Verizon’s OnePlus 8 5G UW gets OxygenOS 11 three months after the unlocked variant

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Jan 29, 2021

OnePlus rolled out the Android 11-based OxygenOS update for the OnePlus 8 and the OnePlus 8 Pro back in October 2020 itself. However, the Verizon-exclusive OnePlus 8 with mmWave 5G support is getting this update only now after three months.

OnePlus was once known for delivering faster updates. But that’s not the case anymore. The company is yet to release stable OxygenOS 11 (Android 11) update for the rest of its eligible lineup, apart from the OnePlus 8 series.

The update situation seems even worse for the carrier variants as Verizon Wireless’ OnePlus 8 5G UW is receiving the OxygenOS 11 update after a long time since the unlocked variant got it. Also, though the update has released at the end of January 2021, the build still comes with November 2020 security patch.

Anyway, the update features the build number IN2019_15_210110 and brings all the new features of OxygenOS 11, such as redesigned UI, Always-on Display (AOD), and new Zen Mode themes to name a few. The changelog also notes improvements to 5G ultrawide band feature.

Verizon OnePlus 8 5G UW OxygenOS 11 Update Official Changelog

System
- Fresh new visual design and optimization of details provides a more comfortable experience.
- Brand new weather user interface supports dynamic switches between sunrise and sunset. Day and night are right in the palm of your hand.
- Optimizes the stability of some third-party apps and improves user experience.

Game Space
- Newly added gaming tools box for convenient switches to Fnatic mode. You can now choose three ways of notifications: text-only, heads up and block, just for your immersive gaming experience.
- Newly added quick reply feature in a small window for WhatsApp and INS. Enable this functionality by swiping down from the upper right or left corners of the screen in gaming mode.
- Newly added mis-touch prevention feature. Enable it, swipe down from the top of the screen, click, and the notification bar will pop up.

Ambient Display
- Added Always-on Ambient Display function, with custom Schedule/All day option included. (Go to: Settings > Display > Ambient Display)
- Newly added Insight clock style, a joint creation with Parsons School of Design. It changes according to your phone usage data. (Go to: Settings > Customization > Clock Style)
- Added 10 new clock styles. (Go to: Settings > Customization > Clock Style)

Dark Mode
- Added the shortcut key for Dark Mode. Simply pull down the quick setting to enable.
- Supports automatic turn on feature and customized time range. (Go to: Settings > Display > Dark Mode > Turn on automatically > Automatically enable from sunset to sunrise / Custom time range)

Zen Mode
- Added 5 new themes (ocean, space, grassland, and others) and more timing options.
- Included the Group feature in Zen Mode. Now you can invite your friends and enjoy Zen Mode together.
Gallery
- Supporting Story function automatically creates weekly videos with photos and videos in storage.
- Optimizes the loading speed of the gallery, and the image preview is faster.

Google Chrome browser gets Tab Grouping feature with Grid View on Android

By

Balaji S

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Jan 29, 2021

Google has been working on a lot of features to improve the browsing experience via Chrome. One such is the Group Tabs which is already live on the Desktop version. Finally, Google is bringing that to the mobile devices.

As spotted by 9to5Google, Google Chrome on Android now shows the tabs in a Grid View. Before, if you had noticed, the tabs inside the Chrome browser have shown in vertically arranged cards format. This not only blocks the preview of the content of the cards behind but appears but makes scrolling across tabs tougher if you have more of it opened.

Google Chrome Tab Groups- How to use it

To see the view, just press the number icon next to the address bar to get to the ‘Grid View’. Here, you can see the tabs appearing as small boxes. If you want to group two or more tabs, just drag them to one tab.

It’s also worth noting that this Tab Grouping is available on Chrome for iOS for a while now. Anyway, you can take a look at the images below to get an idea of how to group the tabs on Android inside the browser:

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As usual, the ‘New Tab’ icon appears on the top left in a ‘+’ sign. Further, the incognito Tabs arrangement is revamped with this update. Before, these tabs will appear separately on the right side. Now, there is a toggle switch at the top to access them which also appears in Grid view.

To close a tab or a group of tabs, you can use the ‘x’ symbol on the right or just swipe left/right as always. Do note that you will be closing the group tabs as a whole on doing this so be sure to take out the tabs inside the group if you need anything beforehand.

How to disable Tab Groups on Chrome

Also, if for some reason you don’t like this new Grid View, you can switch back to the old layout. To do this, open a tab, type ‘Chrome://flags’ on the address bar, and press enter.

Here, type ‘Grid’ on the search bar, and you will see a ‘Tab Grid Layout’ option that is enabled by ‘default’. Now click on it & tap ‘disable’. Relaunch Chrome twice to see the change effect.

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That said, this update is a server-side one and might take some time to reach everyone. Do let us know in the comments if you are sticking with the ‘Grid View’ or reverting back to the old format.

RELATED:

Xiaomi Mi 11 global launch set for February 8

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jan 29, 2021

Since December 28 last year when fast-rising Chinese tech company Xiaomi unveiled its flagship smartphone, the Mi 11 to the Chinese market, the global launch has been awaited with bated breath by tech enthusiasts and industry watchers. It has been predicted that the Mi 11 could rival Samsung’s premium series the Galaxy S21 because of its exciting features on display. It is now all but confirmed that the launch date for the Xiaomi Mi 11 is February 8.

Inside sources have confirmed that invitations for the unveiling event have been sent to various industry stakeholders and media platforms. It is slated to kick off at 12 pm GMT, on February 8, 2021. However, at this time, no official confirmation has been made by Xiaomi on the date of the launch of the Mi 11, so there could be a faint chance that this could be a rumor.

It is expected that Xiaomi will release a number of smartphones in the coming months, as the Chinese event last year only witnessed the launch of the Mi 11, while a few other phones were believed to be ready for release.

In addition, the rumor mills have been abuzz that the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro could also be released. It has a very powerful camera and all-around features. Another possible release is Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite, which may be the affordable version of the Mi 11, although not much is known about it yet.

If the rumors are anything to go by, then we could also see the release of a smart wearables device from Xiaomi in February.

Xiaomi’s smartwatches and fitness trackers have been seemingly out of stock for a while, and we expect the company to release at least one of these devices during the unveiling of the Mi 11.

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Netflix certifies Galaxy S21 series, OPPO Reno4 series, TCL 20 5G, and more

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Jan 29, 2021

Netflix is arguably one of the best streaming platforms available worldwide. The service can be accessed on a wide variety of devices with a display. But the OEMs require a license to support the app on their devices. Hence, not all Android smartphones can stream in HD or HDR quality.

Above all, not all companies disclose whether their phones support Netlfix. Customers can only know about it by installing the application themselves. But thankfully, Netflix has a dedicated page on its website with a list of supported devices. This list has been now updated with the brand-new Samsung Galaxy S21 series, a bunch of OPPO smartphones, and a TCL handset.

According to the update list, Netlfix can be now streamed in HD and HDR on the following phones.

Netflix HD
Netflix HDR

It is interesting to know that only the 4G variant of OPPO Reno4 Pro supports Netflix HDR although the 4G variant has the exact same display. Also, all the OPPO handsets listed above are on sale for months but they have received Netlfix certification only now.

On the other hand, the TCL 20 5G launched only last month and the Galaxy S21 series just hit the shelves today.

realme Watch 2 gets certified in Singapore’s IMDA; Asia launch Imminent

By

Balaji S

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Jan 29, 2021

realme is gearing up to launch the realme Watch 2 soon. It was first spotted on the realme Link App and now, the wearable has now got certified in Singapore’s IMDA hinting at an imminent Asia launch.

Spotted by Mukul Sharma, a realme low-power, Short-range device appears on the IMDA database. Its model number is RMW2008 and described as a Watch with Bluetooth connectivity. If we recall, the realme Watch 2 with the same model number has already appeared on US’s FCC listing.

As per the info on FCC, the watch will have a 1.4-inch TFT square-shaped LCD panel. To recall, the company’s first Smartwatch launched as the realme Watch last year. It had the same display size and a square-shape. Anyway, the realme Watch 2’s display will also have the same 320×320 pixel resolution.

However, the realme Watch 2 will differ slightly in dimensions and measure 257.6×35.7×12.2mm as compared to 256mmx36.5×11.8mm on the predecessor. Similarly, the realme Watch 2 will have an upgraded battery of 305mAh as opposed to 160mAh on the realme Watch.

Hence, you can expect improved battery life on the successor. Apart from this, the realme Watch 2 will likely have features like Bluetooth 5.0 LE and support the realme Link App natively and compatible with Android 5.0+ devices.

Other features like IP68 water and dust resistance, Blood Oxygen(SpO2) and Heart-rate monitoring(PPG), sleep trahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdueuXZLRrQcking, workout & meditation modes, Voice call & app notifications, media controls, and more will also get carried to the realme Watch 2.

Considering the first Watch came around May 2020, we could at least a month away from the official launch but let’s wait for the official news.

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SK Hynix to shift chip facilities to China to meet surging demands

By

Sean

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Jan 29, 2021

SK Hynix announced earlier today (29th January 2021) that it would be shifting some of its foundry facilities that use its 8 inch wafers from its home country South Korea to China. The move arrives to meet the surging demand in the market.

According to a NikkeiAsia report, the South Korean chip maker and the second largest semiconductor based firm of the region is moving chip facilities to China to meet rising customer demands and lower costs as well. As per the company’s official notes, its foundry chips that are based on its 8 inch wafers is facing strong demand, as its supply of chips using 12 inch wafers is limited due to the higher requirement of investment to build newer facilities.

SK Hynix stated during its fourth quarter earnings report that it “plans to move 8-inch wafer facilities to China, where cost-saving is expected, to seize the chance fully. Initially we planned to do it in two years, but we changed the plan to do it as soon as possible to cope with rising customer demand.” Interestingly, Sky Hynix’s shift to China arrives amid major OEMs moving their supply chain and production away from the Southeast Asian nation.

The company further added that “For us it is better to add more facilities in China, as we have no overseas factories outside of the country.” During the fourth quarter of last year, SK Hynix saw a four fold rise in operating profits, reaching 966 billion won (roughly 865 million US Dollars) year on year, thanks to the strong demand for mobile chips. Its operating profit for the whole of 2020 jumped by 84 percent as well, which was backed by rising demand for memory chips.

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OPPO is recruiting ColorOS 11 beta testers for OPPO F15 in India

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Jan 29, 2021

ColorOS 11 is the latest version of OPPO’s mobile operating system based on Android 11. The company announced it in mid-September. Since then, it has been rolling it out to eligible devices worldwide. Now, as per the schedule, the firm has started recruiting beta testers for OPPO F15 in India.

OPPO launched the OPPO F15 last January in India. The handset debuted with ColorOS 6.1 based on Android 9.0 Pie. It was later updated to Android 10-based ColorOS 7.

Now, the company has opened registrations for ColorOS 11 beta program. If you own this device and want to enroll in the program, then your phone should be on firmware version C.18.

If your handset is on the said build, then head over to Settings > Software Update > Gear Icon > Apply for Beta Version > Update Beta Version and follow the on-screen instructions. Once you get selected, the company will be seeding out the beta build via OTA.

Apart from the OPPO F15, the Chinese smartphone maker is also recruiting beta testers for OPPO Reno2 F and OPPO Reno 10x Zoom in India. And a whole lot of devices are receiving stable builds in both India and other regions.

That said, since January is about to end, we expect OPPO to share the ColorOS 11 update plan for February by next week.

Xiaomi Confirms arrival of Snapdragon 888, 870 phones in India; Could it be Mi 11, 11 Lite?

By

Balaji S

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Jan 29, 2021

Xiaomi launched the Mi 11 as the first snapdragon 888 phone in China. As the Global launch is being teased, Xiaomi’s India division has also started talking about it. Today, Manu Kumar Jain, Global VP at Xiaomi, and MD of Xiaomi India, has confirmed the arrival of Snapdragon 888, 870 phones. And they could be Mi 11 and a Mi 11 Lite model.

Manu in a Tweet, has announced two new Mi flagship phones powered by Qualcomm will launch soon in India. That is, smartphones powered by Snapdragon 888 and Snapdragon 870 chipsets. He also posted a picture of him with officials including VP & President, Qualcomm India, Rajen Vagadia.

While Manu hasn’t revealed the names or other details about the handsets, info regarding the India launch of Mi 11 has already been leaked. According to Ishan, Mi 11 series having Mi 11, Mi 11 Lite will come to India. However, he didn’t share any specs.

#Xiaomi ❤️️ #Qualcomm

Excited that 2 new #Mi flagship phones with @Qualcomm #Snapdragon #5G processors are coming to #India soon!
🚀 #Snapdragon888
🚀 #Snapdragon870

Happy to bring the latest & best to our Mi Fans. Any guesses which phones? 🤔 RT if you are excited.🔁

I ❤️ Mi pic.twitter.com/KmccmNWoSM

— Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) January 29, 2021

Parallelly, there have been reports that Mi 11 Lite will be a 4G device with Snapdragon 732G chipset. But, considering the predecessor Mi 10 Lite launched as a 5G device in some markets like Japan, Europe(Mi 10 Lite 5G) we feel the 11 Lite will have a 5G version too.

In that case, there is a possibility that the Snapdragon 888, 870 phones for India could be the Mi 11, Mi 11 Lite. It’s also worth noting that Xiaomi is rumored to launch a Mi 10 model with Snapdragon 870 chipset. Since we are already in 2021 and the naming is old now, this model could carry the Mi 11 Lite moniker.

That said, these are just a guess from our side, and let’s wait for official news to confirm it. Either way, Mi 11 will launch in India in Gray, Blue colors and 8GB RAM, 128/256GB storage. The Mi 11 Lite, on the other hand, will come in Black, Blue, Pink colors and 6/8GB RAM, 64/128GB storage.

RELATED:

OPPO A94 to come with 30W rapid charging support

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 29, 2021

Recently, the OPPO CPH2203 was certified as the OPPO A94 by Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). The handset now bagged certifications from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) and China Quality Certification Center (CQC).

The NBTC listing only reveals that the OPPO A94 supports LTE connectivity. Its CQC listing has revealed that it will carry support for 30W fast charging. The other details of the device are under wraps.

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Recently, another OPPO phone with a CPH2205 model number was spotted at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Geekbench. The latter revealed that the device will be coming with specifications like Helio P95 chipset, 6 GB of RAM, and Android 11 OS.

The FCC appearance of the CPH2205 phone had revealed that it could be coming with a 6.2-inch LCD screen, a side-mounted fingerprint reader, a 48-megapixel triple camera setup, a 4,310mAh battery, and ColorOS 11.1 UI. The moniker of the CPH2205 is yet to be confirmed. Speculations are rife that it could be a country variant of the CPH2203 phone.

In related news, OPPO is expected to announce the OPPO F-series of smartphones in the coming month in India. It is yet to be confirmed whether the next F-series models will be called OPPO F19/F19 Pro or OPPO F21/F21 Pro. Nothing is known on the specifications of the F19/F21 models. The successor model is expected to arrive with a glass back with a sleeker design.

RELATED:

Lenovo leads Global PC market, followed closely by top tablet maker Apple

By

Sean

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Jan 29, 2021

During 2020, the PC market, including tablets, saw growth across the globe. The Chinese company, Lenovo, led the market, and was also closely followed by the Cupertino based giant Apple that led the global tablet market.

According to a Canalys report, the global PC market saw a rise for the third consecutive quarter and also marked a notable annual growth as well. In the fourth quarter of last year, shipments reached 143.7 million units, marking a rise of 35 percent year on year. Meanwhile, the total shipments for 2020 grew by 17 percent, reaching 458.2 million units. This marks the highest volume since 2015. For those unaware, the global PC market (including tablets) had been on a decline for the last few years, but changes in market trend backed by the Coronavirus pandemic led to its recovery.

This had the Chinese tech giant, Lenovo, to benefit with its shipments reaching 28.8 million units in Q4 2020 and an annual shipment of 87 million units. This indicates an annual growth of 41 percent and 19 percent respectively. Meanwhile, Apple followed close behind with 26.4 million shipments during the final quarter and an annual shipment of 81.3 percent, marking a 42 percent and 23 percent annual growth year on year.

Talking strictly about tablets, Apple dominated both the final quarter and annual shipments (19.2 million and 58.5 million units respectively). Meanwhile, other OEMs like Samsung, Huawei, and Lenovo made the top 5 rankings. The South Korean tech giant arrived second in both the fourth quarter and the whole year, with 9.9 million and 31 million shipments respectively. Notably, even Chromebooks performed well last year due to the growth of online education and remote working.

RELATED:

Redmi Note 10 certified in India before rumored launch in February

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 29, 2021

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently approved a Xiaomi phone with M2101K7AG model number. This variant was also spotted at Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), TUV Rheinland, TKDN, and Indonesia Telecom certification platforms. Rumors have it that the M2101K7AG model number belongs to the global version of the Redmi Note 10. Today, the Indian variant of the phone with model number M2101K7AI received approval from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BS). These certifications suggest that the company may launch the Redmi Note 10 in the coming month.

The BIS certification of the Redmi Note 10 has no information on its specifications. It is known through FCC certification that the M2101K7AG has specs like 4G support, dual-band Wi-Fi, and MIUI 12.

Redmi Note 10 4G listed on BIS certification.
Model number : M2101K7AI pic.twitter.com/j5TnOWOSDS

— the_tech_guy (@_the_tech_guy) January 29, 2021

A recent leak by tipster Ishan Agarwal revealed that the Redmi Note 10 will come in two variants such as 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage. It could be available in colors like White, Green, and Gray.

Earlier this month, the M2101K6G/I phone was seen at various certification platforms such as FCC, BIS, IMDA (Singapore), EEC, and MCMC (Malaysia). This model number is said to belong to the Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G handset. There is a possibility that the company may sell the Redmi Note 10 Pro 4G edition too in the country.

The Redmi Note 10 Pro is expected to arrive in configurations such as 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, and 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage. It may arrive in hues like Bronze, Blue, and Gray.

RELATED:

POCO M3 will come with 6GB RAM in India

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Jan 29, 2021

A couple of days back, POCO confirmed to launch the POCO M3 in India on February 2. Since this smartphone has been official for months, we know everything about it. In fact, we even reviewed it soon after its debut in late November. Hence, the only thing that is a mystery is the handset’s price in India. But it turns out, we were not aware of one more thing.

For those unaware, the POCO M3 comes with 4GB RAM but can be bought in either a 64GB or 128GB version. However, in India, the device will be also available in a 6GB RAM variant, as per the official retailer partner Flipkart.

Anyway, it is not surprising to see a special variant for India. Because POCO was born in this country and the brand has already released multiple exclusive devices and variants so far.

For instance, POCO X2, POCO M2, POCO M2 Pro, and POCO C3 are only available in India. Also, the POCO X3 for the region comes with a larger 6,000mAh battery, compared to a 5,160mAh battery present inside POCO X3 NFC.

Further, the brand promoted POCO M2, the predecessor to the POCO M3 as the most-affordable 6GB RAM smartphone in India. Hence, it makes sense for the successor to retain this feature. But we cannot tell for sure if the new model will be priced similarly to the older one.

Huawei leads China smartphone market in 2020, followed by Oppo, Vivo, Apple, and Xiaomi

By

Sean

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Jan 29, 2021

Earlier today (29th January 2021), the 2020 rankings for the smartphone market in China was released by known research based firm Canalys. The report found that Huawei along with Honor led the market followed by other major OEMs, like Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, and Apple.

As per an ITHome report, the smartphone market in mainland China reached 84 million units in shipments in the fourth quarter of 2020. This marked a year on year decline of 4 percent last year. Talking about annual shipments, the overall handset shipments fell by 11 percent year on year, reaching 330 million units. One of the reasons of the deterioration of the market was also due to Huawei’s weaker performance due to US sanctions that has severely impacted its smartphone operations.

In the final quarter of last year, Huawei (including Honor) shipped a total of 18.8 million units, marking its market share fell from 41 percent in the third quarter to 22 percent in the fourth quarter. Oppo rose to the second spot during this time with a total shipments of 17.2 million smartphones, marking a year on year increase of 23 percent. Similarly, Vivo also saw a healthy growth of 20 percent during the same period with 15.7 million handset unit shipments.

Furthermore, Apple also saw great performance in China over its last couple of years, wit shipments reaching 15.3 million units in the final quarter, acquiring a market share of 18 percent in Q4 2020. Xiaomi arrived fifth in the ranking list with 12.2 million units in shipments, marking a year on year increase of a whopping 52 percent. As per Canalys, “Huawei’s shipments in the fourth quarter shrank by nearly 50% year-on-year. Although the demand for Huawei’s products is still huge, the company will not be able to meet the demand in the foreseeable future. Other leading manufacturers are targeting this opportunity.”

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Samsung is actively considering acquisitions within the next 3 years

By

Sean

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Jan 29, 2021

Earlier this week, Samsung Electronics announced that it would actively be looking into making meaningful acquisitions within the next three year. The report arrives three years after the company’s last big acquisition of the auto component maker Harman.

According to TheElec report, the South Korean tech giant’s CFO Yoonho Choi stated that the company is actively considering acquisition through its cash reserve. These cash reserves will be for strategic facilities investments along with other mergers and buyouts. As per the senior official, Samsung has been looking for notable mergers and acquisitions candidates for the past three years, which have also gone through serious reviews. Unfortunately, the company refrained from mentioning any names of the potential candidates list.

Furthermore, it is also unknown when exactly these acquisitions will occur due to the global uncertainties, but Samsung stated that it plans on making these buyouts within the period of its latest shareholders return program, as per Choi. The company announced its 3 year shareholders return program as well. In this, Samsung announced that it will continue to return 50 percent of the free cash flow (FCF) that will be generated between the period of 2021 to 2023.

Additionally, the company will also increase regular dividends to an annual total of 9.8 trillion won, which as increase from the previous program (roughly 8.7 billion US Dollars). Back in 2020, Samsung’s cash reserve was 104 trillion won. So, even if the company returns 50 percent of its dividends free cash will continue to pile up without any major merger or acquisitions. The CFO also added that the firm has yet to finalize any plans for additional investments into its Austin chip plant.

RELATED:

Xiaomi Mi 10T price in India slashed massively through Flipkart and ICICI offer

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 29, 2021

Xiaomi announced the Snapdragon 865 SoC powered Xiaomi Mi 10T and Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro flagships back in India in October last year. These handsets were priced at Rs 35,999 (~$493) and Rs 39,999 (~$548) respectively, at launch. Flipkart is now running Mobiles Bonanza Sale to offer popular phones with exciting discounts. Through the new sale which ends today, the Xiaomi Mi 10T series is available with a starting price of Rs 32,999 (~$452). Moreover, customers can make most of the ICICI bank offer to get the MI 10T for as low as Rs 29,999 (~$411).

The Xiaomi Mi 10T’s two variants such as 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage are listed for Rs 32,999 (~$452) and Rs 34,999 (~$479), respectively during the sale. On the other side, the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro which comes with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage is priced at Rs 39,999 (~$548). This offer is only applicable until today.

Customers with ICICI Bank credit and debit cards can take advantage of an additional discount of Rs 3,000 (~$41) on the Mobiles Bonanza Sale prices of the Mi 10T. The 6 GB and 8 GB RAM editions can be bought for Rs 29,999 (~$411) and Rs 31,999 (~$439), respectively. The Mi 10T Pro can be purchased for Rs 36,999 (~$507). The prices of the Xiaomi Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro are likely to revert to their usual pricing after the end of the Mobiles Bonanza Sale. However, the Rs 3,000 discount offer will continue until Jan. 31.

Xiaomi Mi 10T and Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro specifications

The Xiaomi Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro have 144Hz 6.67-inch displays that support Full HD+ resolution. They are loaded with MIUI 12 based Android 1OS. The Snapdragon 865 SoC fuels the Mi 10T duo with LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage.

Both smartphones have 20-megapixel front cameras and are powered with 5,000mAh batteries that support 33W fast charging. The Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro’s triple camera system features a 108-megapixel main camera with OIS, a 13-megapixel ultrawide lens, and a 5-megapixel macro shooter. The Mi 10T’s triple camera setup has a 64-megapixel main camera, a 13-megapixel superwide lens, and a 5-megapixel macro sensor. Both phones have side-facing fingerprint scanners.

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Lenovo also showcases a true wireless charging tech called ‘Motorola One Hyper’

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Jan 29, 2021

Earlier today, Xiaomi announced a new charging solution called ‘Mi Air Charge’. This technology is capable of charging smartphones and other gadgets wirelessly over the air. A couple of hours before this announcement, Lenovo also shared a demonstration video of its true wireless charging tech on Weibo.

Chen Jin, the General Manager of Lenovo China Mobile Phone Business Department posted a video on Weibo before Xiaomi’s big announcement. The video demonstrates the company’s true wireless charging tech.

Lenovo calls this over the air charging tech ‘Motorola One Hyper’. It is weird for the company to name its innovative solution after a budget smartphone from late 2019.

That said, the video showcases a black-colored device (true wireless charger) and two smartphones, which look like Motorola Edge/Edge+. These handsets start charging without any contact with the charger over the air when they are placed at 80cm and 100cm away respectively.

At the end of the video, the person demonstrating the tech places their hand in the line of sight of the charger and the phones. At that moment, the devices stop charging, which suggests that Lenovo has engineered this charging stand to terminate charging when a human or any foreign object is detected, for safety.

Unfortunately, Lenovo hasn’t shared any more details about this technology. But the video does confirm that this charging tech is based on Qi and it can be used to charge up to seven devices.

Honor to launch a foldable Magic series smartphone this year: Report

By

Sean

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Jan 29, 2021

Honor is reportedly gearing up to launch a new foldable handset later this year. The folding device will be a part of the company’s Magic series of smartphones, as per a new report.

Earlier this week, known Weibo, a Chinese microblogging website, tipster @长安数码君 shared a new post online. In this, the leakster stated that the company is planning on launching a new foldable smartphone within the Magic lineup. Reportedly, this device will be a premium grade flagship handset from the former Huawei sub brand. Previously, Zhao Ming, CEO of the company, had mentioned that the company will soon also launch flagship series like the ‘Mate’ and ‘P’ series from Huawei.

In other words, this smartphone could be one of the first ultra high end device from the known Chinese budget device maker. Notably, the company’s former parent company already has a foldable lineup with its Mate X series, so the upcoming foldable phone might be a counterpart of it. The company recently launched its first flagship handset, the V40, recently, which is one of its first launch after parting with Huawei.

Unfortunately, finer details regarding this device is currently unknown at the moment. Furthermore, this is still an unconfirmed report and we will have to wait for an official Honor announcement to know for sure. In other words, take this report with a pinch of salt for now and stay tuned as we will be providing more updates when additional information is available regarding this matter.

RELATED:

Facebook reportedly planning to file antitrust lawsuit against Apple

By

Jeet

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Jan 29, 2021

Facebook, the social media giant, is reportedly preparing to file an antitrust lawsuit against Apple. The company is alleging that the company is forcing developers to follow App Store rules that its own apps don’t have to abide by.

As per the reports, Facebook has been preparing the case for months alongside external legal experts. The complaint could also cover Apple‘s other practices, such as not allowing third-party messenger apps to become the default app.

It is also being reported that Facebook has discussed the possibility of inviting other companies to join the potential lawsuit. Do note that the company is preparing the complaint but hasn’t filed it yet.

The major reason behind this step of Facebook is the upcoming ad-tracking changes to the App Store which many developers believed gives an unfair advantage to Apple given that the policy doesn’t apply to Apple. However, the company says that it doesn’t share user data with third-party to protect user privacy.

If and when this lawsuit is filed, it will be the second major antitrust lawsuit against Apple in recent months. A few months ago, Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, filed a lawsuit against Apple seeking changes to the company’s business practices, mostly related to the in-app purchases and a whopping 30% cut the company takes.

Apple, along with Facebook, Google, and Amazon are currently under antitrust scrutiny in the United States. Apple and Facebook are under investigation related to online market competition, including for advertising business and App Store policies.

RELATED:

The 120W Mi Charger (second charge version) delivers 100% full charge in 23 minutes

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jan 29, 2021

In August last year, Xiaomi celebrated its 10th anniversary, and to mark the milestone, the company launched the Mi 10 Ultra and Redmi K30 Ultra. The Mi 10 Ultra is the star product and comes with 120W fast charge support. This happens to be the first and perhaps, the only smartphone with such massive charging power. Indeed, the Mi 10 Ultra shipped with a 120W charger inside the box.

Xiaomi has now launched the 120W Mi Charger for sale in China. The charger carries a decent price tag of 249 yuan (~$38) and is available on Xiaomi Mall.

Apart from this industry-leading tech, the company also introduced the industry-leading 80W wireless fast charging and 10W wireless reverse charging technologies. The Mi Charger 120W (second charging version) can be used to charge the Mi 10 Ultra which packs a 4500mAh battery. The charger can fill the smartphone up to 41% in only 5 minutes and 100% in 23 minutes.

The Mi Charger 120W (second charging version) is equipped with ten intelligent protection mechanisms, with short circuit protection, over current protection, over-voltage protection, extreme temperature protection, under-voltage protection, electrostatic protection, electromagnetic field protection, lightning protection, access Impedance abnormal protection, data line encryption protection, and other functions which ensure that the product works in the normal current range in real-time.

It also has a built-in smart identification chip and is compatible with mainstream smartphones, laptops, and other electronic devices on the market. With the original Xiaomi data cable, it can safely charge most Type-C laptops on the market so you only have to carry just one charger for all your gadgets when embarking on a business trip.

In terms of design, the 120W second charging version of the Xiaomi charger uses a PC flame-retardant white shell. The overall design style is simple, the charger waist is designed with a shiny surface, and the input and output terminals are frosted.

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Cosmo Communicator running Ubuntu Touch operating system surface online

By

Jeet

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Jan 29, 2021

The smartphone market currently is divided between two different types, based on their software — Android and iOS. There have been a few other options in the market, such as Windows Phone and others, but none of them were successful.

There was a mobile operating system called Ubuntu Touch, based on the popular Linux distribution — Ubuntu. While Canonical, the company behind Ubunut, gave up its efforts on Ubuntu Touch, here is one of the best example of the device running it.

Planet Computers is the company behind Cosmo Communicator and it had promised to open up the device to more operating systems. It has been working to get Ubuntu Touch and now it seems that the outcome is finally here.

The device, named Cosmo Communicator, is basically a computer in the pocket which also supports calling functionality. The device is designed in such as a way that it works in landscape orientation and there’s a hardware keyboard for typing.

The operating system, Ubuntu Touch, was designed for smartphones but it also made flexible enough to be able to run on smartphones, tablets, and even PCs. And given that it is based on Linux, the software supports several functions.

A formal release of this is expected to happen later this year. The company is said to be working with the UBports community and the Linux community at large to bring support for other Linux distributions to its portable computers.

Meanwhile, Planet Computers has a new smartphone + PC device coming up — Astro Slide 5G, which is currently up for crowdfunding.

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