Chinese tech giant Xiaomi has officially launched the Redmi Note 9T 5G which is the global variant of the Redmi Note 9 5G that was launched in China recently. The company also announced the Redmi 9T packing a Qualcomm chipset.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T 5G packs a 6.53-inch IPS LCD display with an FHD+ resolution of 1080p. The device adopts a waterdrop screen while the rear adopts a vertically aligned quad-camera setup. The display packs 450 nits and has a standard 60Hz refresh rate.
Redmi Note 9T 5G
The Redmi Note 9T 5G is powered by a 7nm MediaTek Dimensity 800U chipset paired with 6GB of RAM. The device also comes with 64GB and 128GB storage options. The phone also comes with a splash-proof build as well as dual speakers just like the Chinese version.
For optics, the Redmi Note 9T 5G packs a triple camera setup. The setup includes a 48MP Quad-Bayer sensor with f/1.8 aperture, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro sensor. There is no Ultrawide camera on this model, unlike the China-only Redmi Note 9 5G. At the front, there is a 13MP selfie camera with f/2.25 optics.
Keeping the lights on is a 5,000mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging. Xiaomi claims up to 3 years of continuous use without significant degradation.
The Redmi Note 9T 5G is available in two colors – Daybreak Purple and Nightfall Black. As for the prices, there is an early bird offer of €199 for the 4GB+64GB version while the 4GB+128GB version comes in at €249. The prices will increase slightly to €229 and €269 respectively after the promo. The models will be available from Xiaomi’s website and also from other third-party retailers.
Redmi 9T – Specs, Features & Pricing
Xiaomi also launched the Redmi 9T for the global market. The device has several features that make it stand out while retaining the affordable pricing for which Xiaomi is known.
The Redmi 9T features a 6.53-inch IPS LCD with a resolution of 1080p just like the Redmi Note 9T 5G. The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 processor paired with 4GB or 6GB of RAM while there is 64GB or 128GB of storage.
On the camera aspect, the Redmi 9T packs a Quad-camera setup, one sensor higher than the Redmi Note 9T 5G. The camera configuration is the same just the addition of a fourth 8MP f/2.2 ultrawide shooter. The front camera is an 8MP selfie camera.
The battery is a 6000mAh cell, another impressive addition. The phone also supports 18W fast charging. The phone also comes with an infrared sensor, 3.5mm headphone jack, and optional NFC.
As for the price, the Redmi 9T starts at €159 for a 4GB+64GB model (€10 more for NFC) and goes up to €189 for the 4GB+128GB model (again, €10 more for NFC). The price of the topmost 6GB+128GB variant hasn’t been announced. The phone will be available in four colors – Twilight Blue, Sunset Orange, Carbon Gray, and Ocean Green.
Although HUAWEI has sold its HONOR sub-brand to a consortium of over 30 agents and dealers, the latter’s smartphones still run Magic UI based on EMUI. Hence, four of its handsets have started receiving the latest Magic UI 4.0 stable update based on EMUI 11.
HUAWEI and HONOR-branded smartphones and tablets have been receiving EMUI 11 and Magic UI 4.0 builds ever since the Chinese tech giant unveiled the latest version of its mobile software in September 2020.
So far, newer HONOR premium handsets have received the stable update. Hence, the brand has now begun to deliver this update to the following older flagship models.
That said, the Magic UI 4.0 stable update for the above-listed phones is only live in China as of now. But we do expect the company to roll out a similar build in global markets in the coming days. Also, it is worth noting that the open beta program began for these devices only late last month. However, the firm has managed to deliver stable release quickly.
Anyway, though the update brings some exciting features, it is still based on Android 10 that was released in 2019. Also, the global version will be devoid of GMS (Google Mobile Services whenever it releases.
Samsung recently slashed the prices of entry-level smartphones in India. Today, the company has officially cut the prices of Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A71 mid-rangers in the country.
As 91Mobiles reports, the new prices of Galaxy A51 and A71 have already reflected on Amazon India and Samsung’s website. Both the devices get a ₹2,000 cut from the old price. You can take a look at the new prices of them below:
Galaxy A51(6GB + 128GB)- ₹20,999($286)
Galaxy A51(8GB + 128GB)- ₹22,499($307)
Galaxy A71(8GB + 128GB)- ₹27,499($375)
If you recall, the Galaxy A51 launched in India at ₹23,999. Hence, the new drop is ₹3,500 cheaper than the launch price at least for the 6GB variant. Also, regarding the Galaxy A71, the device is now ₹2,500 cheaper than the launch price.
Anyway, with Samsung reducing the price officially, the air is almost clear for the successors now. The Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A72 are expected to succeed in these devices this year. Last year, Samsung unveiled the A51, A71 around December 2019. However, that didn’t happen in 2020 for various reasons.
Anyway, the Galaxy A52, which has already received India’s BIS certification, will likely feature a 6.5-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, One UI 3.0 based Android 11, and quad-cameras on the back. The 4G variant of the device is expected to be powered by Snapdragon 720G with at least 8GB RAM while the 5G variant will have Snapdragon 750G.
The A72, on the other hand, will probably sport a 6.7-inch punch-hole AMOLED display. Although the chipset on it is not clear, Snapdragon 720G chipset could power the 4G model. Other expected specs include a 64MP-equipped quad-cameras, USB-C, and 3.5mm jack ports. Let’s wait for more leaks in the coming days.
Xiaomi products are not known to explode so often. But we have had a few cases of exploding smartphones. However, a new report has emerged on Reddit of an exploded Mi Band 5.
The Mi Band 5 is Xiaomi’s latest smart band which was released last year. The pictures posted by the fitness band user Michele Costa shows a completely burned-out and destroyed Mi Band 5. The user disclosed that the smart band exploded while it was being charged on a table. The user also hinted that he threw the device on the floor and stamped on it after it went up in flames. So it should be noted that some of the deformations noticed on the body was as a result of stepping on the device and not directly by the explosion.
We can’t say why the device went up in flames but we suspect a hardware issue must have resulted in the explosion. The victim claims the device was charged using the original charging cable that came with the device and a basic Mi 5V/1A charger. The Mi Band 5 which was launched as Mi Smart Band 5 also comes with a dedicated charging cable that attaches magnetically to the fitness tracker and utilizes a USB connector.
Costa claims to have contacted Xiaomi about the Mi Band 5 explosion and has also sent the wrecked device back to Amazon where it was purchased. There have been plenty of reports over the years of smartphones and other electronic devices exploding or catching on fire either through a hardware fault or random flaw, with the infamous Galaxy Note 7 battery defect issue costing Samsung an estimated US$17 billion in revenue. Xiaomi better start hoping this is a very isolated incident.
Vivo recently launched the Y51 smartphone in India back in December. Now, a report by MySmartPrice says that it will get a watered-down sibling soon.
According to the report, Vivo Y51A(2021) will be a slightly toned-down variant of the Y51. Citing retail sources, it says that the device will be the new Y-smartphone from Vivo in India. That’s not the only device with a Year tag on it. Recently, Vivo also brought a Vivo V20(2021) with slightly tweaked specs from Vivo V20.
Anyway, the report says that Vivo Y51A(2021) will sport a Snapdragon 662 SoC onboard. In contrast, if you look at the Vivo Y51, it has a Snapdragon 665 with a 10% slightly higher frequency. This already hints that the device will have less-appealing specs compared to the Y51. However, we can’t rule out the highlighting point that could be a plus for it, the price.
The Vivo Y51 with features like a FHD+ display, 8GB RAM, bigger camera than Y50, retails for 17,990($245). Hence, the Y51A should be definitely a bit cheaper than its sibling. That said, the report doesn’t have any further information regarding the specs, and design but we feel that it might have some similarities to the Y51.
Speaking of which, the Vivo Y51 sports a design similar to the X50, X60 series on the back. It comes in two colors- Titanium Sapphire and Crystal Symphony. Upfront, it features a 6.58-inch display with a resolution of 2400×1080 pixels.
For cameras, you get a 48MP main, 8MP ultra-wide, and a 2MP sensor. On the front, there is a single 16MP selfie shooter tucked below the v-shaped notch. Other features include a 5,000mAh battery with 18W charging, dual-SIM 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, side fingerprint sensor, 3.5mm audio jack, USB-C port, and more.
For the past few years, smartphone OEMs have been trying their best to reduce display bezels. As a result, we get to see phones with a wide variety of notches and punch holes. However, the main goal has always been to remove these obstructions to achieve a full-screen device.
The only way to achieve this is by placing the front camera underneath the display. We already have the first commercial handset with this design in the form of ZTE Axon 20 5G. But the list of products with this tech may soon grow as the world’s largest smartphone maker Samsung has patented an implementation regarding the same.
According to LetsGoDigital, Samsung Display filed a patent titled ‘Display Device’ with the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) in May 2020. Its documentation was later published on December 31, 2020.
This patent details the South Korean tech giant’s under-display camera implementation on smartphones. As per the documents, this solution includes two display parts. The first one is the primary screen with a better resolution, whereas the second smaller part has a comparatively lower resolution.
This second part can be either placed along the entire top side of the handset or any of the top sides. This section can be used not only to hide the front-facing camera but also LED flash and sensors.
Infrared sensors can be utilized to easily recognize objects/people as more light cannot enter underneath the display. This sensor can also calculate the distance between the phone and the objects/people.
That said, Samsung also makes reference to a similar patent filed in 2016 in the new one. Thus, we can say that the company has been continuously improving its implementation for years.
Anyway, it is not known when the tech behemoth will bring this solution to the market. Nevertheless, we can expect it to debut on a high-end Galaxy A series phone instead of flagships.
Samsung has been hyping up the next Galaxy Unpacked event that is happening on January 14. Almost all the details including price of the supposed Galaxy S21 series, for certain regions, have already been leaked. Now, Samsung says it will give a free case if you pre-reserve the device on its website.
Samsung India’s website(via) has a dedicated page for pre-reserving the next Galaxy smartphone. It hasn’t quite confirmed the moniker yet but it will mostly be the Galaxy S21 as per various reports. Anyway, the page says that users who pre-book the device by paying ₹2,000($27.30) will be eligible for a “Free Cover”(case) worth ₹3,849($53).
Here, the payment will actually fetch you a “Galaxy VIP Pass”. You can use this VIP pass during the final purchase and get the device on “Priority”. Also, applying the VIP pass will deduct the final price by ₹2,000. That’s not all as the website hints that there might be a chance of more gifts for early birds.
Anyway, Samsung hasn’t revealed which case would accompany the smartphone. Besides, the entire cases of the S21 series that the company is planning to launch have already been leaked. Having said that, you can also cancel the VIP pass anytime before using it in case you take a step back.
Reports say that Galaxy S21 series will divert from the previous generation and offer FHD+ display on S21, S21+, Plastic build on the S21. This is probably to keep the costs low whilst proving the latest features. Speaking of which, the series will mostly have three devices- Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Alongside the S21 devices, Samsung is also expected to unveil the Galaxy Buds Pro TWS and it’s Samsung Galaxy SmartTag Bluetooth tracker on January 14 at 10 AM EST(8 PM IST).
OPPO is expected to introduce the Find X3 and Find X3 Pro flagship phones in Q1 this year. Fresh information reveals that the lineup will also include an upper mid-range phone called the Find X3 Lite. It will be arriving as the successor to the Find X2 Lite from last year. According to reputed tipster Evan Blass, the Find X3 Lite will be a rebranded version of the Reno5 5Gv that debuted in China last month.
Blass revealed that not only the specs but also the design of the Find X3 Lite are identical to the Reno5 5G. However, the only noticeable difference is that it features a regular OPPO logo instead of the Reno Glow branding found on the Reno5 5G.
The tipster further mentioned that the entire Find X3 lineup that includes the Find X3 Pro, Find X3, Find X3 Lite, and another device named Find X3 Neo will be announced in early March. These phones are expected to be available for purchase from April.
The Find X3 Lite is expected to arrive with a 6.4-inch AMOLED display that supports a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and a 90Hz refresh rate. The screen of the Find X3 Lite will be embedded with a fingerprint sensor.
The Snapdragon 765G SoC will be fueling the device with 8 GB of RAM. The handset will come with 128 GB of storage and ColorOS 11.1 based Android 11 OS preinstalled. The phone will be backed by a 4,300mAh battery that will tag along with 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 fast charging.
The pricing of the Find X3 Lite will be nearly identical to its Chinese counterpart. In China, the Reno5 5G is selling for 2,699 Yuan (~$417). The X3 Lite is expected to arrive in colors like Galactic Silver, Azure Blue, and Starry Black.
Vivo is apparently aiming at expanding its truly wireless earbuds lineup. The company recently filed for multiple patent designs for new TWS earbuds and their charging case in China.
Images via 91Mobiles
According to a 91Mobilesreport, the Chinese tech giant applied for three designs for a new TWS earbud in China. These patent documentation revealed two possible designs for the upcoming earbuds, with only a slight difference between both designs. In the patent, the charging case can also be seen along with the wireless earphones. Looking at both the patents, it can be observed that Vivo is adding silicon tips for its in ear style earphones.
These silicon tips are angled to provide a comfortable fit to the user, and also bear a slight resemblance to the popular Apple AirPods Pro. The primary difference between both patent designs is the fact that one of the variants features a marginally shorter and thicker stem. Both earbuds feature a charging pin at the bottom, with one of the variations apparently housing a capacitive button at the back for controls like play/pause and other commands.
This also implies that one of these Vivo earbuds design could feature touch support and gesture controls. Apart from these differences, both models feature a microphone/speaker at the top of the buds for what appears to be calls and noise cancelation. Talking about the charging case, it follows a simple rectangular form factor for both variants, with the USB Type C charging port being housed on the side. Unfortunately, this is just a patent so we still have no way of confirming if the company is actually working on such a product. So stay tuned for more updates.
Known analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, has just revealed interesting details regarding Apple‘s plans for future iPhones and their camera modules. Apparently, the company will not be offering any major upgrades to its handset camera lenses till the iPhone 15.
According to a PhoneArena report, Kuo noted that the Cupertino based giant doesn’t plan on upgrading its iPhone camera lenses till the launch of the iPhone 15 series. In other words, we would reportedly not see any major upgrade on iPhone lenses till the year 2023. Back in 2020, Apple included a 7P lens with the wide camera on its new iPhone 12 lineup, which was an improvement over the 6P lenses used on the iPhone 11 series from 2019. This enabled the company to bring the aperture on the current models to f/1.6 from f/1.8 on the 2019 phones.
As per Kuo, Apple suppliers Largan and Genius Electronics are currently competing to acquire a higher share of Apple’s lenses supply chain. This would have both firms likely compete by lowering prices to win over the iPhone maker. Kuo further added that “Our latest survey pointed out that Largan will increase the average capacity utilization rate of 1H21 from 50-55% to more than 70%, and will further bargain the ASP of mid-to-high-end iPhone lenses by about 15-25%. We believe that this price war will have a direct negative impact on Genius’ 1H21 order proportion, capacity utilization rate, and gross profit margin.”
Notably, the report also says that a new supplier is expected to join the lenses supply chain for Apple. This firm is Sunny Optical, which will provide 5P lenses for 2021 iPad and 7P lenses for 2021 iPhone models. At the moment, it is said that Sunny Optical will hold a 10 percent share for iPad lens supply and 15 to 20 percent for the iPhone lenses. This would add further strain on both Largan and Genius.
China’s Coolpad Group Limited has launched a new smartphone in Nepal. It carries the Coolpad Cool S moniker and has quad-cameras, a bigger battery, and more.
Coolpad Cool S has a top-left punch-hole display at the front and a rectangular camera layout at the back. Carrying the look of a Glasstic finish, the rear fuselage also has the coolpad branding at the bottom. You get a fingerprint sensor at a very unusual place, i.e., to the left.
The left side also has a tray to accommodate dual-SIM cards. Onto the right, you have the usual power button and volume rockers. It comes in three colors- Night Black, Lapis Blue, and Moon White. However, a report says(via) that the White variant won’t make it to Nepal.
Coolpad Cool S Price, Availability
Coolpad Cool S is priced at NPR 22,595($193.07) for the single 4GB RAM/128GB storage in Nepal. Users of Nepal can purchase the device from daraz in Black, and Blue Color options. Now that it’s out in Nepal, we can also expect the device to launch in other markets soon.
Talking about specs, the Coolpad Cool S features a 6.53-inch FHD+ display with a resolution of 2340×1080 pixels. As mentioned above there is a punch-hole to the left to house a 25MP Sony IMX576 sensor for selfies.
Under the hood, it carries a MediaTek Helio P60 chipset with Mali G72 MP3 GPU. Despite being an old SoC, it should just get the job done when paired with 4GB RAM, and 128GB storage. Additionally, you also get a microSD expansion of storage up to 256GB.
For rear cameras, you get a 48MP f/1.8 Samsung GM1 Sensor, an 8MP f/2.0 ultra-wide with 120-degree FOV, a 5MP macro lens which can cover distance up to 2cm, and a 0.3MP sensor. Other specifications include a 5,000mAh battery with 10W charging, older Android 10 OS, face unlock, and measures 161.2*76.2*8.9mm.
It’s a pain to transfer whole data including thousands of images, contacts and other important files to a new smartphone. The process is a bit easy for Android-to-Android transfer but it becomes difficult once the user initiates cross-platform data transform. However, there are some tools and utilities that will ease the whole process. PhoneTrans is one such a tool which can easily allow you to transfer data easily with just a few taps. It carries user-friendly interface, 1-click transfer and support for several formats.
The smartphone has become an essential part of today’s lifestyle. Every store important data in the form of documents, photos, contacts and other formats is hosted inside the phone. It acts as a lifeline for many users. So, it equally becomes important to safely transfer data if we bought a new phone. PhoneTrans will help the users having no technical standing to migrate data to a new device. It supports more than 20000+ devices and 32+ data types. There are several other features that the PhoneTrans carries to facilitate users with just a few taps.
PhoneTrans Features
Direct Phone-to-Phone transfer support: It is an effective migration tool that enables the users to transfer data from iOS-iOS, Android-Android, iOS-Android and vice versa.
Support for different types of data: The software allows the users to transfer data on the basis of different data types. It eases the operation to selectively transfer photos, music, documents, and other supported formats.
Cross-platform data transfer: The software allows data transfer between Android and iOS or vice versa. It reduces unnecessary efforts to migrate to a new smartphone.
One-Click Data Transfer: The smartphone offers one-click data transfer between different devices. It supports over 20,000+ devices and 32+ data types.
Merge Content – The software offers support to merge content from different devices to a single same system device.
Compatibility: The PhoneTrans is available for macOS, Windows and other prominent Operating Systems. Meanwhile, the software itself supports data transfer between Android and iOS smartphone devices.
PhoneTrans Modes
Support for Multiple Modes: PhoneTrans offers three primary modes – Quick Transfer, Phone Clone and Phone Merge to ease the process for users. Each option provides a different way to backup and transfers your data.
Quick Transfer – It is a simple yet most used mode which enables the user to transfer data quickly between different phones and tablets. The users can even choose a single file or single data type to transfer between Android-to-Android or iOS-to-Android and vice versa. The mode supports 12 types of iOS data and 11 types of Android Data.
Phone Clone – As the name suggests, it will create a data replica from one device to another smartphone device. However, the mode works on the same systems means iOS to iOS and Android to Android. It carries support for 24 iOS data types and 11 Android data types.
Phone Merge – It enables the users to merge data from different devices to a single same system device. It will also work Android-to-Android and iOS-to-iOS.
Phone Restore: It is a one-stop solution to migrate all data from various sources to your device. PhoneTrans supports restoration from Google Account Data, iCloud Data, iTunes Library, iTunes Backup and PhoneTrans Backup. Among all, PhoneTrans Backup is highly efficient and compatible with most data types.
Phone Backup: The Phone Backup offers two options – Slectve Backup and Full Backup. The selective backup will back up certain types of data while the Full backup option is only applicable for iOS devices such as iPhone and iPad.
App Transfer: The software enables users to transfer data of popular instant messaging apps likes Line, Viber, WhatsApp and applications which are already installed on your iPhone/iPad devices.
Open the software, and choose from available options – Phone to Phone transfer, Phone Restore, Phone Backup ad App Transfer.
In Phone to Phone transfer users will get options to Phone Clone, Quick Transfer, and Phone Merge.
After selecting, attach using USB cable and tap on the respective buttons to start the backup or restore.
Similarly, in other options, you can choose as per need and press the respective button.
You can download the PhoneTrans to save time and effort while changing your smartphone. It can also help users to backup the device with ease. You can know more about the software by heading to PhoneTrans website.
The Oppo Reno4 Pro 5G just passed through DxOMark’s camera test. The device scored the highest in comparison to all the Reno smartphones tested by DxOMark so far, achieved 104 points overall.
Talking about the device’s specs, the Reno4 Pro 5G features a 48 megapixel primary sensor, along with a 13 megapixel telephoto lens, and a 12 megapixel ultra wide angle lens on the rear. According to the DxOMarktests, the Chinese tech giant’s upper mid range handset’s performance had it score 109 points in photography, 60 points for zoom, and 101 points in videos.
Looking at the photography score first, the DxOMark testings found that the device offered a fairly wide dynamic range in indoor shots, while also offering good details. Its autofocus was accurate as well for the most part, and details were also consistent in bright light scenarios. The tests also found a good balance in noise and details in portrait mode. Although, the company also noted low exposure in low light, with limited outdoor dynamic range for stills. Other issues like halos, ghosting, and color quantization artifacts were also noticed during these stills.
For videography, DxOMark praised the Oppo Reno4 Pro 5G’s accurate white balance during recordings with pleasant colors. The video captures also retained high detail on faces, with accurate exposure and effective stabilization when standing still. However, DxOMark found high noise in videos, which also suffered from a limited dynamic range. There was also a noticeable shift in sharpness between video frames. All in all, the handset had a mixed photography performance, with its strengths leaning more towards videography.
AnTuTu is a well-known mobile device benchmarking platform. The Chinese firm releases report on various topics such as best performing handsets of a month and more. The company has now published a post on the best price to performance ratio smartphones in China ay, for the month of December 2020.
The Beijing-based firm has categorized the phones based on the following price segments.
Let us take a look at the list for each price category one by one.
Best Price to Performance Ratio Smartphones (¥0 – ¥1,499) – December 2020
According to AnTuTu, the Redmi 10X 5G (6 + 128GB) is the best device in this segment. This handset is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 820 chipset. In fact, it is the only handset, apart from Redmi 10X Pro 5G to feature this chip in the entire world.
Redmi Note 8 Pro (6GB + 64GB) is the second device on the list. This phone is almost one and a half years old but it is still powerful enough to make it to the list, that too second position. Lastly, in the third place, we have the newly launched Redmi Note 9 5G (6GB + 128GB)
First Place
Model: Redmi 10X 5G (6GB + 128GB)
Average Score: 395,605
Value for Money: 282.8
Price: ¥1,399
Second Place
Model: Redmi Note 8 Pro (6GB + 64GB)
Average Score: 284,431
Value for Money: 258.8
Price: ¥1,099
Third Place
Model: Redmi Note 9 5G (6GB + 128GB)
Average Score: 335,332
Value for Money: 258.1
Price: ¥1,299
Best Price to Performance Ratio Smartphones (¥1,500 – ¥1,999) – December 2020
This segment is once again led by two Redmi handsets. The first place is acquired by Redmi K30 Ultra (6GB + 128GB), the one with Dimensity 1000+, 120Hz AMOLED display, and a pop-up camera. Whereas, the second place is obtained by the all-new Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G (6GB + 128GB), which recently debuted as Mi 10i in India.
Finally, in the third place, we have the realme Q2 Pro (8GB + 1228GB), a tweaked realme 7 Pro with Dimensity 800U chipset, 48MP primary camera, and 16MP selfie camera.
First Place
Model: Redmi K30 Ultra (6GB + 128GB)
Average Score: 482,432
Value for Money: 241.8
Price: ¥1,999
Second Place
Model: Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G (6GB + 128GB)
Average Score: 344,470
Value for Money: 215.4
Price: ¥1,599
Third Place
Model: realme Q2 Pro (8GB + 128GB)
Average Score: 338,215
Value for Money: 211.5
Price: ¥1,599
Best Price to Performance Ratio Smartphones (¥2,000 – ¥2,999) – December 2020
The third price bracket is again dominated by a Redmi smartphone. This time it is Redmi K30S Ultra (8GB + 128GB), which is known as Mi 10T in global markets. However, second place belongs to the realme X7 Pro 5G (8GB + 128GB) and the iQOO Z1 (6GB + 128GB) comes third.
First Place
Model: Redmi K30S Ultra (8GB + 128GB)
Average Score: 666,490
Value for Money: 256.4
Price: ¥2,599
Second Place
Model: realme X7 Pro 5GB (8GB + 128GB)
Average Score: 524,829
Value for Money: 238.7
Price: ¥2,299
Third Place
Model: iQOO Z1 8GB + 128GB
Average Score: 506,551
Value for Money: 230.5
Price: ¥2,198
Best Price to Performance Ratio Smartphones (¥3,000 – ¥4,499) – December 2020
OnePlus 8T (8GB + 128GB) is popular in this segment in global markets (at least India) but in China, it only comes third in terms of price to performance ratio, as per AnTuTu. That’s because the realme X50 Pro 5G (12GB + 256GB) ranks first, followed by vivo X60 (8GB + 128GB) in the second position.
First Place
Model: realme X50 Pro 5G (12GB + 256GB)
Average Score: 598,968
Value for Money: 181.6
Price: ¥3,299
Second Place
Model: vivo X60 (8GB + 128GB)
Average Score: 603,942
Value for Money: 172.7
Price: ¥3,498
Third Place
Model: OnePlus 8T (8GB + 128GB)
Average Score: 581,929
Value for Money: 171.2
Price: ¥3,399
Best Price to Performance Ratio Smartphones (¥4,500 and above) – December 2020
Lastly, in the flagship segment, the Xiaomi Mi 11 (12GB + 256GB) powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 takes the crown. Further, the next two devices are iQOO 5 Pro (8GB + 256GB) and HUAWEI Mate40 (8GB + 128GB) respectively
First Place
Model: Xiaomi Mi 11 (12GB + 256GB)
Average Score: 708,425
Value for Money: 150.8
Price: ¥4,699
Second Place
Model: iQOO 5 Pro (8GB + 256GB)
Average Score: 659,195)
Value for Money: 131.9
Price: ¥4,998
Third Place
Model: HUAWEI Mate40 (8GB + 128GB)
Average Score: 642,941
Value for Money: 128.6
Price: ¥4,999
What are your thoughts on the smartphones in the above lists? Let us know in the comment section below.
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has approved the Realme V15 smartphone that went official in China yesterday. The BIS certification is a good hint that reveals that its global launch could be nearing, and India could be one of the first markets to receive it.
Today, the Realme V15’s model number RMX3092 appeared in the database of India’s BIS authority. After the Realme X7 series, the V15 could be another Dimensity SoC powered phone from Realme to arrive in India soon. There is a possibility that some of the other Asian markets may also receive the Realme V15 phone in the next few months.
As can be seen in the screenshot, the RMX3201 is a mysterious Realme phone which has also passed BIS certification. The RMX3201 phone has been previously spotted at EEC, at CQC certification with 10W charger, and at Wi-Fi Alliance with 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Android 10 OS.
The Realme V15 has a 6.4-inch S-AMOLED display with a punch-hole design. The screen delivers a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and a 20:9 aspect ratio. A fingerprint scanner is integrated with the screen of the Realme V15.
The Dimensity 800U chipset is present under the hood of the Realme V15. The handset arrived in China in 6 GB and 8 GB LPPDR4x RAM versions. Both models are equipped with the same internal storage of 128 GB. The device lacks support for a microSD card slot. The Realme UI based Android 10 OS comes preinstalled on the Realme V15.
The Realme V15 has a front camera of 16-megapixel. The backside of the phone features a quad camera setup. It includes a 64-megapixel main camera, an 8-megpaixel ultrawide lens, and a 2-megapixel macro lens. A 4,310mAh battery backs the smartphone, and it comes with support for 50W fast charging technology.
The 6 GB and 8 GB RAM versions of the Realme V15 are priced at 1,499 Yuan (~$232) and 1,999 Yuan (~$309). It comes in colors like Koi, Crescent Silver, and Mirror Lake Blue.
OmniVision has just announced a new smartphone camera sensor. The new sensor is subbed the OV40A, which is a 40 megapixel image sensor, that is developed to be paired with next generation smartphones.
In a recent announcement, the company unveiled the new 1/1.7” sensor which is built with OmniVision PureCel Plus S stacked die technology. It features a 1.0 micron pixels and offers ‘super high gain and de noise technologies for the best in class low light camera performance.’ In other words, the company has just launched one of its best image sensors that promise to offer improved low light performance among other things.
As per the official notes, the OV40A also offers multiple high dynamic range (HDR) options for both videography and photography. It also arrives with slow motion video capture at up to 240 fps (frames per second), along with PDAF (phase detection autofocus). Similar to the 32 megapixel sensor the company released earlier this week, the OV40A also uses a 4 cell color filter array and hardware remosaic. Furthermore, it is also capable of capturing 40 megapixel stills at 30 fps.
Through pixel binning, the image sensor can also achieve 10 megapixel shots at 120 fps as well, to improve its low light performance. For videos, the sensor supports 60 fps video captures in 4K and 1080p videos up to 240 fps, all of which alongside PDAF. For those unaware, OmniVision sensors have been used in low to mid range handsets due to their more affordable costs in comparison to Sony sensors, but we might see this sensor in some upper mid range or affordable flagship model as well.
The used smartphone market is expected to surpass 225 million units in shipments for the year 2020, as per a new report. This marks a notable increase year on year over 2019, despite the overall smartphone market declining in the same year.
According to an IDCprojection, the worldwide shipments of used smartphones is expected to reach around 225.4 million units. This translates to a 9.2 percent rise in shipments, in comparison to 2019. Furthermore, IDC also predicts that the market will further rise in the arriving years and will reach 351.6 million units by 2024. The report also takes refurbished smartphones into account, along with used devices as well.
As per IDC, a big part of this growth is driven by the increase in popularity of trade ins. In other words, customers are more persuaded towards upgrading their smartphones to manage the cost of brand new handsets. Despite the market seeing growth, IDC believes that the figure is still lower than previous market expectations. Although, the used smartphone market still performed better than the new one, which IDC believes, saw a decline of 6.4 percent in the same period.
Anthony Scarsella, research manager at IDC stated that “In contrast to the recent declines in the new smartphone market, as well as the forecast for minimal growth in new shipments over the next few years, the used market for smartphones shows no signs of slowing down across all parts of the globe. Refurbished and used devices continue to provide cost-effective alternatives to both consumers and businesses that are looking to save money when purchasing a smartphone.”
Xiaomi launched its Mi series flagship, the Xiaomi Mi 11 at an official event at the end of 2020. The event turned out to be quite a surprise, because instead of releasing a Pro version, Xiaomi decided to add a bunch of premium features inside its standard 3999 RMB flagship. So we were eager to get our hands on this device as soon as possible. And after using it for the past few days, this is our review of the Xiaomi Mi 11!
Xiaomi Mi 11 Review: Design
Just like Mi 10 series, the Xiaomi 11 was also relatively well-stocked right from the start. And we managed to get a unit for review in the first sale itself. The box was pretty thin and when we opened it, there was only a case, manual and the phone inside.
Mi 11 Box contents
Mi 11 Box contents
Mi 11 Box Charger comes separately
Yes, this confirms that Xiaomi no longer includes a charger in the box, not even the charging cable. But before you lose your composure, let me remind you that when you buy the Mi 11 online, you have two options — a standard version without the charger or the charging cable, or a set version that comes with a separate 55W GaN charger and charging cable. The price for both versions is exactly the same. This means, if you have a fast charger compatible with the Mi 11, you can simply get the box without the charger and do your bit to reduce ewaste. Since you have both options, unlike what Apple did with its iPhone 12 series (Samsung joining in soon too), this seems like a more practical and feasible approach from Xiaomi.
What we got with us is the Purple Leather version of the Mi 11. This is the first time Xiaomi is using leather on its flagship model and it feels good in the hand. It’s also not slippery — unlike the frosted glass variant. The vegan leather version is suitable for people who don’t like to carry a phone case.
The phone weighs 194g. While this figure doesn’t seem particularly light, it is no longer top-heavy because the body is larger and the lens module size is reduced. The balanced weight distribution ensures that the phone doesn’t feel heavy. And if you are like me — switching from the 221g Mi 10 Ultra to the Mi 11, I’m sure your pinky finger will thank you! The Xiaomi logo has been removed and replaced with the letters Xiaomi. There’s also a large pin-shaped circular brushed metal decoration on the back that’s exclusive to the leather version. Moving on to the camera module, it has a rounded rectangular design. The lens has got black plating. Whether you like this design or not, you have to agree that the Mi 11 is much more unique and recognizable now. Compared to the Xiaomi 10, the back has been completely revamped. It has a better touch feeling, looks excellent, and is comfortable to hold. Overall, I’m pretty happy with the new design of the Xiaomi Mi 11.
The Mi 11 comes with a quad-curved, 2K resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 480Hz touch sampling rate, Samsung AMOLED panel with Corning Gorilla Victus glass cover for the screen. This screen is supposed to be the biggest highlight of the new Xiaomi flagship. In terms of parameters alone, it should be the best in the market right now.
The experience I’ve had over the past few days can be summed up in just one word–fabulous! The DisplayMate A+ certified screen is unbeatable in terms of color accuracy and clarity. The maximum brightness of 1500 nits ensures that you can see the screen clearly under direct sunlight. And there’s MEMC, Super-resolution enhancement, and other premium features onboard. One thing I particularly like is that the quad-curved screen not only allows for smoother gestures but also avoids the green tint you get on certain curved panels.
I have always felt that a design has to be both aesthetically pleasing as well as functional to be considered the best. All in all, this screen can’t be overhyped, it’s definitely one of the best AMOLED displays you can buy in 2021.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Review: Performance
Instead of 875, this year’s Snapdragon 8 series has been renamed the Snapdragon 888. 888 resonates with the Chinese word that stands for good luck and fortune. Let’s see if 888 can bring itself good luck. The usual rule is to look at the benchmark first.
Antutu
3D Mark
In the AnTuTu Benchmark test, the chip scores 690,000 while it scores 5500 in 3DMark. These scores are basically the same as the Kirin 9000. From here you can basically see that the peak performance of both Chips is almost indistinguishable from each other.
PUBG HDR quality Extreme frame
Now, let’s take a look at the game stress test. PUBG mobile with Ultra HD quality and Ultra frame rate ran at almost 40 fps. And the HDR quality Extreme frame rate also ran at almost 60 fps without any problem. In the Genshin Impact test, the performance was not so stable at the beginning, but it settled down in the second half of the test, coming close to 60 fps. The average frame rate was 52.6 fps.
BrightRidge
In BrightRidge, which focuses on GPU performance, Mi 11 got a good average frame rate of 77.3. It was obtained at the cost of heating though, and it can get really hot during long periods of high intensive gaming. Overall, the performance is very good, but the power consumption is also very high. Only the Kirin 9000 in the Mate40 series chooses to downclock the CPU when it gets too hot. On the other hand, Xiaomi’s Snapdragon 888 chooses a more aggressive strategy that allows it to keep the CPU running at its maximum strategy for a longer period of time at the cost of overheating.
This time Xiaomi, together with Harman Kardon, has tuned the dual speakers.
It’s important to note that the back cover vibrates more when you play via the speakers, and the vibrations are noticeable in the hand. I don’t know if this is because the back cover is softer.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Review: Camera Quality
The camera department on the Mi 11 has probably the smallest improvement over the Mi 10. The main camera is still the familiar 108MP, the ultra-wide-angle lens is still the familiar 13MP. The depth of field lens is removed and the normal macro lens is upgraded to a 50mm telephoto macro lens.
Also, we’ve got with us Xiaomi’s best camera phone, the Mi 10 Ultra. So let’s compare and see how the main camera performs. Please note that if you want a closer comparison with the Mi 10 Ultra, check out our review video added at the start of this Mi 11 review article.
Apart from a slightly smaller aperture, the Mi 11’s primary camera is almost identical to the one on the Mi 10. With plenty of light during the day, both capture excellent samples. But you need to examine closely to see the difference between them. The Mi 11’s sample has a larger resolution – its a 27MP photo after 108mp 4-in-1 pixel binning. Although the Mi 10 Ultra has the dual native ISO Fusion technology, the dynamic range advantage is not as pronounced.
With almost the same size CMOS sensor, the higher pixel count means the individual pixels are smaller. In relatively low light conditions, the Mi 11 has no advantage. But the results are surprising, as long as there is some light source, the Mi 11 does not lag much behind the 10 Ultra. Apart from the occasional cooler white balance and slightly inferior dynamic range, the Mi 11’s night shots are respectable.
The samples have excellent noise control and no significant disadvantages, whether the night mode is on or off. But the disadvantage of smaller individual pixel size is more apparent in very low light scenes. The image will be underexposed. But although the image will be underexposed, in my personal opinion, it’s not necessarily a good thing for night shots to look like daytime. Instead, it’s the slight underexposure like the Mi 11 that makes it look like a night shot. So I still feel the Mi 11’s primary camera is pretty good.
The ultra-wide-angle of the Mi 11 is slightly narrower than the Mi 10 Ultra’s 12mm, but this is also the same as the mainstream 16mm ultra-wide angle lens. Although the 10 ultra’s ultra wide-angle has more pixels than the Mi 11, it is hard to notice the improvement in resolution even when you zoom into the samples. Mi 11’s ultra wide-angle fixes the green tint issue and the white balance is more accurate at night. Night mode has also been added to the ultra-wide-angle mode. Apart from the difference in the field of view, the performance is the same as during the day, and even better in terms of perception due to the more accurate white balance.
The new telephoto macro lens is also an old friend of ours. The same setup as the Redmi K30 ultra. It is able to take macro photos at a slightly longer distance and is more useful than other regular macro lenses. When put to good use, you can take photos from unique angles.
In addition, MIUI has added some fun cinematic lens modes specifically for the Mi 11, such as one-touch Hitchcock zoom mode, night mode for video, and so on, which is still very friendly to novice videographers.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Review: Battery & Charging
For this 2k 120 Hz screen, Mi 11 is paired with a 4600 mAh battery. Most people will be concerned about whether battery life will be a problem on the device. We did test the phone with some performance-hungry games in our review. Playing Genshin Impact for half an hour consumed 18% of power while BrightRidge for 13 minutes consumed 12% of power. As you can see, the Mi 11’s battery efficiency is not outstanding. But playing mainstream games such as PUBG mobile at Ultra high quality and Ultra frame rate for 27 minutes only consumed 9%.
When we switched to HDR quality in extreme frame rate, this reduced to 11%. At maximum brightness Call of Duty mobile consumed 15% of the power in 37 minutes of gameplay. I think for moderate to heavy use every day, you’ll need about two charges a day, which I think is good for a phone with an outstanding 2k 120Hz screen.
Mi 11 Box Charger comes separately
While battery life isn’t great, it charges quickly. The 55w wired and 50w wireless charging combo is pretty top notch. Charging with the 55w GaN Charger, it charges to 43 in 10 minutes, 95 in half an hour, and takes just 40 minutes to fill up to 100%. If you are interested in wireless charging, you can get Xiaomi’s 50W air-cooled wireless charging dock. The charging speed is almost identical to wired charging.
So after seeing our review, are you excited about the Mi 11? What I can tell you is that I’m very excited. You can get probably the best AMOLED display of the year for just 3999RMB (~$620), and that alone makes the Mi 11 worth it for me. If you don’t care that it doesn’t have a telephoto lens, it’s pretty much the best phone to buy at this price. The better alternatives are more expensive, while the cheaper ones can’t match the Mi 11 in terms of features.
Earlier today (8th January 2021), Pan Jiutang, a partner of the Chinese brand Xiaomi, shared a post on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging website, which talked about how the cost of Xiaomi Mi 11 and the Apple iPhone 12 are the same.
In the post, Pan Jiutang added that the Cupertino based giant is considered cost effective among other companies in the west, especially in regions like the US and Europe. Furthermore, it was said that Apple also used its strong brand influence to cut its channel costs significantly. The company achieved this despite the retain channel costs in America and Europe being high.
This is not the first time Pan Jiutang has mentioned the cost of the 2021 Xiaomi flagship and the latest iPhone model. The Chinese tech giant’s Mi 11 arrives with a starting price of 3,999 Yuan (roughly 617 US Dollars), on the other hand, the base iPhone 12 costs somewhere around 820 US Dollars in the US. Notably, this also marks a rise in the price of Xiaomi’s premium grade flagship handsets.
Interestingly, it was also reported around November 2020 that the material cost of the iPhone 12 is somewhere around just 373 US Dollars, but take this with a pinch of salt. Additionally, other cost factors like research and development, marketing/advertising, and other expenditures also has to be taken into consideration. Unfortunately, it is currently unknown what the material cost of the Xiaomi Mi 11 is at the moment.
Motorola is likely to announce a couple of G-series phones such as Moto G Stylus (2021), Moto G Power (2021), and Moto G Play (2021) soon. The Moto G Stylus (2021) smartphone has appeared on the Geekbench benchmarking platform today. The listing has revealed the key specifications of the smartphone.
The Geekbench listing shows that the Moto G Stylus (2021) is powered by a Qualcomm octa-core processor that has a base frequency of 1.71GHz. The SoC is mentioned with its ‘minsk’ codename in the listing. The source code of the listing shows that the high-performance cores of the SoC work at 2.21 GHz and it has Adreno 612 graphics.
The codename of the chipset and the information that has surfaced through the source code has that the device could be equipped with the Snapdragon 678 chipset that went official in December. The SD678 chip is an upgraded version of the older Snapdragon 675 SoC.
The Geekbench listing states that the Moto G Stylus (2021) is equipped with 4 GB of RAM. The device can be seen running on Android 11 OS. In the single-core and multi-core tests of Geekbench, the handset scored 542 and 1650 points, respectively.
Recent reports have revealed that the Moto G Stylus (2021) measures 169.6 x 73.7 x 8.8mm. The handset is equipped with a 6.8-inch display with a punch-hole design. The rear shell of the device reportedly features a 48-megapixel + 8-megapixel (ultrawide) + 2-megapixel (depth) + 5-megapixel (macro) lens quad-camera system. For capturing selfies, it has a 16-megapixel selfie snapper. It has a rear-facing fingerprint sensor. The device will be also equipped with stylus support.
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