only use smartphones. When sharing his experience on Reddit, the user also recreated the bug and found that his Verizon logs showed no record of a call being placed to 911. This prompted Google to start its own investigation into the issue that is thankfully not widespread at the moment.

So what caused this issue? A Pixel Community account revealed that the bug was spotted on devices where the users had installed Microsoft Teams but hadn’t logged in with any account. It added that an “unintended interaction” between the app and Android prevented emergency calls from being made. So now, both Google and Microsoft are promptly working on a fix as of right now.

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Xiaomi 12 series prices may cross 4,000 Yuan mark due to rising chip costs: Tipster

The Xiaomi 12 series is set to be among the first adopters of the newly launched Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC. But with the device offering top notch specs and features as a flagship, it seems that the pricing might be higher than its predecessor.

Xiaomi

According to @李昂昂昂啊 on Weibo (a Chinese microblogging website), most brands apart from Motorola will be launching smartphones, which feature Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, at a cost higher than 4,000 Yuan (roughly 630 US Dollars). Apparently, only few smartphone makers that were able to acquire inventory of the latest chipset before New Years would be able to offer their flagships under the 4,000 Yuan price point.

On the other hand, the brands releasing their device later on would have to deal with a rise in chip cost due to ongoing shortage of semiconductors. As of right now, the Chinese tech giant is expected to launch three models in the Xiaomi 12 series. While the lineup was initially expected to be the first to launch a device with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC, Motorola’s upcoming Edge X30 series will actually be the first.

Xiaomi 12

Furthermore, the tipster also added that the Moto might be able to keep the pricing of the Edge X30 under 4,000 Yuan. In other words, this puts more pressure on Xiaomi regarding the pricing at which it launches its newest flagship. Last year, the company’s 11 series started from 3,999 Yuan. However with the rising cost of materials, shortage of chips, and other supply chain issues, the pricing of the 12 series could start from 4,299 Yuan (roughly 680 US Dollars). The tipster also added that handsets with 2K panels would likely go for 5,000 Yuan (roughly 790 US Dollars) or higher.

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Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Pro 2021 now supports 90 FPS on Chinese PUBG Mobile

Lenovo today announced that the Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Pro 2021 tablet now supports 90 FPS on Peacekeeper Elite – the game that’s called PUBG Mobile globally and BGMI in India.

To recall, the tablet did not support the game at this frame rate setting at the time of launch despite having a 90Hz display. That has changed now with an update to Peacekeeper Elite carrying the version number 1.16.13.10019.

Lenovo-Xiaoxin-Pad-Pro-2021-pubg-90-fps

Handling the game at the ultra-smooth frame rate should not be a problem for the Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Pro 2021 as it is equipped with the flagship-level Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chip. However, it does appear from the shared screenshot that 90 FPS can only be enabled on the “Smooth” graphic setting. The “HD” and “HDR” graphics settings thus still probably run at 60 FPS.

The tablet recently also received support for 90 FPS on the Honor of Kings game globally known as Arena of Valor.

Lenovo-Xiaoxin-Pad-Pro-2021

The Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Pro 2021 along with being powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chip, is also equipped with a high-end 11.5-inch 2.5K OLED screen with a refresh rate of 90Hz. There’s also ultra-fast LPDDR5 RAM onboard paired supported by UFS 3.1 flash memory. The audio is handled by four JBL speakers with support for Dolby Atmos.

The battery is sized 8600mAh and supports fast charging and reverse charging functions. The price tag of the tablet reads 2,999 Yuan or around $472.

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Google has cherry-picked these Chrome extensions officially for you to try out

Google Chrome is a fairly feature-rich browser but also offers a dedicated Web Store using which various extensions and plugins can be installed to make the browsing experience even better. If you are a newcomer to the world of browser extensions or are simply looking to explore further, then you’ll be pleased to know that Google has released a list of their favorite extensions for 2021 – and oh boy are they worth trying.

To be clear, not all of these extensions have been released in 2021. Rather, they are just a bunch that Google thinks have outshone the rest. Various categories like communication, productivity, classroom tools, and even customization have been covered, and we have listed each of these extensions below along with a short description of them.

Communication and collaboration

  • Loom — Makes it easier to capture and share videos with others.
  • Mote — Allows you to give quick feedback through voice commenting and transcripts.
  • WordTune — Helps you clearly communicate by rephrasing sentences and catching typos in emails and documents.

Productivity

Classroom tools

  • Kami — Creates an interactive online learning space for students and teachers.
  • InsertLearning — Helps you easily take notes and integrates with Google Classroom.
  • Toucan — Makes learning a new language fun and immersive.
  • Rememberry — Organizes vocabulary words into flashcard decks for quick studying throughout the day.

Others

  • Stylus — Helps you build and install custom themes and skins for your favorite sites.
  • Rakuten — Puts cash in your pocket by automatically finding coupons and deals across the web.

It is worth mentioning here that these extensions can be installed not only on Google Chrome but on almost every browser barring Firefox, including Edge, Opera, Brave, Vivaldi, etc. since they’re all Chromium-based.

Apple had released a similar list comprised of the most popular apps from its App Store for this year, and you can check it out from here.

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Anker launches special League of Legends-themed 30W GaN fast charger

Anker has collaborated with League of Legends to launch a special 30W GaN fast charger priced at 149 Yuan or around $23. Its appearance is themed to match one of the characters from the game called ‘Jinx.’

Anker League of Legends 30W GaN charger

This special LoL edition of the charger not only has gotten a visual rework though as the power and size of the charger have also been reportedly upgraded. It now supports iPhone 13 Pro Max 27W full-load fast charging but its size is kept as small as a 5W charger. There’s also an upgraded gallium nitride solution paired with powerful temperature control to keep the charger cool at all times.

Last but not least, the Anker League of Legends 30W GaN charger is equipped with the company’s self-developed PowerIQ 3.0 technology, which allows it to be compatible with fast charging for Apple devices as well as a number of Android phones.

Its charging power specifications have been given below:

  • USB-C:5V-3A / 9V-3A / 15V-2A / 20.0V-1.5A
  • PPS: 3.3-11.0V = 3.0A Max;3.3-16.0V=2.0A Max

Anker League of Legends 30W GaN charger featured

In addition to the above, Anker has also launched the “League of Legends Mobile Game” Yasuo League’s 65W GaN three-port charger, priced at 199 Yuan or $31.

League of Legends seems to be on a collaboration streak, recently working with OPPO to launch the Reno7 Pro LoL edition. It also collaborated with BGMI last month to bring a League of Legends-themed event to the game.

As for Anker, it recently announced that it had become the world’s number 1 digital charging company.

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Xiaomi MIX 5 begins trial production with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1: Tipster

Earlier this month, Qualcomm had announced its latest flagship grade processor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. While the Xiaomi 12 series is set to be among the early adopters, a new report has suggested that the company is also working on another device that will feature this new SoC as well.

Xiaomi

According to @数码闲聊站 on Weibo (a Chinese microblogging website), the brand has began the trial production for the MIX 5 series. While initially it was rumored that the model could sport the higher end Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus chip, the latest leak from Chinese tipster states otherwise. Furthermore, the leak also revealed that the company’s MIX 5 lineup will also still feature the Samsung variant of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

For those unaware, we had previously reported on Qualcomm moving a part of its Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip production from Samsung to TSMC. The reasons for this were production issues which forced the chipmaker to turn to the Taiwanese semiconductor giant. So, the TSMC version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 was expected to launch in the second half of next year.

 

Xiaomi
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1

However, since the tipster had previously mentioned that the MIX 5 series will be launching sometime between June and July, it makes sense that it will likely still feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC manufactured by Samsung. Unfortunately, finer details about this upcoming high end devices is still currently unknown, but it is likely to feature cutting edge smartphone technology. So stay tuned for more updates.

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