Microsoft celebrates Xbox’s 20th Anniversary with new Translucent controller

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Oct 8, 2021

Microsoft is launching a new controlled to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its popular gaming console, the Xbox platform. The company announced the new controller earlier this week, which features the classic Xbox green colors scheme and a translucent body.

According to Xbox product marketing manager Jessica Tsujikawa, the new controller features a see through shell, which is inspired by the original Xbox debug kit that featured a translucent green body. Furthermore, the 20th Anniversary Special Edition Xbox Wireless Controller is scheduled to be launched on November 15. Talking about its design, the controller sports a translucent black design on the front half, which enables users to peer inside the inner hardware of the controller.

Notably, Microsoft also allows customers to unlock a 20th anniversary Xbox Series X dynamic background by connecting the controller to the console. For those interested, the new 20th Anniversary Special Edition controller is priced at 69.99 US Dollars, which is about 10 US Dollars higher than the price for the standard Xbox controller. The new controller is compatible with both the Xbox One and Xbox Series X and Series S consoles along with Windows, PC, Android, and iOS devices as well.

Apart from the new controller, the company has also launched the new 20th Anniversary Special Edition Xbox Stereo Headset. This gaming headset sports a similar bright green highlights and translucent black shell as well. It also features price tag of 69.99 US Dollars and will be launched on November 15. Another product launching with these two gaming peripherals is the new custom sneakers that were made in collaboration with Adidas.

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Samsung India eyes 65% growth in high-end consumer electronics

By

Zohaib Ahmed

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Oct 8, 2021

Samsung has seen strong growth in its consumer electronics sales over the past 3 months despite losing out to Chinese companies in the smartphone market. The Korean company now aims to grow by over 65 percent this festive season with the sales of its premium category of TVs and digital appliances.

Raju Pullan, Senior Vice President, Consumer Electronics Business, Samsung India revealed that they’ve seen a strong uptick during the Onam and Ganesh Chaturthi festivals already. This, combined with the increased demand from consumers looking to equip their homes with the latest tech following COVID unlocks, has led to a boom in business.

The growth has especially been in the television sector where the company is almost a consumer favorite, seeing 63 percent growth with QLED TVs. But that’s not all. Sales of refrigerators and washing machines have seen a growth of 100 percent and 50 percent respectively, in the month of August alone.

“We planned for festive season way in advance to stay ahead of the curve and ensured that we are well stocked up and expanded our premium portfolio with the launch of Neo QLED TV, The Frame TV, French Door Refrigerators, AI Ecobubble washing machines, WindFree ACs, etc., to cater to festive demand,” Pullan said.

Pullan went on to say that, unlike last year, when the brand’s growth was mainly limited to tier-2 markets, this year’s growth has been spread throughout metro cities as well as tier 2 and 3 markets.

Samsung has already announced a ‘Big TV Festival’ with offers to encourage further growth for its 55-inch and above TV offerings. This is paired with ‘Home Like Never Before’ offers for washing machines, refrigerators, microwaves, and ACs.

Last but not the least, Samsung is offering exciting deals through the ongoing Amazon’s Great Indian Festival and Flipkart’s The Big Billion Days.

Regardless, Samsung’s ability to achieve the coveted 65 percent growth rate will be tested during the next two months. Underlying supply issues are the biggest setback that can hamper the company’s goals and are something that need to be addressed.

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Motorola Moto E30 is a cheaper Moto E40 with Android 11 Go Edition

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Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Oct 8, 2021

Yesterday, Motorola announced three new budget smartphones, namely Moto G Pure, Moto E40, and Moto E30. We have already covered the first two devices. Here in this article, let’s take a look at the third model, which also happens to be the most affordable of all.

Motorola E30 Specifications and Features

The Moto E30 is the same as the Moto E40. The only differences between the two are the former has a lower amount of RAM and storage and runs Android 11 Go Edition.

This means the Moto E30 features a plastic build like the Moto E40 with IP52 certification. It flaunts a 6.5-inch IPS LCD panel with a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels (HD+), a 90Hz refresh rate, a 20:9 aspect ratio, and a punch-hole. The company calls this screen Max Vision display.

Further, it is powered by a UNISOC T700 chipset paired with 2GB RAM and 32GB storage. If needed, users can expand the storage via a MicroSD card. Like any other budget smartphone, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack and a USB Type-C port, in addition to a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor with the iconic Motorola Batwing logo.

As far as cameras are concerned, it arrives with a vertically aligned triple rear camera setup consisting of a 48MP primary sensor, a 2MP macro shooter, and a 2MP depth sensor. There’s also an 8MP selfie camera inside the punch-hole on the front.

Other features of the handset include a dual SIM card slot, 4G, VoLTE, WiFi, GNSS, 5,000mAh battery, 10W charging, and two colors (Mineral Gray, Digital Blue).

Motorola E30 Price and Availability

The Motorola Moto E30 will be initially available in Europe and Latin America. It will start at an MSRP of €129.

Your location data is being sold to the highest bidder in a $12 billion market

By

Sean

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Oct 8, 2021

A new report might make you more skeptical about allowing apps to track your location. Apparently, the user’s phone location data is a huge market, in which information is sold to the highest bidder in market that is estimated to be worth a whopping 12 billion US Dollars.

According to TheNextWeb, there are multiple data mining firms that collect location data along with other identifiers anonymously and then sell it to other companies that require it. The data is bought from various firms including retail foot traffic analysts to even military contractors. Serge Egelman, a researcher at UC Berkeley’s International Computer Science Institute and CTO of AppCensus stated that “apps can circumvent the permission model and gain access to protected data without user consent by using both covert and side channels.”

Similarly, Justin Sherman, a cyber policy fellow at the Duke Tech Policy Lab added that There isn’t a lot of transparency and there is a really, really complex shadowy web of interactions between these companies that’s hard to untangle. They operate on the fact that the general public and people in Washington and other regulatory centers aren’t paying attention to what they’re doing.” The Markup even identified 47 companies that harvest, sell, or trade in mobile phone location data.

Notably, one of the location data brokers Oracle, has a partner that openly advertises data on millions of US individuals. This includes demographics information like personal activities and life preferences. Meanwhile Oracle, Epsilon, and others also explicitly advertises data sharing platforms to thousands of companies.

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Pixel Fold, Pixel Watch, Nest Speakers may launch on October 19 with Pixel 6 series

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 8, 2021

The Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are all set to launch on Oct. 19. A tipster has claimed that the upcoming Pixel launch event will also see the arrival of some other products such as Google’s first foldable phone, a Pixel-branded smartwatch, and new smart speakers.

Almost everything is known about the forthcoming Pixel 6 duo. However, it appears that Google has done well to keep the details of the other upcoming products under the wraps. It appears that the search engine may use the Pixel Fall Launch event to announce the Pixel Fold foldable phone, the Pixel Watch, and Nest Speakers.

At present, nothing concrete is known about the Pixel Fold device. Hence, it appears that the company may formally announce the existence of its first foldable phone at the event. A recent report claimed that the Pixel Fold may run on Android 12.1, which is expected to offer an improved experience for foldable devices. The new Pixel Launcher may offer a taskbar feature that will give quick access to apps like dialer, message, Chrome, camera, and so on.

The first Pixel-branded smartwatch may run on the new WearOS, which offers a merged experience of Wear OS and Samsung’s Tizen OS. The smartwatch is likely to feature a custom-made 5nm chipset. The Oct. 19 may also see the launch of new Nest speakers. Unfortunately, the rumor mill is yet to reveal the features of the Nest speakers.

The tipster has also hinted the arrival of the Pixel Tablet, which could be a successor for the Pixel Slate that debuted in 2018. Hopefully, the rumor will reveal some information on the upcoming Pixel products in the next few days before launch.

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Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Pro 12.6 to feature four JBL speakers with Dolby Atmos

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Oct 8, 2021

The Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Pro 12.6 is in the news for the past few weeks. The company has been gradually teasing its features. The latest teasers reveal the specs of its speakers and its weight. Let’s take a look at what these teasers have to say.

Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Pro 12.6 Teaser — Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Pro 12.6

According to the official Lenovo Xiaoxin Weibo account, the upcoming Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Pro 12.6 will arrive with four JBL speakers. These speakers will also have support for Dolby Atmos.

Hence, the tablet should offer an immersive multimedia experience with this audio system and its 12.6-inch Samsung E4 AMOLED display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels. This screen has been already confirmed to feature a 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio, a 120Hz refresh rate, a 360Hz touch sampling rate, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 600 nits brightness, DC Dimming, and TÜV Rheinland EyeSafe Display 2.0 certification.

Further, the second teaser says that the tablet will only weigh 568g. It is said to be lighter than a small water bottle. As per previous teasers, the product will feature a metal body and will offer a premium look like the Apple iPad Pros and Galaxy Tab S series.

Earlier teasers and leaks have revealed the Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Pro 12.6 to come with features like a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870, ZUI 13 for Pad, 13MP + 5MP dual rear camera setup, 8MP + ToF dual front camera setup, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, a MicroSD card slot, a USB 3.1 (Type-C) port, a 10,200mAh battery, and 45W fast charging.

The Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Pro 2021 debuted at ¥2,999 ($465) in China. Hence, the newer and larger Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Pro 12.6 should cost more than that.

Realme GT Neo 2T in works, likely to launch this month

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 8, 2021

Realme China CMO Xu Qi took to Weibo today to claim that the GT Neo2 series has a new product. He seems to be hinting at a new GT Neo phone powered by a different flagship chip. It can be said based on Digital Chat Station’s Weibo post that this device could be arriving in the Chinese market as the Realme GT Neo 2T.

According to the tipster, the Realme phone with RMX3357 model number that has received CMIIT certification will debut as the GT Neo 2T. This smartphone was approved by the TENAA authority of China last month.

The RMX3357’s TENAA listing states that it measures 158.5 x 73.3 x 8.4mm and weighs 184 grams. The device houses a 6.43-inch AMOLED display that offers a Full HD+ resolution. The screen seems to feature a punch-hole at the upper-left corner and curved edges.

The 3GHz chip that powers the device could be the Dimensity 1200 chip. The handset will come with 8 GB / 12 GB of RAM and 128 GB / 256 GB of storage in China. It will boot to Android 11 OS.

For photography, it has a 16-megapixel front-facing camera, and a 64-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 2-megapixel triple camera unit. It seems to house a 4,500mAh dual-cell battery that may carry support for 65W fast charging. For security, it features an in-screen fingerprint scanner.

The company is also expected to announce the Realme Q3s this month. Probably, the Q3s and GT Neo 2 will go official through an unveiling event later this month in China. The Q3s is expected to arrive with specs like a 6.59-inch LTPS FHD+ 144Hz display, Snapdragon 778G chip, up to 12 GB of RAM, up to 256 GB of storage, Android 11 OS, a 5,000mAh battery with 30W fast charging, a 16-megapixel front camera, a 48-megapixel + 2-megapixel + 2-megapixel triple camera unit, and a side-facing fingerprint scanner.

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Here’s what to expect from Realme’s multi-product launch on October 13th

By

Zohaib Ahmed

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Oct 8, 2021

Realme recently confirmed the launch of the Realme GT Neo2 through a press release, setting the date for October 13. The smartphone will be launched through a virtual event that will be held via Realme’s official channels. Several specifications of the phone have been confirmed as well through Realme’s website. The company has revealed that the phone will be powered by the Snapdragon 870 processor and will sport a high-end 120Hz E4 AMOLED panel.

But as it stands, the Realme GT Neo2 isn’t the only one that will be unveiled at the October 13 product launch event. Reliable tipster Ishan Agarwal has now revealed the full list of devices, which have been listed below.

Realme Buds Air 2 (Closer Green)

The Realme Buds Air 2 were unveiled earlier this year in March as one of the most affordable true wireless earphones to come with active noise cancellation (ANC) support in the Indian market.

These earphones will now be getting a new Closer Green color to its existing roster of color choices that includes Closer White, Closer Black, and Closer Gold, on October 13.

Realme 4K Smart TV Google Stick

The Realme 4K Google TV Stick is set to be the first streaming device from the brand and will support a crisp 4K resolution, just as its name implies. It will run the Google TV interface and will be available in black.

Realme Brick Bluetooth Speaker

The upcoming portable speaker has been very appropriately named considering that it does look like brick. It will be able to output 20W sound, feature a 2-speaker unit consisting of dynamic bass boost drivers, and be compatible with the Realme Link app.

As far as endurance is concerned, the speaker will last for 14 hours on a full charge via a USB Type-C port. It will also sport bass radiators and have an IPX5 water resistance rating.

Mobile Gaming Accessories

Last but not least are the three mobile gaming accessories that will be unveiled alongside the aforementioned with the October product launch event, namely Realme Cooling Back Clip Neo, Type-C SuperDart Game Cable, and Mobile Game Triggers.

Realme’s October 13th launch event will begin at 12:30 PM and will be live-streamed through the company’s official YouTube and Facebook channels. Android 11-based Realme UI 3.0 is also said to be talked about at the event.

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OnePlus Buds Z2 launch date confirmed, OnePlus 9RT official renders appear on JD

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 8, 2021

Earlier today, OnePlus confirmed that it will be launching the OnePlus 9RT on Oct. 13 in China. The company has revealed through another Weibo post that it will be unleashing the OnePlus Buds Z2 through the same event.

The OnePlus Buds Z2 will be arriving as the successor to last year’s Buds Z TWS earbuds. Recent reports have revealed it will be available in colors like Day Black and Day White. As compared to the original model, the Buds Z2 will offer slightly more angled ear tips for a comfortable fit.

The Buds Z2 rumors have revealed that it will carry support for Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). The earbuds will offer IP55 rated sweat and water resistance, whereas the charging case will come with an IPX4 rating. It will be equipped with 11mm audio drivers with each earbud housing a 40mAh battery. Its charging case is expected to pack a 520mAh battery. Reports have claimed that it will offer 27-hour battery life. It is likely to achieve a full charge by charging for around 90 minutes.

OnePlus 9RT renders and sale date

The OnePlus 9RT is now listed on China’s JD.com retailer site for reservation. The listing gives a good look at the silver variant of the 9RT and confirms that it will go on sale from Oct. 18.

As far as the design is concerned, the 9RT can be seen sporting a punch-hole display on the front and a redesigned camera setup on the back. The listing has no information on the specs, but recent reports have revealed that it will offer a 6.55-inch AMOLED FHD+ 120Hz display, Snapdragon 888 SoC, up to 12 GB of RAM, up to 256 GB of RAM, 50-megapixel quad cameras, a 16-megapixel selfie snapper, and a 4,500mAh battery with 65W fast charging.

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Amazfit GTR 3, GTR 3 Pro, GTS 3 renders and Key Specs leaked

By

Sean

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Oct 8, 2021

Amazfit is gearing up for the launch of its new smartwatches. Now, a new leak has showcased the renders of the GTR 3, GTR 3 Pro, and GTS 3, along with some of their specifications.

The renders and information regarding the upcoming smartwatches from the Chinese smart wearables maker arrives from PassionateGeekz. For those unaware, Amazfit is planning on releasing new products on 11th October 2021 globally and also aims on hosting a launch conference on October 12 for the Chinese market. During this event, the GTR 3 series, which includes the base and Pro models, will be announced along with the GTS 3 as well.

The report adds that all three watches will support 150 sports modes, feature an aluminum alloy body, and Bluetooth 5.1. Furthermore, the wearables will also offer Breathing Exercises, Sports Modes, Biometric Sensor, Respiratory Rate Measurement, Swimming Pulse Measurement, SpO2, Speaker, Bluetooth calls, Music storage, and more. The GTR 3 model sports a 1.39 inch display with 454 x 454px resolution that is powered by a 450mAh battery that can last for up to 24 days.

Furthermore, the smartwatch will be similar to its predecessor in terms of features and will launch in two color variants, namely thunder black and moonlight gray. Although, a notable inclusion this time around is the inclusion of Amazfit’s proprietary software, the ZEPP OS, which aims to deliver a significantly faster and more responsive interface over the OS it offered in previous generations. Now, even the animated watch faces will run at 60 frames per second.

Talking about the GTR 3 Pro, it will feature a design similar to the GTR 2 Sport and Classic models. However, there are certain changes like an increased display size from 1.39 inch to 1.45 inches along with an improved screen to body ratio of 70.59 percent. In other words, its bezels are now narrower, measuring just 3.5mm while its display has a pixel density of 331ppi.

Not a lot is known about the GTS 3 at the moment, but it will feature a 1.75 inch display and launch in three colors, including tera rose, ivory white and graphite black. Arriving at the pricing, the GTS 3 is expected to be sold around 205 US Dollars, while the GTR 3 and GTR 3 Pro are expected to launch in the 215 US Dollars and 225 US Dollars price segment respectively.

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Some iPhone 14 models may retain the notch, no under-display Touch ID next year, claims report

By

Zohaib Ahmed

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Oct 8, 2021

The Apple iPhone 14 series won’t rely entirely on the hole punch camera setup and may retain the notch for yet another year, at least on some of the models, as per a new rumor from Weibo.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported (via: MacRumors) that Apple will be bringing the hole-punch design to the higher-end iPhone 14 models, similar to the one that’s now almost standard on Android devices. Following the report, leakster Jon Prosser dropped renders of what he believes the iPhone 14 would look like.

iPhone-14-renders-Jon-Prosser — Image: FRONT PAGE TECH

Further, a now-deleted post from @PandaIsBald on Weibo stated that it will be difficult for Apple to adopt the hole punch for all of the models and abandon the notch completely. Instead, the iPhone 14 will be extending the usage of the notch by yet another year, only with yet another reduction in size.

What remains to be seen is how Apple will be implementing Face ID if it ditches the notch considering the elaborate hardware that is required for the same to work.

Apple did reduce the width of the notch with the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro but increased its height. This was achieved by reducing the TrueDepth camera system’s component sizes and reengineering the internals. The earpiece was also moved to the top bezel from its prior position within the notch, thus freeing up a whole lot of width.

Last but not the least, the said post claims that Touch ID will not be going under-display next year, meaning Face ID may continue to be the sole way to unlock iPhone 14 devices.

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Tipster reiterates 120W fast charging on Redmi Note series

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Oct 8, 2021

There are only a couple of companies that offer 120W fast charging – Xiaomi and vivo. Unlike the latter, the former’s charging solution is available globally with the recent launch of the Xiaomi 11T series. Back in June, a reliable tipster revealed that this fast charging tech will make its way to the Redmi Notes series. Months later, he reiterates the same.

Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G Featured H — Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G

Digital Chat Station was the leaker who said that 120W fast charging will be made available for the Redmi Note series a few months back. Today, the tipster reveals the device that will be bringing the high-end charging solution to the mid-range segment.

According to him, the top model in the next-gen Redmi Note series will have support for 120W charging. The successor of the Redmi Note 10 series should be ideally called Redmi Note 11 series. But since this is Xiaomi we are talking about, there’s a chance that the upcoming Redmi Note lineup may have new branding.

Having said that, the leaker here means the Chinese version of the upcoming Redmi Note series. The last two generations of the Redmi Note series have been different in China and international markets.

Hence, this device could be known by some other name outside mainland China. Anyway, we cannot rule out the possibility of Xiaomi merging the Redmi Note series for all markets once again.

The Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G is currently the fastest charging Redmi Note device with support for a 67W charging protocol. The handset is sold as POCO X3 GT in some markets.

Realme Buds Air 2 Green color option to launch in India on October 13

By

Jeet

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Oct 8, 2021

Earlier this year, in March, Realme had launched the Buds Air 2 true wireless earbuds as one of the most affordable TWS earphones to come with active noise cancellation support in the Indian market.

Now, the Chinese company is all set to launch a new color option for the Realme Buds Air 2 in India — Green. It will get launched in India on 13th October, along with the Realme GT Neo2 smartphone. The product already comes in three different colors — Closer White, Closer Black, and Closer Gold.

Those who purchase the Green colored model will get a charging case with green color on the outside and black color on the inside. Additionally, the earbuds also have a green color paint job but the part that goes into the ear has a black paint job.

Apart from the new color, everything else will remain the same. The earbuds come with 10mm DLC (Diamond-like Carbon) drivers and connect via Bluetooth 5.2. They are powered by the company’s own Realme R2 chip and comes with support for Google Fast Pair, wear detection as well as touch gesture controls.

It features ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) and the brand claims that these buds can reduce the external noise up to 25dB, just like the Xiaomi Mi Neckband Bluetooth Earphones Pro. There’s also support for low-latency mode for gaming sessions.

As for the battery life, the company says that the product offer up to 25-hour battery life with ANC turned off and up to 22.5 hours with ANC turned on. Further, the buds themselves offer up to 5-hour battery life. It is claimed that 10 minutes of charging can deliver 2 hours of playback, while the TWS takes up to 2 hours to charge completely.

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Apple MacBook Pro 2021 prototype leak reveals some key details ahead of launch

By

Jeet

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Oct 8, 2021

Apple has been working on its next-generation MacBook Pro devices for some time and the technology giant is expected to officially launch the new laptops, powered by the unannounced M1X chipset by Apple Silicon later this month.

Now, ahead of that, a prototype of the upcoming Apple MacBook Pro has leaked online, confirming the MacBook Pro model with serial number DVT-X88102C where DVT refers to Design Validation Testing (DVT), a prototyping stage before Production Validation Testing.

Apple MacBook Pro 2021 Render — Image Credit: Renders By Ian

It has also been revealed that the device packs 32GB of RAM and the company is expected to offer up to 2TB of storage. The upcoming laptops are also expected to come with a revamped design.

The new M1X chipset from Apple, along with two new MacBook Pro models, have been reported to get launched in the past few months but it kept getting delayed because of the production issues and are now expected to go official in the coming weeks.

The upcoming Apple MacBook Pro models are expected to come with an all-new design and two display options — 14-inch and 16-inch, featuring a Mini-LED screen. They are expected to feature a flat-edged design, a MagSafe charging port, and a few more ports, including HDMI and an SD-card slot reader.

As for the M1X chipset, it could come packed with a 10-core CPU with eight high-performance cores and two energy-efficient cores, along with 16 or 32-core GPU options and support for up to 64GB RAM.

If the reports are to be believed, then Ruiyi Optoelectronics will be the exclusive supplier of the new Mini-LED panels while Quanta Computer will be responsible for the final assembly of the upcoming MacBook devices.

Apart from the MacBook, there are a few other Mac devices planned by Apple. Previously it was reported that soon after the MacBook Pro launch, the Cupertino-based tech giant could launch a new high-end Mac Mini, followed by a new iMac and Mac Pro next year.

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Dutch authority finds Apple’s in-app purchase rules anticompetitive; demands App Store changes

By

Jeet

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Oct 8, 2021

Troubles for Apple just keeps piling on. After the report that Korea could make Apple pay $46 million in undeclared benefits and the company facing charges over NFC chip in iPhones and Apple Pay Europe’s antitrust regulators, Dutch antitrust authority has now found the Cupertino-based giant involved in anti-competitive behavior.

According to the latest report from Reuters, the Dutch antitrust authority has found that Apple’s rules requiring software developers to use its own in-app payment system are anti-competitive and has ordered it to make changes.

While Apple is facing similar challenges in several countries, the Netherlands’ Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) last month informed the US-based technology giant of its decision, making it the first antitrust regulator to make a finding of Apple having abused market power in the app store.

Interestingly, ACM has not levied any fine against Apple but has demanded changes to the in-app payment system. The decision is expected to get published in the coming weeks.

For those who are unaware, Apple has an in-app-store payment policy, which requires the application developers to exclusively use Apple’s payment system where the company takes out commissions, ranging from 15 percent to 30 percent.

The Dutch antitrust authority initiated an investigation in 2019 to find out if Apple’s practices amounted to an abuse of a dominant market position. However, it later reduced the scope of the investigation to focus only on dating market apps.

It was after a complaint filed by the Match Group, which owns the popular dating platform Tinder. The company had said that Apple’s rules were hindering it from direct communications with its customers about payments.

Recently, South Korea enacted a law that bars app store operators from forcing developers to use their official payment systems. Apple as well as Google are due to respond this month on how they plan to comply with the new rule.

RELATED:

Redmi K50 Pro+ key specifications leak reveals Snapdragon 898, 108MP camera, and more

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 8, 2021

Xiaomi’s sub-brand Redmi is reportedly working on the Redmi K50 series of smartphones. It is speculated that the lineup will include three models such as Redmi K50, Redmi K50 Pro, and Redmi K50 Pro+. A Chinese tipster has shared the key specifications of the Pro+ handset.

According to the tipster, the display of the Redmi K50 Pro+ will feature a top-center positioned punch-hole. The AMOLED panel will be integrated with an in-screen fingerprint reader. Like the K40 Pro+, the K50 Pro+ may come equipped with support for a 120Hz refresh rate.

The upcoming Snapdragon 898 mobile platform is expected to power the K50 Pro+. It could be backed by a 5,000mAh+ battery. It can be said based on previous leaks that the smartphone may carry support for 67W rapid charging.

The rear camera setup of the Redmi K50 Pro+ may feature a 108-megapixel primary camera and a periscope zoom lens. Probably, it will come equipped with a triple camera unit. The Redmi K50 lineup is expected to launch by February 2022 in China.

It is speculated that the Redmi K50 may feature the Snapdragon 888 SoC, while the K50 Pro will be coming with the Snapdragon 898 SoC. With the K50 lineup expected to arrive by next year, the rumor mill is expected to reveal more details in the coming days.

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Samsung Electronics indicates 28% growth in operating profit in Q3 2021

By

Jeet

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Oct 8, 2021

Samsung Electronics has announced that the company’s operating profit in the third quarter of this year rose by around 28 percent — the highest growth for the South Korean giant registered in three years.

Semiconductors accounted for about half of Samsung’s operating profit in the first half of the year. The rise in the operating profit is likely because of the rising prices of memory chips in the market and the spike in sales for display, catering to the need of smartphone manufacturers for their flagship models.

Samsung estimated that its profit in the third quarter of this year, meaning in the months of July to September, could stand at 15.8 trillion won, which is approximately $13.3 billion. The numbers are below the estimate of 16.1 trillion won by Refinitiv SmartEstimate.

According to industry analysts, the rising memory chip prices and shipments, along with a jump in profitability at Samsung’s chip contract manufacturing business, likely raised the chip division’s operating profit by about 79 percent from a year earlier.

Samsung also benefited from the demand for its recent foldable smartphones and is increasing its market share in this category. The company reportedly sold over two million units of its new flagship smartphones within a month.

The company’s operating profit for the current quarter is expected to be similar or slightly below the third quarter. Analysts are pointing to expectations that prices for memory chips used in personal computers will tumble from the fourth quarter as global lockdowns ease, and the smartphone shipments may also decline.

Samsung’s chip manufacturing business is also showing positive signs and the company recently announced that it’ll start working on the 3nm process for smartphone chips from next year and will shift to the 2nm process in 2025.

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Black Shark 4S is launching on October 13

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 8, 2021

Recent reports have revealed that Black Shark is working on the Black Shark 4S and Black Shark 4S Pro as updated versions for the Black Shark 4 and 4 Pro phones that were made official earlier this year. Today, the company revealed through its Weibo handle that the Black Shark 4S will be debuting at 3 PM (local time) on Oct. 13 in China.

The below-shown poster only mentions the arrival of the Black Shark 4S. However, it is likely that the company may also unleash a Pro variant alongside it. A closer look at the poster reveals that the Black Shark 4S is equipped with a horizontally aligned triple camera unit like the predecessor series. The company is yet to confirm the key specs of the smartphone.

The Black Shark 4S Pro is rumored to feature a 144Hz refresh rate display, the latest Snapdragon 888 Plus mobile platform, and 120W fast charging support. To recollect, the Black Shark 4 Pro was powered by the Snapdragon 888 SoC.

It is also rumored to arrive with a 64-megapixel (main) + 8-megapixel (ultrawide) + 5-megapixel (macro) triple camera unit. Probably, it will feature the same triple camera system that was made available on the Black Shark 4 Pro.

It is likely that the Black Shark 4S may also feature a 144Hz display and 120W rapid charging. The Black Shark 4 was powered by the Snapdragon 870. It is unclear which SoC will be fueling the 4S. It may retain the same 48-megapixel (main) + 8-megapixel (ultrawide) + 5-megapixel (macro) triple camera unit that was offered on the Black Shark 4.

RELATED:

Mobicel Legend Max with massive 6.8-inches screen launched in South Africa

By

Ashutosh

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Oct 8, 2021

Mobicel, a South African smartphone maker, has added one more device to its portfolio and has called it the Legend Max. The model is the successor of the previous vanilla Legend that was launched back in 2020.

The company has worked on the design and other internals to make it look like an actual upgrade from the previous models but it still remains outdated when put against today’s fast-growing tech. However, the display is the USP of this device as it is a massive 6.8-inches screen which is a notable upgrade from the previous gen’s 6.5-inch panels.

The phone draws its power from the UNISOC SC9863A CPU, which has an 8-core CPU, clocked at a maximum frequency of 1.6GHz. The GPU unit is the PowerVR GE8322. The RAM is still on the lower side as only a mere 2GB RAM with 32GB of internal ROM has been offered on the Legend Max but gladly, there is a slot for an SD card.

Mobicel Legend Max packs three sensors on the rear where the main lens is a 13MP shooter, along with two additional auxiliary lenses. The front camera is a single 8MP lens.

The phone has a decent 4000mAh battery and has a fingerprint scanner placed on the rear. The operating system is Android and doesn’t offer much variety when it comes to colors as it is only available in Green color. Mobicel has priced the Legend Max at RMB. 1,799 in South Africa, an equivalent of about $119 US Dollars.

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OnePlus 9RT launch date confirmed, design revealed

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Oct 8, 2021

OnePlus introduced the Snapdragon 870 SoC powered OnePlus 9R as an affordable flagship earlier this year. Multiple reports claimed that an updated version of the 9R will debut this month. Today, OnePlus’ Weibo released an official confirmation that it will be announcing the OnePlus 9RT smartphone at 7:30 PM (local time) on Oct. 13 in China.

A landing page for the OnePlus 9RT is now live on OnePlus China’s website. The official images available on the site has revealed the rear design of the phone. The handset is now up for registrations in the home market.

The images of the OnePlus 9RT show that its camera island looks somewhat different as compared to the 9R. While the front design of the phone is not known, it is likely to retain the punch-hole display, which was made available on the original model. Apart from the silver variant, the 9RT is rumored to arrive in black and blue colors.

OnePlus 9RT specifications (Rumored)

The OnePlus 9RT has a 6.55-inch Fluid AMOLED FHD+ 120Hz display, ColorOS 12 based Android 11 OS, a 16-megapixel front camera, a Sony IMX766 50-megapixel + 16-megapixel (ultrawide) + 5-megapixel (macro) + 2-megapixel (mono) quad-camera system on the back. The Snapdragon 888 SoC will power the device with up to 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 256 GB of UFS 3.1 storage. It will house a 4,500mAh battery that supports 65W rapid charging. It is likely to be priced between 2,000 Yuan (~$310) and 3,000 Yuan (~$465) in China.

OnePlus 9RT is also expected to debut in India. However, it is unclear whether the company will be unleashing the 9RT on the same Oct. 13 date in the country.

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