The Redmi K40 Game Enhanced Edition was unveiled by Xiaomi on April 27 as not only the cheapest gaming phone around but as the first Redmi-branded gaming phone. The phone turned out to be a popular model as it got sold out in just 1 minute. The company over the weekend released a teardown video of the gaming phone, giving us a glimpse of the internals.
The Redmi K40 Gaming Edition teardown shows that the device packs well-arranged internal components that would make for easy repairs if the need arises. The teardown also reveals the aerospace-grade hexagonal boron nitride heat dissipation material which is pasted on the back cover and is close to the mainboard for heat conduction. Also, despite the thin build, the Redmi gaming phone packs an NFC coil assembly and an infrared transmitter.
Also shown in the disassembly video are the motherboard and camera sensors. The device uses a 64MP main sensor featuring ED ultra-low dispersion optical glass lens and also equipped with a resin lens in order to achieve a good shooting effect. The Samsung LPDDR4X memory and UFS 3.1 flash memory are also shown. The Dimensity 1200 chip is located under the memory and so isn’t visible.
The middle part of the phone’s back panel facing the location of the processor is covered with a large-area VC soaking plate while the upper part is coated with silicone grease for heat conduction.
The video also shows that the lithium battery which the Redmi K40 Game Enhanced Edition uses is manufactured by a domestic manufacturer – Dongguan New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (ATL) and is code-named BM56. The battery has a typical capacity of 5065mAh and a rated capacity of 4965mAh. It comes with two cables which power the 67W fast charging current.
1 of 9
The phone has a shoulder button that is linked to a connecting rod. The button automatically pops up after the phone is switched to gaming mode. Furthermore, in order to achieve the ultra-narrow lower frame that is just 2.7mm thick, the OLED screen uses COP (Chip On Pi) packaging. COP screen packaging involves directly bending a part of the flexible screen to further reduce the frame, which can achieve a nearly borderless effect.
You can check out our review video of the Redmi K40 Gaming Edition below.
Xiaomi‘s Redmi Note 9 Pro was part of the Redmi Note 9 series released last year. The phone was a cool model with several positive reviews from buyers. But one buyer in India recently had a sour experience with his Redmi Note 9 Pro which reportedly went up in flame while in use.
According to the report carried by India Today, the incident was reported by the user’s sister via the Twitter handle @PriyankaPavra. She disclosed via the tweet which has now been deleted, that her brother’s phone caught fire on April 28. The phone was purchased in December last year making it barely four months old and from the picture, it is a Redmi Note 9 Pro. The brother then had to extinguish the fire by throwing water on the phone. Thankfully, no one was hurt during the incident.
Even though the post has been deleted, perhaps after Xiaomi India’s customer service reached out to her, images of the charred unit which she shared and the screenshot of her tweet can be seen above.
In response to an inquiry by India Today, Xiaomi disclosed that investigation is already underway and preliminary examination suggests that the damage may have resulted from an external force. This may be the last we’ll hear about this case, though.
This report comes barely two weeks after a POCO X3 unit was reported to have gone up in flames. Also, there have been several similar reports in the past concerning Xiaomi models and those of other manufacturers. The culprit is usually the battery and the most prominent of such stories is that of the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 which Samsung had to discontinue.
The last week of April was no different from several of the weeks this year. There were multiple announcements for a range of products including phones, computers, and smartwatches. Here’s your roundup of the top stories from last week.
Redmi joins the gaming smartphone niche
Redmi launched its first gaming smartphone last week. The Redmi K40 Gaming Edition a.k.a Redmi K40 Game Enhanced Edition comes with features you will expect to find on a gaming smartphone – shoulder trigger buttons, a high refresh rate, a high touch sampling rate, great speakers, big battery, and incredibly fast charging. You also get a capable processor in form of the Dimensity 1200.
Are you a fan of Bruce Lee? If your answer is yes, then you will like the Bruce Lee special edition of the gaming phone.
Vivo V21 series bring selfie cameras with OIS and dual LED flash
The Vivo V21 series was unveiled in Malaysia last week. The series which includes the V21, V21e and the V21 5G all have 64MP triple rear cameras, 44MP selfie cameras, 90Hz displays with a waterdrop notch, 4000mAh batteries, and support for 33W fast charging. The selfie camera in the V21 and V21 5G has OIS, autofocus, and a dual LED flash but the V21e’s own selfie camera misses out on these features.
Amazon refreshes its Fire Tablet line
Amazon has announced new versions of its Fire Tablet line. The 11th-gen series brings a refreshed design, more RAM, and also includes a productivity version with a Bluetooth keyboard case and a Microsoft 365 subscription, so you can get some light work done.
Samsung’s new Galaxy Books are thin, light, and powered by Intel and Windows
OPPO is one of the biggest smartphone manufacturers in the world. Even at that, the Chinese brand is making its way to new markets. If you live in Chile, you can now get your hands on some OPPO phones such as the Reno5 Lite and OPPO A15. The Enco W51 and Enco 31 earbuds are also available in the country. Those in Colombia only get the OPPO A15.
Realme’s AIoT event brings new smartwatches, new earbuds and more
Lenovo has brought the Motorola Moto G50 budget 5G smartphone to China. The Snapdragon 480-powered smartphone was announced last week, and for 1,499 yuan ($231) it packs an HD+ display, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, 48MP triple rear cameras, and a 5000mAh battery.
Realme has a new Bluetooth speaker, actually, this is its first one, and it packs some pretty interesting features. The Realme Cobble Bluetooth Speaker as it is called is a cute little speaker that was announced a few days ago in Malaysia.
Shaped like a cobble, the speaker comes in Metal Black and Electric Blue. The black variant has the manufacturer’s name printed on the grille while the blue one has a camouflage pattern. Also, only the blue one has a luminous lanyard that glows in the dark.
The Realme Cobble Bluetooth Speaker has an IPX5 rating which means it will survive splashes and sprinkles. Just make sure that the flap covering the USB-C port is properly closed.
The speaker has a 5W dynamic driver that is paired with a passive bass radiator for deeper bass and clearer and more powerful sound. There are two buttons on the speaker – one is the power button and the other allows you to switch between three equalizer presets. Owners can also pair two units of the speaker together for stereo sound.
1 of 5
Another interesting feature of the speaker is its Game Mode. This is not a feature common in Bluetooth speakers but realme has added it to its own. According to the manufacturer, the latency drops to as low as 88ms when in Game Mode.
The speaker connects via Bluetooth 5.0, supports AAC and SBC codecs, and also works with the Realme Link app so you can manage the speaker. The Realme Cobble Bluetooth Speaker has a 1500mAh battery capacity and should last up to 9 hours on a single charge.
Details about pricing and availability are yet to be disclosed.
Among the products announced by Realme at its AIoT event in Malaysia are the Realme Alkaline Battery and Realme Motion Activated Night Light. Actually, these two products are a match made in heaven.
The Realme Alkaline Battery and Motion Activated Night Light are a match made in heaven
Realme Alkaline Battery
Realme says its alkaline battery has large capacity high-efficiency cells that are 25% more powerful than regular ones. Available in AA and AAA sizes, the batteries feature graphite-fused anodes that make them highly conductive while reducing energy loss during use.
They also have a specially designed energy-sealing ring that creates a buffer between the positive and negative electrodes to prevent short circuits and leakage during use and storage. According to the manufacturer, the Realme Alkaline battery can be stored for up to 10 years!
1 of 4
Realme has also added an explosion-proof valve, and because they are mercury and cadmium-free, you can dispose them of with your trash as they won’t harm the environment. While they are designed to be used for high energy consumption devices, Realme says that you can use the drained ones for low-energy devices such as Bluetooth keyboards, clocks, and remote controls.
The Realme Alkaline Battery AAA (7) and AA (5) comes in black and yellow color schemes that make them easily identifiable. The AAA size has a rated capacity of 1250mAh while the AA size has a rated capacity of 3100mAh. They come in a pack of ten and are shipped in a nice storage box.
Details about price and availability are unknown.
Realme Motion Activated Night Light
Motion activated lights are a necessity in a home. While there are several brands that offer this type of light, there is still space for more and Realme is the latest player in the market.
The Realme Motion Activated Night Light is a donut-shaped lamp with an infrared motion sensor and photo sensor that helps you find your way in the dark without waking your partner or family.
It emits 2800K warm light with eye protection. It doesn’t flicker and Realme says it doesn’t produce harmful blue light. It has two brightness modes, has a maximum sensing distance of 6 meters and a sensing angle of 120°. It attaches to an included base via three magnets but it appears the base itself has an adhesive so you can stick it to a compatible surface of your choosing. You can also wrap a string around it and hang it as shown in the image below.
The Realme Motion Activated Night Light can be used to light up closets, corridors, stairway, and bathrooms. It uses three AAA batteries and realme has included its brand new alkaline batteries which it claims can last up to 1 year if the night light lights up 15 times per day in low-light mode.
The Realme Motion Activated Night Light is priced at RM 99 (~$24) and will be available for purchase on Shopee Malaysia starting tomorrow.
GamaKay K61 mechanical keyboard comes with a fully transparent glass shell made with PMMA plexiglass that gives you a fantasy light effect and enhances your gameplay. It features a fine CNC cutting panel with small and exquisite 61 key arrangements. To top it off you get a toning disc light effect and gaming mechanical switch with this keyboard.
A 32K ROM, increases your program storage space as compared to other keyboards and the fully pluggable switches help you to customize the keys as per your requirement. GamaKay K61uses a Type -C USB 3.1 interface and a driver-free design that makes it super easy to plug and start playing with your keyboard.
Available in multiple switch colors viz: Brown, Blue, Yellow, Red, and Black, you can now buy GamaKay K61 mechanical keyboard for $63.99 only at Banggood. So grab your keyboard asap.
For more information on such exciting deals and offers check out ourdeals hub.
* Please Note: When you buy something using the links in our articles, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
Kuulaa Qi wireless charger is a 20W dual-port charging stand that comes with a QC3.0 port and PD3.0 port. The wireless charger features a double coil design which increases the overall sensing range and reduces the blind spots while charging. The device which works as both a wireless charger as well as a mobile phone bracket chargers your smartphone both horizontally and vertically, thereby allowing you to watch movies or make video calls even while charging.
The beautifully designed wireless charger is compatible with almost all Qi-enabled smartphones and comes with advanced safety features like over-current protection, over-temperature protection, short circuit protection, over-voltage protection, etc.
Generally retailing at $15, AliExpress is giving Kuulaa Qi wireless charger for $11.96only. This limited period offer is only applicable to the silver color variant. So go get your discounted charger asap.
For more information on such exciting deals and offers check out ourdeals hub.
* Please Note: When you buy something using the links in our articles, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
The Realme Watch S Master Edition was announced in Malaysia last week. The smartwatch has the same specs as the standard edition that was announced last November but comes with custom straps and watch faces made in collaboration with Grafflex, a South Korean artist.
Grafflex is an ingenious young artist from South Korea whose artistic style combines cartoon and street culture. This is evident in the custom straps and watch faces he designed for the Realme Watch S Master Edition. Realme is not the first brand the young artist has partnered with. He is also currently working with Disney, Nike, and Converse.
The Realme Watch S Master Edition comes in a special retail box that has two custom straps and stickers. There are also custom t-shirts but we do not know if they come with orders of the watch or will be sold separately.
1 of 4
Custom watch faces
Interested buyers will be able to get their hands on this new custom edition starting May 8 on Shopee Malaysia for RM429 (~$105).
The Watch S Master Edition has a 1.3-inch touch display with more than 100 watch faces, support for 16 sports modes, a heart rate monitor, a blood oxygen monitor, and sleep tracking. The watch also has an IP68 rating, supports app alerts, and music playback control. Its battery life goes up to 15 days on a single charge.
The research into how to solve the battery problem in smartphones, and indeed in several tech fields, has been an ongoing work. Researchers have been grappling with proffering sustainable solutions on how to produce longer-lasting batteries for smartphones, and there have been tremendous improvements to date. However, the issue persists, as most smartphone batteries, including flagship and premium models, lose their original capacities within a few years of use. Most smartphone batteries shed up to a fifth of their capacity within the first year of their use.
But it seems all that is about to change as researchers at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) have come up with a revolutionary material that helps batteries to retain their original capacity (up to 95%) for a minimum of five years, thereby extending the battery life inside the device be it a smartphone, laptop, or even electric vehicle. The implications of this discovery by Japanese scientists are quite extensive. The internal makeup of current batteries makes them degrade progressively after every charge, and it is reported that after up to 500 recharges, up to 40% of the battery’s capacity may have been lost due to the poor performance of the binder material inside the battery.
The scientists at JAIST, led by Professor Noriyoshi Matsumi, have discovered a binder material that proved to outperform the existing technology. The negative terminals of batteries in use today feature a binder material called Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) which does not have a superb performance. After just 500 recharges, typical batteries using PVDF lose up to 35% of the original capacity. This results in degraded battery life on smartphones after one or two years.
However, the new binder material is dubbed Bis-imino-acenaphthenequinone-Paraphenylene (BP). The binder made it possible to still retain 95% of battery capacity even after more than 1700 charge cycles. Thus, the battery remains efficient up to five years without significantly shedding its original capacity.
Matsumi says the new technology would come in helpful in the development of more durable products. It also has the potential to encourage consumers to purchase more expensive battery-based assets like electric vehicles, he opined.
We expect smartphone brands to pursue engagements with JAIST on partnerships that will lead to the deployment of the new battery technology in the production of more reliable and durable batteries for smartphones and other tech gadgets.
Last month, we reported that Clubhouse Co-founder Paul Davidson hinted that the Android version of the popular app will be released in May. Also, Clubhouse Android app developer Mopewa Ogundipe had given a teaser of the upcoming Android version.
A recent blog shared by Clubhouse has indicated that the audio-chat, invitation-only iOS app will soon be operational on Android, as closed beta testing of the app has begun. Earlier in January, Clubhouse had announced that it has started work on the development of an Android app with a part of the funds available through its recent funding support from Andreessen Horowitz.
The display of the Clubhouse app on the beta channel is an indication of the massive progress made by the company since it began the development of the infrastructure and technology for its Android version of the popular iOS app. The blog post also provided details of some modifications introduced into the iOS app. However, the main information was the announcement that it has started a rollout of the beta version of the Android app to some testers, which will be scaled up in subsequent stages in the coming weeks. Although no timeline was provided on the date of the actual Android rollout, we are certain that it would be in the coming weeks and has begun beta testing already.
Since the unveiling of Clubhouse last year, several social media platforms have pursued the development of alternative apps to rival the popular app. It has also led to censure in parts of the world, as the app provides a platform for the voiceless to be heard in their voices. This versatility is now being extended to the Android ecosystem and the outlook looks promising for Clubhouse.
Last month, Infinix announced the Infinix HOT 10S in Indonesia. This smartphone was unveiled alongside the Infinix HOT 10S NFC. A couple of weeks later, the company has officially revealed when this phone will be hitting the Indian shores.
Infinix HOT 10S / Infinix HOT 10S NFC
According to a report by 91Mobiles, the Infinix HOT 10S will be launching in India in the second week of May. This piece of information comes directly from Infinix. According to the company, this smartphone will arrive with “a smooth display, classy design, high gaming performance, and superior camera.”
For those unaware, the Infinix HOT 10S flaunts a 6.82-inch HD+ TFT LCD panel with a resolution of 720 x 1640 pixels, a 90Hz refresh rate, a 180Hz touch sampling rate, a 20:5:9 aspect ratio, and a dewdrop notch. The device is powered by a MediaTek Helio G85 SoC coupled with up to 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage.
The handset house a triple camera setup on the back consisting of a 48MP primary sensor, a 2MP depth sensor, and an AI lens. Whereas, on the front, the phone features an 8MP selfie camera.
It runs XOS 7.6 based on Android 11 and is backed by a 6,000mAh battery with support for 10W charging via a MicroUSB port. Other features of this handset include a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, a MicroSD card slot, a 3.5mm headphone jack, dual-SIM, 4G, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth, and essential sensors (proximity sensor, accelerometer, compass, ambient light sensor).
Last but not least, the Infinix HOT 10S measures 171.5 x 77.5 x 9.2mm in dimensions.
Blackview Bl6000 Pro 5G rugged smartphone comes with a 6.36-inch FHD+ Punch Hole Display and is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 800 chipset. The smartphone features a triple rear camera setup with a 48MP Sony IMX582 sensor. For your selfies, you have a Samsung S5K3P9-SP 16MP front camera.
Blackview Bl6000 Pro 5G smartphone is designed to work in the harshest environment and comes with an IP68, IP69K, and MIL-STD-810G certification making it waterproof, dustproof, drop-proof, and shockproof. The smartphone is up to – 30 degrees celsius cold resistant and can withstand dangerous and hazardous weather elements like heat, pressure, etc.
Designed using nanotechnology and sealed with a special membrane, the smartphone can withstand up to 1.5m of water for up to 30 minutes and a robust metal body structure makes it drop-proof up to 1.5m in height.
The smartphone comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB ROM and is powered by a massive 5280mAh battery that gives you 11 hours of video time and 480 hours of standby on one single charge.
Generally retailing at $450 you can now buy Blackview Bl6000 Pro for a heavily discounted price of $379.99 only at Banggood. Please note that this deal will end in the next 15 hours. So hurry up and place your order asap.
For more information on such exciting deals and offers check out ourdeals hub.
* Please Note: When you buy something using the links in our articles, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
In the last months, Motorola launched a huge amount of devices from the G series ranging from the entry-level segment to the flagship one. The handsets go from the affordable Moto G10 up to the powerful Moto G100 with several handsets in the middle. This comparison regards exactly these devices in the middle. Given that a lot of devices might make confusion in those who do not know the smartphone market very well, we decided to compare the specifications of the Motorola Moto G20, the Moto G30, and the Moto G50 in order to tell you what changes between each model.
Motorola Moto G20 vs Motorola Moto G30 vs Motorola Moto G50
Quad 64 + 8 + 2 + 2 MP f/1.7, f/2.2, f/2.4 and f/2.4
13 MP f/2.2 front camera
Triple 48 + 5 + 2 MP, f/1.7 + f/2.4 + f/2.4
13 MP f/2.2 front camera
BATTERY
5000 mAh
5000 mAh, fast charging 20W
5000 mAh, fast charging 15W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Dual SIM slot, water repellent
Dual SIM slot, water repellent
Dual SIM slot, water repellent
Design
Despite you can recognize each other if you have seen them before, Motorola Moto G20, Moto G30, and Moto G50 are not so different when it comes to design. They are all built with a plastic back and a plastic frame and they have a water repellent design. In each case, you get a punch-hole display with not so narrow bezels and a rectangle-shaped camera module, as well as a rear-mounted fingerprint reader. I like the Motorola Moto G50 more due to its reflective color variants, but it is a matter of taste.
Display
The Motorola Moto G20, the Moto G30, and the Moto G50 have exactly the same display. It is an IPS panel with a diagonal of 6.5 inches, an HD+ resolution (720 x 1600p), and a 90 Hz refresh rate. It is not a great panel given the below-average resolution it provides, but the high refresh rate makes the viewing experience smooth and satisfying. However, do not expect an accurate image quality. If you need so, just do not choose any of these devices.
Hardware/Software
The most powerful hardware belongs to the Moto G30: the Moto G50 actually comes with a stronger chipset (the Snapdragon 480), but if you choose the most expensive configuration of the Moto G30 you can get more RAM. So we have the Snapdragon 662 (which is only slightly weaker than the Snapdragon 480) paired with up to 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. On the other hand, the Moto G50 supports 5G, while the Moto G30 does not. The Moto G20 is inferior as it has a Unisoc T700 chipset instead of those Snapdragon ones. Moto G20, G30, and G50 run Android 11 out of the box.
Camera
If you need the most advanced cameras, you should opt for the Moto G30 again. It has a better 64 MP main camera with an f/1.7 focal aperture, as well as an 8 MP ultrawide sensor and a pair of 2 MP cameras for macros and depth calculation. The Moto G20 has the same secondary sensors, but the main camera is an inferior 48 MP snapper. You get the same 48 MP camera with the Moto G50 and even a better 5 MP macro camera but, unfortunately, it lacks an ultrawide camera, so it is even worse than the Moto G20.
Battery
Motorola equipped the Moto G20, the Moto G30, and the Moto G50 with the same 5000 mAh battery providing a great battery life thanks to the efficient components. If you do not use 5G, you should get a longer battery life with the Moto G50 because the chipset is built at 8 nm. The Moto G30, instead, provides faster charging speeds with its 20W fast charging.
Motorola Moto G20 vs Motorola Moto G30 vs Motorola Moto G50: Price
In the global market, Motorola Moto G20 is priced at €169/$205 in its base variant, Moto G30 carries a €239/$290 price tag and Moto G50 costs €279/$335 (prices vary depending on the regions). If we exclude 5G, the Moto G30 is the best one with its great cameras, faster charging speeds, good chipset, and up to 6 GB of RAM. But the Moto G50 has a faster chipset with 5G which makes the price go higher.
In a bid to grab some of the market shares of Huawei as well as expand its reach in Europe, OPPO has officially launched the OPPO A54 5G and OPPO A74 5G smartphones for the European market. The two models offer 5G connectivity at very cheap and affordable prices. Here’s is a look at the specifications of the two models.
OPPO A54 5G
OPPO A54 5G – SPECIFICATIONS & FEATURES
The two new smartphones surprisingly pack similar hardware and design, leaving us bewildered as to why OPPO decided to launch the models separately. The major difference between the two is the amount of RAM and storage available on both. While the A54 5G comes with 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB of expandable UFS 2.1 flash storage, the A74 5G has a single 6GB RAM version with 128GB of expandable storage.
OPPO A54 5G
In terms of the specs, the OPPO A54 5G features a 6.5-inch IPS LCD screen with FHD+ resolution and support for a 90Hz refresh rate. The device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 chipset which supports 5G connectivity.
For photography, the A54 5G packs a quad-camera setup at the rear and this includes a 48MP main sensor, 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, 2MP macro lens, and 2MP depth sensor. At the front, there is a 16MP selfie camera etched on the punch-hole located at the top left side of the display.
The phone gets its juice from a 5000mAh battery which unfortunately doesn’t support fast charging. The interface is provided by the Android 11-based ColorOS 11.1. For connectivity, the A54 5G comes with WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth, and NFC. There is equally a side-mounted fingerprint sensor on board for biometric authentication.
OPPO A74 5G – Specs & Features
OPPO also launched the A74 5G for the European market. The phone also comes with 5G capabilities and offers better RAM and storage sizes than the A54 5G. The chipset, design, and other features remain the same with the A54 5G.
The Oppo A74 5G packs a similar 6.5-inch IPS LCD screen with FHD+ resolution and a maximum refresh rate of 90Hz. The device also packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 chipset meaning it is 5G-enabled. The processor is paired with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. The storage can be expanded up to 256GB via a microSD card.
For optics, the OPPO A4 5G equally packs a quad-camera setup consisting of a 48MP + 8MP ultra-wide+2MP depth sensor+ 2MP macro lens. For selfies, there is a 16MP camera embedded on the hole punch at the left side of the display.
The A74 5G also crams a 5000mAH battery under its hood but this time around, it arrives with 18W fast charging support over a USB-C port. The phone also brings support for NFC, Bluetooth, GPS, and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac. You also get a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for biometric authentication.
PRICING & AVAILABILITY
In terms of the prices, the OPPO A54 5G is priced at €269 (~$324). The device is available in two colour options, Fantastic Purple and Fluid Black.
On the other hand, the OPPO A74 5G carries a price tag of €299 (~$360) price tag. The A74 5G is available in two colour options; Fluid Black and Space Silver.
Earlier today, we reported that Flipkart is selling the Google Pixel 4a at a discounted price tag in India as part of the eCommerce giant’s ongoing ‘Big Saving Days’ sale. Now, we are back again with two more stellar deals for people looking to buy a foldable smartphone.
Motorola razr 5G
Foldable smartphones are expensive. But not anymore, at least for the time being in India. Flipkart, one of the largest online retailers in the country has currently listed the Motorola razr and the Motorola razr 5G for never-before-seen price tags.
The two clamshell foldable smartphones from the Lenovo-owned brand are being sold for the following prices in India.
This offer is only valid until May 7. Following that, the price of these foldables will increase to ₹74,999 and ₹1,09,999 respectively. Hence, if you buy now, you will be saving ₹20,000.
That said, it is worth noting that foldables are different from regular smartphones. They may require extra care. Hence, invest only if you understand the risks associated with them.
It is not easy to make a phone with moving parts water-resistant. This is one of the reasons why the ASUS Zenfone 6 and Zenfone 7 series which have motorized cameras are not water-resistant. Now that ASUS is dropping that design, it has confirmed that the Zenfone 8 will have an IP68 rating.
In its latest teaser for the upcoming compact flagship phone, ASUS revealed that the Zenfone 8 will have an IP68 rating which means that alongside being able to withstand dust, dirt, and sand, it can also survive immersion in water up to a depth of 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes.
The Zenfone 8 will be the first ASUS flagship phone with an IP68 rating in years. Even before the Zenfone 6 and Zenfone 7, water-resistance is not a feature found in ASUS phones, so this is a big addition for the brand.
So far, ASUS has confirmed that the Zenfone 8 will also have an audio jack and its teasers have shown the phone has a hole punch at the top left corner of the screen for the front-facing camera. It will also have a display with a high refresh rate and a Snapdragon 888 processor.
While the world is still combating the Coronavirus pandemic, the sales of tablets and Chromebooks have remained robust. The pandemic had initially fueled the demand for these products back in 2020, which are still seeing a surge in the first quarter of this year.
According to an IDCreport, tablets saw an excellent first quarter with its shipments reaching 39.9 million units in Q1 2021. This marked a 55.2 percent year on year growth, which is a level of rise not seen since the third quarter of 2013 when the tablet market had grown by 56.9 percent year on year. On the other hand, Chromebooks shipments also remained robust with over 13 million units during the same time, up from 2.8 million units from back in the first quarter of last year.
Anuroop Nataraj, research analyst at IDC added that “While vaccine rollouts and businesses returning to offices may slow down the work-from-home trend, we are still far from returning to ‘normal’ working conditions and hence the demand for tablets, especially detachables, is expected to continue for a while. However, as buyers increasingly turn towards competing products, such as thin and light notebooks for work or entertainment and Chromebooks for education, the future of tablets will remain under constant competition, leaving the heavy lifting to larger brands such as Apple, Samsung, Amazon, and Microsoft.”
Furthermore, the growth of the tablet market was also driven by schools across the globe showing strong preference for the product due to its form factor, low cost, and easy manageability. Meanwhile, another IDC analyst Jitesh Ubrani added that “”There’s no doubt that Chromebooks have supplanted tablets in many education markets. However, price and the dependence on cloud services have prevented them from becoming mainstays in all regions.”
Two months after the launch of the Redmi K40, the K40 series has a new member — the Redmi K40 Gaming Edition. This is Redmi’s first gaming smartphone, and it’s also the cheapest entry in the gaming phone market. Instead of starting a new product line for this phone, Redmi has put it in the K40 series.
While the K40 Gaming Edition seems perfect, there is one aspect where buyers need to pay extra attention. Read this review till the end to know the points that you should keep in mind.
REDMI K40 Gaming Edition Review: Design
Redmi emphasizes that this K40 Gaming Edition focuses on solving the three major pain points of gaming phones: thick, heavy, and flashy. If you just look at the official data – The phone is 8.3mm thick and weighs 205g, So this phone is not really thin and lightweight as compared to regular smartphones. But when you compare it with other gaming phones, it is indeed lighter and thinner.
This time, the frame is made of metal and the back panel is made of glass, so it’s not using plastic to reduce weight, and the quality is better than K40 and realme GT Neo. The back looks less flashy than other gaming phones, the camera module is still placed in the upper left corner. The lens protrudes very little, and the design of the pattern is still very restrained. The main gaming design elements are around the lens, the words FREEZING, SPEEDIEST are on both sides of the lens, and there are two RGB lights around it. If there are unread notifications, or if the phone is charging or if you are playing a game, these lights will flash. But these lights while gaming may not be always bright.
The lightning flash and the new speaker cutout are very gaming centric. The top and bottom frame are straight and with the pop-up trigger on both sides, it really feels like you are playing on a handheld gaming console. In addition, the new antenna design and the third microphone added to the side all confirm its identity as a gaming phone. There is NFC and IR blaster, but the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack is not very “Gaming-focused”.
REDMI K40 Gaming Edition Review: Display
The K40 Gaming Edition uses a 120Hz FHD+ flexible OLED straight screen. Because of our sub-par display experience with the Mi 11 Lite 5G, first, let’s take a look at the screen pixel arrangement. This time the screen supplier is from a Chinese company and uses diamond-like pixels.
The screen’s fineness is not much different from Samsung’s AMOLED. It supports HDR10+, and the protective glass is Corning Gorilla 5th generation glass. Also because the flexible screen uses the COP packaging process, the width of the lower bezel is made very narrow, and the plastic protection layer is also made very small and looks more beautiful than other non-gaming phones.
But also because of the non-Samsung flexible screen, the camera cut out at the front is a little larger than the K40. The peak brightness is lower than the K40 as well. Although the screen performance is not very good in terms of hardware, the narrow bezel still gives a good impression.
The K40 Gaming Edition is the second phone to use the MediaTek Dimensity 1200, which was also used in the realme GT Neo.
Let’s compare the Benchmark results: On Antutu, the phone scores 686604, in 3DMark 4147, in GFX Bench OpenGL 1741, and in Manhattan 3.1 it scores 4136.
Since it’s a Gaming Edition, the gaming experience is the main focus. For a good gaming experience, the K40 Gaming Edition uses a new type of thermal material that can control the antenna heating up without blocking the signal transmission and reception. It is also equipped with the same type of pop-up trigger as the Black Shark 4. The trigger pops up when you toggle the switch on.
The sound and feel of the switch can be really addictive. Because it is a physical trigger, it feels more comfortable than other triggers that are pressed through vibration feedback, the feedback is more direct while the latency is lower. However, the current system version does not allow the trigger to be customized for shortcuts. So right now the trigger can only be turned on to start the <Game space>. When you play PUBG, like realme GT Neo, it does not support the HDR Graphics Extreme frame rate option, but with Smooth Graphics you can turn on 90fps frame rate. K40 Gaming Edition can run at a near full frame rate in this setting. The same light load game COD mobile is also available in full frame. This time Redmi and miHoYo have worked together to optimize Genshin Impact. But the actual results don’t look very different from the realme GT Neo. The average is 50.99 fps. The phone has slightly less lag than the realme GT Neo, but there is still a performance gap with the K40.
Redmi does not have a frame rate limit for Brightridge, averaging at 41.56 fps. Although it is able to play smoothly, the temperature breaks 50 degrees Celsius at the front and 49 degrees Celsius at the back. And because it is a metal frame, it will feel much hotter than a phone with a plastic frame, so the gaming experience is not very good.
REDMI K40 Gaming Edition Review: Camera
There’s a 64MP primary camera. Although the parameters are very similar, it’s not the same CMOS sensor as the main camera of the K40. There is an 8MP sensor for the ultra-wide lens and a 2MP macro lens instead of a telephoto macro.
Although it is usually said that the photo quality of the game phone is not good, the K40 Gaming Edition uses optical glass in the phone lens for the first time. This means it features a “1 glass + 5 plastic” lens set. It can improve the quality of the picture. But the actual effect seems less obvious.
Main Camera
NIGHT MODE
NIGHT MODE
NIGHT MODE
The colors in the main camera are vibrant and brighter. The white balance is also much closer to what the eye sees than the K40. The dynamic range is also higher, and the daytime performance is excellent. At night when there are more lights, the auto mode performs basically the same as during the day. However, lens flare issue is more serious, occupying a very large part of the picture. And the lens flare effect wherein you’ll see a small circle inside a large one in the samples could be caused by the glass piece in the lens set.
The performance of the night mode is not so good, and the dynamic range and exposure have been reduced as well. But if you feel the images are a bit dark, or if you want to improve the photo’s exposure and dynamic range, you will have to decide whether to use the night mode according to the situation.
Ultra-Wide Camera
As for the Ultra-wide camera during daytime, unlike the K40 which had a greenish tint in its wide angle samples, the gaming edition’s ultra-wide shooter is much more normal. But the automatic HDR activation probability is low, so you often need to manually enable HDR. The control of highlights at night is very poor, often overexposed at the lights, but it returns to normal after turning on the night mode. The other parts are the same as the main camera.
NIGHT MODE
NIGHT MODE
NIGHT MODE
Macro Lens
The macro lens is just an ordinary macro lens, so don’t expect much from it.
The video performance is impressive, and the stabilization on this phone is very good compared to the last Dimensity 1200 phone. The main camera supports 4K 30 fps with very high usability. The ultra-wide-angle supports up to 1080P 30 fps, which should be no problem for extended shooting time.
REDMI K40 Gaming Edition Review: Battery Life & Performance
This time the box design is mecha style, and it contains the charger and charging cable. The charger and charging cable are now yellow and black instead of the usual white. And it’s a little smaller than the Mi 11 Ultra‘s charger.
The charging cable also uses the L-shaped charging head for the first time, making it more convenient for users to charge while playing games. The 67w charger is the same power as the Mi 11 Ultra, but the charging speed is slower than the Mi 11 Ultra, taking 43 minutes to fully charge. But given that in the first 15 minutes the phone charges to 51%, the charging speed is still almost as fast. Although the body is only 8.3mm thick, it still packs a 5065mAh battery.
Charging Speed
Battery Consumption
Half-hour Tiktok consumed 4%, another half-hour 1080P video consumed 5%. A gaming session of PUBG drained 9%, half-hour of Genshin Impact drained 20%, and Brightridge for 20 minutes drained 13%. Such an excellent level of battery life can be credited to its large battery.
REDMI K40 Gaming Edition Review: Issues & Verdict
Redmi CEO Mr. Lu said this in an interview after the K40 Gaming Edition launch: “The gaming phone industry has entered a dead-end cycle, the product has deviated from user needs, and now all we have to do is return to user needs”.
The low-profile design allows most people to also accept the use of gaming phones as their daily driver, and then as more phones are sold, the selling price of the phone can be pulled further down, forming a virtuous circle. The K40 Gaming Edition is different from traditional gaming phones in the sense that it doesn’t have six or eight triggers, nor does it have the Snapdragon 888, but what it has is a cheaper price, more restrained appearance, and better-feeling physical triggers have made it possible for the K40 Gaming Edition to offer a good gaming experience without the traditional gaming phone features.
It should have sold well internationally too, but it was prevented from doing so for one reason – it can’t install GMS, which means it doesn’t support all Google-related apps, so users who don’t live in China must be aware of this problem. I hope Xiaomi will update the system to support GMS or launch a global version of K40 Gaming Edition.
We are eager to hear your thoughts about this. Feel free to share it with us in the comments section below. I’m Kieran from Gizmochina, and we’ll see you next time.
Amazfit BIP U Pro smartwatch features a 1.4” color display with 50 plus different watch faces to choose from. The smartwatch also supports animated watch faces and customized pictures allowing you to make your own unique watch face.
The smartwatch weighs just 31g making it super comfortable to wear all day long and features 60 plus sports modes to track your exercise and other activities. To manage your health and fitness, the smartwatch comes with a PAI health assessment system and Blood Oxygen monitor, Stress tracker, Sleep tracker, Menstrual cycle tracker, etc. Moreover, with a 5 ATM water resistance certification, you can easily wear Amazfit BIP U Pro for swimming and other pool activities.
Compatible with Alexa Voice Assistant, Amazfit BIP U Pro gives you 9 days of battery life on one single charge. Available in three colors viz: Black, Green, and Pink, you can now buy Amazfit BIP U Pro for $69.99 only at AliExpress.
For more information on such exciting deals and offers check out ourdeals hub.
* Please Note: When you buy something using the links in our articles, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
Chinese brand realme is the fastest-growing smartphone brand in recent times. The company has already ventured into other product categories piggybacking on the success of its phones. Looks like there’s nothing stopping it from exploring further new product categories as it gears up to launch laptops.
The sister brand of OPPO and OnePlus has been rumored to release laptops for quite a while now. The company even teased a notebook called ‘realme MeowBook’ in its April Fool’s day prank.
But now, we can confirm that realme will be indeed launching laptops in the coming days. Because it has shared a survey on realme Community asking the public in India regarding their ‘laptop preferences’.
This survey is being conducted via Google Forms. It asks basic information about the participants, like gender, age group, and annual income. Interestingly, realme wants to know the smartphone used by the participants and how well are they satisfied with it.
Further, for some reason, the company has not included HP for a question that asks for the brand of the laptop owned by participants. However, it has listed lesser popular laptop companies like Xiaomi and HONOR, in addition to Lenovo, Dell, and ASUS.
Another interesting question is that the company asks whether the participants are looking to buy a laptop in the next 3 months. This clearly suggests that realme laptops could make their debut in Q3 2021.
Lastly, apart from the basic questions regarding laptop features, the brand also asks participants how much they are willing to spend on their next notebook. The price ranges include as low as under ₹30,000 and as high as ₹50,000 & above.
That said, what are your thoughts on realme laptops? Will you be buying it if the product delivers good features at an affordable price or stick with devices from traditional and well-experienced computer giants? Do let us know in the comment section below.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
