Facebook announces several new audio features including Live Audio Rooms, its version of Clubhouse

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Jun 21, 2021

Earlier this year, Xiaomi revived the MIX series with the launch of its first-ever foldable smartphone. The company is reported to launch yet another MIX series device in the second half of 2021. The codename of this handset has been now revealed by a reliable leaker.

Xiaomi Mi MIX Alpha Featured — Xiaomi Mi MIX Alpha

Last month, Digital Chat Statio exposed that Xiaomi is set to launch two new high-end smartphone switch model numbers K8 and J18S respectively. The former is said to a regular MIX phone (Mi MIX 4), whereas the latter is expected to be a MIX foldable handset.

Over a month later, the tipster says that the alleged Mi MIX 4 with model number K8 is codenamed Odin. For those unaware, Odin is the king of Gods in Greek Mythology.

It is not the first time Xiaomi is using codenames based on characters from Greek Mythology. The Redmi K40 Gaming Edition is called Ares (god of courage and war).

According to previous reports, the so-called Mi MIX 4 will be the first Xiaomi phone with an under-display camera, which is also known as UPC (under panel camera). It is said to cost more than the Mi 11 Ultra, which is the company’s most expensive regular smartphone to date.

What are your thoughts on the upcoming Mi MIX 4 (tentative name)? What are the features you expect from this phone? Do let us know in the comment section below.

ZTE Axon 30 under-screen camera variant’s launch timeframe confirmed

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Jun 21, 2021

ZTE announced the Axon 30 Pro and Axon 30 Ultra in China. Fresh information reveals that the company is planning to launch another Axon 30 series phone. This device will arrive with an in-screen camera.

Earlier today, ZTE’s Director for Consumer Experiment Department Lu Qianhao took to Weibo to reveal that there is a new Axon30 under-screen camera version in work. The word Cancer seems to be hinting at the period between June 22 and July 22, which belongs to the Cancer Zodiac sign.

At present, there is no information on the specs of the Axon 30 under-screen camera version. Probably, it could be equipped with specs similar to the Axon 30 Pro and Ultra.

The Axon 30 Pro and Ultra feature a 6.67-inch AMOLED FHD+ display. These handsets are powered by the Snapdragon 888, up to 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and up to 512 GB of UFS 3.1 storage.

The Axon 30 Pro and Axon 30 Ultra have a 16-megapixel front camera. The rear camera system of the Pro model features a 64-megapixel main camera, a 64-megapixel ultrawide lens, a 5-megapixel macro camera, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. The Ultra model has a 64-megapixel main lens with OIS, a 64-megapixel lens, a 64-megapixel ultrawide snapper, and an 8-megapixel periscope telephoto camera with OIS and 5x optical zoom support.

The Axon 30 Pro is backed by a 4,200mAh battery that supports 55W fast charging. On the other side, the Ultra model has a bigger 4,600mAh battery with 65W rapid charging.

(via)

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Xiaomi officially unveils its movie studio brand, dubbed Xiaomi Studios

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Jun 21, 2021

Earlier this week, Xiaomi made a new account on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging website, for a new department. The new unit in question is its very own movie studio, which has been dubbed as Xiaomi Studios.

As the name suggests, the new movie studio from the Chinese tech giant will aim on exploring content creation. In this announcement, the company also shared that it will also be launching its XIAOMI CREATOR program on the social media platform. Smartphone cameras performance have become increasingly more advanced with each passing year. So, it seems like the company is bringing this to the forefront with the new studio to highlight its capabilities.

Similarly in the past, Apple has used its iPhones to produce short films like the “Three Minutes,” which was shot in China. Now, it seems like Xiaomi is also following this example but expanding upon this idea. While smartphone cameras are not as powerful as as dedicated movie camera, they still offer users a cheaper and more accessible option for photography and videography. Many have already used their handsets for shooting movies or similar projects, so the smartphone maker’s new studio might aim to bring more opportunities to these content creators.

In other words, we might soon see some short films from the Chinese brand. The finer details regarding the new studio and the Creator program are currently unknown but more news should surface soon. So stay tuned for more, as we will provide updates when additional information is available regarding this matter.

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LG patents a compact Rollable OLED TV with dual side rolling display

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Jun 21, 2021

LG has just patented a new Rollable OLED TV, which features a side rolling screen. While the company has showcased rollable television in the past, this TV is unique thanks to its dual sided rolling mechanic on its screen.

According to a LetsGoDigital report, the South Korean tech giant was awarded a design patent by The Hague International Design System. This patent was titled ‘Television with rollable display.’ In its rolled up form, the television resembles a shape of an elongated speaker, which has rounded sides. The device houses the display on either side that can be pulled out. When pulled out, the display unfurls out from the two housing units.

The company has already showcased the LG Signature OLED TV R, which has its rollable display roll out from a base. But unlike this model, this rollable TV is more compact and has a triangular housing that extends horizontally rather than vertically. Looking at the design sketches from the rear, it can be observed that this display is supported by a T shaped frame. Unfortunately, finer details like the size of the screen and its resolution is currently unknown at the moment. Although, it does appear to have a 16:9 aspect ratio along with an OLED panel.

Notably, this design has the patented LG Rollable OLED TV resemble the TCL CSOT rollable TV, which was demonstrated in October 2020. As of right now, it is unknown if the company is actually working on such a TV or is just covering all bases. However, it does offer us a look at a futuristic and compact rollable TV that could even be portable.

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Infinix teases mysterious phone with 160W charging

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Jun 21, 2021

Earlier this month, XDA shared an image of Infinix’s upcoming 160W charger Last week, it shared a render of a mysterious Infinix smartphone that may arrive with support for 160W charging. Today, the company rolled out the first teaser of the mysterious handset that is equipped with blazing-fast charging technology.

There are a few flagship phones in the market that carry support for 120W charging, which is currently the industry’s fastest wired charging solution. Phone with 120W charging can fully charge a 4,000mAh battery phone in around 15 minutes. At present, none of the flagship phones with 120W charging solution are available outside China.

Infinix’s 160W fast charging technology may allow users to charge a phone in less than 10 minutes. Hopefully, the company will soon confirm more details about its 160W charging solution.

That's right. 160W charging! ⚡#Infinix pic.twitter.com/IlgMNaC9M3

— InfinixIndia (@InfinixIndia) June 21, 2021

Coming to the mysterious phone teased in Infinix India’s tweet, it seems to be flaunting a curved edge display. It is not clear whether the teased phone is the same device that is shown in the leaked render below.

The leaked render shows that it could be featuring an OLED punch-hole display with extremely curved edges and an in-screen fingerprint scanner. It has a large-sized primary lens on the back, and it is equipped with a volume rocker, a power key, a speaker grille, a USB-C port, and a SIM card tray around the edges.

This handset is expected to come with support for 160W fast charging. Hence, it appears that it could be a high-end or a flagship model from the brand.

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Xiaomi Mi TV Webcam India launch date set for June 24

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Jun 21, 2021

Xiaomi has been selling smart TVs in India since 2018. However, the company does not offer a single accessory for any of its televisions. Over three years later, the Chinese tech giant is finally set to introduce its first accessory for its smart TVs in the form of Mi TV Webcam.

Xiaomi has officially confirmed to launch Mi TV Webcam in India on June 24. The company has even revealed some of its features. Additionally, everything about this product has also been exposed by a tipster.

According to Xiaomi, the upcoming Mi TV Webcam will support Full HD (1080p) video streaming. The accessory will sport dual far-field microphones with 3D noise reduction technology. Lastly, it will have a clip for sturdy grip and a camera shutter for privacy.

Further, as per Yogesh, this accessory is the same as the OnePlus TV Camera. It is an ODM product made by Seevo. The only difference between the two is the branding on the privacy shutter.

Hence, the remaining features include a USB Type-C port, magnetic clip for attachment, and support for Google Duo. But unfortunately, the compatible Mi TV and Redmi TV models are a mystery as of now.

Last but not least, the leakster says that the product will retail for under ₹2,500 in India. For comparison, the OnePlus TV Camera costs ₹2,499.

Micromax IN 2C phone with Unisoc chip could be in works

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Jun 21, 2021

After a sabbatical of few years, Micromax returned to the Indian smartphone market last year in November with two handsets such as Micromax IN 1b and Micromax IN Note 1. In March, it unveiled the Micromax IN 1 handset. The Indian brand is aiming to rival popular Chinese smartphone companies in the country by launching aggressively priced phones. A fresh Geekbench listing (via) suggests that the next Micromax phone could be called Micromax IN 2C.

The Geekbench listing of the Micromax IN 2C shows that is powered by the Unisoc T610 chipset that clocks at 1.82GHz. The SoC is coupled with 4 GB of RAM and the device runs on Android 11 OS.

In the single-core and multi-core tests of Geekbench, the IN 2C scored 347 and 1,127 points, respectively. The IN 1 and 1B phones are powered by the Helio G35 chip, whereas the IN Note 1 features the Helio G85 chip. It is likely that the IN 2C could be positioned lower than the IN 1B, which is currently selling for Rs 8,999.

The Micromax IN 2C could be India’s first phone to feature the Unisoc T610 phone. The Honor Play 20 is the only other T610 powered phone from a mainstream brand. The Play 20 was announced in April in China.

The Geekbench appearance suggests that the company could be internally testing the performance of the IN 2C before its official announcement. Hopefully, newer reports will spill more information about the IN 2C phone in the coming weeks.

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OnePlus will be a sub-brand of Oppo: Leaked Memo

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Jun 21, 2021

Earlier this month, it was revealed the OnePlus will be merging with Oppo, although, it wasn’t revealed how closely the two companies would integrate. Now, a leaked memo has stated that the former will become the latter’s sub-brand.

A tweet from known tipster Evan Blass shared the leaked internal memo that was for the OnePlus PR team. It explains the integration of the two companies, stating that “With the integration, OnePlus becomes a brand within Oppo, however will continue to function as an independent entity.” The memo further added that the CEO, Pete Lau, will become the chief product officer at Oppo, while also being responsible for product strategies for both Chinese smartphone brands as well.

In other words, the memo has basically confirmed that OnePlus will be a part of Oppo. It states that “With the merging of both the firms, we will have more resources at hand to create even better products. It will also allow us to be more efficient in our operations.” At the moment, the research and development departments of both vendors have already been merged, and will be integration between both firms will grow to streamline day to day business as per TheVerge.

Just received these talking points on the new relationship between Oppo and OnePlus. Might help to clear up some confusion. pic.twitter.com/mIVyjcmeKD

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) June 18, 2021

Keep in mind, OnePlus users shouldn’t expect any changes that would directly affect the customers in any drastic manner. Despite the shared ownership and supply chain that have always existed between the two companies, OnePlus will still function individually for the most part. Furthermore, the company isn’t portraying itself as a startup any longer either, prior to the launch of its upcoming flagship series of smartphones.

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Redmi Note 9 finally gets Android 11 update

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Jun 21, 2021

The Redmi Note 9 launched months after the release of Redmi Note 9 Pro, Redmi Note 9 Pro Max, and Redmi Note 9S. Despite that, it debuted with MIUI 11 based on Android 10. Now, almost a year after its launch, the device has finally started receiving the Android 11 update.

Redmi Note 9 All Colors Featured — Redmi Note 9 (aka Redmi 10X 4G)

The Redmi Note 9 for international markets is known as Redmi 10X 4G in China. Usually, when there’s a Chinese variant of a Xiaomi device, it gets the new system update first.

Hence, the Redmi 10X 4G was the first to get MIUI 12 last year. Unsurprisingly, it was also the first to receive Android 11 earlier this year. Four months later, Xiaomi has eventually begun to roll out the very same update for the internal version of this handset called Redmi Note 9.

At the moment, the Redmi Note 9 Android 11 update is only available for the ‘Global’ and ‘Russia’ variants. The update bears build numbers V12.0.1.0.RJOMIXM and V12.0.1.0.RJORUXM respectively.

The mentioned software builds are in the ‘Stable Beta’ phase. This means they are only available for a select few users as part of the batched rollout.

Anyway, the update should make its way to all the units of these variants as well as the remaining regional variants (EEA, Turkey, India, Taiwan, Indonesia) in the coming days.

Samsung begins Galaxy Z Fold 3 & Z Flip 3 production, ahead of August 3 launch: Report

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Jun 21, 2021

We had previously reported that Samsung will be launching the new Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 on 3rd August 2021. Now, a new report has revealed that the company has began the mass production for its two upcoming foldable smartphones.

According to a FrontPageTech report, the South Korean tech giant has began mass production of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z flip 3, with its orders reaching a whopping 50,000 and 70,000 units a day for each device. These orders are quite a bit higher than the previous models of these foldable devices. The report added that the company is apparently planning on having 7 million units being produced for both smartphones combined.

Since the production figures are this high, the smartphone maker is starting up the mass production of the two devices slightly earlier this year. For those unaware, Samsung only produced a combined 1 to 2 million units of the previous two foldable smartphone models. Reportedly, the company is raising the production numbers due to the successful performance of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 that was launched back in 2020.

Samsung — Galaxy Z Flip 3 3D renders by LetsGoDigital (Giuseppe Spinelli)

In other words, the company is clearly confident about its upcoming high end models. We will be covering the launch event of these devices and cover any rumors or reports that surface prior to its launch. So stay tuned.

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Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite, Redmi K30 4G receive MIUI 12.5 update

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Jun 21, 2021

If you are following Xiaomi closely, you might be aware that the company has been rolling out MIUI 12.5 update to eligible devices for the past few months. The latest smartphones to receive this update are Redmi K30 4G (aka POCO X2) and Mi 10T Lite.

Redmi K30 4G Featured — Redmi K30 4G (aka POCO X2)

The Redmi K30 4G was announced alongside the Redmi K30 5G in late December 2019. This device later launched as POCO X2 in Inida. Xiaomi is now rolling out MIUI 12.5 update for the original version of the handset sold in China.

The Redmi K30 4G MIUI 12.5 update arrives with build number V12.5.1.0.RGHCNXM. The last major update for this phone was Android 11, which was seeded out in early January 2021. Before that, it was one of the first handsets to get MIUI 12 update last year.

On the other hand, the MIUI 12.5 update for the Mi 10T Lite is currently live for the ‘Global’ variant with build number V12.5.1.0.RJSMIXM. Android 11 was also its last major update. But unlike the Redmi K30 4G, this smartphone debuted with MIUI 12 out of the box.

Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite Featured A — Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite

The Mi 10T Lite is also known as Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G in China and Mi 10i in India. The only difference is that the Mi 10T Lite features a 64MP primary camera instead of a 108MP shooter like the other two.

Since the Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G has already received the latest MIUI update last month, only Mi 10i is left to get it. But it should receive the update soon along with POCO X2.

Realme G1 listing spotted on company’s official website: Tipster

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Jun 21, 2021

A listing for an upcoming Realme smartphone has just been spotted online. This listing was found on the company’s official website, as per a known tipster on Twitter. The device in question is the Realme G1.

According to a tweet from Mukul Sharma, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer is working on a new device dubbed, the G1. In his post on the social media platform, the tipster also shared a screenshot of the listing. This revealed the Realme 3i for 8,000 INR (roughly about 108 US Dollars). Underneath this listing, multiple links to the G1 can also be spotted. The curency also implies that this was found on the Indian version of the official website and implies that the device will be launching in the Southeast Asian country.

Realme G1 is now listed on the company's official website.
Feel free to retweet.#Realme #RealmeG1 pic.twitter.com/X0gbAmjw0S

— Mukul Sharma (@stufflistings) June 21, 2021

Unfortunately, the tipster only shared the screenshot and the name of the device. In other words, we have no information or finer details regarding the upcoming smartphone. Although, it does imply the arrival of a new series of handsets from the company. This is all the information we have at the moment, so stay tuned for more as we will be providing updates when additional information is available regarding this new smartphone.

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Cocos Creator is the first game engine to support Huawei HarmonyOS

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Jun 21, 2021

With Huawei recently launching its HarmonyOS 2.0 platform, Cocos announced that it would be launching an updated version of the Cocos Creator to support the new operating system, which has just been released.

For those unaware, Cocos Creator is an all in one development tool that enables developers to create games for all major platforms, like the iOS, Android, Facebook Instant Games, WeChat Mini Games, HTML5, and desktop as well. The latest version is the Cocos Creator 3.2, which was officially launched at an event in Shanghai. This makes it the world’s first game engine that supports the Huawei HarmonyOS system, as per HuaweiCentral.

The system could also enable the launch of heavy games of different categories like 2D or 3D titles. Furthermore, the Cocos Creator 3.2 version supports the one click packing of games into the HarmonyOS applications. Notably, it even supports the use of the PhysX capabilities of the ByteDance platform in ByteDance mini games and more. Cocos Dashboard also provides a unified downloader and launch portal for the Cocos Creator and Cocos Creator 3D engines.

In simpler terms, game developers can now complete the project in the Cocos Creator within the HarmonyOS platform. So, we can soon expect ports of existing games or even the launch of possibly exclusive flagship HarmonyOS mobile games to make their way into the Chinese tech giant’s AppGallery.

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HUAWEI Mate50 series is delayed; not canceled: Tipster

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Jun 21, 2021

Last week, news broke out that the HUAWEI Mate50 series will not launch in 2021. A few days later, one of the popular tipsters in China revealed more details about the situation. Let’s take a look at what he has to say.

Huawei Mate 40 Pro Review Featured — HUAWEI Mate40 Pro

According to 菊厂影业Fans on Weibo, the HUAWEI Mate50 series is not canceled. He reassures that the company’s high-end smartphones for H2 are merely delayed. He asks the public to stay away from fake rumors about the devices being canceled.

Further, he adds that even if the HUAWEI Mate50 series don’t launch in 2021, then it may come out in 2022. In other words, he is too optimistic since the HUAWEI Mate series is the company’s popular high-end smartphone lineup other than the HUAWEI P series.

Confirming this leakster’s claim, an exclusive report by China Securities Journal has also revealed that the design of the HUAWEI Mate50 series has been finalized. It’s that the company is yet to decide when to kickstart mass manufacturing due to supply shortage.

For now, 菊厂影业Fans requests people to wait for the launch of the HUAWEI P50 series. As per his latest Weibo post, the P50 series will offer better gameplay and optimized video recording. He says that the zooming will be smooth without any stutter and there won’t be any discoloration either.

Last but not least, since the HUAWEI P50 series will be the first smartphone lineup with HarmonyOS out of the box, it will have some exclusive features as well.

Apple iPad Pro 2021 Cellular variant goes on sale in China for 7,399 yuan ($1,144)

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Jeet

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Jun 21, 2021

Last month, tech giant Apple launched its latest iPad Pro devices in two different sizes — 11-inch and 12.9-inch, powered by the company’s own Apple Silicon-based M1 chipset.

While the device went on sale last month, the cellular variant wasn’t available for purchase due to the delayed certification process. Now, the Cupertino-based tech giant has officially listed the iPad Pro 2021 cellular variant for sale.

The device is priced at 7,399 yuan (~$1,144) which is about 1,200 yuan costlier when compared to the Wi-Fi-only variant of the same lineup. The tablet is also available to purchase on JD Mall among other online stores.

The Apple iPad Pro 2021 is available in two screen sizes — an 11-inch model that utilizes an LCD display and a 12.9-inch model equipped with a mini-LED screen which Apple calls Liquid Retina XDR display. The mini-LED screen has a peak brightness of 1,600 nits and 1,000 nits full-screen brightness and also comes with support for HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HLG imaging formats.

On the other hand, the LCD screen manages a peak brightness of 600 nits. The screen retains support for True Tone and features the DCI-P3 color gamut. The two displays come with a 120Hz refresh rate which Apple calls ProMotion.

Coming to connectivity, this is the first tablet from Apple to come with support for 5G connectivity and there’s also a variant with support for eSIM. It packs a 12-megapixel TrueDepth camera as well as a 10-megapixel ultrawide-angle lens with a 122º-degree field of view upfront.

As for the pricing in the United States, the iPad Pro 12.9 starts at $1,099 for the 4G version and $1,299 for the 5G version. On the other hand, the 11-inch model starts at $799 while the Wi-Fi+Cellular version retails for $999.

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Realme Narzo 30 5G, 4G variants and color variants leaked

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Jun 21, 2021

On June 24, Realme will be announcing the Narzo 30 4G and Narzo 30 5Gv phones in India. Ahead of the launch, a tipster has shared the configurations and color variants of both phones.

According to the tipster, the Narzo 30 4G and Narzo 30 5G will be available in two options such as 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage. Both phones are likely to arrive in two colors as Racing Blue and Racing Silver.

The tipster has speculated that the Narzo 30 4G could be priced at Rs 11,499 (~$155) or Rs 11,999 (~$162), whereas the Narzo 30 5G may cost Rs 13,999 (~$188) or Rs 14,499 (~$195). At present, the Narzo 30A and Narzo 30 Pro 5G are selling in India are available with starting prices of Rs 8,999 (~$121) and Rs 16,999 (~$223), respectively.

Realme Narzo 30 4G and Narzo 30 specifications

The Narzo 30 4G and Narzo 30 5G have a 6.5-inch IPS LCD punch-hole screen that supports FHD+ resolution. Both handsets are powered by Helio G95 chip and Dimensity 700 chip, respectively.

Both handsets have a 16-megapixel front camera. The triple camera system on both devices includes a 48-megapixel main camera, a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro lens. For security, they feature a side-facing fingerprint scanner.

The Narzo 30 and Narzo 30 5G are loaded with Realme UI 2.0 and Android 11 OS. They are backed by a 5,000mAh battery. The former is said to support 30W charging, whereas the latter supports 18W charging.

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realme narzo 30 5G, realme Buds Q2 India price leaked ahead of launch

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Jun 21, 2021

Chinese handset maker realme has scheduled an event for June 24 in India. The brand has confirmed to launch realme narzo 30, realme narzo 30 5G, and realme Smart TV Full HD 32” at this conference. An accessory called realme Buds Q2 will be also debuting along with these devices. Ahead of these products’ official announcement, the price of the 5G smartphone and the TWS have been revealed by a tipster.

realme Buds Q2 Blue Featured — realme Buds Q2

The realme Buds Q2 made their global debut in Pakistan in late April. They are priced at 5,999 ($38) Pakistani Rupees in the country. According to Yogesh (via realmetimes), this pair of TWS will cost similar in India. As per him, the realme Buds Q2 will be priced in India at either ₹2,899 ($39) or ₹2,899 ($40).

On the other hand, the realme narzo 30 5G will compete directly with the POCO M3 Pro 5G. Hence, it is said to retail for ₹15,990 for a single 6GB + 128GB variant. For comparison, the POCO device costs ₹13,999 and ₹15,999 for the 4GB + 64GB and 6GB + 128GB storage configurations respectively.

The upcoming realme narzo 30 5G and realme Buds Q2 do not feature anything extraordinary. The highlight of these devices is their price. The former is said to democratize 5G, whereas the latter is advertised as a democratizer of ANC (Active Noise Cancellation).

Battlegrounds Mobile India is sending data to servers in China: Report

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