Xiaomi hopes to overtake Apple in Q2 & to emerge world’s no. 1 phone maker in 3-5 years’ time

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May 26, 2021

Xiaomi is presently at the number 3 position in the top smartphone vendor chart, thanks to a strong showing in the last couple of years. The company has now announced its projections for the next five years. Lu Weibing, Xiaomi Group president and Redmi GM, is reported to have disclosed that the company expects to become the world’s number one smartphone vendor within the next three to five years, hoping to displace Samsung which has held the crown for several years now.

Lu Weibing stated this at the 2021 Xiaomi school enrollment intensive training held on May 24. Weibing also disclosed that Xiaomi’s mobile phone business still ranks at the third spot globally after emerging at the spot in the third quarter of last year. However, he disclosed that the company expects to surpass Apple and become the world’s number 2 smartphone vendor this year.

The latest data released by market research firm Canalys in April this year shows that global smartphone shipments reached 347 million in the first quarter of 2021. Among them, Samsung ranked first with a 22% share and shipped 76.5 million units. Apple followed closely with shipments of 52.4 million units, with a share of 15%. Xiaomi ranked at the third spot but it created the best single-quarter performance ever, with a year-on-year growth of 62%. The happens to be the world’s fastest growth rate yet for the industry with 49 million units shipped. The Chinese company also raked in up to 14% share of the market with the difference between Apple and Xiaomi standing at a little more than 3 million units.

Xiaomi’s latest flagship Mi 11 Ultra, Mi MIX Fold foldable smartphone, and other premium models will help the company achieve an impressive sales margin in the high-end market. The Chinese company has over the years earned a decent reputation for launching affordable premium smartphones. The company made an entry into the premium flagship market which has further enhanced its market share. Apple won’t be launching a new model any time soon so it is not impossible for Xiaomi to sell more units than Apple in Q2 but that will be short-lived. Apple will likely move back into the number two spot in the third or fourth quarter when it launches its 2021 flagship models. In addition, Apple will continue to dominate the top spot in terms of revenue.

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OnePlus Support says Always-on Display won’t come to stable build of the OnePlus 7/7T series

By

Habeeb Onawole

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May 26, 2021

The OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7T series received an update recently that brings some fixes and optimizations as well as May’s security patch, but unlike the update for the OnePlus 8 series, that update didn’t bring the Bitmoji AOD feature that a lot of users were looking forward to. Now, new info circulating on the web says that the AOD feature will not be made available for the 2019 phones.

According to info shared on a OnePlus Forums thread, the AOD feature won’t be coming to the OnePlus 7/7T series. An image included in the post shows a conversation between a customer and a support staff.

The support staff stated that due to hardware differences, the AOD feature of the OnePlus 8T series and other models can’t be adopted for the devices. He added that the Research and Development team tried several adaptation schemes and even added the feature to the Open Beta version 3. Unfortunately, they didn’t get the desired optimization when it was added to the stable version and had to remove it. Surprisingly, the support staff recommended that the user switch back to Open Beta 4 version if they would still like to access the feature.

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OnePlus TV U1S series key specs tipped ahead of launch

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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May 26, 2021

OnePlus entered the smart TV category in the second half of 2019 with the launch of the OnePlus TV Q1 series. The brand introduced the U1 and the Y1 series in 2021. It even added a new model in the latter series earlier this week. Now, according to a new leak, the company will be soon launching the OnePlus TV U1S series.

OnePlus TV 55U1 Featured A — OnePlus TV 55U1

Although Oneplus has been selling smart TVs for almost two years, they are still exclusive to India. However, they are expected to make their way to Europe soon. Hence, it is not surprising to learn that the upcoming OnePlus TV U1S series will be first launching in India, as per tipster Ishan Agarwal, who has partnered with PriceBaba to share this information.

According to the leakster, the OnePlus TV U1S series will come in three sizes – 50-inch, 55-inch, and 65-inch. All three models are said to sport an LED-backlit LCD panel with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels (4K) and a 60Hz refresh rate.

The panel on these televisions will support HDR 10+, HLG, and MEMC. As for audio, the TVs will sport Dolby Atmos-supported 30W speakers co-tuned by Dynaudio. But interestingly, they will only feature HDMI 2.0 when rival Xiaomi offers products with HDMI 2.1.

On the software front, the forthcoming OnePlus smart TVs will run outdated Android TV 10 operating system with OxygenPlay content aggregation service.

The main highlight of these televisions will be support for a detachable webcam accessory with a built-in microphone. Using this accessory, users will be able to make 1080p video calls on Google Duo.

Unfortunately, there’s no word on the launch date and price of the OnePlus U1S series and the webcam accessory. But what we know is that this camera will be compatible with older OnePlus smart TVs.

Deal: Get ADO A20 Cross Country E-Bike for $768 (Original Price $900)

By

Daily Deals

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May 26, 2021

Banggood is giving a fantastic deal on ADO A20 Cross Country E-Bike. The E-bike which generally retails for $900 is now available at a discounted price of $769.99 only.

WHERE TO BUY

ADO A20 Cross Country E-Bike at $769.99 @Banggood

ADO A20 20 inch Cross Country E bIke

Key Features:

Ultra-lightweight and foldable design – 24 Kg
Ergonomic and comfortable design for long rides
Max Speed- 25 km/h can unlock to 35km
10.4Ah Li-ion battery ( included in the product ) for max 80km mileage
Aluminum alloy shell – max 120kg payload
Multiple safety features – Over-heating, Short circuit, Over- current, Over-charge battery protection
20-inch rubber inflatable wheels

For more detailed information check out this review from Gizmochina.

Generally retailing for $900, you can now buy ADO A20 20-inch Cross Country E-Bike for $769.99 only at Banggood. Please note that this flash deal which will end in the next 5 days is applicable on the Black as well as the White color variant. So place your order asap, before the deal expires.

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.

WhatsApp sues Indian government over new rules that could end user privacy

By

Jeet

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May 26, 2021

WhatsApp, one of the leading instant messaging applications from social media giant Facebook, has filed a lawsuit against the Indian government. It seeks to block regulations coming into force that would compel the app to break its privacy protections.

The case, filed in the Delhi High Court, asks to declare that one of the new IT rules is a violation of privacy rights in India’s constitution since it requires social media companies to identify the “first originator of information” when authorities demand it.

It’s noteworthy that the law only requires WhatsApp to unmask people credibly accused of the wrongdoing but in practice, the company cannot do it alone. The traceability rule will also affect WhatsApp alternatives like Signal and Telegram which are inherently designed to be end-to-end encrypted.

WhatsApp has about half a billion users in India. It also says that because messages are encrypted end-to-end it would have to break encryption for receivers of messages as well as the originators to comply with the new law.

In a statement to Reuters, WhatsApp said that “requiring messaging apps to ‘trace’ chats is the equivalent of asking us to keep a fingerprint of every single message sent on WhatsApp, which would break end-to-end encryption and fundamentally undermines people’s right to privacy.”

This is yet another instance of growing tensions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and tech giants such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter, among others. This is a complex situation as India is one of the largest markets for these companies.

The tensions escalated when police visited Twitter‘s office this week after the microblogging platform labeled posts by the spokesperson of Narendra Modi’s political party as “manipulated media” for sharing a forged document.

Prior to that, the Indian government had pressed the tech companies to remove content from the social media platform where people criticized the government’s handling of the COVID-19’s second wave.

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[Update: Nord N10 5G] OnePlus 6, 6T, Nord N100 receive May 2021 security update

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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May 26, 2021

Update (May 26)

The May 2021 security update is now rolling out to OnePlus Nord N10 5G as well. The update comes with build numbers OxygenOS 10.5.13 (EU) and OxygenOS 10.5.14 (Global) respectively.

Unlike the other two handsets, this update for OnePlus Nord N10 5G also brings improvements for network performance.

OnePlus Nord N10 5G Featured Image — OnePlus Nord N10 5G

OnePlus Nord N10 5G OxygenOS 10.5.13 / 10.5.14 Official Changelog

System
- Fixed known issues and improved system stability
- Updated Android security patch to 2021.05
Network
- Improved network performance

Original Story

OnePlus is rolling out a new system update for its 2018 flagship smartphone and its most affordable 2020 budget smartphone. These devices are none other than the OnePlus 6/6T and the OnePlus Nord N100. For the former, the latest update arrives as OxygenOS 10.3.11. Whereas, for the latter, the update is called OxygenOS 10.5.8 (NA) / 10.5.10 (EU).

OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition Hands On (23) — OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition

The latest system update for OnePlus 6, OnePlus 6T, and OnePlus Nord N100 do not bring any new features. Instead, the only update comes with May 2021 security patches, fixes for some known issues, and improvements for system stability.

Anyway, at least these devices are receiving security patches. Hopefully, the new builds don’t introduce new bugs and issues. As far as the availability of this update is concerned, it is being rolled out in batches. Hence, it may take some time to reach every unit.

As far as Android 11 is concerned, OnePlus has confirmed to release OxygenOS 11 Open Beta for the OnePlus 6 and the OnePlus 6T in August. However, interested users can already experience last year’s Android version by installing LineageOS 18.1.

OnePlus Nord N100 Featured — OnePlus Nord N100

On the other hand, OnePlus is yet to officially reveal the availability of the Android 11 update for the OnePlus Nord N100. But what we know is that it will be the only major software update for this handset.

OnePlus 6, 6T, Nord N100 OxygenOS 10.3.11 / 10.5.8 / 10.5.10 Official Changelog

System
- Updated Android security patch to 2021.05
- Fixed known issues and improved system stability

Get Realme Buds Air 2 Neo for $40 at Giztop

By

Daily Deals

-

May 26, 2021

Realme Buds Air 2 Neo which generally retails for $50 is now available at Giztop for $39.90 only.

WHERE TO BUY

Realme Buds Air 2 Neo at $39.90 @Giztop

Realme Buds Air 2 Neo

Key Features:

Powered by intelligent R2 Noise-cancelling chipset
Extended battery life and reduced latency
Bluetooth 5.2 and dual-channel transmission
10mm dynamic unit – incredible sound quality
Active Noise Cancellation – reduces noise by up to 25db
Filters out most low-frequency sounds
Environment Noice Cancellation mode for making calls
Intelligent touch control
Battery Life – 5 hours on a single charge, 28 hours with the case, and 3 hours with 10 mins quick charge
IPX5 Water-resistant

Generally retailing for $50, you can now buy Realme Buds Air 2 Neo for $39.90 only at Giztop. Please note that this offer is applicable on both Black and Grey Color variants. So place your order asap.

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

realme X3, X3 SuperZoom Android 11 stable update released

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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May 26, 2021

Chinese smartphone brand realme started recruiting realme UI 2.0 (Android 11) beta testers for the realme X3 and the realme X3 SuperZoom at the end of January. Now, four months later, these smartphones have finally started receiving stable Android 11 update.

The Android 11 update for realme smartphones comes as realme UI 2.0, which is based on OPPO ColorOS 11. Despite releasing Android 11 builds for eligible devices since late September 2020, realme has managed to deliver a stable update only for a select few handsets.

The realme X3 and the realme X3 SuperZoom are the latest phones to join the elite list of realme devices running Android 11 (realme UI 2.0).

According to the official announcement post on realme Community, the realme X3 / X3 SuperZoom Android 11-based realme UI 2.0 update arrives with build number RMX2081PU_11.C.06. Users need to be on build number RMX2081PU_11.A.53 to receive this update.

The update is being rolled out in batches, and therefore, it may take some time to reach every unit. Anyway, users can head over to Settings > Software Update to check whether their phone has received the OTA update.

Users not satisfied with the realme UI 2.0 update can roll back to Android 10-based realme UI. However, this process will wipe the handset’s internal storage.

Realme GT Neo Flash Edition with 65W fast charging support goes official in China

By

Jeet

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May 26, 2021

A couple of months ago, Realme had launched the Realme GT Neo smartphone in the Chinese market and now the company has announced a new version of the device, dubbed Realme GT Neo Flash Edition.

There isn’t much difference between the Realme GT Neo and the new Flash Edition. The new model comes with the “Dawn” plain leather color scheme and the charging speed has been increased from 50W to 65W.

The smartphone features a 6.43-inch Samsung Super AMOLED display with 2400 x 1080 pixels screen resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 360Hz touch sampling rate, and 91.7 percent screen-to-body ratio.

Under the hood, the device is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC. The original variant was the world’s first phone to come powered by the Dimensity 1200 chipset. The phone packs up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.

In the camera department, the phone features a triple-camera setup that consists of a 64-megapixel Sony IMX682 primary sensor, an 8-megapixel sensor with an ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2-megapixel sensor with a macro lens. On the front side, the device features a 16-megapixel snapper for taking selfies and video calling.

Connectivity options on the device include Dual-SIM 5G, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, GALILEO, QZSS), and NFC. It has all the essential sensors, such as an accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient light sensor, compass, and proximity sensor. Other features include stereo speakers, Dolby Sound, Hi-Res Audio certification, 3.5mm headphone jack, and USB Type-C port.

The smartphone runs the Android 11 operating system out-of-the-box and has Realme UI 2.0 on top. It is powered by a 4,500mAh battery with support for 65W fast charging and packs a 65W charger in the box.

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ARM announces Cortex-X2, A710, A510, and new Mali GPUs as it shifts to 64 bit only

By

Sean

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May 26, 2021

ARM has just announced the new Cortex-X2, A710, and A510 CPUs along with new Mali GPUs. These new processors arrive as the company seeks to shift to 64 bit only architecture by the year 2023. This also marks the company moving forward with the ARMv9 from the older ARMv8.

With the new architecture, the company is planning on moving to 64 bit exclusively by 2023. Furthermore, the firm will also be working with its partners to ensure that the new ecosystem is ready to also discontinue support for 32 bit apps, which it expects to complete by the end of this year. As per official notes, the new CPU and GPU designs will be featured in upcoming chipsets along with new support hardware to group them all together for various configurations that will be used from smartphones, laptops, smartphones, and other products as well.

The Cortex-X2 is the 2nd generation of the latest high performance ARM cores and promises a 16 percent speed boost over an X1 core, which was also built on the same node and ran on a similar frequency. While the new design has just been announced, chips that feature the Cortex-X2 are expected to hit the market by next year. Furthermore, ARM has also optimized the X2’s peak performance and has doubled its machine learning performance while its single threaded performance has also risen by about 40 percent compared to a 15W Intel i5-1135G7.

Similarly, the company also unveiled new designs for its big cores of the A series. Although, as the company has launched the new X core, the new A series has been moved to a more mid range position. However, the the A710 still manages to offer 10 percent improvement over the A78 (again on the same node and frequency) alongside 30 percent better energy efficiency. While this seems lackluster in comparison to the higher end design, the company adds that the A710 paired with the Mali-G710 GPU will see a 33 percent boost in CPU performance and 20 percent improvement in GPU performance in gaming workloads.

This chipset will also be 15 percent more efficient compared to the older A78 and G78 based chipsets, which implies a major generational improvement. Furthermore, the company also unveiled a new design for its little cores too, with the Cortex-A510 as well. It arrives with a 35 percent faster than the older A55 designs and offers about 20 percent better energy efficiency along with 3x machine learning performance as well. This makes it close in performance to the older big A cores, which is an improvement for mid range smartphones.

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iQOO Z3 5G India price and launch timeline tipped

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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May 26, 2021

Recently, the iQOO Z series was tipped to launch in India in mid-June. Unfortunately, that leak did not mention the name of the device. Now, a new report not only reveals the exact iQOO Z series smartphone that’s launching in India but also its launch date as well as price.

An exclusive report by MoneyControl claims that the next iQOO device for India will be the iQOO Z3 5G. For those unaware, this handset made its debut in China in late March.

Further, as per the sources of the publication, iQOO Z3 5G will launch in India between June 10 and June 15. Above all, the phone is said to be priced around ₹25,000.

Hence, if this report turns out true, then the iQOO Z3 5G will be the first-ever Qualcomm Snapdragon 768G smartphone in India. Also, it will be cheaper than any other Snapdragon 765G-equipped handsets in the country. Lastly, given the tipped launch timeline, we can expect iQOO to start teasing the launch very soon.

Some of the notable features of the iQOO Z3 5G include a 6.58-inch FHD+ 120Hz display (LCD), LPDDR4X RAM, UFS 2.2 storage, 64MP (wide) + 8MP (ultra-wide) + 2MP (macro) triple camera setup, 16MP selfie camera, side-mounted fingerprint sensor, 3.5mm headphone jack, Android 11, 4,400mAh battery, and 55W fast charging.

Redmi Note 10 5G officially launched; features 6.5-inch FHD+ display, MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC, and 5,000mAh battery

By

Jeet

-

May 26, 2021

Redmi has today officially launched its latest smartphone in the Indian market — Redmi Note 10 in its home market. Along with that, the brand has also launched the Redmi Note 10 Pro in China.

The smartphone features a 6.5-inch Full HD+ LCD display with 2400 x 1080 pixels screen resolution and support for a 90Hz refresh rate. Underneath, the device is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor.

It comes packed with up to 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage. The device has managed to score over 690,000 points in the AnTuTu benchmark, claims the company. As for the cameras, the phone comes with a 48-megapixel primary sensor, a 2-megapixel secondary sensor.

On the front side, the device features an 8-megapixel front-facing snapper. Other features on the device include USB Type-C audio, Stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos, and Hi-Res Audio. Connectivity options on the device include 5G SA/NSA, Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 6 802.11 axes, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS/GLONASS, and USB Type-C.

The phone runs the Android 11 operating system out-of-the-box with MIUI 12.5 user interface and is powered by a 5,000mAh battery with support for fast charging technology.

The Redmi Note 10 with 4GB RAM with 128GB storage is priced at 1,099 yuan ($172), 6GB RAM with 128GB storage costs 1,199 yuan ($188), 8GB RAM with 128GB storage is priced at 1,399 yuan ($219), and 8GB RAM with 256GB storage is priced at 1,599 yuan ($250). It comes in three colors — Phantom Blue, Moon Soul, and Star Shade.

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New Lenovo laptops may feature older WiFi 5 as wireless network cards are out of stock: Exec

By

Sean

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May 26, 2021

Due to a shortage of wireless networking cards, upcoming laptops from Lenovo might ship with the older Wi-Fi 5 standards. The news arrives from an online post on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging website, by a company official.

According to @林林-一枝小白兔, Product Director at Lenovo, the company is facing an issue with supply as newer wireless network cards are out of stock. Just earlier this week, the known PC brand released a number of new products, including notebooks, tablets, and even peripheral accessories. Now, the company’s executive said that the shortage of networking-related components may lead to some models being downgraded to Wi-Fi 5 standards.

Although, the Product Director also added that the products that use the smaller network cards are limited to only certain models and that the company will notify its customers in advance if it downgrades as a last resort. For those unaware, the world is currently facing a major shortage of semiconductors at the moment. This has impacted various industries including, smartphones, home appliances, automobiles, and even the PC market as well.

This coupled with the world’s largest contract chipmaker, TSMC, facing water and power cuts has caused issues with chip production. This further adds to the problem of semiconductor shortage that has even spread to the field of wireless network cards as well. Unfortunately, it is unknown whether the company would actually have to downgrade the Wi-Fi cards for its upcoming products so stay tuned for more updates.

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Realme releases new donut shaped Night Light for 49 Yuan ($8)

By

Sean

-

May 26, 2021

Earlier this week, Realme released a new product during the 618 press conference. During this event, the company launched a new Night Light, which is shaped like a donut and is priced at 49 Yuan (roughly 8 US Dollars).

The new night light features a perfectly symmetrical round design, with a donut like shape. This device is built with precision sensors with five different kinds of custom Fresnel special patterns. The night light from the Chinese tech giant features a magnetic base beneath its hollow ring like design. The magnetic base enables the product to placed anywhere in the users’ homes.

Furthermore, the Realme night light also houses a built in infrared sensor that detects users’ presence as well along with a photosensitive sensor as well. The sensor on the device also has a 120 degree wide angle, which enables it to measure the ambient lighting to offer automatic brightness adjustment. As per official notes, the device offers 365 days of ultra long battery life. Unfortunately, the smartphone manufacturer has yet to announce the official launch date of this night light, but has announced its price tag of 49 Yuan.

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RedmiBook Pro 14 / 15 Ryzen Edition launched with AMD Ryzen 5000 series processors

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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May 26, 2021

Back in late February, Redmi launched the RedmiBook Pro 14 and RedmiBook Pro 15 at the Redmi K40 series launch event in China. Three months later, the sub-brand of Xiaomi has released the Ryzen Edition of these two laptops. As the name suggests, the new notebooks from the brand are powered by AMD Ryzen processors instead of Intel chipsets like the original models.

RedmiBook Pro 14 Ryzen Edition Featured — RedmiBook Pro 14 Ryzen Edition

The newly launched RedmiBook Pro 14 Ryzen Edition and RedmiBook Pro 15 Ryzen Edition are identical to the original RedmiBook Pro 14/15 from three months back. Hence, we will be only discussing the differences between them in this article.

The RedmiBook Pro 14 and RedmiBook Pro 15 come with 11th-gen Intel Core i5-11300H and Core i7-11370H. On the other hand, the Ryzen Edition of these notebooks features not two but four different AMD processors.

RedmiBook Pro 14 Ryzen Edition Variants and Price

AMD Ryzen 5 5500U – ¥4,299 ($672)
AMD Ryzen 7 5700U – ¥4,699 ($735)

RedmiBook Pro 15 Ryzen Edition Variants and Price

AMD Ryzen 5 5600H – ¥4,799 ($751)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800H – ¥5,299 ($829)

Anyway, despite sporting different processors, they feature the same 16GB 3200MHz DDR4 RAM and 512GB PCIe SSD.

Another difference is that due to the presence of AMD processors, the RedmiBook Pro 14/15 Ryzen Edition does not come with a Thunderbolt 4 USB Type-C. However, one of the two USB Type-C ports is said to support video output, as per the official website. Hence, we think this port includes DisplayPort 1.4 standard although it’s not officially mentioned.

Apart from the above-mentioned dissimilarities, the RedmiBook Pro 14 Ryzen Edition and the RedmiBook Pro 15 Ryzen Edition are exactly the same as the original RedmiBook Pro 14 and RedmiBook Pro 15.

Apple M1X Mac mini to feature thinner chassis and new iMac’s magnetic power connector: Report

By

Sean

-

May 26, 2021

The upcoming Apple Mac mini that would feature the new M1X chipset will reportedly arrive with a redesigned thinner chassis along with the new iMac‘s magnetic power connector as well.

According to a new video from Jon Prosser (Via 9To5Mac), the upcoming Mac mini with the next gen M1X chipset will introduce a new generation of industrial design for the company’s standalone Mac. In the video, Prosser claims that the 2021 Mac mini will feature a new chassis with a “plexiglass like” reflective surface on the top, which is a departure from the traditional aluminum enclosure. This model is apparently set to replace the higher end space grey Intel Mac mini in the lineup, while the M1 Mac mini will be the entry level model.

Notably, while the M1 Mac mini had a lack of ports due to limitations of the first gen Apple Silicon, the M1X will be able to offer a full lineup of ports. This includes four USB4/ Thunderbolt 3 ports, along with two USB Type A, Ethernet, and HDMI out ports as well. Furthermore, the Cupertino based giant will also be offering the magnetic power connecter that the company first introduced with its M1 iMacs.

Prosser added that the iPhone maker might offer a two tone color range with the new glass like finish on the M1X Mac mini, which will be similar to the new and colorful iMacs. Unfortunately, this is still an unconfirmed report and speculation at the moment, so take this report with a pinch of salt and stay tuned for more, as we will be providing updates when additional information or notable developments surface regarding this device.

RELATED:

Realme X7 Max 5G officially unboxed ahead of launch

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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May 26, 2021

Realme will be announcing the Realme X7 Max 5G and new Realme smart TVs on May 31 in India. Ahead of the launch, a moderator at Realme Community has shared the unboxing images of the X7 Max 5G.

The unboxing images show that the Realme X7 Max 5G will be available in a white-colored retail package. The other contents that are found inside the retail box include a TPU case, a Quick Start Guide, a SIM ejector tool, a 50W Dart charger, and a charging cable. The community moderator claimed that she will be revealing more details of the smartphone on a daily basis before its official announcement.

Realme X7 Max 5G unboxing 2 — Realme X7 Max 5G unboxing image from Realme Community

The landing page of the Realme X7 Max 5G available on Realme India’s website has also revealed some of its key specs. It states that the phone features a Super AMOLED screen with a punch-hole design, which offers FHD+ resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, a 360Hz touch sampling rate, up to 1000nits brightness, 100 precent DCI-P3 color gamut, and an 8,000,000:1 contrast ratio.

Realme X7 Max 5G unboxing 1 — Realme X7 Max 5G unboxing image from Realme Community

The Realme X7 Max 5G features the Dimensity 1200 chipset. Its battery size is not mentioned, but its 50W charging tech can allow the phone to gain 50 precent battery power in just 16 minutes. Its rear camera setup has a 64-megapixel primary camera, an 8-megapixel secondary lens, and a 2-megapixel macro sensor. The handset weighs 179 grams, and it has a slim profile of 8.4mm. It also features a 3.5mm audio jack and a USB-C port.

The Realme X7 Max 5G may come in options like 8 GB RAM + 128 GB and 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage and it may start at Rs 28,999 (~$399). Speculations are rife that it will arrive as a rebranded version of the Realme GT Neo, which was announced last month in China.

RELATED:

Apple working on a way to make iPhone display glass thinner and stronger: Patent

By

Sean

-

May 26, 2021

Apple is apparently researching a method to make the glass on the front of an iPhone thinner and stronger. The company aims to achieve this by making a special support structure that will be used around the edges, which will also be made of glass.

The Cupertino based giant filed a patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office (Via AppleInsider), which was titled “Insert molding around glass members for portable electronic devices.” For those unaware, smartphones and other mobile devices, or even larger displays uses glass panels on the front of the actual displays. This panel serves the primary function of protecting the screen on the inside from direct impact and scratches. It is often used in a manner to make the display fit seamlessly with the design of any device.

Now, the new patent from Apple states that it will have the same glass cover stick out from the rest of the enclosure, similar to curved displays, although it aims to maintain the thinness of the main glass sections overall. In simpler terms, while the glass might stick out from the design, it won’t add to the girth of the device as it will be thinner. However, thinness usually compromises on strength, but the iPhone maker seeks to employ a solution that has it adopt a glass structure around the edges of the glass cover.

This glass structure will act as an intermediary between the primary enclosure and the thin glass cover. It will also have a lip on the outside edge surrounding where the glass cover will be placed. Unfortunately, this is still a patent and it is unclear if the company is actually planning on incorporating this solution into its future products. So stay tuned for more updates.

RELATED:

Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G launched with Dimensity 1100 SoC, Gorilla Glass Victus, JBL dual speakers, and more

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

-

May 26, 2021

As scheduled, Redmi, the sub-brand of Xiaomi has launched the Redmi Note 10 5G series in China. The lineup includes two devices, namely Redmi Note 10 5G and Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G. Let us take a detailed look at the Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G in this article.

Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G Specifications and Features

The Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G is totally different from the Redmi Note 10 Pro / Pro Max sold outside China. This new device has a different design and better features than its 4G counterpart. However, all of these come with a sacrifice of the AMOLED display found on the 4G variants of the Redmi Note 10 series.

The handset comes in three colors – Magic Green, Moon Soul, and Star Yarn. The first two color variants (Green/Blue, White) feature a ‘3D stereoscopic texture’. This pattern is similar to that of Mi 11 Lei Jun Signature Edition. Whereas, the third one (Back) has shining particles that mimic starry night.

The smartphone is IP53-rated for splash resistance. It measures 163.3 x 75.9 x 8.9mm in dimensions and weighs 193g. But still, it is backed by a 5,000mAh battery with support for 67W fast charging and battery health management system. Redmi claims this phone can be charged fully within 42 minutes. The device ships with a Xiaomi Mi 67W charger, which supports both USB PD (Power Delivery) and Qualcomm QC (Quick Charge).

On the front, the handset flaunts a 6.6-inch LCD panel with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels (FHD+), 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, and centered punch-hole. The screen supports a six-stage refresh rate function. This means the display refreshes at either 30Hz, 48Hz, 50Hz, 60Hz, 90Hz, or 120Hz based on the content.

Further, the panel supports the DCI-P3 color gamut and has a typical brightness level of only 450 nits. However, unlike other phones in the segment, the display of the Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus.

Under the hood, the smartphone features a MediaTek Dimensity 1100 SoC coupled with up to 8GB LPDDR4x RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage. To keep the thermals down, the handset comes with a ‘quadruple cooling system’ consisting of VC (Vapor Chamber), graphite, thermally conductive gel, and copper foil to offer a heat dissipation area of 16370mm².

As for photography and videography, the phone uses a 64MP (wide) + 8MP (120° ultra-wide) + 2MP (macro) triple camera setup on the back and a 16MP camera on the front. This camera system clearly falls behind the one present on the Redmi Note 10 Pro / Pro Max.

On the connectivity front, the smartphone supports dual-SIM, 5G, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC 3.0, and GNSS (GPS, A-GPS, BeiDou, GALILEO, GLONASS, QZSS). It sports all the essential ports and sensors, such as USB Type-C, side-mounted fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, 360° ambient light sensor, gyroscope, ultrasonic proximity sensor, compass, and infrared sensor. But unfortunately, the device lacks the two fan favorites – 3.5mm headphone jack and MicroSD card slot.

The Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G runs MIUI 12.5 based on Android 11. It features Hi-Res-certified JBL-branded dual stereo speakers with support for Dolby Atmos, 3 microphones, X-axis linear vibration motor, and a RAZER keyboard just like the Redmi K40 Gaming Edition.

Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G Price and Availability

The Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G will retail for the following price tags in China.

6GB + 128GB – ¥1,599 ($250)
8GB + 128GB – ¥1,799 ($281)
8GB + 256GB – ¥1,999 ($313)

The phone’s first sale is scheduled for June 1. On that day, the base variant will be sold at a discounted price tag of ¥1,499 ($234).

As of now, there’s no official word on this handset’s availability outside mainland China.

Xiaomi has officially been removed from the US trade blacklist

By

Sean

-

May 26, 2021

Earlier this week, a US court issued a ruling that had Xiaomi removed from the US sanction list, lifting the Department of Defense’s designation of CCMC or a Communist Chinese Military Company.

pic.twitter.com/IcNoW8LAWR

— Xiaomi (@Xiaomi) May 26, 2021

In other words, the Chinese tech giant has been removed from the government’s trade blacklist, which had placed restrictions on the buying or holding of stocks by any person in the US. The brand also shared that “The US District Court for the District of Columbia issued a final order vacating the US Department of Defense’s designation of the company as a CCMC.” This order was made back on Tuesday (25th May 2021).

The brand’s founder and CEO Lei Jun also added that “The Company is grateful for the trust and support of its global users, partners, employees, and shareholders. The Company reiterates that it is an open, transparent, publicly traded, independently operated and managed corporation.” For those unaware, the company had been facing pressure from the US government, similar to Huawei, which has faced a trade ban that has even disrupted its supply chain.

Notably, the ruling also arrives as a reversal of the previous President’s, Donald Trump, final jabs against Beijing by the Biden administration. The court filing adds that the smartphone maker and the US government will now agree to resolve their ongoing litigation and bring an end to this controversial feud between Xiaomi and Washington.

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