Sony‘s PlayStation 5 console is presently experiencing scarcity as a result of the global chip shortage but the console is yet to even launch in China, the world’s second-largest market. Sony has now announced via the PlayStation China official Weibo handle that the console will be launched in the Asian country “from April to June 2021”. The disclosure will surely gladden the hearts of many PlayStation fans in China who have been on the lookout for the official announcement. However, it may be too early to rejoice as the China version may also be plagued with shortages just like the global variant which is quite elusive due to chip shortage.
Sony first announced the PlayStation 5 in November 2020 but the company has only managed to ship a few million (4.5 million consoles last year) due to scarcity of AMD chip which can be traced to the build up of orders by TSMC. Several persons have taken advantage of the console’s scarcity and have increased the price of the gaming console. It was reported recently that the console was selling for up to three times its retail price in China as well as Hongkong, to those who are unwilling to wait for the official release.
The PlayStation 5 also broke the console sales record in the US in December when it was released for the North American market. We also expect the console to set new records for console sale in China when it is finally released.
Amazon’s line of Echo devices includes a variety of products. This wide range of products which include smart speakers and smart displays are powered by Alexa, its smart assistant. A new report says that Amazon is working on a new Echo Show, its line of smart displays, that will be wall-mounted.
The next Echo Show may be wall-mountable
The report from Bloomberg says that Amazon’s Lab126 division is developing on an Echo Show that will be 10 inches or 13 inches in size. Amazon is said to be undecided about the size. What will differentiate this new device from existing models is that it will be mounted on the wall rather than one that sits on a surface such as a table or a desk.
Since this will be wall-mounted, it means that it should be thinner than the current Echo Show models. The upcoming model will also have a microphone and camera so users can use it to make video calls.
Amazon is expected to launch the wall-mounted Echo Show by the end of 2021 or the end of 2022 with a price tag between $200 and $250. We expect other manufacturers that launch Alexa-powered displays to announce their own version of the wall-mounted Echo Show. We also won’t be surprised if other companies such as Google (Google Assistant), Xiaomi (XiaoAI), and Tmall (AliGenie) also jump on the train in the future.
The automobile industry globally has taken a huge hit as a result of the inability of chipmakers to meet the rising demand for chips from a motley of several sources. Many auto manufacturing plants had shut down operations outrightly or significantly scaled down their production numbers because important chips are yet to be supplied.
Chipmakers have made both short-term and long-term moves to improve the situation, although industry watchers have predicted that the situation may extend up to Q4 2021 before we will start seeing the impact of new investments.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) may have stepped in to stem the tide of several Chinese carmakers shutting down their plants as a result of the global chip shortage. It has encouraged domestic chipmakers to prioritize supply to the Chinese auto industry while also expanding their production capabilities. The supervisory ministry for IT issues says it met with representatives of Chinese chip companies and carmakers to mitigate the economic impact of the shortage of chips that have led to a cut in the flow of the auto production chain, leading to some temporary job losses in the automotive industry.
According to the statement released by the Ministry (via), chip manufacturing companies were urged to enhance their overall logistics ecosystem so as to improve efficiency in the supply chain, in line with the new suggestions on prioritization of attention to the automotive industry.
It is hoped that this new measure by the government will provide a short term respite from the biting effects of the chips shortage, as several chipmakers continue to unveil their plans for expansion and building of new chip plants.
Some chip manufacturers outside China are also considering relocating their plants to China for enhanced capacity and costs saving. This move, in combination with the others, will help put the Chinese automotive industry on a better footing.
Given that Chinese New Year is just around the corner, Ulefone has decided to treat all of you. The company has prepared a Spring Festival deal, dubbed “Love Delivers,” where the company is offering up to 47% off on various smartphones at its Aliexpress Ulefone Official Store. Let’s have a look at what they have in store for us.
The company is offering 40% off on the flagship – Ulefone Armor 10 5G that features a 6.67-inch punch-hole display and is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 800 5G SoC. It has 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. This smartphone packs a 64MP quad-rear camera system and a 16MP front camera. Other features include a 5800mAh battery, IP68 rating, MIL-STD-810G certification, and NFC payments.
For the Spring Festival promotion, interested readers can buy it for only $399.98 (original price: $529.99).
Ulefone Armor 9 runs on Android 10 OS and is powered by Helio P90 octa-core processor with 8GB of RAM & 128GB of internal storage. It packs a thermal imaging camera by FLIR that is designed for professional industrial use. Additionally, it has a 64MP primary camera and an 8MP selfie camera. It is a rugged smartphone with a 6.3-inch FHD+ waterdrop screen, 6600mAh battery, NFC & Google Pay support, and more.
This Ulefone smartphone is up with a price tag of $407.99 (original price: $429.99).
If you are looking for something in a more budgeted price range, Ulefone Armor 8 can be an option. It is powered by Helio P60 processor and has a 4GB RAM and 64GB memory combo. This smartphone features a 16MP triple rear camera, 6.1-inch waterdrop screen, 5580mAh battery, and much more.
For the current sale, interested readers can buy it for just $141.99 (original price: approx. $149.99).
The other phone you can opt for in the budgeted category is Armor X5 or X5 Pro. Armor X5 Pro is powered by an MT6762 octa-core processor and has 4GB RAM & 64GB ROM. It packs a 13MP dual camera for clicking decent pictures. Other highlights include a 5000mAh battery, NFC, and Google Pay support. At present, interested users can buy it for $105.99 (original price: $139.99).
Featuring similar specifications, Armor X5 differs in memory configuration and has 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM. At present, you can buy it for just $92.49 (original price: $129.99).
The Spring Festival started on 8th and will go on till 26th February. Interested readers can head onto Aliexpress Ulefone Official Store to check out other exciting deals and offers before the sale ends.
Redmi Smart Band features a 1.08-inch screen with adjustable brightness and a dynamic display. It features 24 x 7 heart rate monitoring to keep track in real-time throughout the day and notify you in case of irregularities. This Redmi band features 5 professional sports modes that allow you to monitor outdoor running, cycling, treadmill, power walking, and freestyle exercise. Other features include 50+ screen customization options, 14-day battery life, and direct USB charging.
With a sleek and straightforward design, this smartwatch blends well with most attires. Currently, it is up for sale on Amazon and available for just ₹1300 (original price: ₹1599). For an additional discount, interested readers can use the ₹100 on-page coupon. The deal is up only for today, so hurry and make the most of it.
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Pro is arguably one of the best true wireless earbuds you can buy right now. Following its release, Samsung has been tweaking the earbuds with updates. A new update is being pushed out and it is its second this month.
As seen on SamMobile, the 2.20MB update which comes as version R190XXU0AUB3 brings improvements to Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and Ambient Sound features. Below is the full changelog:
The operating concept has been changed when the user wears one earbud
Improved Ambient sound function
Improved system stability and reliability
This second update, like the one released last week, also improves the ANC feature. We would love to know if owners who have received the updates have noticed a significant improvement.
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Pro which is priced at $199 succeeds the Galaxy Buds+ and Galaxy Buds Live which were released last year. It has an intelligent ANC mode that allows you to adjust the level based on your environment and also automatically switches ambient mode when it picks up your voice in a conversation.
The earbuds also have Dolby Head Tracking technology which brings a 360° immersive audio experience when watching a (supported) video or movie. Sensors built into the earbuds will locate the direction of the sound as the user moves his/her head.
The Galaxy Buds Pro has an IPX7 water-resistant rating which means you don’t have to worry about it getting damaged with sweat or if it is raining. Samsung says it will survive a dip in 1 meter of freshwater for half an hour and warns against using it at the beach or pool.
Thanks to SmartThings, users will also be able to find their lost earbuds. There is also Offline Finding that shows the last location you used the earbuds so you can know where to look.
The Galaxy Buds Pro’s battery life is 8 hours (5 hours with ANC turned on) and it goes up to 28 hours with the case. It supports charging via USB-C and via Qi wireless charging.
Tech giant Samsung has reported a record-breaking pre-order performance in the UK market for its flagship Galaxy S21 5G Series, barely a month after the launch of the products. Although the brand did not reveal the figure, it surpassed pre-orders for the preceding Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S10 series.
Samsung says the new sales figures were driven by the cutting-edge technology deployed to provide industry-leading features for the flagship 5G series including a powerful camera system. The Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G smartphone leads the pack. With its 6.8-inch AMOLED display, the S21 Ultra 5G has the largest display among the models in the Galaxy S21 series. It also features an impressive and powerful camera that can transform a rookie into a professional photographer, as it is capable of capturing professional photos. The S21 Ultra 5G has a great system of adjusting the screen refresh rate to suit the content being viewed, implying better battery performance, in addition to an impressive battery pack.
Another icing on the cake for the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, is the incorporation of the S Pen technology that enables anyone to easily do important tasks like taking notes and other activities requiring a pen for a seamless experience. In particular, the S Pen will be quite useful for explaining more concepts while using video conferencing apps that may require you to share a whiteboard for greater explanation.
The Galaxy S21 5G also has some exquisite features with a 6.2 inch powerful AMOLED display that is capable of adjusting itself to help reduce the stress on your eyes, with the Eye comfort shield.
The Galaxy S21+ 5G has a 6.7-inch large display, an innovative camera system that can help in providing a professional touch to your photo sessions. It also has a powerful battery whose performance is at par with its equivalent from other brands.
The Galaxy S21 Series are all available for purchase with several color variants on offer.
The S21 Ultra 5G starts from £1149, while the Galaxy S21+ 5G goes from £949. The Galaxy S21 5G is up for grabs starting from £769.
Recently, Motorola rolled out the Android 11 update to the Moto G Pro making it the company’s first device to get the latest version. Today, the company is finally seeding out a new Android update for the 2019 Moto G8 Play but it’s the older Android 10.
Motorola is rolling out a new update for Moto G8 Play with software version QMD30.47-19 in Brazil. Accordingly, it updates the OS to the Android 10. The official Motorola Support page Courtesy of Piunikaweb shows that it has started seeding the update from February 8, 2021.
Apart from Android 10, the update also brings December 2020 Security patch to the device. If you recall, Moto G8 Play, which launched back in October 2019, shipped with Android 9 Pie out of the box.
After a long delay, Motorola Brazil had reportedly said back in July 2020 that the Android 10 Update for the device will be out soon. However, for some reason, that didn’t happen. Anyway, the update is here and you can expect features like a dark theme, full-screen Navigation gestures, and some improvements to privacy.
As for the rollout, expect it to gradually land on every G8 Play in the country soon. Also, it would be too much to ask for an update to Android 11 considering it’s a 2019 budget device but let’s see how things pan out in the future.
speaking of which, in case you don’t know, the Moto G8 Play features a 6.2-inch Max Vision HD+ Display, Triple rear cameras with a 13MP main lens, 4,000mAh battery, NFC, and debuted for R$ 1099 in Brazil.
Nubia‘s next-generation smartphone is expected to be the Red Magic 6 and there is no word yet on when the device will be released. One thing we know, though, is that the gaming phone will have a cooling system. Nubia’s brand manager Ni Fei has now announced on Weibo that the device will come with a completely revamped cooling system.
Ni Fei, who is also President of Mobile Devices at ZTE, disclosed that the device will feature a “strengthened” fan. Also, the device will feature a nine-axis spatial sensor that will track the phone’s movement in multiple directions. The Nubia exec also shared a video which shows the device literally floating in the air. The teaser doesn’t really show that the device will float in the air but it is used to show how the cooling system would pan out.
In January this year, Nubia’s Red Magic announced a strategic partnership with Tencent Games and the purpose of this cooperation is to offer a better gaming experience to Red Magic gaming phone users. This new cooling solution may be one of many new features that would be onboard the gaming phone.
TApart from cooling the chipset, allowing for much better performance under sustained load, we anticipate that the fan might come in handy in cooling the device while charging. This will be much needed if the device will utilize the 120W charging which was certified not too long ago. That powerful charging support may be on the Red Magic 6 Pro while the vanilla Red Magic 6 may pack an equally decent 66W charging.
There is no word yet on when the gaming smartphone will be released but we expect that to happen soon.
Twitter is one of the major social media platforms in the world with more than 300 million users according to a 2019 report. And like other platforms, one of the ways it makes money is through ads. A new report has revealed that Twitter is considering other forms of increasing its revenue one of which is a subscription service.
A Bloomberg report says that Twitter is developing a subscription product to reduce its reliance on advertising. The report says that this is something it has considered for years and has now gotten more attention following the pandemic and pressure from investors.
Insiders have revealed that Twitter is considering a tipping service that will allow users to pay for exclusive content from some of the accounts they follow. Twitter will get a cut of the earnings. Other possible models include payment “for the use of services such as Tweetdeck or advanced features such as “Undo send” or profile customizations”. Twitter is also said to be considering premium features such as high-quality videos and more in-depth analytic tools. An analyst at JMP Securities even suggested a subscription offering that removes ads or offers more content.
Chief Financial Officer of Twitter, Ned Segal, is said to have mentioned in a call with investors last year that a subscription option would offer sales “durability” compared to ads. The executive did say that they will be picky about it.
Bruce Falck, who is Twitter’s head of revenue products is reported to have said that “increasing revenue durability is our top company objective” and that it “may include” subscriptions.
Google hardware products are known for bugs. But the search giant is also known for fixing those with software updates. Hence, the company has released a new firmware update for Google Chromecast With Google TV with an important fix and some new features.
The Google Chromecast with Google TV is the latest streaming device from the company. It was announced in late September along with Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5. Since its release, it has had some issues and the firm responded to them with software updates.
Currently, the product is receiving a new firmware update with build number 200918.033. This update brings a much-awaited fix for the recovery screen issue reported by many users. Hence, if you own the device, then make sure to update it as soon as possible. However, do note that the build is being rolled out in batches and therefore, it may take time to reach your unit
Further, as per the changelog, the latest update improves 4K support for TVs/AVRs and Dolby Audio for Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital Plus passthrough content. That’s not all, it also bumps up the security patch level to December 2020 and brings general stability, performance, and security improvements.
Google Chromecast with Google TV 200918.033 Update Official Changelog
Improved 4K support for TVs and AVRs
Dolby Audio improvements for Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital Plus passthrough content
Android recovery screen improvements and fixes
Reduced the occurrence of users seeing the Android recovery screen
Improved instructions when the Android recovery screen is shown
Security update: security patch level increased to December 5, 2020
General security, stability, and performance improvements
Amidst facing a lot of hiccups, Twitter never fails to update the features of its App. Today, it has started expanding the testing of one such ‘Twitter Spaces’ including a few users in India. This feature looks like a Clubhouse alternative and should give a tough fight to the invitation-only app soon.
Twitter has expanded the testing of the “Spaces” feature. For the unaware, this was first rolled out to Beta Testers back in December. It is a virtual audio chat room. Just like the currently popular Clubhouse, it enables users to join a voice chat or host one on the App.
It is actually powered by the Periscope, which is again a video streaming platform acquired by Twitter in 2015. Initially, the “Spaces” feature was available for a very limited number of users as a part of Beta testing. However, Twitter has confirmed to Techradarthat it is expanding the testing phase including a few users in India for feedback before wider rollout.
Besides, Alpha Exploration Co.’s Clubhouse is based on an invite system and is currently limited to iOS. Although its Android version is coming this year, Twitter Spaces could swoop in before and capture the user base. That is, it is working for both Android, iOS users simultaneously and has now increased the user base to 3,000 more people after an initial count of 1,000.
Basically, every Beta Tester would start a Public/Private Voice Room. Any Twitter user, following him, can listen to the audio inside the room. Inside the App, at the Twitter Fleet section, the Host icon with a Violet color ring and Voice icon will appear. Clicking on it shows two options- Listener, and Speaker.
It also shows the members inside the room and their designations. After clicking the option, you can either turn your mic on/off, send stickers, view transcriptions inside the space, and more.
Qualcomm‘s latest 5G modem is the Snapdragon X65 which replaces the Snapdragon X60 that was launched last year. The X60 was bundled on the Snapdragon 888 processor. The new Snapdragon X65 promises to bring superior speed and support for up to 10Gbps speeds on both standalone and non-standalone 5G networks.
In terms of the upgrades that this new modem brings, the Snapdragon X65 offers a maximum download speed of 10Gbps which is an upgrade over the 7.5Gbps maximum download speed offered by the SD X60 from last year. This speed is merely theoretical, though, as there is yet to be a 5G network that is capable of providing such a level of throughput. However, with the upgrade in 5G connectivity, the modem is battle-ready for whenever the 5G throughput will get to that level.
Further, the Snapdragon X65 comes with support for the upcoming 3GPP Release 16 specification and Qualcomm claims it is the first modem to have such support. Release 16 which is also called “5G phase 2” is designed to bring such improvements as power consumption, massive MIMO connectivity, and more. Release 16 comes with improved support for unlicensed spectrum and non-public networks designed to facilitate 5G network expansion from consumer to more commercial uses.
Qualcomm touts the modem to arrive with an upgradable architecture thus making room for the addition of new features which will, in turn, make the device it runs on to remain relevant and current for a long time, more so as 3GPP Release 16 continues to roll out, allowing devices to stay relevant and up to date for longer.
Qualcomm also announced the Qualcomm 545 mmWave antenna. The antenna is a 4th-generation model been though it retains the size of the third-gen model. However, the new antenna sees improvement in the transmission power and now supports the full range of global mmWave frequencies.
Also announced, is an “AI antenna tuning technology,” that is touted to enable huge improvements in performance due to the deployment of AI-powered tuning. To put it in perspective, Qualcomm explained that the new system has up to 30 percent more accuracy in the manner it detects the way users grip their phones in order to bump up the connection efficiency, faster data speeds, and better battery life.
We don’t expect the Snapdragon X65 to be available anytime soon going by precedence. We expect it to be unveiled in the next-generation flagship Snapdragon chipset that is expected to be announced in December.
In mid-January, Samsung officially announced the Galaxy S21 series consisting of three models. However, these smartphones hit the shelves only later that month. Now, within a few days, the trio has been already discounted in the US by up to $200 along with the Galaxy Z Flip 5G and Galaxy Z Fold2.
For those unaware, Samsung debuted the Galaxy S21 series starting at $799.99 for Galaxy S21, $999.99 for Galaxy S21+, and $1,199.99 for Galaxy S21 Ultra respectively.
The Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ come in two storage configurations and hence, customers opting for the higher storage variant have to spend an extra $50. On the other hand, the Galaxy S21 Ultra comes in three variants. Its mid-variant costs an additional $50 extra but the top-most variant is $130 costlier than the previous version.
However, if you want to buy a Galaxy S21 series device right now, you don’t have to spend the handset’s MSRP. That’s because all three phones have been discounted by popular retailers in the US.
All the storage variants of Galaxy S21 now costs $100 cheaper, whereas those of Galaxy S21+ and Galaxy S21 Ultra are discounted by $200.
With the new discount, the Galaxy Z Flip 5G is now more affordable than ever
Model
Storage Variant
MSRP
Discount
New Price
Galaxy Z Flip 5G
8GB + 256GB
$1,199.99
$200
$999.99
Galaxy Z Fold2
12GB + 256GB
$1,999.99
$200
$1,799.99
That said, there’s no telling when these promotions will end. Hence, if you were planning to get any of the above-mentioned phones, then make sure to not miss this deal.
Xiaomi launched its first Smartwatch, the Mi Watch Revolve in India back in September 2020. The company has officially announced a price cut that will make the wearable available ₹3,000 less than the launch price.
Xiaomi Mi Watch Revolve
Xiaomi’s Mi Watch Revolve is now priced at ₹7,999($110) in India. The smartwatch comes in two color options- Chrome Silver, Midnight Black. If you recall, the company brought it for a price of ₹10,990($151). However, it sold for a ₹1,000 less during the Diwali sale.
That said, the company mentions that the new offer is a Limited Period one which could be on the occasion of Valentine’s day arriving in five days. Either way, the new Price of the Smartwatch has already reflected on the official channels. Speaking of which, you can grab the Mi Watch Revolve on mi.com and Amazon India.
Lowest price ever! 😍#MiWatchRevolve is available at an unbelievable price.
The Mi Watch Revolve features a 1.39-inch round-shaped AMOLED touchscreen housed inside a 46mm Watch dial. The strap width is about 22mm. The display has a 454×454 pixel resolution, 326ppi PPI, and a max brightness of 450nits. It is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3 as well.
It also has features like always-on functionality, close to 112 Watch faces. Further, the device has 10 sport modes, media control, notifications, find my phone, weather, and more. It is compatible with Android 4.4 or iOS 10 and above.
Other features include a 420mAh battery, Heart rate monitoring(PPG), GPS, Bluetooth 5.0 BLE, 5ATM water resistance, Ambient light functionality, and more. Finally, the watch measures 4.62 cm x 5.33 cm x 1.14 cm and weighs just 40 grams.
A few days ago, a Lenovo phone with a “K13” moniker got certified by Bluetooth SIG leaving everyone surprised. Today, 91Mobiles have partnered with tipster Sudhanshu to reveal the renders along with key specifications.
According to the report, Lenovo K13 will have 4G LTE connectivity support, run Android 10 OS just like its predecessor. If you recall, Lenovo resurrected the Lemon series in China with budget Lenovo Lemon K12 Pro and Lemon K12 smartphones. These were rebadged versions of Moto G9 Power and Moto E7 Plus respectively.
These devices also had the 4G LTE connectivity and ran Android 10 OS out of the box. If this isn’t enough, the Bluetooth SIG also suggested that the Lenovo K13 could just be a rebrand of Moto E7i Power as model numbers were similar(XT2097).
Anyway, it’s really disappointing to see devices debuting with Android 10 at a time when Android 12’s arrival is imminent. Coming back, the report also shows renders of the Lenovo K13. The device is said to come in two colors- Red and Blue. The design is a bit different as this one has vertically-aligned dual-cameras on the back.
Surprisingly, it seems to have a speaker grille located on the back alongside the Lenovo branding. There is also a fingerprint sensor at the center of the rear. Apart from this, the device has Power, Volume, Google Assistant keys to the right side.
Lenovo K13 Specifications(Expected)
As for Specs, the device is likely to get a 6.5-inch HD+ display with a 1600x720p resolution and mostly a waterdrop notch. It will be powered by an Octa-core chipset clocked at 1.6GHz paired with 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. The device could also get a microSD expansion up to 32GB.
For cameras, the rear setup will have a 13MP main and a 2MP sensor, and a 5MP sensor up front for selfies according to the report. Weighing 200g, other features of it include dual-SIM and a Type-C port for charging. I guess we will have just have to wait for the official launch date and price now.
Samsung, the world’s biggest phone manufacturer has just updated its 2021 flagship lineup with the brand-new Galaxy S21 series, which includes the Galaxy S21, the Galaxy S21 +, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra. And as promised before, we got a unit of the Galaxy S21 and have been testing the device for the past few days. Since you can find plenty of unboxing and hands-on videos of the S21 on youtube, we instead focused on how the Mi 11 fares in comparison to the new Samsung model. So today we are going to bring you a deep gaming comparison between the S21 and the Xiaomi Mi 11 and briefly talk about their UIs.
As an early flagship model in 2021, the S21 is much more recognizable in appearance. Since you may have already learned much about these two models’ design, we are not going to go through it again and waste your time. So let’s just focus on their gaming experience.
Samsung is one of the first few brands that started the trend of curved display on their flagship models. Since the S6 Edge, the edge-curved display has become one of the series’ most distinctive features. But this time around the S21 comes with a traditional flat display, while other brands including Xiaomi just started their journey with curved displays.
However, we are really happy to see the flat display come back because personally I feel, having a flat-screen for gaming and videos is absolutely a better option. What’s very interesting here is that the Mi 11 utilizes Samsung’s latest 2K 120Hz panel, while Samsung has downgraded the s21’s resolution to 1080p. Here, Samsung is telling you that if you want a better display with a higher resolution, just pay more money and get the S21 Ultra. Both the Mi 11 and the S21 have an excellent color presentation, but if we just focus on gaming, you can’t really pick one as the one with a better display, no matter for the colors or for resolution.
Mi 11 top / S21 bottom
Although the light and thin design of the Mi 11 offers comfortable holding when gaming for a long time, the S21 has an even lighter design. Therefore, even though the Mi 11 has a bigger display, we still strongly feel that the whole visual experience on the S21 is better in our gaming test.
Actually, we don’t think these two phones are the ideal models for gaming. In our comparison between the Mi 11 and the iQOO 7, you can see how additional buttons improve gaming operation. If we had to pick one who’s better at gaming, we would give our credit to the Mi 11 which has a slightly bigger display for a less crowded button-layout. And the Mi 11’s sampling rate is a bit higher than the S21, although it’s not easy to perceive this difference.
Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Xiaomi Mi 11: Benchmark & Gaming Performance
Now let’s focus on their performance. The S21 series released in Europe features Samsung’s own flagship chipset, the Exynos 2100, while the model in our hands is powered by the Snapdragon 888. From what we got on these benchmarks, the result shows a tiny gap between these two models within 8 percent, except for the Antutu benchmark results, which showed a 12% lead for Mi 11. So theoretically the S21 should have a close performance to what we have on the Mi 11. However, the real difference is higher than what we expected.
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PUBG
PUBG
But it doesn’t mean that the S21 is worthless over gaming. For example, in shooting games like PUBG Mobile which is well-optimized, the S21 has almost the same performance as the Mi 11. The consistent high framerate shows that the PUBG Mobile now is not a problem at all for these high-end models.
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NBA 2K
NBA 2K highest graphics
And then we turned to the NBA 2K20, the game that is able to support higher-framerate gaming. So in this game, both of them can reach up to a maximum 120fps, but both of them throttled down performance several times in our 20mins gaming test.
After the latest update, the Mi 11 finally fixed the issue of the lazy big core and the performance mode of the CPU lasted for much longer than before. Its first performance down throttling happened at the 9-minute mark. While the Samsung S21 was more disappointing with it throttling down the CPU in just 2 minutes. And it eventually limited the frame rate down to 60fps most of the time. So when you look back to their frame rate results, not so surprisingly, the average frame rate for the S21 running the NBA 2k is only 70.74fps, while the average figure for the Mi 11 is 105.15fps.
But these figures are not even close to the results that we tested on the 2020’s flagship models running the Snapdragon 865. And the S21’s result once again proves the optimization issue of the Snapdragon 888. But, of course, this aggressive down throttling reduced the surface temperature and the power output of the S21.
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Genshin Impact
And then let’s move on to the results of the Genshin Impact. Well, this game is an absolute nightmare for the snapdragon 888. All we can say is that the result for the S21 is worse. Even though the average framerate of 28.72fps was gathered from a mid-range phone, it would be still terrible, not to say that it’s tested from a giant brand’s flagship model. Then we ran the game on Mi 11 to see whether its performance improved after the latest update. Well as you can see, a different issue just occurred — higher frame rate fluctuation. Although it seemed that the big core was working well, it didn’t reflect in better gaming fluency. Still the result of 47.3fps is still much better than what we got on the S21.
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Nimian legends
The last game we tested was Nimian Legends. The situation for the S21 didn’t change. The gap is still huge between these two models. The Mi 11 ran at 52.09fps on average, while the S21 only ran at 32.57fps.
So from all the tests we did, we have to admit that the S21 didn’t take full advantage of the latest flagship chipset. And it’s probably the most conservative model among all the Snapdragon 888 flagships in the market right now. And it seems that the Mi 11 also got the better performance over its GPU dispatch.
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But at the same time, the S21 did perform better in terms of the cooling effect and power consumption. In the test of Nimian Legends, the S21 didn’t over-heat and was able to control the perceivable temperature under 47℃, and it only consumed 15% of power, while the Mi 11 easily heated up to 53℃ and it consumed 20% of power as we mentioned in the last video.
Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Galaxy S21: UIs
Galaxy S21 OneUI
In addition to their performance, we think it’s necessary to briefly talk about their UIs too. The S21 is running the One UI, which is one of the most customizable UIs in the Android ecosystem. When you get the phone, your first impression might be that the UI is boring without any features. Indeed there is not much you can do with its default settings. However, Samsung has officially offered customizable UI features via an App called Good Look, and you need to download the app from the Samsung Appstore. In the App, you will see the basic UI get a number of customizable UI features, such as Navigation bar, operating gesture, dynamic wallpaper elements, and so on. And even some basic settings were hidden inside the app collection of the Good Look family, such as the adjustment of edge touch for avoiding mis-touches.
On the contrary, on the Mi 11, the highly integrated MIUI feels a bit bloated with so many features. Some are creative and useful, and some will never be used in their lifetime. And it has pretty comfortable animations too, if it’s running fluently. But unfortunately, the Mi 11 still lagged sometimes. And make sure that you can live with its ads if you are going to buy the Chinese version.
So that’s it. We have covered all the important information that we want to share with you, mainly about the S21’s disappointing gaming performance and its UI details when directly compared to the popular Mi 11. As for the camera performance of the S21 series, we will bring the S21 Ultra to our labs soon and compare it with other top camera phones of 2021.
The reason why we didn’t compare the S21’s cameras with the Mi 11’s is very simple: after we checked their camera samples, the Mi 11 lost the competition in almost all rounds. And the S21 is even not the best model of the series.
But you can check out our comparison of the Galaxy S21 with the Vivo X60 Pro+ down below.
AnTuTu has just released a new list of top Android smartphones for the month of January 2021. This list is based on user ratings of Android handsets, and is led by the Meizu 17 Pro, followed closely by the Huawei Mate 40 and Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G.
The rankings from the known benchmarking based platform arrives based on user ratings of Android smartphones. In other words, the rankings are also based on customer satisfaction of a handset. This implies that the devices on the list are present due to the high ratings received from numerous users. These phones also meet customers needs in most scenarios as well and are basically the ones that have been very positively received by the Chinese market.
Earlier this month, the list went live with the Meizu 17 Pro leading the rankings. Since its release, the device has received various OTA updates that have added various new features, which is likely what led to its high user ratings overall, which reached 97.93 percent. Under the hood, the device sports last year’s flagship Snapdragon 865 SoC, with LPPDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. The device has been built with design in mind rather than performance, although, its hardware is still quite capable.
The other top three rankings had the Huawei Mate 40 arrive in second, with a 97.89 percent user rating. This device features the company’s Kirin 9000E chipset and is the company’s latest flagship handset. On the third spot, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G can be found, with a 97.75 percent user rating. It features top notch specs and has recently seen price slashes as well making it more affordable.
First, there was a smartphone wave, which was followed by TWS aka true wireless earphones. Now, we see smartwatches everywhere. Almost all companies, whether new or old, sell wearables. Hence, we are not surprised to learn that a gaming brand like RedMagic will be soon releasing its own smartwatch.
RedMagic, the gaming sub-brand of nubia Technology is known for gaming smartphones, related accessories, and even a gaming TWS called Cyberpods. Now, according to FCC, the brand may launch its first-ever smartwatch called RedMagic Watch with model number SW2102.
The upcoming RedMagic Watch will sport a 1.39-inch circular AMOLED display with a resolution of 454 x 454 pixels. The live images and the sketches in the manual show that this smartwatch will come with two physical buttons on the right side.
Further, the entire casing of the watch seems to be made of plastic but the bezel could be metal. Whereas, the replaceable strap looks like cheap silicon material, going by its appearance. Also, the live images only showcase a black-colored model, however, there could be other variants as well.
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Red Magic Watch
Talking about sensors, this wearable will come with all the essential ones, such as a heart rate sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, and ambient light sensor. That’s not all, the watch will also feature in-built GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, QZSS).
Unfortunately, the manual does not list the sports modes and other features of this wearable. But it does mention that this 5ATM water-resistant smartwatch will be backed by a 420mAh battery that charges via an included magnetic charger at the rate of 2.5W.
Last but not least, the RedMagic Watch will use Bluetooth 5.0 LE to connect with smartphones running Android 4.4 and above via a companion app called RedMagic Sports.
As far as launch is concerned, we can expect RedMagic Watch to debut alongside the RedMagic 6 gaming smartphone powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 888.
OnePlus’ co-founder Carl Pei left the company and founded his own venture called ‘Nothing’. As teased before, in an interview with Bloomberg, he says that the company will start its portfolio with Wireless Earbuds.
Carl Pei, the founder of ‘Nothing‘, plans to make not just audio products but create an ecosystem where devices can talk to each other. Precisely, it is already working on Smart, Connected consumer electronics. However, the company will begin with Simpler products i.,e a Wireless Earbuds.
Speaking of which, the earbuds are coming this summer but we don’t have a specific date yet. This announcement comes along with details about investment from venture capitalists. Carl Pei said that GV(Formerly: Google Ventures) has invested $15 million in the London-based Consumer Technology company.
In case you don’t know, GV is a Captial Investment arm of Alphabet Inc. Apart from GV, Nothing has attracted investments from biggies like Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin, Reddit co-founder & CEO Steve Huffman, iPod inventor Tony Fadell, and YouTuber Casey Neistat.
Wireless earbuds have stormed the consumer electronics market in 2020. In fact, they, along with wristwear, led the entire wearable segment‘s shipments with a whopping 93% of the total share. The list includes giants like Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, and even realme making it inside the top-10.
Hence, it would be a bang of a start for Carl Pei to compete with companies( including his ex-company OnePlus) in a segment that’s already blooming entering into 2021. That said, we will have to wait and see if the company manages to pull the audience towards it with its first product.
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The disclosure will surely gladden the hearts of many PlayStation fans in China who have been on the lookout for the official announcement. However, it may be too early to rejoice as the China version may also be plagued with shortages just like the global variant which is quite elusive due to chip shortage.
