Microsoft to roll out new versions of Windows 11 every year

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Jul 9, 2021

AnTuTu has just released its June 2021 list for the best performing flagship Android smartphones. In this list, the Nubia Red Magic 6 takes the throne, outperforming the likes of ROG Phone 5, iQOO 7, and others.

As per the AnTuTu rankings, the Red Magic 6 leads the flagship smartphone. It scored 842,168 points in the AnTuTu benchmarks. This marks a 20,000 points lead over the Realme GT that was the leading flagship device from a month prior. Under the hood, the Red Magic 6 sports the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC paired with the 16GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage alongside a 165Hz high refresh rate panel on the front.

Notably, the Snapdragon 888 SoC dominates the list with the top 10 Android flagships sporting this chipset, although, the scores of various devices varies. The ROG Phone 5 took the second spot with an average score of 815,628 points, followed by the iQOO 7’s 815,343 points that had it come third in the list. The top five spots was rounded by the Realme GT, which fell to fourth place with 813,851 points, and the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra that came fifth with 797,194 points.

Talking about the mid range list, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite held on to its crown for the top performing device (526,282 points) in this segment, after beating the Redmi 10X 5G back in May 2021. The Honor 30 with its Kirin 985 SoC took the second spot (454,528 points) and was one of the only two devices on this list that had the Kirin lineup of processor. Interestingly, three smartphones with MediaTek’s Dimensity 800U devices (realme 7 5G, Narzo 30 Pro 5G, and X7 5G) also made the list over just one from last month’s rankings.

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Xiaomi to launch a 67W charger in India on July 12

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Jul 9, 2021

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra supports 67W wired fast charging. But the smartphone ships with a 55W charger in India. Now, as the device is finally on sale in the country, the company is bringing the 67W charger to the region just like it promised in May.

Xiaomi has revealed that it will be launching a 67W charger in India on July 12. Going by the teasers, this product could be called Mi 67W SonicCharge Charger just like the Mi 33W SonicCharge 2.0 Charger from late last year.

Going by the official teaser page on Xiaomi India’s website, the charger will be able to charge all kinds of products from Mi Bands to laptops. It will also support Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 protocol.

Further, the accessory will have a USB Type-A port. It will ship with a USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable. Hence, buyers need not invest separately in a cable to experience maximum power output.

Xiaomi claims this charger to be small, however, we don’t have any information on its dimensions and weight. Since the company has not mentioned GaN (Gallium Nitride) in any of its teasers, the charger should be most likely based on silicon.

Last but not least, the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 67W SonicCharge Charger will come with built-in surge protection.

With that being said, how much do you think Xiaomi will charge for this new charger? Do let us know your guesses in the comment box below.

Galaxy M21 2021 (Prime) Edition specifications emerge, launch could be near

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Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jul 9, 2021

Samsung announced the Galaxy M21 last year in March 2020 in India. A fresh leak reveals that the company is working on a new variant of the same phone called the Galaxy M21 2021 Edition. The M21’s model number is SM-M215F, whereas the upcoming phone has an SM-M215G model number. The SM-M215G handset was previously seen with the Galaxy M21 Prime Edition moniker at the Google Play Console. A fresh leak by 91mobiles has revealed the specifications of the smartphone. However, the report claims that the device will be called the Galaxy M21 2021 edition.

The publication revealed that the Galaxy M21 2021 Edition will have the same specs as the existing Galaxy M21. The only noticeable difference is that the 2021 model will be loaded with the latest One UI 3.1 flavored Android 11 OS.

Since the phone is said to arrive with the same specs, it is likely to end up as the Galaxy M21 Prime Edition. To recollect, the South Korean company launched the Galaxy M31 Prime Edition, which came with the same specs as the existing M31. However, the Prime Edition came with Amazon ecosystem apps and complimentary Prime membership of 3 months. The same perks can be expected from the Galaxy M21 Prime Edition.

Samsung Galaxy M21 (Prime) 2021 Edition specifications

In terms of specs, it may come with a 6.4-inch S-AMOLED HD+ display, a 20-megapixel front camera, and a triple camera system that has a 48-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide lens, and a 5-megapixel depth assist lens. The back panel of the phone is expected to feature a traditional fingerprint scanner.

The Exynos 9611 may drive the phone with up to 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of native storage. It may feature a 6,000mAh battery that supports 15W fast charging.

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Apple to launch redesigned MacBook Pro with Mini-LED later this year: Kuo

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Jul 9, 2021

Recently, various rumors and reports regarding the upcoming Apple MacBook Pro has surfaced. Now, a report from known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has revealed that the company will be launching its redesigned MacBook Pro later this year, which will feature Mini LED displays.

According to a 9To5Mac report, the analyst claims that the Cupertino based giant will begin the production of the new 14 inch and 16 inch MacBook Pros in the third quarter of this year. Furthermore, Kuo also stated that the brand has been investing in Mini LED display panels, which it is seeking to include in more products in the future. In other words, the latest MacBook Pro launching this year might feature Mini LED displays.

Earlier this year, Apple had launched the 12.9 inch iPad Pro, which was the company’s first Mini LED device. Mini LED display is basically comprised of thousands of really small LEDs in the backlight, which enables it to offer higher contrast ratio and deeper blacks like OLED panels. As per previous reports from Kuo, the new MacBook Pro will have a flat edged design along with a more powerful M1X chip.

The analyst also added that the Mini LED panel that will be featured on the MacBook Pros will also arrive in another model of the company’s notebooks. In 2022, this display technology will also arrive in the next generation of MacBook Air, which is also rumored to feature the company’s M2 chip that will have a more advanced GPU. Keep in mind, this is still an unconfirmed report so take this news with a pinch of salt and stay tuned for more updates.

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Tecno Camon 17 Series to launch in India soon, with 90Hz display and 64MP Quad camera

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Jul 9, 2021

Tecno recently launched the Spark 7 series of smartphones in India. Now, the company is gearing up for the release of the Camon 17 series as well, which has been listed on Amazon India.

The upcoming series includes the Camon 17 and Camon 17 Pro, with the Amazon India listing already being live at the moment. Although, the listing only showcases certain details regarding the device and states that it will be launching soon. For those unaware, the lineup will be exclusive to the e-commerce platform and will be available during the upcoming Amazon Prime Day sales. As of right now, the series is already available in certain markets, so we do have specifications of the devices.

The Camon 17 Pro will sport a 6.8 inch FHD+ LED display that supports 90Hz refresh rate and 500 nits peak brightness. On the front, it houses a 48 megapixel punch hole selfie shooter while the rear features a 64 megapixel primary shooter, paired with an 8 megapixel ultra wide angle lens and an additional pair of 2 megapixel sensors. Under the hood, the MediaTek Helio G95 SoC runs the device along with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The device is powered by a large 5,000mAh battery pack that supports 25W fast charging and runs HiOS custom skin over Android 11.

Talking about the base variant, the Camon 17 sports a slightly smaller 6.5 inch HD+ LCD display that also supports 90Hz refresh rate as well. The front houses a 16 megapixel punch hole selfie shooter while the rear has a 48 megapixel triple camera module, with a 16 megapixel ultra wide angle lens and another 2 megapixel sensor. This model will be powered by a Helio G85 SoC with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It is also powered by a 5,000mAh battery pack but supports just 18W fast charging.

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OPPO Reno6 Z spotted with Dimensity 800U at Geekbench

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Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jul 9, 2021

OPPO will be announcing the Reno6 Z smartphone in Thailand on July 21. Ahead of the launch, the handset has appeared at the Geekbench benchmarking site (via) with some of its key specs.

The OPPO Reno6 Z has appeared with its CPH2237 on the benchmarking platform. The listing states that it is powered by the MediaTek MT6853/TNZA chip, which is nothing but the Dimensity 800U. The landing page of the phone on OPPO Thailand’s website also mentions that it is equipped with D800U.

The listing further mentions that it is equipped with 8 GB of RAM and runs on Android 11 OS. The device scored 589 and 1749 in the single-core and multi-core tests of Geekbench, respectively.

OPPO Reno6 Z Specifications (Rumored)

The OPPO Reno6 Z is fitted with a 6.43-inch AMOLED display that offers an FHD+ resolution and an in-screen fingerprint scanner. It is expected to feature a 32-megapixel front camera, and its rear shell may house a triple camera system featuring a 64-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel superwide sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro camera.

The Reno6 Z will ship with a big internal storage of 256 GB. The device may house a 4,310mAh battery that supports 30W fast charging. There is no information available on the pricing of the Reno6 Z.

The Reno6 series phones include the following models such as Reno6 5G, Reno6 Pro 5G, and Reno6 Pro+ 5G. Among these, the vanilla and Pro models are expected to arrive in global markets in the coming weeks. It is unclear whether the Pro+ model will be released in markets outside China.

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OnePlus 6T spotted running Crysis and Hitman 4 on Windows 11

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Jul 9, 2021

Back in 2007, Crysis had been launched to critical acclaim across the globe. Since its release, the game had been used as a benchmarking tool for PCs for years, and even had a running gag of “But can it run Crysis?” So who would’ve thought that the game that brought most gaming rigs to their knees back in the day can now be run on a OnePlus 6T smartphone.

This bizzare feat was spotted on a YouTube video, on a channel called edi194. The video showcased the smartphone that was launched back in 2018 running Crysis, which was infamous for being graphically demanding. So, this is extremely impressive to say the least. While the game is playable on the smartphone through Windows 11, it isn’t exactly the best experience with the visual fidelity being turned down and the game also facing various frame drops.

This was not the only game the YouTuber managed to run on the OnePlus 6T. Another video on the channel also showcased the handset running Hitman 4: Blood Money as well. The project has also had the person test other PC games as well, thanks to Windows 11 supporting ARM processors. Although, certain titles like Skyrim could not be run on the mobile device.

Notably, this offers us a look at the near future since handheld devices have become increasingly more powerful. Soon, we might see such devices being capable enough of running PC titles. However, this is still a far off dream at the moment, considering most modern AAA titles are quite graphically intensive. But, it does showcase just how capable modern smartphones have become.

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Redmi Note 7 gets MIUI 12.5 update in China

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Jul 9, 2021

The Redmi Note series has always been the popular smartphone lineup from Xiaomi. The Redmi Note 7 was the first model in the series to come with a glass back design and a 48MP primary camera. This device released in early 2019 has now started receiving the MIUI 12.5 update.

Redmi Note 7 Neptune Blue Featured — Redmi Note 7

MIUI 12.5 is a minor update for Xiaomi group smartphones already running MIUI 12. The company has been rolling it out to eligible handsets for the past few months.

The latest smartphone to get it is Redmi Note 7. The new system update for this phone is currently live in China with build number V12.5.3.0.QFGCNXM.

The software build is labeled as ‘Stable Beta’ at the moment. This means it is being rolled out in batches. As a result, it is only available for a select few users for now. But the update should reach all users in China as well as other regions in the coming days. Th

As mentioned earlier, Redmi Note 7 codenamed ‘lavender’ was released in early 2019 with MIUI 10 based on Android 9.0 Pie. The phone was updated to MIUI 11, MIUI 12, and Android 10 throughout its lifetime. Unfortunately, it’s not eligible for Android 11, however, it could receive MIUI 13.

POCO takes a jab at OnePlus Nord 2 on Twitter, Says POCO F3 GT offers a “lot more”

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Jul 9, 2021

POCO has just taken a jab at another smartphone brand. Through its official Twitter handle, the company trolled OnePlus and its upcoming Nord 2, which is set to launch on 22nd July 2021.

Not your N-ordinary phone. pic.twitter.com/0oKCbY8CXO

— POCO India – The God Of Madness (@IndiaPOCO) July 8, 2021

At the moment, the Chinese smartphone maker is also seeking to launch its new POCO F3 GT in the Indian market as well. And now, it has taken a dig at OnePlus, hinting that the F3 GT will be better than the Nord 2. In the tweet, the company stated that the F3 GT is “not your N-ordinary phone.” This is a clear hint at the Nord 2, while it also used the promotional ad from OnePlus that said “~~pretty much~~ everything you could ask for” and turned it into “pretty ~~much everything you could ask for~~ and more.”

In other words, the POCO is clearly set to take on the OnePlus Nord 2 in the Indian market, which arrives as no surprise considering both smartphones sport the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chipset. So, we can also expect that the devices will compete in a similar price point and segment in the region. Talking about the specs of both handsets, the F3 GT is the rebranded version of the Redmi K40 Game Enhanced Edition that launched in China and features a 120Hz refresh rate on an AMOLED panel, along with a 64 megapixel triple camera lens and 67W fast charging.

On the other hand, OnePlus has only confirmed that the Nord 2 will arrives with Dimensity 1200 SoC. Although, recent reports have suggested that the device will sport a FHD+ AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate and a 50 megapixel triple camera module on the rear. Furthermore, it is expected to be powered by a large 4,500mAh battery pack and could support either 30W or 65W fast charging as well.

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OnePlus 8, 8 Pro, 8T to get ColorOS stable update in 2022

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Jul 9, 2021

OnePlus shifted to ColorOS on its smartphones in China with the launch of the OnePlus 9 series. The company even has plans to update some of its older flagships to ColorOS. The brand has already started ColorOS 11 Early Access program for the OnePlus 8 series and the OnePlus 8T in mid-May. Almost two months later, it reveals when these devices will be receiving stable builds.

In an official announcement post on OnePlus Community China, the OnePlus Community Manager Jia Lan Shuai (加蓝帅) says that the OnePlus 8, the OnePlus 8 Pro, and the OnePlus 8T will be updated to ColorOS stable in 2022.

Interestingly, he does not mention the version of ColorOS that will be available via the stable channel. Since OPPO is expected to announce ColorOS 12 based on Android 12 in the near future, we expect the last-gen OnePlus flagship smartphones to get this version instead of the older ColorOS 11.

That means with the announcement of ColorOS 12, the ColorOS beta program for the OnePlus 8 series and the OnePlus 8T may change to the newer version of the software. Anyway, this is just a guess from our end, and therefore, consider it with a pinch of salt.

Last week, OnePlus confirmed that it’s merging the codebase of OxygenOS with OPPO’s ColorOS. So essentially, OnePlus smartphones sold globally will also run ColorOS in the future, however, the brand will continue to call it OxygenOS as it will have its own look and features.

Samsung Galaxy A10s Android 11 update with One UI 3.1 is now rolling out

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Jul 9, 2021

Samsung has a budget smartphone lineup in the form of the Galaxy A-series and one of the cheapest devices in the series is Samsung Galaxy A10s. Now, the South Korean giant has started rolling out a new Android update for the smartphone.

The Samsung Galaxy A10s is getting the Android 11 update. This is the second major update for the device which was launched with Android 9 out-of-the-box and received an Android 10 update in April last year.

Given the software update policy of Samsung, it’s likely that this Android 11 update is the last major operating system update for the Galaxy A10s smartphone. Samsung usually offers two years of a major software update with newer Android versions to its phones.

The new update comes with the A107FXXU8CUG1 build number and brings July 2021 Android security patch. Users in Malaysia and Vietnam have reported the update to be available on their devices. Other regions should be getting the update pretty soon, maybe within a couple of weeks.

It brings a refreshed UI design, improved stock apps such as Samsung Internet and Samsung Keyboard, one-time permissions, auto permissions reset, redesigned Device Care menu, the ability to remove GPS location data from images, easier access to smart home controls, more lock screen options, etc.

If you using Samsung Galaxy A10s in Malaysia or Vietnam, you can check for the latest software update manually by navigating to Settings » Software update and tapping on Download and install.

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Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 engineering machine exposure reveals three upcoming models

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Jul 9, 2021

Xiaomi has a lineup of tablets under the Mi Pad series but the Chinese company has not launched a device under the same for many years. Now, there are rumors about the brand gearing up to launch the Mi Pad 5 series pretty soon.

Now, a new leak coming from ‘Digital Chat Station’ (via MyDrivers) has revealed information about the Mi Pad 5 series engineering models. The device will come in three variants — one with high-end configuration, another with mid-range specifications, and a third model aimed at the budget and low-range segment.

Alleged render of the XIaomi Mi Pad 5 — Alleged render of the Xiaomi Mi Pad 5

It has also been revealed that the top-end variant will come powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chipset while the mid-range model will pack Snapdragon 860 SoC. The lower-end tablet will be powered by the Snapdragon 768G chipset.

The Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 series models will offer the same design, screen size, and camera specifications and the only difference among the models will be the performance. It is expected to feature an 11-inch LCD display panel with a 2560 x 1600 pixels screen resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and 240hz touch sampling rate.

The tablet will come with support for 5G connectivity and is said to be powered by a 4,260mAh dual-cell battery, which makes it an 8,720mAh battery effectively. There were also reported about the lower-end model to be powered by MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC which also supports 5G connectivity. The devices are expected to have a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for security.

Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 has officially been listed on the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), indicating an imminent launch. Recently, it was reported that the Mi Pad 5 could possibly launch sometime between mid to late August, i.e. next month.

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OnePlus aims to sell 25 million of Nord series smartphones by 2023

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Jul 9, 2021

OnePlus, the ambitious smartphone brand which started off with “flagship killer” phones, has now merged business with OPPO and will work as its sub-brand. The company is gearing up to launch OnePlus Nord 2 5G smartphone on 22nd July and ahead of that, Pete Lau, co-founder and CEO of the company has revealed some interesting projections.

In an interview with Forbes, Pete Lau stated that OnePlus expects to sell 25 million smartphones of the Nord series before the end of 2023. The goal is quite ambitious and the brand has already sold one million units. This means that the company will be selling 24 million units of Nord series smartphones in 29 months.

OnePlus Co-Founder Pete Lau — Pete Lau, Co-founder & CEO of OnePlus

For context, Counterpoint Research reports that in the first quarter of this year, Samsung sold 76.6 million smartphones while Apple sold 59.5 million iPhones, followed by 38 million units by OPPO — the company that now owns OnePlus.

While the merger of OnePlus with OPPO was announced a few weeks ago, the signs for the development were already there since last year. Talking about the change, Pete Lau says that the team will continue making products as they have been doing but will have even more resources to deliver a better experience to users.

He added that “regional markets continue to operate as usual, while in markets where both brands operate, we will continue to compete in the same way as before.” The company has also integrated OxygenOS and ColorOS codebase to stabilize the software and improve the software maintenance schedule.

When OnePlus entered the market, it had a single phone that would challenge the establishment and continued doing so for a couple of years. With time, the brand became a part of the establishment itself. After premium devices, the company now has a lineup of mid-range smartphones under the Nord series and is focusing on it to reach a wider set of users, helping the company increase its footprints.

The mid-range smartphone market has cut-throat competition and is incredibly price-sensitive, with users looking at the specifications of a high-end device. It will be interesting to see how OnePlus manages to ship 25 million units of the Nord series by 2023.

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Samsung Galaxy M52 5G appears on 3C with a smaller battery than its predecessor

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Pranav Sawant

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Jul 9, 2021

Earlier last month, the Samsung Galaxy M52 5G arrived on the Geekbench portal revealing its key specs, later the phone’s color variants were tipped. Now, the smartphone has appeared on China’s 3C certification hinting at an imminent launch.

According to the 3C certification, the phone with model number SM-M526BR will pack a 4,860mAh rated battery capacity. Once it is marketed, it is expected to be the typical 5,000mAh battery cell. It is worth noting that the predecessor, Galaxy M51 4G, had a massive 7,000mAh battery. Although not confirmed, we can expect some sort of fast charging support on the device, considering that the Galaxy M51 4G had a 25W fast charging support.

A previous listing about the phone confirmed that the phone will come powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G mid-range chipset. It will have 6GB of RAM, which could be the base variant for the phone. The phone will run on Android 11 out of the box and is expected to have OneUI 3 on top of it.

The phone scored 776 single-core points and 2877 multi-core points on the Geekbench 5 portal.

The smartphone is expected to come with a 64MP Samsung GW3 primary sensor at the rear and a 32MP single camera at the front. Considering it’s an M-series phone, we can also expect a large AMOLED screen and a plastic built.

Apart from this, the smartphone is touted to launch in three standard colors – White, Black, and Blue. It is said to debut in a few selected markets including Europe.

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OnePlus 6/6T OxygenOS 11 Open Beta 1 released ahead of schedule

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Jul 9, 2021

In late April, OnePlus announced that it will be releasing the Android 11-based OxygenOS 11 beta builds for the OnePlus 6 and the OnePlus 6T by late August. At the end of last month, the brand once again re-iterated the same timeline. However, the company has now rolled out the said update ahead of the schedule.

OnePlus 6T All Colors Featured — OnePlus 6T

OnePlus has officially announced the release of Android 11-based OxygenOS 11 Open Beta 1 for the OnePlus 6 and the OnePlus 6T on the OnePlus Community. Interested users can download the appropriate file for their device and install it by following the instructions mentioned.

The process will not wipe the device’s internal storage. But yet, the brand recommends backing up the data before proceeding. Users not satisfied with the beta build can roll back to the stable channel by installing the appropriate rollback package. It is worth noting that this process will erase everything on the phone.

The newly released OxygenOS 11 Open Beta 1 for the OnePlus 6 and the OnePlus 6T is purely meant for users who want to try out the upcoming software before the final release. The builds for both smartphones may have bugs, and therefore, OnePlus recommends users to proceed with caution.

Users who have installed this software build will receive the subsequent Open Beta builds via OTA. But for some reason, they will be not getting the final stable release via OTA. Hence, at the end of the Open Beta program, they will have to manually install the stable update.

OnePlus 6/6T OxygenOS 11 Open Beta 1 Official Changelog

System
- Updated to OxygenOS 11 version
- Fresh new UI visual design brings you a more comfortable experience with various optimizations of details
- Since this is a big Android update with multiple new features, the upgrade process might be a little longer, please be more patient.

Game Space
- Newly added gaming tools box for convenient switches of Fnatic mode. You can now choose three ways of notifications: text-only, heads up, and block, just for your immersive gaming experience
- Newly added quick reply feature in a small window for Instagram, WhatsApp, and Telegram (Enable it by swiping down from upper right/left corners of the screen in gaming mode)
- Newly added mistouch prevention feature. Enable it, swipe down from the top of the screen, click and the notification bar will pop out

Camera
- Updated the camera UI and optimized some of the function paths to offer a more convenient operation

Ambient Display
- Newly added Insight clock style, a joint creation with Parsons School of Design. It will change according to the phone usage data (To set: Settings > Customization > Clock on ambient display)
- Newly added Canvas feature that can automatically draw a wireframe picture based on a lock screen photo on your phone（Path: Settings – Customization – Wallpaper – Canvas – Choose photo preview and it can be generated automatically）

Dark Mode
- Added a shortcut for Dark Mode, you can pull down the Quick Settings panel and find it
- Supported automatically enable by time range (path: Settings – Display – Dark Mode – Turn on automatically – Automatically enable from sunset to sunrise / Custom time range)

Shelf
- Newly shelf interface design, the interface is clearer
- Added weather widget, animation effect smarter

Huawei Band 6 fitness tracker with 96 workout modes goes official in India for ₹4,490 ($60)

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