Moto G9 Power is set to launch in India on December 8

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Dec 4, 2020

A recent job description on the official Intel website has revealed some interesting information. While it wasn’t a secret that the known chipmaker wanted to outsource production to TSMC in the future, but details regarding this shift were rather vague so far. However, the new job listing has revealed that Intel will be shifting its Atom and Xeon processors over to the world’s largest contract chipmaker.

According to a TomsHardware report, the job description states that “As a member of the QAT design team, you will work as the RTL integration lead within the Custom Logic ASIC Engineering group in DCG [Data Center Group]. You will play a key role in the development and integration of QAT into Atom & Xeon based SoC on Intel and TSMC process, you will work with the IP/SoC integration team and collaborate with the SoC design, validation, and emulation teams to ensure successful integration validation of the QAT IP.”

This clearly states that the company aims on shifting the production of its Atom and Xeon based SoCs to TSMC. At the moment, Intel currently produces several specialized variants of the Atom and Xeon based processors. Earlier this year, the Atm ‘Snow Ridge’ SoC with up to 24 Tremont cores was unveiled for 5G base stations. Similarly, it also Intel Xeon D series SoCs, which were powered by Skylake-SP cores that were aimed at networking and storage applications.

Furthermore, since the Xeon platform utilizes high performance cores and is sold at premium prices, it might not seem practical for Intel to outsource it to TSMC. This is due to the fact that it needs to recoup the cost associated with its own fabs. On the other hand, Intel’s Atom processors aren’t cheap to make, but utilize low powered cores and are less complex than the Xeon processors. So, it might be safe to assume that Intel might be shifting another lineup of processors to TSMC in the future as well.

Vivo X60 hands-on photos leak online showcasing the smartphone’s design

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Dec 4, 2020

Samsung recently unveiled its new mobile processor — Exynos 1080 and now Chinese device maker Vivo is ready to launch the world’s first phone powered by the newly launched chipset — Vivo X60 series.

However, ahead of the official launch of the Vivo X60 smartphone, the phone’s hands-on images have leaked online on Weibo, which showcased almost everything about the upcoming smartphones.

The Vivo X60 smartphone features a display with narrow bezels at the sides and there’s a punch-hole cutout in the top-center position on the screen for housing the front-facing camera sensor.

As for the cameras, the leaked image confirms that the phone features a rectangular camera module for the back panel which hosts the camera sensors as well as the LED flash. The module is placed in the top-left corner.

EDITOR’S PICK: Huawei and ZTE global telecom market share grows, thanks to 5G in their home country China

The Samsung Exynos 1080 is a 5nm processor with four Cortex-A78 CPU cores and four Cortex-A55 cores. It also packs Mali-G78 GPU and an AnTuTu benchmark result puts it ahead of the Snapdragon 865+ processor.

Recently, a report revealed that the Vivo X60 could be priced around ¥3,500 (~$528). It was also mentioned that the phone won’t compete against the Reno5 but it is pitted against the OPPO Reno5 Pro, both of which are set to launch on 10th December in China.

Tecno Pova gaming focused phone with Helio G80 and 6,000 battery launched for Rs 9,999 (~$135)

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Dec 4, 2020

Tecno introduced its POVA gaming smartphone line by announcing the Tecno POVA smartphone in markets like Nigeria and the Philippines in the recent past. Today, the company introduced the gaming-focused mid-range phone in India with an enticing price tag of Rs 9,999 (~$135)

Tecno POVA price in India

The Tecno POVA has arrived in two editions in India such as 4GB RAM + 64GB storage and 6GB RAM + 128GB storage. They are priced at Rs 9,999 (~$135) and Rs 10,999 (~$149), respectively. The phone will go on sale in India through Flipkart starting at 12 PM on Dec. 11. It can be bought in colors like Magic Blue, Speed Purple, and Dazzle Black.

Editor’s Pick: Tecno Camon 16 launched with Rs 10,999 (~$149) price as the cheapest 64MP quad camera phone in India

Tecno POVA specifications and features

The Tecno POVA houses a massive 6.8-inch LCD screen with a punch-hole design. It supports an HD+ resolution of 720 x 1640 pixels and a 20.5:9 aspect ratio. It comes with a rear-positioned fingerprint reader and it boots to HiOS 7.0 based Android 10 OS.

The MediaTek Helio G80 powers the smartphone with up to 6 GB of RAM. For storage, it offers up to 128 GB of internal storage and a dedicated microSD card slot. The handset comes with 18W fast charging support for its 6,000mAh battery.

POVA is fitted with a front camera of 8-megapixel. The rear camera module of the phone has a 13-megapixel primary camera, a 2-megapixel macro lens, a 2-megapixel AI lens, and a quad-LED flash unit. The phone comes with other features like a dual SIM slot, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Xiaomi Mi 11 concept render surfaces online, offers clear look at the next gen flagship

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Dec 4, 2020

With the new year being just around the corner, a new wave of 2021 flagship smartphones is expected to hit the market soon. Xiaomi is one of the relatively early launches for the year and now, a render of the device has surfaced online, which offers us a clear look at the Mi 11.

Here's what the Xiaomi #Mi11 might look like 👀

What do you think?

(concept based on leaks) pic.twitter.com/PhpECb7R6F

— Ben Geskin 📸📱👨‍💻 (@BenGeskin) December 3, 2020

The render was first shared by known designer Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) on Twitter. The tweet carried an image of the Xiaomi Mi 11 render and hinted at it being the first look for the 2021 flagship from the Chinese tech giant. Looking at this image, we can observe a full front display body with curved edges on every side, with a single punch hole selfie shooter on the front.

On the rear, a triple camera setup can be found, with a square arrangement with what appears to be a primary lens along with two other sensors of unknown make and function. At the moment, we do not have a lot of information to go on regarding the device, but a few educated speculations can be made. The Xiaomi flagship will likely sport Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 888 SoC, and would at least feature 2K resolution on its display, with support for 120Hz high refresh rate.

Notably, the most striking aspect of this render is the display, which is seemingly curved on all four edges of the smartphone. Furthermore, the render is also in line with the recently leaked images of the Mi 11. This leak also revealed the camera specs of the device, which is a 108 megapixel + 13 megapixel (ultrawide) + 5 megapixel (macro) triple camera setup. Unfortunately, this is still a render and we will have to wait for an official company announcement to know for sure, so take this report with a pinch of salt and stay tuned for more updates.

Huawei 5G equipment helps Soy farmers battle crop diseases in Brazil

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Dec 4, 2020

Goias, the Brazilian farm state, has rolled out its new pilot project earlier this week to increase the productivity of its yields. This is being achieved through effective and quick actions against diseases, which is backed by 5G technology and equipment provided by Huawei.

The rollout for the new agricultural support system is first being tried by soy farmers in the region. Notably, this arrives during the time when the Brazilian government is considering enforcing a ban on Huawei equipment from its 2021 5G frequencies spectrum auctions for telecom operators in the country. At the moment, the 5G technology being offered to producers will help improve crops through the collection of information through a system of sensors.

These sensors will be placed on the fields, on the harvesters, and even on drones, which will offer immediate and accurate meteorological and humidity data, as per Tiago Fontes, Huawei Brasil marketing director. According to a Reuters report, the combination of fast broadband communications with real time cloud data processing will offer farmers information within one hour that would’ve otherwise taken them at least three days to gather.

This would enable rapid action for these farmers that can quickly work to remove diseases and other potential threats to the crops. Fontes further added that “We launched this application for soy to show how 5G used with drones can raise productivity and reduce herbicide costs.” This pilot was first launched in the soy farming town of Rio Verde and utilized the 5G network built by telecom operator Claro. At the moment, it is still unsure what role the company would be allowed in the country’s 5G building, so stay tuned for more updates.

Apple patents a unique hinge design, could be for a foldable iPhone

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Dec 4, 2020

A new Apple patent has surfaced again, which has the company detail the mechanism of a unique hinge design. It is known that the company has been working on many different ideas through these patents, with the latest one showcasing how a display can expand along with the hinge articulation points for what could possibly be a future foldable iPhone.

According to an AppleInsider report, the Cupertino based had one of its patent applications be recently published earlier this week. The patent was titled “Electronic devices having folding expandable displays.” Apple has patented certain designs for a foldable iPhone in the past, and this arrives as another proof that the company will launch a foldable handset sometime in the future.

However, a notable aspect regarding the latest patent is the company’s work on the hinge structure. Looking at the patent, a multi link hinge structure can be observed, which means that the hinge isn’t comprised of one single mechanism but multiple complex structures in its entirety. The patent also states that the hinge structure could include “gear teeth, belts, and/or other movement synchronization structures” and may also feature “members that move relative to each other during bending.”

Furthermore, these moving components could also include compromise bars and links with opposing curved bearing surfaces. This would include stop surfaces as well that can “prevent excessive rotation of the bars and links with respect to each other.” The links might even be able to rotate around a pivot point that lies somewhere in the display separate from the hinge structure “living within the thickness of the display.”

A previous Apple patent with a dual hinge mechanism

In simpler terms, the patent could possibly be for a form of expandable display iPhone or even an iPhone with a slide out display. This is indicative by the “housing structures that support folding motions, sliding motions, scrolling motions, and/or other behavior,” which might be for a compact device that can offer additional screen real estate. Unfortunately, it is still too early to tell what this display technology is actually for. Apple might just include it in a product apart from the iPhone as well. So stay tuned for more updates.

Huawei and ZTE global telecom market share rises thanks to 5G in China

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Dec 4, 2020

Chinese telecommunications equipment providers, Huawei and ZTE, have seen gains in their respective global market share in the telecom networking market. This growth is primarily driven by their home country China and its 5G network.

For those unaware, Huawei, Nokia, Ericsson, ZTE, Cisco, Ciena, and Samsung are the top seven telecom equipment providers in the world; and in the third quarter of this year, Huawei arrived first with a 30 percent market share, which is up from 28 percent during the same period from back in 2019. Similarly, ZTE also saw a 2 percent rise from 9 percent in Q3 2019, to 11 percent in the third quarter of this year.

The primary reason for the growth in market share is apparently due to either company working on providing 5G infrastructure in China. The country is one of the first nations to offer commercial 5G and has been putting in efforts to raise its adoption rates and coverage for the newer and faster bandwidth. However, during this same period,, the other major telecom equipment providers like Nokia, and Samsung saw a fall in market share, as per a TelecomLead report.

Apart from the Chinese firms, most others saw a fall during Q3 2020, with Samsung’s market share falling from 3 percent to 2 percent year on year. Furthermore, Nokia, the second largest network equipment provider also had its share fall from 16 percent in 2019, to 14 percent in 2020. Both Ericsson and Ciena saw no rise and fall during this period with a steady 14 percent and 3 percent respective market share. Although, Cisco also saw a fall from 7 percent to 6 percent in the third quarter.

OPPO Reno5 series reportedly uses luminous materials; launching on December 10

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Dec 4, 2020

OPPO is gearing up to launch its next-generation smartphone lineup and as per the reports, the company is expected to launch the OPPO Reno5 series in its home country China on 10th December. However, the company is yet to officially confirm this, even though the phones are now up for reservation on JD.com.

Now, ahead of the official launch in the coming days, some interesting details about the phones have surfaced online. As per the report, the upcoming OPPO Reno5 series smartphones use luminous materials, making it the first in the world to do so.

OPPO REno5 and Reno5 Pro — OPPO Reno5 and Reno5 Pro

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The usage of luminous materials on the smartphone will offer a significant improvement in terms of face recognition. Previous reports have revealed that the Reno5 and Reno5 Pro will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G and MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ chipsets, respectively. There will also be a PRo+ model powered by SD865 SoC.

The smartphones will be featuring a quad-camera setup on the back, consisting of a 64-megapixel primary sensor. On the front side, it seems that the devices will feature a 32-megapixel snapper for taking selfies and video calling.

The Reno5 series models are also confirmed to sport Reno Glow 2.0 design and will come with support for the 65W fast charging technology. We expect to know more about the devices in the coming days.

United States adds China-based chipmaker SMIC to the Entity List

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Dec 4, 2020

The Trump administration has confirmed that two major Chinese companies — chipset maker SMIC and oil producer CNOOC have been added to the trade blacklist, alleging them to be Chinese military companies.

The Department of Defence has designated four companies for being owned or controlled by the People’s Liberation Army. The list includes Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC), China Construction Technology Co. Ltd, and China International Engineering Consulting Corp.

With the addition of these four companies to the trade blacklist of the United States, there are now 35 countries on the list. Companies on the list are barred from procuring or using technologies or goods made in the United States.

A couple of months ago, it was reported that the Pentagon was holding discussions to determine id the SMIC should be added to the Commerce Department Entity List. SMIC is one of the biggest players in China when it comes to chip manufacturing.

EDITOR’S PICK: Semiconductor equipment sales jump by 30 percent globally in the third quarter of 2020

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) heavily relies on the United States for supplies and getting blacklisted will make it a bit difficult for the company and will also hinder China’s plan to boost its chipset manufacturing technology.

However, blocking these companies from trading with US-based firms also hurts the suppliers, in this case, the US companies, as several of the companies highlighted in their request to the government to allow them to continue doing business with Huawei after the Chinese giant was added to the Entity List in May last year.

Honor V40’s YORK codename and YOK-AN10 model number revealed

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Dec 4, 2020

Honor was expected to announce the Honor V40 series in China in December. A recent report revealed that the launch date of the series has been postponed to January 2021. A fresh leak reveals that Honor will be announcing only one Honor V40 model.

Last year, Honor had announced the Honor V30 and Honor V30 Pro in November. Hence, the rumor mill has been speculating for a couple of months that these devices will be succeeded by the Honor V40 and Honor V40 Pro phones.

A Chinese tipster has found a record of the first Honor phone that the company will launch after it was recently reorganized as an independent brand. He revealed that the device is codenamed YORK and its model number is YOK-AN10. This device could be the Honor V40 smartphone.

Editor’s Pick: Honor to have 2% smartphone market share in 2021, claims TrendForce report

The leakster added that the company had originally planned to launch more than one V40 model. However, now that the Kirin chipset edition has been axed, there will be only one version of the V40. This remaining model is powered by a Dimensity chip. A recent report had revealed that the Honor V40 series had two models, one powered by the Kirin 9000 and another one by the Dimensity 1000+ SoC version

Vague rumors have revealed in the past that the Honor V40 will have a 6.72-inch FHD+ curved display with 120Hz refresh rate support. Its rear-facing camera module may have a 40-megapixel Sony IMX700 RYYB lens as the primary shooter. It could be equipped with dual front cameras for capturing selfies. The V40 may come with support for 66W SuperCharge and 40W wireless charging. It is expected to arrive with other features like stereo speakers, 5G, Wi-Fi, USB-C, and glass build. There is no information available on the pricing of the device.

Samsung Galaxy M12 gets certified by Bluetooth SIG and Wi-Fi Alliance

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Dec 4, 2020

Samsung is working on a new mid-range smartphone under its M-series, dubbed Samsung Galaxy M12. Ahead of the company making anything about the phone official, leaks have revealed some of the phone’s specifications.

Now, the Galaxy M12 moniker has been confirmed as the smartphone has been certified by Bluetooth SIG and Wi-Fi Alliance (via MySmartPrice). The certification has confirmed that the phone carries the model number SM-M12FG/DS.

Interestingly, there’s another model of Samsung getting certified — SM-F12G/DS, which is believed to be named Samsung Galaxy F12 for some regions. However, this is just speculation at this point in time.

It has also been confirmed that both the phones will be running the latest Android 11 operating system out-of-the-box, most likely with the company’s own One UI custom user interface on top. Other than this, nothing else has been revealed by the certificate.

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Earlier, it was leaked that the Samsung Galaxy M12 will come with a 6.5-inch display with an Infinity-V notch, which contradicts previous reports of a 6.7-inch display. The device is said to be a bit thick compared to its predecessor.

On the back, the phone will be featuring a square-shaped camera module that will be housing four sensors but the camera resolution of the sensors remain unknown. We expect to know more about the phone in the coming weeks.

Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro with ANC and THX audio launched

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Dec 4, 2020

Razer, the company known for making gaming devices and accessories, has already launched new audio products in the market. Today, the company has launched a new variant of its Hammerhead earphones — Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro.

As the name indicates, it is an upgraded successor to the Hammer TWS earbuds launched last year. The newly launched true wireless earphones now come with support for active noise cancellation (ANC), THX audio, and a low-latency mode for gaming.

The highlight of the device is the THX-certified audio that offers “high-fidelity” audio with specific attention to frequency range and response. It also added vocal details and deep bass that doesn’t distort.

It also comes with a strong noise isolation feature, something that the company managed to do through in-ear design and a wide range of ear tips offered so that it can fit more types of ear shapes. Additionally, the company is also including a set of Comply foam tips.

EDITOR’S PICK: ZTE Axon 20 5G, the world’s first UD camera phone launched for the global markets

To enable the low-latency gaming mode, the user just needs to press the button and it will then reduce the latency to 60ms. As per the company, this mode offers 50 times quicker reaction as the sound and video are better synced.

Compared to other earphones in the market, the battery life on the TWS earphones is disappointing. It offers just four hours of usage on a single charge and additional four hours of usage with the charging case.

The Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro is now available for purchase through the company’s official website Razer.com for a price of $199.99. It will be available through other retailers later this month.

Alleged Nokia 5.4 FCC certified, front and rear design revealed

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Dec 4, 2020

The FCC certification platform has recently three Nokia handsets with model numbers TA-1333, TA-1337, and TA-1340. Some of the key details of these phones have appeared through FCC listings.

The Nokia TA-1333 FCC listing has revealed that it is an affordable LTE phone, and it supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connectivity. The device houses a 4,000mAh. The rear schematic of the phone reveals that it features a round-shaped camera module. The Nokia TA-1337 FCC listing shows that it is an LTE smartphone with a 4,000mAh battery. It supports Bluetooth 4.2 and 2.4GHz Wi-Fi band.

The FCC listing of the Nokia TA-1340 reveals that its design and construction are identical to the TA-1333 phone. The only difference is that the TA-1333 supports dual SIM support, whereas the TA-1340 supports dual SIM and single SIM.

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The user manual of the Nokia TA-1340 has revealed its front and rear design. As it can be seen in the images of its user manual, it has a punch-hole display and its rear side features a round-shaped camera module with four lenses. An LED flash unit is placed on the left side of the camera housing. A fingerprint scanner is available below the camera module.

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The bottom edge of the TA-1340 Nokia phone has a microphone, a USB-C port, and a loudspeaker. The right edge of the device has a power/lock button. The SIM/memory card slot and a Google Assistant hardware key can be found on its left spine.

The Nokia 3.4 that debuted in October this year came with a similar front and rear design. However, one noticeable difference on the Nokia 3.4 is that its round-shaped camera module has three cameras and an LED flash. Hence, it appears that the Nokia TA-1340 could be positioned higher than the Nokia 3.4. This indicates that the TA-1340 could be the Nokia 5.4 handset.

Past reports have revealed that the Nokia 5.4 is packed with specs like a 6.4-inch display, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB / 128 GB of storage. It is expected to arrive in Blue and Purple colors.

(via)

Motorola Nio leaked image appears to reveal front design

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Dec 4, 2020

Recent reports have revealed Motorola is gearing up to launch a smartphone codenamed as “Nio” in Q1 2020. It will be a flagship phone driven by the Snapdragon 865 mobile platform. Some of the key specs of the smartphone are already known. A few hours back, reputed tipster Evan Blass shared the first leaked image of the Motorola Nio phone to reveal its front design.

As it can be seen in the image, the Motorola Nio has a slightly thick chin and slim bezels elsewhere. There are two punch-holes at the top-left corner of the screen for its two front-facing cameras.

Blass revealed that the Motorola Nio has 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of built-in storage. The phone houses a 5,000mAh battery and it will come preloaded with Android 11 OS. The USB-C port of the phone may come with support for DisplayPort Alternate Mode that will make it possible to connect to external displays.

Motorola recently released a video to showcase its desktop mode feature. The tipster claimed that the Nio phone may have appeared in the video.

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It was revealed in the previous month that the Motorola Nio’s screen will support a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2520 pixels and a 90Hz refresh rate. There are speculations that the device may arrive with support for an unusual refresh rate of 105Hz.

The rear-facing triple camera system of the Nio phone includes a 64-megapixel OmniVision OV64B lens, a 16-megapixel ultrawide lens, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. The dual selfie camera setup of the phone has a 16-megapixel main camera and an 8-megapixel ultrawide lens. The highest model of the phone may feature 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. The model number of the device is XT-2125.

Vivo Y52s with Dimensity 720, 48MP dual cameras, 5,000mAh battery may debut next week

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