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Honor flagship smartphone powered by SD888 to launch in July; foldable smartphone also coming

After splitting up from Huawei Technologies a few months ago to run independently, Honor has made it a mission to surpass its former parent company and become one of the leading smartphone makers globally.

Recently, Honor’s Chief Executive Officer Zhao Ming revealed that the company will launch flagship smartphones this year and with that, it aims to surpass the Huawei Mate-series and P-series of flagship devices.

Honor logo

Now, a roadmap of the Honor devices for the current year has been leaked online which reveals when the mid-range and high-end devices from the brand will go official. It reveals that the flagship smartphone powered by Snapdragon 888 SoC will launch in July this year.

This is in line with the previous leak related to the premium high-end device from the brand. Further, it is revealed that the company will also launch its foldable smartphone around the same time.

Honor has been actively trying to build relations with other companies to strengthen its supply chain and production lines. It is reportedly working with AMD, Intel, Micron, Samsung, Qualcomm, Microsoft, and MediaTek for its upcoming devices.

Given that the company has separated from Huawei, it can now easily source required components from vendors which were earlier not possible under Huawei because of the sanctions imposed by the United States due to the on-going US-China trade war.

Honor is also in talks with Google to get GMS support. The company is also expanding its footprints, starting with its own Honor Mall online store and new offline stores. It will be interesting to see how Honor’s new devices perform in the market.

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Huawei and ZTE could qualify for India’s trusted 5G gear vendors list: Report

Huawei and ZTE, two major Chinese telecommunications equipment maker, might just qualify for the Indian government’s “trusted” 5G gear vendors list. Both companies could meet the eligibility criteria for the list, which is being made by the government.

huawei

According to an EconomicTimes report, the India may qualify the two Chinese tech giant’s for the trusted list, as per a government official close to the matter. The official stated that the Department of Telecommunications is preparing to launch an online portal in June 2021. This portal will reveal the final list of approved manufacturers from which telecom operators can source their networking equipment from. The portal would also track the approval process as well.

As per the official, “Currently, most service providers buy equipment on an L1 (lowest-bidder) basis. We do not have any form of embargo or condition to procure such gear. We are worried about the procurement of active programmable components such as chips for which we are tightening the rules.” Firms like Nokia, Samsung, and Ericsson, as well as chip makers like Intel and Qualcomm, will also be scrutinized to be included in the “trusted” list along with the Chinese telecom equipment maker.

Huawei

Notably, military clashes in the Indo-China border regions have led to growing anti-Chinese sentiments in India. This also caused the government to take various steps against China based companies to operate in India. It was basically implied that Chinese companies could no longer invest in the region and would require approval from Indian authorities. For those unaware, India is planning on rolling out 5G by late 2021 or early 2022. Thus, the government has been tightening rules for telecos to procure their 5G gear.

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HONOR Band 6 global launch teased officially

Back in November, HONOR launched the HONOR Band 6 as the world’s first full-screen fitness tracker in China. Two months later in January, the brand showcased this product at CES 2021. At the event, the company confirmed that this smart band will be available in select markets priced at around $35. Now, a couple of months later, HONOR finally teases the global launch of HONOR Band 6.

The official Twitter handle of HONOR Global tweeted an image of the HONOR Band 6 with the text ‘Something BIG Is Coming’. This post by the brand clearly indicates the imminent global launch of its new fitness tracker.

As far as specs are concerned, the HONOR Band 6 sports a 1.47-inch rectangular AMOLED display with a resolution of 194 x 368 pixels and 2.5D glass. The fitness tracker comes in three colors (Meteorite Black, Seagull Grey, Coral Powder) with a subtle HONOR branding on the left side and a red-accented power key on the right.

The wearable connects with devices via Bluetooth 5.0 but unfortunately, it does not feature GPS. However, it includes all the necessary sensors, such as an accelerometer, a gyroscope, an optical heart rate sensor for heart rate monitoring, and a SpO2 sensor for blood oxygen level monitoring.

HONOR Band 6 Featured
HONOR Band 6

Further, it supports 10 sports modes, sleep monitoring, menstrual cycle monitoring, 5ATM water resistance, up to 14-day battery life, and magnetic charging.

Last but not least, the HONOR Band 6 measures 43 × 25.4 × 11.45mm in dimensions and weighs about 18g (without strap).

 

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LG might shut down its Mobile Phone operations: Report

LG Electronics might be closing its mobile communications business instead of selling it. The news from a source close to the matter. Reportedly, the negotiations regarding the sale of the smartphone unit has failed.

LG

According to a report from DongA Ilbo (Via Bloomberg), the South Korean tech giant’s plans on selling its mobile phone business has failed, with negotiations with Germany’s Volkswagen AG and Vietnam’s Vingroup JSC now being off the table. Earlier this year, the consumer electronics manufacturer’s CEO had stated that the company is considering all options for its loss making business. Since then, it has been reported that LG Electronics has been seeking the sale of the smartphone unit.

Previously, the company had apparently halted the development of its upcoming smartphone with a rollable display, back in February. Now, it is also being reported that the brand will also be shelving its plans to launch any new smartphones within the the first half of this year. In other words, it is effectively stopping any new devices from rolling out at the moment. Furthermore, the company may share its decision to the public and to its employees as soon as early April.

LG Rollable Smartphone

Notably, a recent Bluetooth SIG certification has given hope of the rollable smartphone’s launch, while a company spokesperson had also stated that the handset’s development has not been suspended. Unfortunately, this is still an unconfirmed report, so take it with a pinch of salt and stay tuned for more, as we will be providing updates when additional information is available regarding this matter.

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Xiaomi announces 2021 New Product Launch Event on March 29

Xiaomi, one of the leading consumer electronics brands from China, has today officially announced that the company will be hosting its Spring New Product Launch Event in its home country on 29th March.

And not just China, the company has also announced the ‘2021 New Product Launch’ event globally, which is set on the same day — 29th March. The online (virtual) event will begin at 19:30 (GMT +8 timezone).

Xiaomi 2021 New Product Launch Event

While the company has not confirmed which products are getting launched at the event, we expect to know more about it in the coming days, as Xiaomi keeps sharing new posters and teasers to keep the buzz going.

Rumors indicate that Xioami could be launching some high-end devices, including new variants of the Mi 11 lineup — the Mi 11 Pro and the Mi 11 Lite. There’s also a possibility that the company could announce the highly anticipated foldable smartphone under the brand’s Mi MIX lineup.

Additionally, a new flagship Mi Notebook Pro is also set to get launched at the same event, as the company has already teased, along with several other products. To know for sure what exactly the company has up its sleeves, we will have to wait for a few more days.

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OnePlus 7/7T series receive OxygenOS 11 Open Beta 4, OnePlus 7 finally gets AOD

At the end of February, OnePlus released OxygenOS 11 Open Beta 3 update for OnePlus 7, OnePlus 7 Pro, OnePlus 7T, and OnePlus 7T Pro. Almost a month later, the company is now rolling out OxygenOS 11 Open Beta 4 for these four smartphones.

OnePlus 7T Hands on 11

Just like the previous Android 11 public beta builds, the latest one for the OnePlus 7 series and the OnePlus 7T series come with a common changelog. However, since the brand did not release Open Beta 3 for the OnePlus 7 at the last moment, the changelog for this phone is different from the other three.

Anyway, talking about common fixes first, all four handsets get fixes for silent issue in Bluetooth aptX Adaptive mode and abnormal display of battery icon in the status bar. Further, the OnePlus 7 Pro and the OnPlus 7T series also receive fixes and improvements for some known issues and system stability respectively.

As for the OnePlus 7, the new public beta for this device brings fixes for slow charging rate in some cases, Voice Wakeup is turned off after a system upgrade, lagging issue when playing screen-recorded videos, and issue with Double Tap to Wake gesture.

Lastly, this update for the OnePlus 7 finally comes with Always-on display (AOD) and improvements for WiFi connection stability.

OnePlus 7 Pro and OnePlus 7T/7T Pro OxygenOS 11 Open Beta 4 Official Changelog

  • System
    • Fixed the issue that the battery icon in the status bar is abnormally displayed
    • Fixed known issues and improved system stability
  • Bluetooth
    • Fixed the issue where Bluetooth headsets are silent in aptX Adaptive mode

OnePlus 7 OxygenOS 11 Open Beta 4 Official Changelog

  • System
    • Fixed the issue of slow charging rate in some cases
    • Fixed the issue where Voice Wakeup is turned off after a system upgrade
    • Fixed the lagging issue when playing screen-recorded videos
    • Fixed the small probability failure issue with the Double Tap to Wake
    • Fixed the issue that the battery icon in the status bar is abnormally displayed
  • Ambient Display
    • Always-on ambient display is available now (Go to: Settings – Utilities – OnePlus Laboratory – Always-on ambient display)
  • Bluetooth
    • Fixed the silent issue when the Bluetooth transport protocol is changed to aptX or aptX Adaptive
  • Network
    • Improved the stability of the Wi-Fi connection and reduce Internet outages

The OxygenOS 11 Open Beta 4 update for the OnePlus 7 and the OnePlus 7T sears is being currently pushed in batches via OTA to the units that are already running the previous beta build. However, users running stable build can also install it by downloading the appropriate file from the OnePlus Community.

 

 

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(Source 1, 2)

OPPO’s ColorOS Beta is now available for the OnePlus 8 smartphone in China

OnePlus has two operating systems for its smartphones — HydrogenOS in China and OxygenOS for the rest of the world. While OxygenOS is very much alive and kicking, the HydrogenOS seems to be getting shut down.

The company is gearing up to switch to OPPO’s ColorOS for the Chinese market but the global versions will continue to run OxygenOS. Gary C., OxygenOS Product Lead has confirmed this development on OnePlus Forums.

OnePlus 8

In a blog post, Gacy C. writes that “China market devices will now be using a customized version of ColorOS, tailored specifically for OnePlus smartphones, starting with the upcoming OnePlus 9 series.”

It has also been confirmed that by OnePlus CEO Pete Lau that HydrogenOS will continue to be maintained and updated for the past devices. For those who are interested to switch to the ColorOS, the company has now also released a flashable build for the OnePlus 8 users.

Although OnePlus has been operating independently, the company was founded by former OPPO employees Pete Lau and Carl Pei. It has been using OPPO’s production lines and supply chain resources and some of the devices from OnePlus closely resemble the design of some OPPO’s phones.

Over the past few years, both the company seems to be merging their operations. Recently, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau took on additional responsibility as Senior Vice President of OPLUS, which allegedly involves duties for OPPO and OnePlus. They have also even merged the hardware R&D teams for both companies under one brand.

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Black Shark 4 Pro gaming smartphone becomes top performer in DxOMark audio testing

Black Shark is all set to launch the Black Shark 4 series smartphones in the market, going against the tradition of several Chinese brands to not launch a device with the ‘4’ number as it is unlucky in the Chinese culture.

The Black Shark 4 Pro gaming smartphone has now been tested by the folks at DxOMark for the audio experience and the device has managed to score an impressive 81 points.

It scored 83 points in playback and 71 points for recording. DxOMark claims that its team performed a variety of objective tests with more than 20 hours of perceptual evaluation under controlled lab conditions.

Black Shark 4 Pro Audio Review DxOMark

The smartphone comes with a fully symmetrical dual loudspeaker design at the top and the bottom for stereo playback, and specific tuning for music, movies, or games. Similar to its predecessors, there’s also a 3.5mm audio jack.

The playback results for the Black Shark 4 Pro are consistent across all use cases, from listening to music to watching movies and playing games. The phone delivers one of the most balanced frequency responses, claims DxOMark.

It offers an impressive low-end extension, impactful and sharp dynamics, an exceptionally wide sound stage, precise localizability, realistic distance rendering, consistent volume steps, and intelligible content even at soft volumes. The noticeable shortcoming includes a slight hiss on specific electronic signals and distortion at loud volumes.

As for the recording, the phone was good and consistent across all use cases. Microphones deliver good low-mids and bass, natural and realistic midrange, precise treble, good high-end extension, great wideness, precise localizability, and accurate distance rendering.

But the device falls behind when it comes to recording in loud environments because of spectral and temporal artifacts. Dynamics are impaired by elevated background noise, and selfie videos exhibit a very narrow sound field.

Overall, the Black Shark 4 Pro is the best audio performer of all the phones tested by DxOMark. The phone is outstanding in terms of playback, outperforming other top-scoring phones, thanks to highly consistent and impressive performance across all use cases.

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Xiaomi MI 11 Lite unboxing video and retailer listing appears

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite is almost official now. A recent tweet by tipster Roland Quandt reveals that the handset is already up for purchase at an Italian retailer outlet. Moreover, an online retailer listing and an unboxing video of the Mi 11 Lite have surfaced to reveal its pricing and appearance in real skin.

Technosell has listed the 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage version of the Mi 11 Lite with a price tag of 320 euros (~$380). An unboxing video of the handset is now available on the YouTube channel of the same retailer site.

As it can be seen in the screengrabs of the hands-on video, the Mi 11 Lite has a punch-hole display, a side-facing fingerprint scanner, and a squarish triple camera island on the back. The plastic film on the display mentions key specs such as a 90Hz OLED DotDisplay, featherweight design, Snapdragon 732G, and 64-megapixel triple camera system.

Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite specifications (Expected)

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite has a 6.55-inch AMOLED screen that offers a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and a 90Hz refresh rate. The Snapdragon 732G is present under the hood of the device. It draws power from a 4,250mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging.

There is no information available about the front camera of the Mi 11 Lite. Its rear camera setup has a 64-megapixel primary lens, an 8-megapixel superwide lens, and a 5-megapixel telephoto macro camera. It runs on MIUI 12 based Android 11 OS. It offers other features such as a microSD card slot, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, and dual SIM support. It lacks a microSD card slot. It is expected to arrive in variants like 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage. It may sell in colors like black, blue, and pink.

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Vivo V21 SE may arrive soon with Dimensity 800U 5G in India

It was reported back in November that Vivo’s upcoming V21 series includes three handsets such as Vivo V21, Vivo V21 SE, and Vivo V21 Pro. According to a reliable tipster Mukul Sharma, Vivo will announce the Vivo V21 series in India in the near future. He shared a screenshot of the V21 SE smartphone’s IMEI database listing in India.

The screengrab reveals that the Vivo V21 SE has a V2061 model number. The tipster speculated that the V21 SE could be a rebranded version of China’s iQOO U3 phone, which has a model number of V2061A. It is advisable to wait for further to see whether the V21 SE will end up as a rebadged iQOO U3.

There is no official word on the arrival of the Vivo V21 series. Probably, the first V21 series may break cover in April in India.

iQOO U3 specifications and features

Announced back in December 2020, the iQOO U3 has a 6.58-inch IPS LCD screen with a teardrop notch, Full HD+ resolution support, and a 20:9 aspect ratio. The Dimensity 800U chipset is present under the hood of the smartphone. It is equipped with 6 GB / 8 GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 128 GB of UFS 2.2 storage. It lacks support for a microSD card slot.

iQOO U3
iQOO U3

The iQOO U3 has a square-shaped camera module on its rear, which comprises of a 48-megapixel primary camera and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. For selfies, it is equipped with an 8-megapixel front camera.

The iQOO U3 draws power from a 5,000mAh battery that carries support for 18W rapid charging. The handset boots to Android 11 OS and it is equipped with a side-facing fingerprint scanner for security.

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It’s official: The OnePlus 9 series will ship with ColorOS in China

OnePlus phones ship with two different Android Skins. In China, their phones ship with HydrogenOS while the rest of the world gets OxygenOS. Even the latter has exclusive features in regions such as India. Starting with the OnePlus 9 series, OnePlus phones sold in China will now ship with ColorOS.

OnePlus 9 series ColorOS

The announcement was made today by Pete Lau on Weibo. The founder and CEO revealed that the OnePlus 9 series will have ColorOS pre-installed from the factory. He also added that previous devices running HydrogenOS will continue to get support. The official ColorOS Weibo account also posted a welcome message on its page.

ColorOS is OPPO’s own Android Skin that it ships with its devices. The UI also shipped with realme-branded phones for a while before they announced their own skin called realme UI. It is surprising that while realme, which is a younger brand than OnePlus has ditched ColorOS, OnePlus is dropping its own UI in favor of ColorOS.

 

Based on the post, it is safe to presume that OnePlus has no plans of updating its older devices that run HydrogenOS to ColorOS. It has also promised that these devices will continue to receive support.

One upside we can think of from this new development is that OnePlus phones, at least those sold in China, should get better software support henceforth since the ColorOS team, which we believe is much larger than the HydrogenOS team, will most likely also be handling the OnePlus phones running ColorOS.

OnePlus has not said anything about the future of OxygenOS, so we expect it will continue shipping with OnePlus phones sold outside China.

The OnePlus 9 series launches tomorrow globally while a special event for China is scheduled for March 24.

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iQOO Z3 Geekbench listing spotted, Snapdragon 768G expected

iQOO is all set to launch the iQOO Z3 smartphone in China on March 25. Recent findings such as 3C certification and Google Play Console listing have revealed that the forthcoming iQOO Z3 has a V2073A model number. Ahead of the launch, the Z3 has emerged in the database of the Geekbench benchmarking platform.

The Vivo V2073A’s Geekbench listing reveals that it scored 688 and 1988 points in the single-core and multi-core tests of Geekbench, respectively. The listing only mentions the Qualcomm processor with ‘lito’ codename and a 1.80GHz base frequency.

It is speculated that the iQOO Z3 will be powered by the Snapdragon 768G chipset. The listing further reveals that the phone has 8 GB of RAM and Android 11 OS.

iQOO Z3 Geekbench

Recent reports have revealed that the iQOO Z3 will be sporting an LCD panel with a punch-hole design. It is likely to support a Full HD+ resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate. The 6 GB RAM variant of the handset was seen at its Google Play Console listing.

There is no word on the battery capacity of the iQOO Z3. However, its 3C appearance revealed that it could be shipping with a 55W rapid charging. For photography, it may feature a triple camera system with a 48-megapixel Sony IMX598 primary camera. The other details of the phone are yet to be revealed. It is now up for reservations in China through multiple retailer sites.

The iQOO Z3 5G will be the company’s second smartphone with an LCD panel this year after the iQOO U3x 5G, which went official today. The U3x offers specs like a 6.58-inch FHD+ 90Hz display, Snapdragon 480 chipset, up to 8 GB of RAM, up to 128 GB of UFS 2.1 storage, a 13-megapixel dual-camera system, an 8-megapixel selfie snapper, and a 5,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging support.

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iQOO U3x 5G with 90Hz display, Snapdragon 480, 5,000mAh battery launched for 1,199 Yuan (~$184)

iQOO has silently launched the iQOO U3x 5G smartphone in China. It is the cheapest 5G-ready iQOO branded phone to arrive in the home market. Some of its key features include a 90Hz display, Snapdragon 4-series 5G chipset, and a huge battery with fast charging support.

iQOO U3x 5G specifications and features

The iQOO U3x 5G has a 6.58-inch IPS LCD screen with a waterdrop notch. it supports a Full HD+ resolution, a 20.07:9 aspect ratio, a 401ppi pixel density, and a 90Hz refresh rate. The handset offers a screen-to-body ratio of 90.61 percent.

The Snapdragon 480 chipset fuels the iQOO U3x with up to 8 GB of LPDDR4x RAM. The handset offers up to 128 GB of UFS 2.1 storage. It runs on iQOO 1.0 based Android 11 OS. For security, it has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, and it carries support for face unlock.

iQOO U3x 5G
iQOO U3x 5G

The U3x has a front-facing snapper of 8-megapixel. The squarish rear camera module of the phone has a 13-megapixel primary camera, 2-megapixel depth-of-field lens, and an LED flash.

The iQOO U3x 5G has a 5,000mAh battery that supports 18W fast charging. It offers with other features like dual SIM slot, 5G, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, USB-C, and a 3.5mm headphone slot. The iQOO U3x is rebranded version of the Vivo Y31s 5G, which debuted in China as the world’s first Snapdragon 480 powered handset.

iQOO U3x 5G pricing and availability

The three variants of the iQOO U3x such as 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, 4 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, and 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage are priced at 1,199 Yuan (~$184), 1,199 Yuan, and 1,499 Yuan (~$230). It is scheduled to go on sale on April 1 in color variants like Ya Grey and Magic Blue.

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Moto G100 specifications leaked, new renders reveal design from all angles

Motorola is expected to announce the Moto G100 flagship phone on March 25 through a global launch event. Ahead of the launch, reputed tipster Evan Blass has shared a new high-resolution render of the Moto G100 along with its specifications.

The blue-colored Moto G100 can be seen flaunting a dual punch-hole screen. Its gradient rear has a squarish quad-camera setup and a Motorola batwing logo. The left side of the phone seems to feature a Google Assistant hardware key, whereas its right spine seems to have a volume rocker and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.

The top edge of the Moto G100 is barren, whereas the bottom edge has a 3.5mm audio jack, a USB-C port, a microphone, and a speaker grille. The color variant is dubbed as Iridescent Ocean. A previous leak claimed that it will be also available in silver.

Moto G100
Moto G100’s leaked render by Evan Blass

Moto G10 specifications (Expected)

The Moo G100 has a 6.7-inch display that offers a Full HD+ resolution. The dual selfie camera system of the phone features a 16-megapixel primary camera and an 8-megapixel secondary lens. Its rear-facing quad-camera system has a 64-megapixel main camera, a 16-megapixel lens, a 2-megapixel camera, and a dedicated ToF sensor.

The Snapdragon 870 chipset fuels the Moto G100, and it has a 5,000mAh battery with 20W fast charging support. Blass claims that it will be sold in April along with an HDMI cradle, which would allow users to take advantage of a desktop PC-like experience by connecting a monitor and input peripherals. A recent leak claimed that its 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage edition will be priced at €479.77 (~$570) in Europe.

Past reports have revealed that the Moto G100 will be a rebranded version of the Motorola Edge S smartphone, which went official in China in January. The handset was introduced with an enticing price tag of 1,999 Yuan (~$307).

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Top stories from last week: New Galaxy A phones, Samsung confirms no Galaxy Note this year, iQOO Neo 5 announced, and more

If you missed out on the tech news from last year and want to get yourself up to speed, then you are at the right place. Here are the top stories from last week:

Galaxy A72 4G featured

Samsung’s new Galaxy A phones have high refresh rates and are waterproof

Samsung announced the Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A72 4G phones last week. The former comes in both 4G and 5G variants. You get a Snapdragon 720G processor and a 90Hz display for the 4G version while the Galaxy A52 5G gets a Snapdragon 750G 5G chipset and a 120Hz display. Both have 64MP quad rear cameras, an IP67 rating, and run Android 11.

The Galaxy A72 4G also has a 90Hz refresh rate but comes with a Snapdragon 720G processor, 64MP quad rear cameras, and a 5000mAh battery capacity. All three phones are already on sale in Europe.

 

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

No new Galaxy Note this year

The CEO of Samsung Mobile has announced that there will be no new Galaxy Note phone(s) this year. Several unconfirmed reports had revealed that Samsung was killing the series but it turns out that is not the case. If you want the latest Samsung phone with a stylus, then the Galaxy S21 Ultra is the device you want.

 

iQOO Neo5 All Colors Featured

iQOO Neo 5 – Another Snapdragon 870 phone

The Snapdragon 870 is the chipset of choice for manufacturers that plan to announce a flagship killer smartphone. We already have phones such as the Motorola Edge S, the Xiaomi Mi 10S, and the Redmi K40, and now they have been joined by the iQOO Neo 5.

Aside from the Snapdragon 870 5G, it also has a 120Hz AMOLED screen, 66W fast charging, and a starting price under $400.

 

Sony PS5 VR controllers

Sony shows off new PlayStation VR controllers while Microsoft says VR for Xbox is not in its plans

Sony already revealed it is making a new VR system for the PlayStation 5. While it won’t launch this year, the manufacturer gave us an early look at the controllers that will come with the system.

The new controllers which are shaped like orbs will have the DualSense controller’s Adaptive Triggers feature, and also haptic feedback, and finger touch detection.

In related news, Microsoft announced it won’t be making VR hardware for the new Xbox consoles. The info was released after a bug had shown up on an Xbox Series X that asked a user to update their VR headset after connecting the new Xbox Wireless Headset. Microsoft had to clear the air after several speculations that a VR headset is in development gained traction.

 

Motorola has another 108MP camera phone in development, this time it’s a Moto G 

The Motorola Edge Plus is one of the 108MP flagships you can get your hands on but if you don’t want a flagship, then you will have to wait for the Moto G60. If a recent leak is to be believed, this phone will have a 108MP main camera in addition to a 120Hz display, a Snapdragon 732G processor, and a massive 6000mAh battery.

 

Honor wants to give us a double dose of Magic

It has been reported that Honor will be launching two new Honor Magic phones this year. According to a leak, there will be the Honor Magic 3 which will have a Snapdragon 888 processor powering it. The other model will launch as the Magic X, and it may be the rumored foldable phone we have been hearing about.

 

 

ZTE drops MiFavor in favor of MyOS

ZTE will be announcing a new Android user interface for its smartphones on March 30. After years of using MiFavor, the manufacturer has announced that its new Android skin, MyOS, will be unveiled on March 30 alongside its new smartphone, the ZTE S30 Pro.

Those are the top stories from last week. If you want to know the big announcements happening this week, our latest post of the Next Week in Tech series should help you plan your calendar.

 

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Leaked Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G specs reveal Snapdragon 732G processor inside

Starting with the Mi 8 series in 2018, Xiaomi has made it a tradition to announce a lite version of its flagship phones. That tradition will continue this year, but unlike previous years where there have been just one lite model, we will be getting two versions of the Mi 11 Lite this year – a 4G version and a 5G version. A leak has revealed the full spec sheet of the former.

The source of the leak is Sudhanshu Ambhore (@Sudhanshu1414), and he revealed the full spec sheet of the phone in a tweet earlier today. He also shared some photos of the phone.

According to him, the Mi 11 Lite 4G will have a 6.55-inch AMOLED display with a 2400 x 1080 resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. An earlier leak already showed us that the display is flat and has a hole punch at the top left corner.

Powering the phone is a Snapdragon 732G processor, the same chipset inside the Redmi Note 10 Pro. In a separate tweet, he reveals the phone will come with 6GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of storage. This tweet also discloses the RAM + storage variants and also the colors the Mi 11 Lite 5G will be available in.

For cameras, there is a 64MP main camera on the back along with an 8MP ultrawide camera, and a 5MP telemacro camera. All three cameras sit in a housing similar to that of the Mi 11.  There is no mention of the front-facing camera.

The Mi 11 Lite 4G has a 4520mAh battery and supports 33W fast charging (33W charger included in the box). It also has Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, Dual SIM support, and a MicroSD card slot. It will run MIUI 12 based on Android 11. Its weight is given as 150 grams and its dimensions are 164 x 74 x 6 millimeters.

The attached images show that the phone will be available in three colors – Black, Blue, and Pink. The camera housing protrudes a bit and seeing as the power button sticks out a bit, we want to believe it doesn’t double as a fingerprint scanner. The bottom is where the SIM tray is and on the opposite side of the USB-C port is a six-hole speaker grille.

Xiaomi is yet to announce when the phone will launch but we won’t be surprised if it arrives before the month ends or in early April.

 

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Leaked press renders give us first look at the POCO F3; confirmed to launch tomorrow

The POCO F3 will launch tomorrow alongside the POCO X3 Pro. It has been reported that POCO will be rebadging the phone that launched as the Redmi K40 in China, and now leaked press renders have confirmed it.

The photo was shared on Twitter by Ishan Agarwal, the popular and reliable young leaker. It shows the POCO F3 in three color variants, one of which seems to be a special edition due to its different finish and paint job.

POCO F3 press render

The phone has a display with a centered punch hole and curved corners. The camera housing is home to three rear cameras, and if you zoom in close, you can make out the text that reads ”48MP AI TRIPLE CAMERA“.

POCO will make the phone available in Black, White, and a special edition Blue that has different finishes and a large POCO logo printed across the back. According to the leaker, there is a Snapdragon 870 chipset inside it. The phone also has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.

We are not surprised POCO is rebadging the Redmi K40 this year. Last year, its POCO F2 Pro was a rebadge of the Redmi K30 Pro and the only differences between the two were the supported network bands and RAM and storage configuration. we expect a similar situation for the POCO F3.

The POCO F3 should have a 6.67-inch FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED display. The Snapdragon 870 processor will most likely be paired with up to 8GB of RAM as we don’t expect POCO to launch a 12GB RAM version. Alongside the 48MP primary rear camera should be an 8MP ultrawide angle camera, and a 5MP macro camera. A 20MP sensor will sit in front for selfies.

Other specifications and features are a 4520mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging, NFC, IR blaster, stereo speakers, and Android 11 pre-installed.

Image

The phone will launch alongside the POCO F3 which is scheduled to be unveiled tomorrow as seen in the invite above. The invite is reported to have been sent out by Xiaomi Vietnam and was shared on Twitter (via @chunvn888).

 

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Realme GT vs iQOO 7: Specs Comparison

Despite the prices of top-tier smartphones rose a lot in the last years, you can still find amazing flagship killers with top-tier hardware departments at amazing prices. One of them is definitely the Realme GT 5G: its camera is the only compromise, but it has nothing to envy to the most expensive phones in the market in terms of hardware. Another flagship with a great price is the iQOO 7, sporting the latest high-end mobile platform by Qualcomm just like the Realme GT 5G. But which one offers the highest value for money? Let’s discover it together through a comparison between their specifications.

Realme GT 5G vs Vivo iQOO 7

Realme GT 5G Vivo iQOO 7
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT 158.5 x 73.3 x 8.4 mm, 186 grams 162.2 x 75.8 x 8.7 mm, 210 grams
DISPLAY  6.43 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), Super AMOLED  6.62 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), AMOLED
PROCESSOR Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, octa-core 2.84 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, octa-core 2.84 GHz
MEMORY 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB
SOFTWARE  Android 11, Realme UI Android 11, OriginOS
CONNECTIVITY Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS
CAMERA Triple 64 + 8 + 2 MP, f/1.8 + f/2.3 + f/2.4
16 MP f/2.5 front camera
Triple 48 + 13 + 13 MP, f/1.8 + f/2.5 + f/2.2
16 MP f/2.0 front camera
BATTERY 4500 mAh, fast charging 65W 4000 mAh, fast charging 120W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES Dual SIM slot, 5G Dual SIM slot, 5G

Design

Realme GT 5G and iQOO 7 are two devices offering a premium design. The Realme GT 5G comes in a special version with a yellow leather back and a vertical black stripe, while you can find the Vivo iQOO 7 in a special BMW Edition boasting a vertical stripe too, but with the typical BMW colors. The Realme GT 5G is a more compact phone than the iQOO 7: even though it packs a bigger battery, it is thinner and lighter. That is the reason why I prefer it to the Vivo iQOO 7.

 

Display

Realme GT 5G and Vivo iQOO 7 come with displays boasting very similar specifications. Both have the Full HD+ resolution with 1080 x 2400 pixels, the HDR10+ certification, and a 120 Hz refresh rate. With these AMOLED panels, you can get an outstanding image quality, despite they are not the best out there. The most important difference is the diagonal: 6.43 inches for the Realme GT 5G and 6.67 inches for the Vivo iQOO 7. This might make the difference for a few users who are interested in productivity and gaming. Note that Realme GT 5G has stereo speakers.

 

Specs & Software

Realme GT 5G and Vivo iQOO 7 sport the best hardware department you can expect from a 2021 flagship, including the Snapdragon 888 mobile platform (the best one released by Qualcomm until now), up to 12 GB of RAM, and up to 256 GB of UFS 3.1 native storage. Thanks to this hardware department, you can do everything with these handsets while keeping the maximum speed you can expect on an Android phone. They run Android 11 out of the box with a highly-customized user interface on top: the Realme GT 5G has the Realme UI 2.0 which is actually similar to ColorOS 11 by OPPO, while the Vivo iQOO 7 has the brand new OriginOS which replaces Funtouch OS.

 

Camera

The best camera phone of this comparison is the Vivo iQOO 7: while the Realme GT 5G has midrange-class cameras, the Vivo iQOO 7 is closer to the high-end segment thanks to a 48 MP main sensor supporting optical stabilization and a 13 MP telephoto sensor with 2x optical zoom. It is not among the best camera phones, but it is way better than mid-rangers when it comes to photo quality. Alongside the main sensor and the telephoto lens, you get a 13 MP ultrawide sensor and a 16 MP selfie camera. Unfortunately, Realme GT 5G lacks a telephoto sensor and OIS, but it still comes with a pretty nice 64 MP main camera supported by an 8 MP ultrawide sensor and a 2 MP macro camera.

 

Battery

Realme GT 5G offers a longer battery life thanks to its big 4500 mAh battery. The Vivo iQOO 7 has a 4000 mAh battery, below-average if we consider the other flagships released this year, but there is a reason for it: providing the fastest charging speeds. Indeed, the Vivo iQOO 7 supports 120W fast charging which is actually the faster commercial charging power.

 

Price

Realme GT 5G went on sale in China with a €517/$618 starting price tag, while Vivo iQOO 7 starts from €480/$574. At the end of the day, if you do not care about the cameras, then Realme GT 5G is a better choice due to its bigger battery, stereo speakers, compact design. But if you do, then Vivo iQOO 7 is a better choice since its cameras provide way better performance. Further, 120W fast charging is a killer feature, especially at that price.

 

 

Realme GT 5G vs Vivo iQOO 7: PRO and CONS

Realme GT 5G

PRO

  • Bigger battery
  • Great leather version
  • Stereo speakers
  • More compact

CONS

  • Inferior cameras

 

Vivo iQOO 7

PRO

  • Faster 120W charging technology
  • HDR10+ certification
  • Better cameras
  • Wider display

CONS

  • Smaller battery

 

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Deal: Get Fairywill FW-508 Electric Toothbrush at $13.39 (Original Price $22.99)

Attention Readers! Fairywill is giving an amazing offer on its FW-508 power sonic electric toothbrush. The brush which is listed at $22.99 is now available for as low as $13.39 via coupon code: NQR24I5I.

WHERE TO BUY
FW-508 Power Sonic Electric Toothbrush at $13.39 (after discount)@Amazon US

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Fairywill FW-508 Electric Toothbrush is an ADA (American Dental Association) approved whitening ultrasonic toothbrush for adults. The device which uses ultrasonic vibrations gives up to 40000 strokes per minute that help you to perfectly and thoroughly clean your teeth. Long-term use of the device has shown efficacy in removing stains and preventing and reducing gingivitis. It also helps in removing traces of contaminants hiding in crevices or embedded onto solid surfaces of your teeth and compared with a manual toothbrush it gives you 100% more plaque protection. 

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The toothbrush comes with a 2-minute timer and 30 seconds interval vibrator. This means after every 30 seconds the toothbrush sends a small vibration/pulse to remind you to change your brushing quadrant and the in-built, 2-minute timer ensures that you don’t brush your teeth for less than the dentist-recommended 2 minutes. The toothbrush also comes with 3 different brushing modes viz: Clean, Sensitive, and Massage. In the clean mode, the toothbrush focuses on the rigorous use of maximum brush strokes to give you clean and white teeth. The sensitive mode is for new users and people with sensitive teeth and gum. In this mode, the sonic vibrations and brushstrokes are optimized to give you clean and plaque-free teeth but with soft and subtle brushstrokes. The massage mode sends tiny and soothing micro pulses to the gum tissue thereby improving blood circulation in your gums and keeping them healthy. 

Fairywill FW-508 Electric Toothbrush comes with a massive battery that lasts up to 30 days on a single charge of 4 hours. Moreover, a USB charging port compatible with almost all global voltage, ensures that you can carry your toothbrush around the world and use it any and everywhere across the globe.

Fairywill FW-508 retails at $22.99. But for a limited period, the company is giving a 42% discount via coupon code: NQR24I5I. Combined with a $5 store coupon available on Amazon US, Fairywill FW-508 Electric Toothbrush can be bought for $13.39 only. Please note that this deal is applicable only on the Black color variant. So go get your Fairywill Electric Toothbrush before the deal expires. 

 

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

 

High-quality renders of the OnePlus 9 series appear online

Chinese phone maker OnePlus is gradually increasing the tempo ahead of its launch of the OnePlus 9 series of smartphones on March 23. Tipster Evan Blass has just released a single picture containing several images of the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro via Voice. The tipster claims the picture in its uncompressed form is about 12,000 pixels tall. It indeed gives us a detailed view of the two models.OnePlus 9 series We already know that these models will basically come in two color variants although it has been rumored that the OnePlus 9 model may have an additional color variant. The renders by Evan Blass reaffirm two color options for both the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro.

Another interesting aspect of the models is the camera co-engineered by Hasselblad. OnePlus on its own, continues to tease several samples captured by the cameras of these devices in the buildup to the March 23 launch which reveals some powerful visuals.

OnePlus is also expected to launch the OnePlus 9R which seems to be for the Indian market only. While it is not known whether the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro would have mobile gaming triggers, renders of the OnePlus 9R recently appeared showing the presence of two gaming triggers apparently aimed at providing gaming enthusiasts with a more compelling mobile gaming experience. OnePlus 9 series

While we await the March 23 release date with suspense, no leaks have yet revealed the expected prices of the models although we would expect that the OnePlus 9R 5G model would be cheaper.

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