Surface Laptop Studio: A Surface Studio in a portable form factor

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Sep 22, 2021

Microsoft today held a launch event that saw the US company released several interesting products. One of the major highlights was the launch of the Microsoft Surface Duo 2. The foldable phone takes over from the Surface Duo that was launched last year but is still basically a dual-screen-totting phone.

The Surface Duo 2 features the same impressive folding design heralded by the first-gen Surface Duo but it comes with several improvements. The Surface Duo left many persons disappointed with some of its components. Microsoft improved on the build and addressed the complaints by fans. The company also included features that make it easy to share stuff between the two displays.

The Surface Duo 2 sports a bigger dual-screen setup with both displays coming in at 8.3 inches and support for a 90Hz refresh rate. The display has a slight curve on the screen allowing users to check the time or view missed notifications without flipping the device open. The dual-screen is also covered by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass. The two displays are connected by a hinge that allows you to open it like a book or prop it up like a tent.

The device is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor which is a big upgrade over the Snapdragon 855 chip utilized by the first-gen Surface Duo. The processor brings support for 5G connectivity, yet another big boost over the Surface Duo which only supported 4G connectivity. Microsoft claims the Duo 2 is the thinnest 5G device on the market. The processor is paired with 8GB of RAM while there are 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage options.

The phone now packs a triple rear camera setup which includes a standard 12MP wide-angle, a 16MP ultrawide, and a 12MP telephoto camera system. The front camera is a 12MP sensor. You also get optical image stabilization (OIS) on the main and telephoto lenses of the device. The phone also comes with NFC for contactless payment.

The interface is optimized to allow for more functionality between the two displays. The company revealed that about 150 games, including Asphalt Legends 9, Modern Combat 5, and Dungeon Hunter 5, are optimized for using one screen as a controller while viewing the game itself on the other screen.

The Surface Duo 2 retains the white paint job featured on the first-gen model but also comes in a black color option. The dual-screen phone is already up for pre-order in the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, and Japan and will start shipping on October 21. It starts at $1,499 for the 128GB version while the 256GB storage version will retail for $1599. The top-end 512GB storage version carries a hefty price tag of $1,799.

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Flyme 9.2 update will arrive for Meizu 18 and Meizu 17 series in October

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 22, 2021

At the launch of the Meizu 18s series and the Meizu 18X, Meizu also announced Flyme 9.2, the latest version of its Android fork. The new update brings tons of new features and ships with the new phones. Meizu has now revealed when its older phones will get the update.

According to the official Flyme Weibo account, the Meizu 17 series which includes the Meizu 17 and Meizu 17 Pro will be updated to Flyme 9.2 in October. The Meizu 18 and Meizu 18 Pro launched earlier this year will also receive the update in October.

Among the new features Flyme 9.2 brings is a new font. Meizu says that the new font is elegant and has more accurate symbols. It has also added new features for older users such as larger font size, a magnifier, and high-contrast colors.

Flyme 9.2 also brings a virtual RAM feature to Meizu phones. Users will be able to choose between 3GB, 5GB, and 7GB options which means a phone with 12GB of RAM can have up to 19GB of usable RAM. Another new feature Meizu has added is the auto-deletion of OTPs and single-use alarms.

Of course, this new version of Flyme doesn’t bring a new version of Android. We expect Meizu will announce a new version of its software that will bring Android 12 to its devices.

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Olympus refutes rumored partnership with Samsung for the Galaxy S22 series camera

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Sep 22, 2021

Back in April this year, a rumor emerged that South Korean smartphone manufacturer Samsung was in talks with Japanese camera maker Olympus for a collaboration that could see Olympus producing the camera module for future Samsung smartphones. While no official statement emanated from either party at that time, the rumor mills were agog again recently. We have even seen fan-made renders of the Galaxy S22 with an Olympus branded camera.

The renowned Japanese camera maker has now denied the existence of any partnership with Samsung in relation to the design and development of the camera setup for the upcoming Galaxy S22 series. However, the reputable online platform LetsGoDigital reached out to the Japanese camera maker and it indicated that there was no collaboration between it and Samsung.

It is unclear whether indeed there were talks between Olympus and Samsung that may have collapsed at some point. Samsung has also not mentioned any partnership between it and Olympus. It is also not unlikely that Olympus has been in talks with different smartphone manufacturers on possible partnerships in the production of the camera module for their smartphones.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Concept Render — Samsung Galaxy S22 Concept

It is not uncommon to have such collaborations between traditional camera makers and smartphone manufacturers. It is believed that such partnerships yield more powerful cameras for smartphones. Indeed, smartphone makers often claim improved image processing and overall efficiency using such collaborations. Some of the partnerships that are open knowledge in the industry include Leica and Huawei, Zeis and Vivo, Hasselblad, and OnePlus, among others.

While Olympus has hinted that there was no partnership between itself and Samsung, Samsung on its part has not made any official statement either asserting or debunking the claim. The Samsung Galaxy S22 lineup may be unveiled in the first quarter of 2022 and the three devices on the lineup will be successors to the Galaxy S21 series. It promises to be Samsung’s premier flagship offering for 2022, although much of what we know currently is speculative.

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realme Smart TV Neo 32 will not run Android TV, here’s why

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Sep 22, 2021

The world’s fastest-growing smartphone brand realme has scheduled a launch event for September 24 in India. The company has confirmed to announce a number of products at this conference. One of them will be realme Smart TV Neo 32”. Unlike other smart TV models from the brand, this television will not run Android TV.

realme Smart TV Neo 32 Featured A — realme Smart TV Neo 32

When realme revealed that it will be launching the realme Smart TV Neo 32”, it also put up a teaser page on its website. The page does not mention Android TV at all.

Even after multiple teasers, there’s still no indication of Android TV. The only thing we can notice is that the television will come with ‘Youtube 2021’ built-in. We even mentioned the same in our previous article.

This clearly suggests that this particular TV will boot some other operating system. We believe it will run a Linux-based OS like cheap smart TV models from Sony.

If that’s the case, then the television may lack many features that are common among smart TVs. First and foremost, it may not have support for leading streaming platforms. The render on realme’s website only shows YouTube, Hungama Play, Eros Now, and Yupp TV.

Secondly, it may not come with a voice assistant. Although it could have Miracast, the casting experience will not be as convenient as Chromecast.

One might think it is bizarre for realme to skip Android TV. But we think the company is making a smart move. Let us explain why.

For those unaware, the price of TV panels was in rising for the past few quarters. Hence, OEMs have been hiking the price of their televisions for a while. Although the price of panels is expected to drop in Q3 2021, consumers will see the effect only by the end of this year.

Hence, the Redmi Smart TV 32 launched today costs higher at ₹15,999 than the launch price of older 32-inch TVs from Xiaomi. This is what realme is trying to avoid.

We think that the brand is offsetting the price of the panel by opting for different software. In case you do not know, OEMs have to pay license fees to use Android TV. Hence, by using some other OS, realme does not have to spend more money on software.

Also, since the brand is advertising the realme Smart TV Neo 32 as ‘Dumb TV Killer’, we can surely expect it to be cheaper than other 32-inch televisions running Android TV.

Having said that, do you still consider buying this TV if it offers great picture and sound quality for the price? The answer is yes. You can easily get access to better smart features by using any cheap Android TV streaming stick or Amazon Fire TV Stick.

Motorola’s next phone is the Moto G Pure and here is an early look

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 22, 2021

The Moto G series is arguably Motorola’s most popular line of smartphones. This year, no fewer than seven new Moto G phones have been announced, a mix of 4G and 5G models. Motorola isn’t done for the year yet as a leak has revealed details of its next phone which will launch as the Moto G Pure.

The Moto G Pure is a smartphone with a mix of budget and mid-range specs. It also has a design akin to its lower-priced Moto E series as seen in the renders provided by Steve Hemmerstoffer a.k.a. OnLeaks in collaboration with the blog, Zouton.

As seen in the images and video, the Moto G Pure will pack a display with a waterdrop notch and a bigger than average chin. On the back of the phone are two dual cameras and a fingerprint scanner. It also has an audio jack at the top and the spec sheet says that it has a USB-C port.

With respect to its specs, the Moto G Pure will have a 6.5-inch display which is revealed to be an AMOLED panel. Motorola will ship it with an Helio G25 processor and the base model will have 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The source reports that earlier prototypes of the phone had an Helio P22 chipset before Motorola decided to switch to the Helio G25 for better performance.

For the cameras, we are surprised Motorola isn’t joining the 50MP bandwagon as the Moto G Pure is said to have a 48MP primary camera. The main sensor is paired with a 2MP depth sensor while the waterdrop notch houses a 5MP camera. The rest of the specs include a 4000mAh battery capacity, support for 10W charging, and a dedicated microphone for noise cancelation. A Geekbench listing already revealed that it will run Android 11.

The Moto G Pure will be available in Electric Graphite and Lagoon Green when it launches in the second week of October in North America. Its retail price is reported to be between $300 to $350 which is pretty expensive for a phone with these specs.

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Caviar unveils a Rolex-inspired limited-edition iPhone 13 Pro collection

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Sep 22, 2021

Custom smartphones designer Caviar has released a collection of iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max smartphones that are inspired by the design of several Rolex watch models. The Caviar collection draws inspiration from its founder Sergey Kitov, who has amassed a deep knowledge of the Rolex brand designs. The new design direction for the iPhone 13 flagship offerings is seen as a huge fashion statement by some fashion buffs.

Some of the Rolex watches that have inspired this Caviar collection include the Datejust collection which has been using the Jubilee bracelet since 1945, the Yacht-Master II, the Cosmograph Daytona, and the Rolex Sky-Dweller. The designs are all reminiscent of their corresponding Rolex watch faces with all the necessary inputs that bring back the memories of these iconic timepieces.

In addition, the Benvenuto draws inspiration from the Rolex Cellini and is the pick of the current Caviar iPhone 13 collection. It is the most expensive and its sunburst pattern is engraved into 18-karat white gold and 18-karat rose gold.

The price tag of these Rolex-themed iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max collections from Caviar starts from $6000 up to $8,500. The Benvenuto Cellini is however priced from $25,000. Each of the designs will have only 99 units and Caviar has provided greater details of the collection on their website.

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Samsung merely produced 10,000 units of Galaxy S21 FE this month: Tipster

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Sep 22, 2021

The Galaxy S21 FE will be the next big release from Samsung. This smartphone was supposed to release in August but it has been delayed due to the global semiconductor shortage. According to the latest information, the company has only produced a very few units of this handset so far.

As per reliable tipster Max Jambor (@MaxJmb), Samsung only manufactured around 10,000 units of Galaxy S21 FE this month. This number is too less for a device that is expected to launch soon.

The leaker says that since the phone is said to launch next month, the production number could go up as soon as later this week or by next week. He also explains that mass production usually begins 5-6 months before launch.

Hence, the Galaxy S21 FE will likely hit the shelves by mid or late October. According to Max, this smartphone is ‘pretty useless’. He says that because the Galaxy Z Flip3 and Galaxy Z Fold3 are ‘doing great in sales’ and the Galaxy S22 series is ‘just around the corner’.

The Galaxy S21 FE was initially reported to use Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 in all the regions. Due to the global chip shortage, the device was said to launch in only a select few markets. Then, Samsung changed its plans to use both Exynos 2100 as well as Snapdragon 888 and release the device in more markets.

Samsung is yet to schedule a launch event for the Galaxy S21 FE although everything about this phone is already out.

Leaked Xiaomi CIVI retail box reveals an “environmentally friendly”, iPhone 13-like box

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Sep 22, 2021

Earlier today, Xiaomi announced that it will hold a new product launch conference on September 27 where it will officially launch a new flagship mobile phone series known as Xiaomi CIVI. Details of the product are sketchy at the moment but the retail box of the device has now appeared online in China.

The colorful retail box bears semblance with that of the iPhone 13 series which is designed to be environmentally friendly, by reducing the amount of plastic on board. The retail box is flat, having enough room to hold only the phone. Thus, the device is likely coming without a charging adapter. But unlike Apple, Xiaomi will likely release a version with a free charger that users who want the charger can select. The charging box is also similar to that of the Mi CC series in terms of pattern and color scheme.

According to reports, Xiaomi Civi will feature a low-power photo/electrochromic back cover design which is a first for the Chinese tech giant. The phone will be powered by a Snapdragon 778G processor and a 120Hz refresh rate display.

The smartphone is expected to pack a 20-megapixel front camera for selfies while the rear camera setup will include a 64-megapixel main camera. Other sensors in the mix include an 8-megapixel ultrawide lens and a 5-megapixel macro camera. The phone will also have a side-mounted fingerprint scanner among other features.

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iQOO Z5 series roundup: Specs, Price, Variants, & More – What to Expect!

By

Zohaib Ahmed

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Sep 22, 2021

iQOO is gearing up to launch the successor to its Z3 series that was released back in April. The successor comes in the form of the iQOO Z5 series comprised of iQOO Z5, iQOO Z5 Pro, and iQOO Z5x, although the names of the individual devices haven’t been confirmed as of yet. What is confirmed though is that the iQOO Z5 will be coming with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G chipset paired with a UFS 3.1 storage and LPDDR5 RAM, the power to which will be fed via a 5,000mAh battery.

Design & Display

A recently surfaced image of the iQOO Z5 Pro reveals that the device has a punch-hole display aligned to the center. As for the rear, you get a fairly sizeable camera module that is not unlike the ones found on other recent offerings from both iQOO and Vivo.

IQOO Z5 will be sporting an LCD panel that delivers a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixel, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 240Hz touch sampling rate. The display will also have a DCI-P3 color gamut and support HDR10.

Cameras on the iQOO Z5 series

The iQOO Z5 has been officially confirmed to come with a 64-megapixel primary shooter (Samsung GW3). However, the auxiliary camera setup of the device is still under wraps. There are talks of it inheriting the same 64-megapixel (main) + 8-megapixel (ultrawide) + 2-megapixel (macro) triple camera unit from the iQOO Z3 5G though. The selfie camera is likely to have a 16-megapixel sensor.

The iQOO Z5’s camera samples suggest that it will be good at capturing shots in any lighting conditions. But of course, actual performance in the hands of the buyers will vary.

Other Specifications

iQOO has already confirmed that the Z5 will be equipped with the Snapdragon 778G chipset, LPDDR5 RAM, and UFS 3.1 storage. The 5,000mAh battery will support 44W rapid charging.

A tipster had claimed that the device may come with Gorilla Glass 5 protection on the front, AG frost polycarbonate panel as the rear, and an aluminum alloy middle frame. The handset will offer other features like a side-facing fingerprint scanner, iQOO UI-based Android 11 OS, Hi-Res Audio, Hi-Res Audio Wireless, rotor motor, and VC cooling for heat dissipation.

Other features include a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, stereo speakers, 3.5mm headphone jack, and 5G connectivity.

Pricing & Availability

iQOO had recently revealed that it would launch the iQOO Z5 in China on September 23. Soon after, the brand confirmed a September 27 launch date for India.

Not many details are currently at hand about the pricing and storage variants, although the Z5 is expected to carry a price tag of around Rs 30,000 (~$407) in India. A tipster had also stated that the device may come in 8 GB/12 GB RAM variants and 128 GB/256 GB storage choices.

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Samsung Galaxy S series could be overhauled to Note lineup: Tipster

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Sep 22, 2021

With the launch of the latest foldable smartphones, the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip3, it seemed that Samsung might be shifting away from its high end Galaxy Note series. But now, a new report from a tipster has suggested that the company’s Galaxy S lineup could be overhauled into the next gen Note series.

The news arrives from Ice Universe who stated that the ‘Note’ is not over yet and that the “S has become the Note.” For those unaware, the South Korean tech giant did not launch a Note phone this year, and included the S Pen support for its Galaxy S21 Ultra. Previously, we had even reported on the company trademarking the name “Galaxy Flex Note” and patenting a unique phone with folding wrap around display that also supported the S Pen stylus, which hinted that the company will be reviving its Note series.

Now, Ice Universe, a known tipster revealed the big news earlier today (22nd September 2021). While this might be good news for the Note series enthusiast, it is still unlikely since the S series is also a flagship series with its own dedicated userbase. In the past, both lineups had a clear distinctions, although, the newly launched Galaxy S21 Ultra had blurred the line between the two different series.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Front S Pen — Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

But, Samsung did keep it as an S series phone that did not ship with an S Pen out of the box. As of right now, this is still an unconfirmed report so take this news with a pinch of salt for now. We have no way of confirming this information at the moment, so stay tuned for more as we will be covering any notable updates that surface.

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Realme to announce realme UI 3.0 in October

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 22, 2021

Realme had a launch event in China today during which it unveiled its latest smartphone, the Realme GT Neo2. Apart from the phone, realme also announced when a new version of its UI, realme UI, will be unveiled.

realme UI was first announced in 2019 when Realme decided to drop OPPO’s ColorOS for its own custom UI. It followed it up with realme UI 2.0 in September 2020 which its phones currently run and is based on Android 11. Now that Android 12 is almost here, Realme is set to announce a new UI that will be based on the new version of Android.

As revealed at the event today, realme UI 3.0 will be announced in October and it will come with several new features. A specific date is yet to be disclosed but we may see the new UI make its debut on a new smartphone. Realme should also provide details about which devices will get updated to the new UI and when the update will arrive.

Considering that some Realme phones have just received the update to realme UI 2.0, it is safe to presume the rollout of realme UI 3.0 will continue up until the second half of 2022.

There are no details yet about the features realme UI 3.0 will bring but unconfirmed reports have said that realme UI 3.0 will be similar to OPPO’s ColorOS 12 which was announced last week. It remains to be seen if that will be the case.

There are also rumors that the manufacturer may ditch realme UI in the future and return to ColorOS. However, considering that OPPO and OnePlus will be dropping their respective custom UIs for a unified one next year, those rumors appear to be false.

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Pokémon Unite gets a Space Themed battle pass, new skins, and more

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Sep 22, 2021

Pokémon Unite has finally launched for smartphones and arrives with a space themed battle pass, brand new skins, and more. The game also includes a new Unite Squads feature to bring together different players with a similar goal.

For those unaware, the game had first launched on the Nintendo Switch back in July 2021. Now, it is finally available on smartphones as a free to play title that lets you join online battles. With its launch of the mobile platform, the game also arrives with Galactic Ghost 094 battle pass. This is a notable addition to the title, although, it is unlikely to bring a significant addition to the established lore.

Alongside the new battle pass, the game also brings new space themed items that your trainer can wear. All of these will be available for those who complete missions. Although, there will be even more customization offered to the premium users who buy the new battle pass. Furthermore, the game also arrives with the highly anticipated Mamoswine and Sylveon as playable characters for your roster along with special missions reprising the Switch launch’s bonus.

As of right now, the mobile version of the game has already generated around five million pre-registrations and for this milestone the game is also hosting an event, which will be exclusive top the mobile version. This event will rewards players with Aeos tickets, a license for Pikachu, and a Holowear for the yellow monster called Festival Style. The game will offer another 1,000 Aeos tickets if the game reached 7.5 million unique registrations.

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[Update: Response] Lithuania asks users to throw away Xiaomi phones due to censorship concerns

By

Zohaib Ahmed

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Sep 22, 2021

UPDATE:

A Xiaomi spokesperson has now dismissed the report by Lithuania’s Defense Ministry saying that they do not restrict or intercept any user behavior:

“Xiaomi has never and will never restrict or block any personal behaviors of our smartphone users, such as searching, calling, web browsing, or the use of third-party communication software,” the statement said. “Xiaomi fully respects and protects the legal rights of all users,” it added.

The spokesperson also emphasized that Xiaomi complies with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Original story follows…

The Defense Ministry of Lithuania recommended that consumers should avoid buying Chinese phones and throw away the ones they already have in the light of a new report that found built-in censorship capabilities on some devices.

The country’s state-run cybersecurity body said on Tuesday that flagship Xiaomi phones have a built-in ability to detect and censor terms like “Free Tibet,” “Long live Taiwan independence”, or “democracy movement.”

This ability has been turned off for the European Union region on the Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G but still exists nonetheless. However, it can easily be turned on remotely at any time, the Defense Ministry’s National Cyber Security Center said in the report.

A total of 449 terms are possibly being censored by the system apps on Xiaomi devices including the default Internet browser. This list is constantly being updated.

Further, the Xiaomi phone was found to be sending encrypted phone usage data to a server in Singapore.

Xiaomi did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

“This is important not only to Lithuania but to all countries which use Xiaomi equipment,” the Centre said in the report.

Huawei isn’t free from such flaws either as a security hole was found in the Huawei P40 5G as well. However, Huawei’s representative in the Baltics told the BNS news wire that its phones do not send users’ data to external sources.

No such issues were found on OnePlus though.

Due to all this, Deputy Defense Minister Margiris Abukevicius told reporters that their “recommendation is to not buy new Chinese phones, and to get rid of those already purchased as fast as reasonably possible.”

Relations between Lithuania and China have soured lately, especially after China’s demands last month to withdraw Lithuania’s ambassador in Beijing. The country also said that it would recall its envoy to Vilnius after Taiwan announced that its mission in Lithuania would be called the Taiwanese Representative Office.

Taiwanese diplomatic missions in Europe and the United States refer to the city of Taipei in order to avoid referencing the island itself, which China claims as its own.

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OPPO F19s India launch date revealed, OPPO Reno6 Pro 5G Diwali Edition might tag along

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Sep 22, 2021

The OPPO F19s is in the news for the past few days. This handset will be a special edition of the already available OPPO F19 for the Diwali festive season. The company has now officially revealed the launch date of this phone. This device could be also accompanied by new variants of OPPO Reno6 Pro 5G and OPPO Enco Buds.

In a press release sent to us, OPPO has confirmed that it will launch the OPPO F19s in India on September 27. The firm says that the smartphone will feature a new AG design to offer fingerprint resistance.

It also says that the handset will get its juice from a 5,000mAh battery with support for 33W VOOC Flash Charge technology. The brand claims that its charging solution is 13% faster than the competition. The phone can be fully charged in 72 minutes and users can expect over 5 hours and 45 minutes of calling or about 2 hours of YouTube with just 5 minutes of charging.

Further, according to the promo page on Flipkart, the OPPO F19s will arrive with the OPPO Glow Design (the official name of AG design). This smartphone will be the first in India with AG Shimmering Sand Technology.

As the leaks pointed out, the handset will be available in two colors, namely Glowing Gold and Glowing Black. It is said to sport a 3D curved body with a thickness of 7.95mm.

As far as specs are concerned, the OPPO F19s is expected to have the same set of features as the vanilla OPPO F19. This means OPPO is merely refreshing the phone with a new design to attract customers during the festive season sales.

According to Flipkart, OPPO will be also launching OPPO Reno6 Pro 5G Diwali Edition (Gold color) and OPPO Enco Buds in Blue color. Though there are no release dates for these products, they could go official alongside the OPPO F19s.

Meizu 18s series announced in China with improved battery life, performance, & heat dissipation

By

Zohaib Ahmed

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Sep 22, 2021

Meizu today held an Autumn product release event where it unveiled its flagship Meizu 18s series, comprised of the Meizu 18s and 18s Pro. Both the devices sport the most powerful processor from Qualcomm – Snapdragon 888 Plus – which is essentially an overclocked version of the already ultrafast Snapdragon 888 chip. They will boot into the latest Flyme 9.2 and will come with a “Unicorn EVO” color scheme.

Meizu 18S Display

The Meizu 18s will come with a 6.2-inch QHD+ AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate support, while the Meizu 18s Pro will have a 6.7-inch QHD+ AMOLED 120Hz display.

Battery & performance

The Meizu 18s series has been promised to offer excellent battery life, just as its predecessors. However, there are a few upgrades this time around due to which the performance, battery life, and heat dissipation have been improved. The battery specs of the Meizu 18s is 3910mAh with support for 36W charging, while the Meizu 18s Pro comes with a 4410 mAh battery that can be charged at 40W.

The gaming performance has been boosted as well thanks to Game Mode 5.0 that will allow unlocking a device’s maximum performance potential at the touch of a button. Despite this, the device should be able to keep heating under check because of the implementation of a ‘real-time dynamic temperature control technology’ that significantly reduces heat generation.

Cameras on the Meizu 18s & 18s Pro

The Meizu 18s will sport a 64-megapixel primary sensor, a 16-megapixel secondary lens, and an 8-megapixel sensor completing the triple-camera setup. The front snapper will have a resolution of 16-megapixels.

On the other hand, the Meizu 18s Pro will have a 50-megapixel + 32-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 0.3-megapixel quad-camera setup. It will feature a 44-megapixel sensor on the front side.

Both devices come pre-installed with the latest ‘Rainbow Soft algorithm’ that brings improvements to portrait mode, video, night scene, and anti-shake performance. The new algorithm helps capture better night shots by stacking 10 photos.

Other specifications

Other specifications include LPDDR5 RAM combined with UFS 3.1 storage for faster app loading speeds and support for Wi-Fi 6. Both models come with in-display fingerprint sensors for added security.

Storage & color options

The pricing for all the Meizu 18s variants is as follows:

3699 Yuan (~$571) for 8GB + 128GB
3999 Yuan (~$618) for 8GB + 256GB
4299 Yuan (~$665) 12GB + 256GB

And as for the Meizu 18s Pro, the pricing goes like this:

4599 Yuan (~$711) for 8GB + 128GB
4999 Yuan (~$773) for 8GB + 256GB
5399 Yuan (~$834) for 12GB + 256GB

The Meizu 18s series unicorn color scheme is named “Unicorn EVO”, and adopts three latest third-generation design technologies. The color options are depicted below.

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Airbus showcases CityBus NextGen, an autonomous flying electric vehicle

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Sep 22, 2021

Airbus has just showcased its idea of the future of urban transportation. The company has revealed the CityBus NextGen, which is an autonomous flying electric vehicle that could be available in the future.

For those unaware, the company had revealed the CityBus concept for the first time back in 2019. However, back then, the design was akin to an eVTOL (Electric Vertical Take Off and Landing) vehicle and had eight rotors and was autonomously piloted. And now, the company has iterated on the design and form factor of this multi passenger vehicle, making it more sleek with a new futuristic aesthetic that resembles vehicles from a sci fi movie.

According to ExecutiveTraveller, this is Airbus’ attempt into entering the emerging Urban Air Mobility (UAM) market. The CityBus NextGen is a fully electric airborne vehicle, which can function as a flying Uber/taxi or as a personal shuttle. In the new design, the flying vehicle now features a V shaped tail, which repackages its eight electrically powered propellers. The company claims that it will be exceptionally quiet during fly over and landing. Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even stated that “We are on a quest to co-create an entirely new market that sustainably integrates urban air mobility into the cities while addressing environmental and social concerns.”

He further added that “Airbus is convinced that the real challenges are as much about urban integration, public acceptance, and automated air traffic management, as about vehicle technology and business models. We build on all of the capabilities to deliver a safe, sustainable, and fully integrated service to society.” Similar to its predecessor, the CityBus NextGen can carry up to four passengers in a zero emission flight with a targeted range of 80 kilometers at a 120km/h cruise speed.

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Samsung Galaxy A13 5G will feature 50MP camera, 5,000mAh battery: Report

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Sep 22, 2021

The Galaxy A22 5G is currently the most affordable 5G smartphone from Samsung. At the end of August, news broke out that the upcoming Galaxy A13 5G will soon take on this mantle. The source that shared this information is now back again with more details about the successor of Galaxy A12.

The existence of Galaxy A13 5G was revealed by GalaxyClub. According to the publication, this handset will bear the model number SM-A136B. A new report by the same publication has now revealed the camera and battery specs of the phone.

According to the latest report by GalayClub, the forthcoming Galaxy A13 5G will arrive with a 50MP primary camera. Unfortunately, the exact sensor is not known. Anyway, going by the recent budget smartphones like Redmi 10 with a 50MP Samsung ISOCELL JN1 sensor, the Galaxy A13 5G may also have the same sensor.

Further, the device is said to be backed by a 5,000mAh battery. It is common for budget smartphones to feature a larger battery. Even the Galaxy A12 had the same amount of battery.

Apart from these two specifics, we know nothing about the Galaxy A13 5G at the moment. However, we expect to learn more about this handset in the coming days.

Samsung may unveil the Galaxy A13 5G before the end of 2021. But the phone will most likely hit the shelves in early 2022.

Global Chip Shortage issue intensifies, wait times hit record 21 weeks

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Sep 22, 2021

The wait times for companies looking for chipsets have risen even further. In August, the industry has hit a record 21 weeks lead time, which is indicative of the global chip shortage issue worsening over time.

For those unaware, the world is facing a shortage of semiconductors at the moment. This has affected various industries across the globe, including the automobile, consumer electronics, and others. Lack of chips has led to carmakers halting production, while the electronics industry’s growth has also been stunted. According to research from Susquehanna Financial Group (Via Bloomberg), the lead times for chips has risen again and reached 21 weeks last month.

This marked a lead time rise of 6 days over July 2021. In layman’s terms, the gap between companies placing an order for semiconductors and receiving delivery has been on the rise. Back in July, we had reported on wait times hitting a record 18 weeks. As of right now, the gap is the longest wait times ever since the firm began tracking semiconductors since 2017.

Furthermore, the report found that the lead times for analog and Broadcom chips have also gotten worse, but the power management chips and certain optoelectronic components have seen a positive trend recently. Notably, the shortage of semiconductors have also impacted recovery from the Coronavirus pandemic. This holds especially true for the automobile industry, with reports suggestions that the entire automotive industry will lose around 110 billion US Dollars in sales.

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