Black Shark 4, the latest flagship gaming smartphone from Black Shark is all set to hit the European market. Riding on the success of its China debut, Black Shark 4 is expected to be a strong competitor in the gaming smartphone segment, in Europe.
Black Shark 4 the latest addition to the revolutionary gaming smartphone of the Black shark series features a 6.67” Samsung AMOLED screen that uses a new generation E4 luminous material to give you an unprecedented visual experience. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor and comes in two memory variants viz: 6GB + 128GB and 8GB + 128GB. The unique feature of Black Shark 4 lies in its highly durable magnetic pop-up triggers which rise when playing a game and retract when not in use.
Fueled by a 4500mAh battery the smartphone supports 120W HyperCharge that charges your phone to 100% in just 17 mins. For its camera configuration, it features a simple gradient rear panel that holds a triple camera setup with a 48MP main camera and 8MP + 5MP secondary cameras. In the front, the smartphone features a 20MP punch-hole selfie camera.
The smartphone which was launched in China in March 2021, garnered pretty positive reviews amongst its customers. With more than 20000 user reviews on e-commerce platforms, Black Shark 4 has garnered an almost 95% positivity rate.
Now Black Shark 4 is now ready to launch in Europe and other global markets. The Black Shark 4, Global version is now available at a discounted price of $416.74 at AliExpress. For more information on this deal check out this link.
For more information on such exciting deals and offers check out ourdeals hub.
Taiwanese tech giant ASUS has officially released a teaser that shows the company will hold a product launch event on May 11 at 2 PM CEST. During the event, the tech giant will launch a new gaming notebook that is expected to be named ROG Zephyrus M16.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 notebook is touted to be powered by an 11th-generation Intel Tiger Lake H45 processor. The laptop was earlier revealed to have been listed on Amazon China giving us our first look at the gaming laptop.
The model listed on Amazon is ROG Zephyrus M16 GU603HR, equipped with Intel’s unreleased Core i9-11900H processor as well as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 GPU. The device is equipped with 32GB of memory and 2TB PCIe SSD. The gaming notebook is equipped with a 16:10 screen with a sunken hinge which can create an almost borderless effect when it is turned on. This screen has a 16-inch WUXGA display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels. The display supports a 165Hz refresh rate.
At present, Intel has not announced the release time of the 11th-generation Core H45 processor. It could be announced officially before May 11.
Apart from the gaming laptop, ASUS may also release other refreshed ROG laptops but we have no idea if the company will unveil any other model. There are speculations, though, that the company will also release models with Core i7-11800H processors, as well as those also having GeForce RTX 3050, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, and GeForce RTX 3060 GPUs.
Chinese startup Ultenic has unveiled its smart home gadget, the Ultenic T10 Robot Vacuum Cleaner for the US market. The Ultenic T10 is a smart robot vacuum with a lot of impressive features and it is equally affordable, coming in at a discounted price of $599. The vacuum cleaner is on sale via Amazon US.
The Ultenic T10 Robot Vacuum Cleaner features three suction modes, EOMS Pro Mapping technology, auto dust disposal capability, in combination with a strong 5200mAh battery that allows the device to work up to five hours on a full charge.
The features of the smart vacuum cleaner also include a Smart Voice app, ultra carpet boost, Intelligent Laser Navigation System (ILNS) 3.0, and a multi-layer mapping technology that enables the gadget to save multiple maps of the area and no-go zones.
The T10 smart vacuum cleaner is an ideal home gadget that will help users to clean and mop their homes without hassles and efficiently. It has a self-emptying mechanism that enables the vacuum cleaner to automatically empty its dirt for up to 60 days. With a powerful suction of 3000Pa and three adjustable suction modes, the user can navigate from Standard to Quiet and then to Power mode to cater to different complexities of the task. The ultra carpet boost technology modulates the operation of the device to clean different floor types.
The Ultenic T10 robot vacuum cleaner also has app support, as the user can use the free app to control the device and even schedule cleaning tasks. The Smart Voice feature enables the user to use Alexa or Google Assistant and interface the gadget with other smart home devices.
The dual-purpose dustbin and water tank enable the user to vacuum and mop the floor simultaneously, with the Pro Mopping Technology to provide comprehensive cleaning of the room.
This special edition which is officially called the OnePlus Nord Reality to Idea Collector Box Limited Edition was found on the OnePlus Germany website by a user that goes by Felix Frank (@Flix_95). It is surprising that OnePlus didn’t officially announce it before it went on sale.
The special edition OnePlus Nord was made in collaboration with Joshua Vides, a designer who is known for his artworks which look like hand-drawn sketches. This sketch-like design is the same adopted for the OnePlus Nord Reality to Idea Collector Box Limited Edition.
The boxes the phone comes in looks like a sketch and so is the paint job of the phone itself and the included case. OnePlus also includes a tote bag in the box. This special edition OnePlus Nord has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
The OnePlus Nord Reality to Idea Collector Box Limited Edition is available only in Europe. It is priced at €499 in some countries such as Germany and France while in other countries such as Ireland, it is €509. Those in the UK can grab it for £469. if you want to grab a unit, just visit the OnePlus Website for your region.
Last week, Samsung started rolling out the Android 11-based One UI Core 3.1 update for the Galaxy A01. A few days later, the company is now seeding this very same update for the Galaxy M01, which is a rebranded Galaxy A01. Additionally, the Android 11 update is also being rolled out for the Galaxy A41 as One UI 3.1.
The Samsung Galaxy M01 Android 11 (One UI Core 3.1) update arrives with firmware version M015GXXU3BUD9. Apart from bringing new features and UI, the latest system update for this entry-level smartphone also bumps up the security patch level to April 2021.
On the other hand, the Android 11 (One UI 3.1) update for the Samsung Galaxy A41 is currently live in Russia with firmware version A415FXXU1CUD4. It also comes with April 2021 security patches.
Users of these two smartphones can head over to Settings > Software update > Download and install to check whether their unit has received the update.
Anyway, like any other software update, this OTA update is also being pushed in batches across different regions. Therefore, it may take some time to hit every unit in the market.
Lastly, it is worth noting that Android 11 is the first-ever major software update for these two phones. However, we are not sure if the cheaper Galaxy M01 will receive Android 12 in the future.
Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) has raised its annual revenue forecast earlier this week. This arrives as the company bets that its chips used in data centers and consumers’ PCs as the chief executive of the firm is also confident about the supply chain’s current situation.
According to a Reutersreport, the chip designer’s shared had risen recently by about 4 percent in extended trading after it also recorded results that were better than expected for the first quarter of this year. Furthermore, AMD CEO Lisa Su has “good visibility” and that the company is confident to secure additional chips from its manufacturing partners. Su added that “The entire semiconductor supply chain is very, very tight. That being said, we’ve been working very closely with our supply chain partners. We have seen improvements that have led to the improved full year guide.”
For those unaware, Team Red has recently been stealing market share from Intel over processors, meanwhile, the company is also seeing a surge in demand for its graphcis cards as well for gamers. AMD now believes that their revenue will rise by 50 percent from a year prior. This means that the company could generate about 14.64 billion US Dollars, which marks a rise from the previously forecast that projected a 39 percent jump.
Lisa Su stated that “We feel very good about our progress, particularly in notebooks. We’re seeing traction in the premium ultra thin, gaming and commercial.” The brand is is expecting its computing and graphics business, which also includes graphics and central processing chips for personal computers rose by 46 percent to 2.10 billion US Dollars while its enterprise business that targets data centers chips posted a jump in sales as well, reaching 1.35 billion US Dollars.
Xiaomi has been rolling out MIUI 12.5 stable update to a number of devices for the past few days. The latest smartphone to get this update is 2019’s Mi CC9 Meitu Edition. This handset is a customized version of the regular Mi CC9.
Xiaomi Mi CC9 Meitu Edition
Back in 2019, Xiaomi introduced the China-exclusive Mi CC9 series. The lineup includes three devices and a limited edition model called Mi CC9 Meitu Edition. The latter phone is the latest Xiaomi group smartphone to receive the MIUI 12.5 update.
The Mi CC9 Meitu Edition MIUI 12.5 update is currently in the ‘Stable Beta’ phase with build number V12.5.1.0.RFECNXM. It also brings Android 11 to this handset.
For those unaware, MIUI builds termed as ‘Stable Beta’ are only released for a select few users. The status of these builds is changed to ‘Stable’ and gradually rolled out to all users if the early adopters don’t face any major issues.
That said, since the regular Mi CC9 has identical hardware, it should also receive the MIUI 12.5 update in the coming days. Once that device gets it, we can expect the Mi 9 Lite to receive the MIUI 12.5 update as it is a rebranded Mi CC9 for global markets.
Earlier this week, the Australian competition watchdog might soon have Apple and Google address their dominating market power with their app stores, namely iOS App Store and the Play Store.
According to a Reutersreport, these major tech giants might have regulations if they do not make changes regarding this matter. For those unaware, both Apple and Google have been facing pressure from various governments across the globe due to their major market dominance. Both firms charge developers and other firms a commission on any in app purchases made through their respective application platforms. Thus, this might lead to the Australian government passing regulations against both companies.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) stated that app developers should be allowed to provide customers with an alternative method of payments. Furthermore, the data collected from Google and Apple should be kept separate from their operations. Similarly, the ACCC even urged tech giants to allow consumers to change or remove pre installed or even default apps.
As per ACCC Chair Rod Sims, “We have identified a number of areas where action is required and have put forward potential measures to address areas of particular concern. There is a window of opportunity for Apple and Google themselves to take steps to improve outcomes for app developers and consumers.” Sims further added that the ACCC would look at changes of laws in other countries and other proposals but “regulation may be required if Apple and Google fail to take steps to address the concerns identified.”
OPPO has been rolling out ColorOS 11 (Android 11) builds to eligible devices since September 2020. The company has been following the monthly timeline it releases at the start of each month. Going by this month’s schedule, it has now opened registrations for OPPO A53 Android 11 beta update.
OPPO A53
According to ColorOS 11 April 2021 update plan, OPPO is supposed to open beta registrations for five devices. Following the schedule, the registration went live for the first four phones on and before time in some instances. Similarly, the registrations are now live for the fifth and final handset – OPPO A53 as well.
The OPPO A53 ColorOS 11 Beta program is currently limited to India and Indonesia only. Interested users in these two regions should be on firmware version A.69/A.77 to register themselves for the initiative.
To enroll in the program, users need to navigate to Settings > Software Update > Gear Icon > Apply for Beta Version > Update Beta Version and follow the on-screen instructions. According to the official announcement post on ColorOS Community, the registrations will run from April 27 to May 11 for limited seats.
The OPPO A53 debuted with ColorOS 7.2 based on Android 11. Hence, ColorOS 11 (Android 11) is the smartphone’s first major update. Going by OPPO’s software update track record, it could receive Android 12 in the future.
While gaming smartphones have grown in popularity in recent times as they offer great performance in a handset, these devices still suffer from a few common issues. This includes bulkiness, pricing, weight, and other similar problems. But, a Nubia executive has hinted that an upcoming gaming smartphone from the brand might be thinner than 8.3mm.
Recently, Lu Weibing, President of Xiaomi Group, announced that the Redmi K40 Game Enhanced Edition was the thinnest ever gaming smartphone. This devices measures just 8.3mm in thickness, but Ni Fei, Co Founder of Nubia, believes that this is not the thinnest gaming smartphone. At the moment, the Chinese brand does not offer any thin and light gaming smartphone. In other words, the senior official might be hinting at an upcoming gaming phone that will be thinner than 8.3mm.
This statement could also imply that the company is working on making thinner and lighter smartphones that are similar to the latest entry of the Redmi K40 series. Furthermore, rumors have recently surfaced that the smartphone maker is working on a new variant within its latest Red Magic 6 series of gaming handsets. This device is expected to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 SoC along with a large 4,200mAh battery pack, as per a MyDriversreport.
Meaning, this new variant might be a thin and light gaming smartphone from Nubia. Unfortunately, finer details regarding this device are currently unknown but it is reumored to launch soon. So stay tuned for more updates as additional reports or leaks would likely surface sometime in the near future.
Popular fitness band and smartwatch manufacturer Garmin has introduced yet another innovative smartwatch for the Indian market. The watch is dubbed Garmin Approach S12 and it is targeted at golfers, featuring severe features such as GPS to help them improve their swing and their game. The watch is built to accurately curate data for each swing.
The watch utilizes a round dial with a rugged outlook. The display is a 1.3-inch panel that can be read even inside the sun. The watch also arrives with extra watch bands with a quick-release button to make changing the straps easy.
On the software side, the Approach S12 smartwatch is pre-loaded with over 42,000 golf courses around the world which helps in providing accurate data and aiding the golfer. The player’s data is updated through the Garmin Golf app. The app also keeps the player updated on happenings in the golfing circle and keeps the golfer abreast of his progress by providing various information such as weekly leaderboards, tournaments, review live scoring, strokes gained analysis, automatic scorecard uploads, and much more.
Further, the Approach S12 is said to feature Approach CT10 club sensors which users can decide to pair with for automatic club tracking to see how far players hit each club and for more tracking capabilities.
For battery life, the smartwatch is touted to present with up to 30 hours of battery on a single charge in GPS mode. That means when the GPS is not in use, the battery life will run into days if not weeks.
As for the price, the Garmin Approach S12 smartwatch adopts an Rs. 20,990 ($282) price tag. The smartwatch will be available in India via Amazon.in, synergizer.co.in, Tata Cliq, and Flipkart. It will also be sold in offline stores such as All Garmin Brand Stores (Pan India), World of Golf Sports (Pune), Bangalore Golf Store, and Bhasin Sports (Gurgaon).
Last month, Lenovo-owned Motorola had launched the Moto G50 budget 5G smartphone in the European market. Now, the same smartphone has been launched in China, where it comes in a single variant that packs 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.
It is priced at 1,499 yuan which roughly converts to $231. The device can be purchased through Lenovo‘s official website, JD.com, and Tmall.com.
The Moto G50 smartphone features a 6.5-inch Max Vision HD+ display with a waterdrop notch. This display has a resolution of 1600×720 pixels, 90Hz refresh rate, 269 PPI, 20:9 aspect ratio, and 85 percent screen-body ratio.
Under the hood, the device has Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 5G chipset. The chipset is paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. Apart from this, there’s also a microSD card slot allowing users to further expand the storage up to 1TB.
In the camera department, there’s a triple-camera setup on the back with a 48-megapixel f/1.7 main lens, a 5-megapixel f/2.4 macro lens, and a 2-megapixel f/2.4 depth sensor. Upfront, it comes with a 13-megapixel f/2.2 selfie shooter. Camera features on the device include HDR, Timer, Active photos, Pro mode, Portrait mode, Timelapse video, Hyperlapse video, and more.
Other features include a rear fingerprint sensor, face unlocking, a 3.5mm audio jack, USB Type-C port, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, GNSS (GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo), and 4G LTE (Hybrid SIM slot).
The phone runs the latest Android 11 operating system out-of-the-box with an almost stock-like user interface. The device is powered by a 5,000mAh battery with 15W charging support but it comes with a 10W charger in the box.
Huawei has recently started rolling out OTA updates that converted the UI on several of its newer devices from EMUI to HarmonyOS. Now, a few leaksters have claimed that they have received the full upgrade to the proprietary operating system.
According to a NotebookCheckreport, known Weibo tipsters including Changan Digital King and Digital Chat Station have claimed that they either heard of users receiving the major update of the HarmonyOS (AKA HongMengOS in China) or have received the new software themselves on their own devices. Similarly, a YouTube Channel CREATOR STUDIO has even posted a new video, which basically offers a walkthrough of what appears to be the new user interface on the Mate X2.
Looking at this video, the YouTuber claims that the foldable smartphone is running “HarmonyOS 2.0.0 Developer Beta 3.” Furthermore, the leaksters have also claimed that the update has been released to the end users as well. For those unaware, HarmonyOS is the Chinese tech giant’s in house OS that it claims was built from scratch from the ground up. Although, the numerous leaks that have surfaced recently reveal that its multiple homescreens, gesture based navigation, app icons and other interfaces resemble Android.
Keep in mind that this is still an unconfirmed report at the moment, so take it with a pinch of salt. Unfortunately, we will have to wait for more information to surface before providing any concrete statements as well. It is possible that the company is rolling out the new update in China in a staggered manner, so we can expect more devices to soon be included. Thus, stay tuned for more updates.
Chinese handset maker realme has been releasing Android 11-based realme UI 2.0 builds for eligible devices since September 2020. However, the brand has only updated a handful of phones to the stable version worldwide. Now, months later, the company’s popular realme 6 Pro and realme 7 Pro have started receiving the Android 11 stable update.
realme 6 Pro (left) and realme 7 Pro (right)
Both the realme 6 Pro and the realme 7 Pro debuted with realme UI based on Android 10. Though they were launched months apart from each other, they are getting the stable Android 11-based realme UI 2.0 update at the same time.
The latest system update for these phones arrives with the following firmware versions.
In order to receive the new update, users need to be on firmware version RMX2061_11.A.49 (realme 6 Pro) and RMX2170PU_11.A.37 (realme 7 Pro).
Anyway, like any other major system update, this one is also being rolled out in stages. Therefore, it may take some time to reach every unit. Also, it is worth noting that this update has been also released for users running the Open Beta build.
That said, users who don’t like the realme UI 2.0 update or facing any issues can roll back to Android 10 (realme UI). But that process will wipe the internal storage.
Like most electric devices, there are few options of smart wearable that really cares female users with fine design and exclusive features beyond tech things. But recently a latest HUAWEI smart watch caught my eyes, the HUAWEI Watch Fit Elegant Edition. As a female user, it’s my pleasure to give you a picture how the watch performs from a female perspective, after seeing most review works were done by non-female peers.
Design
The very first good detail of the Watch Fit is the rectangular 2.5D curved display. And it truly means that the dial is curved with a beautiful arc to fit the surface of my wrist, which smartly makes it not to bump up too much over your wrist. Personally, a big display is really not necessary as it is unavoidable to have a bigger size of dial. It generally looks strange when those full-size wearables occur to my thin wrist. Wearing the Watch Fit (1.64-inch display) I didn’t have this concern. The Watch Fit (size: 46mm×30mm×10.7mm; weight: 27g) is lighter and thinner than most full-function smartwatches that I’ve ever tried.
The included off-white strap with the polished golden watch frame looks pretty stylish for female users. And more importantly, it didn’t make me spend much time again thinking about how to match my clothes with a smart wearable. Casual, formal or sports dress with this watch is very suitable, and it wouldn’t be abrupt or even too distracting.
Water-proofness
Another feature that saved my life is the so called 5ATM water-proofness. The official explanation says the watch could be used for shallow-water activities like swimming. For me, it’s a greatly release that I didn’t need to take down the watch as I’m cooking at home, where I relied much on the watch features like timer and stopwatch. The dial didn’t leave a little water stain after drenching.
Sports & Health tracking
At the beginning, I thought like the other watches, it would provide the similar sports modes with good sport data collection and display. However, it offers more than what I expected. Besides the 96 workout modes with reliable sport tracking, it can work like a private trainer by offering 12 kinds of animated fitness courses (Exercise at Work, Neck & shoulder Relaxation, Burn Fat Fast, etc.) these animated courses includes 44 standard movement demonstrations which perfectly guides your workout without any equipment.
And the other lasted wearable fitness trackers like the build-in GPS sensor, all-time heartrate monitoring and Blood oxygen saturation monitoring are all included in the Watch Fit. Furthermore, it’s so warm that the watch features a Period-cycle tracking specially for female users. With this feature on, the watch kept tracking the cycle and estimated ovulation date for me, and sent me reminders to let me know the special days coming. I’ve used several phone APPs that have the similar functions, but a wearable product is definitely more convenient to keep me better informed.
Battery
By far I’m satisfied with its battery standby. With almost all important functions on, the watch has lasted for one week without charging. HUAWEI officially claimed it can last for 10 days and can collect back the power for a whole day with only a 5-minute fast charge. The official claim sounds good but I didn’t really care much about it since I only required it to give me a continuous use for the whole week.
Conclusion
I used to complain with my friends about why most tech-thing producers do not seriously think about forms and functions of their products from the perspective of women. But now it seems someone is reviewing their products seriously. The HUAWEI Watch Fit is likely to be the first few products thinking about it seriously.
The new technology is not necessary to come with some kinds of ‘technological sense’, but more importantly, when transforming it into products for all human uses, I think it should be more humane and warmer. Fortunately, at least on the Watch Fit, I saw their efforts.
Black Shark in collaboration with AliExpress Les Happy Days deals is giving out some fantastic discounts on their latest smartphone the Black Shark 4. The smartphone which generally retails for $528 is now available for as low as $416.74 only via the Les Happy Days sale.
The gaming phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor and comes in two memory variants viz: 6GB + 128GB and 8GB + 128GB. The highlight feature of Black Shark 4 lies in its uniquely designed magnetic pop-up triggers which rise when playing a game and retract when not in use. The highly durable physical triggers give you a comfortable push back after each press thereby adding to the fun factor of your gameplay.
Unlike its competitors, this smartphone comes with a minimalistic and sleek design but does not compromise on features or functions. The device sports a simple gradient rear panel with a triple camera setup at the top featuring a 48MP main camera and 8MP and 5MP secondary cameras while the front features a 20MP punch-hole selfie camera.
A massive 4500mAh battery fuels this gaming smartphone which also supports 120W HyperCharge. This means you get to 100% charge in just 17 minutes. The smartphone which comes with a 6.67” Samsung AMOLED screen uses a new generation E4 luminous material which improves the brightness and brings unprecedented super visual effects. With a record-breaking 720Hz touch sampling rate and a high-quality fully symmetrical stereo system you can be assured to have the best gaming experience on Black Shark 4.
Black Shark in collaboration with AliExpress Les Happy Days sale is now giving massive discounts on its latest smartphone, the Black Shark 4, Global Version. In this sale you can buy the Black Shark 4, 6GB + 128GB Black color variant for $416.74 (after discounts) and the 8GB + 128GB, Black and Grey color variant can be bought for $449 (after $30 store coupon discount).
Please note that the Les Happy Days sale starts on 28 April 2021 and ends on 30 April 2021. So without wasting any more time grab your discounted Black Shark 4 within the next two days, before the deal expires.
For more information on such exciting deals and offers check out ourdeals hub.
When it comes to gaming phones, Black Shark is a brand that cannot be ignored. Most of you already know that this brand is focused on gaming phones since it was founded back in 2018, but how about the fact that the brand is invested by another well-known brand, Xiaomi. So on these Black Shark models, some features remind us of the typical Xiaomi touch, such as the operating system based on MIUI, and, of course, the great value of money.
So today, the phone that we are going to share with you is one of their latest gaming models, the Black Shark 4. The main reason why we love this model is the pricing. The global version of the Blackshark 4 starts from 499 USD and is officially available now. It’s easily the most cost-effective gaming phone that you can buy globally in 2021. So if you are thinking about buying the Black shark 4, please check the link here. Considering its popularity in China, we’re pretty sure that it will soon be out of stock.
And even when compared to the Pro version, there’s no doubt that the standard Blackshark 4 is better value for money. You can check the comparison down below. To be honest, most upgrades on the Pro didn’t lead to a big difference in the gaming experience.
Black Shark 4 vs 4 Pro
Black Shark 4 Review: Design
The Black Shark 4 series’ design has changed a lot compared to their previous models. Now the Black Shark 4 looks much closer to a regular phone, being simplified and low-profile. The phone no longer has uneven surfaces with a combination of metal and glass on the rear design. Instead, it’s made up of a whole piece of smooth glass reshaping the phone’s appearance and giving gamers a different holding experience.
But thanks to the pop-up shoulder triggers, the Blackshark 4 is still one of the few gaming phones that offer the best gaming operation. Compared to others’ touch or pressure-sensitive buttons, the pop-up triggers can provide more intuitive physical feedback and give gamers a similar gaming experience to the gamepads.
About these two buttons, you can also customize them for special uses in different scenarios beyond gaming. For example, we can define the bottom Trigger as the switch of the one-hand mode to greatly improve the efficiency during one-hand use and even customize the top button for instant screenshots. And in the camera app, we can use the bottom button as the shutter button, while keeping the top one for zooming in. And by the way, the simulated mechanical sound effect of the trigger switch is so delightful that I can’t help sliding it from time to time.
As a gaming phone, the Black Shark 4 is not too heavy or bulky. It won’t cause much discomfort for long-time gaming. But at the same time, the relatively compact body does not allow the phone to feature a large battery as compared to other gaming phones. Therefore, to make up for the 4500mAh battery, Black Shark surprisingly features a 120W fast charging, which is one of the fastest charging solutions that you can have on a smartphone so far.
Black Shark 4 Review: Display
Now let’s look at its front. The Blackshark 4 features a 144Hz 1080P hole-punch display. And this display is made of the same Samsung E4 panel as the Mi 11 series, so there is no need to worry about the display quality. In the actual test, my eyes didn’t really feel discomfort after playing games for a long time on the phone.
And thanks to the dual forward-facing speakers, the phone is really good at delivering wonderful sound quality with stereo effect without using earphones. Or if you prefer wired audio quality rather than using the speakers, Blackshark was kind enough to reserve the 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom.
As for in-game software optimization, Blackshark developed an official app to help you manage installed games with a customized running performance setup. And if you are fond of using the official accessories, you can also manage the setup of these gaming equipment in the same app. Among these gaming accessories, there is an excellent cooling fan accessory that helps the phone achieve better performance output without suffering any heating issue. It’s the latest Funcooler 2 Pro.
This external cooling fan is easily the best one that we’ve ever used. We will show you its cooling effect in actual gaming very soon.
Black Shark 4 Review: Performance & Gaming
The Snapdragon 870 chipset in the Blackshark 4 is already able to handle almost all Android games without any performance issues. Although the results shown in the benchmarks indicated a performance gap between the 870 and the 888 chipsets, in actual use and gaming, the experience gap is really unperceivable.
Geekbench 5
Antutu
Now let’s check out the results of actual gaming.
In the PUBG Mobile China version, we found a way to turn on 90fps framerate support under HDR graphics on the Blackshark 4. But by far this method is only available on Blackshark 4 and doesn’t work on the other latest models. The framerate easily went up to 90fps and remained at 89.04fps on an average during the entire test. By the way, gamers would definitely enjoy playing the game with the pop-up triggers. They are the best shoulder buttons for the PUBG Mobile that we’ve ever played with.
The second game we ran was Genshin Impact. The Blackshark 4 again presented excellent stability over the running framerate. There wasn’t much fluctuation during the 30-minute test and meanwhile, it maintained an average framerate at 54.8fps, which is also one of the best performances that we’ve tested on a phone running the Snapdragon 870.
Then we ran the game Nimian Legend as our final stress test. The result was also not bad at all. The average framerate of 51.72fps also proves its strength as a gaming phone. But meanwhile, if we look closer at the CPU temperature, it’s obvious that the phone applied such an aggressive CPU strategy that it even allowed the CPU temperature to run up to 72℃. And it also led to a pretty hot holding experience.
Then we decided to connect the official cooling accessory, the Funcooler 2 Pro. Well, this cooling monster didn’t disappoint us. In its frozen mode, the CPU temperature dropped by over 5℃. And over the running framerate, it achieved an improvement of around 2.1fps with less fluctuation. Even if you are not playing games with Blackshark phones, we still recommend it as the best phone cooler for you.
Black Shark 4 Review: Battery Life & Charging
The battery life of the 4500mAh capacity didn’t bring us surprises, and this battery doesn’t really match its performance as a gaming phone. But fortunately, we have the 120W fast charge, which greatly comforts my anxiety every time it’s running out of power. The full charge only took us 16mins. Yes, 16 MINUTES! It’s pretty insane when you look at the rapidly rising battery percentage.
As for the audio quality of the speakers, there is nothing we could complain about. All we can say is that the speakers here are also one of the best stereo mobile speakers.
Black Shark 4 Review: Verdict
Unlike the Legion 2 Pro that we reviewed last week, the Black Shark 4 seems to care more about the balance between being a phone and a gaming machine. Probably you would complain about its common appearance, but if you truly use it for gaming, it won’t disappoint you with the excellent performance and friendly operation.
In addition, Black Shark has developed some interesting gaming accessories for their phones. So if you are not satisfied with the performance of the model, those kinds of accessories are able to improve your gaming experience to some extent.
If you are interested in more details about the brand and the phone, please check out the link here. It’s now available globally.
Xiaomi and Samsung have apparently partnered up to produce a new custom silicon. The two firms have reportedly held five meetings so far regarding the development of a SoC based on ARM Cortex X2 cores.
Surge C1 chip
According to CLIEN.NET (Via NotebookCheck), ARM has yet to announce the Cortex X2, although, the new architecture is expected to be unveiled later this year. Similar to the partnership between the Chinese and South Korean tech giant, Qualcomm is also expected to adopt the new v9 architecture for its upcoming flagship SoCs. Even Samsung would likely use the new cores for its competing Exynos based processors as well.
Unfortunately, this is still an unconfirmed report so take it with a pinch of salt. However, we had previously reported on the Chinese smartphone maker showing interest in developing custom silicon based chips, and this might be one of its efforts regarding the matter. So stay tuned for more, as we will be providing updates when additional information is available.
The last OxygenOS Open Beta update for the OnePlus Nord was released in early March. It was rolled out a few days after the company started seeding OxygenOS 11 (Android 11) update. Since then, OnePlus has re-released the Android 11 update after halting it for a while, which was later followed by a hotfix update. Now, almost two months later, the brand is rolling out the OxygenOS Open Beta 5 update for the OnePlus Nord.
Just like the previous public beta build, the OnePlus Nord OxygenOS Open Beta 5 update only brings fixes, in addition to some improvements. The fixes are meant for system, file manager, and camera. Whereas, the improvements are for network.
Talking about the fixes first, the latest public beta build for the OnePlus Nord brings fixes for general bugs, abnormal display issue while copying files to OTG, abnormal preview display in Nightscape Tripod mode, unresponsiveness of the camera app when setting profile photo in Contact app, frame drops in video recording, and abnormal preview display of 0.6x ultra-wide in 1080P 60FPS.
Lastly, this update brings improvements for the detection of wireless networks and the speed of WiFi connection.
OnePlus Nord OxygenOS Open Beta 5 Official Changelog
System
Fixed general bugs
Network
Improved the ability of detecting wireless network
Improved the speed of Wi-Fi connection
File Manager
Fixed abnormal display issue with the screen while copying files to OTG
Camera
Fixed the issue that the preview may display abnormally in Nightscape Tripod mode
Fixed the issue that the Camera becomes unresponsive when setting profile photo in Contact
Fixed the frame drops issue with the videos taken by the Camera
Fixed the issue that the preview abnormally display 0.6x ultra-wide in 1080P 60FPS
The OxygenOS Open Beta 5 update for the OnePlus Nord is being pushed in batches. It should be available for all users running the previous beta build in the coming days. Alternately, users on the stable channel can install it by downloading the appropriate file from the OnePlus Community.
Apple is slashing its planning production of its AirPods series of wireless earphones by about 25 to 30 percent this year. The move arrives as growing competition has led to the decline of sales of its popular earbuds.
According to a NikkeiAsiareport, the news arrives from sources close to the matter, which believe that the company is expected to make anywhere between 75 million and 85 million units in 2021. This is noticeably lower than the 110 million units that was previously projected for the year. The lowering of productions units is an indicator that the company is wary of the falling demand for its AirPods lineup, which has been the brand’s fastest growing product line since its launch with double digit percentages of growth since 2016.
As per one of the sources, “The most significant order reduction is for the second quarter toward the start of the third quarter. The levels of inventory [in warehouses] and in-store stocks of AirPods are currently high … and demand is not as strong as expected.” Although, the Cupertino based giant is hoping that the new iteration of AirPods that is set to launch later this year will help boost the sales of its products.
Back in 2020, Apple shipped around 72.8 million units of AirPods in total, dominating the wireless Bluetooth true wireless earphones market with a 31 percent market share. Furthermore, its wearables and other accessories also accounted for 11 percent of Apple’s total revenue last year, or about 12.97 billion US Dollars. But despite its lead in the market, its sales expectations still fell short as the company had reportedly asked suppliers to make over 80 to 90 million units of AirPods.
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Now Black Shark 4 is now ready to launch in Europe and other global markets. The Black Shark 4, Global version is now available at a discounted price of $416.74 at AliExpress. For more information on this deal check out this link.
