MSI GP Leopard, MSI Pulse GL, and MSI Katana GF Gaming laptops launched with up to 11th Gen Intel i7 Chips and RTX 3070 GPU

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Jul 28, 2021

MSI has launched a wide range of gaming laptops in the Indian market. These laptops include more than 10 models from three series’. The three laptop series – MSI GP Leopard, MSI Pulse GL, and MSI Katana GF come in different segments. The Leopard series is the most premium one with 11th generation Intel Core H-series CPUs, followed by the Pulse GL series, and then the Katana GF series that comes powered by i5 and i7 Intel processors.

MSI GP Leopard Series, MSI Pulse GL Series, MSI Katana GF Series Specifications

MSI GP Leopard Series

The GP Leopard series includes two models MSI GP76 Leopard 11UG and MSI GP66 Leopard 11UG. Both the models have the same internals with major differences in the display sizes. The former model has a 17.3-inch FHD display with a whopping 240Hz refresh rate, whereas, the latter features a 15.6-inch FHD display with the same 240Hz refresh rate.

The series comes powered by an 11th generation Intel i7 processor and 8GB of GDDR6 RTX 3070 GPU. The laptops have up to 64GB expandable RAM and NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen4 x4 SSD. The laptops have stereo speakers powered by Nahimic 3 Audio Enhance technology. As for connectivity, there’s an HDMI port, a Gigabit Ethernet port, a mini DisplayPort, USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A ports, and Wi-Fi 6E support.

MSI Pulse GL Series

Next up we have the Pulse GL series that stands below the Leopard series. The Pulse GL series also includes two models – MSI Pulse GL76 and MSI Pulse GL66. Just like the Leopard series, these two models also have different screen sizes. The Pulse GL76 has a 17.3-inch FHD display, whereas, the Pulse GL66 has a 15.6-inch FHD display.

The major difference between the Leopard series and the Pulse series is the screen refresh rate, connectivity, and PCIe storage option. The Pulse GL series laptops feature a 144Hz refresh rate, it misses on Gigabit Ethernet port but has other USB ports including Gen1 Type-C, Gen1 Type-A, and USB 2.0 Type-A port. The pulse also misses on a PCIe Gen4 storage.

Other internal specs are the same as the Leopard series.

MSI Katana GF Series

The MSI Katana GF series comes in the starting range. Again, it has two models MSI Katana GF76 and MSI Katana GF66 with 17.3-inch and 15.6-inch screen sizes respectively. The screens have a 144Hz refresh rate and FHD resolution.

The Katana GF series has 11th generation Intel Core i7 and i5 processors with 6GB/4GB of GDDR6 RTX 3060/RTX 3050 GPUs. Apart from the processors and GPUs, the Katana series doesn’t differ much in other parts of the specs sheet.

MSI GP Leopard, MSI Pulse GL, and MSI Katana GF Pricing and Availability

The MSI GP76 Leopard 11UG(17.3-inch) with Intel Core i7 and RTX 3070 GPU is priced starting at ₹2,01,990(~$2711) and the MSI GP66 Leopard 11UG(15.6-inch) with the same internals is priced at ₹1,95,990(~$2631).

On the other hand, the MSI Pulse GL76(17.3-inch) with Intel Core i7 and RTX 3060 is priced starting at ₹1,45,990(~$1960) and MSI Pulse GL66(15.6-inch) with the same internals is priced at ₹1,39,990(~$1879).

The MSI Katana GF76(17.3-inch) and Katana GF66(15.6-inch) start at ₹1,11,990(~$1504) and ₹95,990(~$1289) respectively.

All three laptop series’ will be available for purchase from MSI stores and other online and offline authorized stores in India.

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China sees 78.1 million smartphone shipments in Q2 2021; Vivo becomes the leading smartphone brand

By

Jeet

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Jul 28, 2021

International Data Corporation (IDC) has today released a new report revealing data for the smartphone shipments in the second quarter of this year for the Chinese market. It claims that about 78.1 million units were shipped in China in Q2 2021, which represents a decrease of 11 percent year-on-year.

However, the overall shipments in the Chinese market first half of this year stand at 164 million units, which indicates an increase of 6.5 percent year-on-year. Interestingly, Honor has made its entry into the top five smartphone brands in China. This is the first listing of Honor in the report after it split from its parent company Huawei earlier this year to become an independent brand.

Vivo is leading the Chinese smartphone market in the second quarter of this year with shipments of 18.6 million units, capturing about 23.8 percent of the market. OPPO follows closely in the second spot with 16.5 million units and a 21.1 percent market share.

The third brand on the list is Xiaomi that managed to ship 13.4 million units in China in the second quarter of the year, covering 17.2 percent market. Xiaomi was recently ranked as the second-largest smartphone brand globally, overtaking Apple and just behind Samsung.

Apple has managed to ship 8.6 million iPhones in Q2 2021 in China and has covered about 10.9 percent of the market. Honor, making its debut in the list, capturing about 8.9 percent of the market with shipments of 6.9 million units.

Among all these brands, Xiaomi registered the highest growth of 47 percent year-on-year, followed by Vivo at 23.6 percent. OPPO grew by 17.3 percent while Apple registered a growth of 17 percent in China.

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Nubia Z30 Pro Black Gold Legend Limited Edition goes on sale in China

By

Jeet

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Jul 28, 2021

A couple of months ago, in May this year, ZTE-backed Nubia had launched its Nubia Z30 Pro flagship smartphone in its home market China. It was announced in three color options, namely Vast Black, Interstellar Silver, and Black Gold Legend.

The Nubia Z30 Pro Black Gold Legend is a Limited Edition model and was made available for pre-orders in China just a couple of days ago. Now, the device is up for purchase in the company’s home market from today.

This variant of the smartphone comes in just a single memory configuration that packs 16GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage. The device is priced at 5,999 yuan which roughly converts to $922.

Coming to the specifications, the Nubia Z30 Pro features a 6.67-inch flexible AMOLED display with a Full-HD+ screen resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels, 10-bit color depth (1.07 billion colors), 144Hz refresh rate, 20:9 aspect ratio, and 93.45% screen-to-body ratio.

It also comes with an in-display fingerprint sensor for added security. Under the hood, the device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset and supports LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 internal storage. To keep the temperature in check, there’s also five-layer micron graphene and VC liquid-cooled soaking plate.

As for the photography department, the phone features a quad-camera setup on the back that consists of a 64-megapixel primary sensor, a 64-megapixel secondary sensor with a 120-degree ultra-wide-angle lens, a 64-megapixel ‘humanistic’ camera, and an 8-megapixel sensor with a 5x periscope lens. On the front side, there’s a 16-megapixel snapper for taking selfies and video calling.

The smartphone runs the Android 11 operating system out-of-the-box with the company’s own Nubia UI 9.0 on top. It is powered by a 4,200mAh battery which comes with support for 120W fast charging. The company is also shipping the device with a 120W power adapter in the box, along with a USB Type-C to Type-C cable, a USB Type-C to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter, and a protective case.

RELATED:

Huawei removes its Autonomous Driving unit head for damaging remarks about Tesla

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jul 28, 2021

The World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2021 (WAIC 2021) was recently ended with a focus on the growing autonomous driving technology industry. However, the event didn’t end without a bit of drama. Huawei announced the removal of the head of its autonomous driving unit Su Jing. The tech giant later issued a statement that the former head was removed for inappropriate comments made about Tesla’s autonomous self-driving technology at the event. Su had claimed Tesla vehicles are killing people, apparently referring to the autopilot issue that has been reported severally in recent times.

Su Jing has been with Huawei for many years with outstanding ability in autonomous technology and a good staff rating. He has previously served as the chief architect of Huawei Terminal Company and later as the head of Huawei’s intelligent driving product department. In particular, he took the lead in creating the autonomous driving system solution ADS, which was first showcased on the BAIC Arcfox Alpha S. The car is the first smart electric car equipped with Huawei’s lidar solution and the first model equipped with Huawei Harmony OS car system.

Thus, there are speculations in some quarters that his removal might be due to other reasons other than the Tesla comments. Before now, there were rumors that Weilai (NIO) and other car manufacturers had approached Su Jing and were looking to poach him from Huawei. However, both Mr. Su and NIO denied the rumor. Although Huawei still retains him in its employment, the autonomous driving expert may soon pitch his tent somewhere else.

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SAIC-GM-Wuling is selling more EVs than Tesla thanks to the Wuling Hongguang MINIEV

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jul 27, 2021

On Monday, electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla posted its 2021 half-year results, which indicated that the US company sold about 200,000 EVs in the second quarter of the year, yielding $12 billion, up by $6 billion from last year. In an update to investors, the company stated that Q2 profits soared to $1.1 billion, up from the $104 million from last year. The very impressive numbers by Tesla seem to be replicated by Chinese EV maker SAIC-GM.

SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile recently reported its mid-year performance with the overall sale of its vehicles above 884,000 within the first six months of 2021. The result also indicated that there was a 39.5% surge in sales year-on-year. The company also had positive growth for the fifteenth consecutive month. SAIC-GM produces the Wuling and Baojun brands, and the two account for the massive sales.

Wuling's Hongguang MINIEV — SAIC-GM-Wuling overall H1 2021 sales

Last year, the global EV market experienced reduced sales due to the coronavirus pandemic and the global chip shortage. The global EV market has shown a rebound from last year’s decline, as more persons embrace the sustainable environmental solutions posed by electric vehicles. The bulk of the EV sales for SAIC-GM came from the Wuling brand, which accounted for 693,351 units, while the Baojun brand ramped 123,057 units within the first half of 2021. The company also reported a total export of 74,225 cars and recorded positive growth for the six consecutive months of the year.

SAIC-GM-Wuling is riding on the tide of a solid performance in China, the world’s largest and fastest-growing EV market. It is squaring up against Tesla with its impressive EV models, as its cars are significantly cheaper than Tesla’s. The data shows that Wuling’s Hongguang MINIEV is still a hot-sellling model as the brand sold 182,767 units in the first half of the year, an average of 1,000 vehicles per day.

The outlook remains bright for the company as it continues to evolve strategies to expand the coverage for its budget electric vehicles. However, in terms of revenue, it will have to sell a lot more to equal Tesla’s declared financial turnover.

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Some OnePlus 8T and OnePlus 9R units have LPDDR5 RAM

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 27, 2021

The official spec sheets for the OnePlus 8T and OnePlus 9R says both phones ship with LPDDR4X RAM. While that may have been true for the several thousand units sold, that appears to no longer be the case.

A new report says some users have discovered that their OnePlus 8T and OnePlus 9R phones ship with the faster LPDDR5 RAM. The info comes from XDA Developers who have been able to confirm the info.

The change in RAM type was discovered by some users who tried to unbrick their phones using the MSMDownloadTool which doesn’t work with LPDDR5 RAM. While there is now a solution available for those with the faster RAM variant, the fact is that OnePlus is now selling both phones with a faster RAM than their spec sheet says.

You definitely won’t be able to tell before purchase if you will be getting the OnePlus 8T or OnePlus 9R with LPDDR4X RAM or LPDDR5 RAM. However, if you own one already, there is an easy way to find out the type of RAM the device has. XDA Developers says you have to run the command below if you have ADB installed on your PC:

adb shell getprop ro.boot.ddr_type

If it returns a “0”, you have the LPDDR4X RAM variant while “1” means you have LPDDR5 RAM.

The OnePlus 9R and OnePlus 8T are very closely related. The two major differences between them are the design and processor. So on both devices, you get a 6.55-inch FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED screen, 48MP+16MP+5MP+2MP quad rear cameras, a 16MP front-facing camera, a 4500mAh battery capacity, and support for 65W fast charging. The OnePlus 8T has a Snapdragon 865 processor while the OnePlus 9R is powered by the more powerful Snapdragon 870.

RELATED:

Huawei Nova 8 SE Vitality Edition launched in China for CNY 1,899(~$292)

By

Pranav Sawant

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Jul 27, 2021

Last year, Huawei unveiled the Nova 8 SE smartphone with a Dimensity processor and quad-rear cameras. Today, after almost nine months, the company has launched a 2021 edition of the phone dubbed Huawei Nova 8 SE Vitality Edition. The smartphone’s major highlight is the in-house Kirin 710A SoC, triple rear cameras, and 40W fast charging.

The Huawei Nova 8 SE Vitality Edition is priced at CNY 1,899(~$292) for the only variant with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It comes in two colors – Frost Silver and Magic Night Black. It will go up for sale on Huawei’s official website, Vmall, Jingdong, and other shopping portals in China.

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Huawei Nova 8 SE Vitality Edition Specifications

The smartphone sports a new design as compared to the original Nova SE. The phone flaunts a triple rear camera system placed vertically. This is a significant change over the quad-camera system seen on the Nova 8 SE.

It has a 6.6-inch LCD display with Full-HD+(1080 x 2400 pixels). It is a punch-hole panel with a narrow-bezel design. The display has 16.7 million colors and a 94% screen-to-body ratio.

As said above, it has three cameras with a 48MP main sensor that comes with an f/1.8 aperture. It is accompanied by two 2MP lenses for macro and depth shots. The rear camera supports 6x digital zoom and has a 1080p video recording. On the front lies a 16MP selfie camera with an aperture of f/2.0.

Under the hood, it is powered by the old in-house Kirin 710A octa-core chipset paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. It is backed by a 4,000mAh battery with support for 40W fast charging technology.

It is a 4G handset that comes with Bluetooth v5.1 and Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac support. It has a 3.5mm headphone jack and the speaker grille at the top, and a USB Type-C port at the bottom. The smartphone boots on EMUI 10.1 UI based on Android OS.

RELATED:

LG is the world’s biggest battery maker driven by EVs, Panasonic & Samsung in tow – Report

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jul 27, 2021

Samsung is a global business powerhouse, and indeed, it is one of the largest enterprises globally due to the sheer width of its business concerns. Its businesses include consumer electronics, chips, panels, smartphones, TVs, and several others. However, Samsung is also into manufacturing batteries for smartphones, wearables, and increasingly, electric vehicles.

The latest results from SNE Research have placed Samsung’s battery-making arm, SDI as the third biggest battery maker based on market share. According to the research, Samsung has a market share of 10.1%, with strong batteries for electric vehicles like Ford’s Kuga, Audi’s E-Tron, and Fiat 500. Korean tech brands LG Energy and Panasonic are the two global leaders in battery making, with a combined market share of 63.3% as of May 2021. The SNE Research report covered five months from January to May 2021.

The leading battery makers are reaping from a very productive half year in the EV market, which has seen Tesla and BAIC-GM presenting impressive and record-breaking sales numbers. Of course, there is a perfect correlation between EV sales and the sales of EV batteries, which forms a bulk of the overall sales output of the battery makers.

The SNE Research report also showed a rapid increase in global battery usage within the first five months. The more than two-fold rise in battery usage is also indicative of the rapid shift towards EV technology in the automobile industry. EV manufacturers continue to tinker with the range and mileage per KWh of energy that EVs could offer.

Samsung is also looking at expanding its capability in battery production with recent plans to build battery factories in the United States. The move is aimed at consolidating its quest for lucrative EV battery contracts from Tesla. Samsung recently shared a prototype Tesla 4680 battery cell in pursuit of the Tesla supply contract.

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Doogee S35 entry-level rugged smartphone goes live on AliExpress for $89.99

By

Simranpal Singh

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Jul 27, 2021

Doogee S35 has finally hit the shelves via a limited-time sale on AliExpress at an affordable price of $89.99. The smartphone will make its debut on the retailer’s website along with the Doogee N40 Pro. The entry-level rugged phone is specifically designed for the affordable segment having decent specifications.

Must See: Doogee N40 Pro up for grabs on AliExpress with a massive 24% discount

The smartphone houses a 5.0-inch display protected with Corning Gorilla Glass against the usual scratches. Doogee S35 smartphone packs a 4350mAh battery which comes with a 10W fast charging. The battery is sufficient enough for a couple of days of normal use with a single full charge.

Doogee S35 is powered with MT6737V/WA chipset, 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage. The interested users can even expand the storage using a MicroSD card.

It is a fully durable smartphone with sides built with rubber to protect against shock and usual falls. Doogee S35 smartphone is engineered to resist water and dust, even IP68 and IP69K rating confirms the same.

In the camera department, the smartphone offers a triple-rear camera module consisting of a 13MP primary sensor and a single 5MP front camera.

Furthermore, it is MIL-STD-810G rated smartphone that confirms protection against the drops. It is available in three different colour options of flame red, fire orange and mineral black. For a limited time, it is available on AliExpress at a massive discount.

Related: Doogee N40 Pro announced with 6380 mAh battery, 6.52-inch display and 6GB RAM

ZTE Buds and ZTE LiveBuds Pro announced, starts at ¥169 (~$26)

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 27, 2021

Alongside the Axon 30 smartphone, ZTE also announced a handful of other products, and among them are the ZTE Buds and ZTE LiveBuds Pro. The two pairs of earbuds are quite different, not only in terms of their design but also the features they offer.

ZTE Buds

The ZTE Buds has an open-fit design with elongated stems. The earbuds are sweat-resistant and are pretty light, weighing just 3.4 grams each. ZTE says that the earbuds will provide 4 hours of talk time and 5 hours of playback time. The carrying case has a 500mAh battery but ZTE doesn’t state how many charges you can get or the total battery life. The ZTE Buds has a price tag of ¥169 (~$26) and can be purchased in white or black.

ZTE LiveBuds Pro

The LiveBuds Pro is more expensive at ¥349 (~$54). It also has a different design but comes in white and black colorways too. The pair of earbuds has hybrid active noise cancellation and six-mic call noise reduction. They are also resistant to sweat. The total battery life is put at 24 hours (with the case).

RELATED:

Poco X3 GT rumor roundup: Specs, Price, Colors & More – What to Expect!

By

Pranav Sawant

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Jul 27, 2021

After launching the Poco F3 GT premium gaming smartphone in India, the company is all set to unveil a budget gaming phone dubbed the Poco X3 GT in Malaysia. While the phone is scheduled to go on floors tomorrow, i.e. July 28, some details of the handset are already available on the internet. Today, in this piece, we are rounding up all the rumors surfaced so far about the Poco X3 GT, giving you a clear idea of what to expect.

Poco X3 GT Rumor Roundup: What to Expect?

Moniker, Design, and Display

Back in May, the initial rumors about the Poco X3 GT arrived in leaks. A popular Mi tipster named Kacper Skrzypek revealed that a Poco gaming phone with the moniker ‘Poco X3 GT’ could be in the works.

Later, the tipster revealed that the Poco X3 GT is nothing but a rebranded Redmi Note 10 Pro (Chinese model) for the Malaysian market. Soon after this confirmation, leaks started to get some pace and the device bagged multiple certifications.

Recently, renders of the X3 GT appeared online, which reaffirmed that it will be indeed a rebadged Redmi phone. Adding to it, an unboxing video from popular Indian YouTuber Technical Guruji took wraps off its design and box contents.

The smartphone will sport a 6.67-inch punch-hole display with a Full-HD+ resolution. It is expected to be an IPS LCD panel with a 120Hz high screen refresh rate and a 240Hz touch sampling rate. The display will have Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection.

Cameras on the Poco X3 GT

In terms of cameras, the smartphone will flaunt a unique rear camera island. It will be a rectangular island placed vertically holding three camera lenses. It will be led by a 64MP primary lens, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, and lastly a 2MP macro unit.

At the front, it will boast a single selfie camera placed at the top center. It will be a 16MP camera unit.

Hardware and Software

The most interesting thing from the specs sheet of the X3 GT has to be its hardware. After bagging various certifications, it was confirmed that the device will be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1100 SoC. For those who are unaware, the Dimensity 1100 is a premium chipset from MediaTek that stands below the Dimensity 1200 that powered its recently-launched sibling, the Poco F3 GT.

It is expected to launch with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 onboard storage. It will also have a microSD card slot for additional storage. As for the battery, it was spotted with a 5,000mAh battery cell and is expected to have a 67W fast charging support.

The device will feature a side-facing fingerprint scanner for security. According to a recent leak, the phone will run on MIUI 12.5 UI based on Android 11 OS out of the box.

Color variants of the smartphone

Renders confirmed that the phone will arrive in three color variants – Green, Black, and White. Two of these colors, the Green and White variants, will have a textured back.

Pricing and Availability

Since the Poco X3 GT will be a rebranded Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G, it is expected to come at a similar price range to that of the Note 10 Pro 5G. The Note 10 Pro 5G arrived at CNY 1,499(~$230) for the base variant and was priced at CNY 1,799(~$276) for the top variant.

RELATED:

boAt Airdopes 501 ANC TWS Earbuds with Hybrid ANC, 28hrs Playback launched in India

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jul 27, 2021

boAt is making bold statements with its recent accessories unveiled for the Indian market. These products embody the philosophy and ideals of the Indian audio company, as it continues to grow its market share with innovative and budget-friendly devices.

boAt has just announced the launch in India of its latest Airdopes 501 ANC TWS Earbuds for Rs. 2499 ($34). The new earbuds are affordable and also feature some of boAt’s proprietary technologies like the Bionic Engine and Sonic Technology (BEAST) and the Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation technology. The new boAt Airdopes 501 are truly wireless earbuds with Bluetooth 5.2 support.

Several other features for the device yield a very impressive sound output and comfortable use for extended periods. The earbuds themselves can offer 5 hours of listening time on a full charge, but this is massively increased with the USB-C charging case, which guarantees 28 hours of playback. Five minutes of charging the wireless earbuds will give up to one hour of playback.

The Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation technology uses dual microphones on both earbuds, in combination with the internal setup, to reduce surrounding noise up to 30dB for a more compelling listening experience. The BEAST technology is used to put both audio and video in sync without any overlapping. The Airdopes 501 ANC TWS earbuds are IPX4-rated and also have touch controls. It also features Insta Wake ‘N’ Pair technology and an Ambient mode.

The new boAt Airdopes 501 ANC TWS Earbuds are available via Amazon India and boAt’s official website. The TWS earbuds are compact, ergonomically designed, stylish, and budget-friendly. The company will expect a decent reception in the market for its new earbuds.

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OnePlus 8, 8 Pro, 8T receive their final OxygenOS 11 Open Beta update

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Jul 27, 2021

OnePlus is rolling out the final OxygenOS 11 Open Beta builds for the OnePlus 8, OnePlus 8 Pro, and the OnePlus 8T. The update arrives as OxygenOS 11 Open Beta 12 for the OnePlus 8 series and OxygenOS 11 Open Beta 7 for the OnePlus 8T. Let’s take a look at what these software builds have to offer.

The last-ever OxygenOS 11 Open Beta update for the OnePlus 8/8 Pro and the OnePlus 8T bumps up the security patch level to July 2021. It brings fixes for face unlock issue in QR scanning on WhatsApp and improves system stability.

Further, Work-life balance gets a fix for modifying life and work mode. The new update also comes with support for adding Work WiFi to Life WiFi.

Last but not least, the latest public beta update for these handsets also brings along the OnePlus Store app, which is uninstallable.

As usual, these software builds are rolling out via OTA to users who are currently on the previous public beta build. After experiencing the new beta builds, users can roll back to the stable channel by installing the appropriate rollback package.

OnePlus 8, 8 Pro, 8T OxygenOS 11 Open Beta 12/7 Official Changelog

System
- Improved system stability
- Fixed the issue that the face unlock failed in the QR scanning on WhatsApp
- Upgrade Android Security Patch to 2021.07

Work-life balance
- Now work Wi-Fi can support added to life Wi-Fi
- Fixed the issue of failure to modify life and work mode

OnePlus Store
- An intuitive and convenient way to manage your OnePlus account, get easy-to-access support, discover exciting members-only benefits, and shop for OnePlus products. (Please note that it can be uninstalled)

The Nokia XR20 is a €499 rugged 5G smartphone with a Snapdragon 480 chip

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 27, 2021

The Nokia XR20 is the latest smartphone from HMD Global but this new device is different from the other models from the Finnish company. The XR20 is a rugged Android smartphone, a first for the brand.

Nokia XR20 Design

For a rugged phone, the design is pretty clean. The case around the phone is military-grade MIL-STD-810H and can take a beating. You can also clean it with soap and water when it gets dirty.

The Nokia XR20 does stand out from the other Nokia smartphones released in the past year and in a good way. It will be available in Graphite and Ultra Blue.

Nokia XR20 specifications

The phone has a 6.67-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1080) screen with a centered punch hole, a 20:9 aspect ratio, and a brightness level of 550 nits. Covering it is a sheet of Gorilla Glass Victus, just like we have on the Motorola Defy and the Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G. The spec sheet says that users can operate the display with wet hands or with a glove on.

There is a Snapdragon 480 5G processor powering the phone. Buyers will be able to pick it up in two configurations – 4GB RAM + 64GB and 6GB RAM + 128GB. There is a MicroSD card slot for up to an extra 512GB of storage.

The Nokia XR20 has two rear cameras – a 48MP main sensor and a 12MP ultrawide angle camera. The two sensors are housed in a squircle along with two LEDs for flash. Nokia packs the phone with several camera features including a new one called SpeedWarp mode that offers super stabilization and allows users to fast-forward to crucial moments. Spatial OZO audio recording is also available and it suppresses the noise of the wind when recording. The front-facing camera is an 8MP sensor.

There is a fingerprint scanner buried in the power button. You also get a Google Assistant button and a programmable red button for quick access to important functions. The phone has an accessory loop at the bottom left corner for a lanyard.

The Nokia XR20 has stereo speakers, NFC, an audio jack, and a USB-C (USB 3.0 port). It packs a 4630mAh battery and has support for 18W fast charging, 15W wireless fast charging, and Quick Charge 4.0. Unfortunately, Nokia says that a charger won’t come with it in the box as part of its effort to reduce e-waste. The phone will be available in single and dual SIM variants.

Nokia is promising three years of OS upgrades which means the phone which ships with Android 11 will be updated to Android 12, Android 13, and Android 14. It will also receive four years of security updates. The manufacturer clearly states that it wants you to hold on to the device up until 2025.

Nokia XR20 Price and Availability

€499 (4+64GB) sure is a lot for a mid-range phone but Nokia tries to justify the price with features such as Gorilla Glass Victus, wireless charging, a durable design, a 3-year warranty, and long software support. It is also offering a free screen replacement for the first year. It remains to be seen if these features are enough to convince folks to shell out that amount of money.

The phone is already available for pre-order in Europe on Nokia’s website and it will begin shipping on August 3. Nokia will also plant 50 trees on your behalf when you purchase the phone.

RELATED:

ZTE Axon 30 5G launched with improved Under-screen camera, 120Hz AMOLED screen & more!

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jul 27, 2021

Chinese tech giant ZTE has been the pioneer brand in the aspect of under-screen camera technology for smartphones. The Axon 20 which was launched last year is still the only model worldwide that packs an under-screen selfie camera. ZTE has now unveiled the Axon 30 bringing a new generation of under-screen camera technology again this year. The device not only features a better display but the under-screen camera technology also promises a better imaging effect than its predecessor.

Unlike the Axon 20 display which could boast of just 200 PPI, the Axon 30 display is touted to be the world’s first 400PPI under-screen camera phone. It is also the first phone with an under-screen camera that supports a 120Hz refresh rate.

In terms of specifications, the ZTE Axon 30 with a completely symmetrical, non-perforated 6.92-inch AMOLED screen with 1.07 billion colors and a resolution of 2460 x 1080 pixels. The device utilizes a slender 20.5:9 screen aspect ratio with a 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut, matching all colors in the digital image. The device also comes with DTS: XUltra 3D sound effects that can provide an immersive audio and video experience.

ZTE also added two new smart display controls on the Axon 30: smart pixel enhancement control and smart optimized display control. The multi-drive ACE circuit arrangement makes the transition of the camera area under the screen more natural. The 7-layer screen structure, special OLED and more transparent cathodes, and high-transmittance arrays create better conditions for the camera under the screen.

Talking of the camera setup, the Axon 30 is equipped with a 16 megapixels large-size front camera with a single-pixel size of up to 1.12um. ZTE says it relied on tens of thousands of sets of data, through AI deep learning for model training, and finally realized the revolutionary upgrade of the proactive intelligence algorithm 2.0, allowing users to use AI image quality even in scenes with darker ambient light. Enhancement technology greatly improves the resolution of the picture, thereby improving the problems of underexposure and obvious noise during shooting, thus improving the practicality of the under-screen camera. The camera sample shows a bright prospect but we’ll have to wait for independent reviews to know if ZTE has indeed gotten it right.

In terms of the core configuration, ZTE Axon 30 is powered by the Snapdragon 870 processor. It is also equipped with UFS3.1 flash memory and supports memory fusion technology, which can call 8GB from flash memory as Virtual storage (post push), combined with the 12GB physical RAM version, this bumps up the available RAM to 20GB.

In addition, the Axon 30 is also excellent in rear imaging. It adopts a matrix arrangement of a four-camera setup in which the main camera is the 64-megapixel Sony IMX682sensor teaming up with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor, a 5-megapixel macro, and a 2-megapixel depth-of-field lens.

At the same time, ZTE Axon 30 also supports smart Vlog short video shooting function, with different built-in smart shooting templates. You can choose music, special effects, and filters as you like, without the need for further editing before publishing.

In other respects, the Axon 30 packs a 4200mAh battery and supports 55W fast charging. It also comes with NFC in addition to 5G support.

In terms of price, the Axon 30 will be available in four different memory variants. Here are the prices;

ZTE Axon 30 6 GB +128G version —– 2,198 yuan (~$338)

ZTE Axon 30 8 GB + 128GB version — 2,498 yuan (~$384)

ZTE Axon 30 8 GB + 256GB priced at – 2,798 yuan (~$430)

ZTE Axon 30 12 GB + 256GB version – 3,098 yuan (~$476)

The 12 GB + 256GB version will get a discount of 100 yuan during the first sale bringing the price down to 2998 yuan (~$460).

The Axon 30 models will officially go on sale at 10 am on August 3. ZTE has also confirmed that the Axon 30 will be launched for the global market this September.

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ZTE Axon 30 5G will get a global release in September

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Jul 27, 2021

ZTE announced the Axon 30 5G smartphone in China today. The device is the first to feature its second-generation under-display camera technology. If you are wondering if it will be available outside China, then the answer is yes.

The Chinese manufacturer has announced that the Snapdragon 870-powered smartphone will launch in September. The announcement was made on Twitter via the ZTE Devices account.

A new under-display camera generation is coming soon…

Don't miss out for the Next Gen Vision: https://t.co/ywnbiDl35n

— ZTE Device (@ZTEDevice) July 27, 2021

ZTE launched the Axon 20 5G, the first smartphone with an in-display camera, last year and the phone got a global release. So it is not much of a surprise that ZTE plans to big the improved version to other markets too.

The Axon 30 5G has a 6.92-inch FHD AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. It is available in four variants – 6GB RAM + 128GB, 8GB RAM + 128GB, 8GB RAM + 256GB, and 12GB RAM + 256GB.

There are three 64MP cameras on the back of the phone along with an 8MP ultrawide angle camera that can also take 3CM macro photos. The camera under the display is a 16MP sensor. There is a 4200mAh battery under the hood and there is support for 55W fast charging, Power Delivery, and Quick Charge 4+. ZTE ships the phone with MyOS 11 based on Android 11 out of the box.

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Nothing ear (1) earbuds launched with a unique design and a $99 price tag

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Jul 27, 2021

After announcing that its first product will arrive this summer back in February, Nothing has finally taken the wraps off the Nothing ear (1) earbuds. The headphones were announced today during a live stream.

The Nothing ear (1) tries to stand out from the several other earbuds available now with its design. It has a transparent body and you can see the internals through the clear plastic. To be honest, it actually looks much better than expected. Nothing has settled for a closed in-ear design with liquid silicone tips and each earbud (and case) has the product name engraved on it.

The earbuds each weigh 4.7 grams and feature 11.6mm drivers from Teenage Engineering. They have an IPX4 rating making them resistant to sweat and splashes. They also have in-ear detection, and with the companion app, you can adjust active noise cancellation, activate transparency mode, and change the equalizer settings. There is also a Find My Earbud feature in the app. The companion app is available for Android and iOS.

Nothing says the earbuds will provide 4 hours of battery life with ANC turned on and 5.7 hours with ANC turned off. The charging case takes the total battery life up to 34 hours. You will be able to recharge the case via a USB-C port or by placing it on a Qi wireless charger.

The Nothing ear (1) will be available starting on August 17 in several countries and regions including the US, Europe, India, and the UK. However, there will be a limited sale via the Nothing website on July 31. The earbuds will sell for $99 in the US, €99 in Europe, £99 in the UK, and INR 5,999 in India.

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Samsung The Frame 2021 gets a gigantic 85-inch version in South Korea

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jul 27, 2021

Samsung Electronics is one of South Korea’s top firms as well as a global powerhouse. The company has just unveiled the biggest variant of its lifestyle TV, The Frame, to its home market of South Korea. The new 85-inch The Frame TV joins the 2021 lineup, which includes the 43-inch and 75-inch models released earlier in the year. The biggest The Frame TV yet is priced at KRW 6,690,000 ($5,800) in South Korea.

The new TV has a 4K/QLED display, HDR10, HDR10+ HLG, and a 120Hz refresh rate. It comes with a wooden bezel by default and can be customized to suit the owner’s taste. You can use magnetic bezels of different hues. This year’s version is much slimmer than the 2020 version. It features a Slim Fit wall-mount design, providing a pretty perfect and aesthetically impressive view, with the TV sitting extremely flush with the wall. The TV runs on Samsung’s Tizen operating system and has Voice Assistant support.

Samsung’s The Frame TV has multiple HDMI 2.1 (4) and USB (2) ports, an Ethernet port, Bluetooth 5.2, and Wi-Fi 5 connectivity. Indeed, It has various features and functionality that ensure a truly great viewing and listening experience.

The Frame TV features the Quantum Processor 4K, and it has apps for all the famous audio and video streaming services. It has a motion sensor that turns the TV on automatically when a person enters the room. Its brightness and audio sensors adjust screen brightness and TV volume to match the room conditions.

With the Frame TV, you can display your pictures or any art piece from Samsung’s Art Store. The Art Store contains a rich collection of fantastic and exhilarating artworks. And finally, The Frame TV comes with a solar-powered remote control.

Samsung says the global rollout of the 85-inch The Frame TV will commence soon.

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(source)

iQOO 8 series could be showcased at the ChinaJoy conference

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Jul 27, 2021

Chinese smartphone brand iQOO is expected to launch the iQOO 8 series as soon as early August. Ahead of that, these handsets will be showcased at an upcoming conference in China. This piece of information comes directly from the company’s official Weibo account.

A few hours back, the official iQOO Weibo account shared a teaser poster for the next iQOO series of smartphones. As per the teaser image, the forthcoming handsets will be presented at the ChinaJoy conference, which is scheduled to take place from July 30 to August 2 in Shanghai.

The company is yet to officially reveal the name of these devices. However, multiple leaks have suggested them to carry iQOO 8 branding.

According to previous reports, one of the iQOO 8 series models will sport a QHD+ display with a resolution of 3200 x 1440 pixels. It will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+ SoC paired with 12GB RAM, 4GB virtual RAM, and 256GB storage. As for software, it will run OriginOS 1.0 for iQOO based on Android 11.

Since the current-gen iQOO 7 series features a similar design and specs as the vivo X60 series, the upcoming iQOO 8 will be mostly identical to the vivo X70 series.

What do you expect from the iQOO 8 series? Do let us know in the comment section below.

MediaTek’s latest Kompanio 1300T chipset is a Dimensity 1200 for tablets & laptops

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Jul 27, 2021

Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer MediaTek has announced a new chipset for tablets and ARM-powered laptops dubbed Kompanio 1300T. The chipset takes over from the Kompanio 1200 with model number MT8195 which was unveiled in November last year.

The new chipset features a flagship architecture similar to the Dimensity 1200 smartphone chipset. In this light, it is built on TSMC’s 6nm node and utilizes an octa-core processor. The processor consists of four big Cortex-A78 cores and four small Cortex-A55 cores. The GPU saw the major upgrade as the chipset bundles a nano-core Mali-G77 MC9 GPU which is superior to the Mali G57 MC5 utilized by the Kompanio 1200.

Furthermore, the Kompanio 1300T is integrated with a sub-6 GHz bands 5G modem which supports dual-SIM and dual-channel carrier aggregation. It features support for two 1080p displays which isn’t bad considering that it is a chipset for tablets and laptops and not for dual-screen smartphones. However, for a single display, it supports a resolution of up to 1440p with a 120Hz refresh rate, as well as HDR10+ video playback. Combined with the 5G connectivity which brings a low-latency connection for video gaming, the display is well suited for gaming.

MediaTek Kompanio 1300T — Kompanio 1300T vs Dimensity 1200 vs Kompanio 1200 (source GSMArena)

The new chipset also brings support for cameras with 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. The chip also supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.

MediaTek did reveal that the Kompanio 1300T will feature in tablets from the third quarter of this year (July-September). The company didn’t reveal the first tablet that would feature the chipset but a popular tipster Digital Chat Station had earlier confirmed that the Honor V7 Pro that is expected to be launched in mid-August will feature the 1300T.

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