As promised a few weeks ago along with the launch of MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC, the Blackview is launching Blackview BL8000 soon. The company is known for its stellar rugged smartphones but it seems to change soon. Blackview is now entering the 5G rugged smartphone market with Blackview BL8000 smartphone. It will be a high-end rugged smartphone featuring Dimensity 1200 and that too at an attractive price.
Following its predecessor’s path, the new Blackview BL8000 will bring a state-of-art rugged design and technology. The presence of 6nm built MediaTek Dimensity 1200 5G chipset will further enhance the connectivity and performance reliability. However, the 12 GB RAM will further improve multitasking.
MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC will aid a massive performance upgrade as it houses a single Cortex-A78 core clocked at 3GHz and 3x Cortex A78 cores at 2.6GHz and 4x A-55 cores at 2GHz for low-power tasks. It further offers support of up to 168hz display refresh rate. The Hyper Engine 3.0 further improves gaming performance.
Along with the pure 5G support, the SoC comes with WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, dual-band (L1+L5) GNSS, and much more. The chipset supports fast charging of up to 65W that can charge the whole device within few minutes.
Blackview BL8000 will be a game-changer in the rugged smartphone market as it will carry powerful specifications. The interested users can know more about the Blackview 5G technology by heading to the official website. In the meantime, you can win a Blackview A70 and A80 by entering the giveaway.
Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+ aren’t even running on 2019’s Android 10 OS. However, the company is not giving up on the Quarterly update cycle for the 2017 flagships. Accordingly, the devices have received a new update.
Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8+ with model numbers SM-G950F and SM-G955F respectively are getting a new update. As per the Sammobile report, the S8 is getting the firmware version G950FXXSBDUA3 and S8+ G955FXXSBDUA3 across Latin America(Exynos models).
Back in February 2019, Samsung rolled out the One UI update for the Galaxy S8-Series delivering the promise of extending the One UI to older Android versions(pie). However, they haven’t received any major updates after that. In fact, the company pushed them to the Quarterly cycle last year.
Considering it’s been four years since the official launch, it is appreciative of Samsung to at least roll out the security patches for those who are clinging on to their devices. Speaking of which, Samsung Galaxy S8’s IP68 and GPS locator have saved lives in the past. The devices, which were a solid offering of their time, might still be living to see another day for some even today.
Hence, if you are someone who is having one of these devices, we suggest you update it to the latest security patch ASAP(as soon as possible). You can do it by navigating to Settings->Software Update->Download and Install.
Coming back, the update doesn’t have any other changes apart from the January 2021 security patch. And this OTA(over-the-air) should extend to all the other regions and versions soon so if you haven’t received it yet, don’t panic.
Apple‘s brand Beats once again joined forces with the famous design brand Fragment Design to jointly release a special edition Powerbeats Pro wireless headset.
The design style of this headset pays tribute to the ideas and principles of Fragment founder and Japanese trend godfather Hiroshi Fujiwara. It is stylish and simple, with a pure single tone. The new edition is available in ivory white, navy blue, glacier blue, cloud pink, lava red, and black.
The classic double lightning logo is printed on one earplug of the headset, and the FRGMT brand is printed on the other earplug. The charging box also has a double flash logo and a set of stickers.
The Powerbeats Pro special edition earphones are ergonomically designed and internally based on the new Apple H1 earphones. The new acoustic structure can output powerful and balanced sound effects, reproduce pure sound quality, bring clearer sound, and enhance the dynamic range.
There are also adjustable non-slip ear hooks, four sizes of earplugs are available, the left and right earplugs are equipped with volume and song control buttons, the automatic play/pause sensor can detect whether the earplugs are in the ear, and it also supports receiving calls.
The earbuds come with Class 1 Bluetooth technology which has a wider coverage, less signal loss, supports Siri voice wake-up and can connect to the iPhone with one button.
The standard battery life is up to 9 hours but with the charging box, the power can go up to more than 24 hours. Also, charging the earbuds for 5 minutes can deliver up to 1.5 hours of playback while a 15-minute charge can last up to 4.5 hours.
The Powerbeats Pro special edition headset is priced at 1888 yuan (~$291) in China. It is expected to go on sale on January 29.
Xiaomi often brings massive discounts on its variety of products. After bringing huge discounts on smartphones, the company is offering Mi Earbuds basic 2 for $9.9 via Giztop. The retailer is offering a 50% discount using coupon code XMEB2 on the actual retail price of $19.99. The flash sale is time-limited, so we suggest you grab the device as soon as possible.
Xiaomi Mi Earbuds Basic 2 is affordable true wireless earbuds featuring some decent specifications. The device comes equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 chip for excellent connectivity. It carries technology which switches the sound between single-ear and double-ear. A 7.2mm audio unit is present with DSP noise cancellation technology.
It offers 12-hour long battery life with 300 mAh charging dock. It is built with ABS material and weighs 4.1 grams. Its round and smooth design enhance comfortability while using the device for extended periods of time.
You can grab the device from Giztop at just $9.99 using Coupon Code XMEB2.
A number of Chinese phone manufacturers have expanded their portfolio to include computers. The group which includes Huawei, Honor, Xiaomi, and Redmi is about to get bigger with the addition of Realme.
Realme is one of the youngest phone brands in the industry but its product portfolio has expanded in the past year to include lifestyle products, smart TVs, and AIoT products. It has now been reported that it will be making its entry into the laptop business and we may even see the first models arrive by the middle of the year.
The info is from the popular leaker Mukul Sharma, and according to a tweet posted earlier today, he says Realme laptops are expected to launch in June of this year. Going by that date, we have about five months of waiting.
[Exclusive] if things go as planned, the Realme laptops are set for launch sometime during June 2021. #Realme#Realmelaptop
Realme’s laptops will go head to head with those from its biggest rival Redmi/Xiaomi, so we expect them to be affordable and priced competitively. We do not know which markets will get the laptops but our guess is India and China are on the list.
The realme laptops will most likely be made by an ODM as none of Realme’s sister/parent companies produce laptops, so it can’t leverage their production lines. The laptops should run Windows 10 and be powered by Intel and or AMD processors. They should also be available in multiple RAM and storage configurations.
With Realme entering the laptop market, is this a sign that Vivo, OPPO, and OnePlus may also launch laptops in the future? Only time will tell.
Global tech powerhouse, Samsung is planning to invest over $10 billion to build a new chip factory in Austin, Texas, as it pursues a massive expansion scheme to fill the manufacturing gap in demand for chips, which Samsung’s existing facility is unable to cope with. Some big customers of Samsung are Qualcomm, Intel, and Tesla, among others, and their demand quantum has increased in the past few months.
In addition, the new factory is expected to produce advanced chips like the 3nm within a short period, which would give Samsung some leverage as a global leader in mobile chip fabrication, as it seeks to upend its major competitor TSMC. Samsung got some boost after Qualcomm switched back to Samsung for the new Snapdragon 888, a sharp departure from the Snapdragon 855 and Snapdragon 865 which were both manufactured by TSMC.
The advanced technology and high-end 3nm chips could enhance overall performance by up to 35% performance increase, a massive 50% reduction in power consumption, and a 45% reduction in size, when compared with 7nm chips, according to Samsung.
A total of $116 billion is earmarked for the completion of the factory over the course of its operation as Samsung pursues its goal to become the biggest player in the chip-making segment of the tech ecosystem.
The chip manufacturing industry, last month experienced a huge disequilibrium in the demand-supply balance as most suppliers could not meet the demands of major customers, leading to the temporary closure of some car factories as a result of the absence of important chip components.
Therefore, Samsung’s plans for expansion would serve as a huge boost to the industry. Samsung is a global leader in telecommunications, home electronics, and various segments of the technological spectrum.
POCO M3 is a smartphone that is slowly crawling its way up to the other markets from Europe. Recently, the company launched it in Indonesia and Taiwan too. Finally, POCO has teased the arrival of the smartphone in India.
POCO India has posted a new YouTube video with the Title ” Watch at your own risk | #POCOM3″. The video begins with a guy dressed like a PUBG character asking opinions about the new device’s performance to a bunch of youngsters.
All of them are spotted playing a Battle Royale Game. In the video, the respondents quote words like “KILLER, OVER PERFORMER”, etc and we also get a glimpse of its gaming performance. Also, the presenter straight-up shows and confirms that all the color variants– Black, Blue, and Yellow will make it to India.
Although the video ends with a “COMING SOON” tag, rumors say that it could be very soon in February(maybe Feb. 2 or 4). If we recall, this Feb.4 is the same date when POCO India launched its first smartphone last year after becoming independent from Xiaomi. Anyway, this is just our guess and let’s wait for the final confirmation from the POCO team.
POCO M3 India- Specifications (Expected)
We can expect POCO M3 to be the same as Indonesian and European versions. Accordingly, it will feature the 6.53-inch FHD+ LCD display with Dot-drop notch, 2340x1080p resolution, 395 PPI, 19.5:9 aspect ratio with Gorilla Glass 3 protection.
Under the hood, Snapdragon 662 SoC will power the device paired with 4/6GB RAM, 64/128GB storage. You will also get a microSD card for storage expansion up to 512GB. For Cameras, the device will have the same 48MP f/1.79 main lens, two 2MP macro, and depth sensors.
Other features include an 8MP f/2.0 front camera, a 6,000mAh battery with 18W charging, Type-C, 3.5mm audio jack, dual-Speakers, dual-SIM 4G, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 5.0, FM Radio, GPS, and MIUI 12 based on Android 10.
Apple is constantly in the news not only for its products and services but for facing lawsuits as well. A new lawsuit filed by an Italian Consumer Protection agency could cost the Cupertino giant up to 60 million euros if it loses.
Italy’s Altroconsumo has filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple in the Court of Milan. It says that the company has deceived consumers with practices of “planned obsolescence”. That is, the lawsuit is for more than 1 million units of affected iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, and 6S Plus sold between 2014 and 2020.
It is referring to the performance throttling(“batterygate”) that Apple’s iPhone 6-series devices faced then. A similar issue made Apple pay a whopping $500 million back in March 2020. Also, this new lawsuit comes a month after the company was slapped with a 10 million euros fine in Italy over “misleading claims regarding water resistance”.
Anyway, Altroconsumo is asking for a compensation of about €60 million(~$73 million). It is trying to convey that Apple is using unfair practices to slow down the older iPhones through software updates which inturn degrades battery. To cover up the contested throttling issue, Apple had reportedly opened a “battery replacement campaign” at a reduced price(€29-€89).
While the earlier lawsuit in US-made Apple pay $25 to each affected consumer, this one would amount to about 60 euros per concerned person. Apple has been facing a lot of “batterygate” lawsuits in Europe lately. Italy is the latest to join the countries like Belgium and Spain which filed a similar one last month.
Although Apple had denied a planned batterygate campaign, it has admitted in the past that the processor’s clock speeds will reduce if the battery degrades. Let’s see how it handles this one as Portugal prepares to join with its own lawsuit soon.
Ivo Tarantino, External Relations Manager of Altroconsumo says, “We hope this is the last step to remedy the damage caused to date by the company but it is also the first step towards greater fairness by Apple towards its consumers”.
Samsung Galaxy A72’s official event could be just days away now. The handset has been appearing online lately in the run-up to the launch. However, the new info outrightly confirms its existence officially. Accordingly, a Samsung Russia page has now opened a support page for the device.
A new SamsungRussia Supportpage has now been opened courtesy of MySmartPrice. The model number of the device in question is SM-A725F/DS. If you recall, a similar device appeared on a Geekbench listing with Snapdragon 720G chipset. Hence, it could be the 4G variant of the Galaxy A72 smartphone.
That said, we don’t have information about the 5G variant’s chipset yet but some rumors say it as 5nm Exynos 1080. Besides, this same model number also appeared on TÜV Rheinland Certification. It showed that the device will have the same charging tech i.e., 25W charging as the predecessor(A71).
So far, 3D renders of the Galaxy A72 show that it will be just an enlarged version of the upcoming Galaxy A52. Measuring 165 x 77.4 x 8.1 mm, the device will reportedly sport a 6.7-inch sAMOLED FHD+ display. Additionally, the device will also have a quad-camera setup like the Galaxy A71 with a 64MP primary camera sensor.
Other expected features include a 4,500mAh battery, Type-C port, 3.5mm audio jack, four color options(Black, Blue, White, and Violet), Android 11(mostly One UI 3.1). Recently, the supposed European Prices of the Galaxy A72 4G variant has also been leaked.
The device will likely be priced at $546 for 6GB RAM, 128GB storage and $619 for the 8GB RAM, 256GB storage variants. Let’s wait for the official confirmation from Samsung which is mostly happening next month(February 2021).
Taiwanese tech giant ASUS has launched the Sky Selection 2 gaming laptop in China. The laptop is presently on pre-sale for 9299 yuan (~$1,435) via JD.com and the product will be officially released for sale on January 26.
The laptop is equipped with a new generation of AMD Ryzen R7-5800H processor, supplemented by an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card. The Ryzen 7 uses an Octa-cores 16 threads, based on Zen 3 architecture utilizing the 7nm process technology. The processor has a maximum acceleration frequency of 4.3GHz, while the TDP is 45W. The GPU supports the exclusive TX BOOST overclocking engine, and can automatically overclock in enhanced mode.
The laptop sports a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display with an impressive 240Hz refresh rate and 100% sRGB high color gamut. The display comes with a three-sided narrow bezel, Adaptive-Sync technology, DC dimming, and supports high frame rate gaming which can reduce screen freeze and tearing.
Further, the ASUS Sky Selection 2 gaming laptop is equipped with 16GB DDR4 3200MHz high-frequency memory and it supports up to 64GB of memory. In addition, it is equipped with a 512GB PCIe SSD with TLC particles, with a nominal continuous writing speed of 3000MB/sec and a reading speed of 3500MB/sec. In addition, an m.2 interface is reserved for users to expand the storage by themselves.
In terms of heat dissipation, the Sky Selection 2 uses four flat heat pipes inside the fuselage to increase the contact area. At the same time, it uses 0.1mm ultra-thin fins and double dust-free fans. The fan blades are upgraded to 83 pieces of LCP liquid crystal polymer material and provide three operating models of Silent, Performance, and Enhanced modes.
The laptop comes in two colors: magic blue and eclipse gray. It can realize dual 4K output through HDMI 2.0, USB 3.2 Type C, built-in 90Wh high-capacity fast charge battery.
Qualcomm has two processors that will power the flagship phones of this year. There is the Snapdragon 888 which we have seen in premium phones such as the Galaxy S21 series and Xiaomi Mi 11. The second is the Snapdragon 870 which will power more affordable flagships or the phones that fall under the ”flagship killer” category.
Both chipsets pack a punch but we know the Snapdragon 888 is the more powerful chipset. It not only has a better CPU and GPU but it is more efficient thanks to its smaller node size, 5nm against the Snapdragon 870’s 7nm. However, reviews have revealed that the Snapdragon 888 has heating issues.
The Snapdragon 870, on the other hand, takes the already great Snapdragon 865 Plus to another level with its higher clock speed. We haven’t seen reviews yet as the first commercially available phone to be powered by the chipset is yet to launch.
For this week’s poll, we want to know which of these processors you want in your next smartphone. Will you choose a phone powered by the Snapdragon 888 5G or will you choose a phone powered by the Snapdragon 870 5G?
UPDATE: Huawei has debunked rumors that it is negotiating the sales of its premium series. In a statement released to the Chinese media, the company hinted that it has no plans to sell its mobile phone business and that it will continue building high-end phones.
The original story is retained below;
Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd is reported to be in talks with investors to sell its high-end smartphone brands P and Mate, according to insider sources. If the move scales through all the hurdles and is consummated by both sides, then we could see Huawei ultimately exiting the high-end segment of the business.
Huawei is a powerhouse in the manufacturing of telecommunications equipment, in fact, the world’s biggest manufacturer of Telecom equipment. The talks between the company and a consortium of investment firms have been going on for months, and a decision could be reached anytime soon, according to the sources.
The move to sell off the brands was kick-started last September and may have progressed very well, although no valuation figures are available at this time. In a one-year period between Q3 2019 and Q3 2020, Shipments of Mate and P Series models grossed $39.7 billion.
It has to be pointed out however that Huawei hasn’t made a final decision to sell yet, and a no-deal scenario is still possible as the company seeks ways to mitigate US sanctions that negatively impacted the fortunes of the company. It is still trying to manufacture its own high-end Kirin chips which power its smartphones.
The potential sale of this arm of the company may suggest that there is little hope for a loosening of the sanctions and restrictions from the new Biden administration, as no drastic shift is expected.
A similar sale was done by Huawei last year when it’s honor brand was sold to a consortium of 30 dealers, for a reported 100 billion yuan ($15.5 billion).
The Honor sale was aimed at keeping the brand afloat in the face of sanctions. Huawei may have a similar objective in pursuing the sale of the mobile brands. The US insists that Huawei is a national security threat, which Huawei has repeatedly denied.
Earlier this month, certain specs of a Motorola smartphone codenamed ‘Ibiza’ leaked. The parameters of this device suggested it to be a budget 5G handset. Now, a couple of weeks later, this phone has been also certified by WiFi Alliance.
Mockup Image by TechnikNews
The upcoming Motorola Ibiza smartphone is expected to come with model number XT2137. Ahead of its launch, this phone has been now spotted on WiFi Alliance. According to the listing, it will launch with Android 11, which we already know. In other words, the WiFi certification does not reveal anything new, except for the fact that it may launch soon.
According to the leak from early January, the Motorola Ibiza aka Motorola XT2137 will be powered by Qualcomm SM4350 chipset codenamed ‘Holi’. This silicon is nothing but the Snapdragon 480 SoC that went official around two days after this leak.
Further, this chip will be paired with 4GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. As for the display, this upcoming Motorola device is said to flaunt a 90Hz HD+ (720 x 1600 pixels) LCD panel with a waterdrop notch housing a 13MP Samsung ISOCELL S5K3L6 camera sensor for selfies and video calls.
Talking about rear cameras, the handset is reported to feature a triple camera setup consisting of a 48MP Samsung ISOCELL S5KGM1ST primary sensor, a 5MP Samsung ISOCELL S5K5E9 sensor with a macro lens, and a 2MP OmniVision OV02B1B sensor for depth sensing.
Last but not least, this Motorola budget smartphone will be backed by a 5,000mAh battery and will go official in Q1 2021 itself.
The famous Chinese smartphone company, Doogee announced a new smartphone – Doogee S88 Plus. The smartphone is a younger sibling to the S88 Pro which was launched late last year featuring fully-packed specifications. Whereas, the newly launched Doogee S99 Plus features a better chipset – Helio P70 instead of the P60 SoC. The S88 Plus comes in three colour options of Army Green, Fire Orange, Mineral Black for $199 via Aliexpress.
The introductory price is limited till January 31st, and after that, it will start retailing for $349. Doogee is even offering 6 units of the new smartphone for free if you enter and win the ongoing giveaway. The results will be announced via live YouTube stream on February 1.
Doogee S88 Plus houses a powerful ARM Cortex-A73/A53 octa-core CPU complex with an impressive Arm Mali-G72 GPU. Moreover, it is 13% faster, and 10-30% AI processing efficient than the predecessor.
The new smartphone carries a beautiful 6.3-inch display featuring a full HD+ resolution. It is available in 128GB storage and 8 GB RAM variant. A 10000 mAh battery is present to offer large battery backup. The primary highlights of the smartphone are as follows:
Quality Display and LED light
Doogee S88 Plus brings multi-coloured LED light which shows different colours for calls, messages, music, and other notifications. There’s a 6.3-inch Full HD display featuring a waterdrop notch and Corning Gorilla Glass. The device features a 1080 x 2340 pixels resolution and features a pixel density of 410 PPI. Moreover, it has a new gesture navigation system making the smartphone more productive. The user can access different apps, menu and Google Assistant using gestures.
Rugged Capabilities
The smartphone is IP68/IP69K rating confirming the waterproof and drop-proof design. The device can withstand impact from up to 1.5 metres and can remain underwater with up to 2 metres of depth. It even did well in brick pressure and sand immersion tests.
Doogee S88 Plus is designed with two-colour injection moulding technique to make the device stronger using hard and soft rubber material.
Moreover, the device features well-aligned software to provide easy access to professional tools including a compass, sound meter, height measurement, magnifier, and other essential apps.
Power Triple Camera
The camera has become an essential part of any smartphone. Doogee S88 Plus features an impressive tripe-rear camera module featuring a 48MP Samsung AI Triple camera, an 8MP macro lens and an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens.
The Samsung S5KGM1 sensor chip ensures quality photography. It brings high-resolution stills and 4K video even in a low-light environment. Moreover, the ultrawide lens captures expanded photos with better quality.
On the front, there’s a 16-megapixel selfie camera with 80-degree wide-angle to capture all the details and even aids in identifying the age. Thanks to the inbuilt AI algorithms which enhances the overall photo by analyzing the several aspects.
Massive Battery
Doogee S88 Plus smartphone provides a large 10000 mAh battery which is ideal for the travellers an outdoor enthusiasts. The battery can provide a backup of up to 10-15 days which roughly translates to 470 hours while using it normally. It let you remain connected with near and dear ones whilst on the move. Its reverse charging feature let the user charge other devices.
Security
The availability of face recognition, side-fingerprint sensor and NFC makes the device secured. The users can easily safeguard their data using fingerprint or face recognition. Presence of NFC enables users to safely use Google Pay and other related apps while making payments.
Extensive Network support
The device support major network bands including 4G FDD 1/3/7/8/20 bands, 3G WCDMA 1/2/4/5/8, 2G GSM 2/3/5/8, and LTE baseband of B1/3/7/8/20/EDGE/GPRS. Moreover, it houses support for 2.4G 802.11b/g/n and 5G 802.11n, and Bluetooth 4.2.
Pricing and Availability
Doogee S88 Plus is now retailing on AliExpress for $199.99 between January 25-31. It is available in three colours including Army Green, Fire Orange and Mineral Black. Surprisingly, the first 200 buyers will get a free phone case. The interested users can participate in the giveaway.
It’s been 10 days since the Galaxy S21 series launched. Among the three devices, the vanilla Galaxy S21 and S21 Ultra have already been torn down to reveal the inside. Now is the turn for the Galaxy S21+ 5G Teardown.
Galaxy S21+ Black
Just like the other versions, the Samsung Galaxy S21+(SM-G996U) 5G’s teardown video also comes from PBKreviews YouTube channel. The video begins by talking about the SIM trays. He says that the Single-SIM variants of the S21+ have the ability to read both SIMs but one of them is disabled and has a plastic SIM tray.
So if you need to access the second one, first you will need a metal dual-SIM tray as shown below. Next is a new firmware that re-enables the second SIM reader to detect the network. Moving on, opening the back Glass Panel, we see the inside is similar to other models. Since this is a sub-6GHz 5G Exynos 2100 Version, it lacks mmWave antennas.
Speaking of the rear panel, it seems the camera layout cover is detachable from the panel itself. It is reportedly fixed to the rest of the rear using an adhesive. After unscrewing the 19 Philips Heads, you see the NFC and Wireless charging coils. Beneath them are ribbon connectors for Speakers, Bottom circuitry, NFC, etc.
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Galaxy S21+ Inside- Rear
Dual SIM vs Single SIM Tray
NFC, Wireless Charging coils
Removing all of them, we get to the speaker unit(separate) and Camera layout attached to the mainboard. As you can see below, the first one is a 12MP ultra-wide, next two are OIS-enabled 12MP wide-angle and 64MP Telephoto. Interestingly, apart from the secondary mic and LED flash, a third mic is sorted to the motherboard.
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Camera Layout, Main Board
Exynos 2100 chipset
The sound for this travels through the LED diffusers through a pathway inside to get to the mic through a separate hole. As for the processor, the Exynos 2100 is covered inside a Thermal Paste+Graphite Pad combo sitting below a 3D Graphene layer.
Penultimately, after removing the cables on the way and bottom circuitry(Charging port, Speaker, Display Flex connection), we see the EB-BG996ABY 4,800mAh battery.
Just like the S21, S21 Ultra, or any other Samsung, this doesn’t have pull tabs. Hence, you need heat to remove the battery to see the display. Another interesting point here is the flex cable for side volume keys are etched between the display and mid-frame. Hence, you need to pry open the display to repair it if you get it damaged.
Earlier today, OPPO announced the OPPO A55 5G as the first phone with Dimensity 700 chip onboard. MediaTek announced the Dimensity 700 chipset in November 2020 for powering affordable 5G-ready phones. Other smartphone OEMs are also expected to announce D700 powered phones in the coming months. A Chinese tipster has claimed that Realme is working a new phone powered by the D700 chip. It is likely to arrive as the most affordable 5G phone from the brand.
The tipster revealed that the Realme’s upcoming Dimensity 700 powered handset has an LCD screen with a teardrop notch. Its rear shell has a square-shaped camera module. It is expected to offer a long-lasting battery life as it is likely to be fueled by a 5,000mAh battery.
The tipster claimed that the 5G-ready phone would carry a meager price tag. Currently, the Realme V3 priced at 1,099 Yuan (~$170) and Realme Q2i priced at 999 Yuan (~$154) are the cheapest 5G-enabled phones from Realme. Unfortunately, the tipster did not reveal the moniker of Realme’s upcoming Dimensity 700 powered handset. Probably, it could end up as a new Q-series smartphone.
Realme Q2i specifications
The Realme Q2i has a 6.5-inch HD+ resolution supporting IPS LCD screen. The Dimensity 720 chipset with 4 GB of RAM powers the device. It has an inbuilt storage of 128 GB and it lacks support for external storage. It comes preloaded with Realme UI based Android 10 OS.
Realme Q2i
The Q2i carries support for 18W charging for its 5,000mAh battery. It has a front camera of 8-megapixel and a 13-megapixel (main) + 2-megapixel (macro) + 2-megapixel (depth) triple camera system. Lastly, it also features a fingerprint scanner.
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has certified an OPPO device that has a model number OB19B1. This model number belongs to the OPPO Band which went official in China in mid-2020. This BIS certification is a good hint that the device could be arriving soon in India.
Last week, the OPPO Band was spotted at the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) and now it has been spotted at India’s BIS body. It appears that the Chinese brand could be working on bringing the OPPO Band to wider markets in the coming weeks.
When OPPO announced the OPPO Band in June 2020 in China, it also announced its other variants such as OPPO Band Fashion and OPPO Band EVA Limited Edition. These fitness trackers have almost identical specs. The OPPO Band comes with a sporty strap, whereas the Fashion Edition has a fashionable strap along with NFC connectivity support. The OPPO Band EVA is a limited edition variant with a Neon Genesis Evangelion anime-themed strap.
OPPO Band specifications
The OPPO Band has a 1.1-inch AMOLED touchscreen with 100 percent DCI-P3 color gamut support. It comes with 2.5D curved glass protection. It comes with support for downloadable watch faces. It has a 100mAh battery that promises up to 14 days of battery life. It is fitted with a pogo pin connector for charging.
OPPO Band
For health tracking, the OPPO Band comes with support for heart rate tracking, SPO2 monitoring, and sleep tracking. It comes with support for up to 12 kinds of sports activities. The smart band is fueled by Apollo 3 chipset and it comes with 5ATM water-resistance.
In China, the three editions of OPPO Band were priced at 199 Yuan (~$31; ~Rs 2,240) , 249 Yuan (~$38; ~Rs 2,800)), and 299 Yuan (~$46; ~Rs 3,360) . There is no word on its pricing for India.
Non-invasive Blood Glucose Monitoring is a technology that hasn’t quite matured yet. However, a report by ETNews says that Apple and Samsung might finally be able to implement “Blood sugar monitoring” on their next smartwatches.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 Titanium
The report says that both Samsung and Apple will introduce the non-conventional method of Blood Sugar monitoring on their Galaxy Watch 4/Watch Active 3 and Watch 7* respectively. That is, the glucometer inside the smartwatches will apparently be based on an optical sensor.
This is not the first time we are hearing about this. A couple of weeks ago, we saw a company called Quantum Operation showing off a “Spectrometer-based” prototype that works on the interaction of light with the wrist. We already know that companies like Apple have been actively working on it for more than a year now.
And to affirm this, the report says that both of them have secured their patents and are now working on increasing the reliability. Apple’s patent dates back to 2018 whereas Samsung collaborated with MIT to post results of Raman’s Spectroscopy on journal “Science Advances”.
For the unware, it is how a Light interacts with chemical bonds of a material. When you irradiate laser light onto a substance, it scatters. These differing wavelengths can be used to monitor the Blood Glucose accurately than before. If the report is true, Diabetic patients can finally be free of having to constantly prick their fingers with needles.
Samsung and Apple are the right companies to popularise this as others despite advancing aren’t really progressing beyond prototypes. That said, both the companies will reportedly introduce this as early as this year. Out of this, Samsung is planning three new watches in H2 2021 and one/two might get this feature.
With Smartwatches pressing the saddle in 2021, I think this is the right time to introduce a game-changing feature on wearables.
The OPPO Reno2 F is a mid-range smartphone launched in the second half of 2019. The handset debuted with ColorOS 6.1 based on Android Pie. It was later updated to Android 10-based ColorOS 7. Now, the company has started recruiting beta testers for ColorOS 11 (Android 11) update in India.
OPPO announced ColorOS 11 in mid-September after Android 11 stable was released for the Google Pixels. Since then, the firm has been rolling out beta and stable builds to its smartphones worldwide.
Earlier this month, the Chinese handset maker shared the ColorOS 11 update rollout plan for the month of January 2021. According to it, the OPPO Reno2 F is supposed to get the beta build on January 26 in India. Hence, the brand has been recruiting beta esters for this phone since Saturday (January 23).
That said, to enroll in the program, your device should be on software build number C.17. If it is, then simply navigate to Settings > Software Update > Gear icon > Apply for Beta Version > Update Beta Version and follow the on-screen instructions. If you get selected, the company will be seeding the ColorOS 11 beta build via OTA within a week.
Having said that, we are not sure when the stable update will be released. But it should be rolled out by next month at the earliest. Also, OPPO is yet to reveal the availability of this update in other regions.
With various companies gearing up to launch their own offerings of laptops, tablets, monitors, and TVs with the new Mini LED backlighting, suppliers have been pushing production capacities to meet the surge in demand. However, this has also led to the rise in the price of conventional LED chips as well.
According to a TrendForcereport (Via EETAsia), multiple firms in the LED supply chains had started manufacturing LED chips ahead of time, in the fourth quarter of last year. But despite this, the explosive growth in demand for Mini LED chips has led to crowding in their production capacities that have also affected other mainstream LED chips. Due to this, the global supply chain has been witnessing a shortage of LED chips, which has led to certain suppliers raising the quotes on chips supplied to their non core clients that bring relatively low gross margins.
These price hikes are generally around 5 to 10 percent. Furthermore, the report adds that the companies in the LED supply chain have also begun aggressively procuring components in other to mitigate these upcoming price hikes on raw materials and the shortage of components. This is primarily due to tight production capacities for manufacturers after the Chinese New Year. These shortages have already affected certain serial numbers or specifications.
TrendForce believes that the structural shortage that is affecting the LED industry is primarily due to the market’s underestimation of production capacity that was necessary for key parts of the supply chain. Thus, suppliers are currently enjoying an increased bargaining power in price negotiations of LED chips due to the rise in material costs and limited material supplies as well.
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