Chip prices expected to rise into 2022, may impact brands like Apple: Report

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Sep 7, 2021

The prices for semiconductors is expected to rise well into next year, while major chip manufacturers like TSMC are expected to hike chip rates as well. This arrives amid a global shortage of semiconductors that has affected various industries across the globe, including brands like Apple.

According to a NikkeiAsia report, the prices of semiconductors have been on the rise since the last quarter of last year. The rates began rising with a supply shortage, following which, TSMC announced its biggest price hike in a decade. As of right now, the world’s largest contract chipmaker account for over half the global foundry market and has built chips for major tech giants like NVIDIA, Apple, Qualcomm, and others. The company is also known for its advanced chip technology and generally charges a fees 20 percent higher than its rivals.

Although, due to the shortage in semiconductors and TSMC running on full capacity, smaller foundries have also ramped up their own pricing due to high demands. These higher prices are due to a number of factors like higher material, logistics costs, and even the race between brands to acquire a steady chip supply. Notably, the Taiwanese chipmaker was slower than most other foundries in raising its prices, but that can also be attributed to the premium that it already charges.

A major implication of the rising price of semiconductors is the hike in cost of consumer electronic products like smartphones. Apple is a major client for TSMC, so rising prices might affect its iPhones and iPads as well. But, the Cupertino based brand could offset some of these costs due to its relation with the chipmaker as a major client.

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A Redmi smartphone with IP68 rating, 120W fast charging could launch soon

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Sep 7, 2021

We know that Xiaomi is working on a bunch of devices for the second half of 2021. We have been learning about these products every now and then. The latest leak regarding one of these upcoming phones reveals information about the first-ever IP68-certified Redmi smartphone for China.

Redmi K40 Pro Damascus Black Featured — Redmi K40 Pro

According to Digital Chat Station, Xiaomi is working on a Redmi-branded smartphone with IP68 certification for dust and water resistance. As per the tipster, this handset will come with dual stereo speakers and will support 120W fast charging. Anyway, it will be not the first Redmi device with IP68 certification as that title belongs to the Japan-exclusive Redmi Note 10 JE.

Going by the features, this device could be a high-end smartphone. Perhaps, it will go official as Redmi K40 Ultra. Since the forthcoming Xiaomi 11T Pro is tipped to have a similar set of specs, it could be the international variant of this Redmi phone.

We also cannot rule out the possibility of this handset belonging to the Redmi K50 series. It may be also part of a new lineup. Either way, we expect to grasp more details about this upcoming phone in the coming days.

Xiaomi’s Redmi brand has not launched any entry-level or budget smartphone in China for a long time. The last most affordable handset to hit this market was Redmi Note 9 4G at the end of November 2020. On the other hand, the same brand is still focusing on its old segments in international markets.

Ulefone Power Armor 13 passes rigorous Quality Test with flying colors

By

Simranpal Singh

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Sep 7, 2021

After going through the battery drain test and performance test, the Ulefone Armor 13 triumphed the Quality test. Ulefone is popularly known for quality rugged smartphones and the same is visible in this durability and quality test on the Ulefone Armor 13 smartphone.

Must See: Ulefone Power Armor 13 Performance Testing & Teardown [Videos]

As in the video, Ulefone Armor 13 smartphone has undergone several small tests ranging from tumbling tests to endurance tests. Apart from excelling in the waterproof, and dustproof tests, the smartphone survived 300 times tumbling test, 100,000 times dressing test. Moreover, it fared quite well in the 2000 times crushing test and 100,000 times touch screen test. The smartphone proves endurance when it was dropped 5000 times under a mini-drop endurance test. However, the USB endurance test is also performed 5000 times. Overall, the smartphone kept working throughout the testing and is in perfect condition without any damage and performance.

Ulefone Armor 13 smartphone offers some exceptional specifications with great durability. It is the best choice in the rugged smartphone market considering the features, specifications and pricing. The interested users can head over to the Ulefone official website to know more about the device.

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

Samsung seeks to take on Apple iPad Pro with new Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra

By

Sean

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Sep 7, 2021

Samsung is gearing up for the launch of its new Tab S series of tablets. The new lineup is expected to feature three models and a new report has suggested that the highest end variant, namely the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, will seek to compete with the 2021 Apple iPad Pro.

The news arrives from a tweet from FrontTron, who found a post on Clien that stated that the Galaxy S8 Ultra will be powered by the new Exynos 2200 SoC. This new chip is the South Korean tech giant’s latest mobile processor that was built with a new AMD GPU. Furthermore, benchmark results have reportedly found that the performance of this new chipset will be similar to the M1 chip from Apple, which can also be found in the new iPad Pro model as well.

As per PhoneArena, another report has also found that the new flagship tablet will sport Samsung’s best display and other top of the line specs and features. Although, this source believes that the upcoming Galaxy Tab S8 lineup will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 898 processor. So, it is still unclear which chip the company will use in the tablets. However, it is speculated that the brand will follow its traditional flagship handset approach with a Snapdragon chip for the North American and Chinese market, while the rest of the regions receive an Exynos variant.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE — Galaxy Tab S7 FE

As of right now, finer details regarding the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is currently unknown. But, the new tablet is expected to feature up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage. Meanwhile, the 2021 iPad Pro arrives with 12.9 inch mini LED display and up to 2TB of internal storage. While the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus arrived with a 12.4 inch display, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is rumored to sport a 14.6 inch 120Hz panel and a massive 11,500mAh battery pack.

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Download ColorOS 12 Official Wallpapers from here

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Sep 7, 2021

OPPO has confirmed to unveil ColorOS 12 by the end of September. Ahead of that, the company has shared the official wallpapers from the upcoming version of its mobile operating system based on Android 12. You can download them in original quality from the link provided at the end of this post.

ColorOS 12 is said to be the best iteration of OPPO’s software to date. The firm is yet to officially reveal its features. However, we know a few details about it via leaks.

The 9 wallpapers posted by the ColorOS official Weibo account hint at some of the design language suggested by Digital Chat Station. As per the tipster, the new version of ColorOS will be inspired by MIUI, Flyme, and HydrogenOS.

We can notice some of the inspirations in these wallpapers. In simpler words, they are sort of similar to those found on those Android skins.

One of the main highlights of ColorOS 12 will be Cross Screen Interconnection. This feature is nothing but OPPO’s version of HUAWEI Multi Screen Collaboration. An early version of this functionality is already live on select realme devices called PC Connect. At present, it’s not known what OnePlus will call it as it is also expected to launch tablets like the other two brands.

Having said that, we expect to learn more about Android 12-based ColorOS 12 before its official announcement in the coming days. Until then, refresh your phones with these new wallpapers.

Download ColorOS 12 Official Wallpapers

Texas plans to offer Samsung large property tax breaks to build chip plant

By

Jeet

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Sep 7, 2021

Samsung, the South Korea-based technology giant is gearing up to set up its new chip production plant in the United States and the company has shortlisted two potential locations for the same.

The city of Taylor and Austin are the two locations and now one of them, Taylor, is planning to offer extensive property tax breaks if it is chosen by the South Korean tech giant for the chip plant, reports Reuters.

The new plant by Samsung for manufacturing chips is worth around $17 billion and is set to create 1,800 new jobs. The company has also said it is looking at other potential sites in Arizona and New York but other potential sites have not yet disclosed planned tax breaks.

A proposed resolution posted on the Taylor city’s website shows that for the land Samsung will use, it is set to be offered a grant equivalent to 92.5% of assessed property tax for 10 years, 90% for the following 10 years, and then 85% in the 10 years after that.

Apart from that, a 92.5% tax waiver on new property built on the site for 10 years and the repayment of development review costs is also a part of the plan. The proposed resolution will be considered this week by Taylor City Council and Williamson County Commissioners.

For those who are unaware, Taylor is located around 25 miles away from Austin and is about 1,187.5 acres in size, much bigger than the Austin site. Samsung last year purchased more than 250 acres in Austin, which is in addition to the 350 acres it owns that includes its sole U.S. chip factory.

If the location is finalized by Samsung, then work on this new plant should start by the first quarter of next year with a production commencement target of end-2024. We’ll just have to wait and watch to know which city Samsung finally decides to set up its new plant.

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Apple A15 chip in iPhone 13 still dominates Android rivals in performance: Report

By

Sean

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Sep 7, 2021

A recent benchmark performance has revealed that the Apple A15 chipset on the upcoming iPhone 13 will still be capable of beating the next gen flagship Android processors in terms of performance.

Apple A15 GPU peak benchmark test
Manhattan 3.1: 198 FPS (July unit sample)
However, after second round of test, throttling kicks in and drops to 140~150FPS.
(1/2)

Source: https://t.co/Sl1xfN5ktB

— Tron ❂ (@FrontTron) September 6, 2021

The news arrives from known tipster FrontTron, who shared the benchmark on Twitter. According to him, the benchmark tests were performed on a sample of the A15 chip. These results were discussed in a Korean forum called Clien. Looking at the benchmarking results, the new A15 chip managed to achieve a peak score of 198 fps on the Manhattan 3.1 test. However, throttling caused the score to noticeably drop to around 140 to 150 fps in the second round of tests.

On the other hand, the iPhone 12 averages around 170.7 fps peak performance in this same benchmark test. As per FrontTron, the throttling did not seem like an issue since the overall peak is “way exceeding” the peak of the previous gen A14 chip. Although, the sharp drop in the second round test can’t be simply ruled out. But, this was a sample A15 that was from the July 2021 batch.

Notably, this also reveals that the iPhone 13’s A15 is around 13.7 percent faster than the A14 from last year. Furthermore, despite the drop in performance due to throttling, it is still capable of outperforming its Android counterparts by a considerable margin. As of right now, there is no way of confirming this news so take it with a pinch of salt and stay tuned, as the Cupertino based giant is expected to launch this chip with the iPhone 13 later this month.

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OPPO files 5G patent infringement lawsuits against Nokia in China and Europe

By

Jeet

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Sep 7, 2021

A couple of months ago, in July this year, Nokia had filed a few patent-related lawsuits against OPPO. Now, as a retaliation, the Chinese company has filed several patents infringement lawsuits against Nokia in China and Europe.

The patents involved in the lawsuit are all 5G standard essential patents. With the commercialization of 5G technology, the essential patent licensing rates between patent owners and smartphone makers have been rising.

Nokia, the Finnish company that just settled the patent dispute with Daimler, is pushing ahead to enter the 5G field. It intends to take advantage of the patent war with OPPO to lay the groundwork for 5G standard-essential patent fees.

Over the last ten years, Nokia has sued several different companies but this is likely the first time in the last decade to file a counter sued for patent infringement. This is due to a lack of high-quality assets or the lack of courage to confront Nokia head-on.

In July this year, Nokia filed dozens of patent infringement lawsuits against OPPO in about nine countries, including India, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. While the reason behind this move hasn’t been announced, it’s likely that the companies failed to reach an agreement for the 5G patent license.

Ever since Nokia stopped making mobile phones (HMD Global has licensed Nokia brand for smartphones), the patent license fees play an important role for the Finland-based company. It is trying to find a foothold in the telecom equipment market and with Huawei facing several issues, there’s a greater chance for Nokia to get a majority of contracts.

Nokia has adopted the strategy of aggressive litigation to collect the licensing fees. Before OPPO, the company had filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Lenovo in the US, Brazil, India, Germany, and others. It lasted for more than a year and was settled by the companies earlier this year in April.

It will be interesting to see how this legal dispute ends. While there’s a high possibility of both the companies reached an agreement, the battle between the patent holder and license holder for using it could form new rules for the companies.

RELATED:

OPPO tablet leaks via ColorOS 12 promotional image

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Sep 7, 2021

Earlier today, OPPO announced that ColorOS 12 based on Android 12 will be debuting in September. The company even shared official wallpapers for the public to download and use. At around the same time, a popular leaker posted a promotional image of ColorOS 12 revealing a tablet running the new software.

OPPO ColorOS 12 Smartphone Tablet Smartwatch — Source: Digital Chat Station | Via: ITHome

A little while ago, Digital Chat Station shared a picture showcasing a smartphone and a tablet running ColorOS 12 along with a smartwatch. The tipster soon took down the post but we were able to get the image via ITHome.

This promo image for ColorOS 12 confirms that OPPO will be indeed releasing a tablet. Also, we get to see the first glimpse of ColorOS for tablets. Unsurprisingly, the UI is heavily inspired by iPadOS.

As far as the tablet’s design is concerned, it appears to have volume buttons on the right side. Since we don’t see any key on the bottom and the left sides, the power button will most likely reside on the top. Apart from this, we can notice that the tablet has rounded corners,

Additionally, Digital Chat Station says that OPPO is working on software for foldables and tablets together. He adds that a tablet will be released first alongside the OPPO Reno7 series. Ahead of that, the firm will be launching a new smartwatch called OPPO Watch Free at the end of this month.

Having said that, we don’t have to wait until the launch of any OPPO-branded tablet to experience ColorOS for tablets. That’s because the upcoming realme Pad runs realme UI, which is nothing but ColorOS with some tweaks.

We expect to learn more about ColorOS 12 in the coming days ahead of the official announcement via promotional teasers and maybe even through leaks as well.

Realme GT Neo2 Mercedes-AMG special edition’s leaked image spotted

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 7, 2021

The Realme GT Neo2 is expected to go official this month. The design and specifications of the smartphone have already appeared in recent reports. It is speculated that the handset will be available in black, blue, and orange colors. A fresh leak that has appeared on Weibo reveals that the GT Neo2 may also come in a special green edition.

The above image suggests that Realme may have collaborated with Mercedes-Benz AMG for the special green variant of the GT Neo2. A large-sized AMG branding can be seen on the back panel of the device. Share with us your thoughts on this green variant in the comments section below.

The appearance of the special model seems to be inspired by the 2018 Mercedes-AMG GT R. Readers are recommended to wait for further reports to confirm the existence of the green variant.

Reports have revealed that the Realme RMX3370 that was certified by China’s TENAA authority will be debuting as the Realme GT Neo2 in the home market. The RMX3370 has now received approval from China’s 3C regulatory body. The listing reveals that the 5G-ready may ship with a 65W fast charger.

The Realme GT Neo2 is expected to arrive with a 6.62-inch AMOLED FHD+ punch-hole display with a 120Hz refresh rate support, a 16-megapixel front camera, and a 64-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 2-megapixel triple camera unit. The Snapdragon 870 SoC powered may come with up to 12 GB of RAM, up to 256 GB of internal storage, a 4,500mAh battery, Realme UI 2.0 UI based Android 11 OS, and an in-screen fingerprint scanner. At present, there is no information available on the pricing of the GT Neo2. A recent leak claimed that the smartphone may debut with the Realme GT Neo Gaming moniker in the global markets.

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DIZO Watch 2, Watch Pro to launch on September 15 in India

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 7, 2021

Last month, DIZO announced the DIZO Watch as its first smartwatch in India. Fresh information reveals that the company will be announcing new smartwatches such as DIZO Watch 2 and Watch Pro on Sept. 15 in India.

Flipkart has a landing page for the upcoming DIZO smartwatches. It reveals that the DIZO Watch 2 will feature a bright touchscreen display of 1.69 inches. DIZO claims that it offers the biggest display in its pricing segment.

The square-shaped smartwatch offers 100+ watch faces for customization. It will feature a metallic frame that will offer 5ATM water resistance. It will be packed with health and fitness monitoring features such as a heart rate tracker, SpO2 sensor, and more.

Interestingly, a product listing of the DIZO Watch 2 is also available on Flipkart. The listing further reveals that it offers 600nits brightness, a 260mAh battery that can last for up to 10 days, sleep tracking, menstrual cycle tracking, and support for 15 outdoor and indoor sports modes. It appears that the DIZO Watch 2 lacks a GPS chip.

The DIZO Watch 2 is listed with a price tag of Rs 3,999. The pricing may not be correct since the company is yet to launch it. It will be available in multiple colors such as Classic Black, Golden Pink, Ivory White, and Silver Grey.

As far as the DIZO Watch Pro, the Flipkart microsite only reveals that it has a square-shaped display and built-in GPS + GLONASS for location tracking. Its other specs are under the wraps. The DIZO Watch 2 listing reveals that the company will be soon announcing the DIZO app for tracking health and fitness data.

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Google Pixel 3 series phones are getting bricked with “EDL” message

By

Jeet

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Sep 7, 2021

Google has unveiled the Pixel 6 series flagship smartphones and is expected to officially launch the lineup next month. Ahead of the latest Pixel series phones are available for purchase, the older Pixel 3 and 3 XL users are facing major issues with their unit.

As per the latest report coming from Ars Technica, users of the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are complaining about their phones suddenly stop working and become completely unresponsive. It adds that the phones can’t boot into Android and only shows Qualcomm recovery mode called “Emergency Download (EDL) mode.”

Google Pixel 3 2018 — Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL

The usual method for flashing a new version of Android on the device isn’t working given that users cannot get out of the Emergency Download (EDL) mode and into the normal bootloader to use tools like fastboot or Google’s slick.

It is speculated that the problem is not released to a software update rolled out by the company but is likely related to hardware because of a lack of recoverability options. Also, the fact that users have been reporting this issue over the course of several months, indicating an end of life for a batch of hardware components.

Folks at TrustedReviews reached out to Google and the tech giant’s spokesperson confirmed that the company is aware of the problem, but had nothing else to say related to this matter. We expect more information from the company in the coming days.

Google Pixel 3 series was released at the end of 2018 and was available for purchase for about 18 months and comes with a two-year warranty. For the Pixel 4 XL, the company extended the warranty to three years because of some hardware issues. So, Google could do the same and extend the warranty for Pixel 3 series owners.

RELATED:

OPPO ColorOS 12 based on Android 12 confirmed to launch in September

By

Jeet

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Sep 7, 2021

Google has already announced the Android 12 operating system and the tech giant is expected to roll out the stable version of the same sometime this month. Smartphone manufacturers are expected to launch their custom mobile OS based on the latest version of the Android OS.

In line with that, OPPO is also gearing up to launch ColorOS 12, and today, the China-based company has confirmed that the latest version of the ColorOS will be officially unveiled in China somewhere between mid to late September.

OPPO is yet to officially reveal the exact launch date for the ColorOS 12 but given that it’s already the second week of the month and there are several major launches scheduled to take place in mid-September, the company is likely to unveil the latest version of its custom Android overlay towards the end of September.

Before OPPO announces ColorOS 12, the stable version of the latest Android mobile operating system, Android 12, will be rolled out by Google. OPPO had launched the ColorOS 11 soon after the Android 11 stable built was announced and we expect the same to continue this year also.

The new OPPO software is said to come with a new feature called ‘Cross-Screen Interconnection’, which is similar to the Huawei Multi-Screen Collaboration. The company is also tipped to adopt several new features from Chinese Android skins, including the likes of MIUI from Xiaomi, Flyme from Meizu, Smartisan OS, and HydrogenOS.

Given that OnePlus and Realme are virtually sub-brands of OPPO, the ColorOS 12 will also make its way to their phones as well. The OnePlus phones in China will run ColorOS while the global models will continue to run OxygenOS. As for the Reame UI, it is just a tweaked version of ColorOS.

To know more about what new features OPPO has added to its own custom user interface for the Android operating system and when the ColorOS 12 will start rolling out to compatible devices, we’ll have to wait for the official launch event later this month.

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Samsung Galaxy M22 gets listed on Samsung Singapore and Malaysian support page

By

Pranav Sawant

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Sep 7, 2021

After passing several certifications, the Samsung Galaxy M22 is now going live on landing pages across several Samsung websites. Last time, we saw the phone’s listing on the Samsung Russia web portal and now, the device has appeared on Samsung Singapore and Malaysian websites.

Yet again we do not have anything to extract as the listing just reveals the model number of the smartphone i.e. SM-M225FV/DS. The DS stands for dual-SIM and it will be a 4G only phone.

1 of 2

The Galaxy M22 is expected to be a rebranded Galaxy A22 4G smartphone. It was also seen on several other certifications. According to Geekbench, the smartphone is powered by the MediaTek Helio G80 SoC. It runs on Android 11 out of the box and has Samsung’s OneUI on the top. It has 4GB of RAM and is expected to have 64GB or 128GB of base storage.

Rumours have it that the phone will pack a 5,000mAh battery and the FCC certification revealed that it will be backed by a 25W fast charging support. The smartphone is speculated to have a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED panel with an HD+(1600 x 720 pixels) resolution. It will have a high 90Hz screen refresh rate.

In terms of cameras, the smartphone is expected to have a square-shaped camera module holding four camera lenses. It will have a 48MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 2MP macro sensor, and a 2MP depth unit. It will have a 3.5mm headphone jack for audio and a USB Type-C port for charging.

RELATED:

Samsung Galaxy S22 lineup may feature Snapdragon 898 in India

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 7, 2021

Samsung is likely to announce the Galaxy S22 series of smartphones in January. A fresh leak that has appeared on a South Korean site (via. Tron) speculates on the markets that will be receiving the Snapdragon 898 and Exynos 2200 chipset variants of the S22 models.

The leak claims that Europe is confirmed to receive the Galaxy S22 lineup with Exynos 2200 chip onboard. North American markets are expected to the Snapdragon 898 powered S22 models. However, Verizon Wireless is reportedly in talks with the South Korean company to provide Exynos SoC models.

Markets like China and Hong Kong are expected to receive the Snapdragon 898 variant of the S22 series. China Telecom may release exclusive S22 models powered by the Exynos chip. Southeast Asia and India are most likely to receive the Galaxy S22 lineup fueled by the Snapdragon 898 chip. Since it will take a couple of months for Samsung to announce the S22 lineup, it is advisable to wait for further reports to know which markets will receive the SD898 and Exynos 2200 SoC variants of the S22 lineup.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra-5 — Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra concept render by LetsGoDigital

Reports have claimed that the Exynos 2200 will come equipped with mRDNA architecture graphics. This SoC was recently seen outscoring the Apple A14 chip in benchmarks. The next flagship chip from Qualcomm is speculated to debut with the Snapdragon 898 moniker. It will be a 4nm chipset manufactured by Samsung. The unannounced chip was spotted with a base frequency of 1.78GHz and Adreno 730 GPU at the Geekbench benchmarking site.

The Galaxy S22 rumors have revealed that the S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra will feature a 6.06-nch FHD+ display, a 6.55-inch FHD+ screen, and a 6.81-inch QHD+ screen. The S22 and S22+ may feature a 50-megapixel triple camera unit, while the Ultra may come with a 108-megapixel quad-camera unit. The S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra may house a 3,800mAh, a 4,600mAh, and a 5,000mAh battery, respectively. These models may carry support for 65W fast charging.

RELATED:

Xiaomi 11T / 11T Pro case renders images emerge to reveal design

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 7, 2021

Xiaomi is expected to announce the Xiaomi 11T and 11T Pro flagship smartphones on Sept. 15. Ahead of the launch, the rumor mill is working hard to reveal key details of the 11T duo. Tipster Snoopy has shared case renders of the 11T / 11T Pro to showcase its design.

In the case renders, the Xiaomi 11T / 11T Pro can be a centrally positioned punch-hole display with slim bezels. The right edge of the device has a volume rocker and a power key, which is integrated with a fingerprint sensor.

The rear-facing camera module of the device features three vertically arranged cameras housed inside a rectangle module. It also includes a triple-LED flash and some other sensors. The tipster claims that these images have been sourced through an official case maker.

Xiaomi 11T case renders

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Reports have revealed that the Xiaomi 11T Pro will be featuring a 108-megapixel triple camera unit, whereas the 11T will be equipped with a 64-megapixel triple camera system. Apart from the difference in the main camera department, there may not be any differences on 11T and 11T Pro handsets.

Rumors have it that the Xiaomi 11T series will feature an OLED panel that offers a 120Hz refresh rate. The company has already confirmed that it will carry support for 120W HyperCharge fast charging technology. The 11T duo may house a 4,500mAh or a 5,000mAh battery.

The Dimensity 1200 chip is speculated to power the 11T duo. These devices may arrive in two variants such as GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage. Both models may sell in colors like Celestial Blue, Meteorite Gray, and Moonlight White.

RELATED:

Nokia X20 bags its first Android 12 Developer Preview Release

By

Ashutosh

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Sep 7, 2021

After missing out on its own Android 11 rollout timeline, Nokia quickly learned from that event and has now expedited the update rollout process. Users expect things to be better, especially when Nokia devices are part of the Android One program. However, unlike last year, Nokia was among the first few OEMs to have enrolled in the Android 12 Developer Preview program back in May. Finally, Nokia has started to seed the first Android 12 Developer Preview for the Nokia X20, the enrolled device.

Nokia X20 is a recent addition to the company’s portfolio and was launched with Android 11. Good news for X20 users, as they will not have to wait any longer to taste the next big update. Nokia X20 users who opted in for the program can now head to the My Phone app, click on the Support banner, and scroll down to find “Android developer preview” to get the first build of Android 12. The app will first check if the IMEI is eligible and then prompt you to accept all the software license terms and conditions before rolling out the update.

The Android 12 build will release as an OTA within the next 12 hours but there’s always an option to have the build right away. Go to System > About Phone > System Updates to manually seek the update.

This obviously isn’t meant for everyone and may have bugs and issues, so Nokia has cautioned users to understand the repercussions before installing Android 12.

Android 12 developer preview program builds (ADP) are early Android OS releases and are intended for application developers only – they are not recommended for general use.
Although strenuously tested by our development team, the builds may exhibit performance and/or stability issues in some cases.
Some applications downloaded from the Google Play Store may not be supported (either in full or in part) and may show signs of instability.
Upgrading from Android 11 to the Android 12 developer preview program and rollback from the Android 12 developer preview program to the Official Android 11 build will result in loss of user data. As such, we recommended that you back up any user data to avoid loss.
Online support is limited and may not be available to help users who experience difficulties with flashing the device.

The big iteration comes with a pre-installed feedback app that can be used to highlight bugs. But in case the update makes the phone go haywire, one can always request to roll back to Android 11 using the My Phone app.

Related:

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IRY-_IjDkg[/embedyt]

(via)

Qualcomm partners with Google to bring infotainment system to Renault Mégane E-TECH Electric

By

Jeet

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Sep 7, 2021

Qualcomm has announced that the company is working with Google and Renault to design an in-vehicle experience for Renault’s next-generation electric vehicle, the new Mégane E-TECH Electric, which was unveiled today at IAA Mobility 2021 in Germany.

The carmaker will use the third-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platforms for powering a technically advanced infotainment system that includes portrait-sized touchscreen infotainment displays for audio, visual, and navigational functions.

The company adds that the infotainment systems in the new Mégane E-TECH Electric will come equipped with built-in Google apps and services for infotainment and in-vehicle customer applications as well as to keep the vehicle fresh and current with evolving digital trends with its upgradeable capabilities.

Qualcomm’s 3rd generation Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platforms are designed to transform in-vehicle experiences, supporting higher levels of compute and intelligence needed for advanced capabilities featured in next-generation vehicles. It aims to offer highly intuitive AI experiences for in-car virtual assistance, natural interactions between the vehicle and driver, and contextual safety use cases.

The digital cockpit in Renault’s Mégane E-TECH Electric is powered by the Android Automotive Operating System (AAOS) that uses Google’s technology to bring a new level of intelligence. It will also feature hands-free help from Google Assistant, positionally precise navigational maps with Google Maps, as well as a rich ecosystem of automotive applications and services on Google Play.

RELATED:

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

Realme GT Neo2 official render leaked before launch

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 7, 2021

Realme is expected to announce the Realme GT Neo2 smartphone this month. The design and specs of the phone are no specs since it was found listed at China’s TENAA telecom authority last month. In addition, reliable tipster Steve Hemmerstoffer had shared CAD renders of GT Neo2 last month, and now he has teamed up with GizNext to share a leaked render of the smartphone.

Realme GT Neo2 design

As can be seen in the image below, the upcoming Realme GT Neo2 will be sporting a punch-hole design. The rear-facing camera module comprises a 64-megapixel triple camera unit and a pair of LED flash units.

The right edge of the device has a power key, and volume up and down buttons can be found on its left. Its topside features a microphone, and its bottom edge is fitted with a SIM card slot, a microphone, a USB-C port, and a speaker grille. Apart from blue, it is also expected to arrive in a black variant.

Realme GT Neo2 render by OnLeaks/GizNext

Realme GT Neo2 specifications

The Realme GT Neo2 has a 6.62-inch AMOLED FHD+ display that offers a 120Hz refresh rate. It has a front camera of 16-megapixel, and its back panel has a 64-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 2-megapixel triple camera system.

The Snapdragon 870 may fuel the GT Neo2. it may ship with up to 12 GB of RAM and up to 128 GB of storage. The device will run on Android 11 OS. It will be backed by a 4,500mAh battery that supports 65W rapid charging. For security, it will feature an in-screen fingerprint scanner.

The GT Neo2 is speculated to launch this month in China. At present, there is no word on the pricing of the device.

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MediaTek to announce a new Kompanio series chipset on September 9

By

Jeet

-

Sep 7, 2021

Taiwan-based chipset maker MediaTek has announced that the company will be hosting a launch event on 9th September to unveil a new Kompanio series chipset which is aimed at tablets and notebook computers.

As of now, the company has not revealed which chipset it is planning to launch at the upcoming 9th September event. Currently, the latest Kompanio series chip is the MediaTek Kimpanio 1300T, which is powering the Honor Tab V7 Pro.

For those who are unaware, the MediaTek Kompanio 1300T is based on the company’s flagship Dimensity 1200 SoC. It is manufactured using the 6nm process and has a 1+3+4 three-cluster core design.

It comes packed with four big Cortex-A78 cores and four small Cortex-A55 cores. As for the graphics processor, the chipset bundles a nano-core Mali-G77 MC9 GPU which is superior to the Mali G57 MC5 utilized by the Kompanio 1200.

The chipset is also integrated with a sub-6 GHz bands 5G modem that supports dual-SIM and dual-channel carrier aggregation. It features support for two 1080p displays and for a single display, it supports a resolution of up to 1440p with a 120Hz refresh rate, as well as HDR10+ video playback.

It has support for 5G connectivity which brings a low-latency connection for video gaming. For the camera department, it supports a maximum of 108MP sensors and 4K video recording at up to 60 fps. It also integrates an APU that enables features like AI Picture Quality (AI-PQ) and voice commands.

MediaTek is also working on its flagship chipset for smartphones under the Dimnesity lineup which is reportedly called MediaTek Dimensity 2000 which is built using the 4nm process. Some reports indicate that the Taiwanese company could become the first to launch a 4nm chipset in the market.

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