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Apple to account for 53% of TSMC 5nm chips production in 2021

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world’s largest contract manufacturer for mobile chipsets, is expected to grow its business by 12-16 percent.

A report considers Apple being the top customer for the company when it comes to 5nm chipset manufacturing. It further goes on to add that the Cupertino-based giant could account for 53 percent of the overall 5nm chips production at TSMC.

TSMC 5nm Chips Chart 2021

Qualcomm is expected to account for 24 percent of TSMC’s 5nm chip manufacturing as Apple will reportedly be using Qualcomm‘s 5nm Snapdragon 5G X60 modem in the upcoming iPhone 13 smartphones. It is being reported that TSMC and Samsung have already booked 90 percent of their 5nm chipset manufacturing capacity for the year 2021.

As for the 7nm chipset manufacturing, the report claims that AMD will be the leading customer in this, accounting for 27 percent of the total orders. It will be closely followed by NVIDIA with 21 percent of total production.

A few months ago, it was reported that Apple had booked the full capacity of TSMC for 5nm chipset production. TSMC started giving preferential treatment to Apple as almost one-fifth of the company’s total revenue comes from the Cupertino-based tech giant.

The preferential treatment to Apple is being considered as the reason for Qualcomm giving its Snapdragon 888 chipset manufacturing contract to Samsung. The previous generation chipset — Snapdragon 865, was produced by TSMC.

TSMC is now rushing to develop its 3nm process and it seems that Apple will be the first to contract the initial production capacity. With Apple now making its own chips for smartphones and Mac laptops, it remains to be seen which will be the first to start adopting the new 3nm chips.

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China implements new anti-monopoly rules targeting tech giants

China has implemented new anti-monopoly rules in the country which aims to restrict the activities of the country’s major tech companies. The new rules are basically a formalized version of the ani-monology draft law published in November last year.

The guidelines are expected to put new pressure on the country’s leading internet services, including e-commerce sites such as Alibaba Group’s Taobao and Tmall marketplaces and JD.com. The law also covers payment services like Ant Group’s Alipay and Tencent Holding’s WeChat Pay.

China Flag Close-up

The rules have been issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) on its website, reports Reuters. It bars companies from a range of behavior, including forcing merchants to choose between top internet players, a long-time practice in the market.

It also prevents firms from forcing merchants to choose between supporting specific services and applications, as well as stopping actions that would fix prices, restrict technologies, and other market manipulation techniques.

Explaining the reason behind implementing these new rules, SAMR said reports of internet-related anti-monopoly behavior had been increasing, and that it was facing challenges regulating the industry. It added, “The behavior is more concealed, the use of data, algorithms, platform rules and so on make it more difficult to discover and determine what are monopoly agreements.”

SAMR has already launched an antitrust investigation into Alibaba Group in December following the suspended $37 billion IPO for payment affiliate Ant Group. Alibaba was warned by regulators against practices such as forcing merchants into exclusive cooperation pacts and agreements that would prevent their use of a competitor’s platforms.

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Samsung Galaxy A52 5G bags FCC certification, likely to debut in March

The upcoming Samsung Galaxy A52 5G has been spotted various certification platforms such as China’s TENAA and 3C regulatory bodies, Bluetooth SIG, and Wi-Fi Alliance in the recent weeks. It appears that the launch date of the Galaxy A52 5G could be nearing as it has now received approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S.

As it can be seen in the above tweet, the FCC listing only mentions the SM-A526B model number and has no information on its specifications. Past reports have revealed that the model number belongs to the 5G version of the Galaxy A52. It was reported by 91mobiles last month that India could be one of the markets that will be treated with Galaxy A52 5G. However, the BIS authority of India has only approved the 4G version (SM-A525F/DS) of the A52.

Tipster Debayan Roy claimed that the Galaxy A52 was previously planned to launch in February, but the company has shifted to mid-March. Another tipster claimed that the 5G and 4G versions of the Galaxy A52 will launch in March.

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G specifications

So far, reports have revealed that the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G has a 6.5-inch AMOLED FHD+ punch-hole display and it could be powered by the Snapdragon 750G chipset. Its 4G edition is expected to feature Snapdragon 720G SoC. The phone may ship with up to 8 GB of RAM and up to 128 GB of storage.

Galaxy A52
Galaxy A52 official render leaked by Evan Blass

The Galaxy A52 5G may come with a 64-megapixel quad camera setup. It may come with a 4,500mAh battery that offers 15W charging. It is expected to arrive in colors like Awesome Black, Awesome White, Awesome Violet, and Awesome Blue colors. Its 4G and 5G variants may start at 369 euros (~$444) and 459 euros (~$553).

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Hyundai confirms ending talks with Apple for autonomous driving car

Last month, Hyundai Motor confirmed that the company is in talks with Apple for the production of the tech giant’s ambitious project of making its own autonomous driving vehicle, which is currently being referred to as Apple Car.

It was expected that both the companies will reach a deal by the end of March this year, for the production of Apple Car. But a couple of days ago, it was being reported that the companies may have halted the talks.

Apple Logo

Hyundai and Kia have now confirmed that the company has ended talks with Apple related to the production of Apple Car, the tech giant’s upcoming autonomous driving vehicle. In a regulatory filing, Hyundai and Kia said the two firms had received requests from multiple outfits about self-driving electric car development, but no decision had been made as the talks were at the early stages.

During the talks, it was suggested that Hyundai would bring production to the United States, operating a factory in Georgia controlled by Kia with an aim of producing 100,000 cars by 2024. It could have also involved an investment of $3.6 billion from Apple to make the project a reality.

While the talks with Hyundai and Kia have ended without reaching a deal, the status of talks with other companies with Apple is not yet known. Earlier, it was reported that the US-based tech giant was speaking to at least six Japanese automakers at the same time.

Based on the previous reports, Apple plans to make commercial cars by 2024 but that timeline seems aggressive and has already been questioned by many, including notable Apple Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Some reports indicate that it will take around 5-7 years for the Apple Car to go into production.

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Samsung Galaxy F62 to debut on February 15, Exynos 9825 confirmed and design revealed

Last year, Samsung launched the Galaxy F41 smartphone as its first F-series phone in India. It was exclusively sold through Flipkart in the country. Recent reports have revealed that the South Korean company will be soon launching the Galaxy F62 as its next F-series smartphone in India. Flipkart began teasing the arrival of a new phone by the end of last week. Its landing page only gave a glimpse of the device without mentioning its name. The listing has now been updated with plenty of important information. It states that the Galaxy F62 will break cover on Feb. 15. Moreover, it has also revealed the front and rear design of the device.

The Galaxy F62 will be debuting at 12 PM on Feb. 15 in India. As can be seen in the image, it has a punch-hole screen, and its gradient-colored rear sports a square-shaped camera module with an LED flash below it. Also, it has a side-facing fingerprint reader.

Samsung Galaxy F62 revealed;

Last week, popular tipster Mukul Sharma claimed that the Galaxy F62 is powered by a flagship-grade processor that can offer better performance than the Snapdragon 765G. A Geekbench listing of the phone that was spotted back in November revealed that it is powered by the Exynos 9825 chipset. The updated listing of the F62 at Flipkart has now confirmed that it is indeed powered by the Exynos 9825 chipset. Previously, Samsung had used the same processor to power the Galaxy Note 10 series in 2019.

Another leak from the last week revealed that the Galaxy F62 has a 6.7-inch AMOLED display and it houses a 7,000mAh battery. The leak also revealed other specs such as 8 GB of RAM, 128 GB of native storage, One UI 3.1 based Android 11 OS, a 32-megapixel front-facing camera, and a 64-megapixel quad camera setup. The handset is rumored to be priced under Rs 25,000 (~$343).

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Purported Black Shark 4 Pro (PSR-A0) spotted at Google Play Console

A new Black Shark phone codenamed as “kaiser” was seen at the Google Play Console at the end of January. The model number of the device was found to be KSR-A0. Over the weekend, another Black Shark smartphone with the “penrose” codename appeared at the Google Play Console along with the “PSR-A0” model number. While the Kaiser device was believed to be the Black Shark 4, it is speculated that the Penrose handset could be arriving in the market as the Black Shark 4 Pro.

What is weird about the Google Play Console listing of the PSR-A0 handset is that it is seen with the Snapdragon 865 mobile platform, which powered last year’s Black Shark smartphones. The Kaiser phone was spotted with the dated Snapdragon 835 chipset onboard. The name of the processor seems to be incorrectly mentioned for both handsets at the Google Play Console as they are expected to come with the latest Snapdragon 888 mobile platform.

The alleged Black Shark 4 Pro has 12 GB of RAM and it boots to Android 10 OS. The image of the phone found in the listing shows that it could be sporting a punch-hole display with a cutout for the selfie camera at the top-center. The size of the screen is not known yet, but the listing reveals that it offers a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and a 20:9 aspect ratio.

The left side of the purported Black Shark 4 Pro seems to feature a volume rocker. The right edge of the phone could be equipped with shoulder buttons for gaming. The other details of the smartphone are yet to be revealed.

The PSR-A0 model is yet to appear in the database of China’s TENAA certification. The KSR-A0 variant was certified by TENAA at the beginning of this month. The listing revealed that it measures 16383 x 76.35 x 10.3mm and it has a 6.67-inch display. It was found to be equipped with a 4,500mAh battery and Android 11 OS. Last month, the KSR-A0 handset was seen at AnTuTu benchmarks with a remarkable benchmarking score of 788,505 points. The Black Shark 4 series is expected to arrive with support for 120W fast charging.

(via)

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Nokia 5.4 listed on Flipkart ahead of India launch

We brought you a report that the Nokia 5.4 will be launched in India on February 10. While that is yet to be officially confirmed, the smartphone has now been listed on the website of popular retailer Flipkart. The listing is an indication that the smartphone will be launched in India soon. Nokia 5.4

The listing feature two short videos on the landing page which are meant to tease the device. The first video teases the device’s camera capabilities and attractive finish. The Nokia phone will feature quad-cameras consisting of a 48MP main camera, a 5MP ultrawide, a 2MP macro, and a 2MP depth sensor. Just below the camera ring, the device packs a fingerprint scanner. There’s also a 16MP selfie camera around front. At the front is a 6.39-inch IPS LCD screen with 720p resolution and a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera.Nokia 5.4

The second video teases the 5.4’s battery life. The device packs a 4,000 mAh battery and since it is powered by a power-efficient Snapdragon 662 chipset, the battery is expected to last for long. The phone comes in 4GB and 6GB RAM configurations with either 64GB or 128GB storage options, but it’s still not known which will be available from Flipkart.

The Nokia 5.4 launched in December with a price of €189. In addition to North America, India, and Asia, the phone will also arrive the Middle East and African markets.

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Top stories from last week: Huawei’s new foldable is coming, MediaTek’s first mmWave modem, Xiaomi’s new concept phone and more

Here’s our weekly recap of the top stories from the previous week for those who missed out on them. Last week’s major announcements include an official release date for Huawei’s new foldable, a new and important MediaTek modem, and an interesting concept phone made by Xiaomi.

 

Huawei Mate X2 launch date

Huawei Mate X2 gets an official release date

The Mate X foldable phone was released in 2019 as Huawei’s first foldable smartphone and then it got a slight refresh early last year as the Mate Xs. Ever since then, Huawei has been missing from the foldable smartphone scene. Now, the troubled company is back with a new foldable phone which will launch as the Mate X2 on February 22. If you want to know what the foldable smartphone will look like, then you should check out this render.

 

MediaTek Helio M80 5G modem

MediaTek’s spanking new Helio M80 modem has mmWave support

MediaTek has played a significant role in the wide adoption of 5G smartphones thanks to its Dimensity line of 5G mobile processors. Last week, it announced the Helio M80, its first modem with support for mmWave, the high frequency 5G spectrum which is faster but has a shorter range. This means we should see new chipsets with support for both mmWave and Sub-6GHz networks from the chipset manufacturer in the near future.

 

Xiaomi Quad-Curved Concept Display
Xiaomi’s latest concept phone has a quad-curved display with no ports

Just when the dust was beginning to settle following the announcement of its true wireless charging technology called Mi Air Charge, Xiaomi is back with a new product – a concept phone with a waterfall display that is curved on all four sides. The phone also doesn’t have physical buttons or a charging port, thanks to its ”portless design”.

 

realme X7 Pro Featured

realme X7 series launched in India

realme announced the realme X7 and realme X7 Pro in India last week. Both phones not only have support for 5G as a result of the MediaTek processors in them but also have super-fast charging and competitive price tags.

 

HMD Global planning to revive another Nokia classic

HMD Global, the current licensee for the Nokia brand is known to launch both feature phones and smartphones. Some of these feature phones are old classics with a modern design and new features. Reports have revealed that the Nokia 3650 may be the latest classic phone the manufacturer plans to revive. The Nokia 3650 is one of the standout phones made by the old Nokia phone company and we are excited to see what a modern version will look like.

 

Google Pixel 2 XL Black & White Featured

HTC-made Pixel 2 XL poses for the camera

The Pixel 2 was made by HTC for Google while the Pixel 2 XL was made by LG. Actually, the XL model was also supposed to be made by HTC but Google decided to cancel the device. Last week, we got a look at a working prototype that showed us what could have been.

 

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Poll of The Week: Do you use a Static, Dynamic, or Live wallpaper?

One of the ways to customize your phone is by choosing a wallpaper. All Phones come with preset wallpapers and manufacturers even ship their latest flagships with newly designed wallpapers that you won’t find on their other phones. Users can also download wallpapers from third party sources or use their own images as wallpapers.

MIUI 12 Super Wallpaper 02

 

Wallpapers are mainly of three types – Static wallpapers, Dynamic Wallpapers, and Live Wallpapers.

Static Wallpapers are still images that do not move or change. Dynamic Wallpapers are wallpapers that change due to a number of reasons. For example, some dynamic wallpapers change in line with the time of the day, as the weather changes, or when you switch between screens. And lastly, a Live Wallpaper is one that is constantly in motion and doesn’t require any action by the user to change.

For this week’s poll, we want to know which type of wallpaper you use on your device. So please take the poll and also let us know in the comment box why you prefer one over the other.

[yop_poll id=”71″]

 

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Samsung unveils a TV remote for healthcare facilities that can easily be sanitized

In line with promoting safe practices,  Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is collaborating with US firm Clean Remote LLC to offer a sanitization-friendly TV remote control for healthcare facilities in the United States. The program will offer an additional unit of the Clean Remote to every healthcare facility in the United States when they purchase a commercial-grade Samsung TV and is designed to support healthcare facilities if different hues to reduce possible transmission of viruses through TV remotes in such facilities.Clean Remote

The US infectious diseases agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that healthcare and hospitality facilities clean and disinfect remote controls regularly, as some current research have pinpointed that TV remotes are major carriers of bacteria, that could easily be transmitted among humans since they are among the most handled items in a medical facility or other public places.

Both companies are excited about the launch of the Clean Remotes and hope that with this new technology, remotes can now be easily sanitized and limit their transmission of bacteria and diseases.

The new TV remotes were built to be compatible with all Samsung Healthcare Grade and Hospitality Grade TVs and no additional protocols and set up is required to deploy the Clean Remote. Just put in the batteries and you are set to use it. The Clean Remote has a simple layout with large, easily visible keys. With more than 14 million Clean Remotes sold, they seem to have become a mainstay for health and hospitality organizations and businesses, as they provide a cleaner and safer option. 

Feedback from some of the facilities using the Clean Remote shows that there is a great acceptance of the remotes, as they are very versatile and easy to use and sanitize.

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(source)

Take this Mi 11 Pro and Mi 11 Pro+ spec sheet with a pinch of salt

A spec sheet has surfaced on the web that bares it all with respect to the specs of the Mi 11 series. The spec sheet also includes the prices of the yet to be announced Mi 11 Pro and a third model called the Mi 11 Pro+. We have not been able to verify the details, so we advise our readers to take the info with a pinch of salt.

Alleged Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro poster
Alleged Mi 11 Pro
Mi 11 Pro

According to the spec sheet, the Mi 11 Pro has the same 6.81-inch 2K display as the Mi 11. It has a 120Hz refresh rate and a 480Hz touch sampling rate and a JNCD value less than 0.38 and a Delta E value that is less than 0.41.

There are three cameras on the back of the phone along with a dual-LED flash and a laser focus system. The camera specs for the phone include a Samsung GN2 50MP primary camera with OIS, a Sony IMX586/598 48MP sensor, and another Sony IMX586 48MP camera with 5X optical zoom and 120x hybrid zoom. The selfie camera is a 20MP camera.

The spec sheet says the phone will have a 5000mAh battery with support for 67W fast wired charging and 67W fast wireless charging. The phone will charge via a USB-C port (USB 3.0).

Other specifications and features mentioned are NFC, an in-display fingerprint scanner, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, an infrared blaster, an X-axis motor, and Harman Kardon audio.

The phone’s dimensions are given as 164.3 x 74.6 x 9.0 millimeters and its weight is 220 grams. It will have an IP rating but the source is not sure if it is IP53 or IP68.

The Mi 11 Pro will come in two variants according to the info on the spec sheet. The base variant which will sell for ¥4999 (~$773) will have 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage while the top variant which will have 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage will sell for ¥5399 (~$835). Of course, the processor is the Snapdragon 888 from Qualcomm.

Mi 11 Pro+

Last year, the top model of the Mi 10 series launched as the Mi 10 Ultra but according to this leaked spec sheet, Xiaomi will ditch the Ultra name. The phone is said to be called the Mi 11 Pro+ which shows Xiaomi is following the trend of other Chinese manufacturers such as Vivo and Huawei.

The Mi 11 Pro+ will also get the same display as the Mi 11 and Mi 11 Pro. The processor is the Snapdragon 888 and it is paired with 8GB or 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage.

Where the Mi 11 Pro+ differs is in its camera configuration. It has a 50MP Samsung GN2 camera, a 48MP Sony IMX586/598 camera, a second Sony IMX586 camera with 10x optical zoom, and a 12MP portrait camera with 2x optical zoom. So unlike its siblings which have three rear cameras, it has four. The selfie camera is also a 32MP sensor and not 20MP.

The phone will have the same 5000mAh battery capacity as the Mi 11 Pro but have support for 120W fast wired charging and 67W fast wireless charging. The Mi 11 Pro+ should also have support for Quick Charge 5.0.

The phone will have an IP68 rating and will measure 164.3 x 74.6 x 9.5 millimeters. It will also be heavier than its siblings as it is said to weigh 230 grams.

The Mi 11 Pro+ will sell for ¥5599 (~$866) for the 8GB RAM version and ¥5999 (~$928) for the 12GB RAM version.

Xiaomi will announce the Mi 11 tomorrow but it has not yet revealed when the pro model(s) will be announced.

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Telegram tops the chart of most downloaded apps worldwide for January 2021

Sensor Tower has released its download numbers for January 2021, with Telegram leading the pack as it was the most downloaded non-gaming app worldwide with more than 63 million installs, which was about 4 times its downloads one year ago. India accounted for 24% of Telegram downloads within the past month with more than 15 million installs. The second-highest number of Telegram downloads came from Indonesia with over 6 million.Top apps worldwide January 2021

The full top 10 rankings of non-gaming apps worldwide by downloads for January 2021 was compiled by Sensor Tower using estimates from Sensor Tower’s Store Intelligence platform.

TikTok was the second most downloaded non-gaming app worldwide last month with close to 62 million installs. The countries with the largest number of TikTok installs were China, with over 10.5 million installs (17%), followed by the United States, with more than 6 million (10%).

Signal, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, ZOOM, MX Taka Tak, Snapchat, and Facebook Messenger are the other apps that were in the top ten most installed non-gaming apps worldwide for the month of January 2021.

Store Intelligence registered users would be able to view additional content like an overview of the app’s performance over time and several other performance metrics.

Sensor Tower has also provided the top app downloads for January 2021 via the App Store and Google Play Store. TikTok, YouTube, ZOOM, Telegram, and Facebook were the top five non-gaming app downloads on the App Store, while the corresponding apps on the Google Play Store were Telegram, Signal, TikTok, MX Taka Tak, and Facebook.

The estimates include downloads for the App Store and Google Play Store from January 1, 2021, to January 31, 2021. It is noted that Apple apps and Google pre-installed apps were not included in the data, as they consist of unique installs only.

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(source)

 

 

OnePlus 9 Pro live images reveal a partnership with Hasselblad

There were rumors that OnePlus will partner with Leica for the cameras of the OnePlus 9 series. However, another leaker said that the info is false and that OnePlus had no partnership with the German camera company. Now, live photos of the OnePlus 9 Pro have surfaced and they show a Hasselblad branding on the camera housing!

OnePlus is not the first smartphone company to partner with Hasselblad. Motorola actually did a few years ago with the launch of a Moto Z Camera Mod that was made in partnership with the Swedish camera manufacturer.

OnePlus 9 Pro live photo

The live photos were made public in a video by Tech YouTuber, Dave Lee on his YouTube channel Dave2D. According to him, the photos were shared with him by a user on Discord.

The video shows the OnePlus 9 Pro in Silver Gray. It has a curved display with a punch hole and a curved glass back that is home to a quad-camera setup. The rear cameras include two large sensors atop each other and two small ones positioned side by side. The camera housing is also home to the LED flash, laser focus system, and a small hole with a grille which we believe has a microphone inside it. The images confirm that the OnePlus 9 Pro will truly not feature a periscope camera lens as all the sensors are round.

There is a USB-C port at the bottom and it is flanked by the SIM tray and speaker grille on each side. The images also show that the OnePlus 9 Pro also has its frame curved around the Alert Slider and power button on the right side.

Some other images show some of the phone’s specifications. The display settings reveal the OnePlus 9 Pro has a QHD+ display with a resolution of 3120 x 1440. Users will be able to choose if they want to set the display resolution to QHD+ or FHD+ (2340 x 1080) or have the phone automatically switch to the appropriate resolution to save battery. We also see that the phone has a 120Hz refresh rate and users can switch between that and the 60Hz standard.

The About Phone section shows a OnePlus 6T rather than a render of the OnePlus 9 Pro. It also doesn’t state the processor, camera specs, and screen specifications. Another weird thing is that the RAM is said to be 11GB and it is paired with 256GB of storage.

This is definitely a prototype of the phone, so it is understandable why certain information is missing.

The OnePlus 9 series is expected to launch this quarter. There will be a total of three models – the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro, and a third model called the OnePlus 9 Lite.

 

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Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Honor V40: Specs Comparison

After becoming totally independent from Huawei, Honor started growing up again in its home country and soon it will rise again even in the global market. According to the latest research by BCI, Honor is currently the 6th smartphone manufacturer in China. The main contributor to this result is the new flagship killer Honor V40 recently released in the country. Alongside the Honor V40, the most important flagship killer released recently in China is the Xiaomi Mi 11. Which one is the best and which offers the best value for money between Xiaomi Mi 11 and Honor V40? Let’s discover it together in this specs comparison.

Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Honor V40

Xiaomi Mi 11 Honor V40
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT 164.3 x 74.6 x 8.1 mm, 196 g 163.1 x 74.3 x 8 mm, 189 g
DISPLAY  6.81 inches, 1440 x 3200p (Quad HD+), AMOLED  6.72 inches, 1236 x 2676p (Full HD+), AMOLED
PROCESSOR Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, octa-core 2.84 GHz Mediatek Dimensity 1000+, octa-core 2.6 GHz
MEMORY 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB
SOFTWARE  Android 11, MIUI  Android 10, Magic UI
CONNECTIVITY  Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS  Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS
CAMERA Triple 108 + 13 + 5 MP, f/1.9 + f/2.4 + f/2.4
20 MP front camera
Triple 50 + 8 + 2 MP, f/1.9 + f/2.4 + f/2.4
16 MP f/2.0 front camera
BATTERY  4600 mAh, fast charging 50W, wireless charging 50W  4000 mAh, fast charging 66W and wireless charging 50W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES Dual SIM slot, 5G, reverse wireless charging 10W Dual SIM slot, 5G, reverse wireless charging

Design

The Xiaomi Mi 11 has a very attractive and original design, and it is the reason why it is my favorite one in this comparison. It comes with a very high screen-to-body ratio and a compact camera module, as well as the Gorilla Glass Victus protection (the latest one by Corning) for the display. It even comes in a special color variant made with an eco leather back. With its pill-shaped front camera hole and its bigger camera module on the rear side, the Honor V40 still offers a very good design. Further, it is more compact and slightly thinner than the Xiaomi Mi 11.

 

Display

Besides having a more original design, the Xiaomi Mi 11 has a more advanced display than the Honor V40. It offers a higher resolution: Quad HD+, with 1440 x 3200 pixels. The display shows up to one billion colors, it has a 120 Hz refresh rate and a way higher 1500 nit peak brightness, as well as the HDR10+ certification. But the Honor V40 is all but disappointing: it has a display with one billion colors as well (and it supports the HDR10 certification), but the brightness and the resolution are lower.

 

Specs & Software

With the Xiaomi Mi 11, you even get better hardware. The flagship is powered by the Snapdragon 888 mobile platform paired with up to 12 GB of RAM and UFS 3.1 internal storage up to 256 GB. The Honor V40 has a Dimensity 1000+ chipset which can be located between Snapdragon 855+ and Snapdragon 865, paired with slower UFS 2.1 internal storage and 8 GB of RAM. Another disadvantage is the fact that Honor V40 is still based on Android 10 despite it was released in 2021, and it does not come with Google Mobile Services in the global market.

 

Camera

Xiaomi Mi 11 is the winner even when it comes to the camera department thanks to its better 108 MP main camera including OIS and supporting 8K video recording. The Honor V40 is still a good camera phone with its 50 MP triple camera, but inferior to the Mi 11. Both are pretty good camera phones, but they are distant from the top camera phones in the market. None of them comes with a telephoto sensor, so they both lack an optical zoom. Their camera setups are composed of the main camera, an ultrawide sensor, and a macro camera.

 

 

Battery

Xiaomi Mi 11 has a bigger 4600 mAh battery which can actually last more than the 4000 mAh battery found on the Honor V40, no matter if the display is less efficient. The Snapdragon 888 chipset found on the Xiaomi Mi 11 has a better production process (5 nm) which means lower energy consumption. Honor V40 charges faster thanks to its 66W fast charging technology. Both the phones support fast wireless charging with a 50W power and reverse wireless charging.

 

Price

The starting price of the Xiaomi Mi 11 in China is $730/€603, while the Honor V40 is priced at $555/€460 in the Chinese market. The Honor V40 is way more affordable, but the Xiaomi Mi 11 is actually a better handset from every point of view. That is the reason why I would actually spend more to get a unit of the Xiaomi Mi 11 in order to get a better display, a better hardware department, and a superior camera sensor.

 

 

Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Honor V40: PRO and CONS

Xiaomi Mi 11

PRO

  • Best display
  • Faster charging
  • Better hardware
  • Bigger battery

CONS

  • Price

 

Honor V40

PRO

  • Very good price
  • Very fast charging
  • Fast wireless charging
  • Thin design

CONS

  • Inferior hardware

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Next Week in Tech: Xiaomi Mi 11 and MIUI 12.5 global launch, Nokia 5.4 heads to India and more

The coming week is an exciting one for a lot of folks most especially those who are fans of Xiaomi. The Chinese manufacturer has a big announcement on the first workday of the week, one that has been greatly anticipated. Other manufacturers such as HMD Global and Infinix also have announcements scheduled for the coming week. Below are what to look forward to in the coming week.

 

Xiaomi Mi 11 goes global

On February 8, Xiaomi will unveil its latest flagship, the Mi 11. The phone already launched in China late last year and will be making its global debut on that day. Xiaomi may also announce two other phones judging from the tweet below which shows three phones. One of them is expected to be the Mi 11 Lite.

 

A new Xiaomi TV and an electric scooter for Europe

Xiaomi will not just be announcing a new phone on Monday, February 8. It has also been reported that the manufacturer will announce a new 75-inch QLED 4K Mi TV for the European market as well as a new electric scooter.

The electric scooter is the Mi Electric Scooter Pro 2 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Edition. This is a special edition of the Mi Electric Scooter Pro 2 that was announced last year. This won’t be Xiaomi’s first partnership with an automobile company. Last year, it announced the Ninebot GoKart Pro Lamborghini Edition which sold out on its first sale day in China.

 

MIUI 12.5 global announcement

Xiaomi’s February 8 event is going to be a pretty long one as the manufacturer will also announce a new version of its Android-based user interface, MIUI. This new version which is called MIUI 12.5 was announced in China last year but will be getting a global release.

MIUI 12.5

MIUI 12.5 will bring several new features and optimizations to eligible devices. You can check out the list of new features announced for the Chinese version.

 

Nokia 5.4
Nokia 5.4

Nokia 5.4 heading to India

HMD Global has a product launch for the Indian market on Wednesday, February 10. The manufacturer will announce the Nokia 5.4 in the country following its unveiling in Europe back in December. It has also been reported that the Nokia 3.4 may tag along too.

 

Infinix Smart 5 aka Hot 10 Play Featured
Infinix Smart 5 aka Hot 10 Play

Infinix SMART 5

The Chinese manufacturer, Transsion Holdings, will announce a new smartphone in India under its Infinix mobile brand. The smartphone is the Infinix SMART 5 which is actually a rebadge of the Infinix HOT 10 Play announced in Pakistan last month.

 

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Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Vivo X60 Pro+: Specs Comparison

In a few days, the Xiaomi Mi 11 will make its debut in the global market. A lot of people are waiting for it to get their next flagship killer at a great price, but a lot of people are not considering that there are many other Chinese flagships worth considering in a similar price range. One of them is definitely the Vivo X60 Pro+: a very underrated phone from a brand that is slowly becoming one of the main smartphone manufacturers all around the world. This comparison will explain to you the differences between Xiaomi Mi 11 and Vivo X60 Pro+ and will let you discover which one is the best depending on your actual needs.

Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Vivo X60 Pro Plus 5G

Xiaomi Mi 11 Vivo X60 Pro Plus 5G
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT 164.3 x 74.6 x 8.1 mm, 196 g 158.6 x 73.4 x 9.1 mm, 191 g
DISPLAY  6.81 inches, 1440 x 3200p (Quad HD+), AMOLED  6.56 inches, 1080 x 2376p (Full HD+), AMOLED
PROCESSOR Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, octa-core 2.84 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, octa-core 2.84 GHz or Samsung Exynos 2100, octa-core 2.9 GHz
MEMORY 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB
SOFTWARE  Android 11, MIUI  Android 11, Origin OS
CONNECTIVITY  Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS  Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS
CAMERA Triple 108 + 13 + 5 MP, f/1.9 + f/2.4 + f/2.4
20 MP front camera
Quad 50 + 8 + 32 + 48 MP, f/1.6 + f/3.4 + f/2.1
32 MP f/2.5 front camera
BATTERY  4600 mAh, fast charging 50W, wireless charging 50W  4200 mAh, fast charging 55W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES Dual SIM slot, 5G, reverse wireless charging 10W Dual SIM slot, 5G

Design

Vivo X60 Pro+ and Xiaomi Mi 11 are astonishing phones in terms of design. Both are made of premium materials including a glass back and an aluminum frame, and both come in a variant with an eco leather back. They also come with curved displays. In my opinion, the Xiaomi Mi 11 is a bit more stylish thanks to its less invasive camera module, but the Vivo X60 Pro+ is actually more compact and suitable for one-handed users. It is also more comfortable for your pocket. In each case, you get a punch-hole display.

 

Display

Talking about the display, Xiaomi Mi 11 is a superior device. The main difference between these panels is the resolution: the Xiaomi Mi 11 has a higher Quad HD+ resolution with 1440 x 3200 pixels. With the Mi 11, you also get a higher peak brightness (up to 1500 nits) and one billion colors. But you should not underestimate the Vivo X60 Pro+ which still comes with an amazing AMOLED panel including a 120 Hz refresh rate and the HDR10+ certification.

 

Specs & Software

With the Xiaomi Mi 11 and the Vivo X60 Pro+, you get exactly the same hardware department. It consists of the Snapdragon 888 mobile platform by Qualcomm, up to 12 GB of RAM, and up to 256 GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage. Both are flagships and both are based on Android 11, but with different user interfaces. When it comes to the hardware, it is basically a draw and you will hardly notice the differences between their performance. With the Xiaomi Mi 11, you can choose between three memory configurations: 8/128 GB, 8/256 GB, and 12/256 GB. The Vivo X60 Pro+ has just two configurations: 8/128 GB and 12/256 GB.

 

Camera

Vivo X60 Pro+ is the best camera phone in this comparison and one of the best in the whole market. It includes a 50 MP main sensor with laser autofocus, OIS, and a bright f/1.6 focal aperture. It also offers an 8 MP periscope sensor with 5x optical zoom, a 32 MP telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom, and a 48 MP ultrawide sensor with gimbal stabilization. Xiaomi Mi 11 has a great main camera, but it lacks telephoto and periscope sensors: this is what makes the Mi 11 just a mid-range camera phone.

 

 

Battery

The Xiaomi Mi 11 has a bigger 4600 mAh battery and it provides a longer battery life in a lot of scenarios, but not always. The Vivo X60 Pro+ has a more efficient display, so the energy consumption is lower. But at the end of the day, the Mi 11 should be a superior battery phone. Unfortunately, the Vivo X60 Pro+ lacks wireless charging, while Xiaomi Mi 11 has fast wireless charging and reverse wireless charging. On the other hand, Vivo equipped the X60 Pro+ with a faster charging technology (up to 55W).

 

Price

Xiaomi Mi 11 is priced at about €605/$730 in China, while the Vivo X60 Pro+ carries a €640/$711 starting price. Despite the Xiaomi Mi 11 has a better display and wireless charging, the Vivo X60 Pro+ offers a slightly higher value thanks to its amazing camera department. But not every user cares about having the best cameras, that is why the Mi 11 looks like a better option for certain people.

 

 

Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Vivo X60 Pro Plus 5G: PRO and CONS

Xiaomi Mi 11

PRO

  • Good price
  • Best display
  • Wireless charging
  • Bigger battery
  • Stereo speakers

CONS

  • No optical zoom

 

Vivo X60 Pro Plus 5G

PRO

  • Better camera
  • Faster charging
  • More compact

CONS

  • Smaller battery

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Grab 20% Off on SKG F5 Portable Massage Gun at Amazon US

SKG, an award-winning high-tech company known for manufacturing massage devices, recently launched a new product- SKG F5 Portable Massage Gun. It is a lightweight device with an integrated heat function. It is designed to aid muscle inflammation and tension with deep muscle release. It is currently up for sale on Amazon US and can be purchased with a 20% off by adding the promo code – SKGF520OFF.SKG F5 Portable Massage Gun-2-

SKG F5 Portable Massage Gun has a stylish pistol-shaped design with a satin finish. Apart from the percussion therapy, this massager comes with a built-in heating mechanism with 3 modes that can reach up to 113°F/45°C to help loosen muscles. With 5V brushless motor and high-quality bearing, this massage gun offers a silent operation. It comes with 3 attachments, made from different materials for softness to meet all your massaging needs.SKG F5 Portable Massage GunSKG F5 Portable Massage Gun

SKG F5 Portable Massage Gun has a lightweight and portable design and is ideal for use after regular workouts like yoga, Pilates, jogging, dancing, and biking. You can now buy this massage gun from Amazon at 20% off by adding the promo code – SKGF520OFF. This unit is an ideal device for pampering your muscles after a good workout session.

OnePlus 9 reported to have the same flat display as the OnePlus 8T

The OnePlus 9 series’ rumors and leaks keep pouring in and they are not expected to stop until the phones are announced. The latest info that is circulating is regarding the display of the OnePlus 9 and it appears its design will be familiar.

As reported by PocketNow, the OnePlus 9 is said to have the same display as the OnePlus 8T. The 2020 flagship has a 6.55-inch flat display with a punch hole at the top left corner. This means the OnePlus 9 will not have a curved display like its predecessor, the OnePlus 8, but a flat display.

OnePlus8T
The OnePlus 9 may have the same display as the OnePlus 8T pictured above

Several users have expressed their displeasure at curved displays and we have seen some manufacturers, such as Samsung, drop the curved display in favor of a flat display for new models. OnePlus did the same with the OnePlus 8T and it appears it will continue the trend with the OnePlus 9.

The info about a flat display goes in line with a render of the OnePlus 9 that leaked back in November 2020. The image showed the phone has a flat display and not a curved one. Users who like a curved display will have to go for the OnePlus 9 Pro whose renders show that it has a curved screen.

The display of the OnePlus 9 should be an AMOLED panel and it should have a 120Hz refresh rate too. Inside the phone should be the Snapdragon 888 processor with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The render of the phone shows that it has three rear cameras and a single front-facing camera. A leak gave us an early look at the rear cameras and it shows that none of the sensors has a periscope lens.

There is no confirmation on the battery specifications but it has been revealed via a leak that the OnePlus 9 will support wireless charging and reverse wireless charging.

 

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Lenovo K13, Moto E7i Power, and Moto E6i get Bluetooth certification

The sixth-generation Moto E series debuted in mid-2019 with the release of the Moto E6. Motorola went on to release three other phones in the series – the Moto E6 Play and Moto E6 Plus in 2019 and the Moto E6s in 2020. However, it appears Motorola isn’t done with the series yet even though it has announced the Moto E7 series. The Bluetooth SIG has certified a new model called the Moto E6i along with two other Motorola and Lenovo phones.

The Moto E6i was certified alongside the Lenovo K13 Power and the Moto E7i Power. The new Moto E6 phone has model numbers XT2053-5 and XT2053-6. The certification page shows that it has Bluetooth 4.2.

Moto E6i-Moto E7i Power - Lenovo K13

The Moto E7i Power should join the Moto E7 and the Moto E7 Plus as the third model in the Moto E7 series. When it launches, it will be the first Moto E Power phone in almost five years. The last one was the Moto E3 Power released in 2016. We expect the E7i Power to have an amazing battery life as one of its top features when it launches. The phone will have three market variants seeing as there are three model numbers.

Bluetooth SIG also certified the Lenovo K13, which is surprising considering that the Lenovo K12 series was announced just two months ago. However, it appears the Lenovo K13 will be a rebadge of the Moto E7i Power as its model number XT2097-15 is a variant of the Moto E7i Power’s model numbers.

We don’t know when these three devices will launch, but now that they have been certified, we can expect them to be announced in the coming months.

 

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OPPO shares ColorOS 11 global update rollout plan for February 2021

Back in January, OPPO shared the Global ColorOS 11 based on Android 11 update rollout plan for various devices. This time, it is back with the list of smartphones getting the respective Stable/Beta Updates in February 2021.

OPPO ColorOS 11 Logo Featured

OPPO unveiled the ColorOS 11 eligible devices list back in September. Accordingly, each of them has been getting it in the subsequent months.  Regarding the Feb. 2021 list, just like always, OPPO has divided the list between Stable/Beta and across regions. You can take a look at the list below:

ColorOS 11 Beta

  • Ongoing

    • OPPO Reno 2F(India)
    • OPPO Reno 10x Zoom(India)
    • OPPO F15(India)
  • February 27

    • OPPO A91(Indonesia)

ColorOS 11 Stable

  • Ongoing(EU, EEA)

    • OPPO Find X2(Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Romania)
    • OPPO Find X2 Pro(Switzerland, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, UK, Netherlands)
    • OPPO Find X2 Pro Automobili Lamborghini Edition
    • OPPO Reno4(Poland)
    • OPPO Reno4 5G(France, Switzerland, Italy)
    • OPPO Reno4 Pro 5G(France, Switzerland)
    • OPPO Reno4 Z 5G(France)
    • OPPO Reno4 Lite(Turkey, Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Moldova)
    • OPPO Reno3(Turkey, Poland, Ukraine)
    • OPPO A72(Netherlands)
    • OPPO A52(Italy, Spain)
  • From February(EU, EEA)

    • OPPO Reno4 5G(Portugal, Italy)
    • OPPO Find X2 Neo(Netherlands, France, Spain)
    • OPPO Reno3 Pro(Ukraine)
    • OPPO Reno4 Pro(Ukraine)

*EU- European Union, EEA- European Economic Area

*Note that this plan for EU, EEA is not applicable for carrier-exclusive models. That depends on each carrier.

  • Ongoing(Other Regions)

    • OPPO Find X2
    • OPPO Find X2 Pro
    • OPPO Find X2 Pro Automobili Lamborghini Edition
    • OPPO Find X2 Neo
    • OPPO Find X2 Lite
    • OPPO Reno4 5G
    • OPPO Reno4 Pro 5G
    • OPPO Reno4 Z 5G
    • OPPO A93
    • OPPO F17 Pro
    • OPPO Reno4 F
    • OPPO Reno4 Pro 4G
    • OPPO Reno4 4G
    • OPPO Reno4 Lite
    • OPPO Reno3 Pro 4G
    • OPPO Reno3 4G
    • OPPO A72
    • OPPO A92
    • OPPO A52
    • OPPO F11
    • OPPO F11 Pro
    • OPPO F11 Marvels Avengers Limited Edition
    • OPPO A9
  • February 27

    • OPPO Reno3 Pro 5G(Russia, Kazakhstan)

These are the devices that are already receiving and are going to receive the ColorOS 11 update this month. Meanwhile, if you are new to ColorOS, you can check out the features the latest version brings to the table by reading our coverage.

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(source 1, 2)