The new info is from the Indian YouTuber, Sahil Karoul. Earlier today, he tweeted that the Realme Pad will have a MediaTek Helio processor but didn’t reveal which chipset it is. He has now let the cat out of the bag and disclosed that the processor inside the tablet is the Helio G80 processor.
The news may come as a disappointment to those who expect the Realme Pad to have a flagship chipset. The Helio G80 which launched last year is a mid-range one that can’t measure up to the more powerful processors inside competitor tablets such as the Mi Pad 5 series which is available in Snapdragon 860 and Snapdragon 870 processors. However, with a mid-range chipset, the Realme Pad should be significantly cheaper than those from competitors.
Other details of the Realme Pad already revealed include having a 10.4-inch AMOLED screen, quad speakers, 8MP cameras on each side, and support for a stylus that can be stored inside the tablet. It has also been reported that it will have a 7100mAh battery capacity.
Apple has announced a replacement program for some iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro smartphones with faulty earpiece speakers. The faulty speakers in the two models have been traced to units produced between October 2020 and April 2021. Users have often reported that they are unable to get audio from their earpieces when making calls with their phones.
Apple iPhone 12
In an official statement, Apple says that it has already begun changing the faulty speakers for the two models, and encourages owners of such devices to use any of the available channels to get their devices fixed at no extra cost. The US tech powerhouse says that it has determined that only a small percentage of iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro units may experience audio issues due to possible component failure on the receiver module of their devices. If your iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro does not emit sound from the receiver during a call, you could possibly be among the few that have the stated problem, and your device could be eligible for the repair.
Users are advised to back up their phone data through any means, so as to be protected from a potential loss of such data. It is not clear how long the free speaker replacement program will last.
Apple did not put any figure as per the prevalence of faulty speaker modules. Apple owners who fall into the category, are encouraged to visit any of the Apple or Apple Authorized Service Providers or via the Apple Support Centre. The service is free and will cover only devices whose screens are yet to be damaged. Any unit that comes in with a faulty screen will have to resolve the screen issue before it will be repaired.
Following the launch of the OPPO Reno6 Pro+ Detective Conan Edition, Xiaomi may be the next in line to launch a phone with an electrochromic back panel according to info from China.
Xiaomi is not one to miss out on a trend, so the news of it developing a phone with an electrochromic back isn’t all too surprising. The source of the info is the Chinese leaker, Digital Chat Station, and according to a rough translation of a Weibo post made earlier today, Xiaomi is testing a device with a low-power photochromic/electrochromic back panel.
It remains to be seen which of the two technologies Xiaomi adopts. The Vivo S10 has a photochromic back which changes from orange to blue when under direct sunlight. The color-changing process happens as a result of ultraviolet rays from the sun.
On the other hand, the OPPO Reno6 Pro+ Detective Conan Edition which has an electrochromic back can switch from silver to red and back. The color change occurs when voltage is passed through the glass.
We do not know if Xiaomi plans to launch this phone with a photochromic/electrochromic back panel or if it will just be a concept phone. It may also not use glass but plastic as the substrate can also be polycarbonate.
Software giant Microsoft has announced that users of older PCs running on a lower Windows operating system can now manually upgrade their PC’s operating system to Windows 11 by downloading the ISO file. Microsoft will no longer block users from updating their OS, although restrictions still remain when this is done via the regular Windows update. The announcement was made Friday via a blogpost, and it is bound to receive applause from a wide segment of users of older Windows OS.
Source: Blue Edge
Although the recommended hardware requirements for the installation of Windows 11 remain, once you met the basic installation requirements, you can ultimately upgrade your OS to Windows 11 even though your older CPU did not pass the upgrade test. You can proceed to download the ISO file of Windows 11 and follow the prompts to install it manually. While the recently released hardware requirements for Windows 11 show that it requires an Intel 8th generation CPU or newer, the company provides the option of users intending to install the OS on older CPUs, of course, at their own risk. Aside from the Intel 8th –gen CPU, the basic requirements for the manual upgrade is a 64-bit 1GHz processor having two or more cores, 4 GB of RAM, and 64GB of available storage.
Microsoft has expanded the lineup of processors that could use the new Windows 11 OS including the Intel Core-X series, Xeon W-series, together with Intel Core 7820HQ. These CPUs will now be officially supported for Windows 11 upgrades. There are still several processors that still lack support for Windows 11. In addition, it is unlikely that upgrades and updates will be supported for devices in which Windows 11 was manually installed.
So, while millions of devices could potentially benefit from the manual upgrade opportunity, there are still others that may not meet the minimum processor and RAM requirement, while only a few will possibly go the whole hog to download and install the upgrade. Microsoft also says that there is a high possibility of system crashes.
The Redmi K20 launched as Xiaomi’s most affordable smartphone with a pop-up camera. It has been more than two years since its release. The device has even received two MIUI as well as two Android updates during this period. Now, Xiaomi has finally started rolling out MIUI 12.5 update for this handset.
Redmi K20
Xiaomi has been seeding out MIUI 12.5 update for eligible smartphones worldwide since earlier this year. The company has almost finished the rollout in China as it has now started rolling out MIUI 12.5 Enhanced Edition.
But it appears that the Redmi K20 was one of the few devices and the only K series phone to be left out. Hence, it is receiving the MIUI 12.5 update only now. The latest system update for the phone is currently live in China with build number V12.5.1.0.RFJCNXM.
Like any other OTA software update, the MIUI 12.5 update for the Redmi K20 is also being seeded out in batches. Hence, it is only available for a select few users at the moment.
Anyway, all users in China as well as other markets should get the update in the coming days. In most international markets, the Redmi K20 is known as Mi 9T. Hence, the same system update will also make its way to that device.
Having said that, the Redmi K20 might also receive MIUI 12.5 Enhanced Edition, followed by MIUI 13, which should be its last major software update.
Xiaomi has scheduled a global launch event for September 15. The Xiaomi 11T series is expected to go official at this conference. Ahead of that, details of three more upcoming devices have emerged.
Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G
According to Xiaomiui, Xiaomi is working on three smartphones, namely Evergreen, Evergo, and Ingres. The first two are part of the same series and are already known, whereas the last model is a mysterious device.
Evergreen and Evergo bear the model numbers K16 and K16A respectively. Both of them will be powered by a MediaTek chipset. Further, they will have an identical camera setup with two different primary sensors.
The duo will house a triple camera setup consisting of a 50MP main sensor, an ultra-wide unit, and a telemacro shooter. Xiaomi will be sourcing two different 50MP sensors for these phones – OmniVision OV50C40 and Samsung S5KJN1. Whereas, the ultra-wide-angle lens will use a Sony IMX355 sensor.
Unfortunately, there’s no information about Ingres. But we expect to learn more about it in the coming days. Additionally, we are also looking forward to grasping more details about Evergreen and Evergo.
Having said that, going by the specs, these phones could probably be mid-range smartphones. Hence, they will most likely launch with the Redmi branding and not the new Xiaomi branding.
Anyway, what are your thoughts on these upcoming handsets? Do let us know in the comment section below.
Xiaomi has started releasing new devices for the second half of 2021. The Chinese tech giant has scheduled a global launch event for September 15. The company is expected to announce the Xiaomi 11T series at this conference. Ahead of that, we get to learn the camera specs of two more upcoming lineups from the firm, namely the Xiaomi 12 series and the alleged Xiaomi CC11 series.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
According to Xiaomiui, the forthcoming Xiaomi 12 series could include at least three models. These phones are said to be codenamed Zeus, Cupid, and Psyche. They bear model numbers L1, L2, and L3A respectively.
All three handsets will house a 200MP triple camera setup. Two of them will be powered by the successor of Snapdragon 888, which is currently known as SM8450. Whereas, the remaining model will come with an SM8250-based chip, which could be an overclocked Snapdragon 865.
Xiaomi 12 Series Camera Specs
Zeus
200MP Primary Sensor
50MP Ultra-Wide
50MP 10X Periscope
Cupid
200MP Primary Sensor
Ultra-Wide
Macro
Psyche
200MP Primary Sensor
Ultra-Wide
Macro with OIS
As far as marketing names are concerned, Zeus could be Xiaomi 12 Ultra, while Cupid may launch as Xiaomi 12. The branding for Psyche is anyone’s guess as of now.
Further, talking about the so-called Xiaomi CC11 series, Xiaomiuisays that the two phones in the lineup are codenamed Pissaro and Pissaropro. As of now, the two devices are identical in terms of features. They will be powered by an unknown MediaTek SoC and sport a 108MP triple camera setup as well as a physical fingerprint sensor.
Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro
However, their specs could change as the handsets are still in the development stage. Additionally, there are also Indian variants of these two smartphones.
Xiaomi CC11 Series Camera Specs
Pissaro
108MP HM3 Primary Sensor
Ultra-Wide
Macro
Pissaropro
108MP HM3 Primary Sensor
Ultra-Wide
Macro
The Xiaomi 12 series will be replacing the Mi 11 series. At least, one of the models in the lineup is said to debut at the end of 2021. It will probably be the first smartphone with the next-gen Qualcomm flagship mobile SoC, just like the Mi 11 last year.
On the other hand, the alleged Xiaomi CC11 series is being rumored for a long time. These devices are also expected to go official before the end of this year.
An earlier version of this article erroneously stated that the phone was co-developed with Huawei. The company has clarified to us that this phone is designed solely by the TCL subsidiary FFALCON, for sale in China. The processor details have been updated as well.
TCL has introduced a new smartphone called the FFALCON Thunderbird FF1 in China. The new mid-range phone offers exciting features like a high refresh rate display with dual punch-hole cutout, a 64-megapixel triple camera unit, a Dimensity 9-series chip, up to 256 GB of storage, and a decent battery with fast charging capabilities.
FFALCON Thunderbird FF1 specifications and features
The FFALCON Thunderbird FF1 has a 6.67-inch IPS LCD panel that offers a Full HD+ resolution, a 20:9 aspect ratio, and a 120Hz refresh rate. The pill-shaped camera cutout on the display houses a 16-megapixel selfie camera.
FFALCON Thunderbird FF1
The square camera module placed at the FFALCON Thunderbird FF1’s back houses a 64-megapixel main camera with an f/1.7 aperture, an 8-megapixel ultrawide snapper, and a 2-megapixel depth assist lens. The handset boots to Android 11 OS.
The FF1 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 5G chipset and 8 GB of RAM. It comes in 128 GB and 256 GB storage choices. It is backed by a 4,300mAh battery that supports 66W rapid charging. The other features that are available on the device include dual SIM support, 5G/4G, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, and a USB-C port.
FFALCON Thunderbird FF1
FFALCON Thunderbird FF1 price and availability
The 128 GB and 256 GB variants of the FFALCON Thunderbird FF1 are priced at 2,499 Yuan (~$386) and 2,799 Yuan (~$432), respectively. It will be available for purchase starting from Sept. 10 in China. It is unclear if TCL has any plans to release the FF1 outside the home market.
Last year in October, Infinix launched the Infinix Hot 10 smartphone in India. This year, the company announced a few more Hot 10 series models such as the Hot 10 Play and Hot 10S in the country. Fresh information reveals that the company is gearing up to launch the Hot 11S in September. Ahead of the launch, the pricing of its two variants is now doing rounds on social platforms.
It is speculated that the Hot 11S will be available in two options such as 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage. These models are said to be priced at Rs 9,999 (~$136) and Rs 10,999 (~$149), respectively.
Infinix Hot 10S / Hot 10S NFC
Readers are advised to digest the pricing leak with a grain of salt. The company has already confirmed that the smartphone will come equipped with the Helio G88, which also fuels the recently unveiled Redmi 10 handset. It has also revealed that the phone will launch by mid-September. It is likely that the company will start teasing the arrival of the Hot 11S by the beginning of September.
The other specifications of the Hot 11S are yet to be confirmed. It is likely that the handset may inherit some of the specs from the Hot 10S. Hence, Infinix may offer a 90Hz refresh rate display on the Hot 11S. It may come with an improved 48-megapixel triple camera system. It may inherit the 6,000mAh battery and 18W fast charging support from the Hot 10S.
Samsung is reportedly working to bring the Galaxy A52s 5G in India. The South Korean company has released an official teaser of the smartphone to confirm its arrival in India. It is speculated that the A52s will launch on Sept. 3 in India.
Yesterday, tipster Abhishek Yadav released a tweet to share the leaked pricing of the A52s 5G. He claimed that the smartphone will be launching on Sept. 3 in India. The tipster further revealed that the 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage variants of the A52s will be priced at Rs 35,999 (~$327) and Rs 37,499 (~$341), respectively.
The Galaxy A52s 5G has gone live on Samsung India’s website. People who are interested in the device can hit the “Notify” button to get updates on its arrival. The official image available on Samsung’s site shows that the handset will be available in at least black and white colors.
Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G specifications and features
Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
The Galaxy A52s 5G has a 6.5-inch S-AMOLED FHD+ screen that offers a 120Hz refresh rate. For security, it features an in-display fingerprint scanner. Its display punch-hole houses a selfie camera of 32-megapixel. Its back panel has a 64-megapixel primary camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide snapper, a 5-megapixel macro camera, and a 2-megapixel depth assist lens.
The A52s 5G is powered by the Snapdragon 778G chipset powers the device. It has a 4,500mAh battery that carries support for 25W rapid charging.
Apple is expected to announce the Watch Series 7 in September this year. While that is yet to happen, images purported to be a counterfeit of the upcoming Watch Series 7 model have appeared online. The images were shared by a Twitter user @MajinBuOfficial and they show the knock-ff Watch Series 7 in space gray, silver, and space black colors.
The design of the Watch Series 7 knock-off resembles those of the previously leaked CAD renders of the next-gen Apple Watch. It is expected that the Apple Watch will use a square edge, which is very similar to the design of the iPhone 12 series, iPad Air, iPad Pro, and the 24-inch iMac.
Although the devices in the images are knock-offs and not from Apple, they may be similar to the final product, allowing us to see how the new Apple Watch design looks in real life. The tipster also disclosed that the Apple Watch Series 7 clone is already on sale in China for around 350-400 yuan (~$60).
So far, we have only seen the design of the Apple Watch Series 7 in renders that are based on leaked images and CAD drawings leaked by industry sources. Although the Apple Watch 7 series is expected to be 1.7mm thinner than the 6 series, it is worth noting that this change may not have been brought to the cloned product. The Watch 7 clone in the leaked images appears to be thicker than the genuine device.
The clones of popular Apple products are usually very deceptive in appearance, making the deceived believe that they are genuine. This problem is very common, especially the counterfeit AirPods, which has reached the point where it is difficult to distinguish between the fake and the real so that Apple has a team that focuses on combating counterfeit products and preventing them from being sold.
Apple is expected to launch Apple Watch Series 7 as early as next month, and it is likely to be launched alongside the iPhone 13 series, offering improved display technology and ultra-wideband connections, faster processors, larger batteries, and more.
The Redmi 10 went official and it is going to hit the Indian market under the Redmi 10 Prime moniker. Is it the right phone to conquer the budget segment? How many good rivals does it have? We believe that one of the best ways to answer these questions is by comparing the handset with the other best devices sold at similar prices. In the Indian market, among the best handsets which can compete with the Redmi 10 Prime, there are Motorola Moto G30 and Tecno Pova 2. Let’s find out which one offers the highest value for money and which is the best phone of the trio.
Xiaomi Redmi 10 Prime vs Motorola Moto G30 vs Tecno Pova 2
Quad 64 + 8 + 2 + 2 MP f/1.7, f/2.2, f/2.4 and f/2.4
13 MP f/2.2 front camera
Quad 48 + 2 + 2 + 2 MP, f/1.9
8 MP f/2.0 front camera
BATTERY
5000 mAh, fast charging 18W
5000 mAh, fast charging 20W
7000 mAh, fast charging 18W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Dual SIM slot, reverse charging 9W
Dual SIM slot, water repellent
Dual SIM slot
Design
The Redmi 10 Prime is attractive because it has a similar design to the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra, so it is aesthetically similar to a flagship. However, the materials are obviously not the same as the phone is made of polycarbonate. The Redmi 10 Prime is the thinnest and most lightweight phone of this trio and it also offers a slightly higher screen to body ratio. With the Motorola Moto G30, you get a water repellent design which may turn useful if you want to use the phone in the rain. The Tecno Pova 2 is elegant but too big for an average user.
Display
The most advanced display belongs to the Redmi 10 Prime: it has a 6.5-inch diagonal, a Full HD+ resolution, and a 90 Hz refresh rate. It is not an advanced panel as it is a traditional LCD display like the ones you can find on most budget phones, but it is better than the HD+ display of the Motorola Moto G30 due to its higher resolution. The Tecno Pova 2 has a Full HD+ display just like the Redmi 10 Prime, but it comes with a standard refresh rate.
Hardware/Software
If you are looking for the best hardware department, you should go for the Redmi 10 Prime without thinking twice. It offers the powerful Mediatek Helio G88 mobile platform which is good for gaming and advanced usage patterns, paired with up to 6 GB of RAM and up to 128 GB of native storage. You can get the same memory configuration with the Moto G30 and the Tecno Pova 2, but with weaker chipsets. The phones run Android 11 out of the box with different customizations: the MIUI found on the Redmi 10 Prime is the best one, imho.
Camera
On the paper, the 64 MP quad camera of the Motorola Moto G30 looks like the most interesting one. It has a brighter focal aperture which should allow better performance in low light conditions, and there is also a better 13 MP front camera allowing to capture better selfies. Right after, we got the 50 MP quad camera of the Redmi 10 Prime. The Tecno Pova 2 has an inferior 48 MP main sensor and it lacks an ultrawide camera, unlike Redmi 10 Prime and Motorola Moto G30.
Battery
The Tecno Pova 2 has a mammoth battery and it is the best battery phone of this trio with a capacity of 7000 mAh. However, the Redmi 10 Prime and the Motorola Moto G30 are still great battery phones with a capacity of 5000 mAh.
Xiaomi Redmi 10 Prime vs Motorola Moto G30 vs Tecno Pova 2: Price
We still do not know the price of the Redmi 10 Prime in India, but we suppose it will cost around Rs. 12,000 ($163). Moto G30 costs Rs. 11,000 ($150), while Tecno Pova 2 starts from Rs. 10,500 ($143). The Redmi 10 Prime is the most advanced device due to its better display, chipset, good cameras. Moto G30 has a very advanced camera, while Tecno Pova 2 has a wider display and a bigger battery.
Samsung hasn’t really focused on improving the optical zoom capability of its flagship Galaxy S models. The 2020 Galaxy S20 and S20+ as well as this year’s Galaxy S21 and S21+ were only equipping with 1.1x optical zoom. But thanks to the high resolution of the sensor (64MP), these devices can also use digital zoom to complement for this optical zoom deficiency.
However, according to GalaxyClub.nl, Samsung seems to be planning to take a different approach on the Galaxy S22 / S22+ models that will arrive early next year. GalaxyClub.nl quoted sources as saying that the Galaxy S22 series smartphones will be equipped with a 10-megapixel telephoto lens that supports 3X optical zoom, rather than the hybrid zoom of the Galaxy S20/21 era.
As reported last week, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is expected to continue the dual 10-megapixel telephoto camera setup on the Galaxy S21 Ultra. One of the lens will be a periscope lens that will offer 10x optical zoom. However, even if Samsung omitted the lens that supports 10X optical zoom on the standard Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus models, at least one with an enhanced optical zoom is expected to be on the models.
In addition, GalaxyClub.nl also confirmed last week an earlier rumor that the Galaxy S22 / S22+ models will be equipped with a 50MP main camera. Considering that the 12MP wide-angle lens is already a no-brainer, the rest that is left to be known is the improvements on the front camera.
A lot of the features of the Galaxy S22 series are still unknown. But there are rumors that the Galaxy S22+ will be equipped with a 4500 mAh battery and will be powered by an Exynos 2200 chipset integrated with AMD mRNDA GPU. In terms of software, it is expected that Galaxy S22 will be pre-installed with OneUI 4.x based on Android 12 when it is launched early next year.
A growing number of devices are now deploying ultra-wideband (UWB) technology and it seems that the upcoming Google Pixel 6 smartphone will be the next. The ultra-wideband (UWB) technology provides greater depth and precision in devices using it. The recently launched Xiaomi Mix 4, as well as Samsung SmartTag+ and Apple’s AirTag, feature support for UWB technology. Google intends to join the class with the Pixel 6, going by a recently spotted clue.
The hype has been on the specs and technologies that are in the Pixel 6 and this has drawn some excitement from several quarters. Its all-new Tensor SoC is also impressive. The flagship smartphone from Google is designed to have a go at the competition.
A few months back, there were hints that Google may incorporate ultra-wideband support in its lineup of smartphones for 2021. The ultra-wideband technology is fast becoming prevalent across tech devices ranging from smartphones to smart tags. The camera setup of the Pixel 6 is quite impressive, as well as a few other features are already known about Google’s latest flagship offering, the Pixel 6.
A post within the AOSP Gerrit seems to have confirmed the UWB support for the Pixel 6. The comment requests that the Pixel-specific UWB hardware abstraction layer (HAL), be renamed to void conflicts with the AOSP HAL policy rules that are going to be added in Android T.
The seemingly innocuous post is packed with possible info, as only Google smartphones bear the Pixel moniker. The UWB support might just be one of the surprises. In addition, the codenames of the Android operating systems mentioned are also suggestive. Android S refers to Android 12. We could hazard a guess that a generic version of UWB support may be in the works for Android 13, referred to as Android T in the post. This would Fastrack the deployment of UWB by more OEMs in the future.
The UWB technology holds mich promise in its eventual deployment to smartphones and other devices. The NFC technology is the closest to UWB but is lacking on several fronts.
KaiOS Technologies announced that the popular mobile games Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride has been ported over to the KaiOS by the Singapore based developer Storm. The Storm isn’t the original developer of these games, but it owns the license to port them into instant games for the KaiOS.
Fruit Ninja
“Storms and KaiOS share the same mission, which is to empower all people – especially the underserved markets – with quality content. We have seen how Storms’ gaming content is being appreciated by KaiOS phone users. Over the last eight months, Storms’ games have been downloaded more than one million times via the KaiStore, with markets such as Pakistan, Nigeria and Tanzania experiencing the highest number of installs,” said Sebastien Codeville, CEO of KaiOS Technologies.
Codeville also added, “Seeing how arcade games such as Shoot and Fish are topping the list when it comes to game installs, we are thrilled to welcome the well-loved Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride which fall under the same game category to our KaiOS ecosystem.”
Jetpack Joyride
Well, both the games were initially designed for touch-based devices. So, in Fruit Ninja, players had to swipe to slice the fruit, while in Jetpack Joyride, players had to tap to rise Barry up in the air. But, Storm reworked the game to work on keypad based devices, so now players can play the game using the keypad. In Fruit Ninja, players need to press the number that appears nearby the fruit to slice it, whereas, in Jetpack Joyride, players need to press the or ‘5’ or Menu button to rise Barry up in the air.
KaiOS is an operating system designed for feature phones. Currently, KaiOS powers 150 million feature phones across the globe, and these two games will be available to every KaiOS user. KaiOS brings smart features to the feature phones such as Google Assitant and other apps helping communities around the world to be connected with each other.
Xiaomi launched the Mi 11 and Redmi K40 smartphones earlier this year with flagship-grade specs at aggressive prices. Now, the company seems to be already planning the successors called Xiaomi Mi 12 and Redmi K50. More information about these phones has just got revealed, thanks to the notorious tipster Digital Chat Station.
As per the tipster, a few new models of the Mi 12 and Redmi K50 have got filed online and the models include L1C, L2C, L3AC, L10AC, and L11C. These phones are expected to come powered by a flagship chipset. Rumors have it that the Xiaomi Mi 12 will come powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 898 SoC, whereas, the Redmi K50 will have two versions – a Snapdragon 888 and Snapdragon 898 model. However, out of these touted models, we aren’t sure which number belongs to which device.
Anyway, the Xiaomi Mi 12 will reportedly have display and camera upgrades. It will get an LTPO screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. It is expected to boast a Samsung GN3 camera sensor.
The Redmi K50 is expected to have similar specs as the Mi 12 but is expected to arrive at affordable pricing. The smartphone is said to have multiple models, similar to the endless versions of the existing Redmi K40 smartphone.
In related news, the Chinese phone maker is also expected to launch ‘T’ variants of the Xiaomi Mi 11 smartphone. Recently, the Xiaomi Mi 11T and Mi 11T Pro were seen featuring a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and a vertically placed rectangular camera module. Ahead of any announcements, the device was found listed on a European retailer website. The smartphone was listed starting for 644 euros(~$871) for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant.
Honor unveiled the Honor 50 series back in June and the series came with the vanilla Honor 50 and the Honor 50 Pro. The two models were made available in four different color schemes – snow crystal, summer amber, black jade green, and bright black. Looks like Honor is now set to release a new color option for the series.
The Huawei spin-off company shared a promotional video on Weibo pointing to the unveiling of a new color option for the Honor 50 series on Monday, August 30, 2021. The teaser suggests that the new color scheme will reflect the artistic outline of the present color options and will be fashion-themed.
We’ll have to wait till Monday to find out what Honor is cooking. Whatever it is, we expect the new model to retain the configuration of the current models including the Snapdragon 778G chipset, a 6.57-inch OLED curved screen that supports a 120Hz screen refresh rate, and 300Hz touch sampling rate. The Honor 50 series also packs a 4000mAh battery that supports a 66W fast charge while the Honor 50 Pro supports a 100W super fast charge.
In addition, the Honor 50 and 50 Pro models are equipped with four rear cameras, including a 100-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, a 2-megapixel macro lens, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. On the front side, there’s a 32-megapixel snapper for taking selfies. The phone runs Magic UI 4.2 based on Android 11.
Chinese phone maker Ulefone seems to launch a new smartphone soon as a budget smartphone dubbed Ulefone Note 12P emerged on the Google Play Console listing. The Note 12P will be the successor to the current Ulefone Note 11P.
According to Google Play Console, the Ulefone Note 12P has a large display and HD+ resolution. It is expected to be an IPS LCD panel with a pixel density of 320 PPI. The smartphone will be powered by the UNISOC Spreadtrum SC9863A chipset paired with 4GB of RAM.
The smartphone runs on Android 11 out of the box and is expected to have Ulefone’s custom skin on top of it. It is expected to have 64GB onboard storage.
Apart from this, the smartphone is expected to have multiple camera lenses at the rear. Considering that it will be the successor to the Ulefone Note 11P, we can expect a quad rear camera setup. At the front, it may feature a single camera system.
Ulefone Note 11P Specifications
The Ulefone Note 11P has a 6.55-inch IPS LCD display with an HD+ resolution. It has a quad-camera system at the rear with a 48MP primary lens, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, and two 2MP sensors for macro and depth shots.
It is powered by the 12 nm-based MediaTek Helio P60 SoC with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. It also features a microSD card for additional storage. The smartphone has a rear-facing fingerprint scanner for added security.
IMID 2021 began on August 25 in Korea, and so far, we’ve seen some great display devices revealed by domestic manufacturers like Samsung and LG. Samsung unveiled the S-foldable gadget, which can be folded twice to become a smartphone and unfolded to become a massive 17.3-inch tablet. LG, on the other hand, has unveiled its 88-inch sound OLED TV and a smart bed with a 55-inch transparent OLED screen.
Today, Samsung has showcased another innovative product at the event. The company displayed an AI Speaker that turns into a 12.4-inch display in mere seconds.
According to a video from the Korea Display Exhibition, the Samsung AI Speaker has a taller design with rolled-up sides. It has a 12.4-inch flexible OLED display panel wrapped around the speaker. Interestingly, the AI speaker can be converted into a large 12.4-inch panel with just a tap on the proprietary app.
When the Samsung AI speaker is toggled from the smartphone, it goes from a rolled position to a flat display position in seconds. The panel’s movement while switching between these positions seems quite smooth.
In related news, Samsung has also planned to reveal a 48-inch bendable cinematic sound OLED panel and a 34-inch 144Hz refresh rate monitor. While this display tech is enticing, we aren’t sure when these designs would be materialized.
In an age where smartphones look increasingly similar to each other, it’s hard to find a fresh design. But there are a few brands who like to experiment with their designs, eager to stand out from the crowd.
Realme is definitely one of them. But instead of trying to find a fresh design by themselves, the brand decided to cooperate with the famous industrial designer, Naoto Fukasawa, aiming to give consumers a fresh take on smartphone design. And on the Realme GT Master series, we felt this freshness, where the smartphone, owing to its design, felt a lot more personal than just another computing machine.
Today we’re going to review and compare the two models in the Realme GT master series. First one is the Realme GT Master edition, while the other one is the Realme GT Master Explorer edition. Let’s find out what more they have in addition to the brilliant design, and what makes both these Master models stand out from the rivals in its respective price segments.
Realme GT Master & Explorer Editions: Design
Let’s first start with their designs. It must be said that in the highly competitive Android camp, the hardware performance between models in the same price range is basically very similar. Therefore, the design is a key element that’ll give it an edge. This time, both the master and explorer models have a special version that presents Fukasawa’s design. We’re lucky to get the Fukasawa version of the master model, so in this design section, we will mainly show you the master model in our hand which is co-designed with Fukasawa.
Considering the front is completely occupied by the display, Fukasawa’s ‘unconscious design’ philosophy is naturally directed on the back of the model. This time, he is inspired by the everyday travel luggage, with the phone’s rear featuring horizontal grid patterns. The vegan leather material is not only visually pleasing, but also comfortable to hold in your hand. In fact, the soft material at the back reminds me of common objects from our everyday life like a handbag, or a luggage, and even your car’s interior.
Realme GT Master edition
While I agree that the leather-like material used on the back is not exclusive to the GT Master model, but the unique luggage pattern is like adding a soul to the design. It no longer lacks imagination like those phones with a basic colored leather finish.
Realme GT Master explorer
And in actual use, thanks to its excellent built quality, this design ensures I have a good grip, which prevents any unwanted drops.
Realme GT Master vs Explorer Editions: Hardware Differences
There are some general details that distinguish the two models in terms of their designs. For example, the Master’s frame is made of plastic while the explorer model uses a metal frame.
The front faces of the two models are slightly different as well. The GT master edition is equipped with a 6.43-inch flat hole-punch 120Hz display, while the Explorer version uses a slightly bigger edge-curved one. Both of them get Samsung’s Amoled panel, which offers excellent colors. When playing HDR content, both models were smart enough to activate HDR colors. Considering their competitive pricing, especially for the Master model, it’s quite surprising that they get top-notch displays. Meanwhile, both of them support up to 120Hz refresh rate, which also brings excellent UI fluency.
As for their audio performance, the dual-speaker setup of the explorer version no doubt is much better than the single speaker on the standard master version. But considering their pricing difference, the GT Master’s performance is still acceptable.
As for their performance, the standard Master version is powered by the Snapdragon 778G chipset, while the explorer version features a Snapdragon 870 chip. According to the benchmarks we ran, it’s obvious the explorer model’s performance driven by the 870 chipset was able to compare to other famous flagship killers. However, the master model’s scores were surprisingly competitive as well. The performance was almost equal to the average level of last year’s Android flagships. The biggest surprise is the CPU multi-core performance of the master model, which almost caught up with the explorer version.
In actual gaming, both models can run PUBG Mobile without any issues. In Genshin Imapct, the 870 chipset didn’t disappoint us, and under default performance mode, it can run the game stably at 48.4fps with excellent thermal management. While on the Master model, the result of the 43fps was better than our expectation. And when we turned on GT mode on the explorer model, the gaming performance got a significant boost.
Realme GT Master vs Explorer Editions: Camera
The camera setup is the biggest difference between these two models. The explorer model features a better main camera and adds a wide-angle lens with higher resolution. Actually, the main camera of the master model comes with 64MP Samsung GW1 sensor, which has an even higher resolution than the Sony IMX766 sensor. So let’s look at their samples.
Main Camera
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Realme GT Master Main
Realme GT Master Explorer Main
Realme GT Master Main
Realme GT Master Explorer Main
Realme GT Master Main
Realme GT Master Explorer Main
Realme GT Master Main
Realme GT Master Explorer Main
Realme GT Master Main
Realme GT Master Explorer Main
For the main camera, we have to say that the gap here is not so significant under good lighting conditions. Both the devices produced great colors with decent sharpness. Only under some complicated scenarios, the Explorer model is able to deliver higher dynamic range to cover darker details with less image noise. In addition, if we look closer, we can see that the explorer edition did a better job when dealing with the fringing issue, while the master model might relatively degrade the edge-picture quality.
Night Scenes
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Realme GT Master Night
Realme GT Master Explorer Night Sample
Realme GT Master Night
Realme GT Master Explorer Night Sample
Realme GT Master Night
Realme GT Master Explorer Night Sample
Realme GT Master Night
Realme GT Master Explorer Night Sample
Realme GT Master Night
Realme GT Master Explorer Night Sample
When coming to night scenes, the gap of the main cameras was more obvious. The explorer’s main camera could achieve better overall brightness and reserve better shadow detail. But if we didn’t directly compare it with the explorer model, the master model actually performed pretty well and could be one of the best camera phones in its price range.
Ultra-Wide Angle Camera
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Realme GT Master UW
Realme GT Master Explorer UW
Realme GT Master UW
Realme GT Master Explorer UW
Realme GT Master UW
Realme GT Master Explorer UW
Realme GT Master UW
Realme GT Master Explorer UW
Well, the competition of wide-angle cameras is uncontested in this comparison due to the explorer model’s 16MP resolution. The samples shot on the explorer model generally had a purer image with sharper detail. But there was still some good detail in the samples shot from the master model too.
Realme GT Master Macro
Realme GT Master Explorer Macro
Both the phones are equipped with a 2MP macro lens as a third camera. From the samples we shot, we found that the samples from the master model looks better than the explorer model. It has brighter colors with purer blur effect.
In addition to the camera performance we mentioned, this time Realme creatively developed an exclusive photographic mode for the GT master series, which is the street mode. It’s a convenient shooting mode that truly takes advantage of the phone as a smart portable camera.
Realme GT Master Explorer Street
Realme GT Master Explorer Street
Realme GT Master Explorer Street
Realme GT Master Explorer Street
Realme GT Master Street
Realme GT Master Street
Realme GT Master Street
Users can dual-click the volume button to quick start the street mode. Once you enter the street mode, you can see the special filters that has been applied over the camera preview interface. It features digital image stabilization to smartly recognize motion of objects shot in the preview screen and then accordingly apply an appropriate shutter. Meanwhile, the street mode provides 4 focal lengths as preset. It’s definitely a surprising mode for users who like to point and shoot quick shots with a single phone. The filters preset in the GT master and explorer editions are pretty special. But please note that with the filter, the image looks emotional but has a relatively lower dynamic range than the images shot under auto mode. And unfortunately, the street mode is not available in video shooting. I really recommend Realme to open the street mode for video shooting.
Realme GT Master vs Explorer Editions: Battery & Charging
As for the battery and charging, there’s no obvious difference between these two models. Although the Explorer model features a slightly bigger battery, the master model achieved a better result in our battery life test, which probably is the credit of the efficient 778G chipset. In the charging test, both were fully charged with the same 67W charging efficiency in 30mins.
Realme GT Master vs Explorer
So that’s all about the comparison between the Realme GT master and the GT Master Explorer. Both of them are outstanding models in their respective price ranges. By far, the Explorer model is one of the best flagship-killer models that I would recommend, while the GT Master is my best budget pick since it’s quite literally the only budget model that comes with a unique stand-out design.
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