Zoom has announced that the company has agreed to acquire Five9 which provides cloud contact center software. This all-stock deal, which is valued at $14.7 billion, marks the first billion-dollar acquisition for Zoom.
It is also the second-biggest tech deal in the United States this year, just behind Microsoft’s planned acquisition of Nuance Communications for $16 billion. After the deal closes, Five9 will become an operating unit of Zoom.
Zoom said Five9 stockholders will receive 0.5533 shares of Zoom Video Communications for every Five9 share. That values Five9 at $200.28 a share, which is a 13 percent premium and represents about 14 percent of Zoom’s market cap of close to $107 billion.
Both the companies have said that the deal is expected to get closed in the first half of next year. With this acquisition, Zoom will be entering the market for contact centers. Five9 has over 2,000 customers of Five9, including firms like Citrix and Under Armour, and processes more than 7 billion minutes of calls annually.
In a statement, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan said: “We are continuously looking for ways to enhance our platform, and the addition of Five9 is a natural fit that will deliver even more happiness and value to our customers.”
Zoom was one of the biggest beneficiaries in terms of business during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the company increased its revenue by 326 percent but it is now facing a natural slowdown, and offices around the world and opening up.
While the company has launched some new products to reckon with coming changes to its business, but it is unlikely to satisfy Wall Street. Also, with increasing competition from tech giants like Microsoft Teams, Zoom needs additional revenue sources and thus, the company acquired Five9.
Multiple reports have claimed that Huawei will be unleashing the Huawei P50 lineup by July end this year. Today, the company released a confirmation through Weibo that the P50 series will be made official at 7:30 PM (local time) on July 29.
Commenting on the arrival of the P50 series, Huawei Consumer Business CEO Yu Richard took to Weibo to state that the company will surpass itself in the field of imaging. He added that the P50 series will be released soon with pioneering mobile imaging technology.
Reports have revealed that the Huawei P50 series will be equipped with the custom-made Sony IMX80 camera lens. It is said to be the first 1-inch mobile camera sensor with 50-megapixel resolution and an RYYB color filter. The Huawei P50 series is expected to include three models such as as the P50, P50 Pro, and P50 Pro+. It is speculated that only the Pro and Pro+ variants will feature the Sony IMX800 lens.
A recent leak revealed that the Huawei P50 will have a triple camera unit comprising of a Sony IMX707 camera, a Sony IMX600 lens, and a 3x telephoto camera. The P50 Pro’s quad-camera unit may include a Sony IMX800 lens, an OV64A OmniVision camera, a 5x periscope camera, and a ToF/new sensor.
The P50 and P50 Pro are expected to debut on July 29, but the company may delay the arrival of the P50 Pro+. Rumors are rife that the upcoming P50 models will feature Kirin 9000 and they will support only 4G connectivity. Their global editions are expected to feature 4G version of the Snapdragon 888. Their 5G editions are also expected to arrive in near future.
As far as the P50 Pro is concerned, its rear camera setup may include a primary camera, an ultrawide snapper, a telephoto lens, a periscope camera, and a ToF depth sensor. The P50 Pro may feature a curved OLED panel, whereas the Pro+ may feature a “waterfall” curved edge display.
After several sanctions imposed by the United States, it has become almost impossible for Huawei HiSilicon to make smartphone processors. However, the company seems to be working on its first flexible OLED driver chip.
If the latest report coming from China is to be believed, then Huawei HiSilicon’s flexible OLED driver chip has now entered the trial production stage. For those who are unaware, the driver chip for the OLED panel controls the illumination of each pixel in the display.
The report also adds that the product will start mass production in the first half of next year. The driver chip for the flexible OLED panel is expected to be delivered to suppliers by the end of this year. Also, given that its own chip-making arm is developing this chip, Huawei is expected to adopt it for its upcoming products. It is being reported that samples have already been sent to BOE and Honor for testing purposes.
Recently, it was reported that the Chinese giant is trying to become more self-efficient and as a part of that, it plans to set up its first chip production factory in Wuhan to offset sanctions imposed by the United States. Earlier this month, the company also signed a deal with a Chinese firm to strengthen its domestic supply chain.
Today, ZTE confirmed that it will be announcing the Axon 30 5G with the second generation in-screen selfie camera at 7 PM (local time) on July 27 in China. As the moniker goes, it will be succeeding the Axon 20 5G that debuted in September 2020 as the first-ever phone with an in-display camera. A new ZTE smartphone with A2232 has emerged with its entire specifications in the database of China’s TENAA certification site. This phone appears to be the forthcoming Axon 30 5G.
The official poster released by the brand shows the Axon 30 5G in multiple colors like black, white, blue, and what appears to be a leather back edition. The front side of the phone lacks a notch or hole-punch as the selfie camera is embedded under its screen.
Two camera rings can be seen at the top-left corner of the phone’s back. The upper ring seemingly features a 64-megapixel primary camera, whereas the three auxiliary lenses are placed inside the lower ring.
ZTE Axon 30 5G specifications (Rumored)
The ZTE Axon 30 5G has 170.2 x 77.8 x 7.8mm dimensions and weighs 190 grams. It flaunts a massive 6.92-inch OLED screen that produces a resolution of 1080 x 2460 pixels. Apart from feature an in-display camera of 16-megapixel, the screen is also embedded with a fingerprint scanner.
It is powered by a 3.2GHz octa-core processor, which could be the Snapdragon 870 SoC. It is backed by a 4,100mAh rated battery that is likely to carry support for 55W rapid charging. The phone is expected to arrive in RAM variants like 6 GB, 8 GB, and 12 GB and storage editions like 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB in China.
The rear camera system of the phone has a 64-megapixel primary camera, an 8-megapixel camera, a 5-megapixel lens, and a 2-megapixel sensor. The device runs on Android 11 that tags along MiFavor UI.
The OnePlus Nord 2 5G is all set to debut on July 22 in India. Ahead of the launch, tipster Ishan Agarwal has leaked the official renders of the smartphone to give a look at its color variants.
The leak reveals that the Nord 2 5G will be arriving in two colors as Blue Haze, Gray Sierra, and Green Woods. In terms of design, the Nord 2 5G has a punch-hole screen on the front and its rear shell has a triple camera unit. The right edge of the phone is fitted with an alert slider and a power key. A volume rocker can be found on the left spine of the smartphone.
The Nord 2 5G has a 32-megapixel front-facing camera. Its rear camera setup comprises of a Sony IMX766 50-megapixel primary camera with OIS support, an 8-megapixel superwide lens, and a 2-megapixel macro camera.
The Dimensity 1200-AI chipset by MediaTek is present under the hood of the device. The SoC will be coupled with LPDDR4x RAM and UFS 3.1 storage It has a 4,500mAh battery that supports 65W fast charging.
It is expected to arrive in two variants such as 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage. The former is expected to arrive in Gray Sierra and Blue Haze colors and with a price tag of Rs 31,999 (~$428). On the other side, the higher variant could be priced at Rs 34,999 (~$469) and it may come in Green Woods color only.
Xiaomi announced the Redmi Note 10S smartphone in global markets a couple of months back. The smartphone was introduced in three colors such as Onyx Gray, Pebble White, and Ocean Blue. The company has now confirmed that it will be soon selling the Redmi Note 10S in a new purple variant.
Xiaomi’s latest tweet gives a look at the exciting Starlight Purple of the Redmi Note 10S. The company is yet to confirm the availability of the new color variant. Probably, it could be heading to the European markets in the next few days.
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The Redmi Note 10S has a 6.43-inch AMOLED display that offers a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and a 20:9 aspect ratio. A fingerprint scanner is available on the right edge of the smartphone. The Helio G95 chipset is present under the hood of the device.
The device is equipped with up to 8 GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 128 GB of UFS 2.2 storage. There is a dedicated storage slot on the device for adding a microSD card. It comes pre-installed with MIUI 12.5 based Android 11.
The Note 10S has a front camera of 13-megapixel. Its rear camera setup has a 64-megapixel primary camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide lens, a 2-megapixel macro camera, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor.
The Note 10S comes in three variants such as 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, and 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage. They are priced at $229, $249, and $279, respectively, in global markets.
Last week was a pretty interesting one. From Xiaomi becoming the second-largest phone manufacturer to Netflix’s entry into the game streaming market to a new handheld gaming console from Valve and new chipsets from MediaTek, here is a roundup of the top stories from last week:
Netflix to challenge Xbox Cloud and Stadia with its own game streaming service
Netflix will be adding games to its streaming service starting next year, challenging the likes of Microsoft’s Cloud, Google’s Stadia, and Amazon’s Luna. The more interesting part is that this will be built into its current streaming service and not separated. It also won’t cost extra.
ColorOS-based OxygenOS will ship with the OnePlus Nord 2
Valve’s $399 Steam Deck is a portable handheld gaming PC
The handheld gaming market has been controlled by Nintendo with its Switch consoles but a new device from Valve is looking like a strong contender. The Steam Deck launched last week is a portable gaming PC that starts at $399. It boasts 16GB of RAM, an AMD APU with a quad-core Zen 2 CPU with 8 threads and an 8 RDNA 2 CUs GPU, and up to 512GB of storage. It will begin shipping this December.
Xiaomi now world’s no.2 smartphone company
For the first time since it was established, Xiaomi is now the world’s second largest smartphone company. The Chinese manufacturer attained this feat following the smartphone shipment report for Q2 2021. Xiaomi’s market share now sits at 17%, 2% less than Samsung which is still the market leader but 3% more than Apple!
MediaTek shows committment to 4G chips with two new processors
MediaTek has played a significant role in the availability of 5G devices with its 5G Dimensity chipsets but it has not abandoned the 4G market which still has billions of users. The semiconductor company’s new Helio G96 and Helio G88 chipsets will power future 4G smartphones with a focus on photography. We expect to see them appear in devices before the end of the year.
In a clear indication of the depth of counterfeiting of wireless earbuds targeting the United States market, the US Customs confiscated about 360,000 fake AirPods at the country’s entry points in the first half of 2021. The totality of the cache has a valuation of approximately $62.2 million, well above the previous haul of 295,000 units in 2020.
The details were part of the information released by a recent report on the level of fake products that aim to defraud unsuspecting consumers of their money while offering a counterfeit and substandard product, in this case, earbuds. The Apple AirPods has been a very successful model and is the principal object of the counterfeiters. The report also hinted that up to 80% of the US seizures originate from China, indicating a possible source of the syndicate. It has to be stated also that Chinese company OnePlus also suffered an embarrassing seizure of its authentic earbuds, as Customs officials claimed it was a fake version of the Apple AirPods. However, OnePlus insists that there are significant differences between its product and the Apple AirPods.
The wireless earbuds market is a rapidly expanding one globally and counterfeiters have sought to reap from the success of established brands like Apple and Samsung by faking their products. Apple, on its own, is taking steps to ensure that it safeguards its customers and limits the counterfeiting of its products. It has collaborated with security agencies and e-commerce websites and taken other relevant measures to stop the thieves from tracking and protecting its customers. Other leading brands also continue to pursue processes that would make counterfeiters’ jobs more difficult.
If the current half-year volume of seizures is to be countenanced, it is possible that by the year’s end, up to 600,000 seizures would have been accomplished by the US Border Customs. However, this depends largely on the response of the counterfeiters.
Honor is coming back to the global market with the Honor 50 series: a lineup of devices ranging from the budget segment to the upper-midange one which includes three variants. The Honor 50 Pro is the most advanced one but, despite it is a Pro variant, it is not a flagship. As mentioned above it is an upper-midrange phone with 5G support, and that is exactly the reason why we decided to compare it to the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G. While waiting for the global launch of the new premium phone, you can now discover the differences between Honor 50 Pro and Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G.
Quad 108 + 8 + 2 + 2 MP, f/1.9 + f/2.2 + f/2.4 + f/2.4
Dual 12 + 32 MP f/2.4 and f/2.2 front camera
Triple 64 + 8 + 5 MP, f/1.8 + f/2.2 + f/2.4
20 MP f/2.2 front camera
BATTERY
4000 mAh, fast charging 100W
4250 mAh, fast charging 33W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Dual SIM slot, 5G
Dual SIM slot, 5G
Design
The design is one of the strongest points of the Honor 50 Pro. It is a very elegant and original phone. It is pretty thin and lightweight, and it comes with a great curved display at the sides and two round camera modules, as well as an amazing finish for the rear cover. The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G is one of the thinnest and most lightweight phones of 2021: it weighs less than 160 grams and it is just 6.8 mm thick! It is even more compact, but the Honor 50 Pro remains a more beautiful device due to its curved screen and great finish. The Honor 50 Pro wins the design comparison, but if you want a more compact device which fits better in a pocket, choose the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G.
Display
With Honor 50 Pro and Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G, you can get two of the best displays you can find in the midrange segment. Both are able to show up to one billino colors, and currently it is almost impossible to find such a feature on midrange phones. Further, they are both OLED panel with a Full HD+ resolution. I personally prefer the Honor 50 Pro because it has a higher refresh rate (120 Hz) and an in-display fingerprint reader, as well as a wider diagonal. Unfortunately, despite having an OLED panel, Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.
Specs & Software
The Snapdragon 780G mobile platform found on the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G and the Snapdragon 778G found on the Honor 50 Pro are quite similar processors, but as you probably understood by reading the processor names, the Snapdragon 780G is slightly better. Further, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G has a faster UFS 2.2 internal storage. It runs MIUI 12 out of the box, while Honor 50 Pro runs Magic UI 4.2. In the global market, the Honor handset will come with Google Mobile Services since Honor is not a Huawei company anymore.
Camera
The rear camera of the Honor 50 Pro is way better than the one found of the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G because it has a superior main sensor: we are talking about a 108 MP camera which is able to record 4K videos at 30 fps. Even the front camera department is a lot better of the Honor 50 Pro as it is one of the best selfie phones out there. It has a dual front camera with a 32 MP main sensor and a 12 MP ultrawide lens.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G wins the battery life comparison simply because it has a bigger battery with a capacity of 4250 mAh. With the Honor mid-ranger you get a smaller unit despite the bigger dimensions, but it has one of the fastest charging technologies out there with a power of 100W (Mi 11 Lite has just 33W).
Price
You can currently find the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G for less than €350/$413 globally, while we still do not know the global price of the Honor 50 Pro as it is yet to be launched (it costs about €350 in China). Overall, the latest Honor premium phone offers more value due to its better cameras, faster charging, and amazing design, but Xiaomi Mi 11 LIte 5G has a bigger battery, a more compact body… and a micro SD slot.
Honor 50 Pro vs Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G: PRO and CONS
A few days ago, a leaker revealed that the Honor Magic3 series will have four models. Alongside the name of these devices, the leaker mentioned the similarities between the upcoming phones and Huawei’s Mate 40 series. Now, the specifications of the Honor Magic3 have surfaced and it sure is a lot like the Mate 40 Pro.
The specs of the phone which were posted on Twitter by Yash Raj (@hereYashRaj), reveal the Magic3 will have a 6.76-inch QHD+ (2772 x 1344) AMOLED display. The screen will be supplied by BOE and will have a pill-shaped camera at the top left corner for two front-facing cameras. It also has a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, and is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus.
As already known, the Magic3 will be powered by the Snapdragon 888 Plus and will be available in four configurations – 8GB RAM + 128GB, 8GB RAM + 256GB, 12GB RAM + 256GB, and 12GB RAM + 512GB. Unfortunately, no camera specs were revealed but from the attached images, we can see that there are four sensors on the back of the phone.
— Yash Raj Chaudhary #HuaweiP50Series (@hereYashRaj) July 18, 2021
Honor will ship the phone with a 4500mAh battery that supports 66W fast wired charging and 50W fast wireless charging. It will run Android 11 out of the box with the new Magic UI 5.0 and Google Mobile Services.
The Honor Magic3 series is coming next month and while we still have a few weeks of waiting to do, details of the phones have started to surface. Today, key specifications of the top model, the Magic3 Pro+ have been revealed and they are top tier.
The Magic3 Pro+ will be the highest model of the series which has four phones and Honor has packed really impressive specs into the device as revealed in a tweet by @RODENT950.
According to the leaker’s tweet, the Magic3 Pro+ will have a 6.76-inch waterfall display. The panel which is supplied by Visionox will not have a notch or holes for a front-facing camera. Instead, Honor will give it an under-display camera like the upcoming ZTE Axon 30 and Samsung Galaxy Fold 3. There is no mention of the refresh rate but we don’t expect it to be less than 120Hz.
Magic 3 Pro(+) 6.76" 1228p visionox waterfall display with UDC 4400mAh battery with 100w charging (wired) and 50w wireless charging New Honor SuperZoom with 100x digital zoom #HONORMagic3Seriespic.twitter.com/s8cSrzMWxg
Still talking about cameras, the Honor Magic3 Pro+ will be capable of up to 100x digital zoom, a feature that is dubbed SuperZoom.
Honor will include a 4400mAh battery in the device. While this is smaller than the 5000mAh battery inside the Galaxy S21 Ultra and the Mi 11 Ultra, the Magic3 Pro+ has the upper hand when it comes to charging. The phone will have support for 100W fast wired charging which blows away the measly 25W Samsung’s flagship offers as well as the 67W of Xiaomi’s 2021 flagship. It will also have support for 50W wireless charging.
No doubt these are impressive specs but we can’t wait to find out what Honor will be charging for the phone when it launches.
Accessories manufacturer Nothing has continued to reflect its mission statement to exemplify its product offerings with innovation and technology ahead of the pack while maintaining affordability.
A new image of the Nothing Ear (1) true wireless earbuds reveals transparent components and a refreshingly aesthetic appeal. The render was released via a tweet by Ayush Verma and showed the Nothing Ear 1 earbuds’ case. The leaker claims that the picture was gotten from a Nothing partner website, although the authenticity has not been verified. The concept of the Nothing Ear 1 however aligns closely with earlier leaks and teasers of the device.
The render reflects a minimalist and bent in-ear design with ear tips. It shows a white layer shielding the circuit and the battery of the case. The picture also indicates the likelihood of a square case, a transparent bottom layer, and a short transparent stem for the buds.
The red (left) and black (right) buds possibly contain microphones that will pick surrounding noise using active noise cancellation to give a compelling listening experience.
The Nothing Ear 1 is billed for unveiling on July 27. A special edition with serial number engraving for the first 100 buyers will be available exclusive to StockX. The Nothing Ear 1 earbuds are priced at $99, which is the cheapest it can get for truly wireless earbuds. Apple’s corresponding TWS earbuds are priced at $249.
US carmaker Ford is known for power and speed from its lineup of heavy-hitting and gasoline-guzzling monsters on wheels. The company has started replicating its powerful traditional models in the Electric Vehicle (EV) space.
As Ford continues to expand its EV lineup, it seems the company hopes to carry along a segment of its clientele attached to gasoline engines. A survey recently showed that 20% of drivers would miss the smell of gasoline in their electric vehicles. In a seeming response to this feedback, Ford has produced its gasoline-themed fragrance to at least satisfy the yearning of a segment of its customers.
The new Ford gasoline-themed perfume is called Mach-Eau and was produced in collaboration with perfumer Olfiction. The Mach-Eau targets a reenactment of the feel and smell of the interior of a vehicle, combined with a raft of other scents, including smoke, rubber, gasoline, and animal smells (horse).
Obviously, Ford does not intend to sell the Mach-Eau fragrance, at least for the present. It debuted at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. A few whiffs of the gasoline-themed fragrance were taken during the festival.
A gasoline-themed fragrance for drivers to reenact the feel of Ford’s heavy-hitting gasoline engines could appeal to some drivers. However, it remains to be seen how this fragrance will sit as a part of the refreshing feel of Ford’s EV offerings. If the company relied on feedback from the specified survey, only a tiny fraction of users would fancy such moves. Whether the sample used for the survey was statistically representative is another issue that determines the degree of inference that can be drawn from its outcome.
Finally, even though one in five drivers missed the gasoline smell, there is no data that specify what proportion of the drivers will fancy a gasoline-themed fragrance on their EVs.
The Poco F3 GT smartphone is all set to launch on July 23 in India. Ahead of its launch, Flipkart – an Indian shopping portal, created a microsite of the gaming smartphone revealing key specs and design.
It is already known that the Poco F3 GT is nothing but a rebranded Redmi K40 Gaming Edition. Adding to it, the phone’s landing page on Flipkart confirmed some more details.
Starting with the design, the Poco F3 GT seems to come with a 120Hz punch-hole display with thin bezels. Apart from the volume rocker and the power button, the phone has shoulder trigger buttons on the sides.
The smartphone will come with 3 levels of bevels and a series 7000 Aluminium Alloy frame. Similar to the Redmi K40 Gaming Edition, the F3 GT has stripes on the back(Slipstream design) which aggressively utters the gaming look of the phone. The landing page suggests that the device has a 22-Step engraved back panel and a fairly thin form factor of 8.3mm.
Surprisingly, the Flipkart landing page reveals only one color variant of the phone, Gunmetal Silver. But, it is expected to launch in more colors including Lunar Silver, Carbon Black, Predator Black, and Greyish Silver. As for the audio, the device has Dolby Atmos support with Hi-Res sound.
Other than this, the Poco F3 GT is expected to come powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC. It will house a 5,000mAh battery and support 67W fast charging technology.
In terms of pricing, the smartphone was recently touted to come at around ₹30,000(~$402) and will compete with the likes of OnePlus’ Nord 2 which is slated to launch a day before the Poco F3 GT’s launch.
A few weeks back, leaks came up for the Realme GT Master Edition smartphone. Later, the phone got a launch date i.e. July 21st, and only recently, rumors revealed that there would also be another higher-end sibling dubbed Realme GT Explorer Master Edition. Although some of its specs have been already revealed, a fresh screenshot of the phone’s settings page shows some more details.
According to the picture, the Realme GT Explorer Master Edition runs on Android 11 out of the box. It seems to boot Realme v2.0 UI on top of it. The device is confirmed to come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chipset, and it will have 12GB of RAM. The smartphone also seems to have a virtual RAM feature of up to 3GB.
As learned earlier, the phone’s model number is RMX3366, and it supports DC dimming feature. While the screenshot from the Weibo leaker reveals the specs, a render leak from OnLeaks showcase the phone in all its glory and further confirms the GT Master series’ monikers.
Because there seems to be some confusion ahead of the #RealmeGTMasterEdition launch, the variant pictured below (RMX3366) will be marketed as the "Explorer Master Edition", along with the "Master Edition" (RMX3361) I've leaked few days ago… You're welcome…😏 pic.twitter.com/CxxbcouYSw
The device looks identical to the Realme GT Master Edition but has pill-shaped LED lights. It is worth noting that the GT Master edition has the RMX3361 model number. Regarding its specs, the device would be a mid-range phone with Snapdragon 778G and 8GB of RAM. The phone will feature a 120Hz screen similar to the Explorer Master Edition. It is expected to boast 64MP triple rear cameras and a battery capacity of 4,300mAh.
Earlier this year, Redmi launched the Redmi 9 Power and Redmi 9A smartphones in India at affordable prices. Today, these phones have got a price hike in both online and offline Xiaomi stores across India.
The Redmi 9 Power has received a ₹500(~$7) price hike, now retailing at ₹13,499(~$181) from its original ₹12,999(~$174) pricing. On the other hand, the Redmi 9A, which used to retail for ₹7,499(~$101)is now available for ₹7,799(~$107).
Redmi 9 Power and Redmi 9A Specifications
The Redmi 9 Power and 9A are budget smartphones featuring a 6.5-inch screen. The display on the Power is Full-HD+, whereas, the 9A has an HD+ resolution screen. The phones have a single selfie camera on the front. The 9 Power has a quad-rear camera system – 48MP main, an 8MP ultra-wide, and two 2MP sensors for macro and depth shots.
Under the hood, the Power has a Snapdragon 662 SoC, whereas, the 9A has a MediaTek Helio G25 chipset. The phones have a base configuration of 3GB RAM and 32GB onboard storage.
As for the batteries, the 9 Power has a whopping 6,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging support. The Redmi 9A packs a 5,000mAh battery with standard charging speeds.
There is a lot to look forward to next week. OnePlus will be unveiling a few products including the highly anticipated Nord 2. We will also get to see new products from Redmi and Realme. Here is a roundup of what is coming next week:
Redmi Note 10T 5G – July 20
The Redmi Note 10T 5G is scheduled for a July 20 launch in India. The smartphone will be the first Redmi-branded 5G phone to launch in the country. If you want to know what it packs, just take a look at the POCO M3 Pro 5G which is already sold in India. It is the same phone in a slightly different body and with a different name.
Samsung has a new Galaxy M series phone coming on Wednesday. The device is the Galaxy M21 2021 Edition and Amazon has revealed that it will have an AMOLED display, 48MP triple rear cameras, and a 6000mAh battery capacity. It will also have a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.
OnePlus Nord 2 and OnePlus Buds Pro – July 22
The OnePlus Nord was one of the best-selling mid-range phones launched last year and we will be getting a successor on Thursday, July 22. The Nord 2 will be powered by a MediaTek processor, a first for the company. This is no ordinary MediaTek chip but a custom Dimensity 1200 with tuned-up AI features.
Alongside the OnePlus Nord2, the manufacturer will also announce the OnePlus Buds Pro. It has been confirmed that the earbuds will have adaptive noise cancellation.
Realme Watch 2 Pro, Realme Buds Wireless 2 Neo, and Realme Buds Q2 Neo – July 23
Realme will be bringing its Realme Watch 2 Pro smartwatch to India on Friday, the 23rd of July. The square-faced smartwatch launched earlier this year in other markets. It won’t be coming alone as the Realme Buds Q2 Neo and Realme Buds Wireless 2 Neo a new pair of earbuds and Bluetooth neckband-style earphones respectively will also tag along.
Last year, Realme announced its first fitness tracker – the Realme Band. Now, it is set to announce a successor, and renders of the wearable called the Realme Band 2 show the manufacturer is going with a new look but one that is familiar.
The Realme Band 2 adopts the full-screen design we have seen on fitness trackers like the Honor Band 6 as seen in these renders courtesy of OnLeaks and Digit. The display is bigger but it is still surrounded by thick bezels, and a line below the screen seems to be a marker for a capacitive button. The tracker has a curved frame that appears to be made of metal but it might be plastic.
Another visible change is the design of the straps which do not have a seamless fuse with the body like that of the Realme Band. On the underside, the upcoming band features more sensors which might mean it will have support for blood oxygen level detection.
1 of 2
We want to believe the Realme Band 2 will come with a magnetic charger that attaches to the underside but the two circles at the top appear to be sensors and not contact pins. We do not know if this is an error from the creator of the renders or if the band changes in a different way.
The Realme Band 2 is said to have a 1.4-inch display, a big upgrade from the 0.96-inch display of last year’s model. Its dimensions are given as 45.9 x 24.6 x 12.1 millimeters. The device will have Bluetooth 5.1 according to a listing on Bluetooth SIG when it launches later this year. We can also expect support for more sports modes.
Realme will launch its first tablet this year and it will arrive as the Realme Pad. The manufacturer already gave us an idea of what the tablet looks like via an official render but a new set of CAD-based renders have surfaced that provide us with even more details.
The Realme Pad will have a dual-tone finish as shown in the renders from Steve Hemmerstoffer (OnLeaks) in collaboration with 91 Mobiles. The display is bordered by equal-sized bezels and the edges of the frame are flat just like the iPad Pro 11 though they are not as curved at the corners.
There is a single protuding camera on the back and a magenta line runs through it from the top. This line separates the two-tone finish of the back of the realme Pad. The manufacturer’s name is also written in the same magenta color at the bottom right corner.
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realme Pad render
The Realme Pad has its power button at the top (when in portrait mode) and on the right side is the volume rocker, two microphones, and what appears to be a tray for a MicroSD card. This tray may also house a SIM if there is a version with 5G. The right bezel (in this portrait position) is also where you have the front-facing camera.
There are four speaker grilles – two each at the top and bottom (in portrait mode). Alongside the grilles at the bottom is a USB-C port and a hole at the far left which has been reported to be a slot for a stylus.
The source reports that the display is about 10.4-inches in size. The device itself measures 246.1 x 155.8 x 6.8 millimeters (8.4mm thick with the camera). We reported earlier that the tablet will have a 7100mAh battery capacity. It is also expected to come with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage when it arrives later this year.
Research firm Counterpoint Research has released its outlook of the global refurbished smartphone sales for 2020 and 2021. The research covered global sales of refurbished smartphones in 2020, with some solid projections for 2021.
The Counterpoint research showed a jump of 4% in global sales of refurbished phones in the second half of 2020, compared to the first half of the year. The overall performance in 2020 was also better than the previous year, 2019, which globally saw a decline in the market volume.
As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, many countries worldwide experienced substantial dips in their economies, with significant job losses reported in all the regions. This could have contributed to the rise in the patronage of refurbished phones, as shown by the Counterpoint research. Counterpoint also notes a sharp rise in demand and supply of refurbished smartphones in 2020, mainly in the second half of the year. Resell volumes and trade-ins were observed to have gone up in all the regions covered by the survey.
The regions covered by the Counterpoint research are the US, Latin America, Europe, Southeast Asia, India, and Africa. With the average selling price of Apple refurbished phones up to three times higher than the average of other brands, greater preference was observed for the brand ahead of other brands in the secondary market. The more extensive rollout of 5G technology across 150 mobile operators in 70 countries did not affect the increased appetite for Apple phones, as shown by the numbers released by the Counterpoint Research.
The outlook for 2021, according to the research, remains bright within the secondary phone market globally. The sometimes significantly lower average selling prices of products in the secondary market could be fuelling the demand for products from the market. At the same time, supply may have been driven by several possible factors, including a dip in the global economy that has limited the purchasing power of some segments of consumers.
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