Huawei pushes for 5G mobile licensing amid struggles with US sanctions

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Mar 17, 2021

Earlier this week, Huawei Technologies revealed its royalty rate for licensing its 5G mobile technology for the first time since the company and other China based firms were designated as national security threats.

According to a SCMP report, Jason Ding, the head of intellectual property at Huawei, made the announcement and revealed its licensing push during a speech on Tuesday at an innovation forum event in Shenzhen, China. During the event, the Chinese tech giant introduced its latest intellectual property white paper as well. As per Ding, “We believe licensing should balance return on investment and cost pressures of implementation in the industry. For every phone that complies with 5G standards, we will not seek a royalty rate higher than US$2.5 per unit.”

Through this, the smartphone maker hopes that the rates “will give implementers of 5G technology a clear number they can rely on for cost estimation and investment decisions. Our goal is to promote broader adoption of 5G across all industries.” For those unaware, Huawei was placed in the trade blacklist by the Trump administration back in 2019, despite being the largest technical contributor to global 5G standards.

As per the report, the company’s revenue from patent licensing alone between 2019 and 2021 is estimated to be somewhere around 1.2 billion US Dollars to 1.3 billion US Dollars. Notably, the effort for licensing its 5G technology and generating revenue also highlights the company’s current situation as it struggles due to the various sanctions against it. The company has had restrictions ranging from access to advances chips, to even technology made in the US imposed on it.

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iQOO Z3 officially teased by the company, Key specs appear on Google Play Console

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Mar 17, 2021

The upcoming iQOO Z3 is in the news since January. This smartphone was certified by 3C earlier this month. A few days later, some of its specs were tipped by a leakster. Now, not only the company officially teases this phone’s launch but it also appears on Google Play Console.

The official Weibo account of iQOO has shared a teaser poster for new smartphones. The company calls one of these devices‘ ‘little prince of speed’. The teaser image clearly hints at the phone’s name with a Z made of three stripes – iQOO Z3.

At the same time, this handset has been also spotted on Google Play Console. According to the listing, the iQOO Z3 with model number vivo V2073A will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G.

The device will come with 6GB RAM and an FHD+ display with a resolution of 1080 x 2408 pixels Further, the screen will have a DPI of 480 and the handset will run Android 11.

As per previous reports, the forthcoming iQOO Z3 will arrive with 55W fast charging, a centered punch-hole display, 144Hz refresh rate, LPDDR4X RAM, UFS 2.2 storage, 4,500mAh battery, and a 48MP Sony IMX589 primary camera.

A leaker even claimed it to feature a MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC but that may not be the case going by the Google Play Console listing.

Vivo Y72 5G with 64MP triple cameras and 5,000mAh battery launching on March 22

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 17, 2021

Vivo Thailand has confirmed that it will be launching a new smartphone called the Vivo Y72 5G on March 22. The official launch poster has revealed the design of the smartphone. At the same time, it has appeared at the Google Play Console (first spotted by Pricebaba) with some of its key specs.

According to Vivo, the Vivo Y72 5G will be the company’s first 5G-enabled Y-series in global markets. The handset features a teardrop notch on the front. The Google Play Console listing revealed that it supports a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2408 pixels and a 440ppi pixel density.

The rear side of the Vivo Y72 5G has a vertical camera module that houses a triple camera unit led by a 64-megapixel primary camera. It is equipped with a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.

The Play Console listing revealed that it is powered by the MediaTek MT6833V chip, which is the Dimensity 700 chip. The SoC is coupled with 8 GB of RAM. It is preinstalled with Android 11 OS. The official poster confirms that the device is backed by a 5,000mAh battery.

Rumors have it that the Vivo Y72 5G houses a 6.58-inch LCD screen and it may come with a 16-megapixel front-facing camera. Its triple camera setup may include an 8-megapixel superwide lens and a 2-megapixel macro/depth sensor. It may arrive with support for 18W fast charging. The color variants of the Y72 5G may carry Graphite Black and Dream Glow monikers.

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ZTE confirms no plans of adopting HarmonyOS for its smartphones this year

By

Jeet

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Mar 17, 2021

Huawei has been working on its own operating system named HarmonyOS (HongMeng OS in China) for a couple of years and the company recently announced the updated second-generation operating system.

The software appears to be finally ready to be adopted for smartphones and Huawei is expected to use it on its upcoming flagship smartphones. The company also has plans to offer the mobile operating system to other manufacturers.

Answering a question from investors, ZTE’s executive clarified that the company has no plans of adopting Huawei”s HarmonyOS for its smartphones in 2021. In the current year, the company is putting in efforts to adopt 5G technology and unify its subsidiaries of smartphones — ZTE, Nubia, and Red Magic.

Huawei launched the HarmonyOS in 2019, soon after the company was barred from using Google’s Android operating system because of the sanctions imposed by the United States government. At the time, it was reported that the software developed by Huawei could be adopted by other Chinese smartphone manufacturers.

The Chinese giant is aiming to have over 200 million of Huawei’s own equipment running the HarmonyOS. It is also expecting around 100-200 million additional third-party equipment running the same operating system. We will just have to wait to know how many devices actually end up running this software by the end of this year.

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Xiaomi to launch several new productions in few weeks, including Mi 11 Ultra and entry-level 5G phone

By

Jeet

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Mar 17, 2021

Xiaomi recently started selling its Mi 11 flagship smartphone and is now gearing up to launch new devices in the coming weeks. It is set to launch a new variant of the Mi 11 smartphone, which could be Mi 11 Pro or Ultra, and a 67W charger for the same, with model number MDY-12-EF, which has already passed 3C certification.

In line with that, well-known leakster ‘Digital Chat Station’ now claims that Xiaomi is gearing up to launch several new products in the month of March and April. This includes flagship-grade phones, a foldable-screen phone, a new gaming smartphone, an ultra-thin phone, and an entry-level 5G phone.

Some reports indicate that the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra could soon get launched, with support for a 120x zoom, similar to what the company used in the Mi 10 Ultra. It is expected to pack 50MP + 48MP wide-angle lens + 48MP zoom camera. The device will be running the MIUI 12.5 custom UI and have 67W wireless charging support.

As for the smartphone with a foldable screen, a device with model number M2011J18C has passed the TENAA certification but more information about the smartphone isn’t available yet. This will be the company’s first foldable smartphone and is expected to have an inward folding mechanism.

Another device with model number M2101K9C has passed TENAA certification which features a 6.55-inch display with a punch-hole in the top-left corner and has a battery capacity of 4,150mAh. The device is quite thin in measurement and is expected to be the Mi 11 Youth Edition.

Coming to the gaming smartphone, it is likely to be a device under the Black Shark lineup. The company has already confirmed that it will be launching its next-generation gaming smartphone — Black Shark 4 on 23th March in China.

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Honor V40 Light Luxury Edition scheduled to debut on March 23

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 17, 2021

Today, Honor took to Weibo to confirm that a new smartphone named the Honor V40 Light Luxury Edition will debut on March 23 in China. Ahead of the launch, a couple of live shots of the smartphone have surfaced on the Chinese microblogging site.

The Honor V40 Light Luxury Edition will be coming in hues such as green and white. In terms of appearances, the handset bears a resemblance to the Huawei Nova 8 5G, which debuted at the beginning of this year. It is now available for registrations through multiple retailers in China until March 23.

The smartphone flaunts a curved edge screen with a hole-punch cutout at the top-center position. The display is integrated with a fingerprint scanner. An oval-shaped camera island with four cameras and an LED flash is available on the backside of the phone. Shown below are some of the real-life images of the handset.

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Honor V40 Light Luxury Edition specifications (Rumored)

The Honor V40 Light Luxury Edition has a 6.57-inch OLED screen that delivers a Full HD+ resolution, a 10-bit color depth, 90Hz refresh rate, and a 240Hz touch sampling rate. It will come preinstalled with Android 11 OS.

The rear camera module of the Honor V40 Light Luxury Edition has a primary shooter of 64-megapixel, a superwide lens of 8-megapixel, and two 2-megapixel snappers for depth effects and macro images. For selfies, it is fitted with a 32-megapixel camera. The 3,800mAH battery of the Honor V40 Light Luxury Edition will be equipped with 66W fast charging support.

The Honor V40 Light Luxury Edition is expected to sell as the Honor V40 Lite in global markets. There is no word on the pricing of the device.

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Walmart Onn Android TV stick clears FCC, may launch soon

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 17, 2021

Android TV Sticks are now rapidly replacing TV Boxes and the reason isn’t far-fetched – the portability they bring to the mix. The TV stick has better space management as you only need to slot it into the HDMI port of the TV. We have seen a growing number of top brands launch their own Android TV Sticks including Google, Motorola, Xiaomi and Amazon.

US retail giant Walmart is about joining the list of popular brands who have got their own TV Stick. The brand which launches affordable electronic products like smartphones, TVs, headphones, speakers, tablets and several others under the Onn brand is working on the Onn Android TV Stick. The device has now been certified by the FCC.

The device will have the Amazon Fire TV Stick and the Google Chromecast 3rd Gen. to contend with in the US market and it looks well-suited for thta challenge. First, the Onn-branded products are known for their affordability. Secondly, the TV Stick is shown in the FCC listing to run Android 10 and come with support for up to 2K streaming.

The live pictures of the device as spotted also include a Bluetooth remote with hotkeys for Google Assistant, YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max. Further, there will be an HDMI extension cable inside the box to make it easy to plug-in the Onn Android TV Stick in a situation where it isn’t convenient to plug it in directly. The retail box wil also have a charging adapter with a 5V/1A rating.

Walmart is yet to dsiclose when the Onn Android TV Stick will be launched but the FCC listing is an indication that the device will be launched soon.

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Baidu obtains permit to start testing paid Robotaxi services in Cangzhou, China

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 17, 2021

Chinese tech giant Baidu could be regarded as the Google of China. Its search engine is the largest in China and the company is also spreading its tentacles into other tech sectors just like Google. Baidu last year commenced testing of its autonomous vehicles that would be deployed as Robotaxis in China’s Cangzhou.

News filtering in now is that the company is now set to take the project to the next level. Baidu has now reportedly secured approval to commence paid ride services for the autonomous vehicles in the same city of Cangzhou, China. The city which is about 149 miles south of Beijing reportedly gave the nod for Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxi service to run commercialization tests. The tests will be carried out with 35 cars that will have safety drivers behind the wheels but there is an additional 10 vehicles that are approved to be run fully driverless.

While Baidu isn’t the first company to trial Robotaxi services in China (AutoX is also doing the same), it boasts of being the first to start testing a paid commercial robotaxi service. Before now, the company had offered free rides on its robotaxi while it is test-running the service. In addition, this is the first time the city is granting permission to a company to test fully driverless vehicles on the city’s roads. Previous tests involved having safety drivers behind the wheels.

Baidu was required to complete 50,000 kilometers (31,068 miles) of testing on local roads for its robotaxi before the permit to monetize the services was granted. However, the company disclosed that its fleet in Cangzhou was able to accumulate a staggering ~326,030 miles as of the beginning of March.

Baidu is also testing its robotaxi in Bejing and Changsha, the capital of China’s Hunan province. The firm is eyeing further expansion to 30 more cities within the next three years. Outside China, Baidu is also testing driverless vehicles in California.

Recall that AutoX a couple of months back shared a video of its robotaxi in action in China.

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No new Galaxy Note this year, confirms Samsung CEO

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 17, 2021

In January, Samsung announced the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 Ultra flagship phones. The S21 Ultra became the company’s first S-series to arrive with S Pen stylus support. The Galaxy Note 21 arriving in H2 could have been the second S Pen-driven smartphone of the year. Fresh information reveals that Samsung may not launch a new Note series phone this year. The company is not canceling the Note series but rather plans to launch it next year.

At the recently held 52^nd annual shareholders meeting in South Korea, Samsung Electronics CEO Dong-jin Koh said, “Note series is positioned as a high-end model in our business portfolio. It could be a burden to unveil two flagship models in a year so it might be difficult to release Note model in 2H.” He further stated, “The timing of Note model launch can be changed but we seek to release a Note model next year.”

Galaxy S21 Ultra featured — Galaxy S21 Ultra with S Pen

Prior to S21 Ultra’s launch, the S Pen remained exclusive to the Note line. Several reports that have appeared in recent months have claimed that the forthcoming Galaxy Z Fold 3 and some of the upper mid-range smartphones may arrive with stylus support. Hence, the rumor mill started speculating that Samsung may discontinue the Galaxy Note line completely.

Koh also said that there is a ‘serious imbalance’ in the demand and supply of semiconductors across the world. The global chip shortage is likely to affect its business in the next quarter. However, it is not clear whether the decision not to launch a Note series phone this year is related to the ongoing semiconductor turmoil. Skipping the Note 21 this year appears to be Samsung’s strategy towards streamlining its lineup, according to Bloomberg.

(source)

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Huawei Watch Fit Elegant with a metal frame, better straps launched in the UK

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 17, 2021

In August last year, Huawei had announced the Watch Fit, a fashion-focused fitness band designed like a smartwatch. The company later launched the smartwatch in China around December last year and there were speculations of a special edition coming. Huawei has now launched the Watch Fit Elegant. The new model adds two new colour options to the mix as well as some design tweaks.

The Huawei Watch Fit Elegant utilizes a polished stainless steel watch frame and the strap is also made from a soft fluoroelastomer material. This is in contrast with the plastic frame and silicone strap that is used on the regular Watch Fit. The smartwatch will only be available in Frosty White with golden accents and Midnight Black option tweaked with silver buckle and frame.

The soft fluoroelastomer strap used on this model has better resistance to heat, oil, moisture, and stretching. Although they are a bit more expensive than silicone straps, they afford users a more durable option and one which won’t likely cause any allergic reaction with the skin.

The Huawei Watch Fit Elegant retains the internal specifications of the Watch Fit. This includes a rectangular 1.64-inch AMOLED display with 2.5D curved glass on top. The watch has an HD resolution of 280 x 456 pixels, 326PPI, and a 70% screen-to-body ratio. The display supports full-screen input and the watch has a dimension of 46 x 30 x 10.7mm.

On the left side, there is a single button that acts as the power button and that can also be used to wake up the device. The watch equally comes with support for six new Always-on Display watch faces that will show information even when your watch is inactive.

The smartwatch also features a built-in GPS sensor, 5ATM water/dust protection, AI heart rate algorithm, a 6-axis IMU sensor (Accelerometer sensor, Gyroscope sensor), Optical heart rate sensor, capacitive sensor, and ambient light sensor.

Other features onboard include 24-hour heart rate monitoring, SpO2 blood oxygen saturation detection, menstruation cycle trackers, Huawei TruSleep 2.0 for better sleep tracking, and TruRelax to keep track of your stress meter.

Huawei Watch Fit Elegant

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The watch is powered by a Kirin A1 chipset and runs on Huawei’s LiteOS. The battery can last fr up to 12 days on standby. We expect that to reduce when features like GPS are in use. It also has reminders for SMS messages, incoming calls, calendar events, and other social media Apps. Also, it comes with all the necessary apps and widgets to take better control over music playback, snap a photo, find your phone, as well as other features such as weather, alarm, timer, stopwatch, and a flashlight.

The Watch Fit Elegant carries a price tag of £110 and will go on sale in the UK on March 26 via Huawei Store and selected retailers.

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Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip2 color variants appear in a new leak

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 17, 2021

Recent reports have claimed Samsung may launch its next foldable phones such as the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip2 in July. A fresh report by Sammobile has revealed the color variants of both devices.

According to the publication, the Galaxy Z Fold3 (model number SM-F926B) will be available colors like black and green. There is a possibility that the Fold3 may come in additional color variants. On the other side, the Galaxy Z Flip2 (model number SM-F711) will be coming in hues like light violet, green, black, and beige.

Since the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip2 will come preinstalled with One UI 3.5 based Android 11 OS, these devices are unlikely to launch within the first half of the year. The Z Fold3 could be coming with at least 256 GB of storage, whereas the Z Flip2 could be available in 128 GB and 256 GB storage choices.

Previous reports have claimed that the Galaxy Z Fold3 will come with a 7.55-inch main display and a 6.21-inch external screen. It could be Samsung’s first phone to feature an under-display camera. It is also expected to come with S Pen support, and it may feature a dedicated slot to carry it.

The Galaxy Z Flip2 could be coming with a 6.9-inch foldable screen with a smaller punch-hole design and thinner bezels. It may support a 120Hz refresh rate. The clamshell phone may not feature a flagship chip. Other rumored features of the Z Flip2 include improved UTG, a larger external screen, better durability, and a battery of around 3,900mAh capacity. It is unclear whether the South Korean tech giant will announce both foldable phones through the same launch event.

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Android 11 update begins rolling out to the Motorola Edge+ (Verizon)

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 17, 2021

Last year, Motorola announced the Edge+, a Snapdragon 865-powered flagship with a curved display and a 108MP primary rear camera. The phone which launched with Android 10 out of the box is now receiving an Android 11 update.

The update is being rolled out by Verizon and it not only brings all the new features that Android 11 has to offer such as Chat Bubbles, a native screen recorder, revamped media controls, device controls, and new permission settings; the update also brings March 2021’s security patch and fixes some known bugs.

This update is one of two major OS upgrades Motorola has promised the phone will get. It had originally planned to provide only one OS upgrade but after much criticism, it announced it will provide “at least two Android OS upgrades”. Knowing Motorola, we are sure it won’t go past two, and don’t expect the Android 12 update to arrive this year.

The Motorola Edge+ has a 6.7-inch 2340 x 1080 display with a punch hole at the top left corner for a 25MP front-facing camera. Paired with the Snapdragon 865 processor is 12GB of RAM and 256GB of non-expandable storage.

Its 108MP rear camera comes along with an 8MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and OIS, a 16MP AF ultrawide angle camera, and a ToF 3D camera for capturing depth. The phone can record in both 4K and 6K at 30fps.

Motorola ships the phone with a massive 5000mAh battery and it has support for 18W fast wired charging, 15W fast wireless charging, and 5W reverse wireless charging. It also has NFC, Bluetooth 5.1, an audio jack, and stereo speakers.

The phone which launched for $999 is now available for $799.99 on the Motorola US site.

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OPPO Reno5 F with Helio P95, 32MP selfie camera, 48MP quad cameras goes official

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 17, 2021

Last month, OPPO held a launch event in Kenya to announce the OPPO Reno5 smartphone. Alongside it, the company also took off covers from another device called the Reno5 F. At that time, it did not reveal the complete specifications of the smartphone. The smartphone has now finally gone official in the country.

OPPO Reno5 F specifications and features

The OPPO Reno5 F has a 6.43-inch AMOLED screen with a punch-hole design. It offers a Full HD+ resolution, a 60Hz refresh rate, a 135Hz touch sampling rate, and 800 nits of maximum brightness. It offers a touch sampling rate of 180Hz in Game mode. The screen is integrated with a fingerprint scanner.

Reno5 F’s display punch-hole has a 32-megapixel selfie camera. The rear-facing camera array has a 48-megapixel primary camera with f/1.7 aperture, an 8-megapixel ultrawide lens with 119-degree FOV, a 2-megapixel mono sensor for portrait shots, and a 2-megapixel macro lens. The ColorOS 11.1 flavored Android 11 OS comes preinstalled on the Reno5 F.

The MediaTek Helio P95 is the driving force of the smartphone. It comes with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of native storage. Its 4,310mAh battery carries support for 30W VOOC Charge technology. It measures 160.1 x 73.2 x 7.8mm and it weighs 172 grams.

The OPPO Reno5 F has plenty of things in common with the OPPO F19 Pro. The only noticeable difference between the two devices is that the F19 Pro has a 16-megapixel front-facing camera.

OPPO Reno5 F pricing and availability

The OPPO Reno5 F is priced at KES 31,499 (~$287) in Kenya. It comes in two color variants such as Fluid Black and Fantastic Purple.

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Microsoft says it is not developing a VR headset for the Xbox Series S/X

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 17, 2021

The last generation Xbox consoles didn’t have a VR system unlike the PlayStation 4 which had the PS VR System. The PS VR also works with the new PlayStation 5, providing folks with a VR system to use until the next-gen PS VR is released. Unfortunately, owners of the Xbox Series X/S that are expecting a VR system for their consoles following a recent report will not be getting one at least not anytime soon according to Microsoft.

Xbox VR headset update prompt as seen by IGN Italy

Earlier, IGN Italy had reported that while testing the new Xbox Wireless Headset, they had received a prompt on their Xbox Series X console that said their VR Headset needs to be updated. The message had led to several speculations that the console supports a VR device, one Microsoft may actually be secretly developing to be released later. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

“The copy in this error message is inaccurate due to a localization bug” – Microsoft

A Microsoft spokesperson revealed to IGN that it is an inaccurate error message and that “VR for console is not a focus for us at this time”.

Sad as the news may be for Xbox owners who are hoping for a VR device for their new consoles, it appears Microsoft’s stance on VR for consoles has remained unchanged. Back in 2019, Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, had revealed that VR is not part of its next-gen plans because “nobody’s asking for it”.

We won’t entirely rule out the possibility of Microsoft making a VR system for the new Xbox consoles as they are just in their first year of life and have at least 5 years before a successor is released, so anything can happen between now and then.

Do you own an Xbox Series S/X console? Do let us know what you think about a VR device for the console.

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The OnePlus 9 Pro’s refresh rate can drop down to 1Hz!

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 16, 2021

The OnePlus 9 Pro will have an LTPO display with a 120Hz refresh rate. New details of the display which is called “Fluid Display 2.0” have surfaced, and it does pack some pretty neat tricks.

These details which were provided to PCMag by OnePlus and DisplayMate confirm the OnePlus 9 Pro will have a 6.7-inch curved screen with a 3216 x 1440 resolution. The source reports that the screen has a special brightness mode that increases the maximum brightness to 1043 nits when there is a lot of ambient light. When the screen is mostly dark, it can even increase the brightness of the few lit pixels to 1,655 nits, surpassing even the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra’s 1609 nits.

Your content has never looked better. With an A+ @DisplayMate rating, the #OnePlus9Series' best-in-class display showcases breakthrough LTPO, Smart 120 Hz and HyperTouch technology.

— OnePlus One (@oneplus) March 16, 2021

OnePlus has also increased the maximum color gamut of the OnePlus 9 Pro from 126% of sRGB on the OnePlus 8 Pro to 139%. As expected, the display has a blue-light reduction mode, is HDR10+ certified, and also has the ability to work with polarized sunglasses in both vertical and horizontal orientations according to PCMag.

The most impressive feature is the variable refresh rate which drops to as low as 1Hz, this is far lower than the 48Hz refresh rate the screen of the Galaxy S21 Plus 5G drops to. It even goes lower than the Galaxy S21 Ultra whose lowest refresh rate is 10Hz. The benefit you get is a better battery life and OnePlus says that the feature which it calls “Smart 120Hz” reduces overall display consumption by up to 50%!

The OnePlus 9 Pro will also have a 360Hz touch sampling rate, though the feature will only be compatible with select games whose names will be announced at the launch event next week. However, OnePlus says it is working with more app developers to expand compatibility.

OnePlus will unveil the OnePlus 9 series on March 23 at a global event. It will also announce its first smartwatch, the OnePlus Watch.

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Dere V14S Laptop with Intel JasperLake N5095 processor arrives for $379

By

Simranpal Singh

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Mar 16, 2021

The popular Dere V14S laptop is refreshed with some new hardware in order to offer more value to the customers. Dere V14S laptop now carries several new advancements including the presence of an Intel JasperLake N5095 processor, a new Metal body and a backlit Keyboard. Other prominent features of the laptop include 12GB RAM, 256GB SSD, backlit Keyboard. It is now retailing on Aliexpress at the introductory price of $379 after using a coupon code DEREV14S20US.

Must See: Dere R9 Pro 15.6-inch laptop with 12GB RAM on sale for $316.99

Dere V14S laptop carries a new powerful Intel Jasper Lake N5095 processor build on a 10nm process while offering a quad-core setup clocked at the maximum frequency of 2.90 GHz. It is a highly efficient and powerful chipset that enables the laptop to offer 48 hours of standby. The processor itself offers a 30% improvement in performance over the previous generation Intel Gemini Lake N4125.

The new laptop comes with a 14-inch display having thin bezels and a 92% screen to body ratio. The display brings 178-degree wide-angle viewing and provides 100% sRGB High Color Gamut.

Dere V14S laptop is carved out of the metal body with a precise CNC diamond cutting process. Such a refinement offers an integrated panchromatic metal design which enhances its value and improves the premiums of the body. Moreover, you will get a 3-speed micro-edge backlit keyboard having a 6mm micro-edge distance for better typing. A large touch keyboard and large touch panel further improve the usability of the laptop.

Heat dissipation is quite important for a laptop, and the Dere V14S carries an 8.5mm thick copper pipe with intelligent silent cooling technology. It enhances processor performance by up to 20% per cent.

With the presence of fast SSD and DDR4 RAM, the device boots up in 6 seconds. The user can effectively use its graphics while playing games or designing un Adobe applications. Fast and reliable connectivity is made possible with dual-band WiFi. It offers up to 4 hours of battery life with its 5000 mAh battery. However, the laptop offers, a TF card reader, a Power interface, a USB 3.0 interface, a Headphone jack, a Type-C interface and a charging indicator light.

It is available in three colour options of Green, Silver and Pink. The users can choose between storage configurations of 12GB RAM + 128GB storage and 12GB RAM and 256 GB storage option. You can grab it for the price of $399, but the company is offering a limited time discount of $20 from AliExpress using coupon code DEREV14S20US.

Related: Dere TBook T10 laptop launched with 10th Gen Intel Processors, Touch Bar and 15.6-inch IPS display for $599

OPPO F15 receives ColorOS 11(Android 11) stable update in India

By

Balaji S

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Mar 16, 2021

OPPO shared the ColorOS 11 global update rollout plan for the month of March 2021. According to that, the OPPO F15 was supposed to get the stable update only from March 17 in India. However, the update is rolling out a bit early for the users.

An OTA update with firmware version CPH2001_11_F.10 seems to be rolling out to the users of India. This brings the ColorOS 11.1 based on Android 11 stable to the OPPO F15. The update seems to have already started rolling out to the users from March 12. However, it should take a few days to reach everyone.

This comes after the company released the Android 11 stable update rolled out for the OPPO Reno2 F and Reno 10X Zoom devices. It is also worth noting that the OPPO F15 got the ColorOS 11 Beta back in January.

Being a budget device, this could be the final major update for the OPPO F15. That is because the device launched with ColorOS 6.1 based on Android 9 Pie out of the box. Later, it got the Android 10 update with ColorOS 7 on top.

Either way, it’s appreciable that OPPO is bringing two major updates to a device that launched with a Helio P70 chipset. OPPO has been good with updates this year and we expect this momentum to continue going forward.

If you are a user of the OPPO F15, you can download the latest firmware update by navigating to the software update section in the settings. If you want to know the ColorOS 11 features, you can read our extensive coverage.

RELATED:

Foxconn may begin producing Electric Vehicle at its Wisconsin plant or in Mexico

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 16, 2021

The world’s leading contract electronics provider, Foxconn is planning to convert its plant in the US state of Wisconsin to an EV plant, as the company continues to grapple with losses occasioned by the underutilization of the plant since its opening in 2017 during Donald Trump’s presidency.

Taiwanese company Foxconn is also a major supplier of Apple and is believed to be a possible producer of Apple iPhones in its Indian plant. It is not known at this time whether the move by Foxconn is connected to the plans by Apple to produce its own EV.

The over $10 billion Wisconsin plant was originally designed to produce advanced large-screen displays for TVs. The plant has also been put forward by Foxconn to produce liquid crystal display screens, as well as the building of servers, all within the few years it has been established.

The EV announcement was made in Taipei, Taiwan by Foxconn’s Chairman Liu Young-way who stated that the infrastructure was available to make electric vehicles at its Wisconsin plant, coupled with its proximity to the traditional hub vehicle manufacturing in the United States. He stressed that Foxconn has the capabilities to produce the major electronics that are the critical components of EV vehicle production.

In addition, the company is seriously mulling plans to set up a plant in Mexico, as an alternative if the plans for its Wisconsin plant do not scale through. The Foxconn chairman also added that the company would invest around $354 million annually over the next three years as it continues to chart new business opportunities, EV production inclusive.

It remains to be seen how firm the company is about its foray into EV production and the coming years will put that decision in proper perspective.

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Realme C15 Global Version is Now In Stock at AliExpress

By

Daily Deals

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Mar 16, 2021

Great News for all Realme fans. The Realme C15 Global Version Smartphone is now available for purchase for all international customers at AliExpress for $139.15 only.

WHERE TO BUY

Realme C15 Global Version at $139.15 @AliExpress

The smartphone is powered by a MediaTek Helio G35 Octa-core processor and comes in a single storage variant of 64 GB and two RAM variants viz: 3 GB and 4 GB. The quad-rear camera features 13 MP (wide) main + 8 MP (ultrawide) + 2 MP (macro) + 2 MP (depth) cameras while on the front there is a single 5 MP (wide) camera.

Realme C15 is fueled by a massive 6000 mAh battery and supports 18W fast charging. For more detailed information check out this article on Gizmochina.

The Global Version of the Realme C15 smartphone is now available on AliExpress for $139.15 only. Please note that only a limited no of Power Blue and Power Silver, 4GB + 64GB variants are in stock. So grab your Realme C15 asap.

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

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

Facebook signs its first deal to pay News Corp to use its content in Australia

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 16, 2021

Social media giant Facebook may be gradually adapting to the new reality in Australia after the modified law that mandated social media platforms to pay publishers of news content placed on their platforms. In response to the initial law, Facebook last month had shut out several pages relating to news content in Australia. These included public pages of hundreds of government parastatals and agencies, thereby cutting millions of Australians from information on sundry issues from weather to COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

While there was widespread condemnation of Facebook from within Australia, it would seem that the drastic decision paid off, as there were conciliatory moves to douse the tension between the government and the company. There were a few modifications to the law which were acceptable to Facebook. It has now been confirmed that Facebook has signed a three-year contract with Australian media giant News Corp that would give it permission to use content from News Corp affiliates in Australia. The agreement covers several Australian media outlets owned and controlled by News Corp.

It is also known that Facebook is in talks with several other heavy hitters in the Australian media for similar deals in line with the new law which is already operational.
Google and Facebook, it would seem, were the major targets of the new law that mandates social networks to pay publishers for content displayed on their networks. Both companies voiced their concerns on the implication of implementing the law on the Australian social media space, although Facebook took a more hardline stand by shutting out news content completely from Australia at the height of the crisis.

The Australian law and its implementation may just be the precursor of similar laws in other jurisdictions across the world.

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