Samsung extends ECG, Blood Pressure monitoring on Galaxy Watch 3/Watch Active 2 to 31 more countries

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Jan 26, 2021

Samsung introduced the Galaxy Watch 3 and Watch Active 2 with ECG hardware. However, the functionality was available only to South Korean users. Finally, that ends today as Samsung has expanded the ECG and Blood Pressure tracking to 31 more countries.

Samsung, through a press release, announced that the Samsung Health Monitor app will now be available across 31 more countries. For the unware, users of Samsung should install this App on both their Smartphones and Wearables. Using this, they can avail the Blood pressure and Electrocardiogram(ECG) tracking feature.

First off, the above-mentioned features will be available for 28 new European countries, in addition to Chile, Indonesia, and the UAE. The rollout will be a staged process starting from February 4.

Samsung says that it is able to expand to EU nations after receiving the CE-marking in December 2020. This marking is for complying with health, safety, and environmental protection standards within European Economic Area(EEA).

Hence, the Samsung Health Monitor App will now enable the features in the 28 European countries as follows: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.

Talking about the features, the Heartrate monitoring sensors use the pulse wave analysis to track the Blood Pressure of the users. The difference between the calibration value and the change in blood pressure will show the result.

As for ECG, the Galaxy Watch 3 / Watch Active2 have a dedicated sensor to study the heart’s electrical activity. Any inconsistent results are interpolated to show if the person is having the risk of Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) and duly notified.

To measure, rest your forearm on a flat surface and place a fingertip from the opposite hand on the top button on the smartwatch for 30 seconds. You can also watch the tutorial videos of Blood Pressure and ECG to get an idea.

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Qualcomm seals deal with auto tech firm Veoneer for advanced driving assistance

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jan 26, 2021

Automotive technology fast-rising firm Veoneer says it has just signed a collaborative agreement with U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm to jointly partner to develop a software and chip platform that could be deployed for advanced driver assistance mobility systems.

The moves that have now culminated in the new partnership between Veoneer, who prides itself as a worldwide leader in automotive technology, and Qualcomm, a global leader in the chip industry, began around August 2020 when both companies communicated their plans to join forces and provide much-needed technology in terms of both hardware and software that would continue to develop mobility systems with enhanced driver assistance. The new partnership is expected to rival some other established companies in the industry for a piece of the cake.

Veoneer stated that already has in place a dedicated software arm called Arriiver, that will focus on the development of relevant enablers via software to enhance the operation of such driver assistance systems. CEO, Jan Carlson, in a statement, said that both the agreement with Qualcomm and the creation of the Arriver arm are important milestones in the company’s overall development. In addition, the Arriver software, according to CEO, Jan Carlson, is already functional on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Ride Platform, which could get to customers in the automotive industry in a few months.

The Swedish company’s shares have been on a surge in the Stockholm exchange since preliminary plans were unveiled to collaborate with Qualcomm last year, having doubled since then. Veoneer’s shares rose by 2.8% in response to the news of the collaboration with Qualcomm.

Veoneer said it has gotten positive feedback from its potential automotive customers on the application of its technology.

While Veoneer retains full ownership of Arriver, the unit is expected to operate under specific information handling protocols and reporting structures, as part of its collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies.

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India finally bans 60 Chinese apps, including WeChat and TikTok

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jan 26, 2021

The Indian government has now officially and permanently banned up to 60 Chinese-owned apps it initially listed in June last year. This lengthy list includes TikTok, WeChat, Baidu, Alibaba’s UC browser, and some Xiaomi apps, among others.

The moves that have now culminated in this official ban was kick-started by India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. It claimed to be relying on Section 69A of the IT Act, stating that the apps were engaging in activities prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, the security of the state, and public order.

The official ban, therefore, reflects the inability of both the government and the app developers to arrive at a common meeting ground, as the government was not satisfied by the app companies’ responses with regards to how these apps collect data and disseminate such even outside the sub-continent.

What is yet to be seen is how India will ensure full compliance with this new policy, as all the prohibited apps are still available on the Play Store and will continue to work on phones that already have them downloaded.

Added to the seeming void in the response of the Indian government is the fact that some of the blacklisted apps are stock apps that come with devices. It would be difficult to remove stock apps like these, even with a Play Store removal. The ban is still silent on what becomes of such phones, whether they are also banned.

In the aftermath of the restrictions on these Chinese apps since June 2020, some Indian home-grown apps have been trying to fill the void, while also global players like Facebook, YouTube, etc have been incorporating some features into their platform that could easily carry out some of the tasks of the banned apps.

Samsung patents a Smartphone design with Dual Slider Mechanism

By

Balaji S

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Jan 26, 2021

Samsung is planning to launch up to four foldable display smartphones this year. However, it might also launch a rollable display smartphone as a patent unearthed by LetsGoDigital shows a dual slider smartphone design.

As the name suggests, the smartphone patent, which was applied on March 2020 at WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office), shows a retractable display on both sides(left, right). Surprisingly, it also mentions the possibility of a dual-screen i.e, on the front and back moving simultaneously.

The patent got published recently on January 21, 2021, and the report has partnered with creator Jermaine Smit to show us 3D color renders. As mentioned above, the front display is foldable and the back could have either a second display or flexible material such as metal film, fabric, or leather.

As for the slider mechanism, Samsung has used two Switch gears and a gear rail to move the housing inside. The housing inside has a midframe on which the folded display rests. Speaking of which, the report says that the screen will be 30% larger when unfolded on left and right.

For instance, a typical 6-inch device would become an 8-inch smartphone. To complement this, Samsung is planning to use a chain-link system covered with flexible foil/cover and a side frame that flexes in and out along with the display. Another exciting part is the rear(flexible) moving along with the frame and front display making it unique from other extending smartphone designs.

For selfies, the patent schematic doesn’t contain a front cam but talks about the integration of the Front/Rear cam with the same layout. However, the report mentions the possibility of Samsung using punch-hole screen upfront like its older foldables.

That being said, the device could also have the new Galaxy S21 rear camera layout which has a side flushing out with the frame. This is not the first time we are seeing a slider phone from Samsung. Back in CES 2020, the company showcased a phone having a display sliding out from one side.

As with every patent, we don’t know if Samsung will finalize this design for commercial use, and hence, let’s wait for more details.

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Motorola Edge S is 2021’s first flagship killer: Snapdragon 870, six cameras, and a starting price of ~$310

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jan 26, 2021

At an event in China today, Motorola announced its latest smartphone – the Edge S. The Motorola Edge S is the world’s first Snapdragon 870 smartphone and it not only packs a punch in terms of performance, but it also tops it with a big battery capacity, a total of six cameras, and a starting price of ¥1999 (~$310).

Motorola Edge S Design

Don’t be fooled by the name, the Motorola Edge S doesn’t have a curved display. The screen is flat and is home to a double-hole punch for two front-facing cameras. However, the back of the phone is curved and it is home to four cameras arranged in a fashion similar to a gas cooker. The phone has an NVCM coating and is available in two colors – Emerald Glaze and Emerald Light.

Motorola Edge S Specifications

The Motorola Edge S has a 6.7-inch LCD screen with a 90Hz refresh rate and a 21:9 aspect ratio. The screen’s resolution is 2520 x 1080 and it has a PPI of 409, HDR10, and a DCI-P3 color gamut.

The Snapdragon 870 processor brings an improvement in performance over its predecessors. Its CPU performance is said to be 12% higher than that of the Snapdragon 865 while GPU performance has increased by 10%.

According to Motorola, the Edge S scores higher than the Mi 10 on AnTuTu.
Its overall score on the benchmarking platform is 680,826 points as against the Mi 10’s 585,232 points.

That high score is not only due to the new processor but also as a result of the Turbo LPDDR5 RAM which is 72% faster than LPDDR4, and also the UFS 3.1 storage which is 25% faster than UFS 3.0.

The four cameras on the back of the phone include a 64MP f/1.7 camera, a 16MP 121° ultrawide angle camera that also doubles as a 2.8CM macro camera, a 2MP depth camera for taking better portrait images, and a TOF camera that has a light ring around it. The selfie cameras are a 16MP sensor and an 8MP 100° ultrawide angle camera.

The camera packs a number of features including a vlog mode, night mode, and can record in 6K video at 30 fps and in 4K at 60 fps. The phone also has Audio Zoom so you can get in closer to the source of a sound when recording just as you would zoom in with a camera to get closer to your subject.

The Motorola Edge S doesn’t come with ZUI but a new user interface called MY UI that is based on Android 11. Motorola says it is lighter and is more efficient. It also has its own assistant called moto AI. Some of the other features it has are a desktop mode, object recognition, and a split-screen feature that can be activated easily by swiping the side-mounted fingerprint scanner. Motorola’s famous gestures are not gone, so you can still activate silent mode by doing a triple chop, turn on and off the flash with a double chop, and quickly enter the camera app with a quick flick of your wrist twice.

Motorola Edge S has an audio jack and a USB-C port that charges the 5000mAh battery at 20W. It also has an IP52 rating, dual SIM support, Bluetooth 5.1, and dual-frequency GPS.

Motorola Edge S Price and Availability

The Motorola Edge S comes in three configurations and below are their prices:

6GB + 128GB = ¥1999 (~$310)
8GB + 128GB = ¥2399 (~$371)
8GB + 256GB = ¥2799 (~$433)

The phone is already available for pre-order in China.

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Meizu 18 series could come without a charger inside the box

By

Balaji S

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Jan 26, 2021

Meizu announced its association with Qualcomm back at the Snapdragon Summit in December. The company is expected to launch new flagship phones powered by the Snapdragon 888 chipset soon. Going by the numbers, it is likely the Meizu 18 series of devices. And they may have already received the 3C certification in China.

As Digital Chat Station points out, two Meizu devices have reportedly appeared on the 3C certification website. The model numbers are M181Q and M191Q. If you recall, the Meizu 17, 17 Pro appeared with model numbers M081Q and M091Q respectively. Trackback to 2018 and Meizu 16 series- 16, 16 Plus got certified with M882Q, and M892Q respectively.

For Meizu 17 series, although the Pro version had a 40W designation, the device indeed debuted with a 30W charging support. Hence, We aren’t sure if Meizu would adopt the same difference in the final version either. Anyway, the M181Q and M191Q could be the Meizu 18 series and support up to 10V@3A(30W) and 20V@2A(40W) respectively.

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The tipster also mentions that the two models could come with 3,910mAh(Typ. 4,000mAh) and 4,410mAh(Typ. 4,500mAh) batteries. Another interesting point to note here is the absence of the charger. The listing says that the models will be “sold without a standard power adapter”(Translated).

Apple began the trend of excluding the power adapter in the retail box packaging with the iPhone 12 series. Later, companies like Xiaomi, Samsung have adopted the same with Xiaomi Mi 11, Samsung Galaxy S21 respectively. Now it looks like Meizu might join the 2021 bandwagon and the list is only going to get longer now.

Meizu 18 series is still a bit of a mystery as the company has neither announced a launch time frame or it has appeared extensively on leaks. The company is expected to launch Meizu 18 and Meizu 18 Pro as a part of the series.

We can also expect specs like Samsung E4 AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, quad-cameras having Periscope lens 5x Optical zoom, and more. Let’s wait for more leaks to get an idea about them.

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Alleged Vivo S7t receives 3C certification with 33W charger

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 26, 2021

Earlier this week, a tipster from China revealed the existence of the Dimensity 820 SoC powered Vivo S7t smartphone. It appears that the said phone has appeared with the V2048A model number at the 3C certification platform (via) of China.

A mysterious 5G-ready Vivo phone with model number V2048A has been certified by the 3C agency. The listing reveals that the retail package of the device may include a 33W fast charger.

Interestingly, the same V2048A phone was spotted with 8 GB of RAM and Dimensity 820 chipset at Geekbench at the beginning of this year. The handset was found to be running on Android 11 OS. Since a reliable tipster has claimed that Vivo’s upcoming Dimensity 820 powered phone will be called Vivo S7t, it seems that the V2048A model number belongs to the same phone.

Vivo announced the Vivo S7 5G with Snapdragon 765G chip in August last year. The company followed it up with Dimensity 720v SoC powered Vivo S7e 5G phone in November. It appears that the company will be soon announcing the third member of the S7 lineup with the Vivo S7t moniker in China.

Except for the chipset, the Vivo S7t 5G is expected to borrow all its specs from the Vivo S7 5G handset. Hence, it is likely that the Vivo S7t will have a 6.44-inch AMOLED display with a notch. It may feature a 44-megpaixel + 8-megapixel (ultrawide) dual front-facing cameras and 64-megapixel triple rear shooters. It could be fitted with a 4,500mAh battery. It is expected to arrive with OriginOS flavored Android 11 OS. The phone may also feature an in-display fingerprint reader.

At present, the Vivo S7 5G is currently selling with a starting price of 2,698 Yuan (~$417). There is no word on the pricing of the Vivo S7t.

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realme X7 Pro launches in Malaysia with a $70 lesser price tag than Thailand

By

Balaji S

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Jan 26, 2021

realme has finally launched the realme X7 Pro in Malaysia. The flagship smartphone will retail for RM1,999($494) in the country which is way cheaper than the Thailand price.

realme X7 Pro Malaysia – Price, Availability

Unlike the Chinese variants, the realme X7 Pro comes with a single 8GB RAM, 256GB storage variant in Malaysia. This is priced at RM1,999($494) in the country. To compare, the X7 Pro launched at THB16,990 in Thailand which is about $567.

As you can see, the Dimensity flagship is about $73 cheaper than its first Global appearance. What’s even interesting is that the Thailand version had only 128GB of storage.

If you take China, the 256GB variant was priced exactly the same at launch i.e, 3,199 yuan($494). All this sends a strong hint that we can expect realme to be even more aggressive in other markets like India.

Anyway, the device will be available on Shopee in Malaysia and the first sale starts on February 2, 2021, at 12AM MST(Malaysian Standard Time). realme is also giving a discount of RM50 for the first sale bringing the effective price down to RM 1,949($481).

realme X7 Pro Specifications

realme X7 Pro in Malaysia will be available in Iridescent(Gradient) and Skyline White color options. It misses out on the Xingyu Black that is available in China and Thailand. Other than this the rest of the device is almost similar.

The device features a 6.55-inch Super AMOLED FHD+ display protected by Gorilla Glass 5 and has a top-left punch-hole. It supports 2400x1080p resolution, 91.6% screen-body ratio, 120Hz refresh, and 240Hz touch sampling rate, covers 103% NTSC and 100% DCI-P3, and has brightness up to 1200 nits.

Under the hood, you get a MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ chipset paired with LPDDR4x RAM and UFS 2.1+Turbo Write storage. For cameras, we get the same quad-cameras with 64MP main, 8MP ultra-wide, two 2MP macro and B&W sensors. Upfront, there is a 32MP selfie snapper.

Other features include SA/NSA 5G(DS+DS), Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, Dual Frequency GPS, 4,500mAh battery with 65W SuperDart Charging, Type-C port, and realme UI based on Android 10.

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Apple iPhone SE Plus specs leak online; could feature 6.1-inch LCD display

By

Jeet

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Jan 26, 2021

Apple first launched its iPhone SE compact smartphone in 2016 and the company updated the same with the launch of its successor last year, which too is named iPhone SE. Now, the Cupertino-based tech giant is gearing up to launch the latest iteration of the model.

This time, Apple is expected to launch two devices in the iPhone SE lineup, which includes the standard iPhone SE as well as the iPhone SE Plus. Now, the specifications of the Plus variant seems to have leaked online.

As per the report, the upcoming Apple iPhone SE Plus will come with a 6.1-inch LCD display and is expected to be powered by the Apple A14 Bionic chipset — the same chip that currently powers the iPhone 12-lineup, with 5G connectivity support.

However, there’s also a possibility that the device could be powered by the 7nm Apple A13 Bionic chipset used for the iPhone 11 lineup. As for the camera, it is said to feature a 12MP single camera sensor on the back and a 7MP front-facing snapper.

It will also likely have IP67 ratings, making the smartphone water-resistant for up to 1 meter. The report also indicates that along with the Face ID, the phone may come with Touch ID support with the fingerprint sensor being embedded on the power button.

The Apple iPhone SE Plus is expected to come in at least two color options — Black and Red. As for the pricing, it is being claimed that it could cost around $499, which is about $100 more than the iPhone SE currently available in the market.

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OPPO kickstarts Reno 10x Zoom ColorOS 11 beta program in India and Indonesia

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Jan 26, 2021

OPPO has been rolling out ColorOS 11 update to the eligible smartphones since it was announced back in mid-September 2020. The latest version of the company’s mobile operating system is based on Android 11 and it brings some interesting features. That said, the brand has now started recruiting beta testers for OPPO Reno 10x in India and Indonesia.

Earlier this month, OPPO shared the ColorOS 11 update rollout plan for the month of January 2021. According to it, the company is supposed to start rolling out beta builds for OPPO Reno2 F in India and OPPO Reno 10x Zoom in both India and Indonesia starting today (January 26).

Following the schedule, the Chinese smartphone maker has been recruiting beta testers for the Reno2 F for the past few days. Now, yesterday, the brand has opened registrations for the Reno 10x Zoom as well.

In order to apply for the beta program, your OPPO Reno 10x Zoom should be either on firmware version C.33 or C.22. If it is, then head over to Settings > Software Update > Gear Icon > Apply for Beta Version > Update Beta Version and follow the on-screen instructions. If your application gets selected, you will be receiving the ColorOS 11 beta build via update.

As mentioned earlier, this program is currently limited to India and Indonesia only. Users in other regions will have to wait and also, even for these two countries, there’s no telling when the final stable rollout will begin for all the users.

Oppo is working on a Smart Tag that might arrive with the Find X3

By

Sean

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Jan 26, 2021

Earlier this month, Samsung launched the Galaxy S21 series along with a new Bluetooth tracker, dubbed the Galaxy SmartTag. Now, it seems like Oppo is also following in the company’s footsteps and might also launch a Bluetooth smart tag as well for its upcoming Find X3 flagship handset.

According to a LetsGoDigital report, the new Bluetooth smart tag is another product in the company’s growing peripheral and IoT portfolio. Back in May 2020, the Chinee tech giant had filed a design patent in China for a “Bluetooth smart tag locator’. The documentation for this was published earlier today (26th Jan 2021) along with a series of images of the device. Looking at these images, the Oppo smart tag is a rectangular shaped device with rounded corners.

This design also resembles the company’s Oppo Watch case. On the top of the smart tag, the brand’s logo can be observed that is etched in the middle. Furthermore, the body of the tracker is shown to be in a black color scheme, which is also patented. On one of the corners, the Oppo Bluetooth smart tag also has a hole, which is likely to have a key ring pass through it. Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag featured a 4x4cm size, so we can expect Oppo’s counterpart to also feature’s a similar size and form factor.

The patented designs do not reveal any buttons in any of the images, although, Samsung’s tracer did feature one button for various functions. At the moment, it is unknown when the company aims at launching this smart tag, but we can assume it will be unveiled along with the company’s flagship handset, the Oppo Find X3 series. The series is expected to launch later this year, and it is possible that the Bluetooth smart tag will debut alongside it.

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Red Magic and Tencent Games partners to improve performance of upcoming gaming smartphones

By

Jeet

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Jan 26, 2021

Gaming smartphones are becoming more and more powerful and the companies making those phones are also doing everything they can to make their device rank among the leading ones in the market.

In line with that, Nubia’s Red Magic has today confirmed that the company has entered into a strategic partnership with Tencent Games and the purpose of this cooperation is to offer a better gaming experience to the users of Red Magic Gaming Smartphones.

There were reports about this partnership even before the company made it official. Recently, an alleged image of the upcoming Red Magic 6 Gaming Smartphone had leaked online, which features the Red Magic logo as well as Tencent Games logo.

The Tencent Logo is placed on an X-shaped structure that seems to have been used to act as a heat sink. On the sides of that, there’s a grille on both sides, which indicates that there may be a cooling fan present the grille is present to vent out the air.

So far, it has been confirmed that the Red Magic 6 gaming smartphone will come powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, which is the flagship SoC available in the market right now. It will be packed with LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage.

For connectivity, it seems to have packed 5G support as well as Wi-Fi 6. It will be running the latest Android 11 operating system with the company’s own custom user interface. The smartphone will feature a 4,5000mAh battery — the same as its predecessor — but will come with a faster-charging technology. It is confirmed to have support for 120W charging compared to 55W on its predecessor.

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Samsung Galaxy M62 and Galaxy F62 bag Bluetooth certifications, launching next month?

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 26, 2021

Samsung has a couple of new phones lined up for India. Recent reports have revealed that the company may announce new smartphones such as Galaxy M62/F62, Galaxy M12, and Galaxy M12 in India in the coming weeks. Fresh information reveals that the Galaxy M62/F62 has bagged approval from the Bluetooth SIG authority. The Bluetooth approval suggests that the device may break cover as early as next month.

The Bluetooth SIG agency has approved the SM-E625F_DS Samsung phone with the Galaxy F62 moniker. The Galaxy M62 is also listed on the certification platform with its SM-M625F_DS model number. The listings only confirm that these handsets carry support for Bluetooth 5.0. Both models have also received certification from Wi-Fi Alliance in the recent past. Speculations are rife that both phones may arrive with almost identical specs.

The support page of the Galaxy F62 was recently found listed on Samsung India’s website. The Bluetooth and Wi-Fi certifications of the Galaxy F62 as well as its appearance on the official website are a good hint that it may launch at some point in February.

Unfortunately, not much is known about the specifications of the Galaxy M62 / F62. Last month, the Galaxy F62 was spotted at the Geekbench benchmarking platform with the Exynos 9825 chipset, which also fueled that the Galaxy Note 10 series that debuted back in 2019. The F62 was found to be equipped with 6 GB of RAM and Android 11 OS.

Other reports have revealed that the Galaxy F62 could be sporting an FHD+ AMOLED display and a quad-camera system. The handset is also expected to arrive with an in-screen fingerprint reader. The Galaxy F62 will be the second F-series phone from the brand to land in India after the Galaxy F41 handset that debuted in October last year.

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Apple patents a foldable device with multiple integrated cameras for improved panoramic shots

By

Sean

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Jan 26, 2021

Earlier today (26th January 2021), an Apple patent application was published by the US Patent and Trademark Office. The patent is for future foldable devices from the company, which would sport multiple integrated cameras.

According to a PatentlyApple report, the new patent is related to future foldable devices from Apple. These devices may arrive with multiple cameras that are integrated into the flexible housing that could greatly improve the panoramic imaging capabilities of the foldable smartphone. The cameras in question are housed in different locations on the frame that provides various different angles of view to the sensors as well.

In the patent, the Cupertino based giant notes that it can be difficult to capture panoramic shots with a traditional wide angle camera on an iPhone. Due to slight movements of the users’ hands, the resulting image might come out as blurry. Other factors like a partially changing or moving scene/subject can also lead to the feature being impractical as well. Thus, Apple has aimed to work on the issue on devices with a “flexible housing formed from flexible fabric, flexible polymer, or other flexible materials.”

In other words, these devices could potentially sport multiple cameras that are mounted at different locations across the flexible housing. These cameras might be able to capture multiple images of a single. Similarly, the sensors could also be panned outward to capture overlapping images of a scene that are then stitched together to form a composite panoramic image. At the moment, it is currently unknown if Apple is actually working on such a device or just covering all bases. So stay tuned for more updates.

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Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra to feature a low powered OLED display

By

Sean

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Jan 26, 2021

Earlier this week, Samsung Electronics announced a new low powered OLED display for smartphones. This new display will make its first appearance in the Galaxy S21 Ultra, with the company claiming lowered power consumption of about 16 percent.

According to a CNET report, that the new display technology achieves a lower power draw by speeding up electron flows in the screen’s organic layer. For those unaware, the display is one of the major power drawing components of a smartphone. Jeeho Baek, head of the Mobile Display Sales, Marketing & Product Planning Office of Samsung Display stated that The constant progression of display technologies has increased demand for lower power consumption to enable features such as larger screens, faster display driving, and greater resolution.”

To put things simply, pixels in OLED panels are made out of organic materials that glow when a current is passed through them. So, the acceleration of the flow of electrons through the display’s layers would increase the brightness of the light produced whilst consuming less power, which raises battery life, as per official Samsung notes.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G was unveiled along with the South Korean tech giant’s Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus earlier this month, and are positioned as the company’s latest premium grade flagship handsets. These devices sport top notch specs and supports the newer and faster bandwidth, 5G, as well. At the moment, the pre orders for these smartphone series is open right now, with the official launch to begin on 29th January 2021.

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Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 visits Geekbench with Exynos 850 and Android 11

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Jan 26, 2021

Back in November 2020, it was reported that Samsung was working on its next-gen rugged smartphone called Galaxy XCover 5. Now, two months later, this handset has popped up on Geekbench but with a twist.

Samsung-Galaxy-Xcover-4s — Samsung Galaxy XCover 4s

The previous report on the Galaxy XCover 5 by GalaxyClub said it to come with model number SM-G501B. But now, the same publication reveals that it will be not the case.

According to this device’s Geekbench listing, it will bear the model number SM-G525F. Above all, it will come with 4G and not 5G as expected earlier. As of now, it is not sure if there is a 5G variant. If it exists, we can expect it to sport the model number SM-G526B.

That said, the new rugged smartphone from Samsung will be powered by the company’s own Exynos 850 SoC paired with 4GB RAM. This chipset has scored 182 points and 1148 points in Geekbench’s single-core and multi-core tests respectively. Whereas, for software, the phone will run Android 11.

Nothing else is known about this handset apart from the above-mentioned parameters. But we expect to learn more about it before it goes official sometime in the near future.

Lastly, as far as the device with model number SM-G501B is concerned, GalaxyClub suggests that it could be the Galaxy S21. Because Samsung is known for faking the Galaxy S series phones with different model numbers while benchmarking them.

Germany seeks Taiwan’s help for its automobile chip shortages

By

Sean

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Jan 26, 2021

Germany has been facing a shortage of auto chip supply and has asked Taiwan to urge its local manufacturers to help in easing this issue. Apparently, the shortage of semiconductor chips has affected the former’s automobile industry.

According to a Reuters report, the shortage has hampered the economic recovery of Germany after the Coronavirus pandemic. At the moment, automobile manufacturers across the globe have been shutting down their assembly lines due to issues with the delivery of semiconductors. A few of the cases seem to have stemmed from the actions of the former US President Donald Trump’s administration, and their efforts against the Chinese chip factories.

As per the report, the shortages have affected automobile giants like Volkswagen, Ford Motors, Toyota Motor Corp, Nissan Motor, Fiat Chrysler, and even other car manufacturers as well. In a letter, the German Economy Minister, Peter Altmaier asked his Taiwanese counterpart Wang Mei-hua regarding this issue. The letter was to address the current issue that also included the Taiwan Semiconductor Company (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, in the talks.

For those unaware, TSMC is also one of Germany’s largest chip supplier. Altmaier stated that “I would be pleased if you could take on this matter and underline the importance of additional semiconductor capacities for the German automotive industry to TSMC.” The letter aims at getting additional capacities at TSMC to deliver semiconductors in both the short and medium terms. Furthermore, the German automobile is already in talks with TSMC about raising deliveries, which have been “very constructive” so far.

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Samsung Galaxy A02 and Galaxy M02 launch nears as they bag NBTC certification

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 26, 2021

Earlier this week, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy A02 and Galaxy M02 phones were certified by the Bluetooth SIG authority. Now, both handsets have bagged approval from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) regulatory body of Thailand. These certifications are a good hint that Samsung may announce the Galaxy M02 and Galaxy A02 phones in the next few weeks.

The NBTC certification mentions the Galaxy A02 smartphone with SM-A022F/DS model number and the Galaxy M02 with SM-M022F/DS model number. The listings only reveal that these handsets carry support for 4G connectivity.

The Galaxy M02 could be launching soon in India as its support page has appeared on Samsung India’s website. The Galaxy M02 is rumored to b powered by a Snapdragon 450 chipset and 3 GB of RAM. The device is likely to arrive with 64 GB of storage.

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The handset could be equipped with an HD+ resolution supporting display and it may house a 5,000mAh battery. The rear side of the phone could be sporting a 13-megpaixel + 2-megapixel dual-camera system. The Galaxy A02 is expected to arrive with specs like the Galaxy M02 phone.

The Samsung Galaxy M62/F62 and Galaxy M12 are the other M-series phones that are expected to debut soon in India. The Galaxy M62/F62 is rumored to be equipped with specs lik Exynos 9825 chipset, 6 GB of RAM, Android 11 OS, an AMOLED display, an ins-screen fingerprint reader, a quad-camera system, a USB-C slot, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

The Galaxy M12 is expected to arrive with specs like a 6.5-inch TFT LCD HD+ display, Exynos 850 chipset, up to 6 GB of LPDDR4 RAM, up to 128 of eMMC 5.1 storage, Android 11 OS, and a 6,000mAh battery. A variant of the phone could be also arriving in the country as Galaxy F12.

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ZTE Blade X1 offers 5G, 48MP camera, and a punch-hole display for only $384

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

-

Jan 26, 2021

Visible, an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) that uses Verizon’s network has launched ZTE Blade X1 in the US. This budget smartphone offers 5G connectivity for just $384 or $16 per month if you opt for the 24-month plan. However, it is worth noting that this phone does not support mmWave 5G.

The newly released ZTE Blade X1 features a plastic build and flaunts a 6.5-inch FHD+ (2340 x 1080 pixels) IPS LCD panel on the front with a single punch-hole at the top left corner. This display has the standard 60Hz refresh rate and 19.5:9 aspect ratio

The handset is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G SoC paired with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. If needed, the storage can be further expanded up to 2TB using a microSD card.

As for cameras, this device comes with a quad-camera setup on the back, which includes a 48MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide unit, a 2MP macro shooter, and a 2MP depth sensor. Whereas, for selfies, the smartphone uses a 16MP snapper that resides in the punch-hole on the front.

On the connectivity front, apart from sub-6GHz 5G, the phone also supports 4G LTE, VoLTE, 3G, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, and NFC. As far as ports are concerned, the handset comes with USB Type-C and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Lastly, this smartphone sports a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, runs Android 10 backed by a 4,000mAh battery, comes in a single ‘Midnight’ color option, measures 164 x 76 x 9.2mm in dimensions, and weighs around 190g.

In a nutshell, the ZTE Blade X1 is similar to the ZTE Axon 11 SE 5G and ZTE Blade V2020 5G but with a different chipset and the LED flash sits right to the camera module.

Redmi Note 10 bags FCC certification ahead of rumored February launch

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Jan 26, 2021

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had recently certified a Xiaomi smartphone with M2101K6G. It was found that this device will be arriving in the market with Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G moniker. The FCC authority (via) has now approved another device with the M2101K7AG model number. It is now known that this model number belongs to the Redmi Note 10 handset.

The M2101K7AG has been previously spotted at certification platforms like the Eurasian Economic Commission (ECC) of Europe and the TKDN authority of Indonesia. The FCC listing has revealed a few details of the Redmi Note 10.

The FCC listing states that the M2101K7AG model number belongs to the 4G version of the Redmi Note 10. It runs on MIUI 12 and it carries support 4G LTE and dual-band Wi-Fi. According to a recent leak, the Redmi Note 10 will be launching in February in India in colors like Gray, White, and Green.

Redmi Note 10 bags FCC certification.
-MIUI 12https://t.co/E08oz6o6oS #RedmiNote10 #redmi pic.twitter.com/QacIxsFmYq

— Abhishek Yadav (@yabhishekhd) January 26, 2021

The FCC listing of the Pro model revealed that it could be arriving in three options such as 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, and 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage. Apart from FCC, the Pro variant has also received approval from other certification platforms like BIS (India), IMDA (Singapore), EEC (Europe), and MCMC (Malaysia). It is speculated that the Redmi Note 10 Pro could be equipped with a 108-megapixel primary camera.

Redmi is also expected to announce the Redmi K40 series of smartphones in China in the coming month. While the Snapdragon 888 mobile platform is expected to fuel the Redmi K40 Pro, it is unclear which processor will be present under the hood of the vanilla K40 handset. The company is also working on a Dimensity 1200 chipset powered gaming smartphone. The identity of this model is yet to be revealed.

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