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Honor 10X Lite is up for Pre-orders in Russia ahead of Global launch: Availability, Offers & Giveaway details inside

Honor 10X Lite has been officially announced in Russia. Ahead of the Global rollout on November 10, the device will be up for pre-orders starting today(November 6).

Honor 10X Lite
Honor 10X Lite

Honor 10X Lite Russia: Price, Availability, Offers

The Honor 10X Lite in Russia comes in a single 4GB RAM, 128GB storage variant. It is priced at RUB 16,990($219). And has Black, Green, and Purple color options. Although the sales officially begin November 20, users can pre-order it between November 6(Today) to 19. And they can do it on Honor’s Official Store and other partner websites.

Users can also avail of a discount of up to RUB 4,000($52) on getting a subscription on the official website and more than RUB 10,000 vis offline partners. Additionally, Honor is already running a giveaway contest where users need to login and spin a wheel.

If you are lucky, you can win one of the following: Honor 10X Lite, Honor Magic Earbuds, Honor Watch ES, 1xDiscount Coupon of RUB 500, 1xDiscount coupon of RUB 1,500, and Free shipping coupon. The giveaway runs till November 8, 2020. You can head over to the official website to check more details.

Honor 10X Lite Specifications

The Honor 10X Lite in Russia(via ferra.ru) features a  6.67-inches FHD+ TFT LCD display. The display has a resolution of 2400 × 1080 pixels and 394 PPI. However, under the hood, it is running Kirin 710A SoC. For cameras, you get a rear quad-camera setup.

There is a 48MP f/1.8 Main lens, 8MP f/2.4 ultra-wide, and two 2MP sensor. For selfies, you get a single 8MP lens at the front inside the centered punch-hole. The camera has features like autofocus(Main lens), front camera video up to 1080p, and more.

All this is backed up by a 5,000mAh battery with support for 22.5W fast charging. For connectivity, you get Bluetooth 5.1, MicroSD slot(up to 512GB), Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, GPS, GLONASS, and a USB Type-C port. The device runs Magic UI 3.1 based on Android 10 out of the box.

Redmi Note 9 gets a new Shadow Black color variant in India

Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 9 as a rebranded Redmi 10X 4G in India in July. A month later in August, the company announced a new Onyx Black for select countries, Now, three months later in November, this color version of Redmi Note 9 debuts as Shadow Black in India.

Redmi Note 9 Shadow Black Featured

The Redmi Note 9 initially launched in India in three colors namely Aqua Green, Arctic White, and Pebble Grey. Then, Xiaomi introduced the fourth color called Scarlet Red ahead of the Amazon India Prime Day sale. Now, the handset gets the fifth color called Shadow Black.

As mentioned in the beginning, this color is originally called Onyx Black in other markets like Europe. In fact, the Redmi Note 9 debuted in these regions first and only then, it got unveiled as Redmi 10X 4G in China. India was one of the last countries to get this smartphone but now after months from its launch, customers can pick it up in a total of 5 colors.

Having said that, the Shadow Black color variant of Redmi Note 9 is only available in 4GB + 64GB storage configuration in India as of now. This version of the handset is priced at ₹11,499 but it is currently on sale for a discounted price tag of ₹10,999.

We are not sure if it will be available in the other two storage configurations (4GB + 128 and 6GB + 128GB). Also, the new color variant is only listed on Mi.com just like the Scarlet Red version, which is no longer sold on Amazon India.

 

Redmi Note 9 5G series images, full specs leaked through TENAA listings

Recent reports have revealed that Redmi will launch the new Redmi Note series this month in China. While early rumors had dubbed it as Redmi Note 10, recent reports have claimed that it will be called Redmi Note 9. It is speculated that the 3C certified M2007J17C and M2007J22C Xiaomi phones could be arriving as Standard and High versions of the Redmi Note 9. The entire specs and images of both phones have now been revealed through their TENAA listings.

Redmi Note 9 5G specifications   

The Redmi Note 9 5G (M2007J22C) measures 161.96 x 77.25 x 9.2mm and it weighs 200 grams. The device features a 6.53-inch IPS LCD FHD+ screen with a top-left corner punch-hole design and a 20:9 aspect ratio. The device houses a 4,900mAh battery (5,000mAh typical capacity). Its 3C certification revealed that it may ship with a 22.5W fast charger. The phone is loaded with Android 10 OS.

Redmi Note 9 5G Standard Edition M2007J22C TENAA

The Redmi Note 9 5G is fueled by Dimensity 800U, which is mentioned with its 2.4GHzz clocking speed at TENAA. The handset will come with 4 GB / 6 GB / 8 GB of RAM and 64 GB / 128 GB / 256 GB of storage. It has a round-shaped camera module that has a 48-megapixel triple camera system and it has a selfie camera of 13-megapixel.

Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G specifications

The Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G (or High Version) has 165.4 x 76.9 x 9mm and it weighs 214.5 grams. It is fitted with a 6.67-inch IPS LCD display that has a top-center selfie camera cutout. It also supports FHD+ resolution, a 20:9 aspect ratio, and up to 120Hz refresh rate. It draws power from a 4,720mAh rated battery (4,820mAh typical size). It was revealed through 3C listing that it may come with a 33W charger.

Redmi Note 9 5G High Edition M2007J17C TENAA

A 2.2GHz octa-core processor powers the Note 9 Pro 5G. Since it is a rebranded Mi 10T Lite with some tweaks, it could be powered by the Snapdragon 750G. TENAA reveals that the phone may arrive in 6 GB, 8 GB, and 12 GB RAM variants and 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB storage editions in the homeland. For selfies, it has a 16-megapixel front camera.

Both phones are loaded with Android 10 OS, side-facing fingerprint readers, and have microSD card slots for more storage. These phones are expected to arrive in multiple colors like black, red, blue, pink, white, green, purple, and gray in China.

 

 

 

ZTE Blade A7s 2020 launched finally with 6.5-inch display, 16MP triple cameras and 4,000mAh battery

The ZTE Blade A7s 2020 has been in the news for the past few months. It appears that the smartphone has finally gone official as it is now listed on Amazon Germany. The smartphone comes with a waterdrop notch display, 16-megapixel triple cameras, a large-sized battery, and a Unisoc processor.

ZTE Blade A7s 2020 specifications and features

The ZTE Blade A7s 2020 features a 6.49-inch TFT display that offers an HD+ resolution of 720 x 1560 pixels. The handset is fueled by the Unisoc SC9863Av processor that includes a 1.6Hz octa-core processor. The SoC is coupled with 3 GB of RAM.

The Blade A7s 2020 is preinstalled with Android 10 OS. It comes with an internal storage of 64 GB and a hybrid SIM card slot for adding a microSD card. The device is backed by a 4,000mAh battery with 10W charging support.

ZTE Blade A7s 2020
ZTE Blade A7s 2020

The handset has a selfie camera of 8-megapixel. Its backside is fitted with a triple camera system that includes a 16-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide lens with 120-degree FOV, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. Other features of the device include dual SIM support, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, USB-C, GPS, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a rear-facing fingerprint sensor. It measures 164.7 x 77.4 x 8.2mm and weighs 179 grams.

The ZTE Blade A7s 2020 price and availability

The ZTE Blade A7s 2020 has arrived in two colors such as Ocean Blue and Star Black in Germany. On Amazon Germany, it is listed only in Black color with a price tag of 149 euros (~$176). It is unclear which other markets will be receiving the Blade A7s 2020.

 

 

Apple reportedly prepares more than 20 million older iPhones for the holiday season

Apple launched the iPhone 12 series later than in previous years as a result of the global pandemic. The American tech giant is said to be facing supply chain issues for the new iPhones. Hence, the company is reported to have ordered more than 20 million units of older and cheaper iPhones.

Apple iPhone 11 All Colors Featured

According to a report by Nikkei Asia, Apple has asked its suppliers to prepare for more than 20 million iPhone XR, iPhone 11, and iPhone SE 2020 units from October till the end of the year. Because the company expects sales growth in the holiday season but it does not enough stock of the newer iPhone 12 series.

Another report by Bloomberg tells that Apple is facing a shortage of power management chips for the iPhone 12 series. This could be potentially the primary reason why the company is readying older models to fill the gap.

As per executive-level sources, the demand for iPhone 11 is still strong. Hence, Apple has ordered close to 10 million units each for iPhone 11 and iPhone SE 2020 respectively. 

The figures for iPhone XR are unknown but since the company is reported to have ordered only more than 20 million total units, the orders for XR should be much lower than the other two phones.

Having said that, Apple has discontinued iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max with the launch of newer iPhones a few weeks back. Therefore, customers opting for the Pro models have no choice but to go with iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.

 

WhatsApp Pay begins in India; Find out to how to setup and send payments

Yesterday, it was reported that the National Payments Corporation of India (NCPI) allowed WhatsApp to begin its payment service in India using the multibank Unified Payment Interface (UPI) base. Today, WhatsApp released an official confirmation that its payment service is now rolling out to its users in India.

WhatsApp had been testing its payments service in India by making it available for limited users over the past 2 years. While the Indian payment market has plenty of popular services such as the homegrown Paytm, Google Pay, Phone Pe, Amazon Pay, and more, WhatsApp stands to rival the biggies with its 400 million user base in India.

WhatsApp has teamed up with well-known banks like ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, the State Bank of India, and Jio Payments Bank to start its payment solution in India. In the beginning, it will be available for only 2 million users in the country. This could be in line with NCPI’s recent statement that does not allow third-party apps to process more than 30 percent of UP transactions in a month. This rule is expected to come into effect in January 2021.

WhatsApp Pay

How to activate WhatsApp Pay and carry out transactions

Users need to access Payments > Add Payment through the three-dotted available in the upper-right corner of WhatsApp’s interface. Users need to select a bank from the list of bank names that appear. The selected bank should be the one that is linked with the phone number of the user. Next, the app will ask the user to send a verification SMS. Once the verification process is over, the app will instruct the user to complete setting up the payment service.

The Payments page of WhatsApp will now show the registered bank of the user. The screen will show other details like UPI address, QR code, and payment history.

In order to initiate a transaction, users need to select the desired contact from the chat list and hit the attachment button. After selecting Payment, users can either select Send or Receive to carry out a transaction. To complete a transaction, users will be required to enter the UPI PIN. The other way to send money is to hit the three-dotted button on the main screen > Payments > New Payment.

 

 

Apple reportedly faces iPhone 12 power management chips shortage

Apple’s newly launched iPhone 12 series have become the hot-selling devices in the market. Given the increased demand for smartphones, the company has reportedly increased production orders by 2 million.

But, as per the report from Bloomberg, the company is also facing a supply chain problem. It indicates that Apple is struggling with a shortage of necessary chips for power consumption management on the iPhone.

iPhone 12 mini

The report further adds that because of this shortage of power chips, the company may not be able to meet the demand for the iPhone 12 models. But it is not yet clear how much impact this will have in terms of sales in this quarter.

It is believed that the reason behind the shortage is the supply chain disruption because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, as revealed by TSMC, 5G smartphones require around 30-40% more chip content than 4G, further complicating the process.

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The Cupertino-based tech giant sources power management chips from multiple companies. For the iPhone 12 Pro, it uses components from Texas Instruments for controlling power to the camera module and a similar chip from STMicroelectronics NV and Qualcomm for the 5G modem.

An estimate released by Cinda Securities projects that the demand for the iPhone 12 series will likely reach 80-85 million units. It is also estimated that Apple will likely ship around 230-240 million units of the iPhone 12 models in 2021. If this happens, the iPhone 12 series will emerge as the US company’s best-selling phones ever. Currently, that record is held by the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus with an estimated shipment of 224 million units.

 

Xiaomi Mi 10 also goes out of stock in China; Mi 11 series launch imminent

Earlier this week, Xiaomi officially discontinued the Mi 10 Pro in China. Now, a few days later, even the standard Mi 10 is no longer in stock across multiple retail partners in the country. Currently, the company is only selling the base 8GB + 128GB variant on its official website.

Xiaomi Mi 10 Twilight Grey Featured
Xiaomi Mi 10 Twilight Grey

Xiaomi launched the Mi 10 and the Mi 10 Pro in February as its flagship smartphones for the first half of 2020 in China. Then, in August, the company unveiled Mi 10 Ultra as the flagship product for the second half of the year on the occasion of its 10th anniversary.

Since the Mi 10 Ultra is a better deal than the Mi 10 Pro at around the same price, the smartphone maker stopped restocking the latter device. And eventually, it even discontinued it a few days back by removing it from its official website.

 

Now, similarly, the mid (8GB + 256GB) and the high-end (12GB + 256GB) variants of the regular Mi 10 are no longer in stock across all the official retailers, including JD (Jingdong) and Xiaomi Youpin. However, interested customers can still buy the base 8GB +128GB variant in Twilight Grey from Mi.com. This version of the device currently sells for 3,499 yuan ($529).

We are not sure why Xiaomi has decided not to re-stock the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro. The only possible reason we could think of is that the Mi 10 Ultra offers a better value and there are a couple of Snapdragon 865-equipped phones from Redmi at a cheaper price (Redmi K30 Pro and Redmi K30S Ultra).

Another possible reason is that Xiaomi could be readying to manufacture the Mi 11 series, which is reported to be the first Chinese smartphones to launch with Qualcomm Snapdragon 875 either at the end of January or in February.

 

Huawei Mate 40 Pro flagship smartphone faces serious supply chain issues

Huawei recently launched its much-awaited Mate 40 series flagship smartphones in the marketing, which has seen a good response, especially for a company that is currently working out strategies to stay afloat.

Since the Chinese giant is facing several issues related to supply chain and production, it is struggling to meet the demand for the Huawei Mate 40 series smartphones. While the devices are currently out-of-stock, the company says they will soon be restocked.

Huawei Mate 40 Pro Review (14)

However, the demand for Mate 40 Pro is quite high and the company may not be able to keep a steady flow of units in the market. This is mainly because of the chipset as the phone is powered by the HiSilicon Kirin 9000 SoC.

Because of the sanctions imposed by the United States, Huawei cannot manufacture new Kirin 9000 chipsets. This means that the company has limited units of the chipsets available and once Huawei runs out of them, it won’t be able to make or procure more chipsets, halting the manufacturing of Mate 40 Pro and Pro Plus models.

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The Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 9000 is an octa-core processor which comes with 24 core Mali-G78 GPU, alongside two Big and one Tiny core NPU. It also houses Huawei’s most advanced ISP technology to date.

It seems that until the company gets permission to manufacture chipsets or procure them from companies like Qualcomm, Samsung, or MediaTek, there won’t be Mate40 Pro or Pro Plus models in the market once the existing stock gets sold.

However, the United States is granting licenses to companies to continue doing business with Hauwei as long as the components are not used for the 5G business. Qualcomm, Samsung, and MediaTek have also applied for a license, and if granted, we could see new flagship smartphones from the Chinese giant.

 

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE in U.S. now available in 256 GB storage option

Samsung announced the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition smartphone as the cheapest S20 series in September. The handset was introduced in a 128 GB storage version with a price tag of $699 in the U.S. Today, the company confirmed the arrival of the 256 GB storage edition of the device.

The Galaxy S20 FE with 256 GB storage has arrived in the U.S. with a pricing of $769. The handset will be available in a single color of the Cloud Navy. In near future, the 256 GB edition will be also made available in other colors. In India and China, the Galaxy S20 FE is already available in 128 GB and 256 GB storage editions.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE Cloud Navy

Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition specifications

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE has a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display that offers a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, a 20:9 aspect ratio, HDR10+, and 120Hz refresh rate. It is an IP68 rated dustproof and water-resistant device.

The One UI 2.5 based Android 1OS comes preinstalled on the Galaxy S20 FE. The handset is powered by the Snapdragon 865 mobile platform and 6 GB / 8 GB of LPDDR5 RAM. It comes with 128 GB / 256 GB of UFS 3.1 storage. It is also equipped with a microSD card slot for more storage.

The Galaxy S20 FE has a front-facing camera of 32-megapixel. Its rear side is fitted with a triple camera system that includes a 12-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel telephoto lens, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide shooter. The phone comes with support for 25W fast charging, 15W fast wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging for its 4,500mAh battery.

 

 

Samsung deploys personnel in India to set up its OLED production facility

Samsung Electronics, a leading company in the consumer and durable electronics market, has a display manufacturing arm named Samsung Display. Earlier this year, the company announced the expansion of its operations in India.

Now, the South Korean giant has said that it is sending hundreds of employees to India as the company is looking to wrap up the construction of its OLED production plant at Noida City of Gautam Buddh Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh.

As per the report, members of the team will leave on Saturday and will go through COVID-19 testing at the New Delhi airport. They will be quarantined before visiting the factory and start working to finish the construction of the facility.

Samsung Display had formed a regional subsidiary in India in the month of July in 2019. The factory, which will be making OLED panels, should be operational sometime in the first half of next year, i.e. H1 2021.

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A couple of months ago, it was reported that the company could be investing around $705.75 million to set up the facility, which is expected to create around 1,300 jobs. Samsung will get tax benefits and other incentives from the Indian government for setting up this new display plant.

Samsung Display currently has three OLED plants in China, nine plants in South Korea, and one plant in Vietnam. The company has already announced that in order to focus on OLED and QLED, it will exit the LCD business.

 

Redmi Note 9 5G leak reveals Dimensity 800U, 48MP triple cameras, 5,000mAh battery, and more

Earlier today, tipster Digital Chat Station took to Weibo to reveal the specs of the Redmi Note 9 5G High Edition. The leak revealed that it is a tweaked version of the Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite with different cameras. Through another Weibo post, the leakster also shared the key specs of the Redmi Note 9 5G. Both Redmi phones have also appeared at TENAA with preliminary specs.

Last month, the 3C certification of China approved two Xiaomi phones with model numbers M2007J17C and M2007J22C. The former that was spotted with a 33W charger seems to be the Redmi Note 9 5G High Version whereas the latter that was seen with a 22.5W charger appears to be the Redmi Note 9 5G Standard Version. Both handsets have now received approval from the TENAA authority.

The TENAA listing of the Redmi Note 9 5G High Version shows it measures 165.4 x 76.8 x 9mm and it has a 6.67-inch display. The phone is backed by a 4,720mAh rated battery, which means its typical size is 4,820mAh. The Standard Edition has 161.96 x 77.25 x 9.2mm dimensions and a 6.53-inch display. It is powered by a 4,900mAh rated battery, which suggests its typical capacity is 5,000mAh.

The leak by a Chinese tipster has revealed the Redmi Note 9 Standard Edition has an LCD panel of 6.53 inches with a punch-hole placed at the top-left corner. The 20:9 screen offers a 1080 x 2400 pixels Full HD+ resolution. The Dimensity 800U is present under the hood of the device.

Redmi Note 9 5G render
Redmi Note 9 5G render

For photography, it has a 13-megapixel front camera and 48-megapixel triple rear cameras. The leaks also mentions that it has a 5,000mAh battery with 22.5W fast charging support. The device weighs 200 grams.

 

 

Razer Book 13 officially launched; features 16:10 display, Intel’s 11th-gen processor, and more

Razer, the company known for making gaming devices and accessories, has launched a new laptop — Razer Book 13. It will be available for purchase later this month for a starting price of $1,199.

In terms of design, the newly launched laptop looks similar to the Razer Blade Stealth 13 gaming laptop. It features the company’s logo on the lid, a compact and minimalist build, and an RGB keyboard.

Razer Book 13

Interestingly, the Razer Book 13, which is aimed for business and productivity use, features a 16:10 aspect ratio screen, unlike most other consumer laptops. This adds extra vertical space, making multitasking easier.

There’s a 13.4-inch IPS display which is offered in two versions — touchscreen and non-touchscreen. While the non-touch version offers Full HD+ screen resolution, the touch version also comes with UHD+ resolution and is protected by the Gorilla Glass layer.

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Under the hood, the device is powered by Intel‘s 11th-generation Core i5 or Core i7 processor, along with Iris Xe graphics. It comes packed with 8GB or 16GB RAM and 512GB storage which can be upgraded to 2TB. There’s also a vapor chamber cooling system to ensure that the system remains cool during heavy usage.

Razer Book 13

It’s noteworthy that the Razer Book 13 is the company’s first Intel Evo-certified notebook which means that Intel is vouching for the laptop‘s everyday performance, battery life, and wake time, among others.

The device is claimed to offer up to 14 hours of battery life on a single charge. The company says that charging the laptop for 30 minutes provides four hours of usage time.

The Razer Book 13 comes in just one color option — Mercury White. The base model with Core i5 processor and 8GB RAM costs $1,199 while the top-end variant with Core i7 processor and 16GB RAM is priced at $1,999. The device is now up for pre-order and will start shipping this month.

 

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Mini now available for pre-order

A few weeks ago, Apple launched its new iPhone 12 series smartphones in the market and this time, the company unveiled four different models — iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max. Initially, only two phones — 12 and 12 Pro were made available for purchase.

Today, Apple has finally started accepting pre-orders for the other two models — iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max. While the Mini variant’s pricing starts at $699, the Pro Max version starts at $1,099.

Apple iPhone 12

The Cupertino-based giant is planning to make the new devices available in multiple countries around the world simultaneously. Pre-orders are launching in more than 50 countries and regions. Customers from the other 25 regions, including Brazil and South Korea, will be able to pre-order these phones from 20th November.

Although the company is taking pre-orders from today, i.e. 6th November, the shipments of the iPhone 12 Mini and 12 Pro Max models will start from 13th November. Monthly payment plans are also available through carriers, Apple Card Monthly Installments, apart from iPhone Upgrade Program and device trade-ins.

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Along with the iPhone 12 Mini and Pro Max models, ‌HomePod Mini‌ pre-orders are launching in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Spain, the UK, and the US. The device will start shipping to customers in the week of November 16.

iPhone 12 Mini Pricing

  • 64 GB Storage: $699
  • 128 GB Storage: $749
  • 256 GB Storage: $849

iPhone 12 Pro Max Pricing

  • 128 GB Storage: $1,099
  • 256 GB Storage: $1,199
  • 512 GB Storage:  $1,399

 

Redmi Note 9 High Edition specs leak reveals rebranded Mi 10T Lite smartphone

Xiaomi-backed Redmi has a successful Redmi Note series smartphones lineup and the current-generation, Redmi Note 9, already has five devices and the company is now gearing up to increase the confusion with the addition of more devices.

As per the reports, Redmi is planning to launch three Redmi Note 9 series smartphones in the Chinese market. Now, details about two of those phones — Redmi Note 9 Standard Edition and Redmi Note 9 High Edition have leaked online.

Redmi Note 9 High Edition Specs Leak

The information coming from leakster reveals that the phone will feature a 6.67-inch Full HD+ display with 2400 x 1080 pixels screen resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and 240Hz touch sampling rate.

Under the hood, the Redmi Note 9 High Edition will come powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G SoC. It will pack a 4,820mAh battery along with support for 33W fast charging technology.

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Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite
Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite

In the camera department, the device will have a quad-camera setup on the back and could be the world’s first smartphone to feature Samsung’s HM2 108MP sensor. On the front side, the phone will have a 16MP snapper.

Looking at the specifications, the phone seems like a rebranded version of the Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite smartphone that was launched in September this year as the world’s first phone to be powered by the Snapdragon 750G chipset. The 5G smartphone is already available for purchase in Europe, Malaysia, and India.

 

MIDC 2020: Xiaomi announces plans to recruit 5000 engineers by 2021

Global tech leader, Xiaomi commenced the annual Mi Developers Conference (MIDC 2020) yesterday in Beijing, China. The conference saw the company unveiled a number of breakthrough technologies including a retractable telescope camera technology, as well as several software improvements in the area of IoT, and even the XiaoAI virtual assistant which got a new version 5.0.xiaomi

The event themed “Technology for Life”, also included a keynote speech by Xiaomi’s Chairman/CEO Lei Jun. The CEO hinted that behind the brand’s exceptional showing in terms of technological achievements, especially those in the camera domain, is its continuous investment in R&D and talent recruitment. He equally disclosed that the brand will continue to invest in human resources as there are plans to recruit more than 5000 engineers in 2021.

“We believe people are at the foundation of any innovation. When strengthening our technological competence, we should always start with(sic) finding the best people. Currently, Xiaomi has over 10,000 talented members in its engineering team and is planning to recruit 5,000 more in 2021, despite the global pandemic, ” Lei Jun stated. He further added, “my wish for the next decade is to build Xiaomi into the dream company of every engineer, and we will reinforce our strategy of talent cultivation and team composition.”

Xiaomi is relatively a young company considering that it has only been in business for 10 years. The company’s growth within this short space is mainly tied to its huge investment in R&D which includes human resources. This year alone, Xiaomi has allocated over 10 billion RMB to its R&D fund and is presently ranked among the top 20 Chinese companies in terms of R&D investment.

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Xbox series S discovered to have just 364GB available storage out of 512GB

Microsoft is yet to offiially release the latest Xbox Series X and S models but a lot is already known about the models including their designs, specifications and even the expected retial prices. Well, one more detail have emerged concerning the cheaper Xbox Series S and it is a surprising one.

A Reddit user who claimed to have received the Xbox Series S a week before the official release has shared a shocking detail which is that the console arrives with just 364GB of available storage space.

On paper, the console actually features 512GB storage but apparently, not all the storage will be available to users. Why this is of concern is the fact that the Series S doesn’t feature a disc drive meaning you can only use the console by installing a digital copy of the game you wish to play. The storage size will only afford users the chance to install one or two games before running out of storage space. Several commenters on the thread did note that the 364GB available storage is barely enough to install Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on the console. However, you can get a separate hard drive but that would shave off some extra dollars out of your wallet. We can’t confirm this information though, so it best to wait until it officially starts shipping before concluding.

Both the Series X and Series S are expected to launch on November 10th, with the previously announced high-end Series X selling for $499. As previously reported, the Series S (codenamed Lockhart) is designed to play next-gen games in a smaller, cheaper package with less GPU power and lower resolution output than the Series X. The console is expected to come with 1440p support, ray tracing, and 512GB SSD.

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WhatsApp finally gets approval for wider roll-out of payment service in India

WhatsApp has had tough luck with its payment service in markets where it has announced the feature. Back in June, the service got suspended in Brazil just days after it announced rollout. Things are now looking up for the Facebook-owned messaging platform as it has now gotten permission for a wider roll-out in India after nearly two years in beta.

WhatsApp Logo

Back in early 2018, WhatsApp announced that users will be able to send money within chats between themselves using India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI). However, the feature was only available to 1 million beta testers.

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) announced earlier today that it has granted WhatsApp permission to roll-out the service albeit with some conditions.

WhatsApp will have to roll-out the service in a “graded manner”, starting with just 20 million users. That sure is a small number considering the messaging service has more than 400 million users in India. Nevertheless, 20 million is better than 1 million. NPCI also says that WhatsApp has to work with multiple banking partners.

The gradual roll-out and 20 million user cap are most likely linked to NPCI’s other announcement today which says that no third-party app should process more than 30% of all UPI transactions done in a month. TechCrunch reports that the Indian body took the decision to “protect the UPI ecosystem”.

This new condition is said to affect other players in the payment business such as Google (Google Pay) and Walmart (PhonePe) who processed more than 38% and 40% respectively of UPI payments last month. The rule doesn’t go into effect until January 2021 but there are already questions arising on how these services will handle the situation. Will they put a limit on payments users can carry out in a month?

 

iPhone 11 Pro Max vs iPhone 12 Pro: Specs Comparison

In the same price range, you can actually get either the iPhone 11 Pro Max or the iPhone 12 Pro. The former reached the price range of the latter thanks to street prices since the phone is one year old, while the iPhone 12 Pro is actually sold at its listing price. Does it make sense to still opt for the 11 Pro Max in 2021 or it is better to grab a unit of the iPhone 12 Pro? We hope to help you with this decision by publishing this specs comparison which will highlight the main differences between the 11 Pro Max and the iPhone 12 Pro.

Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro

Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max Apple iPhone 12 Pro
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT 158 x 77.8 x 8.1 mm, 226 g 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm, 189 g
DISPLAY  6.5 inches, 1242 x 2688p (Full HD+), Super Retina XDR OLED 6.1 inches, 1170 x 2532p (Full HD+),  Super Retina XDR OLED
PROCESSOR Apple A13 Bionic, hexa-core 2.65 GHz Apple A14 Bionic, hexa-core
MEMORY  4 GB RAM, 64 GB – 4 GB RAM, 256 GB – 4 GB RAM, 512 GB 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 6 GB RAM, 256 GB – 6 GB RAM, 512 GB
SOFTWARE iOS 13 iOS 14
CONNECTIVITY Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5, GPS Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5, GPS
CAMERA  Triple 12 + 12 + 12 MP, f/1.8 + f/2.0 + f/2.4
12 MP f/2.2 front camera
Quad 12 + 12 + 12 MP + LiDAR scanner, f/1.6 + f/2.0 + f/2.4
Dual 12 MP + SL 3D f/2.2 front camera
BATTERY  3969 mAh, fast charging 18W, Qi wireless charging 2815 mAh, fast charging 20W, fast wireless charging 15W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES Waterproof IP68, Face ID, eSIM, optional dual SIM IP68 waterproof, optional dual SIM, optional eSIM, Face ID, 5G

Design

Both iPhone 12 Pro and 11 Pro Max come with amazingly premium materials. Their bodies are composed of a glass back and a stainless steel frame and they both come with a borderless design including a notch on the front panel. I prefer the iPhone 12 Pro because it has more compact dimensions, a more attractive flag profile, and better water resistance (it is waterproof up to 6 meters deep instead of 4 meters guaranteed by the 11 Pro Max). Last but not least, the iPhone 12 is thinner and lighter.

 

Display

The displays of the iPhone 11 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro are not so different between them. They both feature Super Retina XDR OLED panels with the HDR10+ certification and a brightness up to 1200 nits, as well as Dolby Vision and True-Tone technologies, and a wide color gamut. The 11 Pro Max has more pixels but the pixel density is more or less the same. The real difference is the display diagonal: you get just 6.1 inches on the iPhone 12 Pro, while the 11 Pro Max has a 6.5-inch display. That is what would let me go for the 11 Pro Max. They both have a notch which includes the sensors for 3D facial recognition, and they do not pack a fingerprint scanner.

 

Specs & Software

The hardware and software department is one of the most important differences between iPhone 11 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro. The iPhone 12 Pro is equipped with a stronger Apple A14 Bionic chipset paired with 6 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of internal storage. The 11 Pro Max has the same RAM and native storage, but it comes with a weaker Apple A13 Bionic. The iPhone 12 Pro is actually faster and it also comes with a more recent operating system out of the box. We are naturally talking about iOS 14.

 

Camera

The cameras of the iPhone 11 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro are very similar, but there are a few important differences. The iPhone 12 Pro has a brighter focal aperture for the main camera so it should be able to click better photos in a lot of conditions. Further, the iPhone 12 Pro has an additional LiDAR scanner that retrieves depth info for AR appliances and more. You can actually shoot better photos and record better videos with the iPhone 12 Pro. The front cameras are exactly the same, including a 12 MP sensor and an SL 3D sensor for 3D facial recognition.

 

Battery

The battery of the 11 Pro Max is a lot bigger than the one found on the iPhone 12 Pro. That is the reason why the battery life of the 11 Pro Max is longer in almost every scenario. You get 3969 mAh against just 2815 mAh and there is nothing the 5 nm A14 Bionic chipset can do to fill the gap. On the other hand, you get MagSafe support with the iPhone 12 Pro, which allows for better wireless charging.

 

Price

Thanks to online street prices, you can actually find the 256 GB variant of the iPhone11 Pro Max for about €1300/$1100, while the iPhone 12 Pro starts from almost €1200/$1000. The only real advantages offered by the 11 Pro Max are its bigger battery and its wider display, but if you exclude that, it does not make sense to get the Pro Max with the iPhone 12 Pro in the same price range. With the iPhone 12 Pro, you can get a better camera department, higher-end chipset, MagSafe, and 5G which are definitely more important features.

 

Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro: PRO and CONS

Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max

PRO

  • Bigger display
  • Longer battery life
  • Price dropped down

CONS

  • Dimensions
  • No 5G

 

Apple iPhone 12 Pro

PRO

  • More compact
  • Better camera department
  • 5G
  • MagSafe

CONS

  • Smaller display

Motorola launches Vervebuds 100 TWS, Ververap 105, and Verveloop 105 Bluetooth Earphones in India

Binatone, which is Motorola’s licensee has launched three new audio products in India. One is a Truly Wireless Earbuds(TWS), and two other Bluetooth earphones. They will be available on Flipkart, and Amazon in the country.

Motorola Verve Audio Products Price, Availability

The new audio products are namely Motorola Vervebuds 100(TWS), Ververap 105, and Verveloop 105. The prices of them are as follows:

*-These are reportedly introductory pricing. Accordingly, the Retail listing for Ververap 105 is ₹3,799($51.39). But the Vervebuds 100 page on Amazon doesn’t show any price.

Both the Motorola Vervebuds 100 and Verveloop105 will be available exclusively on Amazon. However, the Ververap 105 will be up for grabs on Amazon, and Flipkart, and offline channels.

Motorola Verve Audio Products Features

A. Vervebuds 100 TWS

Vervebuds 100

First off, the Vervebuds 100 weighs 32grams. It comes in White and Black Color variants as per the YouTube Video(via Gadgets360). You also get ear tips in three different sizes(L, M, S). The case has a squarish design with slightly rounded corners. There is an LED light at the front. And a Motorola logo on the earbuds and top of the case.

In terms of Audio, Motorola says the earbuds have support for HiFi Audio. And Intelligent Noise reduction technique that enables Natural, Powerful bass. It has Touch Controls for accessing Media options like play/pause, skip tracks, adjust volume, and answer/reject calls. Other features include Bluetooth 5.0, IPX5 rating, and 14hrs battery life(5hrs-buds + 9-hrs-case).

B. Ververap 105 Bluetooth Neckband Earphones

Ververap 105
Ververap 105

The Ververap 105 flexible neckband-type Bluetooth earphones. They come in a single Black variant and weigh just 18grams. However, the earpiece is a canal type and doesn’t have silicone ear tips for grip. But they are magnetic and hence, we can attach both earpieces together when not in use.

In terms of Audio, they feature a 15mm audio driver unit and produce deep bass as per Motorola. Additionally, other features include Bluetooth 5.0, 8hrs battery life, IPX5 rating, buttons for media controls, integrated mic for hands-free calling. The earphones are also compatible with Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa.

C. Verveloop 105 Bluetooth in-ear Earphones

Verveloop 105

These are in-ear type Bluetooth earphones and have silicone tips on the earpiece. Also, the earpiece has a stabilizer hook for a firm grip on the ears. It comes in single Black Color and weighs 17grams. You get buttons for media controls, hands-free calling, etc. Motorola says it’s ideal for gym and sportspersons.

Further, the Verveloop 105 earphones have features like Bluetooth 5.0, 8hrs battery life, tangle-free cables, Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri Support.

Besides, All the products above support Hubble Connected’s “Hubble Connect for Verve Life App”.  Through this, users can customize controls, and unlock nearly 70,000+ abilities of Alexa through this app.