Next Week in Tech: iPhone 13 series, Huawei event, Xiaomi 11T series, and more

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Sep 11, 2021

There is a lot to look forward to this week if you are a phone geek, most especially those who are Apple fans. The American company has got multiple new products launching this week that will be the headlines for days if not weeks to come. For non-Apple fans, there are other exciting things coming too. Xiaomi and Huawei both have events this week and there will be several new products unveiled. Here is a roundup of what is coming next week:

Tecno Spark 8 – September 13

Transsion Holdings-owned brand, Tecno, will kick off the week with the launch of its Spark 8 smartphone. The entry-level phone already launched in Nigeria but will be making its way to India next week. The specs are pretty modest and Tecno will ship it with Android 11 Go Edition.

Infinix Zero X – September 13

Another Transsion Holdings brand, Infinix, will be announcing a new smartphone on September 13 too. It has been reported that the Infinix Zero X will launch with an Helio G96 processor under its hood, a display with a high refresh rate, and a triple camera setup on the rear that includes a sensor with a periscope lens.

Huawei Event – September 13

Huawei will be announcing multiple new computer-related products at an event in China on September 13. It has been reported that the event will see Huawei announce its first office printer. It is also expected that Huawei will announce an All-in-One PC and new MateBook computers too.

Apple Event – September 14

Apple has scheduled an announcement for new products on Tuesday, September 14. It is expected to unveil the new iPhone 13 series, the Apple Watch 7 series, new iPads, and new MacBooks.

The new iPhones will be the highlight of the event which will be live-streamed. The iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max will come with a new powerful processor, a smaller notch, bigger batteries, and support for faster charging.

Xiaomi Event – September 15

On Wednesday, September 15, Xiaomi will have a global event during which it will announce a bunch of new products. The star of the launch will be the Xiaomi 11T/Mi 11T series and the global launch of the Mi Pad 5. However, there are bound to be other product announcements too.

Infinix Hot 11S – September 17

Infinix will have another launch but in India. This time, it will announce the Hot 11S, an Helio G88-powered smartphone with quad rear cameras. While the specs may be uninteresting the phone does have a nice design that will turn heads.

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Micromax IN Note 1 Pro India launch timeline tipped

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Sep 11, 2021

Samsung introduced ‘Note’ branding for smartphones with the launch of its iconic Galaxy Note lineup. On the other hand, Xiaomi popularised this name with its Redmi Note series in the budget segment. There are also other Note-branded handsets like Micromax IN Note 1. This particular phone is now said to get a Pro model.

Micromax IN Note 1 Featured — Micromax IN Note 1

As per tech influencer Mukul Sharma (@stufflistings), Micromax’s upcoming phone will be called Micromax IN Note 1 Pro. He says that this device will launch at the end of September.

Apart from the name of the smartphone and its release timeline, Sharma does not reveal anything else about this device. But we do know that it could be powered by a MediaTek Helio G90 chipset.

In related news, the world’s fastest-growing smartphone brand realme may also introduce the realme Note series in the near future. These phones called realme Note 9 and realme Note 9 Prime might go official next year at around the same time as the realme 9 series.

As mentioned in the beginning, only Samsung and Xiaomi have managed to be associated with the Note branding though there are many Notes out there. Only time will tell if Micromax and realme can do the same.

Ulefone Armor 12 5G production video is a feast to watch

By

Simranpal Singh

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Sep 11, 2021

Ulefone recently launched a promising rugged smartphone, the Armor 12 5G, bringing upgrades in areas wherever it’s necessary than its predecessors. Despite featuring much-improved specs and features, Ulefone was able to make the device thin and light. All thanks to the engineering prowess, the Armor 12 5G is a rugged phone which most of us will love to grab. In case if you’re curious to know how Ulefone was able to give us Armor 12 5G with such a decent build, then the company has released a video on how the Armor 12 5G is made in the factory.

Must See: Ulefone Armor 12 5G flexes its muscles in an Official Video

The Official Video lasting up to 1 minute and 19 seconds takes you through the key steps in the manufacturing of the Armor 12 5G. You will be able to see the spacious factory, advanced production equipment, professional R&D team, and skilled workers of Ulefone. It’s literally a feast to watch and have a glimpse of the manufacturing and assembly process carried out behind the Armor 12 5G. Indeed an engineering marvel!

In case if you’re unaware, the Ulefone Armor 12 5G is the world’s first antibacterial dual 5G rugged phone. It is powered by Dimensity 700 5G octa-core chipset, paired with 8GB RAM + 128GB ROM storage, and supports a much advanced Dual 5G Hyperfast network. Keeping the lights on of the device is a 5180mAh battery that supports 15W wireless charging. It boasts a 6.52-inch waterdrop screen, 48MP quad rear camera, and runs the latest available Android 11 OS.

The USP of the device is the presence of Silver ion antibacterial coating claimed to eliminate bacteria up to 99.9%. This could be useful especially in this challenging era where pathogens have created havoc all around the globe. Furthermore, the device itself is rated IP68/69K for waterproof and drop resistance.

Ulefone has started the pre-sale of the Armor 12 5G through its official webpage. The pre-ordered devices are expected to ship starting from September 15^th. You may visit www.ulefone.com for more info and the availability in your region.

Related: Ulefone Armor 12 5G excels with dual HiFi speaker and headset-free FM Radio

Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch 4 bands are eco-friendly & recyclable

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 11, 2021

Samsung has released six watch bands for the Galaxy Watch 4. The limited-edition watch bands are made from eco-friendly, recyclable materials including apple peels, according to the South Korea-based company. The new watchband was designed and produced in collaboration with fashion designer Sami Miro. Miro’s previous collections have used some of the materials deployed in the new Samsung collection of watch bands.

The six watch bands are Midnight Black, Stratus Sky (both made 100 percent from apple peels), Aurora Night, Cloud Navy, Earth Sunrise, and Dawn Atlas (made of thermoplastic polyurethane recyclable materials). Both the Midnight Black and Stratus Sky watch bands amazingly retain the premium look of leather even though they are made from non-animal materials. The six Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 replacement watch bands are available at a starting price of $39.99.

While the new watch bands align with a conscious policy by Samsung to reduce its carbon footprint, there are still several areas where the company needs massive improvements. The durability of these new watch bands may not be as strong as the traditional materials, but they are important improvements all the same. However, much still needs to be done in terms of the reparability of most of its devices. In addition, the eco-friendly status of much of Samsung’s production facilities in several countries is still very low, while in some other countries, the company has fully transited to renewable energy in such plants.

Samsung has also introduced three new watch faces and they can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.

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New Google Tensor details surface, reveals it will have dual Cortex-X1 super cores

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 11, 2021

The Google Pixel 6 series is highly anticipated. Not only is Google revamping the design this year, but the new phones will also be powered by Google’s own processor which is dubbed Google Tensor. New details of the processor have leaked and they reveal an interesting detail.

Just like this year’s flagship chipsets from Qualcomm and Samsung i.e. the Snapdragon 888/Snapdragon 888+ and the Exynos 2100, a leak by the Chinese leaker, Digital Chat Station, has revealed that the Tensor processor will also feature Arm’s Cortex-A1 CPU core. However, it won’t have one but two of these cores. The info was revealed in a Weibo post.

The leaker revealed the processor will have the two Cortex-X1 cores clocked at 2.8GHz along with two high-performance cores clocked at 2.25GHz and four efficiency cores clocked at 1.8GHz. The CPU is paired with the Mali-G78 GPU whose clockspeed wasn’t revealed.

An earlier report disclosed that the Google Tensor chip will be built on Samsung’s 5nm node. The processor will bring key improvements in AI tasks such as translation, captioning, and dictation. Google has also revealed that the phones will feature the most layers of hardware security in any phone.

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will have displays with a punch hole for the front-facing camera. The former will have two rear cameras while the pro model will have three rear cameras that include one with a telephoto lens that provides 4x optical zoom.

Google is yet to announce a date for the release of the phones but multiple sources point to an October release date.

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New Qualcomm mid-range chips on the way, will support 144Hz refresh rate

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 11, 2021

Qualcomm has announced a handful of processors this year but it still has more in the pipeline as revealed by a new report. These new processors will launch under the mid-range category.

These new processors will be launching under the Snapdragon 600 series according to their part numbers discovered by Winfuture.de. There is also a possibility that the chipsets may have gaming variants, so we may see the G-suffix naming which Qualcomm uses for the Snapdragon 700 series get applied to the Snapdragon 600 series too.

Qualcomm SM6375

The SM6375 is expected to launch in four variants all of which will have different CPU and GPU clock rates but the same base. All four will have 8 CPU cores made up of four Gold cores and four Silver cores. Below are the configurations that have been spotted. The GPU clock speed is said to be between 940Hz and 960Hz.

4x Gold cores at 2.1GHz + 4x Silver cores 1.8GHz
4x Gold cores at 2.2GHz + 4x Silver cores 2.0GHz
4x Gold cores at 2.3GHz + 4x Silver cores 2.1GHz
4x Gold cores at 2.5GHz + 4x Silver cores 2.2GHz

The source reports that one of the developer platforms based on one of the chips has a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz which further reinforces the speculation that at least one of the processors may have the G-suffix. A wild guess says we may see two of the chips arrive as the Snapdragon 695 and Snapdragon 695G respectively.

Qualcomm SM6225

The Snapdragon SM6225 is the second chipset that was discovered by the source and it is expected to launch under the Snapdragon 690 which has part number SM6350. However, there are similarities between the chipset and the Snapdragon 765 a.k.a. SM7250. Unfortunately, more specific details about the CPU and GPU are not available, though it has been reported that the specs of the testing platforms are in line with mid-range devices such as 6GB of RAM, 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage, and a 90Hz FHD+ display.

Both the Qualcomm SM6375 and the Qualcomm SM6225 are manufactured by TSMC but their node size is unknown. Also, the chips should launch this year as the above details are said to be at least two months old already.

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Apple vs Epic: Apple ordered to allow alternative forms of in-app purchase

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 11, 2021

The year-long Apple versus Epic case instituted at a California court has been concluded with the Judge making a couple of important rulings. Judge Yvonne G. Rogers has issued a permanent injunction that restricts Apple from enforcing some of its previous restrictions as it relates to in-app purchases in the App Store.

According to the court papers released, Judge Rogers stated that Apple is permanently restrained and enjoined from prohibiting developers from including in their apps external links that direct users to purchasing mechanisms, communicating with customers through points of contacts obtained voluntarily from the app. In simple terms, however, this means that going forward, iOS apps must now be allowed to direct customers to payment options outside those offered by Apple. Pending no appeal, the ruling will come into force within 90 days (December 9).

However, Apple seems to have avoided any damages over the substantive issue which was also decided upon by the court. The court ruled that Epic Games breached its contract with Apple when it unilaterally implemented the alternative payment system in the Fortnite game app. Epic was therefore directed to pay Apple 30 percent of all revenue collected through the system before Apple pulled the game from its store in August 2020. Apple will therefore receive $3.5 million from Epic.

While Apple has put a statement in support of the decision, Epic could be preparing an appeal of the ruling in a higher court, as it is unsatisfied with the decision. The court failed to support the deputation by Epic, the plaintiff, that Apple was monopolistic, although it reflected that Apple is engaging in anticompetitive conduct under California’s competition laws. Apple says it remains committed to ensuring the App Store is a safe and trusted marketplace.

Apple had come under closer regulatory scrutiny after the case was filed by Epic in August 2020. It is already under some form of restrictions notably from Japan and South Korea, and the new ruling will further keep the company and its marketplace practices in the spotlight.

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Samsung Galaxy A52s gets virtual RAM upgrade with latest update

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 11, 2021

Samsung is introducing the virtual RAM capability to its devices and this has commenced with the Galaxy A52s 5G smartphone released recently. The virtual RAM approach to enhancing the capability of Android devices is a growing trend begun by some Chinese pacesetters.

The update of the Galaxy A52s 5G RAM resources is powered by the new program called RAM Plus which enables users of the device in certain regions including India, to automatically install a software update that will thereafter create an additional 4GB of RAM capability using the device’s internal storage. The approach is not new per se, as the pagefiles method had existed before now. The RAM Plus is thus a rehash of the memory paging feature in Android and other devices.

The version of the software is A528BXXU1AUH9 and is applicable for the Galaxy A52s 5G in India. The download is 250MB and is speculated that this upgrade will improve the camera and overall device stability, as well as provide additional resources to install more apps on the device. Users in India and other regions where the RAM upgrade is available should go to the Settings menu on their A52s 5G smartphone and choose Software Update to download and install the new RAM upgrade software. It is also possible to manually download the firmware and install it on your device.

The Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G processor, which is the major distinguishing feature between it and the Galaxy A52 5G which was released earlier in the year. It is unclear which other smartphones are lined up for the RAM Plus feature, as Samsung is yet to provide those details at this time.

Honor X20 Max codenamed “King Kong” to launch with dual speakers and upgraded specs

By

Pranav Sawant

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Sep 11, 2021

Last month, Honor Unveiled the Honor X20 5G smartphone with a 120Hz refresh rate display, a triple camera system, and a Dimensity 900 SoC. Now, Honor is expected to launch its sibling dubbed Honor X20 Max soon as the phone was subject to multiple rumors. Today, a popular tipster has revealed some key details of the smartphone.

As per the tipster, the Honor X20 Max carries the model number KKG-AN70. It is codenamed “King Kong” which interestingly is the same codename as the predecessor Honor X10 Max. Additionally, it is said to have a symmetrical dual speaker setup.

The Honor X20 Max is touted to be a 5G phone and it may come with a 7.2-inch massive screen. To recall, the predecessor came with a 7-inch panel with an FHD+ resolution. That said, we can expect the phone to have either an FHD+ or a better screen resolution.

Under the hood, the device will come powered by the MediaTek Dimenstiy 1100 SoC. It will pack a massive 6,000mAh battery with support for 66W fast charging technology.

Apart from this, the phone is expected to come with an improved camera system. The predecessor X10 Max was launched with a 48MP + 2MP dual-camera system. The recently launched X20 has a triple camera system with a 64MP main, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro unit. The X20 Max may come with RAM expansion technology which will allow the device to use some space from the storage as RAM.

As of now, Honor hasn’t revealed any launch details of the X20 Max. But, considering the pace of these leaks, we expect the company to break silence soon.

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Apple warns iPhone cameras can be damaged by motorcycle vibrations

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 11, 2021

iPhones have been used as navigational devices thanks to their powerful GPS capabilities. It is common to see iPhones mounted on motorbikes guiding the drivers in navigating uncharted terrains. However, Apple is saying that these iPhones mounted on motorbikes are liable to have their cameras permanently damaged due to the excessive vibrations from the motorcycles.

A new Apple Support post indicates that Apple is warning users that high amplitude vibrations generated by high-powered engines of motorcycles could damage the cameras of iPhones. Sometimes the damage could be permanent, according to the post. Bike riders usually mount their expensive iPhones on their bikes as a navigational tool.

The iPhone camera’s optical image stabilizer (OIS) and closed-loop autofocus (AF), according to Apple, could be damaged by such excessive vibrations. All iPhone models since iPhone 7 have both the OIS and AF features, which can be damaged when the device is exposed to excessive vibrations. These vibrations only apply to high-powered motorcycle engines and not e-bikes and mopeds which can have vibration dampening mounts for the iPhone.

Apple’s advisory on the use of iPhones on motorcycles may pose some questions for users. However, it is suggested that if the aim is to use a GPS device on your motorcycle, then you can get alternative and cheaper devices to provide the needed navigation when using your motorbike. The costs of repair of damaged iPhones can be highly prohibitive, hence the need to avoid such expensive repairs.

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Huawei schedules a global event for October 21, Could be for the Huawei P50 series

By

Pranav Sawant

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Sep 11, 2021

Huawei seems to launch a new smartphone soon as the company has scheduled a launch event for October 21. Although not confirmed, rumors point to the global release of the Huawei P50 series of smartphones.

According to the teaser poster, Huawei will unveil a new product and it will be a smartphone. The poster showcases a phone’s side view and it is purported to be the Huawei P50. However, the company is also expected to launch the Huawei Nova 9 globally. For those who are unaware, Huawei will unveil the Nova 9 smartphone on September 23 in China.

The Huawei Nova 9 will be a mid-range smartphone powering the Qualcomm Snapdragon 788G SoC. It is expected to feature an OLED display panel which will also double up as an in-display fingerprint sensor. It will pack a 4,500mAh battery, whereas, the Pro model will have a smaller 4,000mAh battery. The Pro will bag a 66W fast charging support.

Moving back to the Huawei P50 series, which apparently might make a global debut, comprises the P50 and P50 Pro. The vanilla is powered by the Snapdragon 888 SoC, whereas, the Pro has two versions – a Kirin 9000 powered device and a Snapdragon 888 powered phone. The duo features OLED displays with a 6.5-inch 90Hz panel on the P50 and a 6.6-inched curved 120Hz panel on the Pro.

The series is 4G-only and comes with a great camera system. The Huawei P50 has a triple camera system with a 50MP main sensor, a 13MP ultra-wide lens, and a 12MP telephoto camera. On the othet hand, the Huawei P50 Pro has a quad camera array with a 50MP main, a 40MP B&W sensor, and a 13MP ultra-wide lens, and a 64MP telephoto sensor.

If the P50 series indeed makes a global debut on October 21, it will be a tough competition to the global smartphone leaders like Samsung and Apple.

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Alleged Realme Q5 series phone’s full specs, images appear at TENAA

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 11, 2021

A mysterious Realme smartphone with model number RMX3357 has received certification from the TENAA authority of China. As usual, the listing has revealed the design and key specifications of the smartphone. A tipster from China claims that this device will break cover as the Realme Q5 series phone.

The TENAA listing revealed that the Realme RMX3357 measures 159 x 73 x 8.4mm and weighs 186 grams. It houses a 6.43-inch OLED display that offers a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels. The front image of the phone reveals that it has a punch-hole positioned at the upper-left corner. The tipster claimed that it may carry support for a 90Hz/120Hz refresh rate.

For selfies, it has a front camera of 16-megapixel. The rear shell of the smartphone has a 64-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel lens, and a 2-megapixel shooter. It runs on Android 11 OS.

The handset is expected to arrive with Dimensity 1200 chipset. It houses a 4,400mAh rated battery, which may carry support for 65W fast charging. It features an in-screen fingerprint scanner and a 3.5mm audio jack.

The specification of the phone is almost identical to the upcoming OPPO K9 Pro. The Realme Q3 Pro powered by the Dimensity 1100 chipset is the most powerful phone in the Q3 series. Hence, it is likely that the Realme RMX3357 phone with Dimensity 1200 may debut as the Realme Q5 Pro. Hopefully, newer reports will reveal the exact moniker of the device.

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Apple iPhone SE 3 will be the cheapest 5G iPhone, Concept renders Surfaced

By

Pranav Sawant

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Sep 11, 2021

Earlier we reported that Apple will launch the next Special Edition smartphone in 2022. Rumors have it that the smartphone may come powered by the Apple A14 Bionic chipset and will have a familiar design. Now, a new report suggests that the iPhone SE 3(a.k.a iPhone SE 2022) will be the cheapest 5G iPhone. Additionally, the concept renders of the smartphone have also been surfaced.

According to popular Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone SE 3 will be a 5G phone and it will be the cheapest 5G Apple device next year. It is touted to be even cheaper than the existing Apple iPhone 12 mini.

iPhone SE 3 Lineup Concept #Apple #AppleConcept #iPhoneSE3 pic.twitter.com/scEJ9lEuRH

— Majin Bu 🫵 (@MajinBuOfficial) September 8, 2021

Hopping to the concept renders, the iPhone SE 3 looks exactly like the iPhone XR but with a slightly tweaked camera module. It has a single camera at the rear and an LED flash just beside the lens.

Notably, it seems to come in multiple colors and the concept renders give us an idea of what to expect. It has Red, Orange, Green, Yellow, Blue, and Purple colors.

Interestingly, the other renders of the phone showcase the Bicolor shades of the phone where the device has a dual-tone color scheme. It flaunts the Apple branding at the center, and half of the back panel has a darker shade, whereas, the other part of the panel has a lighter shade.

Bicolor pic.twitter.com/dDdX4p3fS6

— Majin Bu 🫵 (@MajinBuOfficial) September 8, 2021

The smartphone features a notch display, and by no means it is like the rumored iPhone 13 screens. It has the same size notch as the iPhone XR, iPhone 11, and the button positionings are also the same.

That said, the iPhone SE 3 is not expected to bring anything new, especially in terms of the design. At the helm, it is speculated to come powered by the Apple A14 Bionic chipset which is the same as the existing iPhone 12 series.

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iQOO Z5 Pro key specifications leaked, 3C certified

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 11, 2021

Recently, a Vivo smartphone bearing the V2148A model number was certified by the TENAA telecom authority of China. The handset has now received approval from China’s 3C regulatory body. The previously seen IMEI database listing of the device revealed that it may debut with the iQOO Z5 Pro moniker. Some Chinese tipsters have shared the key specifications of the device.

The 3C certification of the Vivo V2148A has revealed that it may ship with a 44W charger. The listing confirms that it will come with support for 5G connectivity. According to Digital Chat Station, this phone will carry support for a 120Hz refresh rate, and it will be powered by the Snapdragon 778G SoC.

Another Weibo user has claimed that it will be sporting an LCD screen, a side-facing fingerprint scanner, a 64-megapixel main camera, a 5,000mAh battery, dual speakers, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Past reports that the iQOO Z5 series includes three models such as iQOO Z5, Z5 Pro, and Z5x. While the specifications of the Z5 are not known, it is speculated to launch this month in India.

Recently, two Vivo smartphones with model numbers V2130A and V2131A were spotted at the Google Play Console with identical specs. It is speculated that the V2130A will debut in the Chinese market as the Vivo S10e.

The IMEI database appearance of the V2131A has revealed that it may debut as the iQOO Z5x. Hence, it appears that the Z5x could be a rebranded version of the S10e. The S10e is expected to arrive with specs such as a 6.44-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, Dimensity 900, up to 12 GB RAM, up to 256 GB storage, a 32-megapixel front camera, a 64-megapixel triple camera system, and a 3,970mAhbattery.

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realme C25Y tipped to launch in India this month

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Sep 11, 2021

Last month, realme launched a smartphone called realme C21Y in India. This device is a new variant of the already available realme C21 with a different chipset. Now, according to the latest information, the realme C25 will be also getting a new version in the form of realme C25Y later this month in India.

realme C25 Water Blue Featured 01 — realme C25

According to a report by 91Mobiles, the world’s fastest-growing smartphone brand will be releasing yet another handset after the recent launch of realme 8i and realme 8s in India this month. As per the publication’s industry sources, this phone will be called realme C25Y.

Unfortunately, the report does not say anything about this upcoming device’s specs. But since it has a similar name to the realme C21Y, we believe it will be identical to the realme C25, except for the chipset. Also, it will be the second variant of realme C25 after the realme C25s.

Hence, we can expect the realme C25Y to arrive with features like 6.5-inch HD+ display (LCD), 13MP (wide) + 2MP (monochrome) + 2MP (macro) triple camera setup, 8MP selfie camera, realme UI 2.0 based on Android 11, 3.5mm headphone jack, MicroSD card slot, USB Type-C port, rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, 6,000mAh battery, and 18W fast charging.

Having said that, since the exact launch date for realme C25Y is a mystery, it could go official any day by the end of September.

Indian brands dominate Smartwatch market as Shipments Triple YoY in Q2 2021

By

Ashutosh

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Sep 11, 2021

According to the latest research from Counterpoint’s IoT Service, smartwatch shipments in India tripled in Q2 2021 compared to the same period last year, with 206% YoY and 18% QoQ growth during the quarter. Affordable offerings, new players, variable customer preferences, and post lockdown demand recovery were the key factors behind the hike in numbers.

India Wearables (Smartwatch) Market Share of Top 5 Brands, Q2 2021 vs Q2 2020 — Source: Counterpoint Research

The market is getting competitive as more and more players are entering the market, smartwatches are being preferred over traditional watches for their feature-rich interface and compatibility to get paired with smartphones. This in turn has also resulted in the availability of smartwatches in lower price brackets. Indian brands continue to dominate the market, with the top three brands in the Indian smartwatch market being domestic and have over a three-fifths share of the total market.

The market is going to increase further, with more brands lined up to enter the market in the future. Around 10 brands have already entered since the beginning of 2021. The major highlight is the domestic production growth. Samsung is already producing smartwatches in India since June 2020. Other players like realme, and Timex are also exploring options for domestic production as it would help reduce the prices and dependence on imports.

A Research Associate at Counterpoint Research states, “We are witnessing many new launches in the sub-INR 5,000 segment, which saw its contribution rising to 83% in the overall market in Q2 2021, compared to 67% in Q2 2020. Due to this, the ASP (average selling price) of smartwatches decreased by 36% in Q2 2021 compared to the same period last year. We are also seeing features like Voice Assistant, Bluetooth Calling, SpO2, and Blood Pressure Monitor trickling down from high-end models to the low-end ones.”

Some key highlights are:

Noise tops the charts for the fourth consecutive quarter.
boAt Storm leads the best-selling model list for the quarter.
Marketing is dominated by Indian brands that occupy 70% of the total shipments.

Related:

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Kuo: Apple Watch Series 8 and Future AirPods to include Body Temperature sensor for better Health Management

By

Ashutosh

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Sep 11, 2021

In the past few years, health management has become the primary focus for Apple. With features like ECG monitoring, fall detection, and blood oxygen measuring, Apple Watch ensures that users are regularly updated about their health. The renowned Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, has commented on the future Airpods and Apple Watch Series 8.

Kuo believes that demand for the Apple Watch in 2022 will be high as the health management is going to be on a completely new level with the addition of new health management features and among them, body temperature measurement will be the major highlight. This feature would literally turn the Apple Watch into a thermometer. The advantages of having a thermometer on the wrist aren’t hidden from anyone. Bloomberg also reported that the Apple Watch would likely feature a body temperature sensor in 2022.

Apple CEO Tim Cook in an interview with Outside Magazine last year said the Apple Watch you see today is still in “the early innings” and there’s an enormous amount of sensors that could still be integrated into these watches. He believes if a car can have so many sensors, then our body must have them too.

Additionally, Kuo also talked about the future AirPods and how they will be synced with Apple Watch to provide health management functions, but the specifics of it are yet to be seen. Back in May 2020, a report surfaced that future AirPods would adopt new system-in-package technology with embedded AI, allowing the AirPods to “monitor heart rates, step counts, and health conditions.”

According to Kuo, the Chinese supplier Luxshare Precision will enjoy most of Apple’s health management hardware products contract.

Related:

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ib3tZdwTmg[/embedyt]

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TCL’s foldable Z Flip 3 rival program shelved for being too expensive

By

Ashutosh

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Sep 11, 2021

Among the top contenders in the foldable smartphones segment is the Chinese brand TCL. The company has been working on foldable devices for quite some time now and was able to draw a lot of attention with its prototypes. But it looks like their stint with their current project has finally come to an end as the foldable program codenamed the Project Chicago has been called off.

From what it appears, TCL could not keep the prices in the bracket they initially intended in order to compete with Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 and this became the reason for dropping the project. $800 was the cheapest TCL could make, the culprit being recent component shortages, and global pandemic.

“If somebody can spend $800, he can also spend $1,000… Probably, he will go for the brand he knows for many years and trusts more.” says TCL’s Chief Marketing Officer, Stefan Strait. TCL says with the ongoing chip shortage crisis, this may not be the right time to enter the market and has clarified that this decision was taken well before the Samsung Unpacked event.

The TCL foldable phone was close to getting mass-produced. The company recently sent CNET a prototype unit that was close to the production version. Strait has also confirmed that TCL’s first foldable is not in sight for at least 12 to 18 months. But when it comes, it won’t be a revamped version of the Chicago prototype, rather a completely new device.

However, TCL will continue to play an active role in the “5G for All” initiative and will deliver 5G solutions to all consumers across a variety of price points and product categories.

Chicago program might have gone to the bin, but the company still believes that foldable smartphones are the future. It’s just that they think these devices aren’t ready for the masses yet.

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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ib3tZdwTmg[/embedyt]

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Kuo hints Apple Watch Series 7 production challenges have now been resolved

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 10, 2021

A report emerged a couple of days back that the Apple Watch Series 7 could be delayed due to some production issues. There were doubts whether the new smart wearable will be part of the product lineup for Apple’s September 14 launch event. The event dubbed California Streaming will see some big announcements by Apple, but no details were provided on the specific production issues that could delay shipments till November 2021.

However, new details coming from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo indicates that all the production issues have now been resolved and the Apple Watch Series 7 will be released as originally scheduled. Apple will therefore begin shipment of the device by the end of September 2021.

This also means that the new Apple Watch Series 7 will share the spotlight with possibly the iPhone 13 and iPad that may be unveiled next week. Principally, it is believed that the production issues were around the adoption of many new panel-related production processes and a new choice of suppliers for the OLED screens of the smart wearables.

The Apple Watch Series 7 is rumored to have a sharp edge flat design like the iPhone 12. The panels use a contact design in favor of the cable design in previous models. Obviously, the new design approach brought in some complexities that warranted an adjustment of the production timelines. It is believed that Apple was able to rise to the production challenges, bringing the device back in line for its release this month.

Mass production of the Watch Series 7 panels, according to the analyst, will begin in mid-September. The California Streaming Apple launch event is billed for 10am PDT on September 14.

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New HUAWEI FreeBuds 4 variant lacks wireless charging

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

-

Sep 10, 2021

Huawei launched the HUAWEI FreeBuds 4 truly wireless earphones in May. Four months later, the company has now released a new variant of this product without wireless charging. Due to this missing feature, the latest version is slightly cheaper.

HUAWEI FreeBuds 4 Featured A — HUAWEI FreeBuds 4

The HUAWEI FreeBuds 4 Wired Charging Version is the official name of the latest TWS product from Huawei. These earbuds are priced at ¥899 ($140) in China.

This means they are ¥100 cheaper than the original HUAWEI FreeBuds 4, which retail for ¥999 ($155). Either way, the company is currently offering a ¥30 ($5) discount on both models for a limited time.

The new truly wireless earphones from Huawei are exactly the same as its original model from earlier this year. But as mentioned earlier, it lacks wireless charging and therefore, only charges via the USB Type-C port.

Talking about specs, these semi-open earbuds feature 14.3mm drivers and weigh about 4.1g each. They are IPX4-rated for splash resistance and support touch gesture controls.

The earphones connect via Bluetooth 5.2 and support dual-device connection as well as fast pairing with devices running EMUI 10 or above and HarmonyOS. Like most truly wireless earphones in the market, these also come with ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) and wear detection.

As far as endurance is concerned, Huawei claims 4 hours on a full charge and 22 hours with the charging case. It is worth noting that these numbers are for when ANC is disabled.

Last but not least, the HUAWEI FreeBuds 4 Wired Charging Version comes in three colors, namely Frost Silver, Ceramic White, and Honey Red.