Midea will launch most of its products with Huawei HarmonyOS: Exec

By

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May 28, 2021

A Midea executive has announced that the company will continue to team up with Huawei to launch a number of products that feature the latter’s proprietary HarmonyOS platform in the near future.

Powered By HarmonyOS logo

According to a ChinaDaily report, the Chinese home appliance manufacturer is aiming to expand its influence in the smart internet of things by launching more efficient and improved connected devices. Xiaomi Jiangxu, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of the Midea IoT, “The HarmonyOS system would cover almost all categories of our products, namely about 200 varieties, within this year.” The official believes that the operating system would enable it to build an efficient link between its products and the smart IoT system.

Xiaomi further added that “More home appliances products equipped with the HarmonyOS system would soon be available in the market.” The senior executive made this statement during a recent presentation of the company’s whitepaper to accelerate its “one touch” smart link system on its devices in China. Back in September 2020, Huawei had announced the launch of its HarmonyOS 2.0 version, which arrived with better support for Internet of Things products and better cross platform support.

The second version of the OS also arrives with support for smartwatches, in car systems, and even third party home appliances as well. Notably, Midea was one of the first brands that Huawei said would feature the latest version of its OS for its products. Xiang said that Midea’s “engineers have been working closely with their counterparts from Huawei to make a smooth running of the system in our home appliances products.”

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Redmi K20 Pro, POCO X3 Pro receive MIUI 12.5 update

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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May 28, 2021

Redmi K20 Pro is the first-ever flagship smartphone from the Redmi brand. The device debuted with MIUI 10 based on Android 9.0 Pie. It was updated to Android 10, followed by MIUI 11. Last year, the handset also got MIUI 12 update. Now, it has started receiving MIUI 12.5 update along with Android 11. Similarly, Xiaomi is also rolling out MIUI 12.5 update for POCO X3 Pro.

Redmi K20 Pro Flame Red Featured — Redmi K20 Pro

The Redmi K20 Pro MIUI 12.5 update is currently live in China with build number V12.5.4.0.RFKCNXM. Just like the Mi 9, this phone is also getting Android 11 with this new system update.

On the other hand, the POCO X3 Pro MIUI 12.5 update is only available in Europe, EEA variant to be specific. The update arrives with build number V12.5.4.0.RFKCNXM.

Both these software builds are in the ‘Stable Beta’ phase right now. This means they are being rolled out in batches for a select few users. The update will be seeded out to all users gradually if the early adopters don’t face any major issues.

POCO X3 Pro Review featured — POCO X3 Pro

The MIUI 12.5 update should be available for other regional variants of these two smartphones in the coming weeks. However, we cannot tell for sure when exactly they will be receiving it.

Samsung and other Chinese OEMs to launch foldable smartphone in Q3 2021: Report

By

Sean

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May 28, 2021

Samsung and certain other Chinese smartphone brands are apparently gearing up to launch their new foldable smartphone offerings later this year. This includes the likes of Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo that will be launching foldable devices in the third quarter of this year.

According to a DigiTimes report, industry sources close to the matter have revealed that the ultra premium grade segment will see rising competition as more brands will try and compete in the market with foldable handsets. These sources added that the South Korean tech giant will not be launching a new high end Galaxy Note series device this year and will instead focus on pushing its new foldable smartphones, including the Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Z Flip lineup. This marks a major shift for the brand.

Similarly, Xiaomi will also be announcing new foldable smartphones in the second half of this year, despite recently launching Mi Mix Fold. Although, these new flexible handsets will be priced below the 10,000 Yuan (roughly 1,600 US Dollar) price tag of the Mi Mix Fold. Furthermore, Oppo had also revealed its rollable concept model, the Oppo X 2021, which is likely to commercially launch the device in H2 2021, as per the sources.

Notably, the increasing number of foldable smartphone models being launched would also likely lead to shipment units of these devices to rise as well in 2022. Sources estimate that the total global shipments of foldable smartphones could rise to over 10 million units in the coming year. So stay tuned for more updates, as we will be providing updates when additional information is available.

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Super Deal: Get Up To 61% OFF on Anker Products under the AliExpress Brand Fest

By

Daily Deals

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May 28, 2021

Anker and AliExpress have teamed up under the AliExpress Brand fest to give up to 61% discount on some of the best Anker products.

The super deal brings you headphones, earbuds, wireless speakers, work-from-home kits, and many more audio devices at unbelievable prices with price drops and discount coupons. So let’s check out some of the best products and discounts that Anker has to offer.

Product	Retail Price ($)	Discounted Price ($)	LINKS
Soundcore Anker Life Q30 Earphone (Our Pick)	80.00	69.68	BUY NOW
Anker Soundcore Motion + Bluetooth Speaker	99.06	82.76	BUY NOW
Anker Soundcore Life P2 TWS Earphone	49.39	39.52	BUY NOW
Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Headphone	59.27	49.39	BUY NOW
Anker Soundcore Life Q10 Headphone (Our Pick)	39.97	32.88	BUY NOW
Anker Soundcore Life Q35 ANC Headphone	149.33	137.99	BUY NOW
Motion+ Bluetooth Speaker	99.06	82.76	BUY NOW
Soundcore 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker	39.43	33.99	BUY NOW
Soundcore Flare Mini Bluetooth Speaker	37.31	33.82	BUY NOW
Soundcore 3 Bluetooth Speaker	49.99	44.30	BUY NOW
Liberty Neo TW Earbuds	39.82	33.64	BUY NOW
Liberty Air 2 Wireless Earbuds *(Our Pick)*	98.66	83.69	BUY NOW
Life A2 NC Wireless Earbuds	79.78	68.90	BUY NOW
Anker Work From Home Kit	180.56	121.36	BUY NOW

Please note that The Super Brand Fest starts on 28 May 2021 at 12.00 AM and ends on 29 May 2021 at 11.59 PM, PT. You can find 100% authentic products, with 72-hour order processing and 15-day free return and refund policy. This is a limited-time, value-for-money deal. So place your orders asap.

For the best deals from Anker + AliExpress Brand Fest click here.

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

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

Huawei Matebook D 14 and D15 laptops arrive running on the latest AMD Ryzen 5000 SoCs

By

Jed John Ikoba

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May 28, 2021

Chinese tech powerhouse Huawei has announced the upgraded version of its Matebook D 14 and D 15 laptops, both having either of the two latest AMD Ryzen CPUs (Ryzen 5 or Ryzen 7). The Huawei Matebook D 14 and Matebook D 15 are different from their respective predecessors mainly through their CPUs, which will offer better performance and greater power efficiency for the devices. The screen sizes, battery power, form factor, and other key features and metrics remain the same for the models from their predecessors.

As we have stated, the AMD Ryzen 5 or 7 chipset in the new laptops is the main point of the upgrade. Both devices will have a RAM of 16GB and an internal storage capacity of 512GB. The battery capacity remains the same at 56Wh and 65W fast charging capability. There are some differences between both devices, with the D 14 model having a smaller 14” screen, compared with the 15” screen for the D 15. There are different input ports in the device, including USB Type-C, 2.0 and 3.2, HDMI, and one audio jack. The front-facing camera in both the Matebook D 14 and D 15 is hidden within the keyboard and pops up whenever the button is pressed.

The AMD Ryzen 7 chip is more powerful than the Ryzen 5 and packs much power into the performance of the devices. Both model variants have a Radeon Vega GPU. In terms of performance metrics and speed, the Ryzen 5 has six cores and could attain a maximum rate of 4.0GHz, while the Ryzen 7 has 8 CPU cores, reaching a maximum of 4.4 GHz.

Both the Matebook D 14 and D 15 will be released on June 1. We expect the new laptops to be a bit more pricey than their predecessors. They will be available in Silver and Deep Space Gray colour options.

RELATED:

(source 1, 2)

Xiaomi launches the MIJIA 2C Robot Vacuum Cleaner priced at ¥1,299 (~$204)

By

Jed John Ikoba

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May 28, 2021

Xiaomi first launched the MIJIA 1C Robot Vacuum Clelaner in October 2019 as a cheaper version of the popular robot vacuum cleaner series. The product came with a 2500Pa suction power, OV vision sensor, intelligent electronically controlled water tank, and other features, and the price is 1,299 yuan (~$204). Xiaomi has now unveiled a successor dubbed MIJIA 2C Robot Vacuum Cleaner. The product is priced at 1499 yuan (~$235) but is on re-sale for 1299 yuan (~$204). The product is expected to go on sale on all channels from June 1.

The MIJIA 2C Robot Vacuum Cleaner comes with several upgrades over its predecessor. It features a hexagonal full-covering side brush and a 0.1mm ultra-dense fiber main brush to deeply clean the corners of the house and the floor gaps. The vacuum cleaner also packs an upgraded pressurized mopping which will guarantee a more thorough cleaning.

The new product uses ultra-fine fiber antibacterial flexible wipes, coated with a high molecular polymer antibacterial agent, which can inhibit the growth of bacteria for a long time, and achieve 99.9% of the wipes.

Further, the new generation vacuum cleaner is upgraded to 2700Pa cyclone suction with 4-speed suction mode, 550ml dust box, which can instantly remove dust. It is also equipped with a 250ml intelligent electronically controlled water tank, which can be used to mop up to 150 flats at a go.

In terms of battery life, the MIJIA 2C Robot Vacuum Cleaner has also seen an upgrade from a 2700mAh battery on the MIJIA 1C to a large capacity 3200mAh battery. The battery life can reach 110 minutes in standard mode.

The robot vacuum’s intelligent interaction has also been upgraded, bringing advanced map management functions. The vacuum cleaner also adds partition cleaning and map editing functions, allowing the user to control the cleaning progress in real-time through the MIJIA app. It supports voice control via XiaoAI voice assistant in order to lin other smart home products to be controlled from the app at once (link control).

The product is presently available for pre-orders in China via Jingdong (JD.com)

RELATED:

Samsung and Apple launches LG smartphone trade-in program in South Korea

By

Jeet

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May 28, 2021

Last month, South Korea-based LG confirmed that it is exiting the smartphone business and is shutting down its mobile phone division. The firm is now planning to focus on other areas such as electric vehicle components, connected devices, smart homes, robotics, artificial intelligence, and business-to-business solutions, as well as platforms and services.

In a bid to fill the gap of LG smartphones in the company’s home market, leading smartphone brands like Samsung and Apple have launched a trade-in program for LG phone users in the country, reports ZDNet.

As a part of the new trade-in program, the companies are willing to pay the trade-in value of the phone as well as an additional 150,000 won, which is around $135, for LG smartphone users who exchange their phones for a Samsung Galaxy series smart phones or Apple iPhone lineup.

Apple will be running its trade-in program up to 25th September and the users of 4G and 5G LG smartphones can exchange them for an iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Mini. But the program is only available in retail stores run by telecom companies are not through the Apple Store or Apple resellers.

On the other hand, Samsung will be running its program until the end of June, and users of LG smartphones can exchange their devices for the Galaxy S21 series or the Galaxy Note 20 series, along with the Galaxy Z Flip 5G and Galaxy Z Fold 2.

Currently, Samsung holds about 65 percent of the smartphone market share in South Korea while Apple holds around 20 percent. LG, which has now exited the market, controlled about 13 percent of the market.

Even though LG is out of the mobile phone business, the company has confirmed that it will push up to three versions of Android updates for all its premium smartphones. The three updates will start counting from when the phone was released.

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Meizu Watch teased to come powered by HarmonyOS; launching on May 31st

By

Jeet

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May 28, 2021

Meizu, the China-based smartphone maker has been working on a new wearable device which is likely to be called Meizu Watch. The company is also holding a press conference on 31st May in China to launch the device.

Now, the Chinese brand has shared a new teaser on Weibo which reads “Hello, HongMeng!” For those who are unaware, HongMeng OS is the Chinese name of the HarmonyOS from the tech giant Huawei.

This indicates that the Meizu is officially collaborating with Huawei for the new operating system and could be launching devices powered by this HarmonyOS on 31st May.

The devices will be a part of Meizu’s Smart Life and linking the Meizu Lipro Eco products with HarmonyOS will enhance the connectivity as well as improve the user experience. Along with this, the company is also set to launch its smartwatch at the event.

So far, Meizu has confirmed that the smartwatch will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100 chipset and will have support for eSIM connectivity, adding the ability to make voice calls.

Recently, it was confirmed that the device will deliver all-day performance by charging it for only 15 minutes. This indicates that a fully charged Meizu Watch would be able to last for several days but the battery capacity has not been revealed yet.

In terms of appearance, the Meizu Watch seems to be inspired by the Apple Watch with a square-shaped display with curved edges and round corners. It was said to be running Flyme OS for Smartwatches with support for third-party apps. There’s a possibility that it may run HarmonyOS with Flyme OS On top.

The development of Meizu partnering with Huawei for HarmonyOS is interesting but not surprising given that the Chinese brand has a history of opening up to third-party operating systems. A few years ago, it had launched the Meizu 5 Pro Ubuntu Edition, which as the name indicates, was running the Ubuntu OS. In 2016, the company had launched the E-series smartphones powered by YunOS, which was developed by Alibaba.

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Huawei MatePad Pro tablet with HarmonyOS and M Pen support to debut on June 2

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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May 28, 2021

On June 2, Huawei will be showcasing the latest version of the HarmonyOS, which will be made available to a wide range of Huawei devices in the near future. The company confirmed yesterday that the all-new Huawei Watch 3 running on HarmonyOS will be made official on June 2. Fresh information reveals that a new MatePad Pro will also go official on the same day. The new tablet is also expected to come with HarmonyOS preinstalled.

The teaser released by the brand suggests that its upcoming tablet will come with equipped with an M Pen stylus. The company did not share any information on the specs of the tablet. Rumors surrounding the tablet claim that it may debut in the market with the MatePad Pro 2 moniker.

Reports have revealed that the MatePad Pro 2 that is said to be codenamed as Wanger will be arriving in the Chinese market in 12.2-inch and 12.6-inch screen sizes. The tablet is likely to be powered by the 5nm Kirin 9000 chipset.

In March, the tablet was spotted at the TENAA certification site with HarmonyOS. The tablet is expected to run on the latest HarmonyOS 2.0 version. It was recently spotted with 8 GB of RAM at the Geekbench benchmarking site. Its 3C certification revealed that it may ship with a 40W charger. The other specs of the tablet are under wraps.

As far as the Huawei Watch 3 is concerned, it is expected to offer a renewed user interface with HarmonyOS, and it may come with support third-party apps and contactless payments. There could be a cellular variant of the device with e-SIM support.

RELATED:

Apple is looking for a manager with cryptocurrency experience

By

Jeet

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May 28, 2021

Cryptocurrency has been making rounds in the tech sector for quite some time now and companies are jumping on the crypto bandwagon, which is currently being seen as a future of online transactions by many.

Now, it seems like Apple is also planning to test the waters. A new job listing from the company, spotted by Coindesk, indicates that it is hiring for a Business Development Manager with experience in alternative payments, including cryptocurrency.

The job listing reads: “The Apple Wallets, Payments, and Commerce (WPC) team is seeking an experienced Business Development Manager to lead Alternative Payments Partnerships. We are looking for a proven professional in global alternative and emerging payment solutions. We need your help forming partnership framework and commercial models, defining implementation paradigms, identifying key players, and managing relationships with strategic alternative payment partners. This position will be responsible for the end-to-end business development, including screening partners, negotiating and closing commercial agreements, and launching new programs.”

The role, which seems like a Senior one, includes developing new payment solutions, encompassing everything from the App Store and in-app purchases to retail store purchases and Apple Pay, in collaboration with “alternative payment partners.”

Apple is seeking applicants with at least five years of experience “working in or with alternative payment providers, such as digital wallets, BNPL, Fast Payments, cryptocurrency and etc.”

The development comes just a couple of years after Apple Pay vice president Jennifer Bailey said in 2019 that the company is “watching cryptocurrency,” and explained “We think it’s interesting. We think it has interesting long-term potential.”

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Save up to $90 and Get a Chance to Win Free Chuwi CoreBook X Laptop

By

Daily Deals

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May 28, 2021

Chuwi has announced the official global launch of its latest CoreBook X Laptop on June 3, 2021. The 14-inch laptop comes with a 2K IPS screen with a 100% RGB color gamut and runs on an Intel core i5 eighth-gen processor. The laptop features 8GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB Storage. CoreBook X features a built-in backlit keyboard, ultra-long and powerful battery, and a lightweight and beautiful metal body

As a warm-up to the actual launch on June 3, 2021, Chuwi has announced two promotional events for all its customers. With these promotional deals, you can save up to $90 and even stand a chance to win a CoreBook X, absolutely free.

Promotional Deal 1:

Subscribe and Click the ‘LIKE’ button to Enjoy Discounts on CoreBook X:

Simply click the ‘LIKE’ button on the Energy Bar to accumulate likes and get discounts
Each subscriber can click up to 5 times a day
Total Clicks 30K (including all subscribers) – $30 OFF
Total Clicks 70K (including all subscribers) – $50 OFF
Total Clicks 100K (including all subscribers) – $70 OFF + Free Handbag worth $20

Please note that each subscriber will be notified of the discount coupon code by email when the CoreBook X is officially sold.

Promotional Deal 2:

World Wide Giveaway:

Two lucky winners selected randomly amongst the subscribers will get a CoreBook X Laptop absolutely free.
You have to enter separately for the Giveaway Event. The details of the event are available here.

CoreBook X Laptop will be launched globally on June 3, 2021, for a retail price of $539. The laptop comes with a one-year warranty and free shipping across the globe. All the European customers will get the product from the Spanish Warehouse, while it will be shipped to other destinations via DHL from the China Warehouse.

Both the above-mentioned promotional deals expire on 2 June 2021. So be sure to subscribe, like, and enter the giveaway event asap, to get the maximum benefits.

OPPO Watch 2 to feature Snapdragon Wear 4100, 16GB storage, and more, claims report

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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May 28, 2021

Last year, the OPPO Watch went official as OPPO’s first smartwatch. In China, the Snapdragon Wear 3100 powered smartwatch came with ColorOS, whereas as the global markets received it with WearOS by Google. An XDA forum member has unearthed some specifications and features of the upcoming OPPO Watch 2 through its firmware files.

Shown below is a table shared by XDA Developers that mentions the different variants of the OPPO Watch 2:

OPPO Watch 2 model numbers	Size	Color (derived from hexadecimal values)
OW20W3	46mm	Dusty Gray (#FF9B9B9B)
OW20W1	46mm	Mine Shaft (#FF1F1F1F)
OW20W1	46mm	Steel Blue (#FF4285A1)
OW20W2	46mm	Mine Shaft (#FF1F1F1F)
OW20W2	42mm	Gold Sand (#FFE9BA9B)
OW20W2	42mm	Water Leaf (#FFAAE6E9)
OW20W2	42mm	Matisse (#FF2255A3)

Table source: XDA Developers

The leak reveals that the OPPO Watch 2 will be equipped with Snapdragon Wear 4100, which is mentioned as “msm8937_32go” in the build property file. The global edition of the watch is likely to run on WearOS, but its variant in China seems to be running on an OS based on Android 8.1.

The original OPPO Watch came with 8 GB of native storage. However, it has been revealed through a build property file that the Watch 2 has a built-in storage of 16 GB. The leak also reveals that the smartwatch will offer features like new watch faces, a stress detection function, and a new OPPO Relax app.

It appears that the OPPO Watch 2 will continue to sport a square-shaped dial like the predecessor model. It may come with e-SIM support for LTE connectivity. The launch date of the OPPO Watch 2 is yet to be confirmed In related news, OPPO is reportedly working on another smartwatch called the OPPO Watch Free. At present, nothing is known about the specs of this device.

RELATED:

Get free Stadia Premiere Edition when you buy a select OnePlus phone

By

Habeeb Onawole

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May 28, 2021

OnePlus has partnered with Google to offer buyers of select OnePlus phones a free Stadia Premiere Edition bundle. This is not the first partnership between the phone manufacturer and Google’s game streaming service but it is an insanely good one.

According to OnePlus, those who purchase any of the listed devices between now and September 30 will get a free Stadia Premiere Edition bundle that includes a Stadia Controller, a Chromecast Ultra, and a one-month free access to the game streaming service. The promo is limited to buyers in France, Germany, and the UK. Below are the eligible devices:

OnePlus wants the owners of these devices to take advantage of the gaming features they have such as their AMOLED screens with high refresh rates, powerful processors, 5G connectivity, stereo sound, and Warp Charge technology.

RELATED:

WellPaper is a nifty live wallpaper app from OnePlus’ OneLab

By

Habeeb Onawole

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May 28, 2021

Earlier this month, OneLab, a division created within OnePlus to develop new features for OxygenOS, announced its first cross-platform app called Clipt. The app is a clipboard tool that works across devices with different operating systems. Now, it has announced its second app – a wallpaper app called WellPaper that has a pretty cool feature.

The idea behind WellPaper is to bring your app usage habits to your homescreen rather than buried behind multiple settings menu. As the app description says, it is a digital wellbeing tool but it does its job in a cool way.

WellPaper uses dynamic wallpapers to show your app usage habits. This means that the wallpaper changes based on your usage habits. Apps are categorized into six groups which are then presented in three dynamic wallpapers:

Composition – uses shifting tiles (inspired by Piet Mondrian’s Composition II & III)
Glow – uses glow rings (inspired by the neon lights of punk titles such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Blade Runner)
Radial – a blend of the different categories that appears like a palette of colors

OnePlus didn’t say if more dynamic wallpapers will be added in the future but that is what we expect. Nevertheless, these three are pretty cool.

If you are wondering about power consumption, the team has taken that into consideration. According to them, the wallpapers are redrawn when the phone is unlocked and then it becomes mostly static. They also incorporated a delay in case the user is locking/unlocking the device multiple times. It is believed that these tunings should make it closer to a static wallpaper than standard live wallpaper.

WellPaper is available for all Android devices and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.

RELATED:

Acer announces four new Chromebooks and none of them is a tablet

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

May 27, 2021

Acer has announced four new Chromebooks that cover different price points but none of them is a tablet, which is a surprise considering it was the first to launch a Chrome OS tablet.

Acer’s new lineup includes the Chromebook Spin 713 (and Chromebook Spin 713 Enterprise), Chromebook 317, Chromebook 314, and Chromebook 514 (and Chromebook 514 Enterprise). The Chromebooks are powered by chips from Mediatek and Intel.

Acer Chromebook Spin 713

This 13.5-inch Chromebook has a 2-in-1 form factor which means you can use it in both notebook and tablet mode. The IPS touch screen has a 3:2 aspect ratio, a 2256 x 1504 resolution, Gorilla Glass protection, and over 400 nits of brightness.

Powering it is Intel’s 11th Gen Tiger lake processor with Intel Iris Xe graphics. There is a fingerprint scanner on the device as well as a Thunderbolt 4 port. Chromeunboxed reports that it is also the first Intel Evo-certified Chromebook to launch. The new device can be configured with up to 16GB of RAM and up to 256GB of NVMe SSD. Other features include Wi-Fi 6, USI Support, and DTS Audio.

For ports, you get a MicroSD card slot and a full-sized USB-A 3.0 on the right side while the left is home to two USB-C ports, an HDMI port, and a microphone/headphone combo jack. The keyboard has a backlight and the touchpad is glass.

The Chromebook Spin 713 goes on sale today at Best Buy. The Core i5 version with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is priced at $699.

Acer Chromebook 317

The Acer Chromebook 317 is the first 17.3-inch Chromebook device in the world. The display has an FHD resolution with an option for touch. It is powered by Intel’s new Jasper Lake CPUs and comes with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of eMMC storage.

For I/O, you get a MicroSD card slot, a 3.5mm combo jack, two full-sized USB-A ports, and two USB-C ports. There is also Wi-Fi 6 and a model with a backlit keyboard. The starting price for the base model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage is $379.99 and it will go on sale in June.

Acer Chromebook 314

Acer has also announced a 14-inch model for those who want something smaller. This version comes with MediaTek’s MT8183 processor found inside the Lenovo Chromebook Duet. While it won’t be as powerful as the Intel-powered version, battery life is better here as it goes up to 15 hours.

The Acer Chromebook 14 comes with up to 8GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage. Unfortunately, there is no MicroSD card slot. The price starts at $269.99 with the option to choose between a touch and non-touch display. It will be available in July.

Acer Chromebook 514

Want a more powerful 14-inch Chromebook, then the Acer Chromebook 514 should suffice. It comes with Intel’s 11th Gen Tiger Lake processor, up to 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of NVMe SSD storage. The display is available in HD and FHD configurations as well as optional touch.

Additional features include Wi-Fi 6, DTS Audio, and a MicroSD card slot. The Acer Chromebook 514 has a starting price of $599.99 and will be available in the US in August.

RELATED:

Samsung unveils Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G and Galaxy Tab A7 Lite, goes on sale June 18

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

May 27, 2021

Samsung has announced the Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G and the Galaxy Tab A7 today. Both tablets were officially announced in Europe today and will go on sale across the continent starting next month.

Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G is a toned-down version of the Galaxy Tab S7+. We already covered the specs and features when it went live on the Samsung Germany website a few days ago. Notwithstanding, the infographic below contains the key specs of the device.

The Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G will sell for these prices in the following countries (Russia gets a 4G version of the tablet):

Country	64GB	128GB
Germany	€650	-
Netherlands	€650	-
Russia (4G)	₽50,000	₽55,000
Spain	€650	€700

Galaxy Tab A7 Lite

The Galaxy Tab A7 Lite is a much more affordable tablet than the Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G. That reduction in price also means there are tradeoffs in features and specs. It will be available in Wi-Fi and LTE versions.

Samsung has put an 8.7-inch LCD display with a 1340 x 800 resolution and a 2MP f/2.2 camera on the front side of the tablet while the rear which is actually made of metal is home to an 8MP f/2.0 camera. Powering the tablet is an Helio P22T processor paired with 3GB/4GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB of expandable storage. Owners will be able to add up to an additional 1TB of storage.

There is an audio jack, stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, Bluetooth 5.0, and Wi-Fi. It packs a 5100mAh battery capacity and has support for 15W Adaptive Fast Charging. Unfortunately, Samsung doesn’t ship the tablet with a 15W charger.

Samsung ships both tablets with Android 11. It has also revealed that those who purchase either tablet will get free and unlimited access to Samsung TV Plus as well as a free trial of YouTube Premium. Both tablets support work seamlessly with other Samsung Galaxy devices such as earbuds and phones. Users will be able to easily switch their Galaxy Buds from one device to another; receive calls, send and receive messages on their Galaxy Tab even if their phone is not nearby.

The Galaxy Tab A7 Lite comes in Gray and Silver and will be available in the following countries at the prices below:

Country	Wi-Fi	LTE
Germany	€170	€200
Netherlands	€160
Spain	€170
USA	$159
UK	£150	£180
Russia	₽13,000	₽17,000

RELATED:

OPPO teases a new smartwatch with ‘almost no shortcomings’

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

-

May 27, 2021

OPPO entered the wearable category last year with the launch of the OPPO Watch. Since then, the company has released only one more wearable in the form of the OPPO Band. Both these products got multiple variants in the months following the launch of the original. Now, the company teases the launch of its next smartwatch.

Earlier today, ahead of the OPPO Reno6 series launch event in China, the company held an exclusive conference for media. At this meeting, the company revealed that it will be launching a new smartwatch.

Unfortunately, the firm did not say when it will be unveiling this wearable. However, it confirmed that this upcoming OPPO Watch will have ‘almost no shortcomings’. Lastly, this smartwatch will feature a chip called Apollo4s, co-developed by Ambiq and OPPO.

Although OPPO is yet to reveal the official name of this smartwatch, a new trademark filing by the company suggests that this watch could launch as OPPO Watch Free. OPPO filed this trademark with the EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) earlier this week. Anyway, this is just a wild guess, and therefore, we request you consider this information with a pinch of salt.

That said, we expect to learn more about this mysterious OPPO Watch before its launch via certifications, leaks, and official teasers.

Wiibuying offers a 50% discount on Lenovo HX106 Bluetooth Headphones and a toy CaDA RC racing car

By

Simranpal Singh

-

May 27, 2021

A limited-time Half Price sale is live on Wiibuying on a couple of interesting devices. Lenovo HX16 Bluetooth Headphones and CaDA RC Racing Car Bricks toy racing car. The interested users can grab both the products at a 50% discount using the respective coupons.

Lenovo HX106 Bluetooth 5.0 Business Wireless Earphones usually retail for $29, but the discount coupon 8AXC6KQD will reduce the price to $10.5.

The Bluetooth headphones offer an excellent sound experience while housing 10mm drivers. It houses a 160 mAh battery which can withstand up to 20 hours of playback time and 120 hours of standby time. The Lenovo HX106 Bluetooth 5.0 earphones pack Bluetooth 5.0 with smoother connectivity operations up to a range of 10 meters.

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Coupon Code: 8AXC6KQD

Apart from useful headphones, Wiibuying is offering a 50% discount on a CaDA racing car. It is available for the price of $28.99, but the coupon code SPJFD9DD will bring it down to $14.5.

The toy racing car is built using safe ABS material and packs in a total of 208pcs building blocks. It would be a nice present for your child’s birthday.

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Coupon Code: SPJFD9DD

OnePlus 8, 8 Pro, 8T receive May 2021 security patches and lots of fixes via the latest update

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

-

May 27, 2021

OnePlus is rolling out a new OxygenOS stable update for its yesteryear flagship smartphones – OnePlus 8, OnePlus 8 Pro, and OnePlus 8T. This update arrives after the release of the latest OxygenOS Open Beta builds last week.

The latest system update for the OnePlus 8, 8 Pro, and 8T comes with an identical changelog with minor differences. The new update carries build number OxygenOS 11.0.6.6 for the OnePlus 8 and the OnePlus 8 Pro. As for the OnePlus 8T, it comes with build numbers OxygenOS 11.0.8.12 (NA) and OxygenOS 11.0.8.13 (IN, EU) respectively.

Talking about the common changes first, the new update bumps up the security patch level to May 2021. It brings fixes for screenshot capture failure from accessibility menu, low battery notification not working, newly captured photos not saved as expected, abnormal UI display in Guest Mode, contact card opening failure, and calling page not displaying during calls.

Further, the update also comes with common improvements for smoothness while sliding on the home screen and network performance.

Lastly, the OnePlus 8/8 Pro also get a fix for failure to edit messages. Additionally, the OnePlus 8 Pro gets improvements for wireless charging stability.

Like any other OTA system update, this one is also being rolled out in batches. Hence, it may take some time to reach every unit.

OnePlus 8, 8 Pro, 8T OxygenOS 11.0.6.6 / 11.0.8.12 / 11.0.8.13 Official Changelog

System
- Improved the wireless charging stability and user experience(OP 8 Pro Only)
- Improved the smoothness while sliding on the home screen
- Fixed the screenshot capturing failure from the accessibility menu
- Fixed the low probability issue that the low battery notification not working
- Updated Android security patch to 2021.05

Gallery
- Fixed the occasional issue that newly captured photos were not saved as expected
- Fixed the abnormal UI display in Guest Mode

Phone
- Fixed the occasional issue of opening up the contact card failure
- Fixed the issue that the calling page is not displayed during a call

Messages
- Fixed the occasional failure to edit a message (OP 8, 8 Pro Only)

Network
- Improved network performance

OnePlus Nord CE 5G officially confirmed to launch in Europe and India on June 10

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

May 27, 2021

OnePlus Nord CE 5G has been enjoying some hype relating to its expected launch and features. The Nord Series was first unveiled last year and the way the model was received beat OnePlus’ expectations. The company plans to consolidate on the success by releasing the Nord CE 5G. OnePlus has now officially announced the Nord CE 5G via a blog post on the OnePlus forum. The premium midrange device is expected to be launched on June 10.

The OnePlus Nord smartphone is seen as one of the best cheap Android phones around, with a solid performance. The company announced a 200% increase in sales for Q4, 2020, after the entry of the Nord series into the market. A further 300% increase was also reported for Q1 2021, indicating a clear resonance of OnePlus product offerings with consumers in the sub-continent.

The launch of the OnePlus Nord CE 5G will further entrench the company within the market. In addition to the Nord CE 5G, OnePlus will also be unveiling its new TV under the U series on the same date, while the OnePlus TWS earbuds will come on stream later this year. The Nord CE 5G is a mid-range model which the company intends to leverage for greater accessibility of its devices. According to OnePlus CEO Pete Lau, the core principles of the OnePlus brand is to deliver excellent products and experiences, and accessibility to its products through excellent pricing. Lau says that so far, the OnePlus flagships have created a strong reputation in terms of design, features, software, and overall user experience.

The launch of the new TV model is in furtherance of the rising OEM to create an active OnePlus ecosystem of connected smart devices, providing excellent services to users. These would include smart TVs, wireless earbuds, and smart wearable devices, among others. The ColorOS 11 and OxygenOS 11 are the two recent software options deployed in OnePlus smartphones, and both options offer an excellent user interface and functionality.
We also know that the OnePlus CE 5G will be cheaper than the OnePlus 9. Although the detailed specs of the device are not yet available, we expect an impressive array of features for the device.

India Launch Timeline

June 10:
– Launch Event
– OnePlus TV U1S Red Cable Club Sale

June 11:
– OnePlus TV U1S Open Sale
– Nord CE 5G Pre-order

June 16:
– Nord CE 5G Open Sale

— Ishan Agarwal (@ishanagarwal24) May 27, 2021

OnePlus also announced the next product in the N series – OnePlus Nord N200 5G – for North America. The launch date for the Nord N200 5G will be revealed later.

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