During today’s unveiling of HarmonyOS 2, Huawei revealed that it plans to update 100 devices to the new operating system. That sure is a lot of devices even though Huawei says it will take it until H1 of 2022 to complete the update.
If you want to know which devices are eligible and when they will get the update, then you are at the right place. Below is the full list of the 100 devices that will get HarmonyOS 2:
As you can see, Huawei is updating some of its flagships from as far back as 2016 such as the Mate9 series. With a new update, these old devices are being infused with new life.
HarmonyOS 2 has a ton of features such as Super Service Widgets which brings added functionalities to the standard widgets. Users will be able to perform certain tasks using just the widget of an app instead of opening the app itself. There is also a Control Center that makes it easier to access and control all connected devices or supported devices in range. Huawei has also included a Task Center that allows you to assign tasks to various devices such as from a tablet to a phone and vice versa.
Other features are a new font with an adjustable thickness, cross-device clipboard function, and multi-camera mix which lets you combine footage from the cameras of nearby devices when recording a video to provide you with different angles.
Huawei says HarmonyOS 2 is secure and has been awarded the EAL 4+ certification for security.
Meizu 18 Pro 5G, the best-selling model from the Meizu 18 Series of devices is even cheaper now making it accessible to even more people. Stride to the GizTop and avail flat $100 off on the Meizu 18 Pro 5G model now.
Launched in March 2021 for $899, the Meizu 18 Pro 5G features flagship specs that can give tough competition to flagship smartphones of other big players in the industry. As GizTop is offering $100 off, thereby making the selling price as low as $799, you’ve literally no reason not to grab one.
Nonetheless, still under the turf? Then you should check these blazing features of the Meizu 18 Pro and then decide. It offers a 6.7-inch QHD+ AMOLED display that offers a 120Hz high refresh rate and HDR10+ support. Powered by the extremely powerful and the best SoC available for Android devices, Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, it is paired with 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. Fuelling the device is a large 4,500mAh battery and supports 40W Super Wireless mCharge technology as well as 10W reverse wireless charging.
Yes, indeed. For $799 the Meizu 18 Pro is a beast to reckon in the segment. So, don’t make it too long and take home the Meizu 18 Pro 5G now from Giztop.
Equipped with a monstrous 6150mAh high-capacity battery, UMIDIGI Power 5 is officially here. Those who are eagerly waiting to get hold of one should however wait for a little longer. Since the Power 5 will go for a global sale for US$99.99 starting from June 16 only through AliExpress.
The UMIDIGI Power 5 comes as the 2021 iteration of the company’s sensational UMIDIGI Power series better known for its battery capacity. Needless to say, the latest Power 5 is here keeping the tradition intact by boasting the monstrous 6150 mAh battery. It also features a 6.53-inch large immersive display and a 2nd-Gen infrared thermometer sensor.
UMIDIGI Power 5 – Everything is Powerful
As per UMIDIGI, the Power series is designed to provide long-term usage with its high-capacity battery. Not only the mighty battery but the Power 5 is also equipped with a decent Helio G25 Octa-Core processor promising a good performance with higher efficiency.
In addition, it integrates the fingerprint sensor into the power button on the right and sports an independent shortcut key on the left. The Power 5 also features an infrared thermometer sensor like other UMIDIGI offerings for this year and runs the pure Android 11.
Coming to the optics, the Power 5 features a 16MP ultra-wide macro triple camera, led by a 16MP main camera. They’re accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 5MP macro camera as well. In terms of the build and design, it adopts the same 3D unibody back cover and anti-fingerprint texture as seen in the UMIDIGI A9, with a bold logo design.
Technical Specifications
UMIDIGI Power 5 Full Specs
Screen: 6.53″ HD+ Waterdrop Screen
CPU:MediaTek, Helio G25, 8xCortex-A53, up to 2.0GHz
UMIDIGI provides the Power 5 in three color options: Carbon Grey, Sapphire Blue, and Jade Green. The available two storage options are, 3GB/64GB priced at $99.99, and the higher model of 4GB/128GB configuration priced at $119.99. The Umidigi Power 5 smartphone will retail via AliExpress.
If you’re impressed with the device already, then you’ve another surprise waiting for you as UMIDIGI is running a giveaway of the all-new UMIDIGI Power 5 and the TWS earphone UMIDIGI AirBuds U for free for the 10 eligible participants. You can join the giveaway and learn more on UMIDIGI’s official website.
There had been much speculation relating to the impending release of Sony’s next-generation truly wireless earbuds. The device has enjoyed much hype recently, and the rumor mills also had a few points to make concerning the device. Sony today has now disclosed that the WF-1000XM4 wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation would be announced during an event on June 9.
There are still some gaps observed in the announcement, as no name has yet been given for the device. The only hint relating to the announcement is that Sony says it is an announcement for music lovers. The product is also teased as “Truly Silent” and “Tailored 4 you”.
We do know that the WF-1000XM4 features several innovations from its predecessor, the WF-1000X3. The device will utilize the Sony V1 processor that adds greater width to the device. The earbuds also come with an IPX4 waterproof and dustproof rating. The voice pickup technology is of the highest precision and quality. The battery and its charging case can give between 8 and 16 hours of continuous entertainment on a full charge. However, the battery life is significantly reduced when the active noise cancellation feature is turned on. As expected, the device has fast charging capabilities, as well as Qi wireless charging.
As we move closer to the launch date, we expected more details about the June 9 event from Sony, including definitive pricing information for the device. However, the WF-1000MX4 is tipped to be priced at around $340.
You can also watch the launch event from Sony’s YouTube channel and can even set a reminder to get notified when the launch event starts.
The stylish Zeblaze GTS Pro is created with a refined metal body enclosure that features a curved 2.5D glass and 1.65” HD touch display which gives you clear and sharp details. With a fashionable silicone strap found in three distinct colors viz: Black, Gold, and Silver, Zeblaze GTS Pro is a simple yet stylish smartwatch with complete health and activity monitoring functions and an interactive touchscreen.
The smartwatch helps you to track your health and fitness with functions like 24X7 Heart Rate Monitor, SpO2 Measurement, Blood pressure Monitor, Sleep Measurement, 20 plus Goal-based Exercise Tracking, Sleep Tracking, etc. The smartwatch comes with 7 days of battery life on daily use mode and 15 days on basic watch mode with Bluetooth turned off.
Zeblaze GTS Pro Smartwatch also helps you to remotely control your music and notifications without taking out your phone. The smartwatch which generally retails for $50, is now available for $25.99 only. This flash deal ends in the next 5 days. So place your order asap.
For more information on such exciting deals and offers check out ourdeals hub.
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Chinese tech giant Huawei has officially unveiled its next-generation truly wireless earbuds dubbed FreeBuds 4 for the global market. Huawei FreeBuds 4 was first unveiled in China last month with a retail price of 999 yuan (~$155). The FreeBuds 4 will begin its global journey in the UK on June 21 with a starting price of £129.99 for the wired charging edition. The earbuds are presently on reservation via Huawei Store and other retail channels until June 20. Huawei will also be launching the wireless charging edition of the FreeBuds 4 in mid-July for £149.99.
Huawei touts the FreeBuds 4 as featuring an upgraded Open-fit ANC 2.0 technology which brings improvement to the noise cancellation at the hardware and software level. Also, the earbuds adopt a dual-microphone noise cancellation technology which delivers upgraded noise cancellation performance. Huawei claims the headsets are the first open-fit earbuds in the industry to use dual-microphone noise cancellation technology. This design ensures that the microphones pick up ambient noise with far greater accuracy, reaching industry-leading levels.
In terms of the design, the FreeBuds 4 truly wireless earbuds still use a semi-in-ear design just like the FreeBuds 3. The device also comes with Adaptive Ear Matching (AEM) noise cancellation technology which enhances noise cancellation effectively across different wearing scenarios. How this works is that when the noise cancellation is turned on, the earbuds automatically detect the user’s ear shape and determine the optimum noise cancellation setup for each user, resulting in the most comfortable noise cancellation experience.
In terms of sound quality, Huawei’s FreeBuds 4 uses a classic dynamic speaker structure. It features a Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) diaphragm that is lighter and more rigid. This takes the headset’s frequency response range up to 40kHz. The bass is also of vivid sound quality.
Further, the FreeBuds 4 is equipped with a high-sensitivity microphone that can record high-fidelity sound with a sampling rate of up to 48 kHz, retaining the rich details of the sound. The microphone also has a powerful noise pickup reduction.
In terms of connectivity, the Huawei FreeBuds 4 supports dual device connectivity, allowing users to pair simultaneously with any two of a Huawei smartphone, tablet, PC, smartwatch or smart display, or any other smart devices running Android, iOS, or Windows OS. With this style, when the user is using the tablet to listen to music or watch a movie if a phone call comes in, the video is paused while the earbuds swiftly switch to the phone. The Audio Connectivity Centre within Huawei AI Life contains the list of the ten recently connected devices, allowing users to switch between devices seamlessly.
Huawei has expanded its MatePad line of tablets with three new models. Top of the line is the MatePad Pro with a 12.6” screen and powered by the Kirin 9000 series; there is also a 10.8” MatePad Pro powered by the Snapdragon 870; and last but not the least is the MatePad 11 that has the Snapdragon 865 inside it. All three run HarmonyOS 2 out of the box.
Huawei MatePad Pro 12.6
The Huawei MatePad Pro 12.6 is the leader of the pack. It sports a 12.6-inch 2560 x 1600 OLED display with 5.6mm slim bezels that give it a 90% screen-to-body ratio. The screen has a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, DCI-P3 color gamut, and a Delta E color accuracy rating of less than 0.5. This is also the first tablet in the world to receive a TÜV Rheinland Full Care Display 2.0 certification.
Huawei has squeezed the camera into one of the side bezels, so you can have your video calls in the landscape position. This design change means that the punch hole of the 2019 model is gone.
Powering the MatePad Pro is the Kirin 9000 series. The Wi-Fi version of the tablet comes with the Kirin 9000E, a variant of the Kirin 9000 with fewer GPU cores and NPU cores. The 5G version of the tablet has a Kirin 9000 chipset. Both versions have 8GB of RAM and users will be able to pick up the Wi-Fi version in 128GB and 256GB storage variants while the 5G version is only available with 256GB of storage. There is support for storage expansion via Huawei’s proprietary NM card slot.
The MatePad Pro 12.6 has an 8MP front-facing camera, a 13MP main rear camera with an f/1.8 aperture, an 8MP f/2.4 ultrawide angle camera, and a 3D depth-sensing camera. There is also an LED flash on the back.
Huawei has packed a total of eight speakers tuned by Harman Kardon and with Histen 7.0 sound effects into the new flagship tablet. There are also four microphones that are designed to pick up your voice from several meters away and also cancel background noise when having a video call or recording.
The MatePad Pro packs a 10050mAh battery that will provide up to 14 hours of playback. It supports 40W fast wired charging, 27W wireless fast charging, and 10W reverse wireless charging. Huawei ships the tablet with a 40W SuperCharge power adapter. Other features are Bluetooth 5.2, dual-band Wi-Fi, USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 port, and OTG reverse wired charging.
Harmony OS
HarmonyOS brings new features such as a bottom dock similar to that of iPadOS that shows frequently used apps and also recently used ones. Another feature is New Service Widgets which display information in real-time and allows users to access certain features without launching the app. Two other features are a new Tablet-PC Multi-Screen Collaboration:
App Multiplier – users will be able to scroll up and down on the empty spaces on either side to navigate app content without releasing their grip on the tablet. They can also launch two instances of the same app and interact with each window separately. Huawei says there are almost 4000 apps that have been adopted for App Multiplier.
Tablet-PC Multi-Screen Collaboration – the new MatePad can double as an extended second screen for your computer. Owners can also use it as a digital pad or use it to sign and annotate documents when in mirror mode. While collaborate mode allows users to easily transfer content between the PC and tablet and vice versa with a simple drag and drop. Of course, these features work with Huawei’s own PCs.
MatePad Pro 12.6 Price and Availability
The MatePad Pro is already available for pre-order starting today and it will go on sale on June 10. The tablet will be available in three colors – Silver Frost, Matte Gray, and Olive Green which has a textured vegan leather back. Below are the prices:
8+128GB Wi-Fi = ¥4999 (~$783)
8+256GB Wi-Fi = ¥5499 (~$862)
8+256GB Wi+Fi (Keyboard case and M-Pencil 2 included) = ¥6699 (~$1050)
8+256GB 5G (Keyboard case and M-Pencil 2 included) = ¥7999 (~$1254)
In Europe, the tablet will be available for €799 but we don’t know what the storage capacity is for this version.
MatePad Pro 10 10.8
if the 12.6-inch MatePad Pro is too big, then there is a 10.8-inch model. However, the screen size is not the only difference between them. This version has an LCD screen with the same 2560 x 1600 resolution, 4.9mm thin bezels, DCI-P3 color gamut, a 120hz refresh rate, and a hole punch at the top left corner.
It swaps the Kirin 9000 series for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 870 and comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of expandable storage. There is a single 13MP camera on the back with an LED flash while an 8MP camera is in front for video calls.
Of course, the battery is smaller at 7250mAh (lasts up to 11 hours) and it supports 22.5W fast wired charging, 27W fast wireless charging, and 10W reverse wireless charging. You also get Harman Kardon-tuned quad speakers with Histen 7.0 and five microphones. There is Bluetooth 5.1, dual-band Wi-Fi, and a USB-C port.
The MatePad Pro 10.8 is available in green, gray, and white. It is priced at ¥3799 (~$595) for the 128GB version and ¥4299 (~$674) for the 256GB version. There is also a ¥5299 (~$830) 256GB version that comes with a keyboard case and stylus.
MatePad 11
The MatePad 11 has a 10.95-inch LCD screen with a 2560 x 1600 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. It is powered by a Snapdragon 865 chipset with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. There are quad cameras, four microphones, a single rear camera, and a front-facing camera.
There is a 7250mAh battery inside the device with support for 22.5W fast charging via USB-C. Just like the other two models, it also has support for the new M-Pencil 2 and has its own smart keyboard cover.
Huawei will sell this model for €399 in Europe.
M-Pencil 2
Huawei announced a new stylus too. The M-Pencil 2 has a revamped design, lower latency, and is more precise. It also has a platinum-coated transparent nib. The new stylus can be purchased separately for ¥599 (~$94). It works with all of the new tablets.
Blackview is launching a new brand called OSCAL this month (June 2021). It is reportedly targeted at millennials and youngsters and will focus on launching stylish and trendy products at affordable prices. From a novice smartphone brand in 2013, Blackview has now emerged as a market leader in affordable rugged smartphones. Banking upon its success, Blackview is now launching the brand OSCAL globally.
The brand OSCAL aims to provide the latest technology to the youth at an affordable cost. And to that end, OSCAL will debut its first smartphone series, OSCAL C20 and OSCAL C20 Pro very soon. Though the details of these entry-level smartphones are yet to be revealed, it’s rumored that the two phones will be aimed at the budget market segment.
OSCAL’s official website is expected to be live around early June 2021. Nevertheless, all our curious readers can head out to their under-construction website to check out the images of their debut products.
Blackview as a technology brand has served a large consumer base with its varied product line. Thus, we can hope to see some interesting products from their sub-brand OSCAL as well. Information about OSCAL’s product line, featured products, and pricing will be revealed in the coming weeks. So stay tuned for more information and updates about the upcoming brand.
Last evening, Lenovo held a ThinkBook Summer launch event in China. At this conference, the company announced a bunch of laptops for its home country. One of these notebooks was Lenovo ThinkBook 13x. Let us take a detailed look at this product in this article.
Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Specifications and Features
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x was first unveiled at CES 2021. It comes in two colors (Silver, Dark Gray) and two processor options (11th Gen Intel Core i5-1130G7, i7-1160G7). It is Intel Evo Platform-certified with Intel Iris Xe GPU.
The laptop features an anodized aluminum unibody design with a dual-tone finish. It measures around 12.9mm in thickness and weighs about 1.13kg. It comes with a 180° hinge, a full-size backlit keyboard without Numpad, and a one-piece precision touchpad.
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The notebook flaunts a 13.3-inch IPS LCD panel with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels (WQXGA, 2.5K), Dolby Vision, 400 nit peak brightness, 100% sRGB color gamut, DC Dimming, and anti-glare coating. This 10-point touchscreen display with a 16:10 aspect ratio and a 90% screen-to-body ratio is TÜV Rheinland as well as Eyesafe Display-certified for low blue light emission.
Further, the ThinkBook 13x comes with a 16GB dual-channel LPDDR4x-4266 RAM and 512GB PCIe SSD. If required, interested customers can upgrade the SSD capacity to up to 1TB.
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Other features of this laptop include an HD webcam with ThinkShutter, 2 x 2W (4W) Harman Kardon speakers with support for Dolby Atmos, 4 x microphones, fingerprint sensor, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, 2 x Thunderbolt 4, 1 x 3.5mm combo mic/audio jack, MIL-STD-810H certification, Microsoft Windows 10, 53Whr battery, and 65W fast charging.
Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Price and Availability in China
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x retails for the following price tags in China.
Huawei today officially unveiled the self-developed HarmonyOS which is the brand’s response to the U.S ban on the use of Google Mobile Services. Alongside the new OS, the company also announced some new products that are powered by the HarmonyOS. The Huawei Watch 3 series is one of the products launched. The Watch 3 series is made up of the Huawei Watch 3 and Watch 3 Pro.
Huawei launched its first smartwatch – the Huawei Watch in 2015. This was followed by the Huawei Watch 2 launched in 2017. Since then, the company hasn’t launched a smartwatch until now. The two smartwatches won’t be selling in China only. Huawei will be releasing the models in the UK and other markets.
The Huawei wearables come with several professional health and fitness monitoring features and on top of these features, you get ultra-long battery life. For the first time, Huawei included a high-precision temperature sensor that detects skin temperature. The watch also comes with several new features like handwashing detection and fall detection. Users can also monitor their workout sessions as well as health and fitness parameters.
In terms of the design, the sleek Watch 3 series packs a polished stainless steel watch body with ultra-curved 3D glass and a large display. The Watch 3 series also comes with a 3D rotating crown that offers tactile feedback. The rotating crown has a high-precision finger movement recognition which affords users the ability to zoom in and out of images and slide across the menu options accurately. These features are made possible, thanks to HarmonyOS 2.
During the press conference, Huawei disclosed that it stayed four years without releasing a smartwatch due to the unavailability of an intuitive OS for its watches. The HarmonyOS 2 solves this challenge with the avalanche of features it brings. The OS introduces a whole new user interface with a grid launcher app menu, which complements the 3D rotating crown to deliver a smoother and more intuitive user experience. The Watch 3 series also comes with several watch faces and watch straps, allowing users to personalize their smartwatch. The watch also features several attractive and innovative themes including technology, gaming, DIY, and short videos. The available straps include fluoroelastomer, nylon, leather, stainless steel, and titanium straps and the watch faces easily blend with any choice of the user.
The watch also gives users the convenience to view taxi information or flight status by raising their wrist while traveling, removing the cumbersome and most times inconveniencing routine of bringing out their smartphones for such purpose. You also get a pre-installed AppGallery which allows users to download compatible apps.
In terms of battery life, the Watch 3 Pro’s battery can last up to five days in Smart mode, and in the Ultra-long battery life mode it can stay powered on for 21 days. The vanilla Watch 3 will remain powered on for 3 days in the Smart mode and 14 days in the Ultra-long battery life mode.
Huawei Watch 3 & Watch 3 Pro Pricing & Availability
The Huawei Watch 3 will be available in Active, Classic, and Elite Edition while the Pro version will be available in Classic and Elite Edition.
In the UK, the Huawei Watch 3 will go on sale from June 18 via Huawei Store and will retail for £349.99 (~$495). The device is presently on pre-order with a £20 deposit from now till June 17. Buyers who pre-order the smartwatch will get an additional £20 off the retail price and a free pair of Huawei FreeBuds Pro. On the other hand, the Huawei Watch 3 Pro will go on sale via Huawei Store and selected retailers from June 28 with the pricing starting at £499.99 (~$708). Reservation opens today with a £50 deposit and will run till June 27. The reservation guarantees the buyer the Watch 3 Pro with an additional £50 off as well as a free pair of the Huawei FreeBuds Pro.
In China, the Watch 3 starts at 2599 yuan (~$407) while the Watch 3 Pro starts at 3299 yuan (~$517). The prices are notably way cheaper than the UK pricing.
Multifunctional – Writing Tablet, Mousepad, and Ruler
Ultra-thin,12 inch LCD writing tablet
Environment-friendly alternative to traditional paper
Single Button erase function
Sealed 3v button battery – provides over 50000 erase cycles
Made from durable plastic material
Fitted with a strong magnet for easy mounting on compatible surfaces
Suitable for kids as well as adults for writing, drawing, scribbling, etc
Comes with a Pen and button battery
Generally retailing for $20, you can now buy the 12 inch 3-in-1 Writing Tablet for a discounted price of $11.99 only at Banggood. Please note that this price is applicable only on orders made from the China Warehouse. This flash deal ends in the next 5 days. So place your order asap.
For more information on such exciting deals and offers check out ourdeals hub.
* Please Note: When you buy something using the links in our articles, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
Infinix unveiled the Infinix Note 10 series in mid-May. The lineup includes three smartphones, namely Infinix Note 10, Infinix Note 10 Pro, and Infinix Note 10 Pro NFC. The former two models have been now confirmed to launch in India next week.
The duo features identical specs and design. The phones only differ in terms of chipset, storage configuration, refresh rate, rear camera setup, and charging speed. The vanilla model sports a MediaTek Helio G85 SoC, up to 4GB RAM/128GB storage, 60Hz refresh rate, 48MP (wide) + 2MP (monochrome) + 2MP (depth) triple camera setup, and 18W fast charging.
On the other hand, the Pro variant comes with a MediaTek Helio G95 chip, up to 8GB RAM/256GB storage, 90Hz refresh rate, 64MP (wide) + 8MP (ultra-wide) + 2MP (monochrome) + 2MP (depth) quad-camera setup, and 33W fast charging.
The common features on these Infinix smartphones include a 6.95-inch FHD+ LCD panel with a centered punch-hole, XOS 7.6 based on Android 11, 16MP selfie camera, 4G, dual-SIM, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C port, 3.5mm headphone jack, MicroSD card slot, dual stereo speakers, side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and a 5,000mAh battery.
OnePlus has confirmed that its next mid-range device will launch as the OnePlus Nord CE. The device has been described as a cheaper version of last year’s OnePlus Nord with a focus on the core features of the phone. Ahead of the launch, the full specifications of the device have been leaked.
The specifications were posted by Yogesh (@heyitsyogesh) in collaboration with MySmartPrice, and from the details, OnePlus has truly trimmed down the original Nord. For example, there are now fewer cameras.
The Nord CE will have a 6.43-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with an in-display fingerprint scanner. It will have a notch at the top left corner but it will house a single camera – a 16MP sensor. Gone is the Snapdragon 765G processor of the Nord, and in its place is a Snapdragon 750G. The source says that users will be able to pick up the phone in two configurations – 6GB RAM + 64GB and 8GB RAM + 128GB. However, it appears there will also be a 12GB RAM version as seen on Geekbench by Nashvillechatterclass. The storage type is said to be UFS 2.1.
For the rear cameras, there are now three. A 64MP main sensor from OmniVision, an 8MP ultrawide angle camera, and a 2MP depth sensor. One area where the Nord CE improves upon is its battery capacity. It packs a 4500mAh battery, a bump from the 4150mAh inside the Nord. The device will support a new fast-charging technology called Warp Charge 30T Plus which will refill the battery from empty to 70% in 30 minutes.
Other features are a plastic build with an overall thickness of 7.9mm, a mono speaker, an audio jack, and Android 11 pre-installed. It has also been revealed that the phone will not have an alert slider, a feature the OnePlus Nord has but which was not included in the cheaper Nord models.
The OnePlus Nord CE is expected to be priced at around ₹25,000 for the 8GB RAM version. It will be available for pre-order on June 11 along with free gifts worth ₹2,699
The smartphone market in the EMEA region registered a record growth in the first quarter of this year. Shipments crossed more than 93 million units, with Samsung and Xiaomi leading the handset market.
For those unaware, the EMEA region includes Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. According to an IDCreport, the EMEA smartphone market recorded a growth of 20.9 percent year on year in Q1 2021. During this time, the region brought in 31.676 billion US Dollars in smartphone sales, which marked a sizeable growth of 29 percent over the first quarter of last year. In Europe alone, the region saw an increase of almost 33 percent year on year.
The South Korean tech giant led the EMEA smartphone market followed by Xiaomi in the second spot. Samsung accounted for 32.8 percent market share during the first quarter, which marked a 34.7 percent growth year on year with shipments reaching 30.6 million units. On the other hand, the Chinese smartphone maker held a 15.4 percent market share, with shipments reaching 14.4 million units. Notably, Xiaomi even saw a jump in rankings, coming second in 2021, up from the fourth spot from a year prior by beating both Transsion and Apple.
Furthermore, the growth in EMEA arrives despite the region facing new lockdowns over the resurgence of the Coronavirus pandemic. Amid this, Samsung recorded a strong first quarter performance, accounting for nearly two fifths of all European smartphone shipments in this period. This also marked its largest quarterly market share in the last six years.
Lenovo has just launched new laptops within its ThinkBook series earlier today (2nd June 2021). In the lineup, the company announced the new ThinkBook 13x, ThinkBook 14p, ThinkBook 16p, and the ThinkBook Plus 2 along with related products as well.
ThinkBook Plus 2
While the ThinkBook lineup has traditionally been aimed towards office work, the series has since expanded to include content creators and others that require extra performance from their notebooks. The ThinkBook Plus 2 is a thin and light laptop that is built for individuals in the creative field. The new notebook features a 12 inch E Ink display panel, which offers a viewing experience close to paper that makes it suitable for long hours of use.
This laptop offers touch and stylus support, and can even be flipped to be used as a tablet as well. The device offers wireless charging support and weighs just 1.16kgs and is only 13.9mm thick. This laptop also features an Intel chip ranging from an i5 to an i7 processor depending on the configuration one chooses, paired with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage. The laptop runs on Windows 10 OS and offers Intel Iris integrated graphics as well.
Pricing and Availability
The Lenovo ThinkBook laptop will be available for purchase in China in the arriving days and will be priced between 8,999 Yuan to 10,999 Yuan (roughly 1410 to 1722 US Dollars) depending on the configuration one opts for.
Last year, the Samsung Galaxy S20+ Olympic Games Edition was canceled as the 2020 Summer Olympics Tokyo was postponed to 2021. Hence, the South Korean tech giant announced a Galaxy S21 Olympic Games Edition a couple of weeks back. This special edition smartphone has now officially launched in Japan.
The Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics could get postponed once again due to the rising COVID-19 cases in Japan and other parts of the world. However, Samsung is not canceling its Galaxy S21 Olympic Games Edition this time around.
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The limited-edition smartphone to commemorate the games is now up for pre-order in Japan (via SamMobile). The device is sold by NTT DoCoMo for ¥112,464 ($1,024) in the country. It will start shipping to customers as soon as two days from their pre-order.
Talking about features, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Olympic Games Edition has the exact same set of specs as the vanilla Galaxy S21 model. It comes with 256GB internal storage and sports a Phantom Blue paint job with ‘Galaxy’ as well as ‘Olympic Games Worldwide Partner’ logos. This color can be termed as a darker version of Phantom Violet.
Apart from a different color, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Olympic Games Edition also comes with a customized theme, icons, wallpapers, and an AOD clock style designed after the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games. Last but not least, it ships in a different package but that also does not include a charger.
Samsung had previously been rumored to discontinue its Galaxy Note series of smartphones. But since the launch of the Galaxy S21 lineup, it was officially revealed that the company will not end its Note series device. Now, we have the reason why the firm is aiming on continuing one of its most popular Android handset lineup.
Galaxy S21 Ultra with S Pen
According to a new tweet from tipster @FrontTron, the South Korean tech giant will be bringing back its Note models due to the lackluster market response to its high end flagship Galaxy S21 Ultra with the S Pen. The sales of this model were lower than what the company had expected. Thus, the brand is reportedly “discussing” launching the Galaxy Note series again next year. Although, this isn’t exactly news as Samsung had already announced its plans to launch new Galaxy Note devices in 2022.
For those unaware, the Galaxy S21 Ultra has failed to meet the expectations of the company’s Note series userbase. While the Galaxy Note devices offer a port to house the S Pen, this basic feature is missing on the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Furthermore, the high end model even lacks Bluetooth support for the S Pen as well. In other words, it doesn’t offer the same gesture based feature that the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra offers.
It will come back. Yes. You heard it right. They are discussing about it since the S21 Ultra with S-Pen's market response and sales record hasn't met their expectations. https://t.co/ZfgILVfg9I
Unfortunately, if this reasoning is true, Samsung is even rumored to follow a similar design philosophy for its upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 3. This upcoming foldable model may not incluse a built in port for the S Pen either. But, this is still an unconfirmed report so take it with a pinch of salt, and stay tuned for more updates as we will be covering the Unpacked event that is expected to reveal additional details regarding this device.
A new rumor regarding the Apple iPhone 13 series has just surfaced online and also unveiled the battery capacities of the upcoming lineup. This new rumor has also revealed that the iPhone 13 models will feature larger battery capacities.
The news arrives from a known tipster on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging website. As per this rumor, the upcoming iPhone 13 lineup will be powered by battery capacities that are larger than the previous generation. The social media post claims that the high end iPhone 13 Pro Max will feature a 4352mAh battery, which is a notable jump from the current iPhone 12 Pro Max’s 3687mAh battery.
Similarly, the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 13 Pro will house an identical 3095mAh battery, which is higher than the 2815mAh battery from the previous generation. The smallest lineup of the model, the iPhone 13 mini, will also feature a larger 2406mAh battery capacity compared to the iPhone 12 mini’s 2227mAh battery pack. Keep in mind, that even if this rumor was true, battery sizes do not paint a clear story regarding smartphone’s battery life.
The Cupertino based giant’s new A15 chipset is likely to also bring improvements in performance along with power efficiency as well. So, the larger batteries paired with a more efficient chipset could noticeably improve battery life throughout the entire iPhone 13 series. Unfortunately, this is still an unconfirmed report so take it with a pinch of salt and stay tuned for more, as we will be providing updates when additional information is available regarding the upcoming smartphones.
The Redmi 9 made its global debut in early June 2020. The budegt smartphone made its way to China later that month. The handset released with MIUI 11 based on Android 10. It was updated to MIUI 12 at the end of September. Now, nearly a year after its launch, the device has started receiving the Android 11 update.
The Redmi 9 was one of the best budget smartphones released last year. This phone is also known as Redmi 9 Prime in India. The POCO M2 is a clone of this handset. The POCO version was so popular that the brand relaunched it recently as POCO M2 Reloaded.
Anyway, despite being well-known, the device is receiving the Android 11 update only now. Currently, the update is live in China with build number V12.0.1.0.RJCCNXM.
Like any other newly released public MIUI build, this one is also in the Stable Beta phase. Hence, it is only avaialble for a select few users. However, it should be rolled out to all the units in China in the coming days.
Similarly, the Redmi 9 (Redmi 9 Prime) Android 11 update should reach other regional variants of this phone as well as the POCO M2 very soon. Last but not least, these smartphones are also eligible for the MIUI 12.5 update.
Realme recently announced the expansion of its TechLife ecosystem with the addition of a new partnering brand named DIZO. The India-based brand will apparently be promoted as a sub-brand of the Realme brand to leverage its popularity.
DIZO Star 300
Some of the products that would be unveiled under the DIZO sub-brand have now appeared online. The company will delve into the phone market with the planned release of two feature phones. The phones dubbed DIZO Star 500 and Star 300 have now appeared in real skin via their listing at FCC.
DIZO Star 300
The images show that the Star 500 will have a slightly larger screen even though the two models will each have a physical keyboard under the screen. The phone will come with support for 2G connectivity only as well as dual-SIM support. It equally packs a single camera with an LED flash underneath which we believe will also function as a flashlight. The phone will be powered by a 1,830mAH battery. There will also be a microSD slot onboard.
DIZO Star 500
On its part, the DIZO Star 300 packs a bigger 2500mAh removable battery. It also has dual-SIM card slots as well as a single camera and flash at the back. One notable feature is the prominent loudspeaker fused with the camera module at the back. The phone has a microSD slot too.
DIZO Star 500
Recently, two TWS earbuds and a smartwatch that would be released under the DIZO brand were listed by online retailer Shopee Vietnam. The listing shows the products were basically rebadged Realme products. We also expect the brand to release a Bluetooth speaker and a robot vacuum cleaner, going by a previous teaser.
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