TECNO SPARK 7T launched in India with 6,000mAh battery, 48MP dual-camera, and more

-

Jun 11, 2021

The Honor 50 and Honor 50 Pro will be launching on June 16 in China. A new leak tipster Ishan Agarwal has revealed the design and color variants of the Pro model.

The renders show that the Honor 50 Pro’s display is curved towards the left and right edges. At the upper-left corner of the screen is a pill-shaped cutout, which suggests that it will be fitted with a dual selfie camera system.

The AnTuTu listing of the phone revealed that the device supports a screen resolution of 2676 x 1236 pixels and a 120Hz refresh rate. Hence, it seems that the Honor 50 Pro could be featuring the same 6.72-inch OLED display that was made available on the Honor V40 5G earlier this year.

The Honor 50 Pro’s back panel has two camera rings that house the main camera in the top one. The second camera ring has three auxiliary cameras and an LED flash. It is speculated that the handset is equipped with a 108-megapixel primary camera.

There is no information available on the battery capacity of the Honor 50 Pro, but its 3C certification has revealed that it may ship with a 100W fast charger. The new leak further reveals that the Honor 50 Pro will come in four exciting colors such as Bright Black, Summer Amber, First Snow Crystal, and Jade Blue.

RELATED:

Xiaomi engineers believe phones without USB ports could hit the market in 2022

By

-

Jun 11, 2021

While Xiaomi had officially unveiled its HyperCharge technology for its future flagship smartphones that offer 200W wired fast charging and 120W wireless fast charging a couple of weeks ago. The company answered a few questions related to this technology earlier today (11th June 2021).

To answer questions regarding its technology, the Chinese tech giant brought in some of its engineers. Notably, these engineers added that we might soon see a smartphone launching with no USB charging port as early as next year. In other words, some smartphone brands might launch a device that solely relies on wireless charging. An example of such a smartphone is the Vivo Apex 2020, which offered 60W wireless fast charging as its sole charging solution.

The engineers further added that the only reason why wired charging is still the primary method of charging a smartphone is due to wireless charging technology still not being perfected, with its infrastructure in public places also being scarce at the moment. The wired charging solution is also a lot more mature in comparison to the wireless counterpart. People have even questioned the safety of this technology, especially as charging rates have increased in recent times.

But in the near future with advancement in this technology, we can expect to see devices that arrive with improved wireless charging technology. Furthermore, with the Chinese government stepping in to regulate the wireless charging technology, we can expect the third party charging accessory makers to also improve the quality of their product offerings, making it more common in the market as well.

RELATED:

Realme laptop, tablet launch date confirmed by Realme CEO

By

-

Jun 11, 2021

Leaked information shared by Android Authority yesterday revealed that Realme’s upcoming laptop and tablet will be called Realme Book and Realme Pad, respectively. Fresh information reveals that the brand will launch the Realme Book and Realme Pad at the global launch event of the Realme GT 5G, which is set to take on June 15.

Realme CEO for India and Europe Madhav Sheth’s new tweet states that there will be “another surprise” at the global launch of the Realme GT. The poster shared by him says “Another GT is coming.”

We've been working and hinting about some exciting new product categories.
Get ready for another surprise coming up at the #realmeGT Global Launch!

I know you all have guessed it. Do reply with your answers. pic.twitter.com/6J6WeTNZqE

— Madhav Max 5G (@MadhavSheth1) June 11, 2021

A closer look at the letter “T” reveals that the slanting line is actually a laptop, and the horizontal line could be a tablet. The “Realme Book” and “Realme Pad” monikers are yet to be confirmed officially. It appears that the company’s first laptop and tablet will debut along with the Realme GT 5G in Europe.

Another thing to note in the image is that it also mentions the IST timing of 5:30 PM for the global launch. This indicates that the Realme GT 5g and other devices may also go official in India at the same time. With only a few days remaining, the company is expected to soon reveal some of the key features of the products that are slated to go official on June 15.

Leaked information has revealed that the Realme Book has a 3:2 aspect ratio display, slim bezels, an aluminum chassis, dual speakers for stereos output, Windows OS, and a USB-C port. On the other side, the Realme Pad is speculated to arrive with a squarish design, a metal body, and one or two rear-facing cameras.

RELATED:

Huawei only held 4% smartphone market share in Q1 2021

By

-

Jun 11, 2021

While the smartphone market recovers post the coronavirus pandemic, Huawei Technologies still struggles due to the US sanctions. Despite the market seeing a year on year growth of 20 percent, the company only held a 4 percent market share in Q1 2021.

According to a Counterpoint Research report, the global smartphone market saw a 20 percent year on year growth in the first quarter of this year, while recording a 10 percent quarter on quarter decline. The total shipments during this period reached 354.94 million units. During Q1, Samsung lead the market with a 22 percent market share, followed by Apple (17 percent), Xiaomi (14 percent), Oppo (11 percent), Vivo (10 percent), and finally Huawei (4 percent).

The report also added that the Indian smartphone market saw a decline in the second quarter, although, Xiaomi saw an 8 percent year on year growth in the region, reaching 26 percent market share. Similarly, Chinese smartphone makers also saw a significant growth in Europe, while Apple saw a decline. On the other hand, Huawei saw further decline in the region.

For those unaware, the Chinese tech giant’s smartphone operations has been struggling as US sanctions cut off its primary chip supplier TSMC. This had essentially crippled its smartphone business as it had to rely on its existing inventory for its new launches. Furthermore, the company even had to sell of its budget handset unit, Honor as well, while it expanded its business scope into other fields like the automobile industry and cloud computing related services.

RELATED:

realme X, XT realme UI 2.0 Early Access registrations go live

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

-

Jun 11, 2021

Just like OPPO, realme has also been rolling out Android 11 builds (mostly beta) in the form of realme UI 2.0 to its eligible smartphones since September 2020. However, unlike the former, the latter has delivered stable update for only a few handsets. That said, the latest devices to join the beta program are realme X and realme XT.

The realme X and the realme XT were launched in the second half of 2019. Both smartphones debuted with ColorOS 6.x based on Android 9.0 Pie. They were later updated to the first edition of realme UI (Android 10).

Now, as per the schedule shared by the brand, realme UI 2.0 Early Access registrations are live for these two handsets. Interested users can head over to these links (1, 2) enroll themselves in the program.

According to the official announcement, the registrations will kick off on June 11. However, the brand has not mentioned the last date. Instead, it does say that testers will be recruited in batches.

That said, in order to qualify, the primary pre-requisite is to be on the following firmware versions.

realme X – RMX1901EX_11.C.11
realme XT – RMX1921EX_11_C.13

Last but not least, users who are not satisfied with the realme UI 2.0 (Android 11) beta builds can roll back to realme UI (Android 10). But it is worth noting that this process will not only wipe the phone’s internal storage but also backlists the device from enrolling in the program again.

TSMC considers setting up its first chip plant in Japan: Report

By

-

Jun 11, 2021

TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) is apparently considering building its first chipmaking plant in Japan. The news arrives as Tokyo is urging companies to expand their semiconductor production within the country.

According to a NikkeiAsia report, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, who is also a key supplier for the Japanese tech giant Sony, is currently considering building a plant in the Kumamoto Prefecture. At the moment, the firm is evaluating the plan to build a site in western Japan, as per sources close to the matter. Notably, the location of the site would also make the plants close to one of Sony’s plants.

In other words, the latter might receive help from the former to meet the high demand for image sensors, automotive microcontrollers, and other chips as well. One of the sources stated that “TSMC is considering a proposal by the Japanese government to build an advanced chip factory in Japan, though it has not yet fully committed and finalized.” Notably, the plant would TSMC’s first chipmaking site in Japan, with companies from the region accounting for 4.7 percent of its revenue in 2020.

Furthermore, this would also mark a major shift in the company’s strategy of only maintaining production in its home country of Taiwan. Similarly, TSMC is also building an advanced chip plant in the US due to pressure from Washington, which has also been urging firms to build semiconductor facilities in the region just like Tokyo. Another source added that “One of the key reasons for TSMC to pick this location is because its large Japanese client Sony has a plant there.”

RELATED:

Samsung Galaxy A20, A30s receive Android 11 (One UI 3.1) update

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

-

Jun 11, 2021

Samsung is rolling out Android 11 stable update for the eligible devices since December 2021. Six months later, only certain older low-end products are left to be updated. Two such phones, namely Galaxy A20 and Galaxy A30s have now started receiving the update.

Samsung Galaxy A20 Blue Featured — Samsung Galaxy A20

The Samsung Galaxy A20 launched in the first half of 2019. The device debuted with One UI based on Android 9.0 Pie out of the box. It was later updated to Android 10-based One UI 2.x last year.

Now, the smartphone has begun to receive the Android 11 update in the form of One UI 3.1. The latest system update for the handset is currently live in Russia with firmware version A205FNPUUACUF1. Apart from new features, it also brings along June 2021 security patches.

On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy A30s released in the second half of 2019. It also made its debut with Android 9.0 Pie-based One UI. Just like the former phone, it also received an update to One UI 2.x based on Android 10 last year.

Samsung Galaxy A30s Prism Crush Violet Featured — Samsung Galaxy A30s

Right now, it is getting an update to Android 11 with One UI 3.1 on top of it. The update is live in Russia with firmware version A307FNXXU2CUF2 and older May 2021 security patches.

The One UI 3.1 update for both the above-mentioned smartphones should be available in other regions in the coming days. Users can head over to Settings > Software update > Download and install to check whether their unit has got the update.

Last but not least, the Android 11 update is the last major software update for the Galaxy A20 and the Galaxy A30s. However, these Samsung handsets will continue to get security patches at least until 2023.

Samsung Galaxy M32 India launch likely in June, expected color variants revealed

By

-

Jun 11, 2021

A major leak by tipster Ishan Agarwal yesterday revealed the entire specifications of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy M32 handset. The tipster has now claimed that the handset is likely to launch this month. He also said that it may arrive in two color options in the country.

Agarwal recently shared a leaked render which revealed that the Galaxy M32 exists in three colors such as black, white, and blue. However, he now claims that the handset will be available only in black and blue colors.

At present, there is no word on the pricing of the device. The M32 will be replacing the Galaxy M31, which was introduced with a price tag of Rs 14,999 (~$205) last year. Hence, it appears the M32 could be coming with a similar price tag in the country. It is expected to arrive in variants like 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage.

Samsung Galaxy M32 specifications (Rumored)

The Samsung Galaxy M32 has a 6.4-inch S-AMOLED Full HD+ panel with a u-shaped notch. It will be the South Korean company’s first handset with a Helio G85 chipset. The SoC will be coupled with up to 6 GB of RAM and up to 128 GB of built-in storage. It will come with OneUI based Android 11 OS and a dedicated microSD card slot.

For photography, it may feature a 20-megapixel front camera and its rear shell has a 48-megapixel (main) + 8-megapixel (superwide) + 5-megapixel (macro) + 5-megapixel (depth) quad-camera system. It is packed with a 6,00mAh battery, which may carry support for 15W or 25W fast charging. Lastly, it has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.

RELATED:

Huawei seeks to develop its driverless car technology by 2025

By

-

Jun 11, 2021

Huawei Technologies is aiming on developing its driverless passenger car technology by the year 2025. The news arrives from a statement made by a company executive earlier this week, as the firm seeks to expand its business scope in the automobile industry.

According to Wang Jun, a senior executive at Huawei’s smart vehicle unit, “Our team’s goal is to reach true driverless passenger cars in 2025.” Similar to the Chinese tech giant, other automakers, tech firms, startups, and more have also been working on their own self driving technology for vehicles. This includes the likes of Baidu, Xiaomi, and others that are attempting to diversify into the car industry.

For those unaware, Huawei has been working on small electric vehicles ever since it faced sanctions from the US Government that hampered its smartphones business, which was its one of its primary operations. Now, the company has been working on developing its own self driving car technology, while it has also launched various car related components that have been featured in cars from automobile makers like Mercedes-Benz.

Previously, we had reported on the brand investing 1 billion US Dollars to develop electric vehicles and self driving technology, as its smartphone and telecommunications operations suffer due to the US sanctions. So, the 2025 goal seems in line with its plans on developing autonomous driving technology that will also be featured in cars from other companies.

RELATED:

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE will have an 8GB RAM version – new GeekBench listing

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Jun 11, 2021

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE has been a regular in leaks lately. According to a recent report, the flagship smartphone will be launched in August. The device which will be more affordable than the Galaxy S21 models is tipped to launch alongside the Galaxy Z Fold3 and the Galaxy Z Flip3. Now, the Galaxy S21 FE had earlier appeared on the GeekBench database packing 6GB of RAM. A new GeekBench listing has been spotted which shows that the S21 FE will get an 8GB RAM version.

The new Galaxy S21 FE with 8GB RAM appeared with the model number Samsung SM-G990B. The listing first appeared on GeekBench database on June 9. Apart from packing a juicier 8GB RAM, th new model equally comes with the Android 11 operating system and a Qualcomm processor codenamed Lahaina. We already know that is the Snapdragon 888 SoC. What this means is that both models will be packing the same chipset and there won’t be an Exynos 2100 version. Even if there will be one, that is not known at this time. The device manages a single-core test score of 592 and a multi-core score of 2610.

Erlier leaks and rumours tip the Galaxy S21 FE to feature a 6.41-inch SUPER AMOLED display having support for a 120Hz refresh rate. The display has a punch-hole design with a 32MP selfie shooter housed inside the hole. The phone will also come with 128GB and 256GB storage versions. The premium smartphone is expected to come in four different colour options and will pack a 4,500mAh battery.

RELATED:

Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite to be available on Flipkart

By

-

Jun 11, 2021

Xiaomi India recently confirmed that it will be unveiling the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite on June 22. The company is advertising it as the “slimmest and lightest smartphone of 2021.” It is now confirmed that the handset will be available for purchase through Flipkart.

The Mi 11 Lite’s microsite on Flipkart has no new information on its specs and features. It just mentions that the device weighs 157 grams and has a slim design of 6.8mm. Leaked information that appeared earlier this year revealed that India will receive the Mi 11 Lite in three options such as 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, and 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage. It is expected to arrive in colors like black, blue, and pink.

While the phone comes in 4G and 5G versions in markets outside India, it appears that the country may only receive the 4G edition. The device could be priced under Rs 25,000 (~$342) in the country.

Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite specifications

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite has a 6.55-inch AMOLED screen that offers an FHD+ resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. The Snapdragon 732G chip fuels the phone with LPDDR4x RAM and UFS 2.2 storage. It comes with 33W fast charging for its 4,520mAh battery.

xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G Featured A — Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G

For photography, it has a 20-megapixel front camera, and its rear camera setup has a 64-megapixel (main) + 8-megapixel (ultrawide) + 5-megapixel (macro) triple camera unit. Other features include a side-facing fingerprint sensor and MIUI 12.5 based Android 11 OS.

RELATED:

Qualcomm and MediaTek gains market share in Q1 2021 at the expense of Huawei HiSilicon

By

-

Jun 11, 2021

A new report from Strategy Analytics reveals that the global market for application processors (AP) grew by 21 percent year-on-year to $6.8 billion in the first quarter of this year, i.e. Q1 20201.

Qualcomm led the smartphone with a 40 percent revenue share, followed by MediaTek with 26 percent. Apple stood third with a 20 percent share in the market. Samsung LSI and Huawei HiSilicon complete the list of top five vendors.

The report adds that 5G application processors accounted for 41 percent of the total smartphone APs shipped in Q1 2021. Among them, entry-level 5G APs are sought after, such as Snapdragon 480 and Dimensity 700, which will help phone makers to bring the 5G connectivity to lower price tiers.

Qualcomm and MediaTek benefited the most with the forced exit of HiSilicon from the market due to several trade restrictions. Both companies gained double-digit shipment growth in Q1 2021. On the other hand, HiSilicon‘s smartphone AP shipments declined 88 percent in the same timeframe, per Strategy Analytics’ estimates.

Apple, Samsung LSI, and Unisoc also witnessed growth in shipments as well as revenue in the first quarter. With the increase in demand post-pandemic and new technologies like 5G, the growth momentum is expected to continue throughout this year.

Huawei has already sold off Honor to make it an independent brand so that it doesn’t have to adhere to the trade restrictions and can continue to grow. Now, it remains to be seen if Huawei will spin-off HiSilicon into an independent chip business.

RELATED:

Realme teases launch of the brand’s best-looking smartphone since establishment

By

-

Jun 11, 2021

Realme has been launching new smartphones every now and then and the company has also expanded its presence beyond mobile phones into other categories as well, projecting the company as a lifestyle brand.

Now, Wang Derek, Vice President of Realme Smartphones and President for Global Product Line has announced that the brand is working on a new smartphone and claims that it is the best-looking white device from Realme since the brand’s establishment.

Apart from that, he has not revealed anything about this upcoming product. But he has said that more information about the device will continue to be disclosed from time to time in the future but there’s no timeline.

Recently, a Realme smartphone with model number RMX3366 was spotted on the TENAA certification website. However, it is not yet confirmed if this is the same smartphone that Wang Derek is referring to.

The images in the TENAA listing showcases that the smartphone will come with a triple-camera setup on the back with sensors placed vertically in the top-left corner. The phone reportedly features a 6.55-inch OLED display and is powered by a 4,400mAh dual-cell battery with support for 65W fast charging technology.

Currently, Realme GT 5G is the company’s flagship smartphone that features a 6.3-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 888 SoC. It packs a 4,500mAh battery that supports up to 65W fast charging.

The company is now reportedly gearing up to enter a new product category with the launch of its first tablet which is likely to be called Realme Pad. There’s another product teased by Madhav Sheth, CEO of Realme India and Europe — Realme Book, a laptop from the brand. Both the devices are likely to be announced on 15th June at the global launch event for the Realme GT 5G smartphone.

RELATED:

Xiaomi 200W charging offers much higher battery life than industry standard

By

-

Jun 11, 2021

A couple of weeks ago, Chinese technology giant Xiaomi had launched its HyperCharge technology for its future premium smartphones that offer 200W wired fast charging and 120W wireless fast charging.

Now, the company answered some of the questions related to this new technology. The firm invited some of its users to ask questions to Xiaomi’s engineers and one of the questions raised was about the safety of smartphones.

In response, Xiaomi confirmed that the technology is safe to use and also added that it has been commercialized that a long time in Research & Development. The company said that there are 40 safety and protective measures included in this new charging technology.

When asked about the battery life of the smartphone and the impact of 200W fast charging solution, Xiaomi said that the phone’s battery life remained above 80 percent after 800 charging cycles, which is much higher than the industry standard as the national requirement of energy is maintained at over 60 percent.

At the time of unveiling the new HyperCharge Fast Charging solution, Xiaomi demonstrated that the 200W wired charging can charge a 4,000mAh battery to 50 percent in just three minutes and takes about eight minutes to get fully charged.

Similarly, the 120W wireless charging solution can charge a 4,000mAh battery to 10 percent in just minutes and takes seven minutes to charge it to 50 percent. It takes only 15 minutes to fully charge the battery.

The 120W wireless HyperCharge has arrived as a successor to Xiaomi’s 80W wireless charging, which was announced back in October last year. The 80W wireless charging technology can fully charge a 4,000mAh battery in 19 minutes.

It remains to be seen which upcoming smartphone from Xiaomi will come packed with this new fast charging technology. If we have to speculate, then we expect the next-generation Mi series flagship smartphone to feature HyperCharge technology.

RELATED:

Nokia C20 Plus launched along with BH-205 TWS Bluetooth headset, SP-101 Bluetooth speaker

By

-

Jun 11, 2021

HMD Global has launched a new budget-friendly smartphone called the Nokia C20 Plus in China. As the name goes, it is an updated version of the Nokia C20 entry-level, which was announced in April in global markets. The C20 Plus runs on Android 11 Go and it comes with a larger battery and more cameras as compared to the C20. The Finnish firm also unveiled the BH-205 TWS Bluetooth headset and SP-101 portable Bluetooth speaker alongside the C20 Plus.

Nokia C20 Plus specifications and features

The Nokia C20 Plus is a polycarbonate-bodied handset that houses a 6.5-inch HD+ display that offers a 20:9 aspect ratio. At the front, it features a 5-megapixel and its rear camera setup has an 8-megapixel main camera and a 2-megapixel depth sensor.

The Unisoc SC9863A octa-core processor along with 3 GB of RAM powers the device. It comes preinstalled with Android 11 Go edition and 32 GB of native storage. For more storage, it supports up to 256 GB of microSD card.

The device is backed by a 4,950mAh battery that supports only a 10W charger. While it lacks a fingerprint scanner, it carries support for face unlock. The other features that are available on this phone include dual SIM, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, microUSB, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Nokia BH-205 TWS Bluetooth headset and SP-101 Bluetooth speaker

The Nokia BH-205 TWS Bluetooth headset comes with a natural Nordic design. Its features include large-sized dynamic drivers, Bluetooth 5.0 binaural simultaneous transmission, up to 36 hours of battery life, and touch controls. It comes in Polar Blue and Charcoal Black colors.

On the other hand, the Nokia SP-101 portable wireless Bluetooth speaker is a compact device for single-handed operation. It weighs only 160 grams and comes with features like dynamic volume, up to 20 hours of battery life, microSD card support, and a built-in microphone, and support for hands-free calls.

Nokia C20 Plus pricing and availability

The Nokia C20 Plus is priced at 699 Yuan (~$109) and it will be up for purchase in China from June 16. The handset comes in two colors like Ocean Blue and Graphite Black.

The BH-205 Bluetooth headset and SP-101 portable Bluetooth speaker are both priced at 199 Yuan (~$31). These devices will go on sale later this month in China. It is unclear when these products will be made available in other markets.

RELATED:

Hyundai Motor partners with Seoul city to commercialize air taxis

By

-

Jun 11, 2021

Hyundai Motor has announced that the company has partnered with South Korea’s capital Seoul to build an urban air mobility ecosystem. It adds that the new system for transportation will be commercialized by 2028.

The automaker says that the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) ecosystem will start with a vision for landing stations for the air taxis (which are being called Vertiport) and building a long-term roadmap for the sector.

Talking about the advantages that Hyundai Motors has when it comes to UAM, Song Jae-Yong, Director of the company touted 37 manufacturing facilities across 10 countries as well as its subsidiary for components, infrastructure, and finance. He also talked about the firm’s development of technologies in electric and hydrogen fuels.

In order to boost the UAM efforts, the South Korean automating giant hired Dr. Shin Jai-won in 2019 who previously worked at NASA in the United States. The company is also planning to establish a subsidiary in Washington, DC for its UAM business.

The company was previously in talks with the officials of Los Angeles to commercialize UAM and is set to demonstrate a vertiport prototype in the UK later this year. As for South Korea, Hyundai says that the transportation service will start from Gimpo International Airport to about 30 to 70 kilometers in the city.

Hyundai is aiming to offer a safe, noiseless, cost-effective, and consumer-centric Urban Air Mobility service. It’s noteworthy that other automakers, including Toyota, are also investing in this new sector.

The Urban Air Port Air-One was selected as the winner of the UK government’s Future Flight Challenge earlier this year. The program aims to develop aviation infrastructure and systems that enable the next generation of electric and autonomous air vehicles.

Recently, Archer Aviation unveiled its first electric flying taxi named Maker. The two-seater model will be used for testing as the company works towards the certification of a larger piloted five-seater that was announced in March 2020. Note that this newly unveiled aircraft isn’t the one that will be used for the planned commercial operation in 2024.

RELATED:

POCO X3 GT launch date nears as it bags multiple certifications

By