Ulefone Armor 10 5G thrives in the performance test

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Dec 2, 2020

Ulefone is the world’s renowned rugged smartphone maker. The company has launched exceptional rugged smartphones in the past offering value-for-money. Similarly, the company earned another laurel by introducing the world’s first 5G rugged smartphone – Ulefone Armor 10 5G. The primary highlights of the device are its Dimensity 800 5G SoC, 8GB RAM, 128GB ROM, and 64MP quad-camera among others. It has recently undergone a performance test and the benchmark scores prove its worth.

Must See: Ulefone Armor 10 5G Rugged phone powered by Dimensity 800 SoC launched

In the video, the MediaTek Dimensity 800 powered device scored 307,629 points in the AnTuTu benchmark. The octa-core processor performed on par with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 700 series chipsets. The AnTuTu benchmarks test the CPU, GPU, memory, and UX of the device to calculate the final scores.

In a world where every electronic item is turning into a smart device. While, software gets AI prowess to improve performance, battery efficiency, and camera productivity. In such an environment, it equally becomes important to test the AI processing of the smartphone. Ulefone Armor 10 5G has scored 85.3 points in the AI benchmark. Meanwhile, it scored 182,507 points on the AntuTu benchmark.

The device is a rugged masterpiece with splendid hardware features.

Ulefone Armor 10 5G features a 6.67-inch FullView display and carries an ultra-high resolution camera. The smartphone houses a 5800 mAh battery with 15W fast charging support. It supports contactless payments with NFC via Google Pay.

It will officially go on sale from December 7 for the price of $399 via Banggood. Moreover, the first 200 buyers will get a free Ulefone Watch. You can head over to the Ulefone official website to learn more about the device.

Related: Ulefone Armor 10 5G- Launch, Specifications and Giveaway Alert

iPhone 12 users report loss of connectivity to both 5G and 4G signals

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Dec 2, 2020

Reports emanating from Apple‘s support online communities have quoted many iPhone 12 series owners saying that the new iPhone models might be having difficulties connecting to 4G and 5G networks. The problem has not yet been fixed by Apple as of the start of this week.

According to the concerned phone users (via), their iPhone 12 models usually lose all signal bars and the message on the display says “Your iPhone is not Activated.” This problem occurs on both 4G LTE and 5G networks and toggling Airplane mode on and then off will usually restore the connection. Others said that they had to restart their phone or remove and replace their SIM card to get their phone to sync with their carrier’s network.

Apple iPhone 12 Featured — Apple iPhone 12

Apple iPhone 12 series users also voiced the problem on Reddit, with suddenly dropped signals being observed at short intervals. The only regular solution under such circumstances, that works to restore service is to reboot the phone, as claimed by one of the users.

Network carriers Verizon and AT&T seem to be most affected by this bug with some users seeing their iPhone lose signal whenever there is a switch of towers. The problem was also reported by some users outside the US. For example, an Australian iPhone 12 Pro owner said that “I have the same problem on Vodafone in Australia. After coming from an iPhone 11pro to iPhone 12 pro. My new phone just loses service completely sometimes and in some instances just shows 3G. I haven’t seen 3G for many years but now I find myself dropping to 3G more often than not – or no service completely”.

Users of the four iPhone 12 models have experienced a few problems with the phone. In November, it was discovered that the display on some units was glowing green and gray. In response, Apple told technicians not to service those units having this problem. Rather, iPhone owners should regularly update their devices. Therefore, we should expect a software update soon, and it is hoped that the present signal glitch might also be fixed with the software update.

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

Vivo Y51 might go live in Indonesia on December 3; official listing reveals renders and specs

By

Balaji S

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Dec 2, 2020

Earlier today, a report exclusively tipped the price of the upcoming Vivo Y51 for India. The device is coming to both India and Indonesia as per early certifications. Now, it has officially been listed online in Indonesia along with renders, and specifications. The listing also shows that it is different from the Vivo Y51 that launched in Pakistan.

As spotted by MySmartPrice, the Vivo Y51 is now officially listed on the Indonesian website. The website’s ‘buy now’ redirects to Shopee’s website which is a popular retailer in the country. Accordingly, the poster inside the website shows a ‘coming soon’ tag and December 3, 2020 date. This suggests that the device might go live tomorrow in Indonesia.

That said, the website doesn’t hint anything about the pricing apart from a few discount vouchers, special gifts that will probably tag along the Vivo Y51 purchase. However, as mentioned above, a report says that the Y51 for India will debut under ₹20,000($272) in India. While we don’t exactly know about the Indian launch, it is likely to replace the Vivo S1 Pro that’s already retailing in the country.

To compare, the Vivo Y51 in Pakistan has a lot of similarities to the Vivo S1 Pro in India. This includes design, colors, diamond-shaped camera layout, display, 48MP rear camera. Take a look at the Indonesian renders below:

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Vivo Y51 Indonesia Specifications

First off, the renders on the Indonesian website reveal that the display has a v-notch upfront and a rectangular triple-camera layout at the back. The layout looks like it has taken cues from the Vivo X50 series. There is a single large lens that accompanies two smaller lenses beneath. The colors listed are Titanium Sapphire(Blue), and Crystal Symphony(Green gradient).

Talking about specs, the device measures 163.86 × 75.32 × 8.38mm and weighs 188g. It features a 6.58-inch FHD+(1080p) IPS LCD display, Snapdragon 665 SoC paired with 8GB RAM, 128GB storage, 16MP front camera, triple-rear camera with 48MP f/1.79 main, 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide, and a 2MP macro lens.

Other features include a 5,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging, Funtouch OS 11 based on Android 11, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, 4G LTE, GPS, microSD(up to 1TB), 3.5mm audio jack, Type-C port for connectivity. Let’s wait for the official pricing for Indonesia.

Snapdragon 800 series Moto G phone coming next year; desktop mode and more coming to Motorola phones

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Dec 2, 2020

Motorola had a segment during Qualcomm’s Tech Summit and the phone maker revealed some interesting details for next year. One of the announcements made is that the Moto G series will be getting a model with a Snapdragon 800 series processor in 2021.

The Moto G series will celebrate its 10th year anniversary next year and one of the ways Motorola plans to mark it is by launching a model with a Snapdragon 800 series processor. The announcement was made by Sergio Buniac, the Senior Vice President of Motorola.

While there is no specific mention of what chipset it is, there are speculations that it might be the new Snapdragon 888 processor. There is also a possibility that the phone may actually come with the Snapdragon 865 or Snapdragon 865+ processor that powers this year’s flagship. Regardless, this is a big shift for the Moto G series which usually comes with a Snapdragon 400, Snapdragon 600, or Snapdragon 700 series chipset.

Since the Moto G series is known as a budget series, there is a chance that the upcoming device will have an affordable price tag. This year, Motorola launched affordable Moto G phones with support for 5G such as the Moto G 5G and Moto G 5G Plus. We expect to see new affordable models next year.

Alongside the info about a Snapdragon 800 series Moto G phone, Motorola also revealed that its phones will get a desktop mode which will allow users to connect their phone to a screen and use it as a desktop computer. There will also be a Media Launcher mode which users can turn on when they want to watch content on a TV. This interface lists the streaming apps and games on the phone in an interface similar to Android TV.

Another feature that Motorola mentioned is the support for video calling using the ultrawide angle camera on the phone. This way, users will be able to fit in more people when making a video call.

These features have been reported to come with the Android 11 update but there is a possibility not all the features will be available on all the models.

OnePlus opens registrations for OnePlus 8T Closed Beta testers

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Dec 2, 2020

OnePlus 8T is the latest high-end smartphone from OnePlus. The brand has released multiple updates to this device ever since its release to fix a wide variety of bugs. Thankfully, this may end soon as the company has started recruiting Closed Beta testers.

For those unaware, OnePlus releases OxygenOS builds in three channels namely Closed Beta, Open Beta, and Stable. The latter two types of builds can be downloaded and installed by any user. Whereas, the former build is limited to select users.

The Chinese smartphone maker runs a Closed Beta program for all of its smartphones. This program includes a limited quantity of members. For instance, the brand has only allocated 200 seats for OnePlus 8T. Hence, if you are interested in this program, then make sure to register as soon as possible from OnePlus Community.

If you get selected, you will be working closely with OnePlus engineers. Hence, you will have to sign an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) with the company.

That said, users part of this program play an important role in the development of future software builds. Because these users will be testing the new builds before they make it to the other two channels. And hence, their feedback will be crucial for bug fixes and new features.

Anyway, this initiative is not everyone’s cup of tea. Therefore, stay away from it if you don’t like countless bugs on your beloved OnePlus 8T smartphone.

Grab OnePlus 7T Pro with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage at Rs 38,999 from Amazon

By

Simranpal Singh

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Dec 2, 2020

Under the Anniversary sale, OnePlus is offering massive discounts on all its smartphones on Amazon. However, there’s a special coupon discount of Rs 5000 on the OnePlus 7T Pro 8GB RAM and 256GB storage variant. It usually retails for the price of Rs 43,999, but with the coupon discount, the buyers can get it for Rs 38,999 via Amazon. It is the best price until now for the OnePlus 7T Pro 8GB RAM variant.

Must See: OnePlus records strong growth in Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands with the Nord

The company is providing a no-cost EMI of up to 6 months with HDFC credit/debit card and other partner institutions. Moreover, you can grab an instant discount of up to Rs 3000 on other OnePlus smartphones available at Amazon. Unfortunately, the instant discount offer can’t be clubbed with a Rs 5000 off coupon on OnePlus 7T Pro.

OnePlus 7T Pro Specs

It sports a 6.67-inch fluid display featuring 3120 x 1440 pixels resolution and 516 PPI pixel density. OnePlus 7T sports a triple rear camera module featuring a 48-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-telephoto lens, and a 16-megapixel ultrawide angle. There’s a 16-megapixel lens on the front for video calling and quality selfies.

It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset consisting of an octa-core processor and Adreno 640 GPU. The device is available in 8GB RAM + 128GB and 8GB RAM + 256 GB storage variant. The smartphone carries a 4085 mAh battery that supports 30W fast Warp charge technology.

It’s a one-time offer for interested users. You can grab it now by hitting the button below.

Grab Now for Rs 38,999

ZTE Blade V2021 5G debuts with Dimensity 720 SoC, 48MP camera for 999 yuan($152) in China

By

Balaji S

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Dec 2, 2020

ZTE has finally launched the Blade V2021 5G in China. The device is a watered-down version of the ZTE Blade V2020 that launched back in October. Despite starting at a lower price of 999 yuan($152.21), the device retains features like a 48MP camera, 5G from the predecessor.

ZTE Blade V2021 5G Price, Availability, Offers

The company took to Weibo to confirm the pricing, and specifications of the device. Accordingly, ZTE Blade V2021 5G comes in three colors- Space Gray, Fantasy Blue, Space Silver. You can take a look at the pricing and storage variants below:

4GB RAM, 64GB storage- 999 yuan($152.21)
6GB RAM, 128GB storage- 1399yuan($213.16)

The ZTE Blade V2021 5G will be available on JD.com(Jingdong) starting tomorrow(December 3). The official listing on the website shows that the sale will start around 10:00 AM China time(UTC+08:00). The company is also giving initial discounts of up to 100 yuan($15.24) for the 6GB/128GB model. Hence, the effective price of it is 1299 yuan($197.92).

ZTE Blade V2021 5G Specifications

The ZTE Blade V2021 5G is totally different from the predecessor in design. It has a polycarbonate back with a vertical camera setup, a notch display, and a slightly underpowered CPU. Measuring 165.9×75.8×8.9mm, the device weighs around 188g. Upfront, there is a 6.52-inch TFT display with a 60Hz refresh rate.

Under the hood, MediaTek’s Dimensity 720 5G SoC powers the device. As mentioned above, the SoC is paired with 4/6GB RAM and 64/128GB storage. However, you also get a storage expansion via a MicroSD slot up to 512GB. For cameras, you get a 48MP f/1.79 main lens, 8MP 120° ultra-wide, and 2MP macro sensor. An 8MP selfie shooter sits at the front tucked under the notch.

Other specifications include a 4,000mAh battery, Bluetooth 5.1, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, 3.5mm audio jack, DTS sound, Type-C port, 5G SA/NSA, GPS for connectivity.

[Hot Deal] OnePlus smartphones getting an instant discount of upto Rs 3000 via HDFC cards

By

Simranpal Singh

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Dec 2, 2020

OnePlus is offering massive discounts on smartphones including OnePlus 8 Pro, OnePlus 8, OnePlus 8T, OnePlus Nord, OnePlus 7T, and OnePlus 7T Pro. In partnership with HDFC cards, the company is offering an instant discount of up to Rs 3000. The interested users can available no-cost EMIs of up to 6 months on select cards. Amazon has even extended the offer by bundling upto Rs 5000 off coupon with the OnePlus 7T Pro.

Note: The instant discount is applicable on Credit card EMI payments, Non-EMI payments, and Debit card EMI payments. However, the discount shrinks with Debit Card Non-EMI payments.

[Hot] The effective price for OnePlus 7T Pro goes to Rs 38,999 with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage variant. If you have an HDFC credit or debit card then grab it for another 2000 Instant discount.

Discount using 5000 off Coupon and non-HDFC card.

OnePlus 8 Pro is retailing for Rs 54,999 is available for the effective price of Rs 51,999 after a Rs 3000 instant discount with HDFC credit and debit cards. OnePlus 8 is retailing for Rs 39,999 and will be available for 37,999 with a Rs 2000 discount. Similarly, OnePlus Nord 5G gets a Rs 1000 discount, the OnePlus 7T with a Rs 1500 discount, and the OnePlus 7T Pro for a Rs 2000 discount.

The latest flagship from OnePlus i.e OnePlus 8T 5G is available for the price of Rs 42,999, but you can own it for Rs 40,999 with a Rs 2000 Instant discount.

Avail Rs 3000 Instant Discount

It is a great deal for the interested folks who missed the festive season deals.

Related: OnePlus 8T Cyberpunk 2077 Edition goes for sale on Giztop

Indian Govt intervenes to solve supply issues of local companies with MediaTek: Report

By

Balaji S

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Dec 2, 2020

The Indian Government has reached out to MediaTek to mediate discriminatory allegations by Indian companies. A report says the company has been diverting the majority of its supplies to Chinese vendors. As a result, companies like Micromax and Lava are reportedly facing shortages of chipsets.

Citing its sources, ET reports that the Indian Govt’s intervention to solve the issue is to avoid further complications. Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman of ICEA(India Cellular and Electronics Association) says the govt is reaching out through proper channels to MediaTek. Apparently, it is doing this to negotiate the issue that has resulted in about 95% shortage of components for Indian companies.

However, MediaTek denies these allegations. It says the entire industry is experiencing shortages globally. It adds that the main reason is the supply chain disruption due to COVID-19 in addition to demand, 5G rollout. After the outbreak of the virus, companies faced a lot of issues and even started importing devices from China. Although reports predict a revival in 2021, the market is still yet to balance the demand and supply crisis.

Anyway, while the seriousness of the allegations isn’t clear, experts believe that it could also be due to Huawei stockpiling MediaTek’s chipsets in Q2. Back in May, after realizing the extension of the US ban, it reportedly increased orders to MediaTek by 300%. Later, as the September 15 deadline was approaching, it entered survival mode by stockpiling chipsets for the next 2 years.

Coming back, the report says that if Govt doesn’t intervene, it will affect Indian companies’ goals for the PLI scheme. Previously, the govt announced incentives worth ₹50,000 crores ($6.6 billion) including PLI, SPECS, EMC 2.0 schemes. Out of this PLI(Production Linked Incentive) requires companies to manufacture high-end phones for a period of 5 years locally and achieve yearly goals to get 4-6% incentive.

That said, experts say that Indian companies will be able to reach the first-year target of the PLI scheme only if they get supplies till March 2021. And if the issue persists, it isn’t going to be a smooth ride for them. Let’s wait and see how the situation pans out after the involvement of the govt.

Samsung Galaxy Note series discontinuation confirmed by Reuters

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Dec 2, 2020

The rumor mill which has been awash in recent months on the possible retirement of the Galaxy Note lineup of Samsung smartphones has finally gotten some authentication via Reuters.

What began as an unlikely news item around August 2020 has now gained sufficient traction to warrant the attention of a reliable news outlet like Reuters. It now looks almost certain that indeed Samsung will discontinue production of its Galaxy Note line. The latest confirmation of this news comes from Reuters and is based on several credible sources having sufficient knowledge of the plans of the tech giant on the matter.

The Reuters report is also in line with reports monitored this week from South Korea on the matter. The move is expected to highlight the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the declining demand for Samsung’s flagship smartphones, coupled with other operational and design challenges faced by the Galaxy Note series. Samsung is rumored to be planning to move its development resources production attention to its upcoming foldable phone range.

One of the sources that spoke to Reuters also confirmed that Samsung is planning to bring S Pen support to its Galaxy S21 Ultra and next foldable phone with the smart stylus being sold separately in the two cases.

The Samsung Galaxy Note series, at launch, was designed as a series of high-end Android phablets and smartphones primarily oriented towards pen computing in that all Galaxy Note models come with a stylus pen and had incorporated a pressure-sensitive Wacom digitizer and a generally larger screen. The Galaxy Note models also have software features that are oriented towards the stylus and their large screens, such as note-taking and digital scrapbooking apps, and split-screen capabilities for multitasking. The Note line serves as Samsung’s flagship smartphone model, positioned above the Samsung Galaxy S series.

We’ll keep our fingers crossed while monitoring further developments as Samsung is set to release the S21 series in January 2020.

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

Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro to launch in Indonesia on December 8

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Dec 2, 2020

The Mi 10T series made its debut in Europe in September. It then made its way to India in October. Today, Xiaomi has announced that the Mi 10T Pro will be launched in Indonesia this month.

The announcement which was made on Twitter revealed that the flagship phone will be launched in the country on December 8. The launch will be live-streamed and will begin at 7:30 PM Western Indonesian Time.

The Mi 10T Pro will be the second Xiaomi flagship phone launched in the country. Earlier this year, the Mi 10 series made its way to Indonesia but only the standard model was announced. Seeing as the Mi 10 Pro 5G didn’t launch, it is understandable why it is only the Mi 10T Pro launching in the country now. Its other siblings, the Mi 10T and the Mi 10T Lite will not be sold there.

The Mi 10T Pro has a 6.67-inch LCD display with a 2400 x 1080 resolution. The screen which has a hole in the top left corner of the screen also has a 144Hz refresh rate. The screen is covered with Gorilla Glass 5.

Under the hood is a Snapdragon 865 processor paired with 8GB of RAM. The phone comes in 128GB and 256GB versions but we don’t know if just one or both will be available when the phone launches next week.

There is a 20MP camera in front of the device while the rear is home to a 108MP primary camera, a 13MP ultrawide angle camera, and a 5MP macro camera. The Mi 10T Pro can record in 8K at 30fps and in 4K at up to 60fps. There is no audio jack but you get stereo speakers. The phone also has NFC and Bluetooth 5.1.

There is a 5000mAh battery inside the phone with support for 33W fast wired charging. Xiaomi ships the Mi 10T Pro with MIUI 12 based on Android 10.

Vivo’s Snapdragon 888-powered device running OriginOS hits GeekBench

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Dec 2, 2020

At the 2020 Snapdragon Technology Summit 2020 held yesterday, Qualcomm officially unveiled the latest Snapdragon 888 mobile platform built on TSMC’s 5nm process. The processor will power the next generation of flagship smartphones. The processor equally provides a fully integrated 5G modem.

Xiaomi‘s CEO Lei Jun did confirm that the brand will be the first to launch a Snapdragon 888-powered model which will be the Mi 11 expected in January 2021. Vivo also indicated that it will release a flagship with the new chipset in the first half of 2021.

The Vivo model powered by the Snapdragon 888 chipset has been spotted on the GeekBench database. The model appears with the model number Vivo V2056A and is powered by the Snapdragon 888 SoC listed with its codename Lahaina.

The device runs on Android 11 which will definitely have an overlay of Vivo’s custom OriginOS which is the only version running on Android 11. The device will also have 11GB of RAM.

The Snapdragon 888-powered Vivo phone is the first device to appear on benchmark database. As for the benchmark score, the Snapdragon 888 Vivo device has a single-core test score of 1135 points and a multi-core score of 3681 points. This is currently the highest score among the leaked engineering machines. The score almost doubles those of the Snapdragon 865-powered model both on the single and multi-core tests.

At the Snapdragon Technology Summit, Vivo Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Hu Baishan stated: “The vivo brand and the iQOO brand will soon launch mobile phones equipped with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G mobile platform. With the blessing of Snapdragon 888, the flagship products of vivo and iQOO will also bring consumers better image and photography capabilities, a more powerful gaming experience, as well as high-speed and convenient 5G connections and more intelligent functions.”

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

Alleged Samsung One UI 3.0 update schedule appears online

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Dec 2, 2020

Samsung has been beta testing One UI 3.0 based on Android 11 for a while now. However, the company is yet to release an official list of eligible devices as well as update schedule. But now, we finally have an alleged update timeline, courtesy of Samsung’s community app.

Recently, Samsung had posted the One UI 3.0 update roadmap for users of the Samsung Members app in Egypt. This list was first shared by TizenHelp (via XDA Developers).

This timeline should be mostly limited to Egypt but still, it gives us a rough idea about the Android 11 update rollout for Samsung devices worldwide. Anyway, let us take a look at this list but make sure to consider this piece of information with a pinch of salt.

One UI 3.0 Alleged Update Schedule

December 2020
- Galaxy S20
- Galaxy S20+
- Galaxy S20 Ultra
January 2021
- Galaxy Note20
- Galaxy Note20 Ultra
- Galaxy S10
- Galaxy S10+
- Galaxy S10 Lite
- Galaxy Note10
- Galaxy Note10+
- Galaxy Z Flip
- Galaxy Z Fold2
February 2021
- Galaxy Z Fold
March 2021
- Galaxy Note10 Lite
- Galaxy A51
- Galaxy M31
- Galaxy M30s
- Galaxy M21
- Galaxy Tab S7
April 2021
- Galaxy A50
- Galaxy M51
May 2021
- Galaxy A80
- Galaxy A71
- Galaxy A70
- Galaxy A31
- Galaxy A21s
- Galaxy Tab S6
- Galaxy Tab S6 Lite
June 2021
- Galaxy A11
- Galaxy M11
- Galaxy A01
- Galaxy A01 Core
- Galaxy Tab A
July 2021
- Galaxy A30
- Galaxy Tab S5e
August 2021
- Galaxy A30s
- Galaxy A20s
- Galaxy A20
- Galaxy A10s
- Galaxy A10
- Galaxy Tab A 10.1
- Galaxy Tab Active Pro
September 2021
- Galaxy Tab A 8.0

As we mentioned in the beginning, this above-mentioned One UI 3.0 (Android 11) update roadmap is unproven. But since it comes directly from the Samsung Members app, the official update timeline should be similar nevertheless.

Samsung might begin the One UI 3.0 stable rollout tomorrow(December 3)

By

Balaji S

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Dec 2, 2020

Samsung is busy perfecting it’s latest One UI 3.0 based on Android 11 with the beta program. The company, despite encountering several bugs, is on course to launch the stable build as soon as possible. And it might start tomorrow as a report says a stable version for Galaxy S20 is coming on December 3.

As reported by Tizenhelp, the Samsung support team has reportedly said that Samsung Galaxy S20 will get the stable version of One UI 3.0 based on Android 11 tomorrow i.e December 3. Accordingly, a screenshot shared by the report shows an alleged reply of a Samsung representative to a Korean user.

It says(Google Translated) that the schedule is on December 3 but information regarding this will appear on Samsung Members App. For the unware, Samsung is currently running a Beta program for the One UI 3.0. To try out the features, users will have to signup for it on the above-mentioned app under ‘One UI‘ banner. Coming back, the reply also includes a disclaimer that the update schedule may change even after the rollout. That is, it might get suspended if a bug is encountered.

This is understandable considering its Beta program hasn’t been that smooth, to say the least. After testing the One UI 3.0 Beta with developers, Samsung kicked off the program for users of Galaxy S20 and followed it up with various flagships including the yesteryear Galaxy S10. Although the company was right on track, it encountered issues like battery drain, lock-screen bug.

However, after overcoming the issues, it has reportedly stopped Beta updates for S20, and Note 20 series already in South Korea. This further strengthens that stable update isn’t that far away. That said, as the report states, the reply is for a community member in South Korea.

This suggests that just like every OTA update, Samsung could initially release it in South Korea before expanding to other regions. Let’s wait and see if this turns out true tomorrow.

First sale of Redmi Note 9 series exceeds 300,000 units in China

By

Balaji S

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Dec 2, 2020

Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note9 series of smartphones a week ago in China. And as per the reports, first sale of Redmi Note9 5G Pro exceeds several thousand units in the country. Additionally, Redmi has also shared the official sale figures of the entire Note9 series.

Redmi Note 9 Series China — Redmi Note 9 Pro (Left), Redmi Note 9 (Center), and Redmi Note 9 4G (Right)

Redmi Note9 series comprising of the Note9 5G, Note9 Pro 5G, and Note9 4G went on sale at 0:00 China time on December 1. And according to Redmi’s official Weibo post, the first sale of the entire Note9 series exceeds 300,000 units. Previously, Xiaomi sold about 300,000 units of the Redmi Note 8 Pro in first sale back in 2019. That said, the company hasn’t shared the official figures of individual units yet.

Anyway, the data for the entire Note9 series is according to reports from Xiaomi store, JD.com, Tmall, and Suning stores as of December 1, 12:00 local time. Besides, as reported by Mydrivers, Jingdong shares the first sale figures of the Redmi Note9 Pro 5G. It says that more than 10,000 units of the device got sold out in just 52 seconds. Although a steady figure for the device isn’t available yet, we can imagine it breaking every record in the future.

In fact, the device deserves it as it has all the reasons to earn it right from the first Redmi 108MP camera smartphone to bringing 5G to the masses. The Redmi Note series of devices has always been the center of attraction for Xiaomi. For instance, the sale of the Note 7 series exceeded 10 million in just 129 days while the Note 8 series did it even quicker.

Additionally, an official report by the company shows that the sale of all the Note lineup so far has exceeded 140 million units globally. Anyway, let’s wait for a bit to know how the Note9 series performs in the coming months.

Galaxy S21+ leaks in high-quality 3D CAD renders

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Dec 2, 2020

Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy S21 series in mid-January. The series will consist of three models namely Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 Ultra. The design of this trio has already leaked. However, we have only seen the detailed renders of the base model and the high-end model so far. But not anymore as new high-quality 3D CAD renders of Galaxy S21+ have emerged.

The renders of Galaxy S21+ silver color variant come from the Italian case maker Pigtou in collaboration with a leakster called xleaks7 on Twitter.

According to the leak, the phone will feature an identical design as the other two models. It is said to flaunt a 6.8-inch flat display with a centered punch-hole camera. But according to a previous leak, this handset will come equipped with an FHD+ AMOLED panel (LTPS) with a 120Hz refresh rate.

Further, the back of the device, which is yet to be determined (glass or polycarbonate) will house a unique triple camera design. This setup will include a 12MP wide-angle shooter, a 12MP ultra-wide angle snapper, and a 64MP telephoto camera.

As for buttons and ports, the volume rockers and power key will be located on the right side, whereas the USB Type-C port, speaker grille, and primary microphone will be at the bottom. The left side will be empty as the SIM card slot along with the secondary microphone will be at the top.

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Other features of this smartphone include Qualcomm Snapdragon 888/Exynos 2100, One UI 3.1 based on Android 11, 4,800mAh battery, 5G, WiFi 6, and Bluetooth 5.1. Last but not least, the Samsung Galaxy S21+ will be available in three colors namely Phantom Black, Phantom Silver, and Phantom Violet respectively.

Almost 60% of the smartphones shipped in Q3 2020 featured quad-camera setup

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Dec 2, 2020

Smartphones killed the digital camera market a long time ago. In fact, phones have now become the only camera for most users. The improvements in mobile photography and videography throughout the years have been phenomenal. Handsets with multiple cameras have now become a norm. In fact, phones with quad-camera setup shipped more in quantities in Q3 2020.

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra Camera Module Featured — Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra

According to the market research firm Omdia (via GSMArena), almost 60% of the smartphones shipped in Q3 2020 had a quad-camera setup. Xiaomi ranked first in this segment, closely followed by realme. Other top OEMs were OPPO, HUAWEI, vivo, and Samsung respectively.

Out of the above-mentioned brands, OPPO and realme were the only companies to not ship phones with a single camera during this period. Also, it is worth noting that realme hasn’t launched a single camera smartphone in a very long time.

On the other hand, Apple topped the chart for single-camera phones, thanks to two of its bestsellers – the iPhone XR and the iPhone SE 2020. Interestingly, Xiaomi came second, followed by Samsung, HUAWEI, and vivo respectively.

Apple also topped the list of dual-camera smartphones, courtesy of 2020’s best-selling handset iPhone 11. Whereas, vivo stood first in terms of triple camera handsets, realme led the chart of dual-camera smartphones, HUAWEI was the only top company to ship penta-camera phones in the last quarter.

Anyway, we all know that most of these multi-camera smartphones have useless low megapixel macro and depth sensors. But the general public does not feel the same. Hence, quad-camera phones were popular in the third quarter of 2020.

Note: HUAWEI includes HONOR, Xiaomi includes Redmi and POCO, and lastly, vivo includes iQOO.

OnePlus records strong growth in Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands with the Nord

By

Sean

-

Dec 2, 2020

OnePlus saw strong growth in Finland, Denmark, and the Netherlands in the third quarter of this year. This growth arrived as its smartphone shipments more than doubled thanks to its upper mid range handset offerings.

The Chinese smartphone maker recorded its highest ever shipments in a quarter, which was backed by its smartphone range within the 250 to 399 US Dollars price. The company saw great success through this range, which was mostly accredited to the OnePlus Nord. According to a CounterointResearch report, the company saw the fastest growth in Finland during Q3 2020, noting a 209 percent sequential growth. Notably, it was the only brand apart from Xiaomi to also record positive growth within the declining market. This even had the company become the top 5G smartphone brand in terms of units in the region with a 53 percent market share, beating Samsung with its 35 percent market share.

In Denmark, the company was again one of the fastest growing OEM, marking another doubling growth over the previous quarter. However, Samsung managed to still stay ahead of the Chinese brand in this market with a 38 percent market share for Android smartphones compared to the 25 percent market share of OnePlus. The Nord helped make the brand the second largest 5G smartphone brand in Q3 2020 in the region.

Arriving to the Netherlands, the positive trend continues as the company recorded strong growth in another declining market. Here, OnePlus marked an impressive 412 percent annual growth in Q3 2020 despite the Dutch market falling by 8 percent. The region is dominated by the South Korean tech giant with a 52 percent market share, while Oppo and Apple arrived second and third respectively. Despite not making the top 3 spots, the Nord still managed to become the third most popular smartphone in the region, accounting for 11 percent of the total shipments during this period. Looking at these results, we can only expect the brand to grow further in all of the three regions.

Indians spend 2,400 INR ($32) on average on fixing out of warranty Smartphones

By

Sean

-

Dec 2, 2020

Indians apparently spend an average of 2,400 INR (roughly 32 US Dollars) on servicing their smartphones that are out of warranty. The report arrives after a study was conducted over major cities in the country.

According to the report, one in every four smartphones users in Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Noida, and Ahmedabad visits a service center within just 6 months of purchase. In recent times, after sales service has also become increasingly important for brands and CounterpointResearch has found one of the most common problems faced by Indian users and the average expenditure on fixing out of warranty smartphones.

Issues related to charging, software, sluggish/hanging operations, and display were few of the most common problems faced by Indian customers as per a survey. Furthermore, when these devices are out of warranty, the people usually end up spending an average of 2,400 INR. Interestingly, the survey also found that 8 out of the 10 people that visit service centers are satisfied with the after sales service.

As per Senior Analyst Pavel Naiya, “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many after-sales service processes have been affected in India and abroad. Under these circumstances, leading brands have taken initiatives to digitize the service delivery process, reduce wait times and maintain contactless delivery.” The analyst further added that this resulted in “two-thirds of the respondents received their smartphones within a day while about half of the respondents said that the parts required for the service were available at the service center.”

Other notable findings in the report included Oppo being one of the fastest in terms of after sales services. Realme came in a close second with its turnaround time having 73 percent and 72 percent, respectively, of the customers receive their handsets back within a day. Vivo arrives third with 68 percent. On the other hand, Xiaomi rated the highest on “explanation of the problem” and the solution. This translates to higher knowledge and soft skills of the customer support executives in comparison to other brands.

Honor strengthens its offline channels after independence from Huawei

By

Sean

-

Dec 2, 2020

Honor is currently working on strengthening its offline layout and offline distribution channels after becoming independent from Huawei. The company is expanding the number of its physical retails stores and has already raised the number since September.

According to a TechSina report, Honor has already opened multiple new stores across its home country, China. The new retail stores are available in regions like Chengdu, Lanzhou, Wuhan, and Xiamen, and will soon also include other regions as well. Furthermore, it is also reported that the Chinese budget smartphone maker has even been working on two new Honor experience stores, which will open sometime in December 2020.

One of the experience stores will be in Chengdu Vientiane City while the other will be in the Nanjing Gemdale Plaza. A third Honor experience store is also slated to open in January 2021 and will be in Taiyuan. This showcases the company’s accelerated focus on offline channels that began back in 2015, and as of the end of 2019, there are more than 2,300 offline Honor stores in China.

Back in July 2020, Zhao Ming, Honor President stated in an interview that the the company’s offline sales had surpassed its online sales for the first time in the previous six months. For those unaware, Huawei sold Honor to Zhixin New Information Technology Co. Ltd. in November. Now, it seems that Huawei’s ex-subsidiary might become its rival in the Chinese smartphone market, with its recent aggressive push towards offline sales.

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