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Alleged Redmi Note 10 4G(M2010J19SC) renders on TENAA shows a unique camera layout

A few hours ago, we shared the specifications of an alleged Redmi Note 10 4G as listed on TENAA. Now, we have the renders of the device and it has a different rear panel design altogether.

As tipped by Digital Chat Station on Weibo, the new images of M2010J19SC on China’s TENAA show a Redmi device in Dark Blue color. At the back, we see the cameras along with LED flash housed inside the Rectangle design with rounded corners. What’s interesting here is that this happens to be the first Redmi device to host a Rectangle design towards the left corner.

Earlier, the alleged Redmi Note 9 5G series for China got leaked on TENAA showing a circle design similar to Poco X3. Also, if we recall, predecessors like the Redmi Note 9, Note 9 Pro Globally have a square camera layout on the center of the back. However, this entry-level Redmi device seems have to an entirely new rear design.

Coming back, we see a SIM-card tray to the left whereas Volume buttons and a power button with a built-in fingerprint sensor to the right. Upfront, there is a single sensor but it’s hard to figure out if that’s under punch-hole or a notch. At the back, there is a “Redmi” logo at the bottom left of the device along the lines of the camera layout. This reminds us of the many Honor, and Realme smartphones from the recent past.

Anyway, it’s unclear if the device will be called Redmi Note 9 4G or Redmi Number series device in China. Either way, it’s highly possible that it will accompany two other  5G Redmi Smartphones that will break cover soon. That said, the device is also rumored to be called the Redmi Note 10 4G elsewhere.

Talking about the specs, the TENAA listing shows the device will measure 162.29 x 77.24 x 9.6mm and weigh 196g. It will feature a 6.53-inch display but reports say that it will be an LCD screen with 2340×1080 resolution. Although the TENAA listing shows just a 2.0GHz CPU, a Geekebench listing(M2010J19SI) shows it could be a Snapdragon 662 SoC.

Other features are 4/6/8GB RAM, 64/128/256GB storage, Android 10, 4G LTE. And triple-rear cameras with a 48MP sensor, and an 8MP selfie shooter. All this will be backed up by a 6,000mAh battery with 22.5W fast charging. Let’s wait and see how Xiaomi prices these devices for China and Global markets.

Amazon’s latest GameOn is a Twitch-like gaming platform for Android users

Amazon has just launched a Twitch-like platform for Android users, called GameOn. Twitch is a leading video game streaming platform where gamers and other internet personalities can build up a fan base to watch and support them online, real-time during games. The platform was acquired by Amazon in 2014, and since then, the two brands have combined to offer more content and satisfaction to users.Gameon

In April 2020, Twitch Watch Parties was introduced, which allows gamers and their audience to watch Amazon Prime movies together live. The Twitch Watch Parties came at an auspicious time, as the world was still grappling with a perfect response for the Coronavirus pandemic, and total lockdowns were in force in most countries. Of course, movie theatres and all social engagements took a hit. The introduction of the party feature thus assuaged the feelings of moviegoers globally.

Amazon has now introduced a new platform, seemingly unrelated to Twitch, called GameOn, Amazon GameOn allows Android gamers to share their gaming moments with the GameOn community in the form of short video clips. For now, there is no live streaming of games, unlike Twitch.

The GameOn app is available on Google Play store, for Android users, and Amazon App store, for Amazon tablet users. The app allows the user to record gameplay videos in a similar manner to the screen recorder that is present in android phones. Simultaneously, the user can also record his reactions to the game being played, using the phone’s front camera, and this process is called “Facecam”. The duration of record clips is between 30 seconds and 5 minutes. The app is also capable of simple video editing, and lets users share their recordings with its community.

For interested gamers, weekly challenges pop up in the GameOn app, and hundreds of free mobile games on the Android operating system are well interfaced with it.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi XiaoAI Speaker Art Battery Edition launched for 399 yuan ($59)

 

OPPO F17 Pro has started receiving ColorOS 11 stable update

Last week, the OPPO Find X2 and OPPO Find X2 Pro became the first smartphones to receive ColorOS 11 stable update in open markets. Now, the company has begun to roll out the same update to OPPO F17 Pro in the same regions.

OPPO unveiled ColorOS 11 based on Android 11 as the latest version of its mobile software in September. At the launch event, the company also released an update roadmap for different regions.

Based on that, the OPPO F17 Pro entered beta testing on September 30. Now, after over a month, the handset has finally started receiving stable build. Currently, the update is said to be only available in India (via XDA Developers), which comes under open markets.

Users can head over to Settings > Software updates to check if the OTA update has arrived on their unit. If not, they will have to wait for a little while as the build is being rolled out in batches. Anyway, all users should get the update in the coming days, including those in other open markets other than India.

That said, in Europe, the ColorOS 11 beta testing will only begin later this month or in December. The Find X2 series will be the first to get the update.

 

Xiaomi Mi 11 could feature a four-sided curved display with a punch-hole at the top left

As we get closer to Snapdragon 875 launch, Xiaomi’s Mi 11 has managed to hit the radar of leaks frequently. The device is expected to be the first Snapdragon 875 device in China. And now, it looks like the Mi 11 will likely feature a punch-hole screen with curved edges on all sides.

The latest tip comes from Digital Chat Station on Weibo who hints(via Sina Technology) that Xiaomi Mi 11 could sport a four-sided curved display and retain the punch-hole. Precisely, the Mi 11 is likely to feature the small punch-hole cutout at the top left corner of the screen. However, we aren’t aware of the front camera specs just yet.

If we recall, Xiaomi’s 2020’s flagships like Mi 10, Mi 10 Pro 5G, and Mi 10 Ultra all have dual-curved screens on the longer sides. On the contrary, rivals like Samsung, OnePlus have been moving away from curved screens due to various reasons. Besides, the curved screens might have some use-case scenarios like edge-edge content viewing, a more attractive look. And smooth swipes from the edges but there’s are a few Cons too.

That is, there is always the risk of durability, accidental palm touches, and a few others. Hence, it will be interesting to see how Xiaomi markets the all-curved display. That said, this tip pretty much shows that prior reports by a few were wrong as they mistook leaked images of the alleged Vivo X60 series for Mi 11.

Anyway, it looks like the Mi 11 will have a revamped design compared to the predecessor. Although we aren’t sure how many models the iteration will have, it is likely to have upgraded internals like Snapdragon 875 SoC, 48MP ultra-wide camera with 0.8μm pixel size, improved stabilization, and more.

So far, we don’t have an exact launch date but we feel that the device might break cover anytime soon. That is because Mi 10 recently went out of stock. And Xiaomi officially discontinued the Mi 10 Pro in China suggesting a new launch in the near future.

Selpic Star A 3D Printer: Your first 3D printer only costs $99

Selpic Star A 3D Printer

Selpic star A 3D printer

When you talk about digital printing, the first innovative company that comes to our mind here at Gizmochina is Selpic Tech. We reviewed the Selpic P1 earlier this year, their most stunning product, popular as the world’s smallest handheld printer. Following the debut of Selpic P1, the company is now launching the world’s most cost-effective 3D printer, Star A, on Kickstarter (early bird from only $99!).

Design

Selpic star A 3D printer

At first glance, the Selpic Star A surprised us and changed our perception about the size of a 3D printer. Although we knew it was going to be a compact device, in real life it turned out to be smaller than we expected. Rather than call it a machine, we would like to consider it as a functional toy for individuals. It’s the most compact and lightweight open-source 3D printer that we have seen so far. It is even smaller than most paper printers (measuring 10.2 x 9.4 x 9.8 inch & weighing 4.4 lbs). With its compact design, the Star A can be moved easily and placed on your working tables.

Selpic star A 3D printer

Easy to install & set up

Unlike other complicated 3D printers for enterprises, this printer is very easy to operate and set up.

The talk about its ease of operation has to begin with the installation. The printing body is separated into the platform module with Y-axis and another arm module with X-axis and Z-axis. Its installation can be finished in just 4 steps. What you need to do is just insert the arm module, turn screws, connect some cables, and load the filaments. And the control platform containing 4 intuitive operating buttons can help with an easy reset, printing, filament feed, and release.

Selpic star A 3D printer

The Star A supports wired-connected printing and wireless printing with TF-card expansion. And you can also create your own G-code file using some common open-source printer programs, such as Cura or Repetier-Host.

The software setup is not complicated. For example, in Cura all you need to do with printer settings is to confirm its printing 3D space (120 x 120x 120 mm). And you can open any kind of model files (e.g. slr file) through Cura and then generate a G-code file. When you start printing with a TF-card, the Star A will automatically select the latest generated G-code file and start printing. Even if you are not a professional model creator, there are a lot of model resources on the internet that you can download and transfer into a G-code file through these open-source programs.

Selpic star A 3D printer

Print

The Star A also has excellent printing accuracy. With the X-axis and Y-Axis accuracy of 100 μm and the Z-axis accuracy of 50 μm, the Star A’s printing resolution is ±0.1mm and the layer thickness can reach 0.1-0.2 mm, which can guarantee accurate printing even for tiny gadgets. As a lightweight individual printer, the Star A adopts low-noise motors, which can have a relatively low-noise performance during printing(<60dB).

Selpic 3D printer

Before printing, the Star A supports one-click to finish the process of filament load and feed in around 2 minutes. After seeing the regular silk come out of the nozzle, you can press the play button to start printing. During preparation, note that the nozzle height should be over 3 cm, which can be adjusted by pressing the play button for 3 seconds to lift up by 1cm.

Selpic star A 3D printerA wonderful feature for improving printing efficiency and keeping printer safe is the resume-printing function. This function helps users save filament and make sure the work continues even when it needs a replacement filament. Besides, when users experience an unexpected power outage, the resume-printing function also helps users stay calm as it automatically restarts the printer and resumes the work.

 

The most cost-effective 3D printer

It’s worth noting that besides the basic option, Selpic offers a wonderful collection of add-ons for upgrading Star A’s parts ($129) on Kickstarter. The add-on collection includes a hotbed kit of which temperature can reach 100℃, a 2.4-inch touch screen kit, and another 1.6W Laser Engraving Head Kit. If you want to have the laser engraving on the leather, cardboard, wood, etc., this add-on collection will be a good option that we recommended.

So far we haven’t tapped into the full potential of the Star A, but we did appreciate the efforts that Selpic has done to simplify 3D printing for common users. There should be more possibilities beyond what is mentioned here. If you are interested in this budget 3D printer and start your model printing works, you can check more on Kickstarter and support them.

For more information about the Selpic Star A, click here.

Get one Selpic Star A from $99

OPPO patents a smartphone design with an extendable display

Lately, OPPO has been patenting designs and utilities related to foldable smartphones. Only last week we covered a weird foldable design by the company with a block structure. Now, another design patent by the Chinese smartphone maker has emerged imagining a phone with an extendable display.

OPPO Extendable Display Smartphone Design Patent 01

This patent was filed by Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications with the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration) at the end of April 2020. But it got approved and published on November 13. As usual, LetsGoDigital was the first publication to find it.

The new OPPO design patent is identical to the upcoming rollable smartphone by LG, which is reported to launch next year under the company’s ‘Explorer Project’. This mysterious LG phone could debut as ‘LG Rollable’ but we don’t have any name for this OPPO patent.

 

The front design of this device is clean without any notch or punch-hole on the front. Hence, it could feature an under-display camera. Further, the sides are rounded with no buttons or whatsoever and the back of the phone only houses a single camera.

Above all, the most important part of this design is the screen. The display on this smartphone can be extended by pulling it upwards. Hence, it can be transformed into a traditional smartphone from a tiny phone from years ago.

OPPO Extendable Display Smartphone Design Patent 02

Having said that, the only use case of this design is portability similar to the already available clamshell foldables like Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola razr.

So will OPPO implement this design in a consumer-grade product? We cannot tell for sure but the company may showcase it at the OPPO INNO DAY 2020 conference, which will take place on November 17.

 

Report: Qualcomm can only supply 4G chips to Huawei

A week ago, Qualcomm confirmed that it has applied for a license to supply chips to Huawei. Now, a report from China says that the company has been given the green-signal for 4G instead of 5G chips.

Qualcomm Snapdragon

According to a report from China, Supply Chain manufacturers say that Qualcomm has got the license to sell 4G chips to Huawei. The company had previously worked closely with Huawei in 4G chips mainly undertaken by Xi’an Research Center.

Now, after obtaining the license, it will look to increase the supply for 4G mobile phones further. A couple of days back, reports said Qualcomm already got the license to do business with Huawei. However, the new report suggests that it can only sell 4G chips at least for now.

Many companies have been getting permission to do business with Huawei lately. Among them, notable ones are AMD, Intel, Samsung Display, and more. If the report is true, there are approximately 300 companies waiting to get approval from the US government.

For the unware, US Government has been in a tussle with Huawei. After banning its companies from using Huawei’s 5G equipment over security concerns, it recently blocked the company’s chip business too. Due to this, Huawei came under a lot of pressure. It couldn’t use Google’s services, manufacture its own Kirin chipsets through TSMC, and spread its 5G technology world-wide.

Coming back, the report says Qualcomm will benefit a lot from this approval. The company, which was once a major QTL(patent business) partner of Huawei, lost business after the latter started growing up. Following this, a ban on chipset business(QCT) had further weakened the tie-up. That said, as per the company’s early statement, a license to sell chips to Huawei will be of greater significance in the future.

Furthermore, close to 10 manufacturers across regions including TSMC, SMIC, SK Hynix, Samsung Electronics, Western Digital have lineup for approval. That said, this news falls in line with earlier reports which said US Government is granting license as long as the components aren’t for Huawei’s 5G business.

Although it’s a relief for Huawei, which is diving towards scarcity of chips, adopting 4G instead of 5G will be difficult. Anyway, let’s wait and see how Huawei and Qualcomm leverage this opportunity to expand their business.

Chromebooks performed exceptionally well in Q3 2020 by growing 122% YoY

Canalys has published a report on Global PC Market Q3 2020. This report not only consists of notebooks and desktops but also includes tablets. According to it, the entire market grew by 23% YoY with 124.5 million units in shipments. Chromebooks were the best-performing client PC product and the tablet market remained strong second quarter in a row.

HP Elite c1030 Chromebook Featured
HP Elite c1030 Chromebook

As per the report, Lenovo led the overall PC market by shipping 23.5 million units. Whereas, Apple, HP, Dell, and Samsung came second, third, fourth, and fifth respectively. Apple and Samsung made the top 5 list solely because of their tablets. This clearly explains the tablet market’s 43% YoY growth as the shipments reached 44.3 million units.

Talking about client PC products, Chromebooks performed exceptionally well by growing 122% YoY with shipments of 9.5 million units. Their success was mostly because of educational institutions and SMBs. HP was the market leader by shipping 3.2 million units, followed by Lenovo, Dell, Acer, and Asus. However, Lenovo was the best-performing brand with a whopping 351.2% YoY growth.

Coming to tablets, unsurprisingly, Apple led the market with 15.2 million units in shipments. Whereas, Samsung in second place only shipped 9 million units. Further, Huawei, Amazon, and Lenovo captured third, fourth, and fifth positions respectively. Interestingly, Huawei continued to remain strong in Europe even with the lack of GMS (Google Mobile Services) on its tablets.

Also, it is worth noting that Q3 2020 was the only quarter other than Q2 2020 in which the tablet market grew since 2015. So we can say that the pandemic resurrected tablets from the dead after five years.

Last but not least, the overall desktop market declined by 32% YoY, however, AIO (All-in-One) category grew by 7% YoY.

 

OPPO’s upcoming OPPO CybeReal AR App merges navigation and entertainment

Earlier today (13th November 2020), OPPO officially announced a new concept application called CybeReal. It is an AR (Augmented Reality) based platform that will help bridge the boundaries between the digital and real world.

OPPO

During the conference, the Chinese tech giant unveiled its new real time high precision positioning and scene recognition technology, which will be used in CybeReal. The company is calling it an AR super application. According to the company’s official notes, CybeReal can display information regarding the scene being displayed on the screen through a device’s cameras.

This would help in various aspects like navigation, information regarding stores and their activities, and even introduction to local attractions or landmarks. Simply put, users can just open the camera through an app, which will allow them to see information regarding their surroundings in real time. The technology is also somewhat similar to Huawei AR Maps 2.0, which was announced back in October.

OPPO

AR applications have been growing in recent times with OEMs working to include in many forms like marketing, launches, and even commerce to a certain degree. Unfortunately, finer details regarding the AR platform from OPPO is currently unknown. The company has emphasized its functionality with entertainment and navigation, but further applications can only be speculated at the moment.

 

Ghost of Tsushima is the Fastest Selling PS4 Original with over 5 million copies sold

Ghost of Tsushima has achieved another record, as the game becomes the fastest selling PlayStation 4 Original title. It has already sold over 4 million copies worldwde and has even beaten other notable titles like Horizon Zero Dawn.

Earlier this week, PlayStation Worldwide Studios head Hermen Hulst shared a tweet that revealed that Ghost of Tsushima has become the fastest selling first party PS4 game with more than 5 million copies sold, despite being launched back in July 2020. This also marks an incredible achievement for the Sucker Punch game studio (which has also developed the popular Infamous series).

Ghost of Tsushima

An important aspect to note here is the “Original” tag on the game since other titles have performed better than Ghost of Tsushima. A great example being Marvel’s Spider-Man, which sold over 3.3 million copies in just three days alone. Although, the IP is owned by Marvel and not Sony. Furthermore, Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II had also released a month prior to Ghost of Tsushima and had sold over 4 million copies in three days. However, it was not considered an original title as it was a sequel.

 

OnePlus and Snapchat team up for new Diwali themed AR Lenses

Just prior to Diwali (one of India’s largest festivals), OnePlus launched a new campaign alongside social media giant, Snapchat. The two companies have teamed up together to launch new Diwali themes AR (Augmented Reality) lenses.

These lenses will allow users to transform iconic and globally known landmarks like the Tower Bridge in London, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Taj Mahal in Agra, and the Gateway of India in Mumbai, into special festive themed spots. The Chinese smartphone maker has also released a short video commemorating the same, while also demonstrating the lens in action in the aforementioned locations and is an effort to bring the warm festivities amid social distancing.

Snapchat is a major social media app with hundreds of million daily users, which also heavily utilizes its AR features. Thus, this partnership allows a vast number of users to access the special AR experiences that can transform the known landmarks in real time. The OnePlus’ Snapchat’s AR Lenses is live from 11th November 2020 and will be available to Snapchat users across India. Following the ‘Open your palm to release the wishes’ gesture, users can also send words of positivity like peace, joy, hope, and more that would float up to the sky to form the Diwali message to share with friends and family.

OnePlus

According to Siddhant Narayan, Head of Marketing, OnePlus India said, “As a brand that is dedicated to its community we have leveraged technology to bring our global user base together and share the love forward this Diwali. Through this campaign with Snapchat, we wanted to enable users across the world to celebrate the festival of lights in a safe and secure manner during the time of social distancing. In the wake of the pandemic, we also aim to share the message of hope with our global community as we prepare to celebrate one of India’s biggest festivals.”

 

Group of 165 companies call for strict antitrust actions against Google

A group of 165 companies and industry bodies have called for stricter action and tougher lines against Google, stating that the US search engine giant unfairly favors its own services on its web searches.

According to a Reuters report, the group includes companies from both the US and UK, along with others from over 21 different European countries. These firms sent a joint letter to EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager earlier this week. In the letter, the group expressed that Google was giving unfair preference to its own services such as accommodation, travel, and jobs, in terms of placements in search results and have called for swift action against the company to end the practice.

google

Google has since refuted the allegations of it favoring its own services. The tech giant further added that its users are not locked in and that competition to its services is just one click away on the internet. As per a Google representative, “People expect Google to give them the most relevant, high quality search results that they can trust.”

The representative also stated that “They do not expect us to preference specific companies or commercial rivals over others, or to stop launching helpful services which create more choice and competition for Europeans.” Notably, Vestager has already levied fines of over 8.25 billion euros (roughly 9.7 billion US Dollars) against Google in the past three years alone for abusing its market dominance, through Android and other platforms.

Notable members of the 165 strong group include Yelp, Expedia, Trivago, Kelkoo, Stepstone, and Foundem, which are a part of the largest ever consortium to write to the EU competition chief for action. The European Commission said it had received the letter and a reply will arrive in due time. It further added that the market will be carefully assessed as well.

Google

In the letter titled ‘UNJUSTIFIED ADVANTAGES,’ the group called out the search giant stating that “While we compete amongst ourselves for the best consumer experience, there is one common competitor that does not compete fairly – Google. It gained unjustified advantages through preferentially treating its own services within its general search results pages by displaying various forms of grouped specialized search results (so-called OneBoxes).”

 

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra units are facing wireless charging issues after recent update

Back in October, a new software update had been rolled out for the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. However, since the update was made available, certain units have been facing troubles with the devices’ wireless charging.

Galaxy S20 Ultra Cosmic White China Featured
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Cosmic White

According to a PhoneArena report, a number of Samsung users have been facing this issue. This problem has even been shared on official and unofficial forums. The primary issue is related to the third party wireless chargers that have stopped working with their Galaxy Note 20 Ultra or Galaxy S20 Ultra handsets after the new update. Although, this problem has seemingly not affected the wireless chargers made by Samsung.

Users have reported that the wireless charging gets interrupted constantly every few seconds, with affected users stating that the issue was not present previously with any third party wireless chargers. While up until recently, it was unknown what was causing the issue for the high end premium grade flagship models from the South Korean tech giant, but now, a fix has been found.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

Apparently, the wireless charging problem is fixed by turning off NFC. This workaround was discovered by James Drissel on XDA Developers Forums and is the unofficial fix for the issue at the moment. Unfortunately, it still doesn’t explain how the problem began in the first place and an official update to fix the bug has yet to be rolled out. So stay tuned for more updates.

 

US Commerce Department delays its ban order against TikTok

Earlier this week, the US Commerce Department announced that it would not be enforcing its orders that would’ve had the Chinese short video sharing app, TikTok, be banned from the region.

TikTok

According to a WallStreetJournal report, the Commerce Department is backing down and delaying its implementation of the order, which was set to take effect on Thursday (12th November 2020). The order would have had the social media platform be banned from app stores offered by major companies, namely Google, Apple, and even Amazon. In other words, this would’ve effectively ended the US operations of TikTok.

For those unaware, the Trump administration has been behind the action that was being taken against the ByteDance owned app. However, with changes in leadership after the recent US elections, it is unknown how Joe Biden will handle the situation regarding TikTok. Although, many members of Congress have already voiced their concerns regarding the Chinese app stealing users’ data and being a national security risk as well.

TikTok

Furthermore, this isn’t limited to just TikTok, as it remains to be seen what stance and direction the newly elected President would take regarding the current state of the US and China relations. This news also arrives amid the lawsuit filed against the Commerce Department’s orders by popular TikTok users and the preliminary injunction towards the order by US District Judge Wendy Beetlestone.

 

Samsung Galaxy A02, Galaxy M02 Wi-Fi certified, Launch could be nearing

Recent reports have revealed that Samsung is working on two entry-level phones named the Galaxy A02 (SM-A025F) and Galaxy M02 (SM-M025F). Both phones were certified by the Bluetooth SIG authority last month. Later, the A02 appeared at Geekbench and certification platforms such as the FCC and NBTC. The M02 has also been spotted at Geekbench and BIS. Both phones seem to have identical specs. The Galaxy A02 and Galaxy M02 phones have now received approval from the Wi-Fi Alliance certification platform.

The Wi-Fi listings have revealed that the Galaxy A02 and Galaxy M02 carry support for Wi-Fi b/g/n and Android 10 OS. With yet another important certification in tow, the A02 and M02 are expected to go official soon.

Past reports have revealed that the Galaxy A02 and Galaxy M02 could be driven by the Snapdragon 450 chipset. These phones are expected to sport 5.71-inch displays with HD+ resolution support.

The Galaxy A02 and M02 could be equipped with 2 GB / 3 GB of RAM. Both phones are likely to come with 32 GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot for additional storage.

The Galaxy A02 and M02 phones are speculated to sport a 13-megpaixel + 2-megapixel dual camera setup and an 8-megapixel front-facing. These handsets could be fueled by 3,500mAh batteries. There is no word on the pricing of these handsets. These handsets will be arriving successors to Galaxy A01 and M01 phones.

 

 

Vivo starts OriginOS beta testers recruitment process in China

Vivo has confirmed that the company will be launching its new OriginOS in China on 18th November, which will replace the existing FunTouch OS user interface that we see on all of the company’s smartphones.

Now, ahead of officially unveiling the new mobile operating system, the Chinese company has started the beta testers recruitment process in its home country. Vivo has started accepting applications from those who are interested in beta testing the software.

Vivo OriginOS Beta Tester Application

The application process started on 12th November and will be open till 18th November. The company has confirmed that the shortlist will be published on 20th November while the unit shipments will being from 23rd November.

EDITOR’S PICK: PUBG Mobile is coming back to India with a $100 million investment, in-game content, and more

The project is being developed under Origin Studio carries the tagline “Brave New World”, which confirms a complete rehaul of the user interface. Earlier reports have revealed that Vivo will be offering two different types of interface for the users — OriginOS and Stock Android. Interestingly, the users will be able to choose and switch between the two options.

The company had previously stated that the upcoming custom user interface will be available for Vivo’s existing smartphones as well. To know for sure which devices will be compatible with the OriginOS, we will have to wait for the official launch.

Vivo‘s upcoming OriginOS is set to get launched on 18th November at a special event in Shenzhen, China. The new system is said to have an Anthropomorphic design and aims to offer a new experience to the users. We will know what the company has planned to offer once it is officially announced in a few days.

 

Apple iPhone 12 to bring strong earnings for Foxconn, firm to continue US investments

The Apple iPhone 12 series launch is set to have its primary supplier, Foxconn, see strong earning through the holiday and final quarter of 2020. The firm also announced that it would continue its investments in the United States.

Apple

During Q3 of 2020, Foxconn raked in a profit of 1.08 billion US Dollars, which was nearly identical to its profits in the same quarter back in 2019. The Coronavirus pandemic is likely to be the primary reason for the flat year on year growth, as the Apple supplier faced costly delays as the product launch was rescheduled, as per an AppleInsider report.

Liu Young-way, Foxconn Chairman, stated that the company is witnessing a “stronger than expected” demand for smartphones and servers in 2020. The former was likely due to the launch of the iPhone 12 series. According to Liu and analysts as well, the trend is expected to continue, with consumer electronics revenue projected to rise by as much as 10 percent in the fourth quarter and rise in early 2021.

Apple

Furthermore, Foxconn is also likely to assemble all of the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max models along with 70 percent of all the other models as well, as per certain analysts. The company stated that the projected demand for the new lineup has also encouraged it to continue its investments in US based projects. This includes its Wisconsin factory, which has been facing troubles, as an effort to keep moving forward in the region.

 

China claims to have installed 700,000 5G base stations this year

5G technology is going mainstream this year but at the same time, only a handful of countries are offering commercial 5G service to the users. One of the leading countries in offering 5G is China and it continues the infrastructure development to gain the lead for next-generation wireless communication technology.

Now, China is claiming that it has built around 700,000 5G base stations in the country so far this year, which has exceeded the company’s original plan of installing 500,000 5G base stations in the country.

5G Logo

EDITOR’S PICK: Samsung Electronics could become Apple Silicon’s M1 chipset manufacturer as TSMC cannot meet demand

Liu Liehong, Vice-Minister at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in China said that the number is more than double the number of 5G base stations installed this year in the rest of the world. However, he has not cited the source for this information.

Last month, MIIT had revealed that more than 690,000 5G base stations are operational in China and over 160 million devices are connected. Liu Liehong has now revealed that more than 180 million devices are connected to 5G.

For complete 5G coverage across the country, China will need to install 10 million 5G base stations, which will require an investment of around 2 trillion yuan ($280 billion).

As said, China wants to be a leader when it comes to cutting-edge technologies like 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and more. These technologies are considered to be a key factor for the modern economy and China is competing with other countries like the United States to dominate the market.

 

Samsung Galaxy A42 5G has Snapdragon 750G, confirms Google Play Console listing

In September, Samsung announced the Galaxy A42 5G. While the company revealed the entire specs of the phone, it is yet to confirm the name of the chipset that powers it. Before its launch, there were rumors that it is fueled by the Snapdragon 690 chipset. However, a Geekbench listing that appeared after its launch revealed that it is driven by the Snapdragon 750G. The handset has now appeared at the Google Play Console with some of its key specs including the chipset.

As it can be seen in the screenshot, the Qualcomm processor that fuels the Galaxy A42 5G is mentioned with its SM7225 model number. This confirms that the device is drive by the Snapdragon 750G chipset. The Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite and Motorola Moto G 5G are the only other phones that feature the SD750G chip.

Samsung Galaxy A42 5G Google Play Console

The Galaxy A42 5G is available in Europe with a price tag of £349. It comes in colors like Prism Dot Black, White, and Gray colour options.

The Samsung Galaxy A42 5G has a 6.6-inch S-AMOLED display that delivers an HD+ resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels and a 20:9. A fingerprint sensor is embedded under the display of the phone. The SD750G chip is assisted by up to 8 GB of RAM. The handset has an internal storage of 128 GB and a microSD card slot for additional storage.

Samsung Galaxy A42 5G color variants
Samsung Galaxy A42 5G

The Galaxy A42 5G has a 20-megapixel front-facing camera and a rear camera setup that includes a 48-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide lens, a 5-megapixel macro lens, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. The 5,000mAh battery of the A42 5G is coupled with 15W charging.

 

 

Huawei DriveOne unveiled as the company’s first all-in-one electric drive system

Huawei, the Chinese giant which is one of the leading companies in the world when it comes to telecom equipment and smartphones, has expanded its product offering in various other categories. The company is now also focusing on IoT and AI. In line with that, it has announced its all-in-one electric drive system — Huawei DriveOne.

Huawei DriveOne

The company claims that DriveOne is the industry’s first hyper-converged power domain solution. It integrates seven mechanical and power components — Micro Control Unit (MCU), Motor, Reducer, DC Converter (DCDC), On-board Charger (OBC), Power Distribution Unit (PDU), and Battery Control Unit (BCU).

The system is aimed at achieving simple development, simple adaptation, simple layout, and simple evolution. Huawei has also a self-developed AutoSar system which is offering end-cloud collaborative development that significantly improves development efficiency.

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It is said that DriveONE can minimize the layout of the vehicle power domain, save 220mm in the Z direction, reduce 2 mounting brackets, shorten wiring harness by 5m, reduce 3 connectors, and reduce water nozzles and 2 water pipes.

The system adopts a centralized and flat OTA architecture that simplifies the path and reduces the complexity of versioning while ensuring performance improvement. This shortens 10min upgrade time to 30s and enables one-key speedy upgrades.

Huawei says that it is the industry’s first high-voltage all-in-one electric drive system that can meet the 2C fast-charging experience and offer 200km range in 10 minutes of charging. It is said to be more efficient, more accurate, and more power-efficient than the previous similar solutions.