Realme GT 5G with 120Hz display, SD888, 64MP triple cameras launched in China

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Mar 4, 2021

OnePlus, which was focusing only on the premium high-end segment for years, finally re-entered the budget smartphone market with the launch of OnePlus Nord last year. Now, the company is gearing up to launch its successor.

Apart from the OnePlus 9 series flagship smartphones, the China-based company is going to introduce the OnePlus Nord 2 with an aim to cement its position in the competitive mid-range smartphone market.

OnePlus Nord Gray Onyx Featured — OnePlus Nord

A latest report coming from Android Central confirms that the device will indeed be called OnePlus Nord 2. It further confirms that the smartphone will be powered by MediaTek’s flagship Dimensity 1200 5G chipset.

This is a major change given that OnePlus has been using Qualcomm chipsets in all of its smartphones so far. In fact, OnePlus Nord was the first device from the company to feature a chipset other than Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800-series. Later on, the company used Snapdragon 600- and 400-series chips in Nord 10 5G and Nord 100.

With the upcoming Nord 2 adopting Dimensity 1200, the device will come with global 5G connectivity support. The chipset also supports 5G dual SIM dual standby — a feature that Qualcomm is yet to adopt.

As the key details of this upcoming smartphone has been revealed, we expect more information about the device, including specifications, features, variants, pricing, and availability information to soon surface online.

The OnePlus Nord has been successful in the Indian market mainly because of the affordable price tag of Rs 24,999 (~$340). It will be interesting to see how the company prices the upcoming Nord 2 smartphone.

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Huawei to reportedly launch a new Smart Screen on March 25 in China

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Mar 4, 2021

Huawei debuted in the Smart TV market fairly recently and the company already has three series catering to different audiences. The company isn’t calling them Smart TVs but instead, it prefers Smart Screen, implying it is more than a television set.

Now, the Chinese tech giant is expected to launch a new Smart Screen in its home market. While the company has not yet confirmed the date, reports indicate that it could be made official on 25th March.

So far, nothing is known about the device that Huawei is planning to launch later this month, not even the price range it falls under. But we expect to more about this in the coming days, as the launch date nears.

In the two years, Huawei has launched three series of its Huawei Smart Screen — a high-end X-series, a mid-range V-series, and an entry-level S-series. The smart screens for Huawei are focused on four main areas — Smart Interaction, Multi-Screen Experience, IoT Control Center, and Audio-Video Entertainment Center.

Ever since Huawei’s smartphone business has taken a major hit because of the US-China trade war and sanctions imposed against it by the United States, it is struggling to maintain its lead in the industry. In the past few months, the company seems to be shifting its primary focus away from smartphones and expanding its efforts in other product lines.

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Apple iPad Mini Pro with 8.9-inch display and Face ID could soon get launched

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Mar 4, 2021

Apple is gearing up to launch several new products this year, including new MacBook devices and iPads and most of them are expected to pack new technologies and won’t be just an incremental updates.

Last year, it was reported by Ming-Chi Kuo that Apple could release a new iPad Mini in the first half of 2021 and now it appears that the device could get launched in a couple of weeks as Apple iPad Mini Pro.

Ahead of the launch, some key details about the upcoming device as well as its concept renders have surfaced online, shedding light on what we can expect from it. However, we would advise you to take this with a pinch of salt.

As per the recent report, the upcoming iPad Mini Pro could come with the same design as the iPad Mini launched over the years, retaining the bezels on the top and the bottom. It is also expected to have a home button and Touch ID along with Lightning connectivity.

However, there are other reports which points towards Apple adopting a modern design for the upcoming tablet, in line with the iPad Pro and iPad Air 4. If that is the case, then we will finally get iPad Mini with a near bezel-less design and Face ID support.

A concept render of the upcoming iPad Mini Pro has also surfaced online, which reveals an 8.9-inch display with minimal bezels. Apart from that, it also showcases support for Face ID as well as USB Type-C for connectivity. It is said to be powered by the Apple A14 Bionic chipset and come in three storage options — 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB.

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Redmi AirDots 3 now available for purchase in China for 199 yuan ($31)

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Mar 4, 2021

A few days ago, Xiaomi-backed Redmi officially launched a few products in its home country China, including Redmi K40 series and the Redmi AirDots 3 true wireless earphones. Starting today, the earphones are now available for purchase.

The Redmi AirDots 3 are no up for grabs in China for a price of 199 yuan, which roughly converts to $31. It comes in three color options — White, Black and Pink colours. Compared to its predecessor, the design of this new true wireless earphones remains the same but comes with improved performance.

The TWS earphones are driven by a QCC3040 chipset and the Bluetooth version is upgraded to Bluetooth 5.2 from Bluetooth 5.0. It also brings faster connection speed, improved data transmission rate, and stable connection.

It comes with support for multi-functional touch control, built-in XiaoAI voice assistant, and MIUI compatible pop-up window to enable instant viewing for connection and battery status. The earphones also support Environment Noise Reduction technology to remove unnecessary surrounding noises and also comes with an IPX7 rating.

There is also an aptX Adaptive codec for upgraded sound quality. The company claims that the earphones deliver up to 7 hours of non-stop music playback on a single charge which can be extended to up to 30 hours with the charging case.

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Redmi K40 series first sale: 300,000 units of K40, K40 Pro sold in 5 minutes

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Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 4, 2021

As scheduled, the Redmi K40 and Redmi K40 Pro smartphones were made available for purchase for the first time at 00:00 AM (local time) today in China. Soon after these Redmi devices went on sale, the company confirmed that it sold 300,000 units of the Redmi K40 series.

The Snapdragon 888 powered Redmi K40 Pro is priced at 2,799 Yuan (~$432) for 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, 2,999 Yuan (~$463) for 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, and 3,299 Yuan (~$510) for 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage. On the other side, the Redmi K40 that features the Snapdragon 870 SoC costs 1,999 Yuan (~$310) for 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, 2,199 Yuan (~$340) for 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, 2,499 Yuan (~$386) for 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage, and 2,699 Yuan (~$417) for 12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage.

The Redmi K40 duo went out of sale just a few minutes their first sale began at 00:00 AM today in China. The next sale will be conducted on March 8. During the launch event of the Redmi K40 series, the company claimed that it will sell the 12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage variant of the K40 for 2,499 Yuan until it goes out of stock.

Regarding the Redmi K40 series, Xiaomi Product Director Wang Teng Thomas said, “We are working hard to stock up, and students who are not in a hurry to change their phones are advised to wait a few days. It is expected that they will be easier to buy in the middle of the month (machine translation).”

The executive further said in the comments section of the Weibo post, “We chose the former between the possibility of a shortage of the ultimate price-performance ratio and the increase in the price (machine translation).” One of the Weibo users asked him from when the 12GB+256GB will be available with its original pricing of 2,699 Yuan. He responded by saying that it could be available at the same price even in the coming month. This indicates that the company has already prepared enough stocks of the Redmi K40 to encounter the high demand.

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Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro Review: Fantastic all-round ANC Earbuds for Android

By

Paco Zheng

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Mar 4, 2021

When Samsung launched the S21 series this year, it also launched a new noise-canceling earbuds, the Galaxy Buds Pro. After using these earbuds for nearly two weeks, I have come to the conclusion that they are the biggest surprise from Samsung in the first half of 2021. If you want to know my verdict, then I can tell you this right now — the Galaxy Buds Pro is one of the best all-round noise-canceling TWS earbuds you can buy in the Android market!

Before I expand on why the Galaxy Buds Pro is so good, let’s first talk about some of its shortcomings.

Galaxy Buds Pro Review: Drawbacks

The first thing I’d like to point out is that the lid of the earbuds’ case is quite loose and you can shake it with your hand. It doesn’t seem sturdy enough. This shouldn’t be the case for earbuds in its price range.

Secondly, if you want to buy a TWS for gaming and you are not a Samsung phone user, it’s not recommended to buy it. Because it has quite a bit of a sound delay. But apart from these two issues, the new Samsung earbuds have practically no other disadvantages.

Yes, the Galaxy Buds pro is such a well-balanced TWS that it’s hard for me to pick out its flaws.

So Let’s start with its design and the fit.

Galaxy Buds Pro Review: Design & Fit

I don’t have to remind you how similar most earbuds from Android phone manufacturers are these days. So the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro wins in the appearance department over a bunch of Airpods Pro imitators.

The case is also very compact and very handy to tuck in your pocket. We got the Buds Pro in silver, and the metallic colour finish feels very nice. It’s understated with a bit of flair. The wearing style is the same as other Galaxy Buds. You have to insert the buds into the ear and then rotate it to fit securely. Stability and comfort are also great, and they don’t fall out as easily as some earbuds, say the Xiaomi Air 2 Pro for example. All in all, you don’t need to worry about Samsung’s efforts in terms of design and wearing comfort.

Galaxy Buds Pro Review: Noise Canceling Performance & Sound Quality

The noise-canceling performance of the Galaxy buds pro is even better. It has one of the strongest noise cancellation experiences of any earbuds we’ve tested. It is similar to Huawei’s Freebuds Pro. But unlike Huawei’s earbuds, it doesn’t automatically adjust the noise cancellation level. However, the Galaxy Buds Pro has a lower ear pressure than the Freebuds Pro. So it’s not uncomfortable even if the noise cancellation is set to the strongest setting.

And it has a special feature. It automatically detects when you are speaking and switches to the ambient mode and lowers the volume. This allows you to talk to a person without having to take off your headphones. However, this function is not triggered when the other person is speaking. So if the other person speaks to you first, the first few words will often be inaudible. Other than that, it works fine. It also works on non-Samsung phones. The probability of it being triggered by mistake is also very low. So it’s a feature that can be always turned on when you are wearing the buds.

Although the Galaxy buds Pro’s Bluetooth audio decoding is AAC-only, with AKG tuning and its own experience, the Galaxy Buds Pro’s sound quality is very good. It’s in the top tier segment of the TWS market. There is no need to worry about latency either. Video platforms will synchronize audio and video through algorithms, while games can reduce latency by enabling game mode. With gaming mode on, the experience is almost identical to that of the AirPods Pro, with almost negligible latency. But as I said at the beginning, there is no game mode for non-Samsung phones. So the latency is high enough to affect your gaming experience.

360 audio is also an interesting feature. It’s similar to the Airpods pro with spatial audio. It adds a sense of immersion while watching movies. But the actual experience effect is not so obvious. You need to be very attentive to notice the difference. Of course, this is a feature exclusive to Samsung phone users.

What surprised me most wasn’t the features that Samsung advertised at launch. Rather, it was the ease of switching between multiple devices. Many TWS can only be matched one-to-one. If you want to switch device audio, you need to re-connect, which is a pain. The Samsung Galaxy buds pro only requires you to click on a device that has been successfully matched before and the audio will switch to that device. And there is no limit as to the brand model or the number of devices. It doesn’t matter if you have a Xiaomi phone or a HUAWEI phone, or a PC with windows, you can switch with one click. If you have a multi-device scenario, you’ll know how great this switching experience is. This is the main reason why I liked the Galaxy Buds Pro so much.

Galaxy Buds Pro Review: Battery Life

While the Galaxy buds pro may not be the strongest in every category, it performs well enough in every single one of them. And personally, for me, this makes the Galaxy Buds Pro, the best TWS in the Android camp.

Do you think there is a better noise-canceling TWS headset than this? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section. We’ll try to buy it and review it for you.

WHERE TO BUY

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro @ Amazon

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Huawei files two patents relating to electric vehicles and the driving system

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Mar 4, 2021

Huawei has over the years established itself as an active player in the car manufacturing industry with several products and solutions aimed at making driving easy and fun. But last month, a report did emerge that the company was planning to make a full entry into the electric vehicles market. The move is said to be part of efforts to cushion the effect of the US ban which has resulted in the near-collapse of Huawei’s smartphone business.

The report may have some truth it after all. A couple of patents relating to EVs have been spotted. Specifically, two patents filed by Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. titled “An Electric Drive System, Powertrain, and Electric Vehicle”. The patents were both filed on October 21, 2021, and have the application numbers CN112436747A and CN112436779A.

The patent description published with the model bearing the application number CN112436747A shows that this application provides an electric drive system, a powertrain, and an electric vehicle, which involves the technical field of electronic circuits. Among them, the electric drive system includes a bus, an on-board charger, a three-level inverter circuit, and a controller.

The second patent with application number CN112436779A is also for an electric drive system, a powertrain, and an electric vehicle, which involves the field of power electronics technology. The electric drive system is connected to the power battery pack and includes a bus bar, a three-level inverter circuit, a DC-DC conversion circuit, and a controller. The controller is used to control the first conversion circuit and the second conversion circuit. The electric drive system reduces the volume and cost.

These are technical terms that may not make much sense to someone not familiar with EV systems but the bottom line is that Huawei may likely be working on its own EV. Do bear in mind, though, that the EV may not arrive any time soon.

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Samsung Galaxy A82 appears on Geekbench with a Snapdragon 855 processor

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Mar 3, 2021

The Galaxy A80 launched in 2019 as Samsung’s first full-screen device with no notch or punch hole. It was able to achieve this by adopting a slider+ rotating camera design. There have been reports of a successor that will launch as the Galaxy A82, and now it has been spotted on Geekbench with an old but powerful processor.

Multiple benchmark results of the upcoming device, first spotted by Ankit, have appeared on Geekbench under the name “samsung SM-A826S”. The scores are similar and all of the results show that the phone’s processor (motherboard) is “msmnile” a.k.a. the Snapdragon 855, Qualcomm’s 2019 flagship processor. This is definitely an upgrade from the Snapdragon 730G which made its debut in the Galaxy A80 but the fact is that it is a two-year-old flagship chipset.

Actually, we should not be too surprised as Samsung has shown more than a few times already that it is comfortable with using chipsets from its flagships a few years ago for newer devices. The recently launched Galaxy F62 is an example as it uses the Exynos 9825 processor that powered the Galaxy Note10. Another example is the Galaxy Note 10 Lite which launched in early 2020 but uses the Exynos 9810 processor found inside the Galaxy S9 from 2018.

Our guess is that Samsung probably has a lot of these old chipsets in stock and the best way to get rid of them is to ship them with new devices.

The Geekbench result shows that the Galaxy A82 will run Android 11 out of the box and have 6GB of RAM. While we know that the Snapdragon 855 doesn’t have a built-in 5G modem, earlier reports have revealed that the Galaxy A82 will have 5G support. This means that it will have a separate 5G modem just like other 5G phones powered by the same chipset.

Samsung is expected to launch the phone in a few months but we expect more details including its design to surface before an official announcement.

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Redmi K40 Pro+ vs Samsung Galaxy S21: Specs Comparison

By

Michele Ingelido

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Mar 3, 2021

Xiaomi released a brand new flagship killer for the Chinese market: the Redmi K40 Pro+. According to rumors, the K40 series will hit the global market under the POCO brand, but the arrival of this device in the global market is yet to be confirmed. Meanwhile, given its amazing specifications, we think it is worth comparing it with one of the latest flagships released by Samsung. Given the specifications and the price range of the K40 Pro+, we decided to compare it with the base variant of the Galaxy S21 series: the vanilla Samsung Galaxy S21.

Xiaomi Redmi K40 Pro+ vs Samsung Galaxy S21

	Xiaomi Redmi K40 Pro+	Samsung Galaxy S21
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT	163.7 x 76.4 x 7.8 mm, 196 grams	151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm, 169 grams
DISPLAY	6.67 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), Super AMOLED	6.2 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), Dynamic AMOLED 2X
PROCESSOR	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, octa-core 2.84 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, octa-core 2.84 GHz Samsung Exynos 2100, octa-core 2.9 GHz
MEMORY	12 GB RAM, 256 GB	8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB
SOFTWARE	Android 11, MIUI	Android 11, One UI
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, GPS
CAMERA	Triple 108 + 8 + 5 MP, f/1.8 + f/2.2 20 MP front camera	Triple 12 + 64 + 12 MP, f/1.8 + f/2.0 + f/2.2 10 MP f/2.2 front camera
BATTERY	4520 mAh, fast charging 33W	4000 mAh, fast charging 25W, fast wireless charging 15W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES	Dual SIM slot, 5G	Dual SIM slot, 5G, reverse wireless charging, IP68 waterproof

Design

The Samsung Galaxy S21 has a slightly more futuristic design than the Redmi K40 Pro+, at least in my opinion. I love its minimalistic camera module, but on the other hand, the K40 Pro+ provides great materials including a glass back. The Samsung Galaxy S21 has a plastic back, but it comes with a front panel protected by Gorilla Glass Victus and an aluminum frame. The Samsung Galaxy S21 is even waterproof with the IP68 certification, while K40 Pro+ only offers protection against splashes with the IP53 certification. Last but not least, Samsung Galaxy S21 is way more compact and lighter.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy S21 and the Redmi K40 Pro+ are very close when it comes to display quality. They both feature AMOLED display with vibrant colors, deep blacks, 120 Hz refresh rates, the HDR10+ certification, and a high 1300 nits peak brightness. Note that they have high-end displays, but not the best displays out there. Their resolution is Full HD+ and they provide great image quality, but you can actually find better displays such as the one of the Galaxy S21 Ultra or the OPPO Find X3 Pro. The biggest difference between these displays is the diagonal: you get 6.67 inches with the K40 Pro+ and just 6.2 inches with the Samsung Galaxy S21. Further, the Samsung Galaxy S21 has an ultrasonic fingerprint reader (actually better), while the K40 Pro+ has an optical fingerprint scanner.

Specs & Software

The European version of the Samsung Galaxy S21 is the most disappointing one as it comes with an inferior Exynos 2100 chipset (that is actually inferior especially in terms of power management). The U.S. version of the Samsung Galaxy S21 and the Redmi K40 Pro+ pack a Snapdragon 888 mobile platform, but you actually get a higher amount of RAM with the Redmi K40 Pro+ (12 GB). The phones run Android 11 out of the box and Samsung confirmed that the Galaxy S21 will get three years of major Android updates and four years of security updates.

Camera

The winner of the camera comparison is Samsung Galaxy S21. Unlike the Redmi K40 Pro+, it features OIS and a telephoto lens with optical zoom. It is composed of a 12 MP main sensor, a 64 MP telephoto lens, and a 12 MP ultrawide camera. It also provides a better 10 MP front camera which can record 4K videos at 60 fps. Both the phones support 8K video recording from the rear camera. Do not get fooled by the camera resolutions: as you just read, the fact that Redmi K40 Pro+ has a 108 MP main camera does not mean it is a better camera phone than Samsung Galaxy S21.

Read More: POCO F3 moniker appears for Redmi K40’s global model, bags FCC certification

Battery

The Redmi K40 Pro+ provides a longer battery life thanks to its bigger 4520 mAh battery but, unlike the Samsung Galaxy S21, it lacks wireless charging and reverse wireless charging. With the Redmi K40 Pro+, you get a faster charging speed thanks to 33W wired charging technology, but given that the battery is bigger, the charging time of the two phones is similar.

Price

The starting price of the Redmi K40 Pro+ in China is about €470/$567, while the Samsung Galaxy S21 is priced at about €800/$965 in its base variant. Unfortunately, the Redmi K40 Pro+ is only available in the Chinese market, while Samsung Galaxy S21 is the only one available globally. Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S21 looks like a better device due to the waterproof design, great build quality, compact body, and great cameras. But if you do not like compact phones and you want above-average battery life, you should go for the Redmi K40 Pro+.

Xiaomi Redmi K40 Pro+ vs Samsung Galaxy S21: PRO and CONS

Xiaomi Redmi K40 Pro+

PRO

Better hardware department
Bigger battery
Great price
IR blaster
Faster charging

CONS

Inferior cameras

Samsung Galaxy S21

PRO

IP68 certification
Wireless charging
More compact
Better cameras

CONS

Smaller battery

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Huawei maintains lead of the global 5G patent ranking as of February 2021

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Mar 3, 2021

In spite of a very turbulent 2020, coupled with a very vicious sanction regime that had negatively impacted its fortunes, global tech powerhouse Huawei is still high at the leaderboard as far as global 5G technology patents are concerned.

Some industry insiders have said that the US was seriously threatened by the meteoric pace of Huawei in 5G technology and had to act decisively to thwart the growth of the company along these lines. The restrictions notwithstanding, Huawei has continued to develop 5G technology by navigating through the maze of problems that ensued in the aftermath of the US ban.

In a clear indication of its leadership of the 5G race, the list of global patents for 5G technology compiled by IPlytics showed that Huawei is the leading company and accounts for more than 15% of active patents globally as at February 2021. US chipmaker Qualcomm has the next highest number of active patents. Manufacturers from South Korea, as well as Chinese company ZTE also are at the top of the list provided by IPlytics.

However, the process of granting patents is a very rigorous one and the list may be updated when new patents are registered. Patents can take years from application to when the patent is actually granted, so the rankings as compiled by IPlytics are the culmination of serious work in R&D by the companies.

Huawei also tops the global ranking with the most 5G applications overall. The performance of the Chinese tech powerhouse amidst a very large field of powerful competitors from the US, Europe, and South Korea, coupled with its own scars from the US shutdown, maybe the cloud with a silver lining for the company, as it continues to diversify its core operations to meet the challenges of remaining viable.

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Twitter Spaces designed to rival Clubhouse now available for Android

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Mar 3, 2021

Social networking giant Twitter has now introduced its Spaces audio chat room feature to its Android app, making it possible for Android users to join live Spaces from the top of their timeline while using the Android app. Twitter also says that Android users will soon be able to host their own spaces as well.

The expansion of Spaces into the Android universe is coming on the heels of further expansion of Twitter, as the company started testing voice DMs in the Indian subcontinent, Brazil, and Japan. These moves are expected to further position the social networking platform for greater functionality and customer retention.

The Spaces functionality is still under testing, therefore it is the beta version that is available on Android, but Twitter users on Android would not need to install the Twitter beta app in order to join a room. Rather, users will see the Live Spaces feature at the top of their timeline.

For now, Android users will be unable to host their own Spaces, but Twitter has promised to incorporate this feature very soon.

The clear opponent of Spaces is the Clubhouse and Twitter may have just pipped it in the race with the current Android rollout. Presently Clubhouse is only compatible with iOS, and will not allow users to join without being invited. Clubhouse co-founder Paul Davidson though has insisted that the Android version of the app is the “top feature” that his team is currently working on.

Twitter introduced Spaces as a “new social experience” in December 2020. It was initially limited to a “very small feedback group” of underrepresented voices and available only on iOS.

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The 8-model strong Redmi K30 series sold a total of 11 million units

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Mar 3, 2021

The Redmi K40 series was announced last week with three models in total – the Redmi K40, the Redmi K40 Pro, and the Redmi K40 Pro+. That is a lot fewer than the 8 models of its predecessor, the Redmi K30, but we won’t rule out the possibility of more models launching in the future.

Talking about the Redmi K30, it was revealed at the launch event last week that a total of 11 million units were sold. For a series with 8 models, there is an ongoing debate if that figure can be considered a success or not. Nevertheless, that figure is more than double the five million units recorded for the pioneer, the Redmi K20 series, which has three models in total.

All models of the Redmi K30 series

It appears Xiaomi/Redmi‘s new strategy to boost sales is to launch several models for a particular series. It already split the main Mi flagship series into two with the launch of the global markets-exclusive T-series which are actually rebadged versions of China-exclusive models. Last year’s Redmi 9 and Redmi Note 9 series also have more models than their predecessors and we expect their successors will follow the same pattern.

By launching several models, Xiaomi/Redmi provides buyers with several options to choose from and this helps with increased sales as there is a high chance that at least one of the models will tick all the boxes of a buyer.

What do you think about this strategy? Let us know in the comment box.

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Samsung Galaxy Xcover 5 leak includes full spec sheet and renders

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Mar 3, 2021

Samsung’s Galaxy Xcover line of rugged smartphones is pretty popular in select markets. Samsung is expected to launch a new model soon called the Galaxy Xcover 5. While a launch date is yet to be announced, a leak has revealed what the phone looks like along with its specifications.

First published by Winfuture.de, the German blog reports that the Galaxy Xcover 5 will have a 5.3-inch display, making it one of the Android phones with the smallest displays released this year. Don’t expect a really small form factor as the images show that the phone has pretty thick bezels. The resolution of the screen is 1480 x 720 which translates into a 16:9 aspect ratio and there is a sheet of Gorilla Glass 6 over it. For the back panel, the phone has textured plastic with corners that are reinforced to absorb shocks from falls.

Samsung will ship the Xcover 5 with an Exynos 850 processor. The octa-core processor has a clock speed of 2.0GHz and is paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. According to the source, there is a possibility that there will be other memory variants.

There is a single camera on the back of the phone – a 16MP f/1.8 camera with a red ring around it and two LEDs for flash positioned directly underneath. The front-facing camera is a 5MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture

The Exynos 850 is not a 5G processor, so what you get is support for 4G LTE networks. There are spaces for two nano-SIM cards and both can be set to 4G. The phone also has Bluetooth 5.0, support for 5GHz Wi-Fi, NFC, GPS, USB-C, and an audio jack. This is a rugged phone, so it has an IP68 waterproof rating and is MIL-STD 810G certified. There is no fingerprint scanner but you get face recognition.

Samsung ships the Xcover 5 with a removable 3000mAh battery that supports 15W fast charging. Thankfully, the device will run Android 11 out of the box and will be available in Graphite Black in Europe when it launches later this month. The Galaxy Xcover 3 weighs 172 grams and measures 147.1 x 71.6 x 9.2 millimeters. It is expected to cost between €289 and €299.

If you are wondering why the Galaxy Xcover 5 has worse specs than the Galaxy Xcover Pro that was launched in January 2020, that is because this a successor to the 2017 Galaxy Xcover 4. There is no news of a successor for the Xcover Pro but it is still the best Xcover phone you can get right now.

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Man buys PS5 & had it installed as a 5G router by a Sony staff to deceive his wife

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Mar 3, 2021

When Sony unveiled the Playstation 5 last year, the design of the console was one of the most discussed aspects of the product. The PlayStation 5 adopted a refreshed design which could see it laid flat or propped up tower-style with a stand. One thing which everyone seems to agree on is that the console looks like a router, among other things. One smart alec is reported to have exploited this feature to his advantage in a funny manner. Read on to find out how.

Stories making the rounds in the Vietnamese Facebook group – Vietnam Gaming Setup is that a family man who wanted a PS5 but didn’t want the wife to find out had the console installed as a 5G WIFI router. The man is said to have instructed the guy from Sony who was going to install the console to dress up in the uniform of a local network service provider Viettel. They didn’t stop there, a sticker of the network’s after-sales service contact was posted on the side of the PS5 to further douse any suspicion the wife might have.

Perhaps, the wife is opposed to his gaming habits so he told her the device is a 5G WiFi router. Smart? I don’t think so. We doubt if it will take long before the wife finds out about it. Moreso, the idea of splashing pictures of the adventure on social media isn’t a good idea after all as the post has since gone viral.

This isn’t the first time someone is trying this sort of stunt. The last one we heard of backfired as the man was forced to sell the console for cheap. The Taiwanese man is reported to have lied to the wife that the newly purchased PS5 console was an air purifier. Indeed, the console can pass for an air purifier. However, the wife soon found out and had him sell it to a lucky buyer who not only got it at a cheaper price but also at a time when the PS5 is still hard to come by.

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Vivo’s new wireless neckband-style headphones has 18 hours of battery life

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Mar 3, 2021

Alongside the Vivo S9 and Vivo S9e, Vivo also announced a new pair of wireless headphones today. The new headset has a neckband style, is lightweight, and boasts an impressive battery life.

Vivo says the new headphones feature 11.2mm large dynamic coils that were tuned by its Golden Ear Acoustics team. It has stereo surround sound and its 80ms low latency makes it suitable for gaming.

With respect to design, the Vivo wireless headphones come in three colors – Night, Blue, and Feather Gray. There is an in-line remote and the whole device is pretty light with a weight of 24 grams. Vivo says it has an IPX4 waterproof rating, so it should survive splashes and sweat.

Vivo says it has a 129mAh battery capacity and that a full charge will last up to 18 hours with the volume at 50%. It also supports fast charging via USB-C, providing 5 hours of listening time after just 10 minutes of charging. The headphones connect via Bluetooth 5.0, support fast pairing with compatible devices, and works with Vivo’s Jovi assistant.

The new Vivo Bluetooth headphones will be sold for ¥299 (~$46) and can be pre-ordered starting today on Vivo’s online store. It will go on sale on March 12.

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WhatsApp is testing self-destructing photos feature

By

Balaji S

-

Mar 3, 2021

Recently, WhatsApp has been testing a lot of features on the Beta version before bringing it to everyone. One such is to let users mute the videos before sharing. Today, WABetainfo has unearthed yet another feature and it could make you send disappearing photos.

WhatsApp is said to be working on a few features that will let users send disappearing/ self-destructing photos. WABetainfo has showcased the new feature via a Tweet in which we can see a new icon appearing inside the edit section of the media before sharing it.

As per the update, a ‘blue color’ toggle beside the ‘Add Caption’ textbox. Clicking on it will show a pop-up message that says, “This media will disappear, once you leave this chat”. This concept comes a couple of months after it rolled out the disappearing messages feature.

However, this could turn out as yet another useless feature as WABetaInfo says that so far WhatsApp hasn’t added a way to prevent users from getting access to the media. That is, it says that the receiver can take a screenshot of this disappearing photo and the sender won’t even be notified of it.

WhatsApp is working on self-destructing photos in a future update for iOS and Android.
• Self-destructing photos cannot be exported from WhatsApp.
• WhatsApp didn't implement a screenshot detection for self-destructing photos yet.

Same concept from Instagram Direct. ⏱ pic.twitter.com/LLsezVL2Hj

— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) March 3, 2021

It’s also worth noting that the company hasn’t added similar security features to the disappearing messages yet. Either way, the disappearing media feature isn’t new to Facebook, which currently owns WhatsApp. This is because we have already seen a similar photo/video disappearing feature on Instagram.

Anyway, we don’t know when WhatsApp will start rolling the feature. However, we do know that the company is working for both the Android and iOS versions. And not just that, the company has been improving its Web/Desktop app too. It recently enabled biometric authentication and Audio & video calling features on PC.

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Vivo S9 brings the Dimensity 1100 processor to market; Vivo S9e tags along

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