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Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro gets yet another update that improves Active Noise Cancellation

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.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro in Black, Silver, and Violet,

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.

 

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Samsung‌‌ ‌Galaxy‌ ‌S21‌‌ ‌series‌ score record-breaking pre-orders ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌UK‌

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.Samsung Galaxy S21 Series Plus Ultra Featured 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.samsung galaxy s21 featured

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.

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Motorola’s Moto G8 Play finally gets the Android 10 update

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.

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Nubia Red Magic 6 official video teaser shows a much-improved cooling solution

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.

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Twitter is considering a subscription service among others to increase revenue

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.

Twitter

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.

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Google Chromecast with Google TV gets a fix for recovery issue along with 4K and Dolby Audio improvements

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.

Google Chromecast with Google TV Featured

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

 

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Twitter expands testing of “Spaces” feature including a few users in India

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 Techradar that 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.

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Qualcomm’s next-gen Snapdragon X65 5G modem touts a massive 10Gbps speed

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.

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Galaxy S21 series gets up to $200 discount along with Z Flip 5G and Z Fold2

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.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Series Plus Ultra Featured

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.

Model

Storage Variant MSRP Discount New Price
Galaxy S21

8GB + 128GB

$799.99 $100

$699.99

8GB + 256GB

$849.99 $100

$749.99

Galaxy S21+

8GB + 128GB

$999.99 $200

$799.99

8GB + 256GB

$1049.99 $200

$849.99

Galaxy S21 Ultra

12GB + 128GB

$1,199.99 $200

$999.99

12GB + 256GB $1,1249.99 $200

$1,049.99

16GB + 512GB $1,1379 $200

$1,179.99

Similarly, the Galaxy Z Flip 5G and Galaxy Z Fold2 are also discounted by up to $200. In case you do not know, Samsung’s first 5G clamshell foldable smartphone just received its first-ever permanent price cut in the US last week. 

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.

 

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Xiaomi Mi Watch Revolve gets a ₹3,000 price cut as a part of Limited Period Offer in India

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 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.

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.

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Lenovo K13 renders along with key Specs leaked

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.

Lenovo Logo Featured

 

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.

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Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Galaxy S21: Gaming Performance Comparison

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.

Galaxy s21 vs mi 11 05

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.

Indeed, we have praised the light and thin design of the Mi 11, but the S21 has an even lighter design, which no doubt is able to provide a better holding experience during long hours of gaming.

samsung galaxy s21 vs s21 ultra featured
samsung galaxy s21 vs s21 ultra

Galaxy S21 vs Xiaomi Mi 11: Display

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.

Galaxy s21 vs mi 11 04However, 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.

Galaxy s21 vs mi 11 gaming
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.

READ MORE: Amazfit GTR 2 vs GTS 2 vs GTS 2 Mini vs GTR 2e vs GTS 2e: Review &Comparison

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 UI One
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.

Xiaomi Mi 11 display ads featured

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.

Galaxy s21 vs mi 11 04

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.

 

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Here are AnTuTu’s Top Android phones for January based on user ratings

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.

AnTuTu

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.

AnTuTu

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.

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Specs and images of RedMagic Watch leak via FCC

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 Watch FCC 03

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.

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.

RedMagic Watch FCC 04

As far as launch is concerned, we can expect RedMagic Watch to debut alongside the RedMagic 6 gaming smartphone powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 888.

 

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(Via)

Nothing’s first product will be Wireless Earbuds, coming this summer

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.

Nothing fetaured

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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LG patents a rollable smartphone with a secondary display

Recently, LG has on multiple occasions teased its rollable smartphone that has been under development. And now, a new patent has just surfaced that reveals that the company could possibly working on another rollable smartphone with a secondary display on the back.

LG

According to a LetsGoDigital report, the South Korean tech giant filed a new design patent with the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration). The patent was for a rollable smartphone and featured 26 patent sketches as well, showcasing the device from different angles. The dual display smartphone features a large flexible display on the front, which can be extended from one side. This raises its overall size by about 40 percent compared to its compact form. On the rear, a smaller secondary display can be found below the camera module.

In other words, the user can pull the primary display to extend it from one side, while the smaller secondary screen might offer functions related to photography, since there is no front camera visible on the front. Notably, the device is also devoid of any ports, seams or even buttons. So it could also be a button less handset. Furthermore, it is unclear if the company is actually working on such a device.

LG

Previously we had reported on the company possible selling its mobile division, due to poor performance in recent times. Its latest launches including the LG Velvet and Wing had also sold poorly with demand that was below company expectations. So, a rollable handset with two displays might be rather expensive to build and even more difficult to sell.

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OPPO F19 Pro+ moniker appears in Google ARCore supported device list

An early leak had claimed that OPPO will be launching the OPPO F19 series in India in February. However, it was recently revealed that the OPPO F19 lineup will debut in early March. Fresh information reveals that the series may include a third device named the OPPO F19 Pro+.

According to a recent report by My Smart Price, three monikers of upcoming OPPO phones have appeared in the Google ARCore supported devices list. As can be seen in the screengrab shared by the publication, the Find X3, Find X3 Pro, and F19 Pro+ are the monikers of three upcoming OPPO smartphones.

The F19 lineup is expected to debut in early March in India. However, it is unclear whether the company will be announcing the F19, F19 Pro, and F19 Pro+ smartphones at the same event. Unfortunately, there is no information available on the specifications of the next-generation F-series phones from OPPO.

OPPO-F19-Pro-Find-X3-and-Find-X3-Pro-Google-ARCore

The F19 series is rumored to arrive with a sleeker design as compared to the existing F17 models. Hopefully, the rumor mill will spill more information on the F19 lineup before its official announcement.

Recent reports have revealed that the Find X3 Pro will debut along with Find X3 Neo and Find X3 Lite phones in global markets in March. Leaks have not revealed specification information on the Find X3. Hence, it was not clear whether the company has plans to launch the Find X3. The appearance of the vanilla X3 at Google ARCore is a good hint that it may also go official in the near future. In related news, the company is also expected to launch the F21 lineup in the second half of the year.

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LG Display raises Vietnam factory investment from $750 million to $3.25 billion

Vietnam has recently awarded a license to LG Display that would enable it to raise the investment for the factory that it has set up in the nation’s northern port city of Haiphong. The company aims on raising investment from 750 million US Dollars to 3.25 billion US Dollars.

LG Display Logo Featured

According to a Reuters report, local media outlets reported on this news and even added that the additional investment will help the South Korean tech giant in expanding its production capacity. This would help bump production units in the city, with the plans of expansion slated to be completed by May 2021. Furthermore, the rise in investment will also allow for the creation of 5,000 new jobs, as per Vietnam Finance.

This sizeable expenditure will allow LG Display to boost its project in the Vietnamese port city, allowing it to set up more OLED production facilities in the region by the next month at the earliest. The company had began its Vietnamese OLED module plant in 2016, so it expanding on its prior investment understandable, especially considering it is the world’s largest OLED TV panel maker.

LG

At the moment, LG has yet to respond or comment on the matter. Unfortunately, this is all the information we have to go for now. So stay tuned for more, as we will be providing updates when additional information is available.

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POCO X3 Pro bags BIS and SIRM certifications 

Last year, POCO announced the POCO X3 NFC for global markets and it unveiled the POCO X3 in India. Both smartphones differed in departments like NFC connectivity and battery size. A recent report revealed the existence of a handset named POCO X3 Pro. Fresh information reveals that the phone has approval from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) authority of India (via) and the Standard and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM) regulatory body of Malaysia.

A POCO smartphone with model number M2102J20SG was recently approved by the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) in Russia, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) of Singapore, and TUV Rheinland authorities. The letter ‘G’ at the end of the model number indicates that it is a global edition. It was revealed through the IMEI database that the M2102J20SG model number belongs to the upcoming POCO X3 Pro handset.

The M2102J20SG model has also passed SIRIM certification. The FCC certification revealed that the phone will come with MIUI 12, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LTE, and NFC. The other certifications have anything concrete about the smartphone. The variant of the POCO X3 Pro that received BIS certification has revealed that its model number is M2102J20SI, where I refer to the Indian edition.

A recent report by XDA Developers revealed that ‘vayu’ and ‘bhima’ codenames belong to the different variants of the same base model of POCO X3 Pro. The publication claimed that the device could be equipped with an sm8150 chip and it could be featuring a 48-megapixel main camera. The quad-camera setup of the phone may include a main wide-angle lens, an ultrawide lens, a macro shooter, and a depth sensor.

The sm8150 chip belongs to the Snapdragon 855 family, which includes Snapdragon 855, Snapdragon 855+, and the rumored Snapdragon 860. Nothing else is known about the specifications of the POCO X3 Pro.

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Apple warned to ‘play fair’ by EU antitrust chief, ahead of its new ad tracking feature

Apple is set to launch its new ad tracking transparency feature some time in early spring. But before its official launch, it has already faced backlash for the new privacy changes, especially from social media giant Facebook. Now, EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager has also warned the company to play fair.

Apple AR/VR headset

According to a 9To5Mac report, the EU antitrust chief said that the new ad tracking feature does fall in with some of the proposed legislation in Europe. She even added that she has yet to receive any official complaints regarding these upcoming ad tracking transparency changes, which will essentially notify iPad and iPhone users when the apps and websites are tracking them and even offer an easy opt out option. Vestager said that the feature is actually in line with the recently proposed EU Digital Services/Markets Act legislation.

She added that “It is a very good thing to have a clear opt-out option. If you look at the Digital Services Act, the Digital Markets Act, these are some of the solutions we are looking at there.” However, the EU antitrust chief still warned that the feature could go beyond privacy focus and might border on anticompetitive practices as well. In an interview earlier this week, Vestager stated that ‘It can be competition if it is shown that Apple is not treating its own apps in the same way.”

Apple iPhone 12 Featured

As mentioned prior, Facebook is one of the biggest critic of this and is filing an antitrust lawsuit against Apple over ATT feature. Notably, Apple has also claimed that this feature would also be applicable on itself along with third party developers. So it remains to be seen how the lawsuit plays out regarding the ad tracking feature.

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