Hyundai confirms ending talks with Apple for autonomous driving car

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Feb 8, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Feb 8, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Feb 8, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

(via)

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Nokia 5.4 listed on Flipkart ahead of India launch

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Feb 7, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Feb 7, 2021

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

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

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

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

[yop_poll id=”71″]

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

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Feb 7, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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(source)

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

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Feb 7, 2021

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

Mi 11 Pro

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mi 11 Pro+

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Feb 7, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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(source)

OnePlus 9 Pro live images reveal a partnership with Hasselblad

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Feb 7, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Honor V40: Specs Comparison

By

Michele Ingelido

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Feb 7, 2021

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

Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Honor V40

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

Design

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

Display

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

Specs & Software

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

Camera

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

Read More: Some Mi 11 buyers have found a way to get Xiaomi’s 55W GaN Charger for less than a cent

Battery

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

Price

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

Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Honor V40: PRO and CONS

Xiaomi Mi 11

PRO

Best display
Faster charging
Better hardware
Bigger battery

CONS

Price

Honor V40

PRO

Very good price
Very fast charging
Fast wireless charging
Thin design

CONS

Inferior hardware

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

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Feb 6, 2021

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

Xiaomi Mi 11 goes global

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

Powerful yet elegant.

3 days to go! Watch the unveiling of #Mi11 on February 8! #MovieMagic pic.twitter.com/zvWzz5Z5oM

— Xiaomi (@Xiaomi) February 5, 2021

A new Xiaomi TV and an electric scooter for Europe

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

Are you as excited as we are?
🛴Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Edition is coming soon! @MercedesAMGF1 #MiElectricScooterPro2 #SmartLivingForEveryone pic.twitter.com/nUmqRypvGA

— Xiaomi (@Xiaomi) July 15, 2020

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

MIUI 12.5 global announcement

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

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

Nokia 5.4 heading to India

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

Infinix SMART 5

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

RELATED:

Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Vivo X60 Pro+: Specs Comparison

By

Michele Ingelido

-

Feb 6, 2021

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