The Chinese technology companies suffered a lot because of the policies implemented by the former US President Donald Trump. The situation was expected to get a bit better under Joe Biden but it seems that isn’t the case.
As per the latest report, the Biden administration is expected to add “new targeted sanctions” on some sensitive technology exports to China in cooperation with the country’s allies. This comes ahead of the first call of Joe Biden with China’s Xi Jinping.
Apart from adding new trade restrictions for sensitive technologies, it is also being said that the United States government won’t list trade tariffs imposed by the Trump administration before conducting “intense consultation and review” with the allies.
During a briefing session, an official told, “We are maintaining those tariffs while we conduct our review because we’re not going to act precipitously. President Biden’s major criticism of the Trump strategy here was not that he wasn’t getting tough on China on trade, but that he was doing so alone, while also fighting our allies.”
It was also said that Joe Biden is aiming to quickly work with Republicans to boost public investment in technology sectors that are crucial to the United States’ economic edge, including semiconductors, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence.
Xiaomi has already confirmed that the company will be launching a new Mi MIX series smartphone later this year. Along with the Mi MIX 4, the company is also confirmed to launch a tablet device.
Ahead of the launch of the Mi MIX 4, more and more information related to the smartphone keep surfacing online. One such report is claiming that the device will come with the leading display design.
It claims that the phone will have a full-screen design without any notches. It could mean that Xiaomi could be among the first phone makers to launch a smartphone with under-display camera technology.
So far, only ZTE has launched a smartphone with under-display camera technology. It had launched the Axon 20 5G last year and is now gearing up to launch its successor, dubbed as the Axon 30.
Xiaomi had earlier teased the under-display camera technology using a prototype device. Last year, in September, it was reported that the company’s under-display cameras made by TCL CSOT could arrive in 2021.
There are also reports that the Mi MIX 4 could feature the four-sided waterfall display with 88-degree curves which was recently unveiled by Xiaomi. However, do note that all these have not been confirmed by the company yet.
We expect more details about the smartphone to surface online and teased by the company as the launch date nears. Till then, we will have to rely on leaks and reports hitting at possible specs and features.
Xiaomi is reportedly working on the launch of the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro. A recent tweet by tipster Max Weinbach suggested that the Mi 11 Pro and another device named Mi 11 Ultra could be coming in April or May. He claimed that the upcoming Xiaomi phone with the M210K1G model number could be arriving in the market as the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro. Now, the Indian version of the device has received certification from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The same authority has also approved the Redmi K40 phone.
The alleged Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro has appeared with M2102K1G model number whereas the Redmi K40 has emerged with M2012K11AI model number. The BIS certifications of these devices have no information on their specifications. The certifications only hint that these devices may release in India in the near future.
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Redmi K40 BIS certified
Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro BIS certified
The rumor mill is yet to spill concrete information on the specs of the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro. It is expected to feature the Snapdragon 888 mobile platform and could be the company’s first phone with in-screen camera technology. Some of its other rumored features include a 6.81-inch OLED curved edge OLED screen with a QHD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate support, 120x zoom, and a 5,000mAh dual-cell battery.
A recent tweet by popular tipster Mukul Sharma revealed that the global version of the Redmi K40 may debut as a POCO branded device. There is a possibility that the Redmi K40 end up as a POCO handset in India.
The TENAA listing of the Redmi K40 revealed that it will come with a 6.67-inch Samsung E4 AMOLED FHD+ display, a 4,420mAh battery, 33W fast charging, and Android 11 OS. It could be coming with a new Snapdragon 7-series chipset.
The Redmi K40 and K40 Pro have the same dimensions and have identical displays and batteries. Hence, it appears that these phones may differ in departments like chipset and cameras. Both phones measure 163.7 x 76.4 x 7.8mm and they are equipped with 6.67-inch display panels. Leaks have claimed that these phones will be fitted with Samsung E4 AMOLED screens that will produce 1080 x 2400 pixels and up to 120Hz refresh rate.
The Redmi K40 and Redmi K40 Pro have 4,420mAh (rated) batteries and they are loaded with Android 11 OS. The 3C appearance of both phones revealed that they may ship with a 33W fast charger. While the Redmi K40 Pro is expected to feature the Snapdragon 888 flagship chip, it is unclear which SoC will drive the vanilla model. It may feature the upcoming Snapdragon 7-series chipset. The Redmi K40 duo is slated to debut on Feb. 25 in China.
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Redmi K40 TENAA images
Redmi K40 TENAA images
Redmi K40 Pro TENAA images
Redmi K40 Pro TENAA images
Alleged Xiaomi Mi 10S TENAA images
Alleged Xiaomi Mi 10S TENAA images
Alleged Xiaomi Mi 10S specifications
Rumors suggest that the new version of the Xiaomi Mi 10 which is expected to feature a Snapdragon 870 chipset may break cover as the Xiaomi Mi 10S. It measures 162.6 x 74.8 x 8.96mm and it has a 6.67-inch screen. The phone runs on Android 11 OS, and a 4,680mAh battery is packed inside it. It is also expected to arrive with support for 33W rapid charging. Its launch date is yet to be confirmed.
Samsung‘s in-house chipset utilised on the Galaxy S20 series, the Exynos 990 was a disappointing chipset sort of, as it failed to match the Snapdragon 865. The Exynos 2100 was released as an improvement over the Exynos 990 and to take on the Snapdragon 888 with an improved power efficiency when compared to the previous model. However, the chipset doesn’t seem to match up the capabilities of the Snapdragon 888.
A holistic test result of the Exynos 2100 in comparison to the Snapdragon 888 in terms of the performance and power efficiency has now been published by the guys at AnandTech. The test was carried out using the two variants of the Galaxy S21 Ultra running Exynos 2100 and Snapdragon 888 processors. The team performed several tests on both devices which suggest that Samsung’s 5nm (5LPE) fabrication process brings some improvements to the Exynos 2100 in terms of power efficiency compared to their predecessors.
However, the Exynos 2100 is on par with TSMC’s 7nm process (N7P) and doesn’t measure up to the more advanced 5nm process. As a result, Qualcomm’s SD888 fared better in many of the tasks than the Exynos 2100 and also consumes less power. The exynos 2100 throttles earlier than the Snapdragon 888 counterpart which then slows down the performance when the load is sustained.
The reviewer even kept the Galaxy S21 Ultra with an Exynos 2100 chip in a freezer and kept the Snapdragon 888 version in front of a fan while performing benchmark tests. Surprising, the two devices still output almost similar results. What this portends is that the Exynos 2100 will most likely throttle under real-world scenarios.
The benchmark tests also show that the Exynos 2100 has a higher power consumption of up to 18-35% compared to the Snapdragon 888. The battery life will bear the brunt of this high power consumption. Both PCMark Work 2.0 and web browsing battery life test confirm that the Galaxy S21 Ultra Snapdragon 888 version lasts longer on a single charge compared to the Exynos 2100 version of the same flagship phone.
The use of contact tracing app was adopted last year in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic but there haven’t been a means of monitoring the effectiveness of the app usage. Well, there is now available data for the UK version dubbed NHS COVID-19 contact tracing app.
Researchers from the Alan Turing Institute at Oxford University (via) have claimed that the COVID-19 contact tracing app may have contributed to the prevention of infections to a reasonable extent across England and Wales. The study covers the period from September 2020 when the app was introduced to January 2021.
The app works by telling a user that he should isolate as a result of some activities he may have participated in. Avaailable data shows that the app has been downloaded around 21 million times, of which about 1.7 million people were advised to isolate.However, the research did not reveal the estimate of these 1.7 million users who actually followed the advice of the app and indeed did self isolate.
The research team went ahead to estimate the number of COVID-19 cases that may have been prevented across England and Wales through the NHS contact tracing app’s advisory, and this figure is put approximately at 600,000, which is about a third of the total notifications sent by the app.
While the report offers a ray of assurance and hope that such apps which have been well interfaced with Apple’s and Google’s location services on smartphones, continue to play an important role in the battle against the novel coronavirus, it should be pointed out that the results and conclusions from the study is yet to go through a rigorous peer review process that is needed to validate the research and its conclusions.
While more studies spanning a longer investigation period are being carried out, the present findings by the researchers from Oxford University may be lending support from the UK government’s investment in the contact tracing app worth over £35 million.
The Galaxy M31s is a slightly improved version of Galaxy M31. Samsung announced this smartphone in the second half of 2020. It debuted with One UI Core 2.1 based on Android 10 and was later updated to One UI Core 2.5. Now, this handset has started receiving Android 11-based One UI Core 3.0 update.
According to SamMobile, the One UI Core 3.1 update for the Samsung Galaxy M31s is currently live in Russia and Ukraine. The update comes with firmware version M317FXXU2CUB1 and February 2021 security patch for these regions.
As expected, the latest system update for this phone not only brings Android 11 and its features but also new One UI features and improvements. However, being a budget smartphone, it does not get all the features just like all other Galaxy M series devices that have received One UI Core 3.0 update so far.
Anyway, if you happen to own the Galaxy M31s, then head over to Settings > Software update > Download and install to check whether your unit has received the update yet. If yes, then make sure to download to as soon as possible to experience the fresh software from the house of Samsung.
That said, it is worth noting that the update is being rolled out in batches and therefore, it may time to reach every unit out there around the world.
Late last week, almost all the specs of the upcoming Motorola Moto E7 Power leaked alongside renders and a live image. Now, this smartphone’s official high quality press renders have leaked as well.
As you can see from the renders, the Moto E7 Power will be available in two colors. According to the previous report, the company will be marketing these colors as Digital Blue and Oxy Red respectively.
As far as the specifications are concerned, the handset is said to be powered by MediaTek Helio P22 SoC paired with 2GB/3GB RAM and 32GB/64GB internal storage. It will house a 13MP (wide) + 2MP (macro) vertically aligned dual-camera setup on the back, whereas the front-facing 5MP selfie camera will be located in a dewdrop notch.
Further, this device will come with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor with Motorola Batwing logo embedded on it, a dedicated Google Assistant key, and a 5,000mAh battery. Lastly, this phone is also known as ‘Malta Lite’ (codename).
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Interestingly, these renders look similar to that of the recently leaked renders of Lenovo K13. It all makes sense as that smartphone bears model number XT2097 just like another device called Moto E7i Power. All of these suggest that this phone will be sold with three different brandings in different markets across the world.
Hence, as per the Lenovo K13 leak, we can add some more features of Moto E7 Power like dual-SIM, microSD card slot, USB Type-C port, and Android 10.
Chinese market research firm CINNO Research has released its smartphone sales ranking for the Chinese market for last year. The data shows that the entire smartphone market saw an estimated gross shipment of 305 million smartphones. The shipment saw a 21% decline year-on-year as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic which crippled economic activities in China last year.
The datat shows that Huawei still retained the number one spot as the topmost smartphone brand in 2020. Vivo (including iQOO) is ranked on the second spot while OPPO a fellow BBK subsidiary is at the third spot. The top-three brands accounted for 56% of the domestic smartphone shipments last year.
Huawei is reported to have shipped an estimated 68.8 million smartphones inn 2020, giving it a 22.6% share of the market. Although the company’s total sales fell by 23% due to the impact of sanctions, Huawei still relied on its strength and strong performance in the first three quarters to maintain the first position.
Vivo followed Huawei closely with an estimated 53 million units shipment, ranking second and this translates to a 17.4% market share. The brand’s gross shipment fell by 23% year-on-year, though.
OPPO occupies the number 3 spot, raking in an estimated 48.8 million mobile phones in 2020, representing 16% share of the market, slightly lower than Vivo’s. The brand’s shipment also declined by 23% year-on-year which is not much different from vivo sales.
Apple completed the top five spots while Honor clinched the fourth spot. It is worthy of note that even though Apple came in at number 5, the Cupertino-based company is the only brand that had a positive year-on-year growth among the top five on the list. Apple’s annual sales volume was 38.7 million units, an increase of 13% year-on-year, and the brand’s market share was 12.7%. Apple’s growth is attributed to the superb market performance of the iPhone 12 series.
Other manufacturers on the list include Xiaomi occupies the sixth position, Realme in seventh, Samsung in the 8th position and OnePlus occupying the 9th spot.
RedmiBook is Redmi’s line of Windows-powered notebook computers, and come February 25, there will be a new model called the RedmiBook Pro. The date is the same day Redmi will unveil the Redmi K40 series.
The official Mi NoteBook Weibo account confirmed the launch of the new computer yesterday. Previously, the account had shared several images that tease some of the upcoming computer’s features.
So far, we know the RedmiBook Pro will be powered by a processor from Intel’s Tiger Lake H35 series. The line of 11th-gen quad-core processors features 10nm chipsets with a TDP of 35W and Intel Xe graphics. It has been reported that Redmi will also announce variants of the RedmiBook with AMD Ryzen processors too. The AMD-powered version is expected to launch as the RedmiBook Pro 15S.
The RedmiBook Pro will come with an all-metal design with a new finish that should give it a premium feel. The teaser poster shows that there is a USB-C port for charging on the right side of the computer along with an HDMI port. The notebook will also have a full-size backlit keyboard.
It has also confirmed that it will have a webcam. You will expect that to be standard but Xiaomi actually sells some computers that do not have a webcam.
The RedmiBook Pro will launch in China but it remains to be seen if we will get a global release. You may want to look to Xiaomi’s own Mi NoteBook line if you want a computer from the Chinese manufacturer.
Chinese tech giant Huawei is acompany with many parts but the gaming industry is still a virgin field for the company. That may change soon, if the lastest rumour emanating on Weibo is anything to go about. A tipster @Tomato Prince has disclosed that Huawei is panning to release its own game console similar to the Sony PlayStation and Microsoft‘s XBox gaming consoles.
In addition, the tipster disclosed that Huawei will launch a gaming laptop within this year, marking its official entry into the gaming products field.
Last year, beforethe sales of the Honor brand, the Honor Hunter V700 Gaming laptop was launched which technically is a product under Huawei’s belt. However, since the Honor brand has been sold off, the same cannot be said about the gaming laptop. Huaweiwas also expected to launch a branded gaming notebook but that didn’t happen.
Talking of the gaming console, this is the first time we are getting wind of a Huawei-branded gaming console. What makes it even interesting is the comparison with the Xbox and PlayStation. That means we are looking at a high-end console. It is possible the console will be developed in prtnership with gaming software developers like Tencent games so as to get popular games inside the console.
These are just mere speculations, though. We can’t vouch for the credibility of these disclosures but considering the sales of Honor, Huawei will definitely launch its own gaming notebook. The configuration and release details are still unknown. We can’t say the same thing for the gaming console, so take the information with a pinch of salt.
Xiaomi Mi 11 and Apple iPhone 12 Mini are two devices meant for different market segments. The latter is a very compact phone, while the former is a phablet meant for power users. But they are both flagships with an amazing hardware department and their prices are not so different all around the world. Their specifications are targeted at different kinds of users, but which one is the most suitable for you? This comparison will help you find out, besides listing all the main differences and similarities between Xiaomi Mi 11 and iPhone 12 Mini.
Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Apple iPhone 12 Mini
Xiaomi Mi 11
Apple iPhone 12 Mini
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
164.3 x 74.6 x 8.1 mm, 196 g
131.5 x 64.2 x 7.4 mm, 135 g
DISPLAY
6.81 inches, 1440 x 3200p (Quad HD+), AMOLED
5.4 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), Super Retina XDR OLED
The Apple iPhone 12 Mini will undoubtedly attract more customers when it comes to aesthetics, due to its incredibly compact design. It is one of the most compact phones in the market and it is even smaller than the iPhone SE 2020. Further, it has an amazing build quality, with a glass back and an aluminum frame. The iPhone 12 Mini is even waterproof (up to 6 meters deep for max 30 minutes) and dustproof thanks to the IP68 certification. Xiaomi Mi 11 is a beautiful and well-built device with its borderless punch-hole display, curved edges, glass (or eco-leather) back, and aluminum frame, but it is bigger and less unique.
Display
On the paper, Xiaomi Mi 11 has a superior display to the iPhone 12 Mini. First of all, it boasts a higher Quad HD+ resolution with 1440 x 3200 pixels. Further, it has a high refresh rate (120 Hz), while the iPhone 12 Mini has a standard refresh rate. It even comes with the HDR10+ certification and a huge 1500 nit peak brightness. Its display can show up to one billion colors and it is definitely one of the most awesome OLED panels in the market. On the other hand, iPhone 12 Mini remains a great phone in terms of display, with its 5.4-inch OLED panel boasting Dolby Vision support and a wide color gamut.
Specs & Software
Xiaomi Mi 11 and iPhone 12 Mini are equipped with flagship-class processors: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 and Apple A14 Bionic. The Xiaomi Mi 11’s Snapdragon 888 is paired with up to 12 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of internal storage, while iPhone 12 Mini offers 4 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of native storage. Despite the lower quantity of RAM, the iPhone 12 Mini remains at the same level as the Xiaomi Mi 11 not only thanks to the strong chipset but also because iOS has amazing software optimization.
Camera
The iPhone 12 Mini and the Xiaomi Mi 11 are very good camera phones, despite they are not the best out there. The iPhone 12 Mini is actually able to achieve better results with its amazing 12 MP main sensor boasting a bright f/1.6 focal aperture and OIS. It also records amazing videos. On the front side, there is not only a better selfie camera than Xiaomi Mi 11 but also an additional sensor for 3D facial recognition. Xiaomi Mi 11 relies on an in-display fingerprint scanner for authentication.
The battery life is the weakest point of the iPhone 12 Mini. Due to its compact size, it packs a small 2227 mAh battery which offers a more than sufficient battery life, but it can not compete with the Xiaomi Mi 11 and its 4600 mAh battery in any way. Further, the Xiaomi Mi 11 has a faster wired charging technology with 55W power, as well as a faster wireless charging technology with a power of 50W. Last but not least, the Mi 11 supports reverse wireless charging.
Price
Xiaomi Mi 11 is priced at €749/$900 in the global market, while iPhone 12 Mini starts at €839/$699 (prices vary depending on the market). If you love compact phones and iOS, the iPhone 12 Mini may be a great option for you. It has an amazing camera and it is even waterproof. But overall, on the paper, the Xiaomi Mi 11 is a superior phone from many points of view, especially due to its longer battery life, charging speeds, amazing display. Which one would you pick?
Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Apple iPhone 12 Mini: PRO and CONS
For fans of the Moto G series, this year is going to be a pretty exciting one. The Lenovo-owned company has several handsets scheduled to launch this year, one of which will be the line’s first Snapdragon 800 series-powered smartphone. This phone already launched in China as the Motorola Edge S and will get a global launch as the Moto G100. Another phone expected to launch this year is the Moto G30 and ahead of its release, some press renders have surfaced.
The Moto G30 is not the successor to the Moto G9 from last year. There will actually be a Moto G10 smartphone in the near future. However, the Moto G30 shares some of its specs with the Moto G9 released last August.
As seen in the renders first posted by Winfuture.de, the Moto G30 has a display with a waterdrop notch. The screen size is 6.5-inches and it has a resolution of 1600 x 720 which means this is almost the same display as that of the Moto G9 albeit with a higher refresh rate.
The back of the phone is where both phones differ. Rather than a camera array that sits in the middle of the phone as we have on the Moto G9, the Moto G30 has its camera array on the left side. The design is also different – a rectangular housing with curved corners and not a squircle.
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The Moto G30 has four rear cameras – a 64MP main camera, an 8MP ultrawide angle camera, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro camera. One of the 2MP cameras sits in a subspace within the main camera housing along with the LED flash. There is a fingerprint scanner on the back too.
The renders show the phone has a USB-C port flanked on the right by a six-hole speaker grille and on the left by a microphone. We can’t see the top and the left side but we are pretty sure that is where the audio jack and SIM tray are respectively. The right side of the frame is home to the Google Assistant button, volume control, and power button.
The Moto G30 will have a Snapdragon 662 processor under its hood 4GB or 6GB of RAM and will come in 64GB and 128GB storage options. It will have a 90Hz refresh rate, a MicroSD card slot, a 5000mAh battery with 20W fast charging, and a price tag of €179.99 according to TechnikNews. We are not sure if that is the starting price or for one of the other two configurations.
Noise has officially launched the ColorFit Pro 3 budget smartwatch in India. This Apple Watch lookalike wearable is priced at ₹3,999 ($55). It can be purchased from either Amazon India or the brand’s official website – gonoise.com.
The newly released Noise ColorFit Pro 3 smartwatch sports a 1.55-inch square-shaped LCD panel with a resolution of 320 x 360 pixels and 500 nits peak brightness. This screen supports touch input as the watch only has a single physical key.
Talking about connectivity, this watch comes with Bluetooth 5.0 LE to connect with Android smartphones (Android 4.4 or above) and Apple iPhones (iOS 9 or above) via the NoiseFit companion app. It can also sync data with Google Fit as well as Apple Health.
As far as sensors are concerned, the wearable features a PPG heart rate sensor, a SpO2 sensor for blood oxygen level monitoring, and an accelerometer. Further, the device comes with 14 sports mode like Outdoor Cycle, Indoor Run, Indoor Cycle, Outdoor Run, Hiking, Outdoor Walk, Indoor Walk, Pool Swim, Yoga, Open Water Swim, Workout, Cricket, Elliptical, and Rower.
Other features of this smartwatch include customizable & cloud-based watch faces, stress monitoring, breathing mode, sleep tracking, call and app alerts, alarm, timer, stopwatch, weather, music control, hand wash reminder, sedentary reminder, find my phone, and female health tracking.
Last but not least, the 5ATM water-resistant Noise ColorFit Pro 3 weighs 35g and is backed by a 210mAh battery that can help the product last for up to 10 days on a full charge.
Last month, a new US Government was formed with Joe Biden as the President. Right from the day of assuming Office, Biden has been overturning Trump’s measures like bringing the US back into the UNFCCC’s Paris Agreement. Among the others, he was also expected to look into the TikTok US Operations issue. Now, a report by WSJ says that the talks have been shelved indefinitely.
According to the report(Via Reuters), plans to redirect TikTok’s U.S Operations over to Walmart and Oracle have been pushed back. Apparently, the reason is because the issue concerning potential security threats will now be reviewed by the new President Biden.
Back in 2020, the US Govt under Trump said that TikTok poses a security threat as he feared data of American Citizens collected by ByteDance would be obtained by the Chinese Govt. The company, however, has been denying this and the involvement of the Chinese Govt in its operations, from the beginning.
This came months after the Indian Govt banned TikTok citing Data Threat and security concerns back in June 2020. Later, TikTok entered into a legal battle with the US and got a Stay on ban from Commerce Department following a court order.
The US Govt has been mulling either to sell its US Operations(incl. Assets) from ByteDance to an American company or get banned. Accordingly, companies like Walmart and Oracle have been in talks to secure the deal.
Despite getting banned in few regions, TikTok topped the Charts in the middle of 2020, and Overall 2nd recently in January 2021 courtesy of the Sensor Tower report.
In India though, the company has been completely banned country-wide and has reduced the employee count as a result. Let’s just hope that ByteDance finds a way to steer through hurdles in its top markets like the US and India soon.
Tablets are fun gadgets; you can work on them, be creative or just have fun. Adding more to the fun, Gearbest is offering a pretty sweet deal on Teclast P20HD Tablet. With a large screen and decent specs, this tablet can be an ideal option for you. Thanks to the sale, youcan now buy it for only $129.99 (original price: $169.99).
Teclast P20HD Tablet is powered by a 1.6GHz CPU processor that supports TDD-LTE, FDD-LTE, TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, and GSM modes. It packs an Octa-core ARM Cortex-A55 application processor and IMG8322 for 3D graphics acceleration. This tablet has a 10.1-inch display with 1920 x 1200p resolution and 10-point touch IPS sharp screen. It packs a 5MP rear camera with autofocus mode and 2MP front camera. The WiFi supports dual bands 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz offer seamless use. Other highlights include 4GB+64GB memory configuration, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, and much more.
Lenovo is known as the only manufacturer that makes Motorola-branded smartphones but that is about to change as another manufacturer is about to begin churning out Motorola phones too. These new phones will be rugged phones and they will be made by Bullitt Group.
Bullitt Group, the company behind CAT phones will soon begin making Motorola-branded rugged phones
Bullitt Group is a phone and consumer-electronics company based in the UK and they are known as the manufacturer behind the CAT line of rugged phones. The CAT phones are made under the license of the American engineering giant, Caterpillar Inc. The UK company also manufactures phones under the Land Rover brand and are the ones that made the 2016 Kodak Ectra Camera Phone. Now Bullitt is ready to add Motorola-branded rugged phones to the products it makes.
This is a unique strategic alliance, as it allows Bullitt to apply its expertise to the Motorola portfolio of products. – Dave Floyd, Bullitt Co-Founder
According to Bullitt, this is a “long-term global strategic brand partnership to develop and market rugged mobile phones bearing the iconic Motorola brand”. The manufacturer says that more details of the Motorola rugged mobile phones will be announced this quarter.
We expect the first set of phones to launch this year and we expect them to run the Android operating system. We also expect models that support both 4G and 5G networks from the manufacturer.
Rugged smartphones are pretty popular amongst essential workers such as first responders, construction workers, and those in the health industry. These phones are designed to take a beating and will survive drops, work in extreme temperatures, and also have glove mode support. Some rugged phones even have special features such as thermal cameras and temperature sensors.
Recently, we saw reports that Vivo is planning to launch the latest Vivo X60 series in India sometime in end of March/beginning of April 2021. Today, 91Mobiles is back with another report saying that the yesteryear Vivo X50 Pro+ will accompany the X60 series during the launch.
Citing its sources, the report says that Vivo X50 Pro+ will launch alongside the Vivo X60 and Vivo X60 Pro in India. If we recall, this device launched in China way back on June 1, 2020. Vivo had unveiled it as a flagship smartphone powered by Snapdragon 865 chipset while the X50 and X50 Pro had mid-range Snapdragon 765G.
Anyway, the report also shows few images of the device that’s coming to India. If you look at the images, we can spot the device(V2011) running on Snapdragon 865 with 12GB RAM, 256GB storage. The screenshot also shows that the firmware on it is based on Android 10 but this could just be an old representative unit.
Also, the rear of the image shows that the company is bringing the Plain Leather Edition that is in Brown Color(Camel) to India. In addition to this, the Vivo X50 Pro+ in China also comes in another Gravitation Blue color variant.
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Credit: 91Mobiles
Credit: 91Mobiles
Credit: 91Mobiles
As for Price, the report says that Vivo X50 Pro+ could launch around ₹40,000($550) in India. To recall, the 256GB variant launched in China for 5,498 yuan($851) while the 128GB debuted for 4,998 yuan($773).
Lastly, as the X50 Pro+ is debuting here, the possibility of the recently launched Vivo X60 Pro+ coming to India is very bleak. Either way, let’s wait for official news to know when the company plans to bring the devices to India.
Micromax made a grand re-entry into the Indian market with the IN series that was released in November 2020. Since the release, the models have enjoyed some rave reviews. Micromax had promised to push updates for 2 years and 3 years of security updates during the launch. The first of that promise is about to be fulfilled as the IN Note 1 smartphone is set to get a major update to Android 11.
Micromax Co-founder Rahul Sharma in an online Q&A session with investors, customers, and the media in India today revealed that the smartphone will get the Android 11 update in April.
During the Q&A session, Sharma also announced that the company will also roll out Android 11 updates for the Micromax IN 1B shortly after the updates on the IN Note 1. The comprehensive updates will cover the camera system and the current Android security patch.
There has been uncertainty whether Micromax will also unveil its custom-made user interface for the Android 11 update, but the co-founder insisted that there would not be any need for an additional user interface from Micromax apart from the UI available with the update to Android 11.
Micromax co-founder, Sharma also announced during the event that internal processes are moving according to plans in the design and manufacture of a flagship 5G smartphone from the company. Indeed he hinted that the staff of the company’s Research and Development unit is firming up the technology to deliver its 5G smartphone together with premium accessories very soon. These accessories include also flagship earphones deploying evolving technology.
To recall, the Micromax IN Note 1 was released in November 2020, running on Android 10. The device also packs a 5,000mAh non-removable battery that is well suited for fast charging and reverse charging. It also features an impressive camera system together with several sensors including a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.
Xiaomi took the wraps off the Mi 11 for the global market a couple of days back and from the look of things, the company is intent on ramping up sales in an unprecedented manner. Days after the launch, a video, and pictures of the Mi 11 promotional adverts lighting up three major landmarks across several cities around the world have appeared.
The promotional ad was spotted adorning the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Other landmarks lit up by Mi 11 adverts include BFI IMAX in London and the Central World Shopping Centre in Bangkok.
The adverts are a reflection of the brand’s determination to expand its tentacles into new markets in Europe and Asia. These markets used to be Huawei’s stronghold but since the Chinese tech leader was placed on the US entity list, its market shares have dropped drastically. Xiaomi is hoping to profit from Huawei’s slump and there is good reason to aspire for such.
Xiaomi has got the product quality to fill Huawei’s shoes and the Mi 11 is well-positioned for that task. The phone is moderately priced, starting at 749 Euros (~RMB 5,820) for the 8GB+128GB while the 8GB+256GB is priced at 799 Euros (~RMB 6,210).
Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun says the unveiling of the Mi 11 ad on three major landmarks across the world is a reflection of the global strength of Xiaomi and the confidence to enter the overseas high-end market.
The Mi 11 is already on sale in China with over 1 million units sold during the first 21 days. This ranks it as the fastest high-end flagship phone in the history of Xiaomi’s mobile phone. We expect the global sales to also shatter several records considering its affordable pricing when compared with rival products like the Galaxy S21 series and iPhone 12.
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