Xiaomi aims to overtake Huawei and Apple next year with 240 million smartphone shipments

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Dec 2, 2020

Reports that have surfaced in the recent past have revealed that the Reno5 series may break cover on Dec. 10. It is speculated that the lineup includes three devices such as the Reno5, Reno5 Pro, and Reno5 Pro+. The Weibo post released by the OPPO today hints that the Reno5 series will be announced on Dec. 10.

A leaked photo showcasing the rear design of the Reno5 is now doing rounds on Weibo. The gradient colored rear of the phone features a quad camera setup at the top-left corner and “RENO GLOW” branding towards the right. The overall rear design of the phone does not differ from the predecessor model.

The Reno4 5G series that debuted earlier this year in China sported an extremely attractive diamond-cut design. OPPO’s Weibo post could be hinting that the Reno5 5G series will also sport a similar design.

Editor’s Pick: OPPO Find X3, Nubia Red Magic 6, Nubia Z, and ZTE Axon 30 confirmed to arrive with Snapdragon 888

OPPO Reno5 series specifications (Rumored)

The Reno5 5G series phones are expected to arrive with 90Hz FHD+ OLED panels with a punch-hole design. The Reno5 5G may sport a flat display of 6.43 inches, whereas the Reno5 Pro 5G and Reno5 Pro+ 5G could be housing 6.55-inch displays with curved edges. The ColorOS 11 based Android 11 may come preloaded on the device.

The Reno5, Reno5 Pro, and Reno5 Pro+ could be powered by the Snapdragon 765G, Dimensity 1000+, and Snapdragon 865, respectively. The trio may feature 4,300mAh, 4,350mAh, and 4,500mAh batteries with 65W fast charging support.

The Reno5 5G trio may sport 32-megapixel selfie cameras. The Reno5 and Reno5 Pro 5G’s quad-camera setup may include a 64-megapixel Sony IMX686 main lens, an 8-megapixel superwide lens, a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro lens. The Reno5 Pro+ 5G’s quad-camera setup may comprise of a Sony IMX7XX main lens, a 16-megapixel superwide lens, a 12-megapixel telephoto lens, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor.

Qualcomm to cooperate with Honor, Snapdragon 888 flagship could be coming?

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Dec 2, 2020

On Dec. 1, Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon 888 mobile platform at the Snapdragon Tech Summit. All the major smartphone brands are expected to release SD888 powered flagship phones in 2021. It appears that Honor may also launch a Snapdragon 885 powered smartphone next year.

When Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon was asked about cooperation with Honor during a video interview, he responded by saying, “Qualcomm is very pleased with the emergence of a new participant in the market. It will bring more consumption potential to the market and consumers will like it. I like the vitality of the Chinese mobile phone market and hope that Honor can bring more good products. But now everything has just begun, and we will also have a dialogue.”

Honor was previously expected to announce the Honor V40 series in December. However, a fresh leak has revealed that it may go official in January 2021. Due to the U.S. trade ban, the Honor V40 series may not feature the new Kirin 9000 that fuels the Mate 40 series. Speculations are rife that the Dimensity 1000+ chipsets could be powering the V40 models.

Editor’s Pick: Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei hopes Honor to surpass its former parent company

Honor is also expected to announce the Honor 40 series of flagship phones around the Q2 of 2021. It is unclear whether it will be equipped with the Snapdragon 888 chipset.

Amon also spoke on the cooperation between Qualcomm and Huawei. He said that while the company applied for the licensing all its product lines to the U.S. government, it has been only allowed to provide 4G chips, computing, and Wi-Fi products to Huawei. Amon added, ” Of course we hope to have business dealings with Huawei on 5G flagship products, but this can only be done after approval.”

(via 1, 2)

Over 10 million users are on EMUI 11 within three months

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Dec 2, 2020

Huawei is going through tough times but that did not stop the company from unveiling EMUI 11, the latest version of its mobile software. The Chinese telecom giant announced it at the HUAWEI DEVELOPER CONFERENCE 2020 on September 10. Since then, it has been releasing beta as well as stable builds for eligible devices worldwide. Now, within three months from its announcement, the company has already hit a milestone.

According to the official Weibo account of EMUI, over 10 million users are on EMUI 11 in less than three months from the day of its unveiling. Since the company did not mention whether this count only includes those users who are on stable build, we believe this is the total count of stable, closed beta, and open beta users combined.

As per the official list of eligible devices, a total of 28 HUAWEI-branded smartphones and tablets will be receiving EMUI 11 update in China . For global markets, this number drops to 19. Some of these devices have already got the stable update.

Having said that, we are still puzzled if this 10 million+ count also includes HONOR devices running Magic UI 4.0, which is nothing but a fork of EMUI 11. That’s because EMUI’s Weibo post is vague without detailed information.

Normally, Huawei’s smartphone and tablet user base includes numbers from HONOR as well since it was a sub-brand of the company up until recently. But now, as the brand has been sold off to Zhixin New Information Technology Co. Ltd, the EMUI 11 user count shared by the Chinese tech giant could be devoid of HONOR devices.

Lenovo announces China-exclusive Legion R9000X/Y9000X 2021 thin & light gaming laptops

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Dec 2, 2020

Lenovo has launched two new thin and light gaming laptops in its home country China. These notebooks are called Legion R9000X 2021 and Legion Y9000X 2021 respectively. The only major differences between the two models are their processors, weight, and price. Let us take a closer look at these new computers from one of the largest PC makers in the world.

Lenovo Legion R9000X/Y9000X 2021 Specifications and Features

First and foremost, the Legion R9000X 2021 is powered by AMD Ryzen 7 4800H processor and weighs 1.92Kg. On the other hand, the Legion Y9000X 2021 features Intel Core i7-10875H processor and is slightly lighter at 1.86Kg.

Apart from the above two dissimilarities, these two laptops are identical in terms of specs as well as design. They sport a metal body design with 15.9mm thickness and their screen can be opened up to an angle of 180°.

Further, they come with 16GB DDR4 3200MHz dual-channel RAM and 512GB PCIe MVMe TLC SSD with support for expansion. And apart from integrated graphics, the computers also feature 6GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q GDDR6 dedicated GPU.

Both these gaming notebooks flaunt a 15.6-inch IPS LCD panel with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixel (FHD). It is an 8-bit display with up to 144Hz refresh rate, 100% sRGB color gamut, 300 nits brightness, and 5ms response time. As an added bonus, the screen also supports Dolby Vision, DC dimming, and is covered by a matte texture for an anti-glare experience.

Being gaming laptops, the two computers come with a full-size backlit keyboard with numpad and an AG (anti-glare) glass-plated touchpad. Lenovo calls this combination LEGION TrueStrike. Further, to keep the thermals down, they also come equipped with TSI Frost Blade Pro Cooling System 2.0 (translated), which includes 2 x fans, 3 x heat pipes, and 4 x outlets.

That’s not all, the notebooks support Fn + Q shortcut combo to switch between three performance modes namely Beast Mode, Balanced Mode, and Quiet Mode. It also has a feature called DDG dual-mode display switching (translated) that dynamically changes the refresh rate of the display based on content. Whereas, for aesthetics, they sport a Y-shaped RGB light inside the ‘O’ of ‘LEGION’ branding on the back.

For I/O, these devices come with 2 x USB Type-A (USB 3.2 Gen2), 2 x USB Type-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2, Display Port 1.4), 3.5mm headphone jack, SD card reader, and DC power in. Additionally, Y9000X 2021 also supports Thunderbolt 3 interface via the two USB Type-C ports.

Other features of these two laptops include WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, 720p webcam with a shutter for privacy, fingerprint sensor, dual Dolby Atmos speakers, and Microsoft Windows 10 Home Chinese Edition operating system.

Last but not least, the notebooks are backed by a 71Whr battery with support for 230W fast charging via DC power in using the included charger and up to 100 USB PD (Power Delivery) fast charging via the USB Type-C ports.

Lenovo Legion R9000X/Y9000X 2021 Pricing and Availability

The Legion R9000X is priced at ¥7,999 ($1,217), whereas the Legion Y9000X costs ¥9,299 ($1,415). The former is already up for pre-order and will go on sale starting December 12. On the other hand, Lenovo is yet to reveal the availability of the latter laptop.

Having said that, like their predecessors (2020 edition), the new 2021 models should also be exclusive to China.

The Wyze Watch costs just $20; comes in two sizes and has a SpO2 sensor

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Dec 2, 2020

Wyze is known for its smart home products, most especially its security cameras. Now it has made its entry into the smartwatch market with the Wyze Watch and it offers a lot for a very small price.

The Wyze Watch looks like Amazfit’s Bip line of smartwatches but it comes with an even more affordable price tag. The smartwatch is available in two sizes – a 47mm version with a 1.75-inch screen and a 44mm version with a 1.4-inch screen. The bigger one has a 300mAh battery while the smaller one has a 260mAh battery. Both will provide up to 9 days of battery life.

The screen on both watches is a TFT 16-bit color LCD display with a resolution of 320 x 385 for the 47mm model and 320 x 320 for the 42mm model. They are encased in an aluminum alloy frame attached to black silicone straps. There are several watch faces to choose from with the option to even use your own photo as the wallpaper.

Save for the difference in screen size and of course battery capacity, the features are the same. For $20, yes $20, you get a PPG heart rate sensor and a blood oxygen sensor, sleep monitoring, step counter, and a menstrual health tracker. Wyze doesn’t say the activities the watch can track and it will be disappointing if it is just limited to just step counting.

Because this is a Wyze product, the manufacturer has added support for controlling your connected Wyze smart home products. So you can turn cameras and lights on and off from your wrist and also access your Wyze shortcuts from the watch.

The watch has an IP68 rating and is water-resistant up to 2 meters. It supports app notifications from multiple popular apps including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Gmail, and Twitter. It also has support for music and video player apps. The product video shows a YouTube icon, so we presume you will be able to control playback from your wrist. Users will also be able to reject phone calls using the watch.

The Wyze Watch is available for pre-order for $20 regardless of the size you choose. You can also purchase extra silicone straps in Cerulean Blue, Blush Pink, and Midnight Black for $3.99 a pair. There are leather straps too and they come in Classic Brown and Forest Green with a price tag of $9.99. The Wyze Watch begins shipping in February 2021.

Samsung Galaxy S21 series could be cheaper than S20, Galaxy Note line again speculated to bite dust

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Dec 2, 2020

Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy S21 series of smartphones in January 2021. A new leak first spotted by Android Headlines states that the Galaxy S21 could be priced lower than its predecessor. In addition, a new report by Reuters claims that Samsung is not planning to launch the Galaxy Note 21 next year.

Galaxy S21 series could be available with a hefty price cut

A new rumor from South Korea reveals that the Galaxy S21 could be priced between $849 and $899, the Galaxy S21+ could be costing between $1,049 and $1,1099, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra could be priced between $1,249 and $1,299. It seems that the Galaxy S21 series could be available with a hefty price cut since the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra were priced at $999, $1,199, and $1,399, respectively, at launch.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 3D CAD Render by OnLeaks

Samsung has been consistently increasing the prices of its flagship phones every year. There is a possibility that the Galaxy S21 series arriving with better specs than its predecessor could be priced higher. Hence, it is advisable to digest the pricing leak with a grain of salt.

Editor’s Pick: Samsung Smart Tag object tracker trademark filing spotted on EUIPO website

Samsung Galaxy Note line may get discontinued

Reuters reported that there has a sharp decline in the demand for high-end smartphones due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This could be one of the reasons why Samsung may not launch the Galaxy Note 2021 next year. Sources familiar with the matter revealed that Samsung does not have plans to develop a Galaxy Note phone for the coming year.

Instead, the highest model of the S21 series (Galaxy S21 Ultra) will be equipped with S Pen support. The S Pen could be available as an optional accessory for S21 Ultra buyers. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 that is expected to debut next year is speculated to carry support for S Pen.

OPPO Find X3, Nubia Red Magic 6, Nubia Z, and ZTE Axon 30 confirmed to arrive with Snapdragon 888

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Dec 2, 2020

The highly anticipated successor to the Snapdragon 865 has gone official with Snapdragon 888 moniker. 2021 flagship phones from major brands like Xiaomi, Samsung, LG, Sony, ASUS, Black Shark, Lenovo, LG, Meizu, Motorola, Nubia, Realme, OnePlus, OPPO, Sharp, Vivo, and ZTE are all going to be powered by the Snapdragon 888 mobile platform. Soon after the launch, it was revealed that the Realme Race and Xiaomi Mi 11 will be among the first phone to debut with an SD888 chip. Some of the other flagship phones arriving in Q1 2021 that will be driven by the Snapdragon 888 include Find X3, Red Magic 6 gaming phone, Nubia Z, and ZTE Axon 30.

OPPO Find X3 Series

The OPPO Find X3 lineup is expected to replace the OPPO Find X2 and Find X2 Pro phones that debuted in Q1 last year. At the Qualcomm Tech Summit, OPPO Vice President and Global Sales President Wu Qiang said, ” OPPO will launch the first batch of flagship smartphones equipped with Snapdragon 888 in the first quarter of 2021, and we are extremely looking forward to this. We believe that the next generation of Find X series will bring an unparalleled new experience to users worldwide.”

OPPO did not share any information on the specs of the Find X3 series. The company had recently revealed that the Find X3 will come with a “full-path color management system” that will make it possible to capture, store, and display images in full DCI-P3 gamut and 10-bit color depth. It is also said to be equipped with a customized Sony IMX7XX sensor.

Editor’s Pick: Snapdragon 888-powered realme “Race” officially confirmed; specs and image leaked too

Red Magic 6

1 of 3

Nubia President Ni Fei confirmed that the Snapdragon 888 mobile platform will drive the Red Magic 6 series. However, he did not share any information on the specs of the Red Magic 6. Last year, the Redmi Magic 5G went official in March. Hence, it is likely that the Red Magic 6 may get announced around the same time in 2021. Nubia Z and ZTE Axon 30 are also expected to feature the Snapdragon 888.

Lenovo Legion 5 Gaming laptop launched for the Indian market

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Dec 2, 2020

Chinese tech giant Lenovo has launched the Legion 5 gaming laptop for the Indian market. The Legion 5 comes on the heels of the recent launch of the Gaming 3i, Legion 5i, and Legion 7i which are all powered by the 10th-gen Intel mobile processors. What sets this apart from the others is the AMD Ryzen chipset onboard which is amassing quite a number of backers in recent times.

The Lenovo Legion 5 Gaming laptop available in India is powered by the Ryzen 5 4600H processor. Recall that the laptop was first unveiled for the global market in July this year and is available in a higher variant powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 4800 H-Series Mobile Processor. This Ryzen 5 model will retail for Rs.75,990 ($1,030) in India but on the Lenovo India website, the price is listed as Rs.79,990 ($1,080) for the Phantom Black color option.

In terms of the design, the Legion 5 adopts the same design language which features on the Legion 7i. However, it lacks the flashy RGB lighting that makes the high-end Legion 7i stand out.

As for the specs, the gaming notebook packs a 15.6-inch IPS anti-glare display which has a Full-HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The display also supports a 120Hz refresh rate. The processor is backed by 8GB of DDR4 RAM clocked at 3200MHz. Powering the graphics is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU which has 4GB of GDDR6 memory.

For storage, the Legion 5 packs a 256GB M.2 PCIe 3.0×4 NVMe SSD as well as a 1TB HDD. In terms of the ports and connectivity, the laptop comes with four USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port, an Ethernet (RJ-45), and a headphone/microphone combo jack. The notebook also comes with standard Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0. Lenovo also touts the laptop to offer up to 8 hours of battery life when used in ‘Hybrid Mode.’

The Legion 5 gaming laptop can be bought from Lenovo.com and Lenovo Exclusive Stores. Lenovo equally promised to make the gaming laptop available across other online partner platforms and retail stores, soon.

UP NEXT: Oppo X 2021 unveiled as the world’s first smartphone concept with an extending display

Caviar’s iPhone 12 Pro Stealth has no cameras for security reasons

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Dec 2, 2020

You most likely have seen someone put tape over their computer’s webcam when not in use as a security measure. Heck, manufacturers have now even begun putting camera shutters on some of their devices such as laptops and smart displays. However, when it comes to smartphones, the best you can do is to manage your permission settings and choose which apps have access to your camera or you can just buy a smartphone without cameras such as the Caviar iPhone 12 Pro Stealth.

This custom iPhone 12 Pro by the Russian company has no rear cameras while the front-camera, save for the infrared camera for Face ID, is disabled. Caviar says that this “Non-cameras iPhone 12 Pro Stealth” is for those who want a higher level of privacy, probably someone who works in a highly-secure place where smartphones with cameras are not allowed.

The iPhone 12 Pro Stealth comes in two variants. There is one which has its rear covered in “hardened titanium with vertical guilloche on durable black laser coating” and there is the gold version which has a PVD gold coating on the hardened titanium. Caviar says that the iPhone 12 Pro Stealth starts at $4990.

BlackBerry Classic Non Camera | Image source: GSMArena

While a smartphone with no cameras may be surprising for a lot of people, it turns out that it is not unusual. Apparently, manufacturers used to make non-camera versions of their phones. GSMArena cites the example of the 2015 BlackBerry Classic Non Camera which drops the 2MP front camera and 8MP camera of the regular version. A much older example is the Nokia E51 camera-free which doesn’t have the 2MP rear camera of the standard model.

It is no surprise why smartphones without cameras are not common. It caters to a very small percentage of users and it will be easier for an organization to specifically request phones without cameras from a manufacturer than for a manufacturer to announce a phone without a camera.

Honor V40 series launch reported to have been postponed to January

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Dec 1, 2020

Honor’s V-series is supposed to get new models this month but a new report says that will not be the case. The launch of the new phones, which should arrive as the Honor V40 and Honor V40 Pro, has now been postponed to January 2021.

The info comes from the leaker Teme (@RODENT950) who is known for his Huawei and Honor-related leaks. In a tweet posted earlier today, he says that the Honor V40 series has been postponed to next month. He also mentions that the upcoming V40 phones and even the Honor 40 series, which is expected to launch in the first half of next year, are developed by Huawei.

As we know V40 series is postponed to next year (January 2021) V40/40 series phones are huawei developed products. #HonorV40 #Honor40
Can Honor 40 pro be first super zoom Honor phone 🤔 pic.twitter.com/9o671I2SIn

— Teme (特米)😷 (@RODENT950) November 30, 2020

The Huawei subsidiary was sold to new owners a few weeks ago but development for phones such as the Honor V40 and the Honor 40 series would have been well underway before the change in ownership, so there is no surprise therein that they are developed by Huawei. However, now that they are no longer affiliated with Huawei, we may see some changes, most especially in the area of software, to show that the brand is no longer tied to its former owner.

The Honor V40 series should launch in countries outside China as the Honor View 40 series. If the launch had not been postponed, the View 40 series should launch in a few months in markets such as Europe but now that the launch has been delayed, the View 40 series should arrive a bit later.

Unlike the previous Honor V series smartphones which use the same flagship Kirin processor as the Huawei Mate flagship launched a few months before, it has been reported that the V40 series will not be powered by the Kirin 9000 processor. There is no news on the processor that will be found in the new phones but there are rumors it may come from MediaTek.

Apple patents a Watch band design with the battery embedded inside the band

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Dec 1, 2020

It seems plans are at an advanced stage for Apple to introduce a longer-lasting battery band to its smartwatches. The Apple Watch is a really nice smartwatch, fitted with numerous features but is generally lacking in battery life. Most of the Apple watches boast battery life ranging from 18 hours to a maximum of 24 hours of continuous standard use.

However, a dramatic change may be in the offing for the tech giant. Information gleaned from the US Patents Office shows that the latest patents filed by Apple provide insights on the progress made by the company in providing a solution for the battery life drawback for its smartwatches. The two recent patents granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office to Apple on Tuesday, highlight the possibility of putting batteries in Apple Watch’s band. The idea is simple enough – The band itself would have an inner frame with openings for the battery elements, which will be individually insulated and easily replaceable.

The Battery Band (which is the name of the new patent) will be connected to the watch via pins and will recharge wirelessly through induction coils, wrapped around one of the battery elements. The patent filings also describe a rubber band but the same concept could be used in a metal watchband as well, using an appropriate insulation mechanism.

While we await the breakthrough, it should be stated that there are no guarantees that such a product would become reality, although, as is the case with a huge proportion of patent filings, it may just indicate an area of ongoing research. Apple has previously tinkered with the idea of the battery band, suggesting that various sensors and batteries could be put inside each element in its Link band but they are yet to come up with a final product having this feature. (via)

UP NEXT: Oppo X 2021 unveiled as the world’s first smartphone concept with an extending display

Samsung Smart Tag object tracker trademark filing spotted on EUIPO website

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Dec 1, 2020

South Korean tech powerhouse Samsung may be working on a Smart Tag object tracker if feelers from the European Union Patent Office (EUIPO) are to be countenanced.

The craze for smart object trackers has been on an increase in recent times and Samsung may be taking the initiative in that direction. It would seem Samsung is not willing to be undone by its fierce competitor Apple who hugged the headlines recently with the yet-to-be-confirmed Apple AirTags.

Samsung may be possibly working on a similar device. A trademark filing by Samsung with the EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) for the name “Samsung Smart Tag”, has just been revealed (via). The trademark was filed on the last day of November 2020 and comes shortly after certification from Indonesian Telecom for a Galaxy Smart Tag device with model number EI-T5300.

The Samsung Smart Tag trademark filing provided a comprehensive listing of the components of the proposed gadget. They include electronic tags; computer hardware for NFC tag identification data and object location tracking; radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags; computer software for tracking, biometric identification, and authentication.

Some details gleaned from the filing shows that the Smart Tag device will be employed in object tracking, interfacing with NFC, and RFID. The Smart Tag can also be used as an authentication device. Carrying the Smart Tag around will likely enable users to log in to various Samsung services and unlock phones and other devices with little difficulty.

However, the expectation should be tempered with reality – a trademark filing does not necessarily translate to a final product anytime soon. It may just be a reflection of the possible research direction of the company. Nevertheless, there is a real chance that Samsung will indeed launch the SmartTag device at the next Galaxy Unpacked program slated to take place within the first quarter of 2021.

UP NEXT: Oppo X 2021 unveiled as the world’s first smartphone concept with an extending display

POCO M3 vs Moto G9 Power vs Realme 7: Specs Comparison

By

Michele Ingelido

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Dec 1, 2020

Xiaomi came up with an amazing entry-level offering launched in the global market: the POCO M3. It is an astonishing device if we consider its specifications and the listing price decided by Xiaomi for Europe. You get a huge battery and pretty good hardware for a ridiculous price if compared to most of the concurrence. But is it a ridiculous price even if we compare it with the best value for money phones out there? In this comparison, we will highlight the differences between the POCO M3 and two other great handsets sold in the same price range: the Motorola Moto G9 Power and the Realme 7.

Xiaomi POCO M3 vs Motorola Moto G9 Power vs Realme 7

	Xiaomi POCO M3	Motorola Moto G9 Power	Realme 7
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT	162.3 x 77.3 x 9.6 mm, 198 g	172.1 x 76.8 x 9.7 mm, 221 g	160.9 x 74.4 x 8.1 mm, 175 g
DISPLAY	6.53 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), IPS LCD	6.8 inches, 720 x 1640p (HD+), IPS LCD	6.4 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), IPS LCD
PROCESSOR	Qualcomm Snapdragon 662, octa-core 2.0 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 662, octa-core 2 GHz	Mediatek Helio G95, octa-core 2.05 GHz
MEMORY	4 GB RAM, 64 GB – 4 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD dedicated slot	4 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD slot	6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD dedicated slot
SOFTWARE	Android 10, MIUI	Android 10	Android 10, Realme UI
CONNECTIVITY	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5, GPS
CAMERA	Triple 48 + 8 + 2 MP, f/1.8 + f/2.4 + f/2.4 8 MP f/2.1 front camera	Triple 64 + 2 + 2 MP, f/1.8 + f/2.4 + f/2.4 16 MP f/2.2 front camera	Quad 64 + 8 + 2 + 2 MP, f/1.8 + f/2.3 + f/2.4 + f/2.4 16 MP f/2.1 front camera
BATTERY	6000 mAh, fast charging 18W	6000 mAh, fast charging 20W	5000 mAh, fast charging 30W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES	Dual SIM slot	Dual SIM slot	Dual SIM slot

Design

With its huge camera module taking a big part of the rear side, the POCO M3 offers a very original design, but not everyone may like it. Instead, the Realme 7 looks more elegant with its less invasive camera module, great color variants, and a punch-hole display with a high screen-to-body ratio. The Realme 7 is even more compact because it features a smaller display and a smaller battery than its rivals. The Motorola Moto G9 Power is pretty nice too, but its rear-mounted fingerprint reader is not the most elegant and comfortable choice. On the other hand, it is water-repellent. If I had to choose the best design, I would go for the Realme 7.

Display

The display champion is the Realme 7 and the reason is simple: it offers a higher refresh rate. With 90 Hz, you can already feel the difference in smoothness if compared to the 60 Hz panels of the POCO M3 and the Motorola Moto G9 Power. All of these devices feature an IPS panel, but the Motorola Moto G9 Power is more disappointing because it has an HD+ resolution, while Realme 7 and POCO M3 have Full HD+ displays with a higher level of detail. So the ranking is the following: Realme 7, POCO M3, and Motorola Moto G9 Power.

Hardware/Software

The MediaTek Helio G95 chipset found on the Realme 7 is actually built with a worse production process (12 nm vs 11 nm) but it offers higher performance compared to the Snapdragon 662 chipset found on the POCO M3 and the Motorola Moto G9 Power. Further, the Realme 7 offers up to 8 GB of RAM, while you get just 4 GB of RAM with Motorola Moto G9 Power and Xiaomi POCO M3. That is why Realme 7 wins the hardware comparison. In each case, you get Android 10 already installed, but the Moto G9 Power offers a nearly-stock user experience.

Camera

Motorola Moto G9 Power provides the best photo quality because it has a better sensor in the rear camera setup: we are talking about its 64 MP main sensor with f/1.8 focal aperture. The silver medal goes to the Realme 7 with a 48 MP quad camera including an 8 MP ultrawide lens and a pair of 2 MP sensors for macro and depth. But the POCO M3 is not so far with its 48 MP triple camera: it just lacks the dedicated macro sensor if compared to the Realme 7.

Battery

POCO M3 and Motorola Moto G9 Power feature the same huge 6000 mAh battery capacity, but the battery king here is the Motorola Moto G9 Power because it is equipped with an HD+ display consuming less energy. The Realme 7 has a smaller 5000 mAh battery but it is still a battery phone and it charges way faster with its 30W power.

Price

Realme 7 is priced €179/$215 in the global market, POCO M3 was launched with a starting price of just €129/$155 (promo), and Motorola Moto G9 Power is priced at €199/$240. The best device in this comparison is the Realme 7 thanks to its high refresh rate and better hardware, but if you are looking for the best value for money, then you would better go for the POCO M3. The Moto G9 Power is the best camera phone.

Read More: Realme 7 5G vs OPPO A73 5G vs Moto G 5G: Specs Comparison

Xiaomi POCO M3 vs Motorola Moto G9 Power vs Realme 7: PRO and CONS

Realme 7

PROS

90 Hz
Great chipset
30W fast charging
Up to 8/128 GB

CONS

Smaller battery

Xiaomi POCO M3

PROS

Huge battery
Very affordable price
UFS 2.2 storage
Stereo speakers
Reverse charging

CONS

Nothing particular

Motorola Moto G9 Power

PROS

Huge battery
Water-repellent
Wide display
Good camera

CONS

Dimensions

Xiaomi Mi TVs 4A, 4A Pro, and Horizon Editions get a permanent price hike in India

By

Balaji S

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Dec 1, 2020

Xiaomi has a great presence in the Smart TV segment in India. Accordingly, it recently announced a milestone of selling 5 million Smart TVs in the country. Weeks later, it has now hiked the prizes of its 4A, 4A Pro, and Horizon Edition Mi TVs permanently in India. All these Smart TV models have been selling for quite a while in the country. The new hike starts as low as ₹500($6.8) for the base(32-inch) model.

As reported by 91mobiles, the prices of Mi TV 4A(40-inch), 4A Pro(32-inch), Mi TV Horizon Edition(32, 43-inch) series have been hiked in India. Further, the report adds that the new prices will have an effect across all the offline retail stores in the country starting December 1. You can take a look at the entire price changes below:

TV Model & Name	OLD PRICE( in ₹)	NEW PRICE(in ₹)
Mi TV 4A Pro(32-inch)	13,499	13,999
Mi TV 4A Horizon Edition(32-inch)	13,999	14,499
Mi TV 4A(40-inch)	18,999	19,999
Mi TV 4A Horizon Edition(43-inch)*	22,999	23,499

*- The report hasn’t mentioned the 43-inch price. The price has been updated as per the listing on mi.com

Besides, looking at the table, it looks like the Mi TV 4A Pro and Horizon edition get a ₹500($6.8) hike but the Mi TV 4A 40-inch gets a ₹1,000($13.6) price hike. Subsequently, the new prices have also been updated on mi.com. Still, the company has many online offers like No Cost EMI, Mi TV Extended warranty at reduced price(varies between ₹399-₹699 according to the model).

Mi TV 4A, 4A Pro, Horizon Edition Features

However, we aren’t sure if the same offers would be available at all retail stores. Anyway, among the models, the Mi TV 4A(40-inch) launched back in September 2019 while the Mi TV 4A Pro made its debut in Feb 2019. While both are Android 9.0 TVs and come with 20W speakers, 4A Pro has an HD display(1366×768 pixels) but 4A(40-inch) has Full HD(1920×1080 pixels) resolution.

The Horizon Edition, on the other hand, launched as successors to the 4A Pro(32), 4A Pro(43) series of TVs in 32-inch, and 43-inches. However, apart from a slimmer bezel and a few design changes, they have the same features as the 4A series.

Snapdragon 888-powered realme “Race” officially confirmed; specs and image leaked too

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Dec 1, 2020

Following the announcement of the Snapdragon 888 mobile platform, realme has announced that it has a new smartphone in development that is codenamed “Race” and it says it will be powered by the new processor.

According to a tweet by the official realme UK account, the realme Race will be one of the first flagships powered by the new premium chipset. This means the phone should launch in January or February of next year.

realme Race will be one of the first flagships powered by the just-announced Qualcomm #Snapdragon888 5G Mobile Platform. The #realmeRace is officially on! pic.twitter.com/3dXzlq70gP

— realme UK (@realmeUK) December 1, 2020

If you have been following news related to realme then you should know that the codename “Race” wasn’t randomly picked. To the best of our knowledge “Race” is short for “realme Ace”. Yes, Ace. If you remember, we reported back in September that the OPPO Ace series has been ceded to realme.

Alongside the confirmation from realme, a leak has also revealed key details and an image of the phone, and it appears realme will be sticking to the design of the OPPO Ace2.

The leak which was released exclusively to GSMArena reveals that the phone will have the model number RMX2202. A screenshot of the About Phone section of the upcoming device shows that the phone will run Android 11 with realme UI 2.0 on top. It will have 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, though we expect there will be other configurations too. The image also shows that the phone has a Snapdragon 888 processor under the hood.

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There is also an image of the phone’s rear and it shows that the realme Race will have four rear cameras inside a round camera housing. Flanking the sensors on the right is an LED flash. The phone has a curved glass back and the design is very similar to that of the OPPO Ace2 that launched in April.

Unfortunately, there are no details of the camera specifications. We also don’t know the screen size, its resolution, and the design. Nevertheless, we already know more about the phone than we did yesterday.

It is also important to mention that since the announcement was made by realme UK, we expect the realme Race will launch in Europe when it arrives next year. We won’t be surprised if it even launches in the Old Continent first before making its way to other markets.

Galaxy A32 5G could be one of the first Samsung devices to get Android 11 out of the box

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Balaji S

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Dec 1, 2020

It’s that time of the year when Samsung starts launching its A series of devices. Last week, it launched the budget Galaxy A12 and A02s. Now, the “wannabe cheapest 5G smartphone” of Samsung, the upcoming Galaxy A32, has been spotted running Android 11.

As reported by GalaxyClub.nl, a Samsung device with model number SM-A326B has been tested with Android 11. Now, this looks like it’s just a variant of the upcoming Galaxy A32 5G. This is because early reports stated that the device will have a similar model number SM-A326. Anyway, the Galaxy A32 with Android 11 indicates that Samsung is a step closer to the stable rollout of its One UI 3.0 based on Android 11.

After announcing the One UI 3.0 Beta for developers early, Samsung has been subsequently running a beta program for various flagships to test out the One UI 3.0 features. That said, we aren’t sure if the Galaxy A32 5G will be the first device to debut with One UI 3.0 based on Android 11 out of the box. Considering the company is also expected to launch the Galaxy A52, Galaxy A72 smartphones round about Dec-Jan, they might take over the crown.

That is, if they pass the Galaxy A32 5G to launch first in the market. Either way, the report also mentions the possibility of the device running One UI 3.0 while it’s upcoming flagship Galaxy S21 will likely debut with an upgraded One UI 3.1. This is definitely a speculation but it’s possible in a sense where Samsung has maintained the exclusivity of its UI with every flagship at launch.

Further, as per the test, the report mentions that the Galaxy A32 5G’s display will have an aspect ratio of 20:9. The Galaxy A32 5G is under the limelight right from the first leak in July. As per the recent reports, it will sport a polycarbonate body, a camera layout like the OPPO Reno4 Pro, infinity V-notch display.

And if leaks are true, it will have a 9.1mm thickness(a bit thicker than A31’s 8.6mm), 3.5mm audio jack, USB-C port, 48MP main camera, and more. Let’s wait for more leaks as we get closer to launch.

Nokia and Togo Telecom launch West Africa’s first commercial 5G network

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