Qualcomm unveils the QCC305x SoC series for Truly wireless earbuds

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Dec 16, 2020

Qualcomm has today unveiled the QCC305x wireless chip series. The chip is said to be designed mainly to help its customers differentiate across a range of tiers in the very fast-moving truly wireless earbud category. This is coming several months after the QCC514X and QCC304X chips were announced earlier in March.

The QCC305x SoCs is the latest addition to the mid-tier Qualcomm QCC30xx series of SoCs. The platform expands the wireless audio use cases delivering powerful support for many of the firm’s premium audio technologies.

Further, the QCC305x features support for the forthcoming Bluetooth Low Energy Audio standard which makes it possible for early-adopting OEMs to commence the development of an end-to-end implementation with smartphones and truly wireless earbuds supporting the exciting new audio sharing use case.

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James Chapman, vice president, and general manager, Voice, Music, and Wearables, Qualcomm Technologies hinted that: “We are entering a new era for the expanding truly wireless earbud category, which is diversifying at a terrific rate bringing new use-cases and feature enrichment to products in virtually all tiers.”

“Not only do our QCC305x SoCs bring many of our latest-and-greatest audio features to our mid-range truly wireless earbud portfolio, but they are also designed to be developer-ready for the upcoming Bluetooth LE Audio standard. We believe this combination gives our customers great flexibility to innovate at a range of price points and helps them meet the needs of today’s audio consumers, many of whom now rely on their truly wireless earbuds for all sorts of entertainment and productivity activities.”

The QCC305x SoCs are designed to support superior end-to-end operability from a Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered smartphone to Qualcomm-Technologies powered earbuds. The recently announced Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset to help deliver this true end-to-end experience with the Qualcomm FastConnect 6900 connectivity system, brings mobile-side support for Bluetooth 5.2, LE Audio, aptX audio, and other features providing further interoperability benefits for sound quality, wireless audio robustness, and responsiveness.

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Xiaomi Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro launched in Nigeria with non-aggressive pricing

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Dec 16, 2020

After teasing the Mi 10T series launch for the past few days, Xiaomi Nigeria has finally debuted the smartphones in the country. We thought the company would be only bringing the regular Mi 10T to the region. However, we turned out to be wrong as the firm has announced the Pro variant as well.

The Xiaomi Mi 10T series is the second generation of Mi T series of phones. Its predecessor Mi 9T series was nothing but a rebadged Redmi K20 series. But the current-gen consists of original devices but still two of them are sold as Redmi K30S Ultra (Mi 10T) and Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G (a tweaked Mi 10T Lite) in China.

Having said that, Xiaomi usually doesn’t launch its expensive products in Nigeria. But despite the global economic crisis due to the COVID-19 padmic, the company debuted most of its products in almost all the regions where it has a presence.

Hence, the Mi 10T series has made their way to Nigeria as well. Anyway, going by the comments on social media, people in the country seem not to be happy with the pricing.

Because Xiaomi has priced the Mi 10T (8GB + 128GB) at N231,000 ($608) and Mi 10T Pro (8GB + 256GB) at N265,000 ($697) respectively. To be fair, the Nigerian pricing is equivalent to that of European.

But netizens are complaining that the same handsets cost less in countries like India and China. And it is definitely not wrong for them to criticize but at the end of day, local regulation and taxation plays a key role for any product’s price.

We hope that one day people in Nigeria could purchase Xiaomi products at a reasonable price.

Get $10 off on Redmi Watch at Giztop, Limited Time Offer

By

Greeva Agnihotri

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Dec 16, 2020

Redmi recently expanded its horizon and entered into the wearables category by launching Redmi Watch. It boasts multiple sports modes and sensors to help the user keep track of their health and sports activities. Currently, this watch is being sold with a massive $10 off and can be purchased for just $49 on Giztop.

Redmi Watch features a 1.4-inch square display having a pixel density of 323PPI. With over 20 custom and 120+ dial options, this smartwatch allows one to choose and personalize the display according to their preference. It is enhanced with 7 sports modes for tracking both indoor and outdoor activities like running, outdoor and indoor cycling, walking, and swimming. The functions like heart rate sensor, sleep tracking, and sedentary monitoring help users keep a tab on their health. This unit stores the 24-hour heart rate data and also supports breathing training functions for added versatility.

Redmi Watch has 5ATM water-resistance (up to 50m). Its 230mAh battery can last for up to 7 days in a single charge; long endurance mode extends its battery life for up to 12 days. This smartwatch supports Bluetooth 5.0 technology, NFC connectivity and is compatible with more than 270 city bus cards, access cards, Xiaomi door locks, etc. Furthermore, this smartwatch is equipped with a built-in Xiao AI voice assistant that extends control of one’s smart home from the convenience of their wrists. Redmi Watch-1-

Packed with a host of features, Redmi Watch offers added versatility and user convenience at a reasonable price. As a bonus, this watch is currently being sold at a discounted price of just $49 at Giztop. The deal is available only for a limited time, so make the most of it.

AMD Ryzen 7 5800H CPU hits GeekBench with improved performance over its predecessor

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Dec 16, 2020

A benchmark of AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800H has allegedly been leaked on Geekbench – and it has some rave reviews. The benchmark was seen on the Twitter feed by a well-known tipster ASPIK (@TUM_APISAK) and can be compared against its predecessor, the Ryzen 7 4800H, and also the existing Comet Lake-H CPUs from American tech firm Intel.

Of course, this alleged leak has to be handled with caution, but if the benchmark score is a fair representation of its performance, then the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H is well primed for serious competition to Intel’s Tiger Lake-H family of flagship processors expected to be released within Q1 of 2021.

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The Ryzen 7 5800H CPU, from Silicon valley company, AMD was featured in the soon to be released Acer Nitro AN515-45 notebook whose configuration includes a 16G DDR4 memory. As per performance, the 5800H consists of eight cores and 16 threads and was running at a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost speed of 4.45 GHz, while the overall mean performance across all cores was a stable 4.40 GHz.

The 5800H processor allegedly has a score of 1,475 in the Geekbench 5 single-core test, and 7,630 for multi-core performance. This means that it has chalked up an impressive 35% performance than the Ryzen 7 4800H in single-core, and this ought to concern Intel, virtually set for the impending release of its Tiger Lake CPUs. In addition, the ability to boost at 4.45 GHz would imply that the Ryzen 7 5800H could out-perform the Intel Core i9-10900K by about 5% in single-core performance.

In reality, the difference in performance looks minimal and insignificant, but in putting it in perspective, note that the Ryzen 7 5800H is a mobile chip within a notebook, whilst the Intel Core i9-10900K is a full desktop processor with a much higher power limit (35W vs 250W).

There has been much activity in the highly competitive segment of processors and chips in 2020. The Ryzen 5000 Mobility CPUs will likely be announced at CES 2021, as an indication that the intense competition will continue at least beyond 2021. So AMD and Intel are just two players in a widening field of competitors pursuing the production of faster and energy-efficient CPUs.

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Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max is just a point short of topping DXOMARK display rankings

By

Balaji S

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Dec 16, 2020

DXOMARK has released the display test results for the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max. And the device performs well in all departments. In fact, it is just one point short of topping the charts.

According to the test report, Apple‘s iPhone 12 Pro Max gets an overall score of 88. As per the official rankings, it now sits second to Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. To compare, its sibling iPhone 12 Pro, which recently scored 87 points, sits in third place. Anyway, with these points, it also shares the second place with OnePlus.

Precisely, the company’s 2019 flagship OnePlus 8 Pro also scores 88 whereas Samsung’s Note 20 Ultra tops with 89 points. Talking about Apple’s 2020 flagship, it has a slightly larger 6.7-inch OLED display compared to 6.5-inches on the iPhone 11 Pro Max. Anyway, let’s look at the display specs below:

6.7 inches OLED display (87.4% screen-body ratio)
Dimensions: 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.4 mm (6.33 x 3.07 x 0.29 inches)
Resolution: 1284 x 2778 pixels, (458 PPI)
Aspect ratio: 19.5:9
Refresh rate: 60 Hz

That said, DXOMARK says that iPhone 12 Pro Max performs exceptionally well in rendering contents almost in every lighting condition. Some of its strong points include the peak brightness, HDR10 contrast in video playback. Additionally, it also handles the aliasing effect well with smooth transitions in gaming.

However, just like the predecessors, this also seems to be affected by too much of the color cast. The report says that the display puts out a strong yellow tint in almost all tested conditions. That’s not all as the device seems to be a bit dull in low-light scenarios and adding a strong blue light filter impacts reading at night.

To sum up, Some of its Pros are well maintained HDR10, gamma levels and aliasing effect, smooth transitions across lightings. It has cons like yellow cast(almost all scenarios), low low-light brightness along with occasional flicker, too much darker while playing SDR contents.

Nokia C1 Plus launched in China for ¥499 ($76)

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Dec 16, 2020

After unveiling the Nokia C1 Plus for international markets, HMD Global has now launched this entry-level smartphone in China priced at ¥499 ($76). It will go on sale starting Christmas Day (December 25) in the country.

The Nokia C1 Plus is a device targeted at first-time smartphone buyers. It features a 5.45-inch IPS LCD panel on the front with a resolution of 1440 x 720 pixels (HD+), 18:9 screen-to-ratio, and a 5MP selfie camera with an LED flash above it.

The back of the phone houses another 5MP shooter, again accompanied by an LED flash. Further, the volume rocker and the power key are located on the right side. Whereas, the 3.5mm headphone jack is at the top, and the MicroUSB port, the microphone hole, as well as the speaker grille are at the bottom.

The device is powered by an unknown quad-core processor clocked at 1.4Ghz. This silicon is paired with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage. Because of its low-end hardware, the handset runs Android 10 Go Edition.

Other features of this phone include dual-SIM, 4G LTE, single-band WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2, GNSS (GPS, A-GPS), FM Radio, microSD card slot (up to 128GB), proximity sensor, accelerometer, ambient light sensor, and 2,500mAh removable battery with support for 5W charging.

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Last but not least, the Nokia C1 Plus comes in two colors – Red & Blue, measures 149.1 × 71.2 × 8.75mm in dimensions, and weighs 146g.

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 CPU, Memory variants listed online; could launch in early 2021

By

Balaji S

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Dec 16, 2020

Microsoft recently announced the Surface Laptop Go, a toned-down variation for the masses. Now, the company is expected to place such powerful and upgraded processors inside the Windows-tablet ‘Surface Pro’ lineup. Now, European retailers have already listed the Surface Pro 8 along with storage versions suggesting an imminent launch.

According to an exclusive report by winfuture.de, the upcoming Microsoft Surface Pro 8 tablet will have a Wi-Fi-only and Wi-Fi + LTE version. You can take a look at the processor variants and their RAM, storage configurations respectively below:

Wi-Fi + LTE, i5 version

LTE i5 8GB/128GB
LTE i5 8GB/256GB
LTE i5 16GB/256GB

Wi-Fi only, i5 version

i5 8GB/128GB
i5 8GB/256GB
i5 16GB/256GB

Wi-Fi only, i7 version

i7 16GB/ 256GB
i7 16GB/ 512GB
i7 16GB/1TB
i7 32GB/1TB

Note: Here i5, i7 denote Intel® Core™ multi-core processors; According to the report, it is likely to be the latest 11th gen processors. Storage mentioned – SSD.

That said, the report says the Surface 8 Pro, apart from the above different variants, will include Surface Pen and the Surface Type Cover. Besides, as you can see above, the i7 models reportedly don’t have the LTE version. As for colors, the new tablet will likely have a Black, and Platinum Gray options.

However, the LTE version doesn’t reportedly come in the Black color. And as the above names suggest, LTE will maximum support network up to 4G. This means 5G enthusiasts will have to wait a bit considering it isn’t officially rolled out in many countries. Still, as per the report, the tablet in Europe will have a wireless module, and antennas integrated directly from the factory.

The LTE version will have a maximum of 16GB RAM, while the Wi-Fi version has up to 32GB memory. Also, the previous leak indicates that the RAM would be clocked at 4267MHz. Although i7 users have limited scope with Wi-Fi only version, report says the it will be a high-end model with Core i7-1165G7 quad-core CPU, Max. 32GB RAM, and 1TB USD at €3000 ($3,650).

Further, the Surface Pro 8 will reportedly include a 12.3-inch FHD+ display with a 3:2 aspect ratio and a 2736 x 1824 resolution. The new tablet will launch alongside the new Surface Laptops(likely 4th Gen Surface Laptop) in early 2021. While the pricing is still a mystery, don’t be surprised if Microsoft manages to also launch an AMD version with very little change from the outside.

Facebook announces a new Instagram Lite app with less features and a ~2MB size

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Dec 16, 2020

Popular social media apps have lite versions which have been designed for markets where internet service is not reliable and or very expensive. These lite apps such as Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite, and Twitter Lite are also the best option for phones with low resources as they take up less space and require less processing power. Today, Facebook has announced a new Instagram Lite app, adding to the list of toned-down apps for Android phones.

Yes, this is a new one as there used to be one before which was shut down by Facebook earlier this year. The new Instagram Lite app was announced by Facebook at an event in India today dubbed “Facebook Fuel for India”. The app which is just under 2MB in file size ditches some features you will find on the main app such as Reels, Shopping, and IGTV for a faster and even cleaner experience. If you are one of those who don’t like the aforementioned features, then the Instagram Lite app is for you.

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For now, the Instagram Lite app is limited to India and it is available in multiple local languages including Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu.

It is not surprising that India is getting the app first. The South-Asian country is the country with the highest amount of Facebook users – over 310 million users according to a November 2020 report by Statista. Facebook says it plans to expand availability to more countries when it is done with the testing in India. However, one should be able to sideload the APK.

The original Instagram Lite app was discontinued in May due to some unstated issues. The new app which was listed on the Play Store earlier this month already has about 5 million installs.

Xiaomi Backpack 10L available for the discounted price of $5.99

By

Simranpal Singh

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Dec 16, 2020

Xiaomi is bringing exclusive deals on Gearbest from the past few weeks. Several daily-use products and smartphone accessories – Mijia ToothBrush, Xiaomi Mi Air2 SE and Mijia Electric Screwdriver were on sale from the past few weeks. Similarly, Xiaomi Backpack 10L is now on sale for the best price of $5.99 from Gearbest. The interested users have an option to choose from four different colour options of Hot Pink, Blue Ivy, Orange and Black.

Update: The black colour backpack is now out of stock, but the other three colours are still available.

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A single user can order a maximum of 2 units as of now. However, it can be shipped anywhere in the world, but make sure to check the availability in your region.

Xiaomi Backpack 10L offers a minimalist and lightweight design while offering good shape. It carries mesh and cotton back panel fit for better back support. The backpack also packs wide shoulder straps for comfortable and effortless lifting. The bag measures 5.91 x 1.97 x 3.94 inches and weighs 410 grams.

It’s a hot deal right now and may get out of stock any moment. So, we suggest you hurry if are looking to buy Xiaomi Backpack 10L.

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Related: Xiaomi Mi QLED TV 4K 55 launched in India: Android TV 10, Dolby Vision, and 30W speakers

OPPO A15s launched in India with more RAM/storage, 8MP selfie camera, and new colors

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Dec 16, 2020

After a number of leaks, Chinese smartphone maker OPPO has finally launched the OPPO A15s in India. It is said to be a slightly upgraded version of OPPO A15 that debuted in the country in mid-October. Let us take a look at the specs, features, and price of this handset.

OPPO A15s Specifications and Features

The newly unveiled OPPO A15s is similar to the already available OPPO A15. The only major differences are that the former features an 8MP selfie camera and comes in a single 4GB + 64GB storage configuration On the other hand, the latter sports a 5MP selfie shooter and is only sold in lower 2GB/3GB + 32GB variants in India.

Another small but notable dissimilarity is that the latest handset comes in two new colors namely Fancy White and Rainbow Silver, in addition to standard Dynamic Black.

Apart from the above-mentioned differences, the OPPO A15s is OPPO A15 inside out. Hence, it is powered by the same MediaTek Helio P35 chipset paired with eMMC 5.1 storage and LPDDR4x RAM. As for software, it runs ColorOS 7.2 based on Android 10.

On the front, the device sports a 6.52-inch IPS LCD panel with a resolution of 1600×720 pixels (HD+), 269ppi, 71% NTSC color gamut, 1500:1 contrast ratio, and 88.7% screen-to-body ratio. This screen can reach a peak brightness level of 480 nits and has a 60Hz refresh rate as well as a 60Hz touch sampling rate.

There is a dew-drop notch at the top of the display housing the selfie camera. Whereas, the rear panel of the handset features a 13MP (wide, f.2.2) + 2MP (macro, f/2.4) + 2MP (depth, f/2.4) triple camera setup and a capacitive fingerprint sensor.

Other features include dual-SIM, 4G, VoLTE, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, GNSS (GPS, A-GPS, BeiDou, GLONASS), MicroUSB 2.0 port, 3.5mm headphone jack, microSD card slot, and 4,230mAh battery.

OPPO A15s Pricing and Availability

The OPPO A15s is priced at ₹11,490 ($156) and will go on sale starting December 21. It can be purchased from Amazon India and leading offline retailers in the country.

As part of launch offers, customers can avail a 5% cashback via ICICI Bank, Bank of Baroda, and Federal Bank credits cards as well as ZestMoney if they opt for no-cost EMI (up to six months).

Also, customers buying through financial services like Bajaj Finserv, IDFC First Bank, HDB Financial, Home Credit, HDFC Consumer loan, and ICICI Bank don’t need to pay down-payment.

Samsung Galaxy M02s Google Play devices listing suggests it could be a rebrand of Galaxy A02s

By

Balaji S

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Dec 16, 2020

Samsung is already working on the next budget M series of devices. Dubbed the M12, a device has already appeared on several certifications. Today, a report by Gadgets360 says another Galaxy-M series device is in the works. And it could be a rebrand of a Galaxy-A smartphone.

According to the report, a Samsung device with model number SM-M025F appears on Google Play Supported devices list. Accordingly, it’s marketing name is shown as Galaxy M02s. Besides, the device also has a codename ‘a02q’. This not only matches with the Galaxy A02s in the listing but also suggests that the device could be a rebrand of the latter.

That said, a few weeks back, a Samsung device with model number SM-M025F/DS was spotted on the company’s official support page. While the device is speculated to be the Galaxy M02 and a rebrand of the Galaxy A02, it could just be a variant of the Galaxy M02s.

Anyway, the Galaxy A02s which launched back in November, is yet to go on sale in Europe. Priced at €150, the device has quite the specifications to perfectly fit as a successor to the Galaxy M01s smartphone. It has better specs like a bigger display, powerful processor, triple cameras etc.

Galaxy M02s Specifications( Expected from A02s)

Either way, if Galaxy M02s turns out as the rebrand of Galaxy A02s from Europe, it will feature a bigger 6.5-inch HD+ display instead of the 6.2-inch on the M01s. Additionally, it will also have a better Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 SoC under the hood.

If you look at the rear of the Galaxy A02s, it has a vertically striped triple-camera array. This is a sensor plus from the dual camera of the Galaxy M01s. Anyway, the M02s will likely have a 13MP main, and two 2MP sensors.

Other expected specifications are a 5,000mAh battery with 10W charging, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, MicroSD expansion up to 1TB, and more. Let’s wait for the official details to ascertain the above claims.

Apple will use ‘hybrid OLED’ displays on iPads from 2022: Report

By

Balaji S

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Dec 16, 2020

Back in November, a report said Apple plans to introduce mini-LED and OLEDs to iPads by 2021. However, an update from several tipsters revealed that the iPad will have OLED displays only by 2022. Now, a report from Korea has more details regarding the display tech that’s coming to the iPads.

According to the report, Apple has made the decision of introducing OLEDs to iPads from 2022. In fact, it has already made requests to suppliers like Samsung Display and LG Display. What is interesting here is the new OLED tech that Apple is reportedly going to use.

Precisely, Apple will use “hybrid OLED” displays on the 2022 iPads. These are said to be thinner than typical OLED displays. Samsung will reportedly start supplying these panels in 2022 while LG Display will join a year later. A source for the report says Samsung has already started taking necessary steps for it.

Also, if another source is true, Apple will use Samsung’s panel on one iPad model in 2022. Following this, both Samsung and LG will begin the full-scale supply from 2023. Speaking of which, the hybrid OLED panels will reportedly be a combination of flexible and rigid OLED. Basically, the terms refer to the rigid(glass) or flexible substrates that are being used.

The latter obviously is about 3x times costlier than rigid OLED and can withstand more impact. Anyway, the new panel from both the companies will have a rigid glass substrate(TFT- Thin Film Transistor). On top of this, it is said to be applied with TFE (Thin Film Encapsulation) technology.

Simply put, the TFE is used in flexible OLEDs to reduce the overall thickness whilst not compromising on the rigidity. Samsung calls it the UT(Ultra Thin) panel while LG says it as ATO (Advanced Thin OLED).

Either way, it looks like 2022 iPads will be the first to use OLED displays after a lot of rumors. Also, you can take a look at the display transition of its portfolio of products below:

First AMOLED product by Apple- Apple Watch 2015.
First OLED iPhone- iPhone X(2017)
Current Apple watch– use LGD’s Flexible OLED(2020)
First mini-LED MacBook– 14-inch(rumored-2021)
First OLED iPad-Expected-2022.

That said, rumors aside, Apple’s transition from LCD to LED tech has been a smooth and cleverly positioned strategy starting from 2015. Besides, the report also mentions the possibility of Apple using mini-LED on iPads in 2021. These are basically a film of backlit LEDs over a Liquid Crystal Layer(LCD).

Motorola-branded 4K Android TV dongle may soon launch in India

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Dec 16, 2020

With the advent of streaming wars, more companies have started releasing streaming devices. That’s not all, smart TVs have now become cheaper than ever before. In India, the country’s popular eCommerce platform Flipkart sells these sorts of products under three different brands namely MarQ, Nokia, and Motorola.

Now, according to Android TV Guide, Flipkart may soon release the first Motorola-branded 4K Android TV dongle. This device will bear the model number DVM4KA01 and will be powered by an Amlogic S905Y2 chipset with a 1.8GHz quad-core (ARM Cortex-A53) CPU and ARM Mali-G31 MP2 GPU.

This streaming dongle will run Android TV Pie and will support both Netflix and Prime Video. Manufactured by an ODM called Shenzhen SDMC Technology Co., Ltd., this device is also known as HAKO Mini (Taiwan), Polaroid SmartBox S, and Philips NeoViu D1.

Since the latter models are already official, we can visualize how the Motorola dongle will look like. The only major difference should be the presence of Motorola branding.

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That said, when Flipkart will launch this product in India, it will be primarily competing against Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K since there aren’t any 4K streaming dongle, although there are boxes like Mi Box 4K.

The only Android TV competitor we could think of is the unreleased Mi TV Stick 4K, which is said to be powered by the same chip.

Real-life images of the Huawei Nova 8 surfaces online a week before launch

By

Balaji S

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Dec 16, 2020

Ever since the Huawei Nova 8 launch date was announced, we have been coming across a lot of leaks. In the run-up to the December 23 event, it looks like everything about the device will probably be revealed. A recent leak shares the real-life images of the Nova 8 non-Pro in Green color.

As reported by ITHome, tipster Digital Chat Station has revealed the real-life image of the Huawei Nova 8 smartphone. Accordingly, the Nova 8 will have a 6.57-inch FHD+ OLED display. The display will have a refresh rate of 90Hz and probably a 2560×1080 pixel resolution. Interestingly, a live image shared by him shows a single punch-hole screen.

This leak corroborates the early report on specifications which said Nova 8 will have a 90Hz OLED screen with 1 billion colors. Anyway, a new report by ITHome shares additional images of the Nova 8. It shows the rear of Nova 8 having a Green color with an oval-shaped camera module.

Earlier today, a leaked render showed a similar module that goes well with this leak. The module has an LED flashlight and four sensors out of which the first one is pretty large. As you can see below, it has a white ring around it, and “AI QUAD CAMERA”, “ULTRA HD SENSOR” slogans surround it. Also, there is a ‘nova’ branding and Huawei logo at the bottom.

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Nova 8, 8 Pro Camera Specifications(Expected)

Besides, the tipster says that the punch-hole on Nova 8 is about 4mm and the same as that of Huawei Mate40. However, the difference here is the punch-hole is moved to the center instead of the top-left position on the latter. Plus, it also confirms that Nova 8 series will have two devices.

This is because the previously leaked poster showed a device with a dual punch-hole screen which is likely Nova 8 Pro with dual cameras. Speaking of which, the Nova 8 series’ camera specifications will almost be similar unlike the predecessor, Nova 7 and 7 Pro. At the back, both the devices will have a 64MP main, 8MP ultra-wide, two 2MP sensors(likely macro, depth).

On the other hand, the Nova8 will have a single 32MP selfie shooter whereas the Nova 8 Pro will have dual 32MP and 16MP sensors. Other alleged specifications include a Kirin 985 SoC, 66W SuperCharge technology, and a rumored starting price of 3,000 yuan($458) for Nova 8, and 4,000 yuan($611) for 8 Pro. Let’s wait for the official launch to know more.

Google patents a fitness tracker design similar to Amazon Halo

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

-

Dec 16, 2020

Last November, Google announced that it will be acquiring Fitbit for $2.1 billion. The acquisition is yet to complete but the search giant has already patented a design for a fitness tracker. Like any other patent, it is not sure if this will ever end up as a consumer product.

According to 91Mobiles, Google filed this design patent with the United States Patents and Trademarks Office (USPTO). The documentation with a number of design sketches mentions it to be a “wristband for tracking fitness”.

Looking at the sketches, we can notice that this fitness tracker is somewhat similar to the recently launched Amazon Halo. In other words, it does not feature a screen, and therefore, wearers will have to rely on their connected smartphone to known the readings.

Further, the strap of this wearable seems to be fitted with the tracker itself. If that is the case, then customers will have to buy a new unit if they want a different color. This suggests that this fitness tracker could be a part of a subscription service just like Amazon Halo.

That said, although the documents do not say anything about this product’s specs, we think that it will use a magnetic charger since there are pogo pins near a sensor that appears to be for heart-rate monitoring.

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Anyway, if Google is ever to release a such wearable, we expect to learn about it before its official announcement via leaks and certifications.

Apple is working on AirPods Pro ‘Lite’, arrives without noise cancellation

By

Sean

-

Dec 16, 2020

Apple has confirmed that it is working on releasing an AirPods Pro ‘Lite’ version. This new variant of the popular TWS earbuds from the company arrives without its popular active noise cancelling feature and is expected to launch at a lower price tag.

As per TheElec report, the Cupertino based giant is working on such a product to expand its presence in the wireless earphones market, which has grown immensely in recent times. The report states that the Lite variant of the AirPods Pro without the noise cancelling feature will launch sometime within the first half of next year. At the moment, the company is developing a system-in-package (SiP) product containing ‘H1’, an AirPod audio driver chip, through a domestic materials partner.

The existing SiP has a rounded shape, while the upcoming Lite variant is expected to feature a simple square design. According to the report, it is scheduled to undergo quality verification within this year and start production in 2021. As per a source close to the matter, the price of these new hearables will be around 20 percent lower than the price of the AirPods Pro that arrives with the active noise cancelling technology.

Apparently, Apple had originally planned on launching the AirPods Pro Lite immediately after the base AirPods Pro. However, the demand and popularity of the latter exceeded expectations causing the company to delay the product to maximize its sales and margins. Apple is one of the most popular brand in the hearables market, so the move to launch a more affordable AirPods would only benefit its position in the industry.

Samsung will not discontinue the Galaxy Note series in 2021: Report

By

Sean

-

Dec 16, 2020

Over the last couple of months, various rumors and reports had surfaced regarding Samsung discontinuing its Galaxy Note series of flagship smartphones. However, a company official has stated otherwise, saying that the company is not planning on killing off the series anytime soon.

According to a SamMobile report based on a Yonhap News article, a Samsung official revealed that the company is “preparing to release the next Galaxy Note series next year.” In other words, we can expect a Galaxy Note 21 lineup along with the Galaxy S21 series. For those unaware, the rumors behind the discontinuation of the Galaxy Note series were strengthened after TM Roh, Samsung’s mobile business chief, hinted that the Galaxy S21 will arrive with S Pen support.

But the source from within the company stated that “Roh’s message does not mean that the Galaxy Note series will be discontinued.” At the moment, there are various conflicting reports regarding the future of the Galaxy Note series, with reports stating that the company might completely shut down the lineup, or launch one last generation before merging it with the flagship Galaxy S series.

Unfortunately, we still have no way of confirming any of these reports, and will have to wait for an official company announcement to know for sure. Furthermore, Samsung could possibly decide to end its Note lineup in favor of the new Galaxy Z series of fordable handsets in the near future, but this is again speculation so take it with a pinch of salt for now. So stay tuned for more, as we will be providing more updates when additional information is available.

Xiaomi Mi QLED TV 4K 55 launched in India: Android TV 10, Dolby Vision, and 30W speakers

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

-

Dec 16, 2020

Xiaomi India has entered the premium smart TV category with the launch of Mi QLED TV 4K 55. The newly unveiled Mi TV is the company’s first QLED television for the country. Initially, it was thought to be the Mi TV 5 Pro that the brand introduced in China last year. But then, the company itself confirmed that the model launching in India will be different. Let us take a look at the specs, features, and price of this new television.

Xiaomi Mi QLED TV 4K 55 Specifications and Features

As the name suggests, the new Xiaomi television flaunts a 55-inch QLED panel with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels (4K), 100% NTSC color gamut, 95% DCI-P3 color gamut, and 96% screen-to-body ratio. The panel supports all the popular HDR standards such as Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG. But unfortunately, the display does not come with the local-dimming feature.

Further, the TV also supports RealityFlow (MEMC) and Vivid Picture Engine (proprietary display profile tweak). As an added bonus, the television comes with a metal frame, carbon fiber back, and metal stands. However, the wall mount is sold separately. The regular variant costs ₹499, whereas the swivel version is priced at ₹1,199.

Under the hood, it features the MediaTek MT9611 chipset with the Mali-G52 MP2 GPU. This silicon is paired with 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. The television’s chassis also includes a 30W 6-speaker system consisting of 4 x full-range speakers and 2 x tweeters. They operate at around 50-20KHz frequency range and support Dolby Audio and DTS-HD.

The TV runs Android TV 10 and therefore, it comes with Google Play Store, Chromecast Built-in, and Google Assistant. Like any other Mi TV, it also ships with PatchWall launcher, a content aggregation service that is currently at v3.4. The minimal Mi TV remote is also included as part of the package.

Talking about connectivity and I/O, the television comes with dual-band WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, 3 x HDMI 2.1 (eARC, 5ms input lag – 4K@60fps, ALLM – Auto Low Latency Mode), 2 x USB 2.0 (Type-A), Ethernet (RJ45), 1 x optical, AV, and 3.5mm headphone jack.

Other features include Mi Quick Wake (faster boot time – under 5 seconds), Mi Quick Mute (double press volume down to mute), and Mi Quick Settings (long press Mi button to access settings).

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Last but not least, being a smart TV, it supports all the streaming platforms in India and Xiaomi has even announced that Discovery+ and Lionsgate Play will be coming soon to PatchWall.

Xiaomi Mi QLED TV 4K 55 Pricing and Availability

The Mi QLED TV 4K 55 is priced at ₹54,999 ($748). It can be purchased from Mi.com, Flipkart, Mi Home, Vijay Sales, and other leading retail stores starting December 21.

Customers buying from Flipkart can avail a 10% discount via SBI Credit Card or EMI transaction for a limited time.

SK Hynix begins operations in its foundry factory in China

By

Sean

-

Dec 16, 2020

SK Hynix is beginning operations from its foundry factory in China. The South Korean chipmaker held a factory production ceremony earlier this week and is now starting operations from the Chinese unit.

SK Hynix System IC’s factory can handle with 8 inch wafers, which is notable since Chine has numerous fabless companies, as per TheElec report. At the moment, China’s fabless market is estimated to have a value of 25.5 billion US Dollars, which is expected to more than double by next year reaching 68.6 billion US Dollars. This news also arrives after China’s largest chipmaker, SMIC, being added to the entity list by the US government, which should benefit the South Korean company.

Back in 2018, SK Hynix entered into a joint venture with the Wuxi government and has since completed its factory in 2019. Since then, the company had been working on shifting some of its equipment at its M8 fab in its South Korea to the newly opened one in China. Other necessary equipment are expected to be transferred by the end of 2021, and will have fab produced in China while research and development will be undertaken in South Korea.

Notably, the news also arrives as SMIC shares fell after one of its top executive resigned. The surprising resignation of the co-CEO Liang Mong Song was shared via online media outlets and stated that the reason for his departure was the appointment of a vice chairman without his approval. The Chinese semiconductor based firm has since seen a drop in shares between 7.2 percent to as much as 9.8 percent lower, which is the most in a day since the past three months, as per a Fortune report.

Honor to soon launch a new product, the company’s first after going independent

By

Jeet

-

Dec 16, 2020

About a month ago, Chinese giant Huawei officially confirmed selling off its sub-brand Honor to Zhixin New Information Technology Co. Ltd. Since then, the company has gone through a lot of structural change, and now Honor is set to launch its first product.

Zhao Ming, CEO of the new Honor band, shared a letter on Weibo, signed as Honor Management Team. In that, he has confirmed that the company will soon launch its first product after going independent from Huawei.

However, he has not revealed much about what the product is and what is the timeline for the launch. There have been reports claiming that the company could launch the Honor V40-series smartphones sometime in early 2021.

Coming back to the letter shared on Weibo, which was written to celebrate the seven-year anniversary of the Honor band, Zhao Ming thanked the company’s users, distributors, retail partners, suppliers, and manufacturers.

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It has also been confirmed that the company will be hosting an annual fan meet next month where the future of the Honor brand will be discussed. We expect the company to make an announcement about upcoming products at that event.

Zhao Ming has said that the company’s aim is to become the leading smartphone brand in China, surpassing its former parent company and the current market leader, Huawei. He has also set an ambitious sales target of 100 million units for the upcoming year.

The company has already started working towards that goal. It is currently in the process of getting its supply chain in order and is also expanding the Honor brand’s presence in the offline space. It has already opened stores in cities like Chengdu, Lanzhou, Wuhan, and Xiamen, and plans to keep launching new stores.

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