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Older Xbox consoles will be able to play next-gen games via xCloud

By
Habeeb Onawole
-

When a new console is announced, manufacturers still support the older consoles for a short while before finally dropping it. When this happens, no new games will be made for them and owners of these older consoles will miss out on next-gen games unless they pick up the new consoles. Microsoft is changing that by bringing its xCloud game streaming service to older Xbox One consoles, thus allowing owners of these older devices to play next-gen games.

Xbox One S All-Digital edition

During its Xbox+Bethesda E3 event a few days ago, Microsoft announced that its next-gen games will be available on its game streaming service on day one. This means, if you have an active subscription, you will be able to begin playing these games on the very day they are announced.

With xCloud coming to older Xbox One consoles, owners will be able to play these new games which are exclusive to the new generation consoles on their old consoles, thanks to the game streaming service. This wouldn’t have been possible without xCloud since the games will not be released for the older Xbox consoles.

What Xbox is doing here is converting older Xbox One consoles into game streaming devices like a computer or an Android or iOS device. There is no news yet on when the service will be made available but we expect it to happen this year.

Xbox announced last week that it will integrate xCloud into the Xbox app on PCs which means users will not need to access the service through their web browsers. They will also be able to try games via the game streaming service before they download them on their PCs. Of course, to enjoy the game streaming service, PC owners will have to pay for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the $15 per month service that also includes Xbox Live Gold and EA Play.

It also announced last week that it will bring xCloud to the Xbox consoles but it only said it will be a way for users to try games before they download and not as a full game streaming service as it is available on other platforms. However, the latest announcement means that folks can just stream the new games directly if they want.

 

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OnePlus announces full integration with the OPPO brand

By
Jed John Ikoba
-

In January this year, OnePlus announced the merger of its research and development (R&D) arm with that of OPPO. While both companies had planned to share merge their R&D team, OnePlus did clarify that its software won’t be touched. In a new twist, OnePlus has announced the full integration of its smartphone brand with OPPO. The company will now function as a brand under OPPO but it still retains its independence.

In a press release to fans posted on its forum, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau disclosed that the move would open up more resources to the company which could be deployed to create better products. He also stated that the integration would make OnePlus become more efficient in aspects such as faster and more stable software updates for OnePlus users.

Recall that in August 2020 that Pete Lau, the founder, and CEO of OnePlus, returned to OPPO as senior vice president and the company’s head of product strategy. But even before now, it was common to notice that OnePlus’ flagship models were sometimes rebadged OPPO models.

The OnePlus CEO further stated that the brand will continue to operate independently, maintaining its focus on providing its fans with the best possible products and experience. The company will continue to launch OnePlus products and will equally hold separate launch events. The OnePlus community will equally be retained for closer feedback on all channels. However, we may continue to see models launched under the OPPO brand in some markets and under the Oneplus brand subsequently in other markets.

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(source)

 

The Honor Earbuds 2 SE has ANC, fast charge, and a 32-hour battery life

By
Habeeb Onawole
-

Alongside the Honor 50 series, the Chinese manufacturer also announced a new pair of TWS earbuds called the Honor Earbuds 2 SE. The in-ear headphones have ANC and a battery life that lasts well more than a day.

Honor Earbuds 2 SE featured

The Honor Earbuds 2 SE has a stem design and silicone tips that keep the sounds in. It has a glossy finish and comes in Magic Night Black and Iceland White color variants with a matching rectangular box.

Honor has added Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) so you can enjoy an uninterrupted audio experience. Like a lot of headphones with ANC, the Honor Earbuds 2 SE also has a transparency mode that you can turn on which allows you to hear sounds around you without taking off your earbuds. This is useful when having a conversation. There is also Dual Microphone AI Call Noise Reduction which uses beamforming technology to reduce background noise such as wind noise when making calls.

The Honor Earbuds 2 SE also has a pretty neat trick that allows you to use the earbuds as microphones when recording a vlog with your phone rather than using the phone’s own microphone(s). Honor says you get a better result this way. There is also a low-latency game mode that is only compatible with devices running Magic UI 4.0 and above.

Operating the headphones is via capacitive touch controls built into the stem of each earbud. A double-tap on the left or right earbud will play/pause playback and accept/end a call. A long press on either earbud will turn on or off ANC and transparency mode. Honor says the earbuds also have wear detection and smart scene detection. Users can also configure the earbuds via the Honor Smart Life app.

The battery life of the earbuds is said to provide up to 10 hours of playback time with ANC off, and it goes up to 32 hours with the case. It also supports fast charging via a USB-C port – a 10-minute charge will provide up to 4 hours of listening time.

Honor Earbuds 2 SE colors

The Honor Buds 2 SE is available for pre-order on the Honor online shop for ¥469 (~$73). Those who pre-order and pay a deposit will get a free silicone case. The earbuds will begin to ship by the end of June.

 

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Red Magic 6R vs OnePlus 9R: Specs Comparison

By
Michele Ingelido
-

“R” variants of flagship phones are becoming popular. Nubia came up with the Red Magic 6R: the first Red Magic gaming phone which does not look like a gaming phone. OnePlus released the OnePlus 9R: a more affordable variant of the 9 series but still with flagship-class specifications. If you need a true flagship but you want to save some money, these devices are very interesting options. But which one is the best and which matches your needs the most? This comparison between the specifications of the Red Magic 6R and the OnePlus 9R will help you find out.

Nubia Red Magic 6R vs OnePlus 9R

 

ZTE Nubia Red Magic 6R OnePlus 9R
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT 163 x 75.3 x 7.8 mm, 186 grams 161 x 74.1 x 8.4 mm, 189 grams
DISPLAY 6.67 inches, 1080 x 2448p (Full HD+), 395 ppi, AMOLED 6.55 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), 402 ppi, Fluid AMOLED
PROCESSOR Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, octa-core 2.84 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, octa-core 2.84 GHz
MEMORY 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 12 GB RAM, 128 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB
SOFTWARE Android 11, Redmagic UI Android 11, OxygenOS
CONNECTIVITY Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS
CAMERA Quad 64 + 8 + 5 + 2 MP f/1.8 and f/2.0
16 MP f/1.8 front camera		 Quad 48 + 16 + 5 + 2 MP f/1.7, f/2.2, f/2.4 and f/2.4
16 MP f/2.4 front camera
BATTERY 4200 mAh, fast charging 55W or 30W 4500 mAh, fast charging 65W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES Dual SIM slot, 5G, pressure sensitive zones Dual SIM slot, 5G

Design

A lot of people would like the OnePlus 9R more than the Red Magic 6R because it is more compact and it has a more minimalistic design. The rear camera module with the same color as the rear cover is gorgeous and the color variants too. On the other hand, the

Red Magic 6R offers a thinner design making it attractive. Just like top-notch gaming phones, it comes with pressure sensitive zones boasting a 400 Hz touch sampling rate. Both the phones have a premium design composed of a glass back and an aluminum frame, but the OnePlus 9R has the stronger Gorilla Glass 5 protection for both the rear glass and the display.

 

Display

On the paper, the Nubia Red Magic 6R offers a superior display. It is a 6.67-inch panel with a 10-bit color depth showing up to one billion colors, a high 144 Hz refresh rate, and a Full HD+ resolution. The OnePlus 9R has a smaller panel with a lower 120 Hz refresh rate and the HDR10+ certification. Naturally, both are AMOLED displays with an under-display fingerprint reader. And both are punch-hole displays with very narrow bezels and a front camera placed in the middle. The

Red Magic 6R wins the display comparison due to its higher refresh rate and one billion colors. Note that the OnePlus 9R has stereo speakers, while Nubia Red Magic 6R does not.

 

Specs & Software

With the Nubia Red Magic 6R and the OnePlus 9R, you can actually get the same hardware department. It is composed of a Snapdragon 888 mobile platform which is currently the most powerful Qualcomm chipset, up to 12 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage. Both these phones have flagship-class hardware and they are sold at affordable prices: this is one of their best advantages. The Nubia Red Magic 6R and the OnePlus 9R run Android 11 with a customized user interface on top.

 

Camera

The OnePlus 9R has a 48 MP rear quad camera with a 48 MP main sensor supported by OIS, a 16 MP ultrawide camera, a 5 MP macro camera, and a 2 MP monochromatic camera. The Nubia Red Magic 6R has a quad camera too, but it comes with a 64 MP main sensor, an 8 MP ultrawide camera, a 5 MP macro lens, and a 2 MP depth sensor. The OnePlus 9R is better because it has a brighter focal aperture and OIS, but the Nubia Red Magic 6R is able to record videos with an 8K resolution.

 

Battery

The OnePlus 9R has a bigger battery and it is able to last more on a single charge with its 4500 mAh capacity. Further, it features faster charging with a power of 65W. With the Nubia Red Magic 6R, you get a 4200 mAh battery that supports 55W fast charging in China and 30W fast charging in the global market.

 

Price

OnePlus 9R has a starting price tag of about €464/$557 in the Indian market. Unfortunately, it is not sold in the European market, where you only get the vanilla OnePlus 9 and the Pro variant. The Nubia Red Magic 6R starts from €500/$600 globally. OnePlus 9R is a superior device when it comes to camera and battery, while Nubia Red Magic 6R has a better display and useful pressure sensitive zones for gaming. Which one would you pick?

 

Nubia Red Magic 6R vs OnePlus 9R: PROs and CONS

ZTE Nubia Red Magic 6R

PROs

  • Better display
  • Affordable
  • Wider panel
  • 8K video recording

CONS

  • Smaller battery

 

OnePlus 9R

PROs

  • More compact
  • Better camera with OIS
  • Stereo speakers
  • Bigger battery

CONS

  • Nothing particular

 

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Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo, Huawei, and Honor are working together on a unified fast charging standard

By
Habeeb Onawole
-

Fast charging has greatly improved in the past few years, and it will be dishonest to not acknowledge the role of Chinese manufacturers in the advancement of the technology. However, one major problem is that there is no unifying standard as each manufacturer has its own proprietary technology. That may change in the near future as key Chinese brands have come together to create a new unifying fast-charging standard.

The source of the news is a document that has surfaced on the web that talks about a “Universal fast-charging specification for mobile devices”. A translation of the document reveals that multiple Chinese companies have come together to create a universal fast charging standard to solve the problems the multiple technologies have created.

Some of the listed problems include the high cost of development as key players have to manufacture components for individual customers. Also, the lack of compatibility among devices will stifle long-term plans for the reduction of e-waste and the development of renewable energy.

China Universal Fast Charging
Image source: ITHome

However, with a unified fast charging standard that works across different brands, these problems can become a thing of the past.

The document mentions that big phone brands such as Honor, Huawei, OPPO, Vivo, and Xiaomi as well as other technology companies and stakeholders including Rockchip and the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology have come together to work on this unified fast-charging standard.

We don’t know when this new charging standard will be ready but we don’t expect it to be anytime soon considering there are multiple players on board and reaching an agreement in such a situation may take a while. Nevertheless, it is a welcome development as it will mean consumers will not have to worry about an existing charger they already own being compatible with another device they own or plan to switch to.

 

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Spotify is the latest company to launch its own version of Clubhouse, and it’s called Greenroom

By
Habeeb Onawole
-

Clubhouse took the social media space by storm last year when it announced its social audio app. The service remained exclusive to iOS for more than a year before arriving for Android as a limited beta last month. While Clubhouse dragged its feet on an Android release, other platforms such as Twitter announced their own version (Spaces) for both operating systems. Today, Spotify joins the growing list with its own social audio platform called Greenroom.

Spotify's Greenroom

Spotify’s Greenroom is actually green. Literally. And it launches for Android and iOS today in over 135 countries across the world. The press release points at it being a modified version of Locker Room which is made by Betty Labs, a company Spotify acquired in March.

Greenroom is said to be built with the creators and artists that make Spotify great in mind. Nevertheless, anyone will be able to create a room, join a room, join a group, and search for upcoming rooms.

Spotify says the app will provide a new onboarding experience that puts users’ interests front and center. It will also provide recording capabilities for users to complement their content with live conversations and also have chat controls. Users will be able to join Greenroom with their Spotify login details.

Later this Summer, Spotify will also launch a Spotify Creator Fund that allows audio creators to monetize their work.

 

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It’s official: Honor phones will have Google Mobile Services

By
Habeeb Onawole
-

Rejoice Honor fans! It has been officially confirmed that Google Mobile Services will be included on Honor phones and tablets.

The info was revealed today by a Honor spokesperson according to GSMArena. The source added that Honor is currently undergoing Google’s Play Protect security review and compatibility testing.

Honor 50 SE 5G

The Honor 50 series which launched today in China will be the first set of Honor devices, following the company’s separation from Huawei, to ship with Google Mobile Services when they are eventually announced for the global market.

However, we don’t know if previously launched devices will get GMS support but we will advise our readers not get their hopes up.

 

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Honor 50 SE 5G is a cheaper Dimensity 900-powered version of the Honor 50

By
Jed John Ikoba
-

In addition to the Honor 50 and Honor 50 Pro, Honor also launched the Honor 50 SE. The model retains the same design as the other two models but is powered by a MediaTek SoC and has a flat display panel.Honor 50 SE 5G

The Honor 50 SE sports a 6.78-inch ultra-narrow-sided full-view screen with a screen frame of only 1.1mm. It is also equipped with a centered wide-angle front camera housed in a punch-hole. The design gives the device a 94.3 % screen-to-body ratio and excellent frontal visual effects.

At the same time, the screen of Honor 50 SE also supports a 120Hz high refresh rate and 240Hz high touch sampling rate, which can present an extremely smooth visual and control experience. The 240Hz high sampling rate can also ensure faster one-step operation during gaming.

As for the back design, the Honor 50 SE also uses the iconic ring design inspired by  Rollei’s double-reflex cameras. The model is also equipped with a 100-megapixel ultra-clear main camera. Not only can you get an ultra-clear picture quality experience, but it also provides richer light and dark details when shooting at night.Honor 50 SE 5G

In addition, the Honor 50 SE is also equipped with a 4-megapixel macro lens with an F/2.4 aperture and a 112° ultra-wide-angle camera, which can cover most scenes in daily shooting and can shoot photos and videos anytime, anywhere.Honor 50 SE 5G

In terms of performance, the Honor 50 SE is equipped with a MediaTek Dimensity 900 processor, based on TSMC’s latest 6nm process. Compared with the previous 7nm process, it has more advantages in performance and power consumption. The processor also supports a new generation of LPDDR5 memory and UFS. 3.1 storage specifications, which provide good performance output. The processor pairs with 8GB RAM while there are 128GB and 256GB storage options available

The Honor 50 SE is also equipped with a 66W flagship fast charge, which can provide up to 75% charge in 20 minutes.Honor 50 SE 5G

In terms of price, the Honor 50 SE is available in two versions. The 8GB+128GB version is priced at 2399 yuan (~$375), and the 8GB+256GB version is priced at 2699 yuan (~$422). The smartphone will be available in three color options: streamer magic mirror, charm sea blue, and bright black. The mobile phone is up for pre-orders in China but will go on sale on July 2.

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OPPO F series sells over 10 million units, here’s how the brand is celebrating

By
Sudarshan Ravichandran
-

OPPO India says that it has sold over 10 million units of OPPO F series smartphones. To celebrate this occasion, the company has not only introduced two new colors for the OPPO F19 series but it is also offering discounts and extended warranties for select products.

OPPO F Series 10 Million Units Sold

On June 15, the OPPO India Twitter account tweeted that the company has sold more than 10 million units of OPPO F series smartphones. Earlier today (June 16), the handset maker announced two new color variants for the OPPO F19 series along with some offers.

Customers can now pick up the vanilla OPPO F19 in a new Space Silver color option. Similarly, the OPPO F 19 Pro gets a new eye-catching Fantastic Purple color version.

Additionally, the company is offering a flat ₹1,000 discount on the OPPO F19. This offer is valid from June 16 to June 30. During the same time period, existing OPPO customers can avail ‘Double Protection Offer’ on purchase on any OPPO F19 series phone.

The Double Protection Offer includes a 365-day one-time screen replacement scheme and an additional 180-day warranty plan. Customers can only choose either of the two.

Customers can also get up to ₹2,000 cashback when using HDFC Bank cards while purchasing any OPPO F series smartphone. With Paytm transactions, the cashback amount is 11%.

Last but not least, OPPO is also selling the OPPO Enco W51 and the OPPO Band Style at a discounted price tags of ₹3,999 and ₹2,499 respectively until the end of this month.

 

 

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Honor 50 5G & Honor 50 Pro 5G with Curved OLED displays, GMS, Snapdragon 778 launched

By
Jed John Ikoba
-

Honor today (June 16) held a launch conference where it unveiled a number of products which include the Honor 50, Honor 50 Pro, Honor 50 SE, and the Honor Earbuds 2 SE. No doubt, the Honor 50 and 50 Pro are the star products among the lot. Apart from packing premium designs, the two models are designed specifically for high performance.Honor 50

The Honor 50 features a 6.57-inch OLED curved screen that supports a 120Hz screen refresh rate and 300Hz touch sampling rate. The display utilizes a single punch-hole design located centrally at the top of the screen. On the other hand, the Honor 50 Pro sports a 6.72-inch display but it has a dual punch-hole design on the top left corner of the screen. Other aspects are the same as the Honor 50.Honor 50 Pro

The back design of the Honor 50 series is inspired by Rollei’s double-reflex cameras. The lens module adopts a dual-lens layout and uses a Cartier-like ring design around the main lens. In terms of performance, the camera focuses on one-stop Vlog video shooting, and the mobile phone supports six multi-lens video shooting modes including “fast-slow motion resuming” and “single and double lens resuming”.Honor 50 Pro

The Honor 50 Pro dual front camera setup consists of a 12-megapixel video lens and a 32-megapixel selfie lens. The selfie camera setup supports 100° ultra-wide-angle video shooting and Selfie super night scene functions. The Honor 50 features a 32-megapixel selfie lens. At the rear aspect, both models pack a similar camera configuration. The rear setup is a 100-megapixel quad-camera setup of which the main camera is a 100-megapixel main camera teaming up with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, a 2-megapixel macro, and another 2-megapixel depth-of-field lens.Honor 50 Pro

The Honor 50 and Honor 50 Pro are both powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G mobile platform, which uses 6nm process technology and a Kryo 670 architecture. The CPU is made up of a single 2.4GHz super core, three 2.2GHz large cores, and four 1.9GHz small cores. For graphics, the 5G-enabled processor integrates the Adreno 642L GPU. Compared with the previous generation, the Snapdragon 778’s performance and graphics rendering speed are improved by 45%. In addition, Honor’s GPU Turbo X and Link Turbo technologies are also adapted to the Snapdragon platform.Honor 50 Pro

In other respects, the Honor 50 Pro is equipped with a 4000mAh battery that supports 100W wired fast charging. The Honor 50 is equipped with a slightly bigger 4300mAh battery that supports 66W wired fast charging. Both models run on Magic UI 4.2 based on Android 11 ​​and feature support for NFC.Honor 50 Pro

In terms of color options, the Honor 50 and Honor 50 Pro come in four colors: first snow crystal, summer amber, black jade green, and bright black.Honor 50

In terms of price, the Honor 50 8GB+128GB is priced at 2699 yuan (~$422), the 8GB+256GB is priced at 2999 yuan (~$469), and the 12GB+256GB is priced at 3399 yuan (~$531). On the other hand, the Honor 50 Pro 8GB+256GB is priced at 3699 yuan (~$578), 12GB+256GB is priced at 3999 yuan (~$625). The models are expected to go on sale on June 25.

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OPPO A54 ColorOS 11 Beta registrations go live in India

By
Sudarshan Ravichandran
-

Last week, OPPO revealed the ColorOS 11 update plan for the month of June 2021. A few days later, following the schedule, the company has started recruiting beta testers for the OPPO A54 in India. Let’s take a look at how you can enroll yourself into the program if you own the device.

OPPO A54 Starry Blue Featured

As mentioned in the beginning, the OPPO A54 ColorOS 11 beta program is currently only live for the variant sold in India. Interested users can register themselves to experience OPPO’s take on Android 11 before the update starts rolling out to every unit.

All they have to do is head over to Settings > Software Update > Gear Icon > Apply for Beta Version > Update Beta Version and follow the on-screen instructions. But before that, users need to check if their handset is running firmware version A.07 or A.09. If not, update it first and then, follow the above instructions.

As per the official announcement post on ColorOS Community, the Android 11 beta registrations for the OPPO A54 in India will run from June 16 to June 23. If applicants don’t get selected, they need not worry as there will be more batches in the future.

That said, the OPPO A54 debuted with ColorOS 7.2 based on Android 10. Hence, ColorOS 11 (Android 11) is the handset’s first major update. It may receive an update to Android 12 update in the future going by OPPO’s software update track record.

 

 

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TicWatch E3 has a Snapdragon Wear 4100 chip, runs Wear OS, and costs $199.99

By
Habeeb Onawole
-

After launching a couple of non-Wear OS-powered smartwatches – the TicWatch GTX and the TicWatch GTH – Mobvoi is back with a new Wear OS smartwatch in form of the TicWatch E3. The E series is one of the manufacturer’s lines of affordable Wear OS watches and the E3 is the third model, arriving more than two years after the TicWatch E2.

TicWatch E3 featured

TicWatch E3 Design and Specifications

The TicWatch E3 keeps the round dial design of its predecessor but save for that, differs in other ways. The display, which is housed in a polycarbonate frame, is smaller at 1.3-inches with a resolution of 360 x 360 and with 2.5D curved glass on top. There are now two buttons on the watch – one at 2 O’clock and the other at 4 O’clock. It also appears that Mobvoi has dropped AMOLED for LCD as the spec sheet doesn’t mention the screen type but describes it as a “High Density Display”.

It is important to mention that because the screen is smaller, the straps have also reduced in width from 22mm to 20mm, so your TicWatch E2’s strap won’t work with this but any third-party 20mm quick-release strap should suffice.

TicWatch E3 design

TicWatch E3 internals

The key upgrade the TicWatch E3 brings is the Snapdragon Wear 4100 processor, the same one in the manufacturer’s high-end TicWatch Pro 3/TicWatch Pro 3 LTE. The SoC, which brings a faster and smoother experience compared to the Snapdragon Wear 2100, is paired with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage.

As expected, there is a 24/7 heart rate monitor and Mobovoi has also added a blood oxygen sensor for all-day blood oxygen saturation monitoring. You also have TicSleep for sleep monitoring, TicZen for stress monitoring, and TicBreathe for breathing exercises,. There is an option to share your health and fitness data with a loved one, and via TicCare you can also remotely monitor your loved one’s wearable data. The mobile app has been redesigned as shown below.

TicWatch App redesigned

The TicWatch E3 has support for over 20 professional workout modes including football, swimming, basketball, pilates, taekwondo, and ice skating. You only get 21 workout modes out of the box with a promise for more via updates. A new feature that has been added is support for high-intensity interval training (HIIT) which means that the watch will be able to record workouts such as burpees, high knees, squat jumps, jumping jacks, reverse crunches, and planks. There is also TicMotion which automatically detects your workout and begins to track and record your health data.

The smartwatch has GPS, GLONASS, and Beidou positioning built-in. It also has NFC for Google Pay and support for music playback control. Users will be able to pair the watch to the TicPods 2 and TicPods 2 Pro+ for a completely hands-free experience, thus allowing them to issue voice commands to control playback.

The TicWatch E3 has a microphone and speaker, so you can take calls on it. It also has Google Assistant built-in and you can call up the assistant with the power button and control your smart home devices by speaking to the watch.

There is a 380mAh battery capacity inside it. While the battery life is not stated, there is an Essential Mode that automatically kicks in when the battery level falls below 5%. Owners will be able to customize when they want the feature to get activated.

TicWatch E3 Price and Availability

The TicWatch E3 is already available for purchase on the manufacturer’s website. It is priced at $199.99 in the US and €199.99 in Europe while other countries can purchase it from the global website for $229.99. The watch comes in Panther Black but you can buy a yellow or blue strap for $19.99/€19.99.

 

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LG VELVET LTE finally starts receiving Android 11 update

By
Sudarshan Ravichandran
-

In late July 2020, LG quietly debuted the LG VELVET LTE. Unlike the original device, this one is powered by a Snapdragon 845 chipset instead of a Snapdragon 765G. But it launched with the same LG UX9 based on Android 10 out of the box. Now, almost a year after its release, the handset has finally started receiving the Android 11 update.

LG Velvet cameras

According to an official announcement post (via PiunikaWeb) on an LG Electronics support page, the retired handset maker has started rolling out the Android 11 update for the LG VELVET LTE (4G) in its home country South Korea.

Apart from bringing the core Android 11 features, the latest system update for the smartphone also arrives with certain new camera functions. The phone’s default camera app gets a new ‘Quick View’ mode, a ‘Night Time Lapse Mode’, and an in-built QR scanner.

That said, just like any other OTA system update, this one is also being rolled out in batches. Therefore, it may take some time to reach every unit. The update should eventually make its way to other regions in the coming days.

As per LG, the LG VELVET LTE will get an update to Android 12 as well as Android 13. But we are not sure if the company will be able to keep up with its promise.

 

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Huawei Mate series flagship won’t debut this year: Rumour

By
Jed John Ikoba
-

Going by Huawei‘s annual product cycle, the company is expected to launch the next generation Mate series smartphone in September this year. The smartphone is supposed to be powered by a new generation Kirin chip. However, the latest news emanating from the Chinese media is that Huawei won’t be releasing a flagship Mate series mobile phone this year.Huawei

If that turns out to be true, this will be the first time that Huawei won’t be releasing a Mate series phone model since 2013 when the first Mate series model was launched. Huawei is yet to formally respond to the rumor, though.

The Chinese company has been experiencing a rough ride after the US government imposed a trade embargo on the company. This has prevented the company from accessing key components for the manufacture of its smartphones. The company was able to release the Mate 40 series last year but it was in short supply. This year, the company is yet to release the P50. The smartphone was only teased recently at the HarmonyOS 2 announcement.

The rumor also alleged that Huawei’s mobile phone business has adopted maintaining existing users as a core strategy. The measures that will be implemented in this regard are basically after-sale services such as replacing the battery, back cover, and even components such as the screen, motherboard, and camera on existing models at a lowered price. The company also plans to speed up the migration of models to HarmonyOS.

At the HarmonyOS 2 unveiling conference held on June 2, Huawei Consumer Business head Yu Chengdong unveiled the P50 series but disclosed that the release of the P50 series has been postponed for obvious reason. The company is yet to announce when the flagship will hit the market.

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(source)

 

Alleged Nokia C30 bags FCC certification

By
Anvinraj Valiyathara
-

In April, HMD Global announced the Nokia C10 and Nokia C20 smartphones. Last week, the company unveiled the Nokia C20 Plus in China. Reports have claimed that the company is working on another C-series phone called the Nokia C30. A new Nokia smartphone with model number TA-1357 has received approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S. It is speculated that this device could be the Nokia C30 handset.

The TA-1357 handset measures 177.7 x 79.1mm and it houses a 5,850mAh rated battery. It offers connectivity features like LTE, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. The FCC listing has no other information on its specs. Speculations are rife that the handset has also received EEC certification.

Nokia C20 Plus and Nokia C30

Last month, a leak revealed the rear design of the Nokia C30 along with its battery capacity. The image reveals that it has a round-shaped camera module with two cameras along with an LED flash. Below the camera housing is a traditional fingerprint scanner. The left edge of the device has a volume rocker and a power key. The leak also revealed it is powered by a 6,000mAh battery. Unfortunately, the rumor mill is yet to spill information on its other specs.

Nokia C20 Plus specifications

The Nokia C20 Plus has a 6.5-inch HD+ display and it is powered by the Unisoc SC9863A. The device is backed by a 4,950mAh battery and it runs on Android 11 OS.

It has an 8-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual-camera system and a front camera of 5-megapixel. The handset ships with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage, and it is priced at 699 Yuan (~$109).

(via)

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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 concept renders show flat-edge design of the smartphone

By
Jeet
-

Samsung has been working on its next-generation foldable smartphone as a part of the Galaxy Fold series, dubbed Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. Ahead of the official launch, renders of the upcoming device have surfaced online.

The phone seems to have retained the book-like form factor but the overall design is likely to be different. The newly surfaced fan-made concept renders of the smartphone are said to have been created based on the leaks.

Do note that these are not the official press renders from the company that got leaked ahead of the launch but are made based on the leaks related to the smartphone.

The design shows that the phone will have a triple-camera setup on the back with sensors stacked vertically in the top-left corner along with an LED flash. This is pretty much in line with the previous leaks.

However, the newer concept render shows how the smartphone will look with flat edges instead of rounded edges. Samsung has tried to stay away from flat edge designs for smartphones and it’s likely that the brand will use such designs for the Galaxy Z Fold 3.

But the South Korean giant seems to be opening up to newer design types as the Galaxy Tab S7 series has flat edges. So, there’s still a possibility of Samsung adopting a flat edge design for the Galaxy Z Fold 3. To know for sure, we will have to wait for the leak of the official renders or its official launch.

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Galaxy Buds Pro now comes in an irresistible white color

By
Anvinraj Valiyathara
-

Samsung announced the premium Galaxy Buds Pro TWS earbuds at the beginning of this year. it was made available in multiple colors such as Phantom Black, Phantom Silver, and Phantom Violet. Now, Samsung Germany has listed the Galaxy Buds Pro in a new Phantom White color.

The new white version of the Galaxy Buds Pro looks quite attractive in the official renders. The new color variant is officially listed but it is not yet available for purchase. It is not clear which other markets will be receiving the white model.

Apart from the regular Galaxy Buds Pro model, the company has been selling it in two other special editions such as Galaxy Buds Pro Adidas Originals Special Pack, and Galaxy Buds Pro LANEIGE Neo Cushion Edition.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro specifications

The Galaxy Buds Pro works on devices with Android 7.0 higher and 1.5 GB of RAM. It is an IPX7 rated in-ear stylus TWS earbuds that are equipped with an 11mm woofer and a 6.5mm tweeter. it is equipped with three microphones and comes with important sensors such as an accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, hall, touch, and voice pickup unit.

Apart from ANC, it also supports Ambient Sound and 360 Audio. With ANC activated, it offers up to 8 hours of battery life. Each earbud has a 61mAh battery and the charging case has a 472mAh battery.

(source|via)

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Deal: Get MagSafe Wireless Power Bank for $21 (Retail Price $30)

By
Daily Deals
-

MagSafe Wireless Power Bank which generally retails for $30 is now available for a discounted price of $21.68 only at AliExpress.

WHERE TO BUY
MagSafe Wireless Power Bank at $21.68 @AliExpress

MagSafe Wireless Power Bank

MagSafe Wireless Power Bank

MagSafe Wireless Power Bank

Key Features:

  • Wireless Power Bank
  • Capacity : 5000mAh
  • Charge your phone and Power Bank simultaneously
  • Compatible with iPhone 12 series
  • Multiple safety features: Over current protection, overpower protection, over-voltage protection, recovery protection, over-temperature protection, short circuit protection, etc. 
  • Tiny, Lightweight, and Portable
  • Color: Black and White

MagSafe Wireless Power Bank

Generally retailing for $30, you can now buy MagSafe Wireless Power Bank for $21.68 only at AliExpress. Please note that this deal is applicable to new users and comes with an additional new user coupon. So place your order asap. 

 

For more information on such exciting deals and offers check out our deals hub.

* Please Note: When you buy something using the links in our articles, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you.

 

Jio starts Indian 5G Trials in Mumbai using homegrown technology

By
Sean
-

With its rival telecom operator Airtel beginning its trials for 5G networking in Gurgaon, Haryana, Reliance Jio has also started the field testing of 5G services in Mumbai, Maharashtra using indigenous technology.

Reliance Jio

According to a TechRadar report, the Indian telecom giant had applied for conducting 5G trials in Gujarat, Mumbai, Delhi, and Hyderabad. The report added that the company will apparently be using its proprietary technology for its 5G trials in Mumbai. However, Jio would be teaming up with Ericsson for Delhi trials, while its Pune trials will have it worth with Nokia. Similarly, the field testing for Gujarat will have the company join hands with Samsung as well.

Back in May 2021, the Indian Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had allowed telecom operators to conduct six month long trials for the use and application of 5G technology in India. The agency had allocated 5G trial spectrums in 700MHz, 3.2 to 3.6GHz, and 24.25 to 28.5GHz bands to Airtel, Jio, and Vodafone Idea to develop the next generation of networking technology. Notably, Reliance Jio would be using its standalone 5G architecture for its trials. This includes testing of core and radio networks for peak speeds, latency, and data loads as well.

Jio

The company also added that it would be using both mid and mmwave bands along with its standalone architecture for 5G trials in Mumbai. Earlier this year, the carrier stated that “Indigenously developed 5G Radio integrated with Jio’s 5G Core Network and 5G Smartphones have achieved over the air throughputs in excess of 1 Gbps. In-house Massive MIMO (multiple input and multiple output) and indoor 5G small cell are under advanced stages of development.” More news regarding its 5G services is expected to be revealed at its Reliance Industries’ AGM on June 24, alongside the launch of its 5G Phone.

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Lenovo K13 Pro, K13 Note spotted at Play Console with key specs

By
Anvinraj Valiyathara
-

Lenovo is working on the Lenovo K13 series of smartphones. Fresh information reveals that the upcoming Lenovo K13 Pro and K13 Note have been spotted at the Google Play Console and in the list of Google Supported Devices. The listings have revealed key information such as display resolution, chipset, RAM, and Android version.

Lenovo K13 Pro and K13 Note Google Play Console listing

The Lenovo K13 Pro and K13 Note both feature an HD+ display with a teardrop notch that offers a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels and a 20:9 aspect ratio. The Pro model is powered by Snapdragon 662 chipset, which is mentioned with its SM6115 part number in the listing. The SoC is coupled with 6 GB of RAM.

Lenovo K13 Pro and K13 have the same front design
Lenovo K13 Pro and K13 have the same front design

On the other side, the K13 Note is driven by 4 GB of RAM and Snapdragon 480 5G SoC, which is mentioned with the SM4350 part number. Both phones are loaded with Android 11 OS. Their front renders show that they have the same front design.

The listing also shows that the K13 Pro is codenamed as Caprip, whereas the Note model has Capri codename. The Capri codename is also associated with other Motorola phones such as Moto G10, Moto G10 Power, and Moto G30. The K13 Pro appears to be a rebranded version of the Moto G30 handset.

As far as the K13 Note is concerned, a recent leak suggested that it could be a rebranded version of the Unisoc T710 powered Moto G20. However, now that it is spotted 5G-ready chip, it appears that it could be somewhat different from the Moto G20 handset.

(via 1, 2)

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