Battleground Mobile India Beta is now available for download on Android

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Jun 17, 2021

Battlegrounds Mobile India has been available for pre-registration since last month. Now, Krafton Inc, the studio behind the popular battle royale title, has just made the beta version of the game available for download on Android smartphones.

Keep in mind that this is a closed beta, with the game only being available to those who have registered to be an early access user. Looking at the Google Play Store listing, the India exclusive mobile game has a download size of just over 700 megabytes. Furthermore, the game also requires users to create a new account, which means users of PUBG Mobile cannot access their old accounts.

This also implies that Indian users would have to create new profiles with new usernames since the old PUBG Mobile servers are still live, so it will prompt users that their older gamer tags are already taken. Android users were given the to beta test the early version of the game. But unfortunately, registrations for the game’s beta are not available anymore. For those that did register, they can simply follow this link and click on ‘Download it on Google Play’ below.

Notably, since Battlegrounds Mobile India is in beta, users might face an internal server error. Although, trying to access the game later might resolve the issue. The game also asks the users for permission to access media and files when first launching the game and is only available for those over 18 years of age in India. It even notifies the users that all data for this game is stored in India. Recently, the game has been facing scrutiny from government officials that have asked for the ban of the game before its launch, however, an Indian Ministry has clarified that it can’t ban the game prior to its release.

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OnePlus smartphones confirmed to run OxygenOS after merger with OPPO

By

Jeet

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Jun 17, 2021

OnePlus founder and CEO Pete Lau have announced that the company is merging with OPPO. Although this is a major announcement, it isn’t surprising given that both the companies, owned by BBK Electronics, had merged their R&D team last year and Pete Lau took additional responsibility at OPPO to manage product strategy.

Recently, the OnePlus 9 series smartphones launched in China are running OPPO’s ColorOS operating system based on Android, instead of running its own HydrogenOS, which is a Chinese version of OxygenOS.

OxygenOS 11 Android 11 featured — OxygenOS 11 on Oneplus 8

So, what’s the future of OxygenOS given that OnePlus has now officially merged with OPPO? Well, it seems that the operating system from OnePlus is here to stay. The company has confirmed to MySmartPrice that smartphones from the brand will continue to run OxygenOS custom user interface based on Android.

However, there’s a possibility that going forward, the OxygenOS may have a similar design and functionality as ColorOS. But this is just speculation at this time and we will have to wait a few months or years to know for sure.

Going forward, OnePlus will work as a sub-brand of OPPO but the brand will remain the same and continue to operate independently, says Pete Lau. He said 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.

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Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 series gets certified by EEC; launch imminent

By

Jeet

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Jun 17, 2021

Xiaomi has been working on its next-generation tablet devices and is likely to get launched as the Mi Pad 5 series. Now, ahead of the launch, the device has been certified by EEC, hinting at its imminent launch.

The certification reveals that the device will be running the MIUI operating system out-of-the-box. Based on the previous statement by Xu Jieyun of Xiaomi Group, the upcoming Mi Pad 5 series devices will be running the MIUI which has now been optimized for tablets.

The operating system is likely to offer several new features that aim to improve the user experience, including the likes of multi-screen collaboration. However, to know for sure what the company has decided to offer, we will have to wait for the official launch.

Based on the leaks so far, the Mi Pad 5 series will come with an LCD or OLED screen with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels, along with support for a 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate. It is also said to support 4096-level touch and In-Cell active pen technology, which can bring smooth display effects to large-screen devices.

The Pro variant of the device is likely to come powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chipset along with support for 5G connectivity. It is said to be powered by a 4,260mAh dual-cell battery, which makes it an 8,720mAh battery effectively.

On the other hand, the standard variant will come powered by MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC which also supports 5G connectivity. The devices are expected to have a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for security.

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Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Pro 2021 now comes in a new Dark Night Aurora color

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jun 17, 2021

Last month, Lenovo introduced the Xiaoxin Pad Pro 2021 as the world’s first Snapdragon 870 powered tablet in China. The tablet has been available in a new single Silver so far. Today, the company confirmed that the tablet will also be available in a new Dark Night Aurora color.

The Dark Night Aurora variant of the Xiaoxin Pad Pro 2021 will be up for pre-sale starting at 00:00 AM on June 18 in China. The newly introduced dark teal edition will be available with a pricing of 2,699 Yuan (~$420).

Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Pro 2021 Dark NIght Aurora

Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Pro 2021 specifications

The Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Pro 2021 has an 11.5-inch OLED display that delivers 2560 x 1600 pixels resolution, a 90Hz refresh rate, 1ms touch response rate, DCI-P3 color gamut, HDR10, and Dolby Vision. The Snapdragon 870 chipset and 6GB of RAM are the driving force of the tablet. It ships with 128GB of built-in storage.

The front side of the Lenovo Pad Pro is flanked by an 8-megapixel main selfie camera and an 8-megapixel IR camera. The rear side of the tablet features a 13-megapixel main camera, a 5-megapixel ultrawide lens with a 120-degree FOV, and an LED flash. It has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. The device is backed by an 8,600mAh battery that supports Quick Charge 3.0 and 20W rapid charging. It has other features such as ZenUI 12.5 based on Android 11 OS, quad JBL powered speakers with Dolby Atmos support, dual-band Wi-Fi, USB-C, 4 pogo pins, and Bluetooth 5.1.

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[Update: June 24 launch date] Vivo V21e 5G official poster leaked, reveal design and color variants

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jun 17, 2021

Update: A fresh tweet by tipster Abhishek Yadav reveals that the Vivo V21e 5G will debut on June 24. At present, there is no official word from the brand on its launch date.

Vivo V21E 5G launching on June 24, 2021 in India.
– 6.44" FHD+ AMOLED display with 600nits brightness
– Dimensity 700
– 4000mAh battery with 44W
– 8GB+3GB Ram
– 128GB storage
– In-Display Fingerprint Scanner
– Android 11
– 7.67mm thick *
– 165Gram *#VivoV21E #Vivo #VivoV21E5G pic.twitter.com/0Wvewua4kt

— Abhishek Yadav (@yabhishekhd) June 17, 2021

Original story continues…

Leaked information that surfaced at the beginning of this week revealed that Vivo is gearing up to launch a new V21 series smartphone called the Vivo V21e 5G in India. The leak revealed all the important specs of the phone. Now, a leaked poster of the smartphone has appeared to reveal its design and color variants.

The leaked poster shared by tipster Yogesh reveals that the Vivo V21e 5G will be arriving in gradient blue and gradient black colors. The upper-left corner of the phone’s back features a vertical dual-camera unit.

The poster further reveals that the V21e 5G will offer key features like a slim and trendy design, a 32-megapixel Super Night Selfie camera, and 44W fast charging. The handset will be endorsed by popular Indian cricketer Virat Kohli.

Vivo V21e 5G specifications (Rumored)

The Vivo V21e 5G has a 6.44-inch AMOLED FHD+ display with a waterdrop notch. It is equipped with a Dimensity 700 5G chipset and 8 GB of RAM. The device will offer users 128 GB of storage.

The front notch will house a 32-megapixel camera, which will be optimized to capture stellar selfies in low-light conditions. The rear camera setup of the phone features a 64-megapixel main camera and an 8-megapixel superwide lens.

The V21e 5G has a 4,000mAh battery that supports 44W rapid charging. It will also come with an in-screen fingerprint scanner, a microSD card slot, and Android 11 OS.

Vivo is already selling the Snapdragon 720G powered Vivo V21e 4G in India with a pricing of Rs 29,990 (~$407). At present, there is no word on the pricing of the V21e 5G.

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Motorola Defy 2021 full specifications, pricing, renders leaked, launch seems imminent

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jun 17, 2021

A Motorola phone codenamed Athena (or Bathena) was spotted earlier this month at the Google Play Console. The same phone appeared with “Bullitt Motorola Defy” label at the Geekbench benchmarking site. These listings suggested that the company could be gearing up to launch a revive its older Motorola Defy series soon. Fresh leaks have revealed the full specifications, pricing, and renders of the upcoming Motorola Defy 2021 have surfaced. Now that a lot of information about the Defy 2021 has been revealed, it may not take much time for the phone to go official.

Motorola Defy 2021 specifications (Rumored)

It is speculated that the Motorola Defy 2021 will be featuring a 6.5-inch IPS LCD waterdrop notch display that offers an HD+ resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels and a 60Hz refresh rate. The screen will come with the latest Gorilla Glass Victus protection.

Apart from sporting an IP68 rated waterproof and dust resistant chassis, the Defy 2021 comes with an MIL-STD-810H military-grade rating that allows it to withstand vibration, humidity, salt mist, and thermal shocks for handling low to high-temperature differences between -30°C and 75°C for up to 30 minutes. It is a drop-proof device as it comes with a reinforced PCB. Moreover, it is washable with soaps and disinfectants.

Image(s) Source: Evan Blass

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It will be a mid-range phone powered by the Snapdragon 662 chipset and it will run on Android 10 OS. The device will be backed by a 5,000mAh battery that will carry support for 20W charging. Other features of the phone include dual SIM, 4G VoLTE, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, and dual super linear speaker.

The textured back of the Defy 2021 has a fingerprint scanner and a triple camera system that includes a 48-megapixel primary lens, a 2-megapixel macro camera, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. It will be sporting an 8-megapixel front camera. The edges of the Defy 2021 feature volume buttons, a power key, a USB-C port, a speaker grille, and a 3.5mma audio jack. The device measures 170 x 78 x 11mm and weighs 200 grams.

Motorola Defy 2021 pricing (Rumored)

The Motorola Defy 2021 with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage is expected to carry a price tag of 269 euros. It is expected to arrive in green and black colors.

(source 1, 2)

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

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jun 17, 2021

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.

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

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Jun 17, 2021

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

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Jun 16, 2021

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.

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.

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.

RELATED:

Red Magic 6R vs OnePlus 9R: Specs Comparison

By

Michele Ingelido

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Jun 16, 2021

“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?

Read More: OnePlus 8T gets its second price cut in India, now cheaper than OnePlus 9R

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

-

Jun 16, 2021

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.

RELATED:

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

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jun 16, 2021

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 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

-

Jun 16, 2021

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.

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

-

Jun 16, 2021

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

-

Jun 16, 2021

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.

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.

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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.

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

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Jun 16, 2021

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

-

Jun 16, 2021

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.

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.

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

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Jun 16, 2021

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 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.

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.

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

-

Jun 16, 2021

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.

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.

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

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Jun 16, 2021

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.

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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