Infinix Smart HD 2021 goes official for ₹5,999($81); X1 Android TV features, India sale date revealed

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Dec 12, 2020

A few days back, Infinix said that it would reveal the pricing of the Smart HD 2021 entry-level smartphone in India. Today, as promised, the company has revealed the price and launch date officially. The company has also revealed the features and sale date of its first Android TV in the country.

Infinix Smart HD 2021 Price & Availability, X1 Android TV sale

The Infinix Smart HD 2021, as said in the earlier report, has a 2GB RAM, 32GB storage. It is now priced at ₹5,999($81.36). The official teaser page on Flipkart says the device will launch on December 16, at 12 PM IST. Considering the specs and price are already out, this should be the date for the first sale on Flipkart.

Apart from the entry-level smartphone, Infinix has also announced its First Android Smart TV in India. The X1 Android TV, as the company calls it, will go on sale from December 18 in the country. However, the Price will likely be announced on the launch date which is on December 14.

Infinix Smart HD 2021 Specifications

Infinix Smart HD 2021 features a 6.1-inch IPS HD+ display with 500nits brightness. The resolution will henceforth be 1560×720 pixels. Under the hood, it will have an SoC powered by 1.2GHz paired with 2GB RAM, 32GB storage, expansion via microSD up to 256GB.

Sporting Green, Blue, Dark Gray colors, the device also has 8MP cameras on front & rear, a rear fingerprint sensor, face unlock, a 5,000mAh battery, DTS Audio. Although Flipkart isn’t listing the specs yet, a page leaked by a Twitter user(@technoankit1) shows that it will run Android 10 Go Edition.

X1 Android TV features

The X1 Android TV is the first Smart TV of the company in India. A video shared by the company on Twitter shows the features and specifications it will bring to the table. The TV is already said to come in 32-inch and 43-inch variants with a 400 nits brightness display.

Besides, the teaser opens up to the TV with a bezel-less design. The video reveals that the display on the TV will have EyeCare Technology, TÜV Rheinland certification for Blue-Light reduction, and Epic 2.0 Picture Engine with HDR10 and HLG.

Presenting the most awaited certified android TV from Infinix for the #SafestViewingExperience ever.
Sale starts on 18th Dec.

Check out on Flipkart: https://t.co/kj9qU8EDBO #NewLaunch #AndroidTv #InfinixIndia #AbRuknaNahi pic.twitter.com/DSZRJDbfal

— InfinixIndia (@InfinixIndia) December 12, 2020

For the unware, HDR10 is High Dynamic Range whereas HLG is Hybrid Log-Gamma. It is a backward-compatible standard meaning contents will be encoded to support a wider dynamic range whilst being on the SDR(Standard Dynamic Range) region.

Further, the teaser also confirms features like 24W speakers, Dolby Audio, Android TV certification(Google Assistant and Chromecast built-in) with support for OTT apps like Netflix, HBO Now, and more. The X1 Android TV, as per the teaser, will also feature a 64-bit quad-core MediaTek SoC with 1GB RAM, 8GB storage.

6-year-old Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is receiving a new update

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Dec 12, 2020

The year 2020 has been an exceptional year for mobiles. We not only have smartphones powered by 5nm chips but also consumer-ready foldable phones. OEMs have also been fast in delivering software updates in most cases. Interestingly, some of the brands even delivered updates for their out of support devices. Joining this elite list is the 6-year-old Galaxy Tab S 8.4.

Samsung launched the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 as the first model in the Galaxy Tab S flagship tablet series in 2014. This tablet came in two variants – WiFi and LTE. The former was powered by Exynos 5420, whereas the latter featured Qualcomm Snapdragon 800.

The main highlight of this product was its 8.4-inch WQXGA (1600 x 2560 pixels) Super AMOLED display. It debted with Android 4.4.2 (KitKat) and was updated up to Android 6.0 (Marshmallow). It has been over 6 years since this product was released and its software support has ended years ago.

Despite that, the WiFi variant of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 with model number SM-T700 is now receiving a new update with firmware version T700XXU1CTK1 in Europe. This update rollout was first reported by GalaxyClub and since they don’t have access to this old tablet, the changelog for this new build is not known.

Also, it is not sure if this update will be made available for other regions as well as the LTE variant. Anyway, if you still happen to have this tablet lying around somewhere in working condition, then do try updating it.

ZTE 65W GaN Charger launched with three output ports and folding pin

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Dec 12, 2020

ZTE has launched a new high-speed gallium nitride-based charger in its home country China. Dubbed as ‘ZTE 65W GaN Charger’, this charging accessory features three ports and supports multiple charging standards. Let us take a look at its entire specs, features, and price.

ZTE 65W GaN Charger Specifications and Features

The new ZTE super-fast charger uses gallium nitride (GaN) and therefore, it is comparatively smaller than similar spec’d fast chargers based on silicon. This 65W charger features a 90° folding pin and comes with three output ports – 2 x USB Type-C and 1 x USB Type-A respectively.

The maximum current outputs provided by this charger are as listed below.

USB Type-C 1 = 65W
USB Type-C 2 = 65W
USB Type-A = 30W
USB Type-C 1 + USB Type-C 2 = 45W + 18W = 63W
USB Type-C 1 + USB Type-A = 45W + 18W = 63W
USB Type-C 1 + USB Type-C 2 + USB Type-A = 45W + 15W = 60W

Talking about charging protocols, it supports the following and some other popular ones as well.

USB Power Delivery (PD) 3.0
Qualcomm Quick Charge (QC) 3.0
HiSilicon Fast Charging Protocol (FCP)
HUAWEI SuperCharge (SCP)
Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging (AFC)

In simpler words, this single charger can be used to charge all your devices like smartphones, tablets, laptops, handheld gaming consoles, cameras, and other accessories. But unfortunately, it only comes in a single white color option.

ZTE 65W GaN Charger Pricing and Availability

The ZTE 65W GaN Charger is priced at ¥149 ($23) and is already up for sale in China. There’s no word on this product’s international availability. Hence, if you are interested in it, then you will have to import it.

MEIZU Watch enters mass-production; a new TWS with ANC may tag along

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Dec 12, 2020

Back in June, Meizu confirmed the launch of its first-ever proper smartwatch in Q4 2020. But the year is about to end and the company is yet to start teasing its new wearable. Instead, we are getting an update regarding this product from a popular leakster.

According to the well-known Chinese tipster Digital Chat Station, MEIZU Watch has entered mass-production. He also disclosed that this wearable would be backed by a 420mAh battery that is being supplied by a Shenzhen-based firm called Guardian.

Additionally, the leaker revealed that Meizu will also be launching a new pair of truly wireless earphones with support for ANC (Active Noise Cancellation). Unfortunately, he did not say anything about when these two products will be announced. Also, it is worth noting that this is the first time we are hearing about Meizu working on a TWS with ANC.

As of now, we are only sure about two things regarding the upcoming MEIZU Watch. First and foremost, it will be powered by Flyme For Watch software, as confirmed by the company itself. However, the base operating system is a mystery. It is not known whether the smartwatch will run Wear OS (Xiaomi Mi Watch), AOSP (OPPO Watch Chinese version), or something else (vivo Watch).

Secondly, the teaser poster that confirmed Flyme for Watch also gave us a hint that this watch will sport a square-shaped display. Apart from these two parameters and the battery capacity, nothing else is known about the MEIZU Watch.

If Meizu is indeed announcing its first actual smartwatch by the end of this year, then we can expect the brand to start teasing it in the coming days on the official Meizu Smartwatch Weibo account.

Note: We are calling this upcoming Meizu wearable as the company’s first proper/actual smartwatch as the firm has already released ‘Meizu Smart Watch Mix’ aka ‘Meizu Light Smartwatch’, a hybrid smartwatch in 2016.

Xiaomi’s Merach Nano Pro Massage Gun launched on Indiegogo

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Dec 12, 2020

In July this year, Xiaomi launched the Merach Merrick Nano Pocket Massage Gun under crowdfunding on the Youpin platform. As you may be aware, the Youpin platform isn’t open to intending backers outside China who may want to lay their hands on the product. The product has how been relaunched for the global market via Indiegogo.

The Merach NANO Pro features a compact body that is manufactured using aluminum alloy which has high strength, is lightweight, and brings a much better thermal conductivity. The aluminium alloy also good corrosion resistance. For maximum comfort and portability, both sides of the NANO Pro’s handles have soft silicone padding to assist with gripping, slip-resistant, and anti-knock.

The massage gun offers three intensity levels which include warm-up, enhance, and high intensity. It is compact but includes all the professional capabilities to meet everyone’s needs.

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With high-powered torque of up to 600mN.m, 40lb force and a high-speed impact of 3500rpm, NANO Pro can precisely stroke into the hard-to-reach 8mm deep muscle group and effectively breaks up the lactic acid in the muscle for quick pain relief and fast recovery time after exercise, thus offering you a very comfortable and pleasant experience.

It is equipped with an embedded brushless motor and unique internal structure optimization technology. It also has a super low noise level of only 40dB at the 3500 rpm maximum speed, which is almost silent.

The Merach NANO Pro massage gun has a large battery capacity of 2500mah and a working time of 7-12.5 hours. However, the power consumption increases as the speed is increased. But at the base speed, you can use the NANO Pro for a month on one single charge if it is used an average of 15 minutes daily.

Further, it supports USB-C power delivery which is currently the fastest and most popular charging technology. The massage gun can be fully charged in less than 2 hours.

The Merach massage gun comes with four interchangeable massage heads to target all muscle groups and customize your massage. This will help relax all muscle tissues and aid relaxation.

The Merach Nano Pro Massage Gun adopts a Super Early bird starting price of $89. There are other available perks on the Indiegogo crowdfunding page. The gadget is expected to ship later this December.

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Samsung Galaxy S21+ handled in real skin in leaked video posted on YouTube

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Dec 12, 2020

Samsung Galaxy S21+ has been in the news in an unprecedented frequency and it doesn’t look like that will stop anytime soon. Just a couple of days back, we saw the first live image of the Galaxy S21+, and recently, more details of the product emerged. Right now, a video of the next-generation Samsung flagship has appeared online.

The YouTube video was posted by the YouTube channel Random Stuff 2 and is about 4-minutes long, enough to give us a detailed first look at the device. It also confirms most of the details that have leaked concerning the Galaxy S21 series.

When the design is compared to the Galaxy S20 line up, the device noticeably has an improved, razor-thin bezel. The device features a 6.7-inch 120Hz screen which an immersive viewer experience will look better on, thanks to the trimmed bezels which are uniform on all sides.

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Previous leaks show that the Galaxy S21 series will adopt a new camera design. The Galaxy S21+ features three cameras on the rear.

The model that leaked in the video is said to be a pre-production PVT (Production Validation Test) unit, according to tipster Max Jambor. There will be a matte black finish on the final model. But the good thing is we have now confirmed what the Galaxy S21+ will look like.

The leaker behind the 4-minute video claims to have had the opportunity of using the flagship phone for over two weeks. Tipster Max Weinbach also suggests that the leaked smartphone unit is likely a carrier unit, either from T-Mobile or Metro which may have been given out for network connectivity testing before the launch.

We didn’t get to see the camera samples as the cameras were not tested in the video. The leaker hinted, though, that he wasn’t too impressed by the camera because certain shots got too saturated in that the blues are too blue and the greens are too green.

The video also shows the device running the GeekBench app and the test suggests the device is the Snapdragon 888-powered model. The Galaxy S21+ polled a single-core test score of 1,115 points and on the multi-core test, it scores an impressive 3,326 points.

Samsung is expected to officially announce the Galaxy S21 series on January 14.

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Samsung is being sued by Ericsson over patent licensing disputes

By

Sean

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Dec 12, 2020

Earlier this week, Ericsson filed a lawsuit against Samsung in the US. The company alleged that the South Korean tech giant has breached contractual commitments and even failed to negotiate over patent licensing and related payments.

According to a FierceWireless report, the telecom giant is accusing Samsung of violating its obligations for essential patent licensing under FRAND (Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory) terms. Furthermore, Ericsson wants a declaratory ruling that the companny complied with its own licensing commitments. A Samsung spokesperson reached out to FierceWireless via email and stated that, “Once we receive the complaint, we will review it and determine an appropriate response.”

In an announcement on December 11, Ericsson stated that the royalty payments for its intellectual property could be delayed if the renewal negotiations do not conclude before the current one expires. According to the telecom equipment provider, the delay in royalty payments and potential cost of litigation could have Ericsson see an operating income hit between roughly 118 to 177 million US Dollars starting in the first quarter of next year.

Ericsson filed the complaint against Samsung in the District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. In the complain, the company stated that, ““Without 4G and 5G technology and Ericsson’s inventions incorporated therein, smartphones and other mobile devices would not be able to provide the constant on-the-go access to video, streaming media, and gaming that consumers expect today.” It further added that both parties, “understood that Samsung would owe Ericsson a substantial balancing payment.”

Google Chrome, Firefox, and other browsers suffer from a widespread malware campaign

By

Sean

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Dec 12, 2020

Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and other browsers are suffering from an ongoing malware campaign. The attack has affected various browsers and is designed to inject ads into search results and add malicious browser extensions as well.

According Gadgets360 report, a Microsoft blog post stated that from May to September 2020, the company recorded hundreds of thousands of encounters of the Adrozek malware across the globe. The tech giant even tracked 159 unique domains, each of which hosted an average of 17,300 unique URLs. This in turn hosted an average of over 15,300 distinct, polymorphic malware samples. The malware’s primary aim is to lead users to affiliated websites and even serve them ads by injecting them into search results.

Furthermore, the malware achieves this by also silently adding on other malicious browser extensions as well. This changes the browser settings to insert ads into webpages, where one wouldn’t otherwise find them. These ads can then be found on top of other legitimate ads from the search engine and is claimed to also modify DLL per target browser. In simpler terms, it can turn of security controls on the browser.

According to a Microsoft researcher, “Despite targeting different extensions on each browser, the malware adds the same malicious scripts to these extensions. In the past, browser modifiers calculated the hashes like browsers do and update the Secure Preferences accordingly. Adrozek goes one step further and patches the function that launches the integrity check.”

Cyberpunk 2077 rakes in $480 million from Pre-Orders alone, tops sales and streaming charts

By

Sean

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Dec 12, 2020

Prior to its actual launch date, Cyberpunk 2077 was already a success, with over 8 million copies already being sold worldwide through pre orders alone. These copies sold for around 60 US Dollars, bringing in a total just shy of 500 million US Dollars before the game even launched.

According to a BusinessInsider report, the new title has already amassed great sales, which show no signs of stopping. After its December 10 launch, Cyberpunk 2077 has topped sales chart and is also consistently the most viewed video game on popular game streaming service, Twitch. The game is also currently one of the most highly played title with Steam stats showing more than a million concurrent players at its peak. Keep in mind, this is on Steam alone, and doesn’t include any other service like Epic and even launched through GOG as well.

For those unaware, Cyberpunk 2077 was made by the renowned Polish studio CD Project RED who were also behind the popular Witcher series of games. The game was first announced back in 2012, and has been in development since. After 8 years, the hype behind the title had grown considerably, making it one of the most or if not the most anticipated launch in several years.

The game is an open world RPG title set within a cyberpunk styled world in the year 2077. It even has the famous Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves playing a major character in the game. Notably, the game is originally based around a table top board game that first launched in 1988. Since then, various sequels and spin offs have also launched with the latest, Cyberpunk RED, being the direct prequel to the event occurring in Cyberpunk 2077.

Vivo Y52s with 90Hz display, Dimensity 720, and 48MP dual cameras and 5G launched in China

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Dec 12, 2020

The Vivo Y52s is the latest budget-friendly 5G smartphone to go official in China. The handset sports a generic waterdrop notch display at the front. However, the screen carries support for a high refresh rate. The rear side of the device features a unique camera housing that includes 48MP dual cameras and an LED flash. After the Vivo Y73s and Vivo S7e, the Vivo Y52s is yet another Dimensity 720 SoC powered phone from the brand.

Vivo Y52s specifications and features

The Vivo Y52s has an LCD panel of 6.58 inches that offers a 20.07:9 aspect ratio and a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2408 pixels. The screen also supports HDR10, a 90Hz refresh rate, and a 180Hz touch sampling rate. The handsets offer a screen-to-body ratio of 90.61 percent. It measures 164.15 x 75.35 x 8.4mm and it weighs 185.5 grams.

The Dimensity 720 SoC is coupled with 8GB of LPPDR4x RAM. For storage, the handset comes with support for 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage. It lacks support for a microSD card slot. The FunTouch OS based Android 11 OS comes preloaded on the smartphone. For maintaining internal temperature, the budget-friendly phone comes with a liquid-cooling technology.

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At the front, the Vivo Y52s has an 8-megapixel selfie snapper. The back panel of the phone features a 48-megapixel primary camera with f/1.79 aperture and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. The rear cameras of the Y52s include features like night scene mode, time-lapse photography, 10x digital zoom, EIS, 4K video recording, and up to 1080p slow-motion video shooting.

The Vivo Y52s is backed by a 5,000mAh battery that supports 18W dual-engine fast charging. For security, the Vivo Y52s features a side-facing fingerprint reader and face unlock support. It comes with other features such as dual SIM, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, USB-C, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Vivo Y52s pricing and availability

The Vivo Y52s has arrived in China with a price tag of 1,898 Yuan (~$290). It comes in three colors such as Coral Sea, Monet, and Titanium Gray.

Samsung Galaxy S21 series new leak reveals names of accessories, new 30W fast charger

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Dec 12, 2020

Samsung is likely to hold the Galaxy Unpacked 2021 event on Jan. 14 to unleash the Galaxy S21 series. Over a month ahead of the alleged launch event, Various sources have been leaking information on the Galaxy S21 5G, Galaxy S21+ 5G, and Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G smartphones. MySmartPrice has collaborated with popular tipster Ishan Agarwal to share leaked information on the accessories for the Galaxy S21 trio.

The report reveals that the South Korean company will be selling a wide range of accessories for the buyers of S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra. The alleged names of the accessories for the Galaxy S21 series are Clear View Cover, Led Cover, Led View Cover, Silicone Case, Leather Cover, Protective Standing Cover, Clear Protective Cover, Clear Standing Cover, and Clear Cover.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G render by Letsgodigital

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The Galaxy S21+ and Galaxy S21 Ultra users will stand a chance to use Smart Kvadrat Case in Mint and Violet variants. Samsung has never offered S Pen support on its smartphones except for the Note series. The tipster corroborated in previous leaks by stating that the Galaxy S21 Ultra will be the first S series smartphone to arrive with S Pen support. However, it will not have a dedicated compartment for storing the stylus. The report states that Samsung will sell S Pen and Silicon case combo that will let users store the stylus along with the S21 Ultra.

As recent reports have revealed, the retail package of the S21 series will not have chargers in some markets. These markets will receive the USB-C cable in the retail package, but not the charger. According to the tipster, the South Korean company will be offering its chargers at a cheaper cost than before. It will also be introducing a new 30W fast charger.

Samsung Galaxy S21 hands-on video leaked; storage, color variants, S Pen support for Ultra variant revealed

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Dec 12, 2020

Samsung is yet to officially confirm the date for its upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event. However, the South Korean company has reportedly revealed that the Galaxy S21 series will be debuting on Jan. 14. Well-ahead of the launch, multiple leaks have appeared to reveal almost everything about the S21 series. The specifications of the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 Ultra had emerged earlier this month. An official teaser video was leaked this week to showcase the design of the Galaxy S21 trio. A fresh leak by Winfuture.de has revealed the storage and color variants of the Galaxy S21 series for the European market. At the same time, a leaked hands-on video of the S21 has appeared to reveal its appearance.

The publication revealed that the Galaxy S21 5G will come in two sizes such as 128 GB and 256 GB and it will be available in color variants like gray, white, pink, and purple.

*Samsung Galaxy S21 5G render by Letsgodigital*

The Galaxy S21+ 5G will also arrive in 128 GB and 256 GB storage choices in Europe. It will be available in three hues such as silver, black, and purple.

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The Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G which is the topmost model in the lineup will come in three storage options such as 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB. It can be bought in colors such as silver and black.

*Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G render by Letsgodigital*

The leak also mentions that the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G will arrive with S Pen support. However, unlike the Note series models, it will not have a dedicated shaft for storing the stylus. The S Pen will be available as an optional accessory for the buyers of the S21 Ultra. In addition, users of the Ultra model can invest in special Clear View and Silicon Cover cases for storing the S Pen along with the device.

Shown above is a leaked video that shows the alleged Galaxy S21 5G in real. The video showcases the edge-to-edge display of the S21 along with its redesigned rear camera setup. The rear shell of the device that is rumored to be of polycarbonate material has a matte finish.

Apple kicks off its own cellular modem development; trouble for Qualcomm?

By

Balaji S

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Dec 11, 2020

After a high-intensity battle over royalty payment dues, Apple and Qualcomm settled over a deal in 2019. This effectively wiped Intel out of the 5G smartphone modem business. And now, it looks like Qualcomm might also lose a big chunk of revenue in the future as Apple starts developing its own cellular modem.

As Bloomberg reports, Johny Srouji, Senior VP of Apple Hardware Technologies made the announcement in a meeting with company’s employees. Precisely, he says that the company kicks off the first internal cellular modem development. Accordingly, this decision will have a key impact someday in the future if not today.

Citing this as another strategic transition, he says the $1 billion acquisition of Intel‘s modem business helped them build a team of engineers. If we call, apart from hiring Intel’s 5G mobile technology head, the company actively hired engineers from Qualcomm as well. Adding to the tally of wireless chips, he also said that this modem will join Apple’s W-series(Apple Watch) and iPhone‘s U1 ultrawide-band chips.

In case you don’t know, a cellular modem is essential to a Smartphone. It makes calls, and internet connection possible via wireless cellular networks. And now, Qualcomm might be in danger of losing revenue(11% as of now) from Apple. This is because Apple’s self-reliance has pushed it to invest in processor, camera chips, and now cellular modems.

Besides, after Qualcomm acquired the deal of supplying 5G modems to Apple, Intel reported a multi-million dollar loss and accused the former of anti-competitive practices. However, it looks like Qualcomm will be in a similar situation in the future. As a head start, report says Qualcomm’s shares dropped about 4.4% in New York on Friday(December 12) at 9:37 AM(GMT+5:30).

Although this is a momentary lapse, the company should be wary of Apple’s goals here. Currently, iPhone 12 series including iPhone 12 mini, 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max use Qualcomm’s 5G modems. Anyway, it has a deal that makes Apple procure its 5G modems at least until 2024. This suggests that Apple’s own cellular modem won’t be featuring on its devices anytime soon.

Apart from the cellular modem and recently launched M1 chip, Srouji says Apple is working on a ‘family’ of Mac chips. It is reportedly planning to oust Intel’s fastest chips hinting at the processors up to 32-cores.

Hyundai Motor to buy a controlling stake in U.S robotics firm Boston Dynamics

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Dec 11, 2020

South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Group has agreed to buy a controlling stake in US robot firm, Boston Dynamics from SoftBank Group Corp in a deal worth $1.1 billion.

In a statement released on Friday (via), Hyundai said the purchase would fast track its expansion plans in the automation of its vehicle assembling processes in its factories and production of autonomous cars, drones, and robots, as it pursues transformation from a carmaker to a broader mobility service provider.

Hyundai said the deal, which involves a new share issue, would give the company and its Chief Executive a combined 80% stake in Boston Dynamics, with Softbank retaining 20%.

Newly promoted Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung sees the future business direction of the company would be a mix of traditional car manufacturing, robotics, and urban air transportation in the ratio of 50%:20%:30%.

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Chung will own a 20% stake in Boston Dynamics, while Hyundai Motor and its affiliates Hyundai Mobis and Hyundai Glovis will have a combined 60% holding in the new firm.

Softbank Group Chief Executive Masayoshi Son said the partnership with Hyundai Motor Group would accelerate the robot maker’s path to commercialization.

Boston Dynamics was an offshoot of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992 and has changed hands from MIT to Google in 2013 and then to SoftBank in 2017. It chalked up a net loss of $103 million in 2020, following declines from previous years. The transaction, subject to regulatory approvals and other considerations, is expected to be concluded by mid-2021.

For Hyundai Motor Group, this is the latest move in a seemingly well-choreographed lineup of deals under Chung, who had pledged to transform the automaker into a mobility provider.

Hyundai Motor Group announced in January 2020 that it had partnered with Uber to develop electric air taxis, although it would seem the venture was not productive, as Uber said this week it plans to sell its loss-making flying taxi unit to Joby Aviation.

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Tipster hints the Exynos 2100 will consume far less power than the Exynos 990

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Dec 11, 2020

Samsung’s soon to be released Exynos 2100 flagship processor will be more power-efficient and yield a significantly longer battery life than the Exynos 990, according to reports from tipster Ice Universe, via a tweet from his Twitter feed.

The Galaxy S20 Ultra equipped with Exynos 990 was found to consume 55-percent of the battery during a “test project”, while the Galaxy S21 Ultra, fitted with Exynos 2100 lost only 22-percent for a similar test.

Further details of the test project were not provided by Ice Universe although it seems to be based on the phone’s energy usage for specific tasks under certain conditions. The Exynos 990 is a 7nm processor, while the Exynos 2100 will be a 5nm chip.

In comparison, the Snapdragon 888 is also a 5nm processor. Those two chips will be direct competitors in 2021, and Samsung will use both in its smartphones.

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The Exynos 2100 will power Samsung’s high-end smartphones in Europe and the Indian sub-continent, while the Snapdragon 888 will apply for products produced for US and Chinese markets.

Performing the same test project, the S20U equipped with Exynos990 consumes 55% of the battery, while the S21U equipped with Exynos2100 only consumes 22%👏

— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) December 11, 2020

Qualcomm has a record of outclassing Exynos processors with their own offerings. It is yet to be seen whether this trend will change in 2021. What is obvious is that Samsung was certainly not oblivious of its rating with Qualcomm’s chips and could have gone the extra mile in research and development to berth the Exynos 2100.

Initial reports and projections have already put the Exynos 2100 a considerable step ahead. Samsung may indeed have realized the shortcomings of its processors, and made significant improvements and modifications with its latest chip. this time around.

It remains to be seen how accurate these claims are. The Exynos 2100 will likely come on stream by mid-December although Samsung has not put out a definitive statement to this effect.

Samsung is expected to announce the launch of its Galaxy S21 series in mid-January 2021, and they are likely to be the first phones to come with the Exynos 2100 processor.

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Redmi Smart TV Max 98-inch to hit offline store 8 months after launch

By

Balaji S

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Dec 11, 2020

Xiaomi announced the Redmi Smart TV MAX 98-inch back in March in China. This is the company’s Biggest TV by-far in the country. After multiple sales across its online channels, Xiaomi is finally ready to let users experience the 98-inch madness in a store and buy it offline.

As Mydrivers reports, Xiaomi‘s Mi Home Weibo has shared an official post regarding the arrival of the TV. Accordingly, Xiaomi will open a new Mi Shenyang Changbai Wanxianghui store on December 12 in China. The Mi Home store will be located in Shenyang city, northeast Liaoning Province of the country. Anyway, at the launch, the company says it will unveil the Redmi Smart TV MAX 98-inch for the first time in an offline store.

If you recall, the company, despite announcing the TV two weeks back, launched the 98-inch TV only on 9th April, 2020 in China. Priced at 19,999 yuan($3054), the TV was available for sale online via Xiaomi Mall and official website. Now, after about eight-months of sale, the company seems to be bringing it to the offline market as well.

That said, the improvement in sales could have made the company push it for the offline segment. To be precise, the company first sold over 1,500 units in less than 11 hours back in June. Later, it followed this trend with another 1,600 unit sales in a single day. Having said that, we need to wait and see how Xiaomi manages to attract the offline audience to buy this humongous TV.

Coming back, Xiaomi says the new Store will also include gifts for people who buy the Redmi Smart TV MAX 98-inch. One such is the Redmi Note 9 as per the company’s post. However, it’s unclear if the gift will be a 4G or one of the 5G versions. Additionally, there are other surprise gifts as well but they are supposed to be limited.

The Redmi Smart TV MAX 98-inch is as tall as the company’s founder Lei Jun. The TV is huge and complex to build as well. Consequently, installing the TV at your home also requires a special professional team. Some of the notable features include a 98-inch 4K UHD display panel(LCD) that has 85% NTSC color gamut, 192 dynamic backlight zones, MEMC motion compensation, custom Amlogic T972 SoC with 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, and more image quality tuning technology.

DOOGEE S59 Pro rugged phone with a 10050mAh battery launching on Dec. 15

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Dec 11, 2020

Chinese smartphone company DOOGEE, which specializes in manufacturing affordable rugged smartphones, has announced a launch event for its latest model – S59 Pro. The brand’s upcoming top smartphone will make its international debut on December 15th at 11:00 am Beijing time. The conference will be broadcast live on YouTube.

The DOOGEE S59 Pro has been revealed before. The phone is equipped with a 5.71-inch HD+ display and run Android 10. The device is powered by an Octa-core MediaTek Helio P22 CPU with a clock speed of 2.0 GHz. The rugged phone will pack a Quad camera setup on the back. The camera includes a 16-megapixel AI Samsung main lens, an 8-megapixel wide-angle lens, an 8-megapixel macro lens, and a 1-megapixel depth sensor.

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Other features that have been confirmed include a mammoth 10050mAh battery and has support for NFC, Google Pay Protect. The phone also packs 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The device packs a 2W powerful speaker. In addition, this smartphone will come with an IP68 waterproof and dustproof function and IP69K.

Intended buyers can choose from three color options of black, green, and orange.

In terms of price, Doogee S59 Pro will be sold globally at a price of $199.99. Pre-orders are currently open and can be pre-ordered on AliExpress. Doogee earlier on hosted a giveaway of the new smartphone for intending buyers and fanboys which they could participate in and grab the smartphone for free.

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Lumi launches the Aqara Induction Night Light with up to 8 months battery life

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Dec 11, 2020

Xiaomi‘s ecological chain company Lumi technology is known for its range of smart home products ranging from the smart door lock, smart hub, smart home surveillance camera, smart clothing dryer to other IoT gadgets. The brand has now launched the Aqara Induction Night Light in China.

The induction light is powered by two AA batteries which can last up to 8 months. The battery can replace d with rechargeable ones. The lamp utilizes adhesive magnetic stickers which will make it possible to be fixed in many places such as wardrobes, at the foot of the bed, in corridors and other places.

The lamp features a 3200K warm yellow LED light source and has two levels of brightness which can be switched via a button at the side. It has a power rating of just 0.06 W.

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In terms of the design, the Aqara induction lamp adopts a triangular prism shape with a length of 17.5cm. The light source part is equipped with a white guide plate, which is soft and not dazzling.

This induction light is equipped with two sensors which include a human body and a light sensor with a sensing distance of 5-6m. The horizontal sensing angle is 120° and the longitudinal sensing angle is 30°. The sensor will turn on the light when it detects a person passing by, and will automatically turn off within 15 seconds. According to the calculation based on 12 times a day, this lamp can last up to 8 months.

As for the price, the Aqara Induction Night Light carries a retail price of 49 yuan ($7) and is available on Tmall.

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Samsung releases GameDriver app to update GPU drivers on its phones

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Dec 11, 2020

Qualcomm was the first chipmaker to introduce support for updateable GPU drivers with the launch of Snapdragon 865. A few months later, ARM also announced support for the same. That said, Xiaomi became the first OEM to release an app to update GPU drivers on its devices earlier this year. The company was later followed by OPPO and vivo. Now, Samsung has also joined this bandwagon with its new GameDriver app.

Smartphones are the gateway to the internet in many developing nations. They are also the people’s first computer and gaming device. Therefore, with the introduction of more affordable smartphones, the smartphone gaming industry has been growing at a higher rate than ever before.

As a result, a new breed of handsets called gaming smartphones emerged. Even companies began to promote gaming on their devices no matter whether it is a premium or budget device.

With the growth of this industry, chipmakers added support for updateable GPU drivers just like on PC. Therefore, with a proper app, OEMs can deliver GPU driver updates without relying on system updates. This also allows them to fix issues quickly.

Coming back to Samsung, the South Korean tech giant calls its GPU updater app GameDriver and it is part of the firm’s Galaxy GameDev initiative. There are two variants of this app, one for ARM Mali GPUs (Exynos-powered phones) and another for Qualcomm Adreno GPUs (Snapdragon-powered phones). Both of them are available on Google Play Store as well as Samsung Galaxy Store.

Currently, these apps are only applicable to the Galaxy S20 series and Galaxy Note20 series. Also, they only support the following games – Call of Duty: Mobile, Black Desert, and Fortnite.

Having said that, we can expect the support to extend for more handsets and games in the coming months since Samsung has partnered with more than 50 game studios, publishers, tool developers, game engine companies, and GPU vendors.

(Via)

realme Buds Q2 FCC listing shows a similar earbud design and battery as the predecessor

By

Balaji S

-

Dec 11, 2020

realme is getting in the groove of its usual launch cycle again. The company has already teased the realme Watch S and S Pro in India and confirmed the realme X7 Pro’s global debut in Thailand. Now, an FCC listing suggests that the second-iteration of Buds Q wireless earbuds isn’t that far away from launch.

As cnBeta reports, the realme Buds Q2 appears on FCC certification with a model number RMA2008. If we recall, the predecessor realme Buds Q had the model number RMA215. Although the model number isn’t following a pattern, it looks like the design will. The FCC listing shows that the Buds Q2 will have a similar round-shaped in-ear earbud as the predecessor.

This suggests that the company will stick to what it called the “cobblestone design” on the Buds Q. Anyway, the design of the earbud isn’t visible clearly due to the Bluetooth Antenna tag hiding the majority of it. Besides, there is a small cutout on the top of the earbud which is probably for the microphone. Apart from the design, the listing also shows the possible battery capacity of the earbuds.

1 of 2

Accordingly, the Buds Q2’s earbuds will have a 40mAh capacity each. Again, this is the exact same capacity on the earbuds of the original Buds Q. That said, the listing doesn’t have the capacity of the battery case which is understandable considering the particular listing is only for an earbud.

Anyway, the above details(including Bluetooth) suggest that Buds Q2 will borrow a lot of specs from the predecessor, if not be a replica. Previously, the TWS earbuds revealed themselves as the Buds Q2 at Indonesia Telecom certification. And although the version of Bluetooth isn’t mentioned, it should have the Bluetooth 5.0 just like the previous version.

Unfortunately, details like the charging case, audio driver, latency modes, and Touch controls aren’t known yet. The realme Buds Q2 appears just days after the realme Buds Air 2‘s FCC listing, and hence, we expect them to launch very soon.

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