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OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro get OxygenOS 11 (Android 11) open beta update

By
Habeeb Onawole
-

After waiting for months, OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro owners can now get to experience OxygenOS 11 based on Android 11. Today, OnePlus released an Open Beta 1 build for the two flagships.

OxygenOS 11 open beta for OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro

The release of the open beta was announced on the official forums along with the changelog and steps on how to install it. The announcement comes two weeks after OnePlus released the OxygenOS 11 Open Beta build for the OnePlus Nord.

The update brings a redesigned user interface, optimizations to some third-party apps, an updated camera UI, new camera features, ambient display, dark mode, and a redesigned shelf. Below is the full changelog:

System

  • Update to OxygenOS 11 version.
  • Fresh new UI visual design brings you a more comfortable experience with various optimizations of details.
  • Optimized the stability of some third-party applications and improved the experience.

Camera

  • Updated the camera UI and optimized some of the function paths to offer a more convenient operation.
  • Newly added HEVC codec to reduce video storage size seamlessly, capture and shoot more without compromising on quality.
  • Newly added access to a third-party app to share the picture by pressing and holding it in preview.
  • Newly added the quick access to recording mode by pressing and holding the shutter button and by sliding the button, you can easily zoom in or zoom out.
  • Newly added the playback display in Time-lapse mode to show the actual filming time.

Ambient Display

  • Newly added Insight clock style, a joint creation with Parsons School of Design. It will change according to the phone usage data ( To set: Settings > Customization > Clock Style).
  • Newly added Canvas feature that can automatically draw a wireframe picture based on a lock screen photo on your phone（Path：Settings-Customization-Wallpaper-Canvas-Choose photo preview and it can be generated automatically).
  • The Always-On-Display feature is under internal test and will be released in subsequent versions. In this build, you can use the “Ambient Display” by picking up your phone or tapping the screen, it can be turned on in the Settings.

EDITOR’S PICK: Another leaker confirms the OnePlus 9 Lite is coming; will launch in India and China

Dark Mode

  • Added the shortcut key for Dark Mode, pull down the quick setting to enable.
  • Supporting automatically turn on feature & customize time range. path: Settings > Display > Dark Mode > Turn on automatically – Automatically enable from sunset to sunrise / Custom time range.

Shelf

  • New shelf interface design, the interface is clearer.
  • Added weather widget, animation effect smarter.

Gallery

  • Supporting Story function, automatically form weekly videos with photos and video in storage.
  • Optimize the loading speed of the gallery, and the image preview is faster.

Since this is a beta build, there are bound to be issues and OnePlus has listed some of the known ones. It includes an increase in power consumption; the gallery app sometimes loading slowly and not displaying some images; audio Bluetooth devices occasionally not playing sounds, and a brightness adjustment lag in some scenarios.

The forum post also includes a guide on how to install the beta update as well as how to roll-back to a stable build. Do note that the latter will result in the erasure of your data, so make sure to backup your data.

For those who will rather wait for the stable update, we expect OnePlus to release it next month.

UP NEXT: OnePlus Nord N10 5G gets January 2021 security patch ahead of expensive models

 

HeroBook Pro+ Notebook series officially goes on sale for $269

By
Simranpal Singh
-

HeroBook Pro+ recently made its debut with several new advancements and improvements. The device carries a 3K resolution 13.3-inch display carrying Intel J3455 SoC, 8GB RAM, and 128GB internal storage. It is now officially on sale for the affordable price of $269 on all major online retail platforms.

Must See: Nexstgo launches VAIO E15 and VAIO SE14 laptops in India

Detailed Display

HeroBook Pro+is the cheapest laptop featuring a 3K Retina display with a resolution of 32 x 1800 pixels and 277 PPI. It uses a Samsung display panel for better quality, improved saturation, and enhanced picture processing. The display is a perfect fit for watching movies and doing other work.

Powerful Hardware

The laptop comes with a powerful industrial-grade Intel J3455 processor coupled with an 8GB LDPPR4 RAM and 128GB eMMC storage. Moreover, the graphics-intensive work can be easily accomplished with a built-in Intel HD Graphics 500 GPU. It can even render 4K videos on YouTube and other platforms without any issue.

The EMMC storage offers 2x speed than the traditional HDD. It only takes 10 seconds to boot the device. However, users can expand storage using TF cards.

Excellent Build Quality

HeroBook Pro+ uses a lighter polycarbonate material to keep the device light-weight measuring just 1.160 grams. Thanks to its compact size as it can be easily packed inside a bag. It houses a narrow-bezel keyboard for better typing and be more productive. The users can easily switch between 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless networks.

The device offers more than 7 hours of battery life with a 38Wh polymer lithium battery with up to 24W fast charging.

Overview

HeroBook Pro+ is a fully-furnished package featuring a 13.3-inch 3K display, Intel J34555 process, 8/128GB storage, and a 38Wh battery. It is retailing for the price of $269. The interested users can gran more information about the HeoBook Pro+ by heading to the official website.

Must See: Acer announces Chromebook 311 & 511, Chromebook Spin 511 & 512, TravelMate Spin B3 Laptop

Ulefone Armor 12 rugged phone with Dimensity 1200 5G SoC launching soon

By
Jed John Ikoba
-

Earlier today, MediaTek took the wraps off the much-anticipated Dimensity 1200 5G chip. The rumor mill was agog recently with speculations that Redmi will be the first to launch a phone powered by the latest MediaTek flagship. While we expect other notable OEMs to utilize the chipset, an unexpected announcement just popped up from Chinese phone maker Ulefone. Ulefone Armor 12

Ulefone is expected to unveil the Armor 12 later in the year and the company has come out to disclose the rugged phone will be powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 1200. A teaser poster released by the company confirms the device will be called Ulefone Armor 12. It is touted to launch as the world’s first rugged phone powered by the Dimensity 1200 SoC.

Furthermore, the device is shown to come in a 12GB RAM and 256GB storage combo. Apparently, there will be other storage options. Specifically, the device is expected to go official in June this year.

Editor’s Pick: A tweet by a popular leaker seems to confirm the end of the Galaxy Note series

The Ulefone Armor 12 will be a rugged phone, as are all other Armor-branded smartphones from Ulefone. The Dimensity 1200 is MediaTek’s 6nm processor, and the company’s first to use Cortex-A78 cores. It comes with a 1+3+4 configuration, and the Cortex-A78 core runs at 3GHz. There are also three Cortex-A78 cores clocks at 2.6GHz. The remaining four cores are more power-efficient, we’re looking at Cortex-A55 cores.

MediaTek did say that the Dimensity 1200 SoC is up to 25-percent more power-efficient than the Dimensity 1000. It is also 22-percent more powerful than the Dimensity 1000, when it comes to performance, of course.

The chip also comes with a five-core imaging signal processor, which supports camera sensors that can capture photos up to 200 megapixels, and HDR videos. It also comes with an updated six-core APU 3.0 AI processor, with a 12.5-percent better performance than its predecessor.

This processor comes with MediaTek’s M70 5G modem, and it supports 5G, including Sub-6 band support, and carrier aggregation (2CC). It also supports 5G dual SIM dual standby.

We expect more information about the smartphone to be released by Ulefone as time goes on.

UP NEXT: Leaked Samsung Galaxy A52 images show Camera layout, 3.5mm audio jack, & more

Grab Zhiyun Weebill-S 3-Axis Gimbal for $299 using a coupon code

By
Simranpal Singh
-

Videos have become the most consumed media on the internet. Rather than reading, people are more inclined towards viewing videos. Apart from entertainment, this popular type of media has become a great source of information. Content Creators are actively working to gain traction. It has even increased the demand for video making apparatus. Among all those expensive rigs, the interested creators can grab Zhiyun Weebill S Gimbal Stabilizer for professional DSLR and Mirrorless cameras. It is currently retailing for $399, but our readers can grab the gimbal for $299 after applying 253DQSX5 Coupon Code.

zhuiyun

Must See: Zhiyun Crane-2S gimbal officially launched at CES 2021 for $599

Zhiyun Weebill S Gimbal Stabilizer offers some exceptional features like Electronic focus control, Via Touch 2.0 wireless transmission, and presence of intuitive OLED display for adjustable features.

The gimbal is now perfectly fit for heavy DSLRs as it got 300% improvement in motor torque and 50% increase in responsiveness. It can perfectly balance large DSLRs with heavy lenses. It offers a 14-hour runtime. The Gimbal provides effortless handling experience with latch-lock design.

Zhiyun Weebill S GImbal provides electronic focus and mechanical focus control with a handy control wheel. Moreover, the presence of OLED display makes it easy for the creators to look at important aspects like speed, strength, angle, etc.

The users can enjoy Intelligent Auto-Tune for calibrating a particular type of camera. Apart from running the camera for 14-long hours, it can even charge your camera in real-time. It has a 3-axis lock design for easier and convenient movement. The users can wirelessly monitor the video and images at 1080p 30 fps quality.

There are six different shooting modes include full-range POV mode, Vortex Mode, GO Mode, F Mode, PF Mode and L Mode. Overall, it is a professional gimbal at an exemplary price. You can grab it from Amazon for $299.

Coupon Code: 253DQSX5

Grab Now

See More: Zhiyun Smooth Q2 Gimbal and Smooth 4 Gimbal on sale for $107 and $94, respectively

 

Samsung files patent for “Under Panel Camera” for its smartphones and TVs

By
Jed John Ikoba
-

A new patent from South Korea’s regulatory agency for intellectual property and patents has revealed that tech heavyweight Samsung may be finalizing plans to release an under-display camera for its smartphones. The patent comes with the trademark “Under Panel Camera” or UPC emanated from Seoul-based Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) and is linked to Samsung. The patent falls under the category: Smartphone/ TV display panel and began flying around the grapevine less than a week agoSamsung

Recall that there had been some buzz since December 2020, when a number of tipsters predicted that it was likely that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 could have an under-display camera module, as Samsung has been known to have been working on such design for quite a while.

The race for under-display technology deployment for smartphones has been a keenly contested one and we are gradually seeing some of the manufacturers now crossing the finish line, with the release of smartphones incorporating under-display technology for their camera system.

Editor’s Pick: Redmi to launch its first gaming smartphone; to be powered by the Dimensity 1200

Chinese phone maker ZTE in September 2020, unveiled the ZTE Axon 20 5G which was the first-ever smartphone with an under-display camera. The Axon 20 5G comes with four rear cameras and a single 32MP under the display camera. The sensors of the Axon 20 include an under-display and optical fingerprint sensor. However, as should be expected in an area where the technology is evolving at an astounding pace, there is still a lot to be done to improve on the under-display technology deployed in the production of the front camera model of the Axon 20.

Again, the fast-rising Chinese brand, Xiaomi also recently said that it had chosen not to release any product with an under-display system until the technology for such has been up to speed, as the research continues into this area of smartphone development, with greater implication for the industry.

It is unclear what is the stage of development of under-display technology for Samsung, but with some leaks already revealing the impending launch of such technology for the Galaxy Z Fold, we may not be looking too far from the berthing of this technology by Samsung. We keep our fingers crossed and see whether any manufacturer will beat Samsung to the prize.

UP NEXT: Leaked Samsung Galaxy A52 images show Camera layout, 3.5mm audio jack, & more

 

(source, via)

 

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra teardown shows replacing the screen and battery will be difficult

By
Jed John Ikoba
-

PBK Reviews has released a teardown video detailing what it found when it disassembled Samsung’s latest Galaxy S21 Ultra smartphone. The teardown of the S21 Ultra comes barely a week after PBK released its review of the teardown of the Galaxy S21. The teardown was done on the international version of the smartphone.Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

The teardown reveals some exciting features of Samsung’s flagship product in the S21 lineup, the Galaxy S21 Ultra. A look at the camera module of the S21 Ultra showed that the camera lens is embedded inside a metal covering similar to the frame of the smartphone. The durability of this lens, held by solid adhesive to the glass panel is a remarkable improvement from the approach of Samsung in using glass covers for the lens previously, as seen in the S-series line up of smartphones.

Editor’s Pick: READ THIS before you Buy the Xiaomi Mi 11

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

In addition, the disassembling also revealed that there are no mmWave aerials on both sides of the device although their slots were visible on both sides of the inside of the phone.

A scrutiny of the three cameras of the S21 Ultra also revealed that all three cameras have optical image stabilization capabilities to produced greater visuals. The internal ecosystem of the S21 Ultra also has graphite deployed for the NFC antennae as well as motherboard, yielding better efficiency in heat dissipation for the device.

The internal sound architecture of the S21 Ultra showed some significant differences from the S21 which was disassembled earlier. The speaker at the top of the device does not have foam ball insulation for a greater sound performance. In addition, the S21 Ultra does not have a detachable screen connector cable implying that it will be quite difficult to replace the screen. The S21 had foam ball insulation as well as a detachable screen connector cable, which yielded an above-average repairability score quite higher than that of the S21 Ultra.

UP NEXT: Leaked Samsung Galaxy A52 images show Camera layout, 3.5mm audio jack, & more

 

Sony Xperia 5 II gets the Android 11 update

By
Balaji S
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Sony launched the Xperia 5 II in the US back in September 2020. The company also brought the device to markets like Asia’s Taiwan and Home Country Japan, and Europe. If you recall, the device came with Android 10 out of the box. Now, after 4 months, it is getting the taste of stable Android 11.

Sony

Sony has lived up to the promise of its Android 11 update schedule. The company has already rolled out the update for Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 last week. They were originally scheduled to get it only by February of 2021. Anyway, the Android 11 update of Xperia 5 II compact flagship smartphone is arriving on time with software version 58.1.A.1.178.

This is reportedly rolling out to regions like Europe(XQ-AS52), dual-SIM variants(XQ-AS72) in Russia and South East Asia. As per the XDA report, a SoftBank Japan-exclusive model (A002SO), which is a single-SIM variant, will get the firmware version as 58.1.D.0.331.

The update weighs around 709.7 MB in size. It’s worth noting that Sony puts out a disclaimer you cannot revert to the previous software version after this update. So we suggest you not try it by any means at any cost as it could brick it.

Also as the report says, Xperia 5 II is yet to break into the Open Devices Program(AOSP config files for custom software support).

As for features, you can expect all the goodies of Android 11 OS that Google announced back in September. They are chat bubbles(conversations), media controls, improved permission management, improved Digital Wellbeing, and organized notifications.

That said, this update will soon expand to the left out markets in the coming days/weeks.

UP NEXT: No more pre-orders for Sony PlayStation 5 in India before February 2

 

 

Tweet by a popular leaker seems to confirm the end of the Galaxy Note series

By
Habeeb Onawole
-

Last year, there were rumors that Samsung will be pulling the plug on the Galaxy Note series following reports that the Galaxy S series will be getting support for the S Pen. While a Samsung official did reveal to the press back in December that the Galaxy Note series will continue in 2021, it appears that will not be the case anymore.

A tweet from the popular Samsung leaker, Ice Universe, seems to confirm that Samsung has pulled the curtain on the Galaxy Note series. The tweet is a picture that reads “The End” and has the caption “Galaxy Note”. Put that together and you can tell that it means it is the end of the Galaxy Note series.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra launched last week as the first Galaxy S series smartphone to have support for the S Pen stylus, although it doesn’t come with the stylus out of the box. Samsung has also revealed that more Galaxy phones will be getting S Pen support.

EDITOR’S PICK: Samsung to launch S Pen Pro for the Galaxy S21 Ultra later this year

Seeing as the S Pen is what defines the Galaxy Note series, is there really a need for the series to exist now that its main feature is now available on Samsung’s other flagship line? We asked you guys last year via a poll if Samsung should terminate the Galaxy Note series. Below is the result. As you can see, an equal percentage are for and against it.

Samsung Galaxy Note poll

Samsung is yet to officially announce that it is no longer making new Galaxy Note smartphones, so we advise you to take the info with a grain of salt. However, seeing as the info comes from a source who is known to have plenty of contacts within the Korean giant’s smartphone business, the chances of it being untrue is very very small.

There is also the possibility that Samsung may have finally decided to pull the plug on the series but after announcing a new model this year. Some other leakers have reported that the Galaxy Note 21 is in development and it will launch as a successor to the Galaxy Note 20.

UP NEXT: Samsung seems to have quietly discontinued the Galaxy S20 series

 

New Samsung Galaxy M62 Certification reveals 5GHz Wi-Fi, Android 11 support

By
Balaji S
-

Samsung is gearing up to launch a new Phablet device in the M-series branding. Several reports have already exposed the specs that the device is likely to feature. Now, it has got the Wi-Fi certification ahead of launch.

Samsung Galaxy M62 Live Image Leak Featured
Alleged Galaxy M62 Chassis (Source: 91Mobiles)

A Samsung device with model number SM-M625F/DS appears on Wi-Fi Alliance Certification. If you recall, a report last month said that the model number belongs to the upcoming Galaxy M62. Here, DS refers to the Dual-SIM variant. Anyway, the listing shows that the device will support Wi-Fi 2.4 & 5GHz.

This basically means you can tap into both the 802.11ac and backward compatible 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi network using the device. Also, since the ‘DS’ appears on the certification, we can expect the Phablet to arrive with SIM support.

You can also spot that the device runs Android 11 which means you can expect at least the One UI 3.0 to be present out of the box. While we decide on whether the device will be a Tablet/Phablet, leaked live images suggest that it could carry the Phablet Form factor. For the unware, a Phablet has an intermediate size between a Tablet and a Smartphone.

Although we don’t know the exact size/dimensions of display to confirm this, the device is expected to feature Exynos 9825 SoC, paired with at least 6GB RAM and up to 256GB storage. All this will likely be backed up by a 7,000mAh battery with support for up to 25W charging.

Besides, there is a possibility that a variant with SM-E62F/DS could also debut as F62/E62 in certain markets but let’s wait for official confirmation on the same.

UP NEXT: Samsung Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360 spotted on Bluetooth SIG

 

 

Redmi Smart Band on sale for only ₹999 ($14) in India for a limited time

By
Sudarshan Ravichandran
-

Redmi Smart Band is the brand’s first-ever fitness tracker. It first debuted in China in the month of April 2020. Then, it made its way to select global markets as Mi Smart Band 4C. Finally, it got released in India as Redmi Smart Band priced at ₹1,599 ($22) in September. Now, four months later, this fitness tracker has been discounted by a whopping ₹600 ($8) in the country ahead of Republic Day.

Redmi Smart Band All Colors

Amazon India and Flipkart, India’s largest eCommerce platforms, are holding Republic Day sale event. As part of it, Xiaomi is offering discounts on almost all of the Mi and Redmi-branded products in the country.

But out of all the products, we think the deal on the Redmi Smart Band is probably the best. Usually, this fitness tracker sells for ₹1,599 ($22) in the country. But now, interested customers can buy it for only ₹999 ($14), which happens to be a flat ₹600 ($8) discount.

This stellar offer can be only availed on Amazon India and Mi.com for a limited time. By the limited time, we mean from January 20-23 on Amazon and up to January 24 on Mi.com.

The highlights of the Redmi Smart Band include a 1.08-inch TFT LCD color panel, touch input, 24-hour heart rate monitoring, 5 sports modes, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, app notifications, 5 ATM water-resistant, 14-day battery life, USB charging, and more.

Buy Redmi Smart Band – Amazon India

Buy Redmi Smart Band – Mi.com

UP NEXT: HONOR Watch ES/GS Pro discounted by up to ₹3,000 in India

 

ZTE teases Axon 30 smartphone; will have an under-display camera

By
Habeeb Onawole
-

ZTE is expected to launch a new Axon smartphone this year. Last year, it launched two Axon series – the Axon 11 and the Axon 20, the latter being one of the first smartphones to have an in-display camera. ZTE has now released a teaser for a successor which should launch as the Axon 30.

ZTE Axon 30 teaser

The teaser poster hints at the upcoming phone having an in-display front-facing camera just like the Axon 20. However, unlike its predecessor which launched as a mid-range smartphone, the Axon 30 will be a flagship with a Snapdragon 888 processor under its hood.

The Axon 30 will feature ZTE’s second-gen under-display camera technology and we hope it offers better results than the Axon 20. We also expect the phone to pack better cameras, run Android 11 out of the box, have support for at least 30W fast wired charging. Other features it should have are NFC, up to 12GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage. The Axon 30 may also come along with siblings some of which may not be flagship phones. However, there is a chance they all will have 5G support.

There is no info on the launch date but there are speculations it will be announced after the Chinese New Year holiday which is in mid-February. However, a message from the president of Nubia, a ZTE-owned brand, hints at the phone arriving sooner. The phone should launch first in China before making its way to other countries.

We expect more details will surface in the weeks leading up to the launch.

UP NEXT: ZTE Axon 20 5G teardown shows how the under-display selfie camera works

 

ASUS ROG Moba 5 series with AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, 300Hz refresh rate launched

By
Jed John Ikoba
-

ASUS ROG Moba series is made up of professional gaming-level notebooks for gaming enthusiasts. ASUS has now launched a new laptop dubbed ROG Moba 5 series

The new ROG Moba 5 series comes in two display sizes – 15.6-inch while the ROG Moba 5 Plus has a display size of 17.3 inches. The laptop models not only have a refreshing design but also maintain outstanding professional gaming performance and continue to provide gamers with a professional gaming experience. The laptop features higher density LED strips at the bottom edge of the fuselage. ASUS Moba 5 Plus

In terms of configuration, the new ROG Moba series is equipped with AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX overclockable processor, using the latest Zen3 architecture and 7nm process technology, with 8 cores and 16 threads, ROG factory pre-overclocking, and 5-phase power supply.

Editor’s Pick: READ THIS before you Buy the Xiaomi Mi 11

The GPU can be equipped with up to RTX 3070 8GB independent display. It has a high-performance version with a power of up to 130W. It can be overclocked to 1660MHz (7-phase power supply) through ROG BOOST.Moba 5 Plus

The gaming laptop screen features a 300Hz refresh rate with a response time of 3ms and a screen ratio of 87%. It has a 100% sRGB color gamut and supports Adaptive-Sync synchronization technology.

In terms of storage, the new ROG Moba series gaming notebook comes standard with 16GB DDR4-3200MHz dual-channel memory, which can be expanded to 64GB. The solid-state drive comes standard with 512GB TLC PCIe/NVMe, and a second M.2 slot is reserved.

In other respects, the new ROG Moba 5 series gaming notebook is equipped with Glacier Cooling Architecture 2.0, with dual fans, four air outlets, and six copper tube module design, using liquid metal for heat dissipation. It equally packs a 90Whr battery and supports 100W USB-C PD charging. The fast charging is claimed to fill up the device up to 60% with just 39 minutes of charging.  The battery supports about 11 hours of video playback battery life; supports Wi-Fi 6 (ROG RangeBoost four antennas), and has rich interfaces including USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A, USB 3.2 Type-C, and HDMI2.0b.

The single-key RGB backlit dazzling shadow-blade keyboard touch screen area has increased by about 85%, with a standard key width of 168mm, a keystroke of 1.8mm, a keycap curve of 0.2mm, and key life of about 20 million times.

The keyboard also supports RGB single-key lighting effects and OverStroke technology, and the arrow keys have been streamlined. The 17.3-inch Moba 5 Plus is equipped with an independent numeric keypad.

In terms of sound effects, the laptop utilizes dual Smart Amp speakers and supports Dolby Atmos, Smart AMP and two-way AI noise reduction.

The ROG Moba 5 series models are now available for reservation on Jingdong Mall. They will be on sale at 22:00 on January 26. As for the prices, the Moba 5 16GB/512GB is 12,999 yuan (~$2009) while the Moba 5 Plus 16GB/512GB is 13,999 yuan (~$2164).

UP NEXT: Leaked Samsung Galaxy A52 images show Camera layout, 3.5mm audio jack, & more

 

 

6G will start a new Economy with Terabit speeds, Microsecond latencies, & more- Report

By
Balaji S
-

5G is just getting fired up in many countries but a report already talks about a big change that 6G will bring to the table. Countries like China have already started pushing for it ahead of others. The next-gen communication tech is expected to open a gateway of terabit throughputs, microsecond latencies, and solve hiccups like transporting holographic images wirelessly.

According to the counterpoint report, 6G will primarily up the ante on the Wireless Spectrum from Gigabit throughputs on 5G to Terabits/second on 6G. Here, Throughput is amount of data that can be transferred from source to destination within a given timeframe. Anyway, the proposed range for the 6G spectrum is between 300GHz to 3THz(TeraHertz).

Although the commercial launch is not happening anytime before 2028 as Samsung predicts, the research has already begun. In fact, giants like Huawei and Nokia are already advancing in their own way to accelerate the process. Either way, the leap from GHz(in 4G) to MHz(in 5G) and THz(in 6G) indeed looks exponential.

As for 6G devices, report says that it will require better power efficiencies, Line of Sight (LoS) channels, metamaterials for THz antenna arrays, improved AI for power optimization, and QoS(Quality of Service). Additionally, the Terahertz spectrum will pave way for holographic radio and ultra-massive MIMO technologies.

EDITOR’S PICK: South Korea to launch Pilot 6G Project in 2026

 

With Speeds getting increased this much(Terabits), the range of applications also gets widened. You can look at some key applications that will benefit from 6G(>1Tbps) below:

  • 8K/16K Video streaming
  • Transport Holographic Images/Video(HoloPortation) Wirelessly
  • Microsecond latencies will enable Real-time Machine Control. Eg. Agricultural Robots
  • Digital Twins/Replicas- Interaction between Digital and Physical world via Mixed Reality and AI
  • Multi-Modal, Multi-Location 16K AR/VR applications
  • 3D 4K Maps ADAS(Advanced Driver Assistance Systems)

As we all know, a network technology requires equipment, and hence, we should watch out for biggies like Ericsson, Samsung, Nokia, Huawei, ZTE, InterDigital, University of Oulu, SK Telecom, China Mobile, Docomo, AT&T in Network.

However, companies like Samsung, Qualcomm, LG, Apple, OPPO, Huawei, META, and others handle the device and components at a larger scale. Among this, Apple and Alphabet’s Google have already joined the “next G alliance”.

As mentioned above, China has gone a step further and launched the world’s first 6G satellite for terahertz communication. Nevertheless, We are still a few years away from seeing the real-time results of 6G which is expected to be 100-500x faster than 5G.

UP NEXT: Vivo: Smartphones, AR/VR Glasses, and Robots will be inevitable in building a 6G network

 

realme X9 Pro and realme Race Pro Specs leaked

By
Balaji S
-

Soon after the MediaTek’s Dimensity 1200 chipset announcement, realme and Redmi confirmed that it will debut a smartphone with the chipset soon. And reports say that the realme device will be known as the realme X9 Pro. Now, the supposed specs of both the X9 Pro and a new realme ‘race’ Pro have been leaked.

realme X9 Pro Specs(Expected)

According to a Weibo Post by IceUniverse, the realme X9 Pro will be a smartphone with Dimensity 1200 chipset. A GSMArena report also claims the same citing its own sources.  Anyway, the device will sport a 6.4-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. This will reportedly be a FHD+ display with a 2400x1080p resolution and 20:9 aspect ratio.

For cameras, the device is expected to sport a 108MP camera sensor. If this is true, then realme X9 Pro will be the first realme device to boast a 100+ MP camera. Moving on, other sensors of triple-camera layout are likely two 13MP modules(could be Telephoto, Ultra-wide).

Other tipped specs include up to 12GB DDR5 RAM, a 128/256GB storage, 4,500mAh with 65W Dart charging, and realme UI 2.0(Android 11).

While realme’s India and Europe CEO Madhav Sheth has already teased a new smartphone with the ‘Xciting’ tag, reports say that the non-pro realme X9 is soon landing in India. And for the ‘Pro’ variant, it is so far tipped to launch in Q1 of 2021.

realme ‘Race’ Pro Specs(Expected)

Further, the tipster also mentioned about a realme ‘Race’ Pro variant. It’s worth noting that a ‘Race’ device(model: RMX2202) is already confirmed to launch with Snapdragon 888 chipset. Anyway, the tipster says the ‘Pro’ variant will sport a bigger 6.8-inch OLED QHD+ display with a 20:9 aspect ratio.

The resolution will hence be around 3200×1440 pixels and it will likely support up to 160Hz refresh rate. Other expected specs include up to 12GB DDR5 RAM, 128/256/512GB storage, triple-camera with 64MP and two 13MP sensors, 5,000mAh battery with 125W UltraDart Fast charging, Android 11(realme UI 2.0).

Just like the X9 Pro, the realme ‘Race’ Pro is also tipped to arrive in Q1 2021. Stay tuned to our channels to know which one is going to launch first.

UP NEXT: Redmi to launch its first gaming smartphone; to be powered by the Dimensity 1200

 

Samsung Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360 spotted on Bluetooth SIG

By
Sudarshan Ravichandran
-

Just a few days back, Samsung announced Galaxy Chromebook 2 before even CES 2021 kicked off. Now, two more Galaxy laptops called Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360 have popped up on Bluetooth SIG revealing their model numbers and variants. Going by their brandings, they could be the most-premium Windows notebook offerings from the South Korean tech giant.

Samsung Galaxy Book Flex 15.6 QLED
Samsung Galaxy Book Flex 15.6 QLED

According to Bluetooth SIG, Samsung may soon unveil Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360 premium laptops in two variants each. Both these notebooks will be available in WiFi-only versions as well as 4G LTE (regular) and 5G (360) variants too.

These notebooks will be arriving with the following model numbers.

  • Galaxy Book Pro

    • NT930XDB
    • NT931XDB
    • NP930XDB
    • NT950XDB
    • NT951XDB
    • NP950XDB

  • Galaxy Book Pro LTE

    • NT935XDB
    • NT935XDY
    • NP935XDB
    • NP935XDY

  • Galaxy Book Pro 360

    • NT930QDB
    • NT931QDB
    • NP930QDB
    • NT950QDB
    • NT951QDB
    • NP950QDB

  • Galaxy Book Pro 360 5G

    • NP935QDB

As you can see from the list above, the upcoming laptops from Samsung will come in multiple variants. These model numbers could be either for different CPU, GPU, and storage configurations or different regions. Also, interestingly, there will be only a single 5G variant.

That said, nothing else is known about these notebooks except for the fact that they will come with Bluetooth 5.1 and the 360 model will be mostly a convertible. Anyway, we expect to learn more about these Windows laptops in the coming days via certifications and leaks ahead of their official announcement.

UP NEXT: Broadcom is the supplier of the WiFi 6E chips for Galaxy S21 Ultra

 

(Via)

Udyr Qi Wireless-Charger available at an amazing discounted-price of $3.29

By
Simranpal Singh
-

It’s raining discounts for Udyr Qi Wireless-Charger. Currently, the Udyr Qi 10W Fast Wireless-Charger is going at the massive discount of 59%. Udyr Qi Wireless-Charger will charge at a decent speed at the effective price of $3.29.

Must See: Samsung confirms more smartphones will ship without chargers or earphones

The Udyr Qi 10W Fast Wireless-Charger is currently available in four colour variants: Blue, Red, Grey and Black. As per gear best, the blue and the red variant is available for another 2 weeks, while the black and the grey colour variants are available for the next 10 hours.

The Udyr Qi 10W Fast Wireless-Charger has an aged micro-USB port. It provides 9V/2A, 5V/2A input and 10W/7.5W/5W output. It doesn’t come with additional adapters, although any adapters with 9V/2A,1.67A or 5V/2A can easily be compatible with it.

Talking about its dimensions, the device measures 101mm in length and 6.6mm in thickness. It weighs about 60g. The device has superior safety technology which ensures optimum safety for your device.

In addition, the wireless charger is made up of a light aluminium alloy process which covers the surface and offers an anti-skid layer. Other than that, the device also offers better security, coil, fast charge, a blue LED light indicator. The device is almost compatible with all the smartphones supporting wireless charging. Although it’s safe to say that people who are used to fast charging can find this wireless charger a bit slow.

Grab Now

See More: Nubia Cube Charger with 22.5W output announced for 59 yuan ($9)

Refurbished Smartphone market drops 9% Globally in 2020: Counterpoint

By
Balaji S
-

As we all know, COVID-19 has impacted every sector from Technology to Agriculture. Hence, the smartphone industry is no exemption to this. For instance, the Global smartphone shipments have declined by 8%. Accordingly, a counterpoint research now says that the Refurbished smartphone market also dropped in 2020.

smartphones

The refurbished smartphone market is considered a secondary market. Although they are sort of old devices, they are scrutinized for repairs, repacked, and re-sold. Some even include half of the New Smartphone warranty(which is the Primary market). And the report says it considers only such devices for the analysis.

It mentions that the global refurbished smartphone market dropped by 9% YoY in 2020. Among the lot, LATAM(Latin America) and India seems to be the most affected with an individual drop of 24% and 20% respectively. China also faced the heat with an 8% drop in growth compared to 2019.

Reasons like the US-China trade war and tensions with Hong Kong are reportedly the reasons for this. Apparently, many resellers avoid china fearing scrutiny by the Chinese Govt, import duties, higher replacement part costs according to Research Director Jeff Fieldhack.

EDITOR’S PICK: IDC: Over 225 million used smartphones were shipped in 2020

 

The refurbished market’s H1 2020 period saw a huge 16% drop compared to H1 2019. And as the pandemic worsened, Lockdowns and economic restrictions in the majority of areas meant a lower inflow of refurbished devices. Compared to last year, Europe,  US, and others saw a 14%, 2%, and 10% drop respectively.

That said, the second half gave a bit of breath to the industry thanks to giants like Apple’s iPhone launch cycle. Precisely, according to Senior Research Analyst Glen Cardoza, Apple’s share in the secondary market grew from 39% to 42%.

The Black Market and Recommerce(reverse commerce- selling of old/new products) also grew in 2020. Add to this, the ASP(Average Selling Price) of refurbished LTE devices saw a rise in Price.

Overall, the majority of countries mainly faced a decline in the refurbished smartphone market due to the COVID-19 and as it is expected to subside with vaccine rollout, we can expect a rebound this year.

UP NEXT: Official data shows the Chinese smartphone shipments fell 20.4% in 2020

 

F150 B2021 Sahara Quick Review: An affordable Rugged 8000mAh smartphone

By
Paco Zheng
-

Rugged phones are a niche category on their own and recently a new brand F150 released its first rugged smartphone in the market called the F150 B2021. The phone is quite unique and special in its design and features.

F150 Bison 2021 rugged phone

Why do we say it’s special?

Because this phone not necessarily suited for everyone. Only those who really need its rugged features will ever consider getting one. The B2021 from the brand F150 is aimed at outdoor users and this is evident from its super-rugged design and also the super large battery on board. 

F150 Bison 2021 10

The version we’ve got is the 6GB RAM+64GB ROM Sahara version. A simple glance at its design will reveal its ruggedness. At 315g weight, it is destined to be made for “tough people” who often work outdoors. A large part of this weight is due to its heavy protection. There are thick rubbers around the corners, while thick engineering plastic and metal protect the back cover and frame. The front display is protected by the Corning 5th generation Gorilla Glass. Every single port and hole on the phone is covered with a rubber stopper. So it is guaranteed to be not only drop-resistant but also IP68 certified and can last up to 30 minutes underwater at 1.5 m.

The B2021 comes with a fingerprint sensor on the side. This also means that the back is clean. On the other side is a programmable functional button called the “F150 key”. You can use it to customize shortcuts, which is very convenient. The charging port is also Type-C and there is also a 3.5mm headphone jack. There is a small slot for a tether at the charging port. The card slot can hold two nano sims or a nano sim and a TF expansion card. And surprisingly, it’s also equipped with NFC. So you could say it’s pretty well equipped in terms of connectivity and features.

Editor’s Pick: Blackview BL6000 Pro- Rugged Smartphone with High-Speed 5G Compatibility

Let’s talk about its configuration now. It comes with a MediaTek Helio G25, which is not very powerful, but it’s definitely very power efficient. The B2021 is equipped with an 8000 mAh battery. Yes, you read that right, 8000 mAh is about the size of my power bank. With such a power-saving chip, it is possible to get nearly 18 hours of movie playback. Even if you don’t recharge your phone for 3 to 4 days I feel you’ll be fine. It is a pity that it only supports 18w charging. But the charger that comes inside the box is a 10W charger. We recommend that you get a charger that supports PD 18W charging when you get it.

F150 Bison 2021 04

Although the B2021 focuses on its rugged features, it still comes with four cameras. The cameras are designed to look like the headlights of an off-road vehicle. The flashing lights look like the auxiliary lights on the bumper of an off-road vehicle, which is quite interesting. The four cameras include a 13MP primary camera, a 2MP macro camera, a 2MP depth camera, and a QVGA (low light sensor). Rugged phones have never been popular for their cameras. So if you ask me whether it can take good pictures, I’d have to say that it has a usable camera but don’t expect anything more.

As an outdoor phone, it has a few selling points designed specifically for outdoor people. Press and hold the “F150 Key” button on the side to quickly switch between outdoor modes. The compass, noise detection, and other features appear on the display for easy viewing. The F150 B2021 has a ToolBag APP with 10 tools for outdoor measurements. One of my favorites is the Voice simulator. It can simulate the sound of an engine or a dog barking. In case of danger, you can use the Alarm or SOS for help.

F150 Bison 2021 03

Clearly, it’s a phone meant for people who often work or live outdoors. The F150 B2021 is available on AliExpress and Banggood for $169. Though not without drawbacks, the new F150 model is affordable and comes with pretty solid rugged features which makes it a really good option for rugged users. The brand has paid attention to drop, water, and dust resistance as well as battery life on the F150 B2021, which are the most essential features for a rugged smartphone. And those who are in need of a rugged phone will definitely fall in love with it. After all, it’s cheap, comes with useful features, and works well as advertised.

RELATED:

MediaTek announces 6nm Dimensity 1100, 1200 Flagship 5G Smartphone chipsets

By
Balaji S
-

MediaTek has finally announced not one but two Dimensity 5G chipsets. These are the successors to the last year’s Dimensity 1000+ chipset. They feature the updated ARM Cortex-A78 core and are built on the newer TSMC’s 6nm process.

MTK Dimensity 1200

MediaTek announced two new chipsets- Dimensity 1100 and Dimensity 1200 5G. These smartphone chipsets are built on the TSMC’s 6nm compared to 7nm on Dimensity 1000+. Also, you get the boosted clock speed of up to 3GHz on the Dimensity 1200. MediaTek says that the chipsets feature updated AI, Camera, Connectivity, and GPU capabilities.

Dimensity 1100- CPU, GPU, Memory Specs

  • Process– TSMC 6nm
  • CPU cores– ARM Cortex-A
    • 4x Cortex-A78 Power cores clocked up to 2.6GHz.
    • 4x Cortex-A55 Efficiency cores clocked up to 2.0GHz.
  • GPU: ARM Mali G77 MC9 nine-core GPU
  • Memory–
    • RAM–  4xLPDDR4x at 2133MHz
    • Storage– 2-lane UFS 3.1

Dimensity 1200- CPU, GPU, Memory Specs

  • Process– TSMC 6nm
  • CPU– ARM Cortex-A
    • 1x Ultra-Core Cortex-A78 clocked up to 3.0GHz
    • 3x Cortex-A78 Super Cores clocked up to 2.6GHz
    • 4x Cortex-A55 power-efficiency cores clocked up to  2.0GHz
  • GPU– ARM Mali G77 MC9 nine-core GPU
  • Memory
    • RAM–  4xLPDDR4x at 2133MHz
    • Storage– 2-lane UFS 3.1

Both the chipsets have common features like MediaTek APU 3.0 for AI computing(APU on 1200 chipset has 10% more performance), MediaTek HyperEngine 3.0 gaming tech support, 5G call and data concurrency, multi-touch boost, ray tracing in games and AR apps, and super hotspot power savings.

EDITOR’S PICK: MediaTek announces large bonuses for employees after seeing a bump in sales

 

Important Features of Dimensity 1100, 1200 5G chipsets 

  • Connectivity– Both the Dimensity 1100 and 1200 have an integrated 5G modem inside. They also have the company’s special UltraSave tech to tackle huge power constraints of 5G. Additionally, the chipsets support SA/NSA 5G(sub-6GHz, 5G+5G Dual-SIM), 2CC carrier aggregation across frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD), dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS).
    • It must be noted that Dimensity 1200 chipset has got  TÜV Rheinland certification for its 5G performance covering 72 real-world scenarios.
    • Other connectivity features include the latest Wi-Fi 6, GNSS L1+L5(navigation), Bluetooth 5.2,
  • Camera Features– Out of the two, MediaTek says that Dimensity 1200 supports up to 200MP single camera. You also get the five-core HDR-ISP(Image Signal Processor) with 4K HDR video capture support. The Dimensity 1100, on the other hand only has up to 108MP single camera support.
    • Both the chipsets have common features like 32MP+16MP dual camera support.
    • This, coupled with improved AI performance means, you get AI-Panorama Night Shot, Multi-Person Bokeh, noise reduction, HDR camera features.
  • Display, Audio & Video playback support- The Dimensity 1100 and 1200 supports up to QHD display at 90Hz refresh rate. However, for FHD+, the D1200 has up to 168Hz whereas the D1100 is limited to a 144Hz refresh rate.
    • For video playback, they support HDR10+, hardware-accelerated AV1 encoding.
    • For Audio, you get ultra-low latency true wireless stereo audio, LC3 encoding for High-quality Audio, Lower latency streaming for TWS earbuds(power-efficiency).

OEM Adoption

MediaTek says that OEMs like Xiaomi, Vivo, OPPO and realme, showed support for including the new chipsets in their devices by end of Q1 2021.

Among these, Redmi and realme have already confirmed that the devices powering Dimensity 1200 chipset will hit markets very soon and Redmi’s device is expected to be the company’s first Gaming phone while realme could include it on realme X9 Pro.

UP NEXT: Realme X9 image reveals slim design, may lack 3.5mm audio jack

 

LG reviews future of its smartphones business, says its “open to all possibilities”

By
Sean
-

Earlier today (20th January 2021), LG Electronics made a statement regarding the potential future of the company’s Mobile Communications or smartphone business. The statement likely arrives to calm employees regarding the prior announcement that the company might be ending its mobile phone operations by the end of this month.

LG Wing Featured 02

In the official email sent to the MC employees, Kwon Bong-seok, CEO of LG, assured that the employment of the workers will remain secure as a general rule, regardless of the direction the South Korean tech giant takes regarding its smartphone business. In other words, the senior executive aimed to ease the worries of the employees in the company’s smartphone unit, and assured them regarding their job security.

Editor’s Pick: Google Lens reaches over 500 million downloads on the Play Store

For those unaware, the smartphone business of LG has suffered 23 consecutive quarters of loss, which started from the fourth quarter of 2015 till the fourth quarter of last year as well. Near the end of 2020, the company had launched the LG Wing, which was dual display handset, that sold less than what the brand had expected. Similarly, its low end to mid tier devices was also struggling in comparison to Chinese counterparts. LG believes that it has reached a point where it has to make a tough decision regarding the future of its mobile business.

LG

At the moment, the company stated that it was open to all possibilities and is reviewing its handset arm. In other words, we can expect the company to either exit the smartphone market entirely or sell its business, with a representative stating that it might consider both. Notably, TheElec had previously reported on the company also shutting down its smartphone business entirely earlier this month, which we had covered. However, LG representatives had called this news false back then. So it remains to be seen what path the company takes regarding its smartphones.

UP NEXT: Vivo Y31 with FHD+ display, SD662, 48MP triple cameras and 18W charging launched in India

 

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