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Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+ devices are getting One UI 2.5 update in China

By
Balaji S
-

Samsung brought the incremental One UI 2.5 with the Galaxy Note 20 series and Tab S7 series. Later, the company extended it to a list of devices including the Galaxy S9 series as it promised on the official post. Now, the company has started rolling out the update to the 2018’s flagship Galaxy S9, S9+ in China.

Galaxy S9+ Ice Blue

As reported by ITHome, Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+ have reportedly started receiving the One UI 2.5 update in China. Accordingly, the firmware version is  G9600ZCU7FTJ8/G9600CHC7FTJ8 and has a size of 754.03MB. As per the official changelog, the update has started rolling out from November 25, 2020. And Along with the One UI 2.5 update, it comes with the latest November 1, 2020 Security patch.

That said, we already know that One UI 2.5 update based on Android 10 brings features like navigation gestures for third-party launchers, Pro Video mode, changes in Single Take, Samsung DeX, Samsung Keyboard, Bitmoji stickers on AOD, and more. You can take a look at the official changelog(Google Translated) below:

Changelog for Galaxy S9/S9+ One UI 2.5 update

  • Samsung DeX– Support wireless DeX connection. Connect wirelessly with TV via Wlan direct connection (Miracast compatible). *Quick Panel One DeX – It is advisable to use Samsung Smart TVs released after 2019. Supports screen scaling and font size options, allowing users to customize various display sizes.
  • WLAN– While testing nearby WLAN signal strength, it will display as very fast, fast, normal, or slow. * You can turn this on or off in the “Network Quality Information Display” setting.
  • On-Screen Reminder– Support Bitmoji stickers on the screen reminder. (Clock style).
  • Samsung Keyboard– Support split screen keyboard in landscape mode. On the “Manage Input Languages” screen of the keyboard settings page, the search function has been updated to facilitate users. They can find keyboard input languages ​​that they want to add or delete.
  • Camera– Enhanced professional video function.
  • Latest Security Patch – November 1, 2020.

That said, the device, being 2018 flagship devices, are unlikely to get the next major upgrade. This is because Samsung recently made the commitment of providing three-year upgrades to the flagships and the S9 series unfortunately didn’t make the cut. Anyway, if you are someone who is living in China, you can navigate to Settings->Software Updates->Download and Install to try out the new One UI 2.5 update.

UP NEXT: Samsung halts One UI 3.0 Beta update for Galaxy Z Fold2 after encountering a major bug

Imported units of Sony PlayStation 5 won’t be eligible for Warranty in India: Report

By
Balaji S
-

Sony’s PlayStation 5(PS5) officially went on sale on November 12 in countries like the US, Japan. In fact, retailers are stocking the units in more numbers due to a surge in demand in markets like Europe. However, the next-gen console is yet to officially go on sale in India. Ahead of this, people have started buying the imported units through unauthorized channels. And Sony India thinks it isn’t a good idea.

Sony PlayStation 5

As reported by MensXP(via Gadgets360), a Sony PlayStation India representative has responded to the request regarding the warranty policies of imported units. He suggests customers to check for the Sony India Warranty Card while purchasing PlayStation products within India. Precisely, the company allows users to claim warranty benefits for Sony India products that are certified by BIS and have a valid Indian Warranty Card.

This suggests that the imported ones won’t be eligible for a warranty inside the country. This is because as quoted by the representative, the Indian retail units that come with a local warranty card are certified by BIS. However, the imported ones aren’t and this negates the policy of Sony PlayStation India. Hence, this sends a clear message to people who are buying non-Indian units as high as ₹90,000 without a warranty.

EDITOR’S PICK: Sony PlayStation 5 is selling at three times its retail price in China due to supply shortage

Plus, this is a no-brainer as Sony has been following this for earlier generations(PS4) as well. In any case, it is highly advisable to buy Sony PlayStation products from India with the official Indian Warranty card. It is understandable that the console is highly attractive especially after the price announcement. However, as Sony is trying its best to fulfill the user’s demand, decisions like these will only harm the users as they are left out to dry in case of any issue.

Anyway, it’s already been one month since the prices for India were announced but PlayStation 5 hasn’t got an official release date yet. But according to the report, it will be available on official retailers like Amazon, Flipkart, Croma, Reliance Digital, ShopatSC.com, and Games The Shop. Besides, the next-gen console comes with a revamped white and black design, upgraded performance, storage(SSD), and a DualSense Controller.

UP NEXT: Sony Xperia Compact phone with a 5.5-inch screen and Snapdragon 775 could be in the works

Redmi Note 9 5G, Redmi Note 9 Pro and Note 9 4G launched in China

By
Jed John Ikoba
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After several leaks, teasers, and rumors, Xiaomi has officially launched three new redmi Note 9 series smartphones in China. The launch event which was held today saw the tech giant take the wraps off three amazing models – the Redmi Note 9 Pro, Redmi note 9 5G, and the Redmi Note 9 4G.Redmi Note 9 Pro

The Redmi Note 9 Pro is obviously the star product among the trio as it is equipped with several impressive hardware including the latest Samsung HM2 camera sensor. The premium device is equipped with double-sided Gorilla Glass 5 as well as a 3D four-curved arc design.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro sports a 6.67-inch LCD display with an FHD+ resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels. The display also features support for 120Hz refresh rate and up to 240Hz touch sampling rate. The display utilizes the punch-hole design which has an aperture of only 3.8mm. The display which is certified by TUV Rheinland for low blue light level also has several software features such as eye protection mode 3.0, step-less color temperature adjustment, sunscreen 3.0, etcRedmi Note 9 Pro

In terms of performance, the Redmi Note 9 Pro is the first model to be launched in China powered by a Snapdragon 750G mobile processing platform, which uses Samsung’s 8nm LPU process. The process has an improved performance level of 7% over the 8nm LPP. The CPU adopts the Kryo 570 architecture of the same generation as the Snapdragon 865. Among them, two A77 large cores have a frequency of up to 2.2GHz, and six A55 high-efficiency core clocked at 1.8GHz. By the way, this is the first time that Qualcomm’s 7 series platform will utilize the flagship A77 architecture processor

Further, the premium Note 9 Pro uses a three-dimensional liquid cooling system. The second-generation ultra-thin heat pipe and multi-layer graphite at the front and rear ensure efficient two-way heat conduction on the XY axis of the mobile phone, which can reduce the CPU core temperature by up to 5°C.

In terms of photography, the Redmi Note 9 Pro is equipped with a Quad camera setup but what makes it stands out is that the main sensor is the world’s first third-generation 108-megapixel camera sensor Samsung HM2.

Samsung HM2 has the outsole and high pixels of a flagship camera, and the unique 9-in-1 pixel binning technology can achieve super-large pixel night scene photography. The sensor has a 1/1.52 inch ultra-outsole, which is larger than the 1/2 inch of the current mainstream flagship camera 48MP and 1/1.7 inch of the 64MP, thus resulting in a better imaging effect.

It continues the ultra-high resolution of HMX, and the captured photos can still be clearly visible even if they are zoomed in several times, which is convenient for post-cutting and re-composition.

With hardware Remosaic technology, it can quickly produce 108MP ultra-clear photos, and the camera speed is 3.8 times faster than Xiaomi CC9 Pro, which greatly improves the filming rate of 100-megapixel photos. The device also comes with Super night Scene 2.0 which makes night time shot awesome.

In addition to the 108-megapixel main camera, Redmi Note 9 Pro is also equipped with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, a 2-megapixel macro lens, and a 2-megapixel portrait depth-of-field lens. The four lenses can cover a variety of shooting scenes.

REDMI NOTE 9 5G

The Redmi Note 9 5G adopts the same design language as the Redmi Note 9 Pro but has a side-mounted punch-hole located at the top left corner of the display. However, there are marked differences in the hardware. For one, the Note 9 5G is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 800U processor which is also equipped with a 5G modem.

REDMI NOTE 9 4G

The Redmi Note 9 4G has the same specifications as the POCO M3 which was launched for the global market recently. The device weighs 198 grams and is 9.6mm thick. The device packs a massive 6000mAh battery and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 chipset. It is available in 4GB+128GB, 6GB+128GB, 8GB+128GB and 8GB+ 256GB options.

The Redmi Note 9 4G packs a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and has IP52 splash resistance.

Redmi NOTE 9 Pro, Redmi NOTE 9 5G and Redmi NOTE 9 4G pricing & Availability

As for the pricing, the Redmi Note 9 Pro starts at 1599 yuan (~$243)

  • Redmi note 9 Pro 5G 6GB+128GB version – 1299 yuan ($197)
  • Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G 8GB+128GB version – 1499 yuan ($227)
  • Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G 8GB+256GB version – 1699 yuan ($258)

For the Redmi note 9 4G, the 4GB +128GB version is priced at 999 yuan (~$151).

  • 6GB+128GB version -1099 yuan (~$167)
  • 8GB+128GB version – 1299 yuan (~$197)
  • 8GB+256GB version – 1499 yuan. (~$227)

Xiaomi Smartphones, Router, Vacuum up for Black Friday Sale on Gearbest

By
Greeva Agnihotri
-

Black Friday is almost here, and so are the best deals from the top brands. Xiaomi is one of the companies participating in this festival and is offering pretty decent discounts on various product categories on Gearbest. This is the ideal time for everyone to update their devices and accessories without burning a hole in their pockets.

And if this wasn’t enough to captivate the consumers, Gearbest too has jumped on the festive bus and is offering an additional $8 discount for the first 1500 consumers through PayPal payments.PayPal Discount Gearbest

For your convenience, we have compiled the best deals that Xiaomi is offering on Gearbest.

Xiaomi POCO X3

Xiaomi POCO X3 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G based on Kyro 470 Octa-core CPU and Adreno 618 Elite gaming series GPUs. With a 120Hz refresh rate, this device offers seamless operation. It has a 6.67-inch FHD+ DotDisplay and 5160mAh battery with 33W fast charging for versatility. Other features include a 64MP AI quad-camera, LiquidCool technology, dual stereo speakers, gaming turbo 3.0, and much more.

For Black Friday, Xiaomi POCO X3 is up for sale with a discount of $20, dropping its price down to just $229.00.Xiaomi POCO X3 Gearbest-1-

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro boasts a 6.67-inch FHD+ DotDisplay for an enhanced viewing experience. It runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G processor. Note 9 Pro has a 5020mAh battery with a 30W fast charge and 64MP AI quad-camera with 16MP in-display front camera. Some of the other features include NFC payments and a side-mount fingerprint sensor.

Currently, Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro (6GB RAM+ 128GB RAM) is being sold for a discounted price of just $219.99.Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro Gearbest

Xiaomi Redmi AX6 Wireless Router

Xiaomi Redmi AX6 Router features a dual-core 1.7GHz network acceleration engine (NPU) to process network data traffic and reduce CPU load, among other things. Its dual-band concurrent wireless rate is up to 2976Mbps. And with mesh networking, Redmi AX6 eliminates all signal blind spots. Its other attributes include real-time notification, online game accelerator, OFDMA efficient transmission, and more.

Xiaomi Redmi AX6 Router is up for Black Friday sale and can be brought at a discounted price for just $89.99 by adding the coupon code- XIAOMIAX6.Xiaomi Redmi AX6 Wireless Router Gearbest

 

Mijia G1 Robot Vacuum- EU Version

Mijia G1 Robot Vacuum has 4 different suction powers, and 200ml electronically controlled water tank with 3 gears of water outlet regulation and care. It features a 3 filter system that effectively filters 3-micron dust to prevent pollution. G1 Robot can be controlled with a Mijia app for added convenience.

Currently, Mijia G1 Robot Vacuum is up for sale and can currently be purchased at a discounted rate of just $179.99.Mijia G1 Robot Vacuum Gearbest

With various devices on sale, Black Friday brings a wave of deals to suit everyone’s needs. The above Xiaomi deals are up for sale from November 26th at 3 p.m. CST on Gearbest. Part of the Black Friday festival, these deals and discounts are up only for a limited time. So, hurry and make the most of it.

Users can get a bonus of $8 discount on products above $80 through PayPal payments on Gearbest.

 

First sale of Micromax IN 1b reportedly postponed due to logistic issues

By
Balaji S
-

Micromax made a great comeback with the launch of IN Note 1 and IN 1b smartphones in India. In fact, the company received a great response in the first pre-orders that went live on November 10. However, the first sale of IN 1b didn’t go as planned today.

Micromax In 1B
Micromax In 1B

The company’s Co-Founder, Rahul Sharma, took to Twitter to announce the delay. According to the company, due to unforeseen circumstances, the Micromax IN 1b won’t be available for purchase right away. In fact, reports say that the delay is due to logistic issues. Now, this is very disappointing considering all the units were booked in the first pre-orders according to an earlier report.

If we recall, the Micromax IN 1b device was supposed to go on sale today(November 26) at 12:00 PM IST on both Flipkart and Micromax website. The device is priced at ₹6,999 and ₹7,999 for 2/32GB and 4/64GB variants respectively. Anyway, the company hasn’t shared an official update regarding the new sale date yet. But we really hope that Micromax sorts out the issues soon to clear the sales for the IN 1b in the coming days.

Micromax IN 1b Specifications

Micromax IN 1b is a budget offering from the company.  It features a 6.52-inch IPS LCD HD+ display. The display has a resolution of 1600×720 pixels and an aspect ratio of 20:9. Although it shares a similar rear camera layout and fingerprint sensor to the IN Note 1, it’s display has a notch instead of a punch-hole.

Under the hood, the IN 1b is powered by MediaTek Helio G35 SoC. This is paired with either 2/4GB RAM and 32/64GB storage. For cameras, you get a 13MP main lens and a 2MP sensor on the rear. Upfront, there is an 8MP selfie shooter tucked under the mini-drop notch.

All this is backed up by a 5,000mAh battery with support for 10W charging. Other features include a microSD slot, 4G, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm audio jack, GPS, Google Assistant button, Face Unlock for connectivity. The device runs pure Android 10 OS without any bloatware. Micromax has also guaranteed upgrades for 2 years.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi India brings Black Friday deals for Redmi smartphones & Accessories

Redmi Note 9 Pro available at a massive discount price of $219

By
Simranpal Singh
-

The Chinese smartphone maker is offering a good discount on Redmi Note 9 Pro smartphone via Gearbest. The interested users can grab the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant for the discount price of $219 until Black Friday. The European version device is available in three different colors of Green, White, and Gray. If you’re interested, then grab the device now as stocks are limited.

redmi note 9 pro

Must See: Black Friday Deals portal for extensive discounts

Redmi Note 9 Pro features a 6.67-inch FHD+ DotDisplay with a screen resolution of 2400 x 1800 pixels. It is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 5. There’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G SoC on board with an octa-core processor and Adreno 618 GPU. A quad-rear camera module is present with a 64MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, a 5MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. A 16MP camera sits on the front for quality selfies.

Its 5020 mAh battery is sufficient enough to withstand a couple of days on normal use. Moreover, you will be delighted to charge it with 30W fast charging technology.

Gearbest is offering Redmi Note 9 with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage for the price of $219. However, the 64GB variant is selling at the same price.

Grab Now

Related: Xiaomi India brings Black Friday deals for Redmi smartphones & Accessories

BOE is one of two non-Samsung companies to hold double-digit display revenue in Q3 2020: DSCC

By
Balaji S
-

Display revenues have hit a new high due to LCD panels according to the latest DSCC report. China’s BOE trails behind Samsung Display in the second spot in overall sales for Q3 2020. Similarly, CPT China reported a Net Profit despite an operating loss for the said quarter.

BOE logo

According to the report(via TheElec), the industry revenues for Display sit at $30.5 billion for Q3 2020. This is reportedly a 21% QoQ, and 11% YoY increase. Apparently, this is an all-time high since Q4 2017, and DSCC believes that an increase in LCD TV panel prices is the reason. In terms of revenue share, Samsung leads the pack yet again but Chinese companies like BOE and CSOT managed to grab a place in the top 10. This development comes at a time when China’s display panel sales are expected to reach $42.5 million in 2020.

In fact, BOE outperforms LG display in the overall revenue share to take the second spot. These two are the only non-Samsung companies to have double-digit shares. That said, the list has others like AUO, Innolux, CSOT, and Sharp who’s share percentages are between 5-8%. Besides, the Gross profits of display panels, as per the report, has grown 106% QoQ(Quarter over Quarter) from Q2.

Q3 2020 Display Panel Revenue
Credit: DSCC

Precisely, the Gross profits(profit-making & selling costs) of Q3 2020 are at $2.7 billion which is a 182% YoY(Year on Year) growth compared to 2019. Accordingly, every panel maker except CPT China reports positive gross margins in Q3. However, as mentioned earlier, CPT China reported a net profit albeit having operating loss.

That is, it gained close to $211 million by selling long term assets. This meant that the entire industry(except Samsung, CSOT, Sharp) posted a net profit of $545 million in Q3 2020. As per the report, this is a first after losses for seven consecutive quarters in the industry. Also in terms of area shipments, BOE is very close to LG with a shipment of 8.1 million square meters followed by Innolux, and CSOT.

In any case, China is trying hard to overpower the South Korean counterpart at least in the LCD segment. The recent acquisition of fabs by BOE, and CSOT from CEC-Panda and Samsung respectively in China means it will likely have 28% of the World’s Large-sized panel capacity. As a result, it will probably hold 70% of Global LCD panels production capacity soon.

UP NEXT: Samsung delays shutting down its LCD business till March 2021

Xiaomi and other Chinese brands build up inventory to bite into Huawei’s market share

By
Sean
-

With Huawei in dire straits, rival Chinese smartphone makers have been eyeing to grab the void in the market share. These companies, including Xiaomi, are also building up momentum in their orders for the coming quarter.

Xiaomi

According to a DigiTimes report, sources from Taiwan’s PCB supply chain have revealed that Chinese smartphone manufacturers are more aggressively stocking up and placing orders than compared to the first half of 2020. Furthermore, the sources believe that this trend will last till the first quarter of 2021. At the moment, Xiaomi has been particularly pulling in the highest volume of PCB shipments among other brands like Vivo and Oppo.

Editor’s Pick: Huawei lost most of its shares in Western Europe in Q3 but it’s to Xiaomi & OPPO’s gain – IDC

These three brands are the major rivals of Huawei in their home country, China. Previously, we had reported on Xiaomi reporting a major growth of nearly 35 percent in revenue in the third quarter of this year, with a bump in smartphone shipments as well. This also includes in overseas market and is expecting the positive growth to continue for a bit as it is building up its inventory.

Xiaomi

Additionally, it is estimated that Xiaomi handset orders will exceed 100 million units during the second half of 2020 to first quarter of 2021. Similarly, Oppo and Vivo will also reach around 90 million and 70 million handset shipments respectively during the same period. On the other hand, Huawei is expected to have its market share drop to a third of its current standing in 2021. Although, these are still projections based on current situation and it is still too early to make any solid statements at the moment. So stay tuned for more updates regarding the matter.

UP NEXT: Realme N1 Sonic Electric Toothbrush now available in Blue; replaceable heads still not available online

 

Lamborghini partners with Master & Dynamic to launch Luxury Range Of Headphones

By
Sean
-

Lamborghini, the known luxury sports car brand, is also joining the ranks of other sports car makers that are teaming up with electronics brand to launch their branded luxury range of hearable products.

The new exclusive range of Lamborghini collection includes the Master & Dynamic MW65 active noise-canceling wireless headphones along with the MW07 PLUS true wireless earbuds. Both hearables arrive with the iconic designs and branding of the Italian sports car maker. The headphones and the earbuds also incorporate luxury materials and build quality to offer a stylish feel and finish like using tan leather on the MW65.

Lamborghini

According to Jonathan Levine, founder and CEO of Master & Dynamic, the designs were his obsession and that he was inspired him to approach Lamborghini to create the new collection. Levine further added that “As a young boy I was obsessed with cars. I remember being mesmerized the first time I saw a Lamborghini Miura. Those feelings of excitement are still with me today whenever I see a Lamborghini. To create something that initiates such a visceral response has always been my intention at Master & Dynamic.”

Editor’s Pick: Microsoft to launch Xbox Series X in China in 2021 after getting certified

The MW65 headphones will be available in multiple variants including silver metal/light grey/yellow Alcantara, black metal black/yellow Alcantara, and black metal/black/grey Alcantara color schemes. For those unaware, Alcantara is an Italian technical material  that is widely used in the cars from Lamborghini. Similarly, the MW07 PLUS TWS is also inspired by Lamborghini sports cars’ striking finish. Even the charging case features matte paint. The MW07 PLUS TWS will also arrive in three color variants, namely polished white/matte silver case, polished black/matte black case, matte black/matte black case, as per the Forbes report.

Lamborghini

The Master & Dynamic MW65 features two modes of active noise cancellation and offers up to 24 hours of play time on a single full charge. On the other hand the MW07 PLUS earbuds offers 10mm Beryllium drivers for improved audio quality and offers a total of 40 hours of playback when paired with its stainless steel charging case. The former will be available for $549 / €549 / £489 while the MW07 PLUS TWS will retail for $349 / €349 / £299.

UP NEXT: Huawei lost most of its shares in Western Europe in Q3 but it’s to Xiaomi & OPPO’s gain – IDC

 

Moto G 5G launch date revealed, arrives on November 30th on Flipkart

By
Sean
-

Motorola India has just confirmed the launch date of its upcoming 5G smartphone in India. The Moto G 5G is a mid range handset that supports the newer and faster bandwidth and will launch of 30th November 2020.

Earlier today (26th November 2020), the company shared a tweet on Twitter, which revealed the launch date of the smartphone and more. The device will be available from 12pm IST and will be available from Flipkart, a popular Indian e-retailing website that operates similar to Amazon. For those unaware, India has yet to adopt 5G networking at the moment and is planning to hold trials in certain regions soon. Despite this, a few 5G enabled devices have already been launched in the country, but the OnePlus Nord is one of the few in the mid range segment so far.

Editor’s Pick: Microsoft to launch Xbox Series X in China in 2021 after getting certified

Now, the Moto G 5G will arrive in similar price tag and will compete with the Chinese brand with its own mid range 5G enabled smartphone. At present the OnePlus Nord is the cheapest 5G smartphone in India, but the Moto G 5G could undercut it by a slight margin. While the exact pricing details are currently unknown, it is being speculated that the device will be priced around 24,999 INR (roughly 338 US Dollars). Notably, the device sports a more powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor over the Snapdragon 765G on the Nord.

Other specifications include a quad camera setup on the rear, comprising of a 48 megapixel primary lens paired with an 8 megapixel secondary sensor and two additional 2 megapixel lenses as well. The selfie shooter is a 16 megapixel camera that is housed in a punch hole format in the top middle of the 6.7 inch FHD+ IPS LCD display. The device is powered by a large 5,000mAh battery pack that even supports fast charging up to 20W. So stay tuned for more updates, as we will be covering the launch as well.

UP NEXT: Huawei lost most of its shares in Western Europe in Q3 but it’s to Xiaomi & OPPO’s gain – IDC

 

Microsoft to launch Xbox Series X in China in 2021 after getting certified

By
Sean
-

Microsoft recently launched its latest generation of gaming console, the Xbox Series X. While the console is available in most regions across the globe, analysts believe that the new Xbox will only arrive in China next year.

Microsoft
Xbox Series X

According to a SCMP report, the Xbox Series X will only arrive in China by 2021 due to a recent decision by mainland regulators to grant the company a certification for an unnamed gaming console, as per the analysts. At the moment, Microsoft has already received China Compulsory, or 3C, from the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People’s Republic of China. For those unaware, 3C is the official safety authorization for products that are imported, sold or used on the mainland.

Editor’s Pick: Samsung halts One UI 3.0 Beta update for Galaxy Z Fold2 after encountering a major bug

Analysts believe that these certifications are also indicative of an imminent launch of the Xbox Series X within the country. This would likely also include the arrival of the lower variant within the series, dubbed the Xbox Series S. China is the world’s largest video game market in the world, so the US tech giant would focus on the region despite it not being among the first launch countries.

Microsoft
Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X

Daniel Ahmad, senior analyst at game consultancy Niko Partners stated that “We currently expect the Xbox Series X to launch in the first half of 2021.” Although, Microsoft still needs to secure a separate certification from the Ministry of Culture before its flagship console is released in China. The market would also be a point of tension between the company and Sony, who also recently launched its latest game console, the PlayStation 5.

UP NEXT: Huawei lost most of its shares in Western Europe in Q3 but it’s to Xiaomi & OPPO’s gain – IDC

 

Nokia 2.4 launched in India, features a 6.4 inch display and 4,500mAh battery

By
Sean
-

Nokia 2.4 has finally been launched in India. The device arrives as an entry level budget handset that runs the latest stock Android 10 OS and is the latest launch from the HMD Global owned brand.

Nokia

Nokia 2.4 is an affordable device and its specifications reflect the same. It features a 6.5 inch HD+ display (720x1600px resolution) with a water drop notch in the front. The device sports a MediaTek Helio P22 SoC and is powered by a large 4,500mAh battery pack with a standard 5W charging support. For memory, it houses 3GB of RAM along with either 32GB or 64GB of internal storage, which can be further expanded via a microSD card slot.

Editor’s Pick: Apple and Xiaomi take a hit as India tightens import rules for electronics

Since the device runs Android One, it runs on the stock Android 10 OS and will likely soon receive the Android 11 update as well. On the rear, Nokia 2.4 is equipped with a dual camera setup, with a 13 megapixel primary sensor and a 2 megapixel depth lens for portrait shots. The selfie shooter is a 5 megapixel camera and the device sports the usual connectivity features like 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/GLONASS, and micro USB port for charging. Nokia

The rear also sports a fingerprint sensor for security and even has a dedicated Google Assistant button with IPX2 Ingress resistance. It measures 165.85 x 76.30 x 8.69mm and weighs 189 grams. Arriving at the price and availability, the Nokia 2.4 will launch in India for 10,399 INR (roughly 140 US Dollars). and will be available in multiple color variants including, Dusk, Fjord, and Charcoal. It is currently available for pre booking across India, although, no official date for sale has been announced at the moment. So stay tuned for more updates.

UP NEXT: Huawei lost most of its shares in Western Europe in Q3 but it’s to Xiaomi & OPPO’s gain – IDC

 

Google to turn ART into Mainline module with Android 12 for quicker system updates

By
Jeet
-

Android is the most popular smartphone operating system out there, dominating the smartphone market worldwide. However, one of the major complaints about the OS is the slower rollout of updates.

To address those issues, Google had introduced Project Mainline and with the upcoming Android 12, Google is working on giving a big boost to the OS upgrades. It is being reported that the company is turning Android Runtime (ART) into a Mainline module, which could allow pushing updates to key system components through the Play Store.

EDITOR’S PICK: Google India is testing the Task Mate app that enables users to earn money by completing simple tasks on the phone

Android Runtime translates an Android app’s bytecode into native machine instructions. With the said change, if Google wanted to change how the OS translated code, it could just send the tweaks through Play Store instead of waiting for a newer version of Android update, thus helping users get functionality improvement or a security fix much quicker.

While this new change won’t fix most of the issues with the Android update rollout, it could make a big difference when it comes to addressing zero-day exploits with fixes much faster than the conventionally scheduled security patches.

Earlier, Google had outlined that it is making changes in the developer policies which will make it easier to use third-party app stores on Android 12. So far, details about how the company plans to achieve this haven’t been revealed.

UP NEXT: Samsung halts One UI 3.0 Beta update rollout for Galaxy Z Fold2 after encountering a major bug

 

ZTE Blade 20 Pro 5G teaser video reveals back panel design of the phone

By
Jeet
-

ZTE has confirmed that the company will be launching its latest smartphone — ZTE Blade 20 Pro 5G in its home country on 30th November. Ahead of the official launch, the company has revealed some of the features of the phone through teaser posters.

In the latest teaser, the company has shared a 360-degree video of the phone, shedding light on the phone’s back panel and confirming that the device will feature a quad-camera setup where the sensors will be placed inside a rectangular module in the top-left corner.

ZTE Blade 20 Pro 5G Teaser

ZTE Blade 20 Pro 5G Teaser

Also, “64” is written under the camera, which hints that the primary camera sensor on this quad-camera setup will be 64-megapixel. The images also reveal that the volume rocker keys and the power button are on the right side.

An earlier teaser of the phone from the company had confirmed that the device will feature a waterdrop display and thin bezels on the left and right side but a bit thicker bezels on the top and bottom of the screen.

EDITOR’S PICK: OPPO confirms having more than 370 million active monthly users worldwide for its ColorOS

The ZTE Blade 20 Pro 5G is expected to have a 6.52-inch HD+ IPS LCD display and come powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset. It is also said to have a 20MP snapper housed inside the notch on top of the display.

The device will be packing 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. It seems that the phone will have a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. The handset is powered by a 4,000mAh battery but the fast charging capability remains unknown.

For those who are unaware, the smartphone will be launching as the higher variant of the Blade 20 5G that was launched in China earlier this month.

UP NEXT: ZTE poses a national security risk to the United States, reaffirms FCC

 

Apple and Xiaomi take a hit as India tightens import rules for electronics

By
Sean
-

India recently tightening its control of quality clearances for electronic goods from China has affected smartphone brands. The new rule has slowed the new Apple iPhone models last month and even help up products from Chinese companies like Xiaomi.

Apple iPhone 12

According to a Reuters report, sources from within the industry has revealed the information. With the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) setting up new standards, the applications for the quality control agency, which used to be processed within 15 days, are now taking anywhere between this period and up to two or more months longer. This has severely delayed certain products arriving from overseas and disrupted companies’ schedules.

Editor’s Pcik: Huawei lost most of its shares in Western Europe in Q3 but it’s to Xiaomi & OPPO’s gain – IDC

BIS started delaying the approvals back in August 2020 for electronic devices that were made in China. This includes smartphones, smartwatches, and laptops, and likely arrives after the rising political tensions between India and China. For those unaware, a military clash back in June that left 20 Indian soldiers dead had caused an outrage and raised anti Chinese sentiments in India. Since then, the nation has tightened the rules for investments from China and have even banned hundreds of Chinese smartphone applications from Chinese companies like Tencent, Alibaba, and ByteDance.

Apple

It has banned an additional 43 more applications earlier this week as well. Apple India executives had called on BIS to speed up the approval process after the new iPhone 12 shipments were caught in the delays as well. The officials also assured that the Cupertino based giant will continue to expand its assembly operations in India, as per the sources. At the moment, it is still unclear how long the iPhone 12 application was actually delayed.

UP NEXT: Samsung halts One UI 3.0 Beta update for Galaxy Z Fold2 after encountering a major bug

 

Xiaomi India brings Black Friday deals for Redmi smartphones & Accessories

By
Simranpal Singh
-

Major brands and retailers are offering astounding discounts on the occasion of Black Friday deals. Already smartphone manufacturers such as Apple, Realme, and others are offering magnanimous discounts on their products. The Chinese electronics manufacturer – Xiaomi has also jumped into the ongoing Black Friday Deals Extravaganza by offering some ecstatic deals on smartphones, wearables, and accessories. Meanwhile, you can also check our Black Friday Deals portal to save maximum this festive season. Here are the Xiaomi India Black Friday Deals:

black friday sale

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Xiaomi’s sub-brand, Redmi is here with massive discounts on most of its smartphones like Redmi 8A Dual, Redmi 9i, Redmi Note 8, and Note 9 series. Moreover, you can save a lot while buying accessories like Power Bank and Redmi Earbuds at attractive prices.

Xiaomi India Black Friday Discount Details

Smartphones

Redmi Note 9 Pro – The company is offering 4GB RAM +128GB variant for Rs 14,999 Rs 17,999. Grab Deal

Redmi 9 Prime – There’s a Rs 3000 discount on the actual retail price of the device. The effective price after the discount will be Rs 10,999 Rs 13,999 for 4GBR AM + 128GB storage. Grab Deal

Redmi Note 8 – Encasing a powerful camera and large display, Redmi Note 9 is available at a reduced price of Rs 11,499 Rs 12,999. Grab Deal

Redmi 9i – It is an affordable device packing large 128GB storage and 4GB RAM. The users can grab it for Rs 8,888 Rs 10,999. Grab Deal

Redmi 8A Dual – The device is a pure entry-level device available for a reduced price of Rs 6,999 Rs 9,999. Grab Deal

Accessories

Redmi Power Bank – Never get out of the battery power, always carry a power bank. Here’s a fine chance to get a good quality Redmi Power Bank for Rs 699 Rs 1999. Grab Deal

Redmi EarBuds 2C – Improve music listening experience with Redmi EarBuds 2C for Rs 1299. Grab Deal

There are discounts on almost every product from Xiaomi. You need to head over to Amazon, Flipkart to enjoy the discounts. The Xiaomi India Black Friday deals discounts will be applicable between November 26 – 29 via Mi.com, Flipkart, and Amazon.

Additionally, you can check our Black Friday Deals guides to save on new smartphones, smart TVs, and Apple products [US only].

Related: Realme Black Friday Offers are here: Get discounts on its Watch & Smartphones in Europe

OPPO’s ColorOS revealed to have over 370 million active monthly users

By
Jeet
-

Chinese smartphone maker OPPO has officially confirmed that currently there are more than 370 million active monthly users worldwide for its ColorOS mobile operating system, which is based on Android.

Almost all the smartphones from OPPO comes packed with the ColorOS, a customized skin layer on top of Google‘s Android operating system. The system has been translated into more than 72 languages and is being promoted and used in over 140 countries worldwide.

ColorOS Logo Featured

EDITOR’S PICK: The UK is planning to spend around $333 million to help telcos replace Huawei equipment

At the same time, OPPO has also revealed a timeline, showcasing major developments of the ColorOS over the years.

  • April 2013 — First version of ColorOS released on the internal testing forum.
  • May 2013 — Official ColorOS Weibo launched
  • March 2014 — ColorOS 2.0 officially began public testing.
  • March 2015 — ColorOS users exceeded 30 million.
  • March 2016 — ColorOS 3.0 released
  • March 2018 — ColorOS 5.0 officially released overseas.
  • December 2018 — Breeno smart assistant launched.
  • March 2019 — ColorOS 6 released.
  • September 2020 — ColorOS 11 was released.

Recently, the company surprised everyone by jumping from ColorOS 7 to ColorOS 11, which is based on Android 11. The company says that the new branding will help customers easily identify the version of Android its phones are running.

As OPPO had revealed during the announcement of the new OS, the OPPO Find X2 and Find X2 Pro smartphones have now started receiving the ColorOS 11 update, and more devices are expected to start getting the update soon.

UP NEXT: Huawei lost most of its shares in Western Europe in Q3 but it’s to Xiaomi & OPPO’s gain – IDC

 

Infinix Zero 8i India launch postponed to December 3rd

By
Anvinraj Valiyathara
-

Yesterday, Infinix India took to Twitter to confirm that it will be launching the Infinix Zero 8i phone on Dec. 2. The Chinese brand has deleted the tweet as it has postponed its launch to Dec. 3. The launch poster confirms that the device will be arriving with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage.

Infinix Zero 8i specifications and features

The Infinix Zero 8i features a big 6.85-inch IPS LCD panel with a dual punch-hole design. The screen offers a 90Hz refresh rate, a Full HD+ resolution, and a 20:9 aspect. For capturing selfies, the phone possesses a main selfie camera of 16-megapixel and an 8-mgeapixel ultrawide lens.

The backside of the Zero 8i has quad-camera setup arranged in a diamond-patterned housing. It has a primary camera of 48-megapixel, an ultrawide lens of 8-megapixel, a 2-megapixel lens, and an AI lens. The phone boots to XOS 7 based Android 10 OS.

The MediaTek Helio G90T chipset powers the device with 8 GB of RAM. The phone has a dedicated microSD card slot apart from its 128 GB internal storage. The handset daws power from a 4,500mAh battery that supports 18W fast charging. The phone is fitted with a side-facing fingerprint reader.

Infinix Zero 8i price

The pricing of the Infinix Zero 8i for India is not known yet. It went official in Pakistan for PKR 34,999 (~$220; ~Rs 16,300) last month. In December, the Chinese firm is also going to launch its X1 series Android TV and SNOKOR soundbar. At present, there is no information available on the specs of Infinix’s first smart TV and soundbar for India.

Huawei P40 Pro’s Display has class leading motion control: DxOMark

By
Sean
-

DxOMark had recently unveiled a new ranking system for a different categories for smartphones. It is for the display, and now, the Huawei P40 Pro has also been reviewed and has received praises for its class leading motion control.

Huawei

For those unaware, DxOMark generally reviews cameras and audio from smartphones, but has now diversified to include a display review as well. After a rigorous testing phase, the company gave the Huawei P40 Pro a score of 85 points on its display. This is among upper half of all its rankings and even edges out on last year’s Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max. While the device did receive the a relatively high score, it failed to reach the top 3 in DxOMark’s display ranking.

Editor’s Pick: Huawei lost most of its shares in Western Europe in Q3 but it’s to Xiaomi & OPPO’s gain – IDC

DxOMark stated that the score was largely affected by its readability performance where it was found too dark to read in both indoor and outdoor conditions comfortably. Although, the flagship from the Chinese tech giant did receive praises for its good overall color performance. Furthermore, where the Huawei P40 Pro stood out exceptionally was the motion sub category, which it was labelled as class leading.

Huawei

The device was found to have excellent control of motion blur, and its video playback instantaneous. Another area where the smartphone struggled was with touch, and it also lost points for its obtrusive notch and poor handling of aliasing artifacts, which was particularly noticeable during gaming. In other words, the display was overall well received but had certain shortcomings that lowered its score. Despite this, it still managed to arrive in the top 5 spot of the DxOMark display rankings.

UP NEXT: Realme N1 Sonic Electric Toothbrush now available in Blue; replaceable heads still not available online

 

UK plans spending $333 million to help telcos replace Huawei equipment

By
Jeet
-

Earlier this year, the United Kingdom banned Chinese giant Huawei from participated in its 5G infrastructure development and asked telecom companies to remove Huawei’s equipment by 2027.

Now, the U.K. has revealed that it will be spending around 250 million pounds (approximately $333 million) to replace Huawei’s equipment from the telecom infrastructure in the country. It seems that about 50 million pounds will be spent next year to help build “a secure and resilient 5G network.”

Huawei Logo MWC 2019

EDITOR’S PICK: Redmi Note 9 Series China– Expected Specifications, and Price ahead of November 26 launch

With Huawei out-of-the-picture, there will be just two suppliers to the phone carriers in the U.K. — Nokia and Ericsson. This duopoly could hurt security as well as boost prices in the market. So, the funds will also be used to start a task force, which is expected to reveal more information about the findings at the end of the year.

In July this year, Huawei was banned by the U.K. from taking part in its 5G infrastructure development. It is believed that this was a result of pressure from the United States, which had banned the company a year prior.

As more and more companies are banning the Chinese giant to work on their telecom network because of security concerns, companies like Nokia and Ericsson have benefited by getting major contracts from network carriers.

UP NEXT: OPPO Reno5 series global launch could be in December, key details emerge

 

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