OnePlus releases Android 12-based OxygenOS 12 Open Beta for OnePlus 9 series smartphones

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Oct 5, 2021

Smartphone manufacturer OnePlus has been working on a new OxygenOS 12 which is based on the Android 12 operating system. After releasing a couple of Android 12 Developer Preview builds for the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro, the company has now officially released the first OxygenOS 12 Open Beta.

Currently, the OxygenOS 12 Open Beta is only available on two phones — the OnePlus 9 and the OnePlus 9 Pro. However, it will soon be available to the users of the OnePlus 9R, OnePlus 8 series, OnePlus 7 series, OnePlus Nord, OnePlus Nord 2, and OnePlus Nord CE.

One of the biggest changes in the Android 12 is Google adopting a new Material You user interface, which won’t be a part of the latest OxygenOS. Instead, for the design, the company is taking inspiration from the “Light and Space” artwork of James Turrell.

It also comes with Work-Life Balance 2.0 which includes features that are now available in all regions. There’s now support for switching between “Life Mode” and “Work Mode” based on the time of day, Wi-Fi network, or location.

There are new “Neumorphism” home screen icons for the stock apps in OxygenOS 12 as well as expanding the “Shelf” feature on the left-most home screen. This allows for more user customization and background images. OnePlus Scout feature, debuted in India, is also now a part of the global build.

This new version of the custom UI comes with three different options for the dark mode, allowing users to choose from Gentle, Medium, and Enhanced modes. They go from lighter to darker tones, but it remains to be seen if this works system-wide.

The OnePlus’ Canvas Always On Display feature is getting more refinements to the final image and the company has now added support for image scaling as well as the ability to erase erroneous lines.

Also, the latest OxygenOS 12 comes with Games Toolbox 2.0, bringing some new features including the floating FPS window, game filters, frame rate settings, and other tweaks from the OnePlus Nord 2 to all other OnePlus smartphones.

A few months back, after OnePlus merged its business and operations with OPPO, the company revealed that the codebase of OxygenOS and ColorOS will also get merged and the new OxygenOS 12 is a result of that.

OnePlus promises that the codebase integration will result in delivering a fully upgraded experience on a more stable and power-saving system with solid backend support, but it’ll keep the OxygenOS’ “fast and smooth DNA.”

RELATED:

ColorOS 12 global launch event date confirmed

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 5, 2021

OPPO announced the ColorOS 12 in September in China. Now, the international wing of the brand has confirmed that it will be holding the ColorOS 12 launch event for global markets at 9 AM GMT on Oct. 11.

OnePlus and OPPO phones will drop OxygenOS and ColorOS for a unified OS next year. Until then, OPPO and OnePlus users in China will be treated with the ColorOS 12 update in China. In the global markets, the OxygenOS 12 based on Android 12 will be available for the OnePlus smartphones, while the OPPO phones will be provided with the ColorOS 12 based Android 12 upgrade.

The ColorOS 12 for the Chinese markets brings a borderless design, meaning each element of the UI is placed on a translucent layer. The responsive design of ColorOS 12 makes it suitable for different form factors such as smartphones, tablets, foldables, smartwatches, and smart TVs.

The AI self-smooth engine 2.0 available on the ColorOS 12 reduces memory usage by 30 percent, cuts down background power usage by 20 percent, and enhances battery life by 12 percent. It comes with other features a free-floating window, smart sidebar 2.0, cross-screen interconnection, OMOJI digital avatars, Car+ for assistance while driving a vehicle, and upgrade security and privacy features.

On Oct. 11, OPPO is expected to confirm the ColorOS 12 rollout scheduled for global users. In China, the OPPO Find X3, X3 Pro, X3 Pro Mars Exploration Edition, OnePlus 9 Pro, and OnePlus 9 will be treated with the ColorOS 12 update. The OPPO Find X2, X2 League of Legends S10 Limited Edition, X2 Pro, X2 Pro Lamborghini Edition, Reno6 Pro+ 5G, Pro+ 5G Detective Conan Limited Edition, Reno6 Pro 5G, and Reno6 5G.

In December, the ColorOS 12 will be available for Ace2, Ace2 EVA Limited Edition, Reno5 Pro+ 5G, Reno5 Pro+ Artist Limited Edition, Reno5 Pro 5G, Reno5 5G, Reno5 K 5G, K9, A95 5G, and A93 5G. In the first half of 2022, the update will be rolled out to a slew of other devices such as OnePlus 9R, 8T, 8 Pro, 8, 7T Pro, 7T, 7 Pro, 7, Reno4 Pro 5G Summer Limited Edition, Reno4 Pro 5G Artist Limited Edition, Reno4 5G, Reno4 Pro 5G Classic Blue Limited Edition, Reno3 Pro 5G, Reno3 Vitality Edition, Reno3 5G, Reno Ace, Reno Ace Gundam Limited Edition, Reno FC Barcelona Edition, Reno 10x Zoom, K9 Pro 5G, K7, K7x, A93s 5G, A92s 5G, A72 5G, A55 5G, and A53 5G.

RELATED:

Honor X20 Max, Watch GS3 likely to release later this month

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 5, 2021

In August, Honor unveiled the Honor X20 5G mid-range phone in China. Recent reports have revealed that the Chinese manufacturer is working on another X20 model called the Honor X20 Max 5G. A tipster from China has claimed that the X20 Max will be debuting this month.

The tipster claimed that Honor is gearing up for the upcoming Double 11 (Nov. 11) shopping festival in China. Apart from launching the Honor X20 Max, the company may carry out the first sale of the Honor Watch GS 3 this month.

To recollect, Honor announced the Honor Watch GS 3 smartwatch in August. At that time, the company did not confirm its availability. The below-shown screenshot shared by the tipster shows that the X20 Max 5G with KKG-AN70 has been approved by the CMIIT authority of China.

Past reports have revealed that the Honor X20 Max 5G will feature a 7.2-inch LCD panel that delivers an FHD+ resolution. It is unclear whether it supports a higher refresh rate.

The Dimensity 1100 chipset could be present under the hood of the X20 Max 5G. It is likely to house a 6,000mAh battery that supports 66W fast charging. Its back panel may feature a 64-megapixel (main) + 2-megapixel (macro) + 2-megapixel (depth) triple camera unit. At present, there is no word on the other specs and pricing of the X20 Max.

In related news, a reliable tipster claimed that the company is gearing up to launch the Honor 50 and Honor 50 Lite smartphones in the international markets. While the global Honor 50 could be the same model that debuted in June in China, the Honor 50 Lite could be a rebranded version of the Huawei Nova 8i. The tipster added that the appearance of the Honor 50 Lite will be the same as the Honor X20. Both models will break cover on Oct. 26 in global markets.

RELATED:

Over 200,000 Apple iPhone 12 series units sold during Flipkart Big Billion Day Sale in India

By

Ashutosh

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Oct 5, 2021

The flagship sale of Flipkart was expected to boost sales of a truckload of products and it seems to have started showing early trends. It comes as a delight for Apple as Flipkart claims that around 2 lakh units of the iPhone 12 series have been sold since the beginning of the sale on October 3.

Among the favorite smartphones are the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini, both of which are being sold at a heavily discounted price. In fact, behind the humongous two lakh sales figure, there’s a major contribution of these two phones.

The show isn’t only about Apple, every one in five customers has chosen to exchange their smartphone for a new one during The Big Billion Days sale. This has brought joy to brands like realme and Xiaomi. Not just that, there’s a big push for cashless payments as well. Banks have been offering some unbelievable discounts.

Flipkart saw a surge in the number of buyers as around 40% more buyers did shopping during the sale. There was also increased participation by Flipkart Plus customers during the early access period of the sale. Close to 5 million products were pre-booked as well that clearly shows the craze of the deals on offer.

Related:

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jM1gtthnDU[/embedyt]

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Nokia T20 tablet bags BIS certification, India launch expected

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 5, 2021

Nokia T20 tablet is likely to go official tomorrow. Fresh information reveals that the tablet could be heading to India too in the near future as it has been approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

Nokia devices with model numbers TA-1392 and TA-1397 have been approved the BIS authority of India. These two model numbers were spotted at the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) in July. They were also spotted in retailer listings from the U.K and UAE. The aforementioned two models and another variant with TA-1394 were certified by the China Quality Certification (CQC) in September.

Nokia T20 tablet receives the Indian BIS certification.#Nokia #NokiaT20 pic.twitter.com/WG1lLaaULa

— Mukul Sharma (@stufflistings) October 5, 2021

Usually, BIS listings do not reveal any information on the specs of the certified devices. However, BIS certification is a good hint that the Nokia T20 tablet could be heading to India in the coming days.

The Nokia T20 tablet is expected to arrive in Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi + 4G editions. The TA-1392 and TA-1397 model numbers may belong to the two variants of the T20 tablet. Hence, it appears that the company be planning both variants of the device to the Indian soil.

Shown above is the leaked image of the Nokia T20 tablet that surfaced yesterday. The slate is expected to arrive with a 10.36-inch LCD panel, stock edition of Android 11, Unisoc T610 or T618 or T700 chip, 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of native storage, and 10W charging. The Wi-Fi-only model may cost around £185 or £217, whereas the Wi-Fi + 4G variant could be priced at £202 or £227.

RELATED:

POCO M4 Pro 5G passes certification process; expected to get launched soon

By

Jeet

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Oct 5, 2021

POCO, a sub-brand from Xiaomi, is now gearing up to launch its POCO M4 Pro smartphone as the successor of the POCO M3 Pro that was launched earlier this year. Now, the upcoming POCO M4 Pro has passed through the certification process.

The smartphone has appeared with a model number 21091116AG and it looks like the device is meant for the global markets. The certificate filings of the upcoming POCO M4 Pro were spotted by Abhishek Yadav and Kacper Skrzypek.

The listing reveals that the device will come powered by the MediaTek processor and have support for 33W fast charging technology. While not much is not about the phone’s specifications, the device is expected to get launched soon given that it has already passed through the certification process.

To remind you, the POCO M3 Pro features a 6.5-inch Full HD+ display that offers a 90Hz refresh rate and 91% screen-to-body ratio. It is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 700 chipset, coupled with up to 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.2 internal storage.

In the camera department, it comes with a 48-megapixel primary sensor in the triple-camera setup, coupled with a 2-megapixel depth sensor and another 2-megapixel macro lens. Taking care of your selfie and video calling needs is an 8-megapixel snapper up front.

The phone runs the Android 11 operating system out-of-the-box with the Xiaomi MIUI 12 custom user interface on top. It is powered by a 5,000mAh battery and comes with support for 18W fast charging technology.

RELATED:

Black Shark 4S Pro may feature Snapdragon 888+, 144Hz display

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 5, 2021

It was revealed in the previous month by a China-based MOBA game that Black Shark will be announcing the Black Shark 4S and Black Shark 4S Pro gaming smartphones soon. A reliable tipster from China has shared the key specs of the Black Shark 4S Pro model.

As per the tipster, the Black Shark 4S Pro will be driven by the Snapdragon 888 Plus mobile platform. It will be equipped with a display that produces a 144Hz refresh rate. The handset will carry support for 120W fast charging. The rumor mill is yet to reveal the specs of the Black Shark 4S.

The Black Shark 4S and 4S Pro will be arriving as an updated version of the Black Shark 4 and Black Shark 4 Pro models that went official in March in China. The upcoming 4S models are likely to borrow most of the specs that were made available on the Black Shark 4 lineup.

Black Shark 4 Pro All Colors Featured — Black Shark 4 Pro

Black Shark 4 and 4 Pro specifications

The Black Shark 4 and 4 Pro features a 6.67-inch S-AMOLED FHD+ 144Hz display and a 20-megapixel selfie camera. The vanilla model has a 48-megapixel + 8-megapixel (ultrawide) + 5-megapixel (macro) triple camera unit, whereas the Pro model has a 64-megapixel + 8-megapixel (ultrawide) + 5-megapixel (macro) triple camera system.

The Snapdragon 870 chip powers the Black Shark 4, whereas the Pro model is fueled by the Snapdragon 888v SoC. The series offers up to 16 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of built-in storage. Both models have a 4,500mAh battery, which carries support for 120W rapid charging. These phones offer other features like physical pop-up gaming trigger buttons, Joy UI-based Android 11 OS, and an in-screen fingerprint scanner.

RELATED:

Samsung confirms Ray Tracing coming to smartphones with Exynos GPU

By

Ashutosh

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Oct 5, 2021

AMD and Samsung have been cooking something in their backyards for quite some time. It was even announced at Computex 2021 that AMD is working with Samsung to build an Exynos chip for smartphones based on the RDNA 2 architecture. Well, looks like it has brought better news than what was anticipated. Samsung has confirmed this by posting a gameplay comparison graphic that gives out a glimpse of ray tracing on a smartphone.

Samsung ray tracing gpu amd — Source: Samsung

If things pan out well, we may get to see Exynos 2200 on the next-gen Samsung Galaxy S22 lineup but expect it to be limited to the Exynos markets only, Snapdragon units may not have the privilege at the time of launch.

Even though it would have been best to understand ray tracing with a video, Samsung chose to tease it with a picture. Stills won’t be able to depict how good and smooth the gameplay is going to be but we know for sure that the entire gaming arena has been leveled up. The image was still able to reflect details such as flames at the bottom of a tank, the building in the background, and the most visible difference of the car in both photos.

The upcoming Exynos also support variable-rate shading with which certain segments of a frame can be shaded, allowing the system to allocate more resources to the important part and lesser on unimportant parts. This will lead to the enhancement of all gaming aspects as more processing power is being drawn.

There will be battery, heating aspects that Samsung will have to work out before releasing this to the public. The measure of how good this ray tracing is still remaining to be seen. A comparison video next time from Samsung would be much appreciated.

Related:

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jM1gtthnDU[/embedyt]

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Realme UI 3.0 based on Android 12 confirmed to launch on October 13

By

Jeet

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Oct 5, 2021

Google has officially released the latest Android 12 operating system but the update isn’t available for users to download, even for the users of Google’s own Pixel lineup of smartphones that are eligible for the updates.

The official launch of Android 12 means that smartphone manufactures can now announce an updated version of their own custom user interface based on this latest Android version and we’ve already got an event scheduled from Realme.

Realme CEO Madhav Sheth recently confirmed that the company will soon launch the Realme UI 3.0 based on the Android 12 operating system. Now, it has been confirmed that the launch event will take place on 13th October.

Although the company is yet to confirm the rollout of the upcoming Realme UI 3.0, it is being believed that the Realme GT 5G will be the first smartphone to get this new Android 12-based update. On the other hand, the upcoming global variant of the Realme GT Neo2 is expected to come pre-installed with the Realme UI 3.0.

Currently, there’s no information available about the new features coming to the Realme UI 3.0 which is based on the latest Android 12. However, we expect some major changes in terms of the user interface, including wallpapers, icons, and layout.

The Android 12 comes with a new user interface named Material You, a refreshed notification UI with a more modern look, splash screens for all apps, faster and efficient system performance, new privacy-related features, and much more.

The update will be available for the Google Pixel series smartphones in the next few weeks and soon after that, the Android 12 update will be available for smartphones from Samsung, OnePlus, OPPO, Realme, Vivo, and Xiaomi, among others.

RELATED:

Vivo Y33s arrives in Singapore with Helio G80 SoC and 5,000mAh battery

By

Pranav Sawant

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Oct 4, 2021

Earlier this year, Vivo unveiled the Y33s smartphone in the Indian market. The Vivo Y33s debuted with a 6.58-inch FHD+ display, triple cameras, and a 5,000mAh battery. Now, the smartphone has made its way to the global market.

The Vivo Y33s is now officially available in Singapore at S$349 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant. The device has two colours Black and Gradient finish. The device will be available for purchase from all the authorised channels in Singapore.

Vivo Y33s Specifications

The Vivo Y33s comes with a 6.58-inch LCD display with a Full-HD+ resolution. The screen comes with a standard 60Hz refresh rate and a thin-bezel design. It has a 16MP single camera at the front selfies and has a triple camera system at the rear.

It has a 50MP primary lens, a 2MP macro sensor, and lastly a 2MP depth sensor. As for internals, the phone is powered by the MediaTek Helio G80 SoC paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB storage. Vivo has offered a memory expansion option, thanks to the microSD card slot which can take up to 1TB of microSD card.

It packs a 5,000mAh battery with an 18W fast charging support. It has a 3.5mm headphone jack for audio and a USB Type-C port for data transfer and charging. The phone has NFC support and runs on the Android operating system.

RELATED:

Android 12 is official but no updates yet for eligible devices including Pixels

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 4, 2021

Google has finally taken the wraps off the stable release of Android 12, the latest version of the Android operating system. However, unlike previous versions of Android where the announcement comes with update notifications for eligible devices starting with Google’s own Pixel line, that isn’t the case this year.

The release was confirmed in a post on the Android Developers Blog. “We’re pushing the source to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and officially releasing the latest version of Android” said Google in the post.

Here’s what’s new in Android 12

A new UI – Material You

Android 12 brings a redesigned user interface with a new design language called Material You. Users will notice the changes in the redesigned widgets which feature rounded corners, interactive controls, and dynamic colors.

Notification UI and Stretch overscroll

There is also a refreshed notification UI with a more modern look and custom notifications with standard affordances to make them consistent with other notifications.

Stretch overscroll is a new stretch feature that has been added to make scrolling more smooth. Users will see the new stop indicator effect both within the system and in apps.

App launch splash screens

Google says it has also added splash screens for all apps on Android 12 and app developers will be able to customize the splash screen as they wish.

Faster, more efficient system and performance

Android 12 also brings improvements in system performance. According to the blog post, the CPU time used by core system services has been reduced by 22%, and the use of big cores by 15%. Apps also start and load faster thanks to optimized I/O.

To further improve the experience, Android 12 will prevent apps from starting foreground services while in the background.

Privacy

There is a new privacy dashboard in Settings that allows users to see which apps access the microphone, camera, and location data. Android 12 has also added an option for users to choose between sharing their precise location or approximate location with apps.

Users will also see indicators in the status bar when an app has access to the microphone or camera. There is also an option on supported devices for users to toggle microphone and camera access for an app.

You can read the full list of changes Android 12 brings here.

When will the Android 12 update arrive?

Google has revealed that the Android 12 update will arrive on Pixel devices in the next few weeks while devices from Samsung, OnePlus, OPPO, Realme, Tecno, Vivo, and Xiaomi will receive the update later this year.

There are speculations that Google’s decision to delay the release of the update is because it wants the new OS to debut with the Pixel 6 series which makes sense. So there is a chance the Pixel 6 series will launch first before the update arrives for eligible devices.

RELATED:

Tecno Spark 8P to feature a 6.6-inch display and 50MP triple camera system

By

Pranav Sawant

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Oct 4, 2021

Chinese phone maker Tecno seems to update its Spark series soon as renders of an upcoming Spark series phone have appeared on the Internet. The renders are of the upcoming Tecno Spark 8P and they look impressive.

The renders were shared by the Twitter leaker Paras Guglani, it revealed that the phone has a large 6.6-inch Dot notch display with Full-HD+ resolution. The display has thin bezels on all sides except for the bottom. It has a noticeable bottom chin.

1 of 2

Moving to the rear, the device has a dual-patterned design. It has a textured finish on the upper side of the back. The other half of the back has vertical stripes enhancing its aesthetics. It features a triple camera system at the rear with a 50MP main lens.

Reportedly, the phone will be powered by the MediaTek Helio G70 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. Inside, it is touted to pack a 5,000mAh battery and may have some sort of fast charging support. As for security, the phone will feature a side-facing fingerprint scanner. It is also said to have a DTS stereo speaker effect.

The smartphone’s launch date is still a question, but when it arrives, it will launch in four colour variants – Turquoise Cyan, Atlantic Blue, Iris Purple, and Cocoa Gold.

RELATED:

Apple iPad 10.2 (2021) vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE: Specs Comparison

By

Michele Ingelido

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Oct 4, 2021

Both Apple and Samsung have a great upper-midrange tablet released in 2021 for those who need a complete and advanced device but do not want to spend too much money. We are talking about the new Apple iPad 10.2 9th gen and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE: two models with amazing specifications offered at non-excessive prices. Apple currently leads the tablet market, but this does not mean all of its devices are better than others for every kind of user. That is why we decided to publish a specs comparison between Apple iPad 10.2 9th gen and Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE: we hope you will understand which one fits your needs after reading it. You can let us know if you agree with us by using the comment box.

Apple iPad 10.2 9th gen (2021) vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE

	Apple iPad 10.2 9th gen 2021	Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT	250.6 x 174.1 x 7.5 mm, 487 grams	284.8 x 185 x 6.3 mm, 608 g
DISPLAY	10.2 inches, 1620 x 2160p (Quad HD+), Retina IPS LCD	12.4 inches, 1600 x 2560p (Quad HD+), TFT LCD
PROCESSOR	Apple A13 Bionic, octa-core 2.65 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G, octa-core 2.2 GHz or Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G, octa-core 2.4 GHz
MEMORY	3 GB RAM, 64 GB – 3 GB RAM, 256 GB	4 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – micro SD dedicated slot
SOFTWARE	iPadOS 15	Android 11, One UI
CONNECTIVITY	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS
CAMERA	Single 8 MP f/2.4 12 MP f/2.4 front camera	Single 8 MP 5 MP front camera
BATTERY	8557 mAh	10,090 mAh, fast charging 45W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES	Optional LTE, stylus support, keyboard support	Optional 5G, optional LTE, Pen support, keyboard support

Design

If you want a tablet providing the best looks, you should go for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE which offers a better design. The device comes with narrower bezels around the display and a higher screen to body ratio. It has bigger dimensions because it has a wider display, but it is thinner than the 9th gen Apple iPad. Both the tablets have magnetic pins you can use to connect an external keyboard and they even support a stylus: the Apple Pencil for the former and the S Pen for the latter. The tablets come with an aluminum unibody design including an aluminum back and an aluminum frame, as well as a scratch resistant front glass.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE has a wide display with a 12.4-inch diagonal, and this is very important for those who need to use the tablet for productivity. But if you are looking for a display that provides better image quality, then the Apple iPad 9th gen is a better option. While the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE has a below-average TFT panel, the Apple iPad 9th gen has a better Retina IPS LCD display with superior color reproduction. The level of detail is not so different as both the tablets come with a 2K resolution, while the refresh rate is standard in both cases (60 Hz). Unfortunately, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE does not have a fingerprint reader, while the Apple iPad 9th gen has the Touch ID below the display which allows fingerprint unlocking. Both the tablets support a stylus for handwriting and drawing.

Specs & Software

The Apple iPad 9th gen is powered by the Apple A13 Bionic mobile platform: in case you do not know, it is the same chipset as the iPhone 11 series. The SoC is paired with 3 GB of RAM and 64 GB or 256 GB of internal storage depending on the chosen variant. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE comes in variants with two different chipsets: the 5G model has the Snapdragon 750G mobile platform, while the WiFi model has the Snapdragon 778G. No matter which chipset we are talking about: the Apple iPad 9th gen has better performance due to its strong SoC and the optimization of iPadOS. Further, iPadOS is a more advanced operating system than One UI when it comes to productivity and advanced usage scenarios.

Camera

The 8 MP rear camera found on the Apple iPad 9th gen is actually better than the 8 MP sensor of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE, no matter that the resolution is the same. The 12 MP front camera of the iPad 9th gen is even better and it is one of the best selfie cameras you can find on a tablet. The reason why the front camera is better than the rear camera is obvious: providing a higher quality during video calls, which is a very common activity among tablet users.

Read More: Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 & Mi Pad 5 Pro Official: 11″, 120Hz refresh rate, 5G, MIUI for Pad & more!

Battery

The battery capacities of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE and Apple iPad 9th gen are different, but there are no huge differences when it comes to battery life. The real difference is in the charging speeds: the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE charges a lot faster thanks to 45W fast charging.

Price

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE starts from €650/$755 in the global market, while Apple iPad 9th gen costs less than €400/$465. Due to the presence of iPadOS, the iPad 9th gen has a higher value for money and it wins this comparison, but it lacks 5G.

Apple iPad 10.2 9th gen (2021) vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE: PRO and CONS

Apple iPad 10.2 9th gen

PRO

iPadOS 15
Great cameras
Longer battery life
eSIM
Optional LTE

CONS

Bezels
No 5G

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE

PRO

Faster charging
Narrower bezels
Optional 5G
Wider display

CONS

Midrange hardware
Inferior cameras

RELATED

Intel tries to poach Apple users in its latest marketing video

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Oct 4, 2021

Intel has restructured its marketing campaign to target Apple since it dropped the semiconductor company’s chips in favor of its own self-made one, the Apple M1. In the past year, Apple has announced new computers such as the new iMac, Mac Mini, and MacBooks that are powered by its Apple M1 chip and not Intel’s processors. The two companies which conducted business together for years are now rivals. Intel has released a new video in which it tries to convince Apple users that the grass is ~~blueer~~ greener on the other side.

In the video titled “Breaking the Spell: Social Experiment”, Intel has some Apple users over at its office, and it tries to find out what these users want but can’t get from current Apple devices. The responses range from being able to customize the hardware to a touchscreen and to gaming.

Intel then uses the chance to market products from partner companies such as ASUS and Microsoft, though it does well not to mention their names. It then takes the users into a different room where they can see all products that have the aforementioned features they want.

It is a nice marketing video but we doubt there will be hordes of Apple users switching to Intel (read Windows) just because they need these features Apple’s own devices are lacking.

The new Apple M1-powered devices have received positive reviews and have performed beyond expectations. The Arm processor is not only faster than several Intel chips but the battery life is also amazing. There are Intel-powered PCs that also have incredible battery life and jaw-dropping performance but Intel’s biggest advantage is the options available for users. From 2-in-1 computers to detachables to foldables, there sure are several options to choose from if you want to pick up an Intel-powered device.

RELATED:

[UPDATE: Back Online]Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram goes down! Netizens visit Twitter

By

Pranav Sawant

-

Oct 4, 2021

UPDATE:

Whatsapp, Instagram, and Facebook services are back online after nearly 6 hours of outage. An exact reason for the outage is yet to be revealed.

Original story as follows..

If you noticed that your last sent Whatsapp message is still not seen by anyone, or if your thinking that your Instagram or Facebook isn’t loading. Well, do not run towards your Wi-Fi or go over your ISP. Apparently, Facebook-owned Whatsapp, Instagram, and even Facebook itself have gone down.

The servers for these apps are down globally for hours leaving no space for social nesting. That said, netizens took Twitter by storm, as it was the only major social media app working. The entire Twitter trends across the world are nothing but hashtags and memes about Facebook, Whatsapp, and servers being down.

We’re aware that some people are experiencing issues with WhatsApp at the moment. We’re working to get things back to normal and will send an update here as soon as possible.

Thanks for your patience!

— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) October 4, 2021

Taking it into consideration, Facebook-owned Whatsapp finally gave a clarification by stating, “We’re aware that some people are experiencing issues with Whatsapp at the moment. We’re working to get things back to normal and will send an update here as soon as possible.”

Similarly, the company shared such tweets from all of its accounts considering the global server crash of these social media apps.

Facebook’s Workplace and internal site are also having DNS issues

where can FB employees file the SEV now? pic.twitter.com/wjCCviEccL

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) October 4, 2021

Notably, Instagram showed a 5xx server error message, while other apps aren’t simply loading. According to @wongmjane, Facebook’s internal sites are also affected by this outage. However, logins via game applications are still working.

As of now, there’s no clarification on what’s causing the problem. But, we expect Facebook to reveal the exact issue and make the app operational soon.

RELATED:

The Redmi 9A was the best-selling phone on Jingdong in September

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 4, 2021

It has been more than a year since Redmi announced the Redmi 9A entry-level smartphone. The phone is surely due for a successor but it appears fans of the brand do not mind as the device is still flying off the shelves. As a matter of fact, the Redmi 9A was the best-selling smartphone last month on Jingdong!

Yes, the Redmi 9A with its Helio G25 processor and HD+ display outsold the iPhone 12 series, iPhone 13 series, and Redmi Note 10 series among others. The said list of the best-selling 20 smartphones for the month of September was shared on Weibo by the account @Technology Propaganda.

As shown in the image, the Redmi 9A sold 317,431 units. There are speculations that most of the purchases were made by older citizens who want a simple device as well as students on a tight budget. The figure doesn’t seem to be far-fetched considering a Counterpoint Research report revealed last month that Xiaomi is the market leader in China for devices in the $100 category.

The Redmi 9A launched in China last July for ¥599 (~$93) for the version with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Redmi later followed it with other configurations including a 2GB RAM + 32GB variant priced at ¥499 (~$77) and a 6GB RAM + 128GB version that launched for ¥999 (~$155).

Other phones that made it to the list of best-selling devices for the month include the iPhone 12 which sold 311,720 units, the new iPhone 13 which sold 286,500 nits, and the 2019 iPhone 11 that sold 248,599 units. The Redmi Note 9 4G, the Redmi K40, and the Redmi Note 9 Pro are three other Redmi phones that made the top 10. The Honor 50 and the Honor Play5T grabbed the 7th and 10th spots respectively with 112,605 units and 105,812 units respectively.

Apple is definitely the clear winner as it sold more devices combined than any of the other brands on the list. Apart from having four devices in the top 10, it also has four other devices on the list.

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Rumor: OnePlus 10 Pro will have a 5x periscope camera

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 4, 2021

While other manufacturers have jumped on the periscope camera train for better zoom, OnePlus has stuck to a traditional telephoto camera for all the zoom it needs. That may change next year with the OnePlus 10 Pro according to new info out of China.

The OnePlus 10 Pro will be one of at least two OnePlus flagships that will be announced in the first half of the year. Going by this year’s product lineup, the other two should be the standard OnePlus 10 and the OnePlus 10R. Last month, OnePlus itself revealed a key detail about the phones and that is a new operating system borne from the fusion of OxygenOS and ColorOS.

Now, a leak from China has revealed that the OnePlus 10 Pro will be coming with a significant camera upgrade. According to the leaker that goes by @Bald Panda on Weibo, the OnePlus 10 Pro will have a camera with a periscope lens that brings 5x optical zoom. This is an upgrade over the 3.3x optical zoom the 8MP telephoto camera on the OnePlus 9 Pro offers.

Unfortunately, the source didn’t reveal the rest of the camera specs of the 2022 flagship. We don’t know if there will be a telescope camera along with the periscope camera just as it is on the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

Save for this new camera detail, we have also heard that the OnePlus 10 series may not feature huge changes with respect to its design.

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Samsung Galaxy S20 FE latest update delivers October 2021 security patch

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 4, 2021

Samsung has rolled out the latest security patch for the Galaxy S20 FE in Europe. The October 2021 security patch provides the needed updates for Samsung’s latest affordable flagship smartphone despite the absence of the much-anticipated Galaxy S21 FE.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G China — Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G’

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE update hub provides information on updates and current software versions for the device. Samsung regularly provides One UI updates, but the availability of the updates may be affected by variant, carrier, and region.

The current update does not include the Android 12 operating system which is believed to become operational by 2022. The update comes with the firmware G781BXXS4CUI1 and apart from the October 2021 security patch for 5G model users in Europe, it also brings some improvements. The actual details of the improvements, bug fixes, and feature additions have not been fully specified at this time.

We expect other regions to follow Europe subsequently in the availability of the updates. To check if an update is available, navigate to the Settings menu on your device and choose Software updates.

There had been several updates of the Galaxy S20 FE since December 2020 when One UI 3.0 firmware arrived with version G780FXXU1BTL1 and G781BXXU1BTL4 for the 4G and 5G models, respectively. Other updates included February 2021, March, April, July, and August 2021. These updates addressed different issues and provided fixes as well as updates on the One UI.

We await more details of the October 2021 updates from Samsung.

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(source)

TicWatch Pro X packing dual AMOLED & LCD screens, Wear 4100, WearOS launched

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 4, 2021

Mobvoi was previously reported as planning to launch TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra, TicWatch GTH+, and TicWatch GTH Pro with advanced blood pressure measurement parameters. While that is yet to happen, the popular smartwatch manufacturer has now launched the TicWatch Pro X in China.

TicWatch Pro X is a flagship watch by all standards. The smartwatch packs a well-studded specs lineup consisting of a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100 chipset. The device features a dual-display design which saw it pack a 1.39-inch AMOLED screen with a retina-level pixel density of 326ppi. The secondary display is an FSTN LCD screen which extends battery light and makes it more convenient to use.

How the two screens play out is that there are two user modes, a Smart mode, and a Durable mode. The 1.39-inch AMOLED screen is deployed in the Smart Mode with all functions fully fired, including weather monitoring. In this mode, the device has a battery life of up to 4 days.

If you are in a terrain where it will be impossible to charge the smartphone for days, then the Durable mode comes in handy. In this mode, the FSTN LCD screen is put to use and features a colorful backlight while preserving the battery life for up to 45 days.

In terms of performance, the TicWatch Pro X is equipped with a new generation of Qualcomm Snapdragon SD4100 and runs on Google’s WearOS. It comes with 1GB RAM while three is 8GB of storage space onboard. The watch also has an IP68 waterproof build.

In terms of sports support, the smartwatch arrives with support for over 20 professional sports routines, including outdoor running, walking, mountain climbing, swimming, cycling, yoga, etc. It also provides professional and detailed exercise data, including exercise time, calories, heart rate, and exercise-related indicators. It also has regular features such as a heart rate monitor, blood oxygen monitor, sedentary reminder, etc.

Further, TicWatch Pro X supports eSIM-number dual terminals, sharing numbers with mobile phones, and 4G communication. Whether running, swimming, or outdoor riding, you will not miss important calls and messages when you put down your mobile phone. It also features support for high-definition voice VoLTE calls with high fidelity voice output.

The TicWatch Pro X is presently on pre-sale in China via Jingdong (JD.com) for 1,999 yuan (~$310). The flagship smartwatch will be sold for 2399 yuan (~$372) when it eventually goes on sale.

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Toyota unveils a three-wheeled C+walk e-scooter in Japan

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 4, 2021

Japanese automaker Toyota is unveiling its new e-scooter targeting users with limited mobility. The new Toyota C+walk three-wheeled electric scooter will be available in the company’s home market of Japan from next month, November 2021.

The new e-scooter bears some semblance with some other brands like the Segway PT, and it seems to be a successor to the Toyota Concept-i Walk from 2017. The Toyota C+walk comes with some features that would appeal to the elderly and others with limited mobility. It has a top speed of 6 miles per hour which can be reduced to 1 mph if needed. The range of the C+walk is 8.5 miles on a full charge. The removable battery makes it possible to double the range of the e-scooter with an additional battery. It takes about 2 hours to fully charge the battery.

Toyota conceptualized the C+way to help elderly workers move across large facilities like warehouses, factories, and airport terminals in a safe and efficient manner. The e-scooter also has an obstacle avoidance system, which beeps when it detects something on the path of the scooter. The obstacle avoidance system will slow down the scooter if a collision is imminent.

The Toyota C+way e-scooter is priced from ¥341,000 ($3,100). In Japan, outright purchase or lease arrangements are available from next month. Toyota is silent on the global availability and pricing of the C+way, although we expect more details to be provided as time goes on.

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