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.
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.
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.
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Redmi Note 9 High Version TENAA
Redmi Note 9 Standard Version TENAA
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
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, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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
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.
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
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
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).
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
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.
Huawei‘s smartphone business is presently experiencing some challenges due to the US ban which prevents the company from accessing ICs from TSMC and other suppliers. The company is also grappling with a ban by Google which gave birth to its proprietary HarmonyOS (HongmengOS). In the absence of components for its smartphones, the tech giant seems to have shifted focus on building its ecosystem. The company has now launched the Huawei Smart DoorBell Pro alongside the Smart Camera Pro.
The Huawei Smart Doorbell Pro is capable of performing one-key calling and owners can communicate with the doorbell remotely through a mobile phone. It also records whenever a visitor calls at the door even when you are away. The doorbell can be paired with the Huawei Smart Screen such that when you are watching TV in the bedroom and a visitor presses the doorbell, the video of the visitor pops up on the screen. No. it won’t interrupt your program as it appears in picture-in-picture mode.
Furthermore, the Smart Doorbell Pro also comes with a voice change intercom function suitable for girls living alone. When a stranger presses the doorbell, you can easily change the voice through this function. The doorbell also supports wandering detection, and the system automatically records if the person stays for 10 seconds without pressing the bell. Thus, at night you can check if there is any recording of someone loitering at the front before going out.
In terms of hardware, the Huawei Smart Doorbell Pro is equipped with 32 ring fill lights which can provide a 24-hour full-color picture. The camera also comes with a 165-degree ultra-wide viewing angle. The doorbell is equipped with a HiSilicon family smart core that supports AI face recognition and infrared human body sensing.
The smart doorbell packs mammoth 6500mAh built-in battery that can last for up to 8-months. The indoor unit also has a built-in Wi-Fi relay to ensure that the network is not dropped or stuck during use. The gadget can also be paired with a smartphone via the Smart Life App. The app can be used to perform actions such as WeChat active push alarm information, abnormal alarm, anti-dismantle alarm, quick voice response, sending video and other functions.
The Huawei Smart Doorbell Pro is expected to be available in December, priced at 599 yuan (~$90). It will be sold in malls and major authorized e-commerce platforms.
Last week, Huawei shared EMUI 11.0 and Magic UI 4.0 update timeline for eligible devices. Based on that, the company has started rolling out the stable update to the first batch of devices consisting of models from the HUAWEI P40 series and the HUAWEI Mate30 series.
As per the roadmap released by Huawei, a total of 10 devices should receive EMUI 11 stable update in early November. But however, the company has begun to seed the builds only for 8 devices leaving out the two tablets – HUAWEI MatePad Pro and HUAWEI MatePad Pro 5G.
That means the EMUI 11 stable update is currently live for the following devices.
Having said that, the update is currently limited to China only. Above all, even in the company’s home country, it is only available for certain users. That’s because the builds are being pushed in batches. Also, if the user is already running the latest open beta release, then they have a high chance of getting the update first.
After the Galaxy M21, Samsung is now rolling out the One UI Core 2.5 update to the next M series device. The new update for the Galaxy M31 brings the new UI version and Security patch along with few other improvements.
Samsung Galaxy M31
Our device got the update that has a firmware version M315FXXU2ATJ9 and weighs ~984MB. However, unlike Sammobile says, our unit got the October 1, 2020 Security Patch, and not November. Besides, as the report says, the update is currently rolling out in India but we don’t know the ETA for other regions yet.
That said, just like the M21, the update for Galaxy M31 also brings a few improvements to Messages, Keyboard, and Camera. First off is the Samsung Keyboard. The new update brings several features like input-language Search Function, split keyboard on Landscape Mode. You can check the changelog of the update here or in the images below.
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Further, the Messages section now gets an SOS message feature. It allows users to share SOS-location every 30 minutes for a day. Additionally, the update also has Camera improvements and stability. Previously, the Galaxy M31 also got One UI Core 2.1 update last month which brought features like Single Take, Night Hyperlapse, My Filters, and more.
Samsung unveiled the One UI 2.5 based on Android 10 with Galaxy Note 20 series. Initially, we thought the update will roll out only to its Galaxy Note, S, and Z series of devices. However, the company surprised us by rolling it out to mid-range smartphones like Galaxy A51, and A71.
That said this is an OTA update and hence, it should reach you within a few days. You can check for it in the System Update section inside Settings.
A recent leak has aoppeared on Weibo fuelling speculations that Xiaomi will launch a budget phone with a powerful display and other impressive features soon. The model is said to belong to the Redmi Note 9 series and according to a fresh Weibo leak by noted tipster Digital Chat Station, the model will be known as Redmi Note 9 High-end version.
The Redmi Note 9 series are basically mid-range models but it looks like Xiaomi is planning to tweak things a bit. The leak shows that the Redmi Note 9 high version will support adaptive LCD screen refresh rate. The refresh rate will range from 30Hz to 120Hz. What this means is that the smartphone’s display will automatically switch between different refresh rates depending on the task being performed. Hard core gaming with see the display running at 120Hz refresh rate while actions such as watching movies may come down to 60Hz or 30Hz to conserve battery.
Further, the smartphone is expected tp pack a generous 4800mAh battery and with adaptive display tech, we expect some prolonged battery life. The device supports up to 33W wired charging speeds.
Specs-wise, the tipster hints that the device will have a 6.67-inch 2.5D Dot display with an FHD+ resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels. The display is covered by a layer of Gorilla Glass 5 protection. Another interesting revelation is that the device will have a 108 MP main camera, said to be Samsung’s ISOCELL HM2 sensor which was announced in September.
If you live in India, we are sure you tired of streaming YouTube in standard definition a.k.a. 480P on your mobile phone. There is good news now as YouTube has now restored HD streaming after more than 6 months.
It has been reported that 1080p streaming was already being enabled back for those on mobile networks back in September but for a few people. However, a lot more users now have it enabled for them.
The feature should remain for the foreseeable future but we won’t be surprised if a restriction is announced in case there is another round of lockdown.
Google Pixel 5 is definitely a good offering from the company in a long time. However, it didn’t escape the usual theme of Pixel devices having concerns. Few users of Pixel 5 have been reporting a condition where a gap exists between the display and frame of the device. And now, a Community specialist on the Google support page says it’s normal.
The Community specialist going by the name David Pop has replied to a query regarding the Pixel 5 Gap issue. Accordingly, On the Google support page(via PhoneArena), he says that the company investigated customer complaints. Along with this and their QC(Quality Control) data, he confirms that the gap between screen and body is normal. In fact, he goes on to say that it doesn’t have an effect on the IP68 water and dust resistance of the device.
However, his comment has drawn a lot of replies from users who express concerns about the design in long term. Contrary to what the Specialist claims, a user says that his unit has the same gap and dust gets piled up inside. He adds that on trying to press it near the front camera section it sits flush but a gap appears again on releasing the pressure.
That said, a teardown video earlier revealed that Pixel 5 is a well-built phone despite the gap between screen and body. And that the gap doesn’t pose any threat to the internals inside as a strong adhesive. And clips hold the device screen firm with the body. Still, the gap issue might have popped up due to poor Quality Control checks.
Besides, a few users say that the replacement units also have a similar problem. Having that said, users who are disappointed with this design flaw can try using the device. And see if the gap poses an issue in the long-term, or get a refund.
Kinera is a brand that should be higher up on everyone’s radar. It is an electronics company established in 2010 that focuses on developing a new generation of high–tech products for the consumer market. This year the company introduced a few different IEMs, each of which has been nothing short of high quality. Their latest introduction is, however, is a variant of an existing product, Kinera Nanna. The only difference this variant boasts is that of the color; its specifications remain the same.
The Kinera flagship is namedMount Nanna, and since the company is known to derive the product names from mythology, this pair is no exception. Nanna is a wife of the god Baldr and goddess of moon and wisdom. The new color variant of these electrostatic IEM earphones will officially launch on November 6th with an $899 price tag. Its sales and shipping are expected to start soon after the launch.
New Look
Mount Nanna comes in a mountain blue tone that gives it an appealing look and has a color contrast of a bright mountain sky. Even in terms of design, this new shade is different from its predecessors that had strokes of colors like red, brown, and blue on the faceplates.
Sound Quality
The Mount Nanna has a four-driver hybrid setup that produces decent sound output with a neutral sound signature. With defined tuning, this piece delivers warm and natural mids. Furthermore, its tuning has no peakiness, making it an ideal accessory for watching movies and having long music sessions. Its dynamic driver helps the bass deliver thumpy music while the balanced armature and electrostatic drivers ensure there are natural mids and smooth treble response with no peaks.
Extensions at Lower and Higher End
The driver setup provides good extensions at the lower and higher-end, providing good quick bass and smooth instrument details.
Pure Copper Braided Wire
The Mount Nanna comes with a pure copper braided wire, which gives smooth sound reproduction and also ensures a crisp and wide soundstage that terminates at a 3.5mm plug. The wire uses a 0.78mm 2-pin connector type.
Ergonomic Build Quality
The earpieces of Mount Nanna are well built with resin covered faceplates and are ergonomically designed to provide a comfortable fit.
Mount Nanna IEMs are perfect for people looking to mix high-sound quality with style. This pair is launching on November 6th with an $899 price tag. To know more about these earpieces, click here.
Last week, OnePlus rolled out the second system update for OnePlus 8T in the form of OxygenOS 11.0.2.3. Now, within a few days, the smartphone is receiving its third-ever update with version OxygenOS 11.0.3.4. Just like the previous release, this one too brings a number of fixes, optimization, and improvements.
The OxygenOS 11.0.3.4 update for OnePlus 8T comes with the following build numbers based on regions.
India (IN) – 11.0.3.4.KB05DA
Europe (EU) – 11.0.3.4.KB05BA
North America (NA) – 11.0.3.4.KB05AA
The changelog for the update mentions it to bring improvements for power consumption to reduce heat generation, mis-touch prevention, and camera stability. It also brings optimizations for fluidity in some games, imaging effect, mobile network connection, and also adds toast messages to indicate users while switching between sound profiles using the alert slider.
Lastly, the update brings fixes for status bar hovering in landscape mode, Play Store could not install apps, and network interruption while playing games.
OnePlus 8T OxygenOS 11.0.3.4 Official Changelog
System
Improved system power consumption performance to reduce heating
Improved mis-touch prevention to offer a better gaming experience
Optimized fluidity with some mainstream games to reduce lagging risks
Optimized user experience with Alert Slider by adding toast messages when switching among the 3 modes
Fixed the issue that the status bar kept hovering on the screen in landscape mode
Fixed the issue that Play Store could not install the app
Camera
Optimized the imaging effect to bring you with better shooting experience
Improved camera stability
Network
Optimized mobile network connection to improve the network intensity with signal
Fixed the small probability issue with network interruption while playing games
Like all OTA system updates, the latest release for the OnePlus 8T is being rolled out in batches. Hene, it may take time to reach every unit out there.
There was a time most phones had a metal back, and some notable ones such as the HTC One M7 and the Huawei-made Nexus 6P had a standout design. However, things have changed, and these days, several phones in the mid-range segment and most in the flagship category are covered in glass on both sides. But there is a chance that phones with metal back housing may make a return, thanks to the Google Pixel 5.
HTC One
Google’s Pixel 5 – first of the new age metal-clad phones?
Google took a different route with the launch of the Pixel 5. Unlike its predecessors, the phone is not a flagship but falls in the premium mid-range category. However, that is not the only change. The Pixel 5 also drops the Gorilla Glass back of its predecessors for an aluminum one while still retaining support for wireless charging, thus putting an end to the age-long belief that phones with wireless charging support can’t have a metal back cover.
Pixel 5’s rear housing design process | Image source: GSMArena
Google did explain how it was able to achieve wireless charging on the Pixel 5. It turns out that the back panel has a cut-out where the wireless charging coil is placed. They then coated the panel with a layer of bio-resin and smoothened it out, thus hiding the coil before applying the final coat of paint. Smooth, right?
The big question now is will we see more manufacturers adopt a similar technique, thus marking the return of metal phones? First, let us look at the advantages and disadvantages of metal.
Affordable – Metal is more affordable, especially in the long run, unlike glass which is expensive to replace when damaged. Take for example the iPhone 11 and Galaxy S20 series whose rear glass housing costs $129 and $99 respectively to replace. Other phones are less expensive to repair such as that of the OnePlus 8T which costs $38 to replace its rear glass housing.
Durable – Metal is more durable than plastic and glass. It can take a beating and survive drops better than other materials.
Lightweight – Just because a phone is made of metal doesn’t mean it is going to weigh a ton. The Pixel 5 weighs 151 grams even with its 4080mAh battery compared to the iPhone 12 Pro which weighs 189 grams and has a smaller 2815mAh battery.
Disadvantages of Metal
Heating – this is one of the main problems of metal phones even though metal is supposed to better help with heat dissipation. However, in the last few years, manufacturers have come up with better cooling methods such as liquid cooling, air cooling, use of graphite sheets, and cooling accessories which should help lower the temperature better than before.
Interference – Metal is known to block frequency waves which is why metal phones usually have the antenna area covered in a different material or have antenna bands that allow signals to reach the antennas inside the device. However, manufacturers have found ways to solve this, so it is no longer a problem.
Seeing as the issues associated with metal phones already have solutions, there is nothing stopping manufacturers from switching to metal.
Conclusion
While we don’t expect every manufacturer to ditch glass and jump back to metal just because there is now a way to add wireless charging to phones with metal back housings, Google has shown with the Pixel 5’s that there is more than one way to do things. And if manufacturers are trying to make more durable phones that don’t break the bank, they can switch to metal and come up with creative finishes that also accentuate the appearance of the phone.
After a busy Techtober, you might have thought it’s the end of new launches in 2020. But you are in for a bunch of new phones this month. Here we are with another edition of upcoming Smartphones for the month of November 2020. The list includes Huawei, Redmi, Vivo, Realme, Moto, and more. We are just 5 days into the month, and a bunch of devices have already been announced. So, stick around till the end to find out what phones are launching in the next few weeks.
Huawei Nova 8 SE
Huawei will launch the Nova 8 SE in China on November 5. As reported earlier, the device is likely to come in two variants. A recently leaked spec-sheet shows that the device will have two editions- One with Dimensity 720 SoC, and Dimensity 800U SoC. The former has 5G+4G SIM, while the latter has dual-5G support. Other expected features include a 6.5-inch OLED display, quad-camera with 64MP main lens, 16MP selfie shooter, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage, 3,800mAh battery with 66W fast charging. It will likely run EMUI 10.1 based on Android 10.
Redmi Note 9 series
Previously rumored to be the Redmi Note 10 series, three new Smartphones(M2007J17C, M2007J22C, M2007J19C) are expected to be added to the Redmi Note 9 lineup in China. Before you get confused, as of now, the new devices are likely headed to China. And doesn’t seem to resemble the already available ones. One of them likely has an LCD panel while the other has a high-refresh-rate screen. And likely have brightness up to 450 nits, NTSC 84%, 1500:1 contrast ratio. As of now, we don’t have an exact date but they are expected to go official later this month.
Honor V40 Series
Although rumors point to a December launch, Honor might jump the gun and bring it a month earlier as nothing is official yet. That said, the series will likely have two devices- V40 Pro, V40 Pro+. Expected features include a 6.72-inch FHD+ dual punch-hole curved display, 120Hz refresh rate, Dimensity 1000+SoC(V40 Pro), Kirin 9000 SoC(V40 Pro+), 50MP Sony IMX700 RYYB camera, 66W Wired SuperCharge, and 40W Wireless Charging.
Realme C17, X7 Pro
Realme has been mum for a while in India which is very unlike the company. However, it is likely coming back with new devices- Realme C17 for India, and Realme X7 Pro for India, and the Global market. The devices will likely launch this month(at least the C17). Realme C17 from Bangladesh features a 6.5-inch HD+ display, Snapdragon 460 SoC, quad-cameras, 6GB/128GB storage, and more. Realme X7 Pro is likely heading for a wider Global launch from China. It features a 6.55-inch AMOLED FHD+ 120Hz display, Dimensity 1000+ SoC, 64MP rear and 32MP front cameras, 5G, 65W SuperDart charging, and more.
Vivo X60 Series, V20 Pro
Vivo recently announced a transition to Origin OS for its smartphones. This new UI is expected to debut with the Vivo X60 series in November/December. Apart from a leaked naming(X60) on the advertisement hoarding from an Official Store, we don’t have any other info just yet. Vivo V20 Pro, which launched in China back in September, will debut by November End as revealed by its CEO in India. The device features a 6.44-inch AMOLED display, Snapdragon 765G, 64MP camera, 33W fast charging, and more.
Moto E7, G10 Play
Motorola is expected to break covers of the budget E7, and G10 Play very soon. The entry-level Moto E7 has bagged several certifications(FCC, NBTC, TUV) with model number X2095-3. It is likely to feature a 6.2-inch LCD HD+ display, Snapdragon 632 SoC, 2GB RAM/32GB storage, 13MP rear and 5MP front cameras, 4G, 3,550mAh battery, and more. The G10 Play is supposed to come out in a few weeks. Boasting a model number of XT-2117, it likely has a 6.5-inch screen with a single punch-hole at top left, side-fingerprint, USB-C, 3.5mm jack, 4,850mAh battery, and more.
Other Expected Launches – LAVA BE U
LAVA, an Indian Smartphone brand is likely to launch a women-centric BE U Smartphone around the Diwali period in India. Expected to debut around ₹10,000($135), the device might have a glossy finish with Pink Accents at the back. Although the specifications are not known yet, we can expect it to be designed completely in India considering it is an Indian company.
Samsung Galaxy M02
Samsung is expected to launch another entry-level smartphone, the Galaxy M02. This will likely succeed in the Galaxy M01 from July. Recently, it has passed both India’s BIS, and Bluetooth SIG certifications reveal it will likely have a Snapdragon 450 SoC, 2GB RAM, Bluetooth 4.2, and run on Android 10 OS. That said, there isn’t a specific launch date but considering the recent certification, it might go live anytime soon.
Devices Already launched so far (as of November 5)
Few companies squeezed the trigger before we could get our story out. Hence, here is the list of devices that launched very recently(a few days back).
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