The 96W USB Type C power adapter that is designed for the 16 inch Apple MacBook Pro is suffering from long delivery times, with shipping estimates showing a sizeable 2 to 3 months of time.
Via MacRumors
The long shipping estimate was spotted by MacRumorson the Cupterino based giant’s official online store in the US. Notably, the 2 to 3 month long shipping period was also reflected on the brand’s various other online stores in multiple countries. As of right now, the adapter is also listed as unavailable for in store pickup at most of the Apple retail stores across the globe. Initially, the 2 to 3 month long shipping delay first appeared in certain regions like Japan.
But now, the issue has extended to include more countries as well. The news also arrives as the brand is rumored to be gearing up for the launch of the redesigned 14 inch and 16 inch MacBook Pro models later this year. In other words, the true reason for the shipping delay for the 96W MacBook Pro charger is unknown at the moment. The 96W charger was usually sold with the 16 inch MacBook Pro since the notebook initially launched back in 2019. Although, it is also available separately as well.
Notably, the company’s smaller 20W, 30W, and 61W power adapters are not facing a similar issue currently in the US. But a source from one of the Apple Authorized Reseller has informer MacRumors that the distributor has no stock of the 96W charger and are facing significant supply issues across multiple channels.
Lately, companies have been releasing compact chargers by utilizing GaN (Gallium Nitride). Some of these power adapters are so thin and small that they are called biscuit chargers. Huawei has also joined this bandwagon with its new HUAWEI GaN Ultra-Thin Charger.
At the end of the HUAWEI nova 9 series launch event, the telecom giant also announced a new charger. This charger is called HUAWEI GaN Ultra-Thin Charger.
The new travel adapter from the company measures only 10.5mm in thickness. Its entire dimensions are merely 80 mm x 43 mm x 10.5mm. The product also weighs just 62g.
Despite featuring a tiny footprint, the charger supports up to 66W HUAWEI SuperCharge protocol. It also supports USB PD 3.0 (Power Delivery) with PPS (Programmable Power Supply) for a maximum output of 40W. Additionally, there’s also support for Qualcomm QC 2.0 (Quick Charge).
In a nutshell, this single charger can be used to fill up the batteries of smartphones, tablets, laptops, wireless earphones, and others. For safety, it has 10 layers of protection like short-circuit protection, over-current protection, and under-voltage protection to name a few.
1 of 4
As far as design is concerned, the adapter looks like a biscuit and comes in a single white color option. It has a foldable pin and a single USB Type-C port. Customers need not invest in a cable separately as it ships with a 6A USB Type-C to USB Type-C 5cm cable.
The HUAWEI GaN Ultra-Thin Charger retails at ¥299 ($46) in China. It’s not known whether it will be made available in international markets.
Honor has now become the third largest smartphone brand in China. The company has managed to beat Xiaomi in the month of August 2021 as its sales grew by 18 percent in its home country.
As per a Counterpoint Research report, the Chinese smartphone maker saw 18 percent rise month on month, which made it one of the fastest growing brands in the region. Research Director Tarun Pathak added that “After being spun off from Huawei, HONOR was able to restore ties with component players. Since then, leveraging its strong R&D capabilities, HONOR has launched new products and has been on a rapid recovery path in China. The HONOR 50 series has been an instant success in the mid-segment.”
The report added that the company is also targeting the premium segment as well. In other words, the company is expanding its smartphone offering, which should shake up the rankings within the Chinese smartphone market. Senior Analyst Varun Mishra also stated that “Over the last year, there has been a reshuffle in the Chinese market. OPPO, vivo and Xiaomi all have aggressively expanded their presence in China in terms of products, market share and distribution. Apple with its iPhone 13 launch also has a significant opportunity to capture Huawei’s premium segment. Therefore, the competition is likely to intensify further in H2 2021.”
He further added that ” HONOR will be expanding its portfolio further across price segments and geographies. However, market share growth outside China is likely to be gradual, as loyalty in the mid-segment remains low and HONOR will also have to rebuild its distribution network. Then, there are also intensifying component shortages which can likely hinder company’s expansion in 2021. Besides smartphones, HONOR is also expanding into devices like laptops, tablets, and wearables under its 1+8+N strategy, which aims to drive growth in segments beyond smartphones.”
Lenovo is gearing up for the launch of the new Xiaoxin Pad Pro 12.6. The company had earlier teased the launch of a new tablet which was followed by the release of some live images. And now, a video teaser has given a complete look at the tablet.
The video posted by Lenovo Xiaoxin on Weibo reveals a large screen up front surrounded by slim bezels. Within the bezels, a selfie camera has been housed. But it is the rear of the device that stands out the most. The tablet sports a thin and light metal build and its back panel comes with a dual-tone finish. The contrast between the two sections hasn’t been overdone but is enough for an added characteristic to the otherwise plain rear.
The back also holds a dual-camera setup along with a flash. An antenna line spans across the entire length of the tablet – the length the rear camera module is the closest to. There is also an oval indentation near the edge, meant for housing the stylus when not in use. The tablet’s volume buttons are also positioned close to the camera.
Earlier, Lenovo’s product manager had shared an image that showcased the tablet running ZUI version 13.0.289, which also had also proven SD card support. Other known specs include a Samsung OLED display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels and a 120Hz refresh rate. Unfortunately, there is no sign of any 5G support.
A previous leak had revealed some other finer details about the Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Pro 12.6 as well. The device will reportedly feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chipset. On the rear, it will have a 13MP + 5MP dual-camera setup while the front will come with an 8MP + ToF system. Other features include a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, a USB 3.1 (Type C) port, and a 10,200mAh battery with support for 45W fast charging.
Apple is apparently facing issues in keeping up with demand for its newly launched iPhone 13 series. A new report has revealed that the delivery times for the new iPhones have extended even further due to the impacts of COVID-19.
According to a Reutersreport, sources close to the matter have revealed that the delivery times for the new smartphones from the Cupertino based giant are longer than expected as a wave of Coronavirus infections have impacted Vietnam. In other words, it has caused issues in supply as components for the iPhone 13 lineup are assembled in the region. This includes the new camera module for the 2021 iPhone series.
The report further added that this disruption is expected to ease as early as mid October. As of right now, the impact of the new infections has affected supplied of camera modules for all four of the new iPhone 13 series models. These are assembled in Vietnam, so the wait times for your new iPhone might be longer. This is all the information available regarding this matter, so stay tuned as we will be covering any notable developments.
Lenovo unveiled a total of five laptops yesterday with Microsoft Windows 11. You can learn about four of these models from here and here. Whereas, in this article, we will be discussing the fifth notebook called Lenovo YOGA 13s 2021 Ryzen Edition.
Lenovo YOGA 13s 2021 Ryzen Edition
Lenovo YOGA 13s 2021 Ryzen Edition Specifications and Features
The Lenovo YOGA 13s 2021 Ryzen Edition features a metal body with a minimum thickness of 13.8mm. Also, it weighs around only 1.22kg.
As the branding suggests, the computer is powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 5600U processor. The chipset is paired with 16GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB SSD. As for software, it runs Microsoft Windows 11.
Further, the laptop sports a 13-inch LCD panel with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels, 100% sRGB color gamut, and TÜV Rheinland certification for low blue light emission. The display supports DC dimming, Dolby Vision, and smart screen brightness.
As far as connectivity is concerned, the notebook comes with WiFi 6, 2 x USB Type-C, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Other features of this computer include a full-size backlit keyboard, dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, Modern Standby, and Windows Hello facial authentication system.
Last but not least, the laptop is backed by a 50Wh battery with support for 65W USB PD fast charging.
Lenovo YOGA 13s 2021 Ryzen Edition Price and Availability
The Lenovo YOGA 13s 2021 Ryzen Edition is priced at ¥5,199 in China. But for a limited time, it will be sold at ¥4,799.
The notebook is already up for pre-order and it is scheduled to go on sale from October 5.
A new report has suggested that Apple is apparently exiting its joint project with Samsung Display for its OLED screen technology. The company won’t use the latter’s OLED for its 2022 iPad Air tablets.
According to TheElecreport, the joint project has been called off due to certain reasons, which includes either the single stack structure of OLED panels or profitability or perhaps even both. Sources close to the matter revealed this information. For those unaware, a single stack is the widely used OLED panel structure where red, green, and blue form one emission layer. However, the Cupertino based giant is not “satisfied” because of the brightness levels of single stack OLED panels.
Furthermore, the iPhone maker is also wary of the panel’s lifespan as its customers are more inclined to hold onto their iPads for longer than its iPhones, which see a more aggressive upgrade cycle. At the moment, Apple is reportedly planning on moving to a two stack tandem structure for its first OLED iPad. This stack offers two red, green, and blue emission layers instead of a single one. This, in turn, helps double the brightness while also extending the panel’s life by up to four times.
Samsung currently offers single stack structure and is either not able to, or willing to supply two stack technology. The sources also added that profitability might be a major factor as well. So, shifting to a two stack technology for OLED iPad Air that might not be sold for a long time is an unsure investment for Samsung.
Yesterday, Lenovo announced five new laptops in China. The main highlight of these notebooks is that they run Microsoft Windows 11 out of the box. They are one of the few computers in the market with the latest version of Windows. Let’s take a look at two of these products in this article, namely Lenovo Xiaoxin Air 14 Plus 2021 Core Edition and Lenovo Xiaoxin Air 14 Plus 2021 Ryzen Edition.
Lenovo Xiaoxin Air 14 Plus 2021 Core Edition
Lenovo Xiaoxin Air 14 Plus 2021 Core Edition / Ryzen Edition Specifications and Features
As their names suggest, the new Lenovo laptops only differ in terms of processors. The Core Edition is powered by an Intel Core i5-1155G7 processor paired with NVIDIA GeForce MX450 GPU. On the other hand, the Ryzen Edition arrives in two variants featuring AMD Ryzen 5 5600U and AMD Ryzen 7 4800U processors.
Both Intel and AMD models come with 16GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB SSD as standard. Most importantly, they ship with Microsoft Windows 11.
The notebooks sport a 14-inch LCD panel with a 2.2K resolution, a 16:10 aspect ratio, and a 100% sRGB color gamut. The anti-glare screen supports DC dimming and it is TÜV Rheinland-certified for low blue light emission.
Lenovo Xiaoxin Air 14 Plus 2021 Ryzen Edition
Connectivity options on these computers include WiFi 6, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen (Type-A), 2 x USB Type-C, and HDMI. They also have an SD card reader.
Other features include a full-size backlit keyboard, dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support, Windows Hello facial authentication system, a 56.5Wh battery, and 65W USB PD fast charging.
Last but not least, these laptops flaunt a metal body, measure 15.9mm in thickness, and weigh 1.41kg.
Lenovo Xiaoxin Air 14 Plus 2021 Core Edition / Ryzen Edition Price and Availability
The new Lenovo Xiaoxin Air 14 Plus notebooks will retail for the following price tags in China.
Lenovo Xiaoxin Air 14 Plus 2021 Core Edition
Intel Core i5-1155G7 + MX450 – ¥5,899 ($912)
Limited Time Deal – ¥5,499 ($851)
Lenovo Xiaoxin Air 14 Plus 2021 Ryzen Edition
AMD Ryzen 5 5600U – ¥4,799 ($742)
Limited Time Deal – ¥4,399 ($680)
AMD Ryzen 7 4800U – ¥5,199 ($804)
Limited Time Deal – ¥4,799 ($742)
These computers are already up for pre-order. They will be available for purchase starting October 5.
Apart from the obvious difference of CPUs, there is only a slight difference between the ‘Team Blue’ and ‘Team Red’ variants of the new laptop. It sports a 14 inch display that offers a 2.8K resolution along with 90Hz high refresh rate. This panel outputs400 nits of brightness with a 16:10 aspect ratio, 100 percent sRGB color gamut and DC dimming support as well. The screen also arrives with eye protection certification, Dolby Vision as well as Dolby Atmos support.
Under the hood, the Xiaoxin Pro 14 2021 Core Edition is powered by a 61Whr battery that is paired with a standard 65W portable PD adapter. It offers the usual USB 3.2 Gen Type A ports along with a 3.5mm headphone jack, WiFi 6, and even a Thunderbolt 4 port. Notably, the Intel variant arrives with an 11th Gen i5 processor, which is a part of its Evo platform. For memory, it offers 512GB of SSD storage paired with 16GB of LPDDR4X-4266MHz RAM.
On the other hand, the Ryzen edition arrives in two variants, namely one with a Ryzen 5 5600H that is comparable to the 11th Gen i5, and a high end Ryzen 7 5800H. Although, it is paired with a DDR4-3200MHz RAM but with a similar internal storage. Furthermore, the battery supports a faster 100W PD fast charger on the Ryzen variant. Both variants weigh 1.4 kilograms and measure 14.6mm in thickness.
Apart from these minor difference, the two variants of the Lenovo Xiaoxin Pro 14 are basically the same. The laptops are set to go on sale starting from 5th October 2021 and here’s a look at their launch prices:
Ryzen 5 5600H – 4,999 Yuan (roughly 770 US Dollars)
Ryzen 7 5800H – 5,399 Yuan (roughly 835 US Dollars)
Intel i5 11320H – 5,299 Yuan (roughly 820 US Dollars)
Earlier this week, we had reported on Samsung apparently cancelling the Galaxy S21 FE. The smartphone was initially expected to launch in August, but then it was believed to launch sometime in October. But now, it seems that the company is trying to bury any evidence of the device’s existence.
Previously, a South Korean publication had revealed that brand has canceled the Galaxy S21 FE mid October launch event due to multiple reasons. This primarily includes robust sales of the Galaxy Z Flip3 and the ongoing global chip shortage that has caused a supply issue that even had the company’s Mobile Division’s Head travel to the US twice to secure more chips.
Now, SamMobilehas found that the South Korean tech giant has deleted the support pages for the Galaxy S21 FE. With the launch being imminent, the brand had added a support page for a device with a model number of SM-G990B, which was also the biggest indicator of its existence. According to the report, Samsung has started deleting support pages from its official websites in certain countries including, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa, Levant and others.
In other words, this is a strong indication that the company is actually canceling the device. As of right now, the global lead times for chips has reached a record high 21 weeks. So it isn’t surprising that the supply constraint might have the world’s largest smartphone maker to delay or even cancel a device in favor of existing models that are already selling well.
Starting September 28th, you can apply for an invitation to purchase the Ring Always Home Cam and beta test it. The device is basically a Ring camera attached to a drone that can fly pre-determined paths across your home using the Ring app or when a Ring Alarm sensor is triggered.
It streams video footage in 1080p to the Ring app and flies with enclosed propellers. The enclosure helps protects it in the rare event of its obstacle avoidance technology failing. The drone is fully autonomous and requires only commands to fly its preset paths. It is designed to be used on a single floor only, although multi-floor support may be added in the future.
The purpose of the Ring Always Home Cam is to help users keep tabs on their home when they are not around without needing dozens of cameras across each and every room. Instead, a watchful eye can be kept on every nook and cranny of the house with a single device that records when it’s in flight. And when not in use, it simply docks itself into its charging dock that blocks its lens.
The device can be ‘taught’ to fly over to specific points in the house such as the door or kitchen stove. It can also be tied to a Ring Alarm security system and buzz over to any action, such as a door opening.
The Ring Always Home Cam was announced last year (via The Verge) and has come a long way from its early prototypes thanks to “a thousand refinements”. Thus, it is now ready for people’s homes. But not everyone’s.
As it stands, the Ring home surveillance drone can be only availed through an invite-only program at the moment. The program can be described as a sort of post-beta test flight.
“I have it in my home, and it does work,” says Ring founder Jamie Siminoff. “But today’s homes are so unique, so we really need to get it into more customers’ homes to make sure everything we are doing is right.” After all, it is an autonomous flying machine in your home. “With any other product, we would have probably just been shipping. With this one, we are going to take our time, make sure it’s right before we go to full, general availability.”
Ring expects those that sign up for the program be willing to actually work with them and help deliver the best products to customers. To apply for the invitation for the Ring home surveillance drone, just head here.
Back in May, OnePlus released Android 12 Developer Preview software builds for the OnePlus 9 and the OnePlus 9 Pro. The builds were pulled back due to some issue and were re-released in early June. Now, almost four months later, the brand has now released Android 12 Developer Preview 2 builds for these smartphones.
According to the official announcement post on OnePlus Community, the Android 12 Developer Preview 2 for the OnePlus 9 series arrives with certain new features and optimizations.
The new software update comes with features like new widgets, floating windows, battery usage chart, and more. It also brings optimizations for auto-brightness algorithm, mistouch prevention algorithm, gaming frame rate performance, and others.
OnePlus 9, 9 Pro Android 12 Developer Preview 2 Changelog
System
Optimized the auto-brightness algorithm to adapt screen brightness to more scenes for a comfortable screen reading experience
Optimized the mistouch prevention algorithm for curved screens to reduce accidental touches
New design
Added widgets that show key information of apps and provide instant access to functions
Optimized the page layout and the presentation of text and color to make key information stand out
Convenience & efficiency
Added swiftly switch floated windows, make operation more convenient
Games
Optimized the frame rate performance under heavy-used scenes
Camera
Added the feature that supported customize the display order of camera mode
Optimized the zoom experience, make it zoom more smoothly
Performance
Added the form of chart to display battery usage
Newly supported pre-loading the apps that frequently used, to switch them on quickly
Improved the response speed of turning on or off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Airplane mode, and NFC
Since the update is a developer release, it also has the following issues.
OnePlus 9, 9 Pro Android 12 Developer Preview 2 Known Issues
The Camera does not support Xpan, and contains some stability issues
This version does not support scrolling screenshot
The icon of Bluetooth connection displays abnormally
The icon of charging displays abnormally
The Cloud Service is unavailable (India)
The Camera app does not contain Hasselblad elements
This version does not adapt some third-party apps
The included Google Phone app does not feature call record functionality. This can be solved by updating the app in Play Store.
Three-finger swipe down gesture or three-finger long-press gesture after using the screen recorder. This can be overcome by pressing Power button and Volume Down button simultaneously instead to screenshot.
Any user on the stable or the previous developer preview build can install the latest update. However, it’s not recommended for everyone. Also, users with carrier variants cannot experience the new software.
A new report has revealed that Apple has managed to retain its dominance in the tablet market. During the second quarter of this year, the company’s popular iPad series recorded a revenue share of a sizeable 58 percent.
iPad mini 6
According to a Strategy Analyticsreport, the Cupertino based giant along with Intel, Qualcomm, MediaTek, and Samsung, achieved the top five sports for tablet application processor revenue share in Q2 2021. However, the iPhone maker was able to take a huge lead over its competitors with a 58 percent revenue share with its iPads. Meanwhile, Intel that took the second spot only accounted for a revenue share of 14 percent during the same period.
Sravan Kundojjala, the Associate Director of Handset Component Technologies service at Strategy Analytics stated that “After registering five straight quarters of shipment growth, the tablet AP market declined 8 percent year on year in unit terms Q2 2021. However, compared to Q2 2019, the tablet AP market saw a 23 percent shipment growth. Despite shipment weakness, tablet AP revenues continue to hold up well, driven by robust average selling prices.”
iPad 10.2 (2021)
Kundojjala further added that “ MediaTek saw its tablet AP shipments grow 19 percent in Q2 2021, driven by increased traction for its Helio P chips. Strategy Analytics estimates that MediaTek is on track to ship its highest ever annual tablet AP shipments in 2021. The x86 vendor Intel, on the other hand, grew its tablet AP shipments 22 percent in Q2 2021, thanks to Windows-based tablets. The mobile computing market will see significant activity in 2022 with AMD, Apple, Google, Intel, MediaTek, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Qualcomm and Samsung LSI all ramping up their computing efforts.”
After teasing for days, Samsung has finally launched the Galaxy F42 5G in India. As expected, this smartphone is nothing but a rebranded Galaxy Wide5. For those unaware, the Wide5 itself is a tweaked version of Galaxy A22 5G.
Samsung Galaxy F42 5G Price and Availability in India
The Galaxy F42 5G in Matte Aqua and Matte Black color options will retail for the following price tags in India.
6GB + 128GB – ₹20,999
8GB + 128GB – ₹22,999
The device will be sold via Flipkart, Samsung.com, and select retail stores starting October 3. For a limited time, during the upcoming Flipkart Big Billion Days sale, the two variants of the product will be sold at ₹17,999 and ₹19,999 respectively.
Samsung Galaxy F42 5G Specifications and Features
The Samsung Galaxy F42 5G features a plastic build like other Galaxy F series phones. The handset sports a 6.6-inch Infinity-V display (LCD) with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels (FHD+) and a 90Hz refresh rate.
The smartphone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC paired with 6GB/8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. For connectivity, it comes with dual-SIM, 5G (12 bands), dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, GNSS, USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
On the back, the handset houses a triple camera setup consisting of a 64MP primary sensor, a 5MP ultra-wide unit, and a 2MP depth sensor. Whereas, on the front, there’s an 8MP shooter in the notch. There’s also a fingerprint sensor on the right side.
The phone runs One UI Core 3.1 based on Android 11. Lastly, the device measures 167.2 x 76.4 x 9.0mm in dimensions and it is backed by a 5,000mAh battery with support for 15W charging.
Samsung is considering making its Galaxy smartwatches run on solar energy. The Korean company has seemingly been toying with the idea of incorporating solar cells onto a Galaxy Watch wrist strap.
This has been uncovered via a patent filed all the way back in 2019. LetsGoDigital (via SamMobile) came across it after it got published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on September 16.
The patent shows a usual Galaxy smartwatch but with a twist – its strap has been equipped with solar cells. Although, the patent doesn’t have any indication regarding the efficiency of such an implementation.
Image: LetsGoDigital
It is worth noting that solar cells are still a long way off from being a complete substitute for traditional battery charging solutions for devices with high energy needs. As such, Samsung may only be experimenting with them as a mode of providing auxiliary power. This should not only increase the time between each charge but should also make the wearables a lot more eco-friendly.
It’s obviously too early at the moment to ascertain plans for a solar-powered Samsung Galaxy Watch. After all, the Galaxy Watch 4 series was only just unveiled. Still, it is safe to assume that the tech is indeed in the works and has perhaps been reserved for an upcoming version of the smartwatch series.
However, Samsung does intend to switch more and more devices to solar. The company recently adopted solar power for its latest QLED smart TV remotes. Further, Samsung also recently achieved 100% reusable energy at its factories in the USA, Europe, and China.
All in all, smart wearables are a great candidate for solar technology. But of course, patents are not always an indicator of something definitive and should hence always be taken with a pinch of salt. Only time will tell if the idea for a solar-powered Samsung Galaxy Watch will actually materialize.
Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G has been announced in India today. It has arrived in India’s first Xiaomi phone without the “Mi” branding. The handset comes with some key features such as a 90Hz AMOLED display, Snapdragon 778G, and support for 12 5G bands.
Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G specifications and features
The Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G has a 6.55-inch AMOLED display that offers a Full HD+ resolution, a 20:9 aspect ratio, a 90Hz refresh rate, a 240Hz touch sampling rate, 402ppi pixel density, up to 800nits brightness, and Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The punch-hole panel also supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+.
Placed on the front side of the 11 Lite NE is a 20-megapixel selfie camera. Its back panel has a squarish camera module that includes a 64-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide lens, and a 5-megapixel telemacro snapper.
Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G
The Snapdragon 778G SoC is present under the hood of the Xiaomi 11 Lite NE. The device ships with 6 GB / 8 GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 128 GB / 256 GB of UFS 2.2 storage. There is a hybrid SIM card slot, which can be used for adding a microSD card. It runs on MUI 12.5 based on Android 11 OS. The company will be rolling out three Android updates and 4 years of security patches.
The Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G has a 4,250mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging. It offers other features like dual SIM support, 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS, NFC, a USB-C port, stereo speakers, AI face unlock, and a side-facing fingerprint scanner.
Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G price in India
The Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G has arrived in two variants such as 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage. They are priced at Rs 26,999 (~$364) and Rs 28,999 (~$391), respectively. It comes in four colors like Diamond Dazzle, Jazz Blue, Tuscany Coral, and Vinyl Black.
The first sale of the 11 Lite NE 5G begins at 12 AM on Oct. 2. It will be available through Mi.com, Mi Home, Amazon India, and retail stores. With the bank offer of up to Rs 2,000 and a Diwali Offer of Rs 1,500 (between Oct. 2 and Oct. 7), both variants of the phone can be purchased for Rs 23,499 (~$316) and Rs 25,499 (~$343), respectively.
Earlier this year, in July, media streaming giant Netflix announced plans for adding game streaming services to its platform. Last month, Netflix Gaming made its debut in Poland with two Stranger Things mobile games.
Today, Netflix has announced the acquisition of video game creator Night School Studio, marking the first purchase of a gaming studio for the streaming giant.
Along with the acquisition, the company has also rolled out five mobile gaming titles in select European markets. Night School Studio is best known for its debut game, Oxenfree, a supernatural teen thriller with an eerie soundtrack.
The studio’s games — available on Sony’s PlayStation, Microsoft’s Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PCs — will be the first non-mobile titles in Netflix’s video game portfolio.
The news about this acquisition comes at a time when Netflix is looking to diversify its revenue sources as the competition in the online streaming space is increased day by day and new platforms keep coming up.
In a statement, Night School Studio said: “Netflix gives film, TV, and now game makers an unprecedented canvas to create and deliver excellent entertainment to millions of people. Our explorations in narrative gameplay and Netflix’s track record of supporting diverse storytellers was such a natural pairing.”
Netflix has already confirmed that it won’t be offering a separate subscription for this new gaming service as it is ”a one-product company.” This means that a subscription to the streaming platform offers movies, TV shows, documentaries, and games.
The arrival of the popular electric vehicles manufacturer Tesla is being highly anticipated in the Indian market but the company has to pass a few challenges before that becomes a reality. The EV maker has been progressing in that direction and has days after its appeal, the Indian government is reportedly considering slashing import duty on EVs.
Now, a new report coming from Counterpoint Research hints at Tesla aiming to give a bigger role to India. It claims that Tesla could announce the production of its cars in India as early as next year.
Earlier this year, India’s Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had said that the country is ready to offer incentives to ensure that Tesla’s cost of production would be less than in China if the carmaker commits to making its electric vehicles in India.
To attract EV makers, India is considering slashing its import duty. For electric vehicles with a valuation of less than $40,000, the tax rate can be slashed to 40 percent compared to 60 percent currently. For cars that are valued at over $40,000, the rate could be slashed from 100 percent to 60 percent.
It is believed that the Indian government is in favor of cutting import duties to see companies like Tesla providing benefits to the domestic economy by manufacturing locally later on, or give a firm timeline on when it would be able to.
India is currently the fifth largest car market with an annual sale of around 3 million cars but last year, EVs accounted for only 5,000 of them. This is because of the negligible charging infrastructure and the high cost of electric vehicles. Also, India doesn’t have a comprehensive EV policy like China, the world’s biggest auto market.
Tesla is expected to enter the Indian car market and gauge the demand by first importing vehicles instead of manufacturing them locally. Currently, the company has active production facilities in California, Nevada, New York, and Shanghai with three more factories to start operation pretty soon.
The young brand, Realme, has given us a lot of surprises since its establishment. It first started out as a smartphone manufacturer, but now the brand is ambitiously expanding to markets beyond smartphones. In 2021, it has launched a bunch of new products in new categories. The Realme Book, the brand’s first-ever laptop product, was recently announced with incredible value for money. To achieve its very first step in the market, the Realme Book targets the affordable market, where things are highly competitive. Since we’ve seen so many excellent manufacturers splitting up a large chunk of this market, we are curious whether the Realme Book can stand out from the crowd and win its own position. Just follow our review and find out the answer.
Realme Book Slim Review: Design
At first glance, the Realme Book did impress us with its great build quality. Since these days even affordable laptops have a similar design to other premium laptops, the real differentiating factor lies in the laptop’s attention to detail and build quality. In this regard, the Realme Book is one of the most impressive models in its price range. The laptop’s design looks clean and highly integrated, thanks to the whole metal body.
The smooth aluminum alloy feels pretty premium with a united matte finish, which would not only prevent from getting fingerprints stains and dust but also theoretically ensures stable performance, due to its good heat dissipation.
Known as Realme Book Slim, the Realme Book also brings an ultra-slim design with 14.9mm thickness (thickest point: 15.5mm). Matching with the front size of 307 x 229mm and the weight of 1.48kg (1.38kg for the 8G version), the compact laptop is pretty good for portable use. But surprisingly, in the compact body (a common size for a 13-inch notebook), Realme installed a 14-inch 2K IPS display with a resolution of 2160 x 1440. Except for the bottom frame with the realme logo, the three bezels (left & right: 5.3mm) around the panel are quite narrow (Screen-to-body ratio: 90%), which makes the display look much more stunning than most of its competitors.
However, the compact design forces some compromises. The number of available ports probably won’t please some users. There’s only one USB 3.0 port and a 3.5mm headphone jack on the right side. On the other side, the laptop offers a Thunderbolt 4 (charging port) and another USB-C 3.2 port.
To fix that, an additional interface dock may be needed with the Realme Book.
In addition, the included 65W PD charger also applies a compact design for ease of carrying, which, more importantly, can be shared for charging both the laptop and your smartphone with a USB-C charging port.
The keyboard layout of the Realme Book uses large keycaps that feature good travel at 1.3mm. The keys offer a pretty fast and smooth response without producing much noise while typing. But for some users who require a strong rebound, the typing experience may not be so pleasurable. The keys are backlit and Realme offers two levels of brightness for users under different situations.
The large touchpad below the keyboard is one of my favorite points. It provides an ample touch area which is also responsive and smooth. And during our limited experience, we didn’t face any mistouches.
Realme Book Slim Display & Speakers
Let’s take a closer look at the 14-inch display. Honestly, the display of the Realme Book is one of the top options we can find at this price. It supports up to 100% sRGB gamut with outstanding color accuracy (actual test: ΔE=1.45), which is pretty close to some professional monitors for image processing. As an office-work or business model, the 3:2 aspect ratio is also a better option than the 16:9. The most intuitive experience is that it can display multiple tasks more comfortably.
The only unfortunate limitation is the 400-nit max brightness, which isn’t really enough for use under bright ambient light.
For audio, the Realme Book is equipped with dual Harman-tuned speakers with the support of DTS Stereo Surround Sound technology. The actual audio sound is loud and rich. Although it still is not comparable to some premium models, it’s already better than most options at the price point.
Realme Book Slim Performance & Gaming Review
As a competitive laptop taking aim at good productivity, the Realme Book has offered the best that it can at this price. The whole lineup of the Realme Book is powered by the 11th-gen Intel Core processors, but you only have Core i3-1115G4 and a Core i5-1135G7 for options. The model in our hand is an Intel i5 version with 16GB LPDDR4X RAM and 512GB PCIe SSD ROM, which is also the top configuration of the lineup.
In AIDA64’s stress test (FPU stress test), this i5’s single-core frequency could reach up to 4.2GHz, which would be a remarkable improvement for heavy productivity uses. During the stress test, the laptop had sustained high-performance output with excellent cooling capacity, which thanks to the cooling system mainly constituted by dual fans inside the body and the connection with dual 8mm-diameter heat pipes. And notably, the cooling system stayed pretty quiet and didn’t produce unacceptable noise.
1 of 7
Another important detail reflected in the test is that the CPU could run up to 28W TDP. Considering it comes with Intel’s Iris Xe integrated graphics instead of separate Graphics, it’s the best performance that the i5-1135G7 CPU can achieve.
In PCMark 10, the Realme Book scored 4766, where it got 9628 for the Essentials Test, and got 6437 for the productivity test. In another Benchmark, CineBench R20, the CPU of the laptop scored 2192, which is a pretty good result among all the i5-1135G7 models.
As for gaming, we chose to run FPS Test of the game CS:GO on the Realme Book. The laptop could achieve an average framerate of 50fps under the game’s 1080P high graphics. And under low graphics, the framerate could stably maintain at 55-60fps.
To summarize the results in different benchmarks, we’re quite sure that the Realme Book is sufficient to meet the general needs of office productivity and light entertainment, while running heavy-loaded games is still a bit of a struggle.
Although the Realme Book is the brand’s first laptop coming with Windows 10 system pre-installed, the brand promised that the lineup is in the first list of laptops to be updated with Windows 11.
In addition, Realme pre-installed an exclusive application to achieve seamless collaboration with a Realme Phone. The PC-Phone Connect application allows to seamlessly mirror the phone screen to the notebook where users easily share and open files on the phone with PC programs. But just note that it’s compatible only with Realme GT series for now.
Realme Book Slim Battery Life Review
The Realme Book is equipped with a 54Wh battery. Realme claimed, under office use, the notebook could last for 8.5 hours. But in our actual uses, it was around 1 hour less than its claimed battery life, which is probably because we added up more usage scenarios like web-surfing and streaming video playback. Nevertheless, considering its slim body, such battery performance is still impressive.
Last but not least, we have a reminder for users who are going to buy a Core i3 configuration of the Realme Book. The i3 variant doesn’t support the latest Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, the ultra-high-speed of Thunderbolt 4 port, or even the new WiFi 6 network. Considering the absence of Core i7 configuration, we highly recommend going for the Core i5 version of the Realme Book if you are attracted by the beautiful price and its powerful performance.
Realme Book Slim: Verdict
As Realme’s first entry into the notebook market, the Realme Book surprisingly shows its mature product power. The optimized Core i5-1135G7 processor plus up to 16GB RAM and 512GB ROM brought back the smooth experience to budget notebooks. Unlike those mid-rangers using an MX450 independent Graphics as a gimmick (bringing very limited improvement and serious power and heated issues), it emphasizes the balance of good portability, stable performance and overall power consumption.
While taking the attractive price into account, it’s definitely one of the best options for portable productivity and light entertainment for the price.
You can get the Realme Book from Realme or via retailers like Giztop.
Huawei is one of the few companies to release foldable smartphones. So far, the OEM has only introduced three models. All of these feature a horizontally foldable display that unfolds into a tablet. As per a reliable tipster from China, the firm is currently working on a device with a vertically foldable screen. This type of phone is commonly referred to as a ‘clamshell foldable smartphone’.
HUAWEI Mate X2
According to Digitial Chat Station, Huawei is developing a clamshell foldable smartphone. The leaker says that the handset will be positioned in the high-end market. He also adds that it will be targeted at the female audience. Unfortunately, it’s not known when this phone will be released.
Going by the information, the upcoming HUAWEI-branded clamshell foldable smartphone will compete directly with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip series. The current-gen Galaxy Z Flip3 is said to be the best affordable foldable device to date without any major concerns. Hence, the Huawei-made handset needs to offer more to lure in customers.
At present, there are only two companies that offer foldable smartphones with a vertically foldable display. One of them is South Korea’s Samsung and the other is China’s Lenovo-owned Motorola.
Huawei entering this segment will make it the only second Chinese OEM to offer this type of phone. However, there’s a chance of fellow Chinese firms like Xiaomi, OPPO, or vivo beating the telecom giant in this regard.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
