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Micromax In-series phone’s first look and key details revealed

By
Anvinraj Valiyathara
-

Micromax is all set to launch its In-series smartphones in India on Nov. 3. The Indian brand has been teasing the features of the upcoming phones, but it has really any good information on their specifications. In an interview with popular YouTuber Technical Guruji, Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma gave the first look of the upcoming In-series phone and shared some vital details.

The rumor mill is speculated that Micromax will be announcing the Micromax In 1 and Micromax In 1A phones on Nov. 3. In the interview, Sharma neither revealed the name nor confirmed the number of phones that will be announced next week. However, he did give a first look at the new In-series phone.

As can be seen in cropped images taken from Technical Guruji’s YouTube video, the upcoming In-series phone will be available in white and green colors. As it is known, the green one has an X-pattern on its rear.

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The new phone has a traditional rear-facing fingerprint scanner. At the upper-left corner is a rectangle-shaped camera module that has a 48-megapixel main camera. The camera module seems to be housing four cameras and an LED flash. Other screengrabs show that the phone’s display has a top-center camera cutout. Below shown is a new tweet that hints at the presence of a punch-hole display on the device.

The upcoming Micromax phones seem to be powered by Helio G35 and Helio G85 chipsets. These phones are expected to be priced between Rs 7,000 (~$94) and Rs 15,000 (~$201) in the country.

UP NEXT: PUBG Mobile will finally stop working in India from October 30

 

 

Honor 10X Lite with 6.67-inch display, 48MP quad cameras, 5,000mAh battery and 22.5W fast charging launched

By
Anvinraj Valiyathara
-

The Honor 10X Lite mid-range phone is now official in Saudi Arabia. It comes with an impressive display with a punch-hole design and it has a 48-megapixel quad-camera system on its rear. The phone comes with fast charging support for its huge battery.

Honor 10X Lite specifications and features

The Honor 10X Lite has 165.65 x 76.88 x 9.26mm and it weighs 206 grams. It has a 6.67-inch IPS LCD screen that delivers an aspect ratio of 20:9 and a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels. The phone offers a screen space of 90.3 percent, claims the company. The dated Kirin 710 chipset is present under the hood of the Honor 10X Lite. The SoC is coupled with 4 GGB of RAM.

Honor 10X Lite
Honor 10X Lite

Editor’s Pick: Upcoming Micromax phones’ rear design reminds of Honor 9X series

The Honor 10X Lite has an internal storage of 128 GB and it has a microSD card for additional storage. For capturing selfies, it has a front camera of 8-megapixel. The backside of the Honor 10X Lite has a quad-camera system that includes a 48-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel superwide lens, a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro camera.

The Honor 10X Lite has a 5,000mAh battery to keep the lights on. It is assisted by 22.5W SuperCharge fast charging technology. The phone boots to Android 10 OS and Magic UI 3.1. Instead of Google’s apps and services, the phone comes with support for Huawei Mobile Services (HMS). It has a side-facing fingerprint sensor, and its other features include dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, NFC, USB-C, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Honor 10X Lite pricing

The Honor 10X Lite has landed in Saudi Arabia for SAR 799 (~$213). It comes in three colors such as Icelandic Frost, Midnight Black, and Emerald Green. The handset is also arriving in Russia. There is no word on other markets that will be treated with the Honor 10X Lite.

UP NEXT: Honor Band 6 to launch on November 3 with full-screen design

 

 

Vivo V20 SE to launch in India on November 2

By
Anvinraj Valiyathara
-

Earlier this month, Vivo confirmed some of the key details of the Vivo V20 SE smartphone in India when it announced the Vivo V20 smartphone. The pricing and availability of the V20 SE was not confirmed for the Indian market. Recently, premature retailer listings of the V20 SE appeared to reveal its pricing as Rs 20,990 (~$281). A new report by 91mobiles states that it has confirmed details on the launch date and pre-booking offers for the Vivo V20 SE. According to the report, the Vivo V20 SE is slated to debut in India on Nov. 2.

Vivo V20 SE price in India and pre-booking offers

The Vivo V20 SE is expected to carry a price tag of Rs 20,990. It will be available in Gravity Black and Aquamarine Green. A promotional poster shared by the publication reveals that there will be 10 percent cashback owners for customers of ICICI Bank, Kotak Bank, Bank of Baroda.

Vivo V20 SE pre-book offers

Buyers will be also an advantage of other offers such as the Vivo upgrade program, one-time screen replacement, and Rs 10,000 worth of benefits from Jio and Vi. The handset is now up for pre-orders through offline channels.

Editor’s Pick:  Vivo V2031EA full specifications and images emerge at TENAA

Vivo V20 SE Specifications and Features

Vivo V20 SE color variants

The Vivo V20 SE has a 6.44-inch S-AMOLED display with support for a Full HD+ resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio. The Snapdragon 665 mobile platform powers the phone with 8 GB of RAM. It has 128 GB of native storage and a microSD card slot for more storage. It is backed by a 4,100mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging. It has a front camera of 32-megapixel and a 48-megapixel + 8-megapixel (ultrawide) + 2-megapixel (depth) triple camera system.

UP NEXT: Vivo officially confirms that Origin OS will replace Funtouch OS

 

 

Xiaomi Wear app 2.0 update for Android ushers in several new features

By
Jed John Ikoba
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Xiaomi has officially announced the release of a new Xiaomi Wear app 2.0. The new update ushers in a new avatar to show your status in real-time. Also, the app now allows users to independently initiate sports in the app anytime and anywhere. Further, the app comes with professional data management, immediate fitness data viewing on the home page and so on. The update has been rolled out for Android users only. Xiaomi is expected to push that of iOS in no distant time.

On this version, the home page doubles as the status page. Steps, calories, exercise records, and sleep can all be viewed immediately on the home page . In addition, a new data source switching function is added, making it easier to view data from multiple devices.

Also, you can start exercise directly on the app without binding the device. This feature supports the following exercises; outdoor running, indoor running, outdoor walking and outdoor cycling.

The Wear app 2.0 also gets a new health page with one-click check-in for small habits, health plans, and courses to help your health and monitor your transformation. The app also contains more health information now.

The app can automatically read the exercise heart rate for the Mi band 5 and Band 5 NFC version when they are paired. This feature is still under development for other devices.

Further, with the new Independent device management, multi-device users can more conveniently use the app. Also, the app features a personal information manager which can be updated independently.

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OnePlus releases a short film shot on the OnePlus 8T showing its prowess

By
Jed John Ikoba
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OnePlus‘ latest flagship, the OnePlus 8T is one of the best smartphones in its price category. The device comes with a 120Hz Fluid AMOLED screen and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset. The device is also complemented by a quad-camera set up and the 65W Warp Charge.OnePlus8T-weight

One aspect that OnePlus has repeatedly harped on is the camera capability of the device’s camera. OnePlus had teased the 8T camera sample on Twitter before it was launched, with the teaser bearing the caption: “When the stars come up, we bring our OnePlus 8T out!”

Indeed the camera has been nothing short of impressive and OnePlus is intent on flaunting the camera with its latest short film which was shot using the OP8T’s camera.

The film titled, ‘Stop at Nothing’ reiterates the need to use the technology around you productively and taking the time to disconnect, talking of digital wellbeing. The short film stares Kalki Koechlin and is produced by Lightstream. OnePlus 8T is capable of shooting videos up to 4K @60fps. Users can choose a more cinematic 21:9 crop as well.

Narrated through spoken-word poetry written by Kalki Koechlin, ‘Stop at Nothing’ underlines the downsides of being hyper-connected and highlights the need to disconnect while reiterating the use of technology and digital platforms for what they were originally intended — platforms to create, connect and collaborate.

Commenting on the campaign film, Siddhant Narayan, Head of Marketing at OnePlus India stated,

“We live in a time where our smartphones have become our one-stop destination for everything from work and news updates to entertainment and connecting with loved ones. As a technology brand, we understand how important it is to perceive our devices as an extension of the self, for helping us boost creativity and productivity and not something that we become dependent on. With this film, we hope to make people cognizant of using technology for the betterment of ourselves, emphasizing the importance of disconnecting from time to time”.

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Huawei Mate 40 series is the first of its kind to support hardware wallet for China’s Digital Currency

By
Balaji S
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Huawei announced the Mate 40 series in China today. A few days back, Huawei’s CEO hinted at a special feature coming to Chinese variants. Today, at the launch event, Richard Yu of Huawei announced that Mate 40 series will be the first smartphone to have a hardware wallet for China’s digital currency(DCEP).

Huawei Mate 40 Pro featured

Accordingly, the Huawei Mate 40 series supports(via Decrypt) an in-built hardware wallet for China’s DC/EP(Digital RMB). Here DC is Digital Currency, and EP is Electronic Payment. Besides, China’s Central Bank Digital Currency, the digital Yuan is reportedly under development since 2014. Further, Huawei CEO said that the device will offer hardware-level security along with anonymous protection, and dual-offline transactions.

Simply put, users can use the device as a digital wallet and shop at multiple outlets in the country. Interestingly, they can also initiate transactions when they are offline. As per Huawei’s Offical Weibo account, the Huawei Wallet is supported at 16 million+ PoS(Point of Sales) terminals, and 130+ banks(English translated). However, it is unclear if users can swap their bank savings to this wallet. That said, the announcement comes at a time when the Chinese Government is pushing digital currency to the public. And conducting trials of the same.

Besides, Huawei has also been actively involving with the government to promote digital currency in China. Earlier this year, it signed an agreement with Govt. of Nanshan District of Shenzhen, Southeast China. This was to strengthen the country’s Digital Currency economy. And collaborate with the People’s Bank of China to begin the testing of its own virtual currency in Shenzhen.

China’s rigorous push for DCEP

Reports say that Shenzhen‘s Luohu District stimulated around 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) to public citizens to pilot test the digital currency and promote DCEP. Accordingly, 50,000 initial recipients got the DCEP through a lottery system. And made to use it across 3,389 merchants including restaurants, gas stations, metro, and more.

As per the system, there will be a DCEP wallet developed by commercial banks like China’s Central Bank, People’s Bank of China. Users can avail these lotteries by downloading the DCEP wallet of the respective banks. Before this, nearly 2 million people signed up for the Digital yuan Experiment. And 50,000 of them reportedly got a 200 yuan gift envelope.

UP NEXT: Huawei Mate 30E Pro with Kirin 990E SoC starts at 5299 yuan (~$792) in China

 

Apple will reportedly contribute half of total flexible OLED smartphones in 2021

By
Balaji S
-

Apple introduced the expensive flexible OLED displays on its wearables before bringing it to iPhones. Now that it has familiarized the tech with the public, a report says Apple will reportedly account for about half of flexible OLED smartphones launching in 2021.

iPhone 12 mini

TheElec’s report says that according to a research firm Stone Partners, 2021 will record a total of 1.39 billion smartphone shipments while 2020 will reportedly account for 1.265 billion. Among them, LCD, and total OLED smartphone shipments will be 793, and 597 million respectively. Here, the total OLED consists of two- rigid OLED, and flexible OLED devices.

Accordingly, the report says close to 315 million smartphones will use flexible OLED panels next year. And this is 52% higher than the current year’s predicted shipments of 207 million. Besides, Apple will reportedly ship 160 million OLED iPhones in 2021 which is an 80% jump from the already estimated 90 million. This is more than 50% of the total flexible OLED smartphone shipments.

Also, the report says the company’s use of flexible OLED for iPhones will make flexible OLED shipments surpass the rigid OLED for the first time in 2021. For the unware, OLED is an Organic- Light Emitting Diode. Flexible OLED has a flexible/soft substrate made of plastic to last more than Glass. They are resistant to impact as well as lighter, and thinner. Apple brought the flexible OLED displays to wearables with Apple Watch in 2015, and to the iPhone X in 2017.

Coming back, companies like Samsung, Huawei will ship 90 million, and 8 million flexible OLED smartphones next year. The reason for the sudden drop in Huawei’s outlook is reportedly due to the US ban. That said the gap of 50 to 60 million of Huawei’s flexible OLED shipments will now be filled by Xiaomi, OPPO, and Vivo says the report. Xiaomi and OPPO will reportedly churn out 18 million flexible OLED smartphones. And Vivo will ship about 12 million units in 2021.

UP NEXT: Samsung reclaims Global Smartphone Market throne, outperforms expectations in Q3 2020

 

Logitech G launches an array of Gaming Products in partnership with Riot Games

By
Balaji S
-

Logitech’s brand Logitech G has teamed up with Riot Games to launch a set of officially licensed League of Legends(LoL) gaming products. Accordingly, the products include a gaming Headset, in-ear Earphones, Wireless Mouse, and a Mouse Pad.

Credit: Logitech G/Riot Games

Logitech has announced(via Businessswire) the partnership along with the product details on its official website. For the unware, League of Legends is a decade-old MOBA(Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game developed by Riot Games. Besides, this game is reportedly one of the most-played PC games in the world. Also, K/DA is an in-game term that refers to  Kill, Death, and Assists. It is also a virtual girl K-pop group having five of the themed in-game characters. This includes Leader Ahri, Akali, Evelynn, Seraphine, and Kai’Sa.

Logitech G LoL K/DA edition Products: Pricing, and Availability

Initially, the LoL K/DA editions of the Headset, Earphones, Mouse, and Mouse Pad will be available at the Logitech G website in China. However, it is said to go on sale in the rest of the world by 2021. You can take a look at the prices below:

  • Logitech K/DA G733 Lightspeed Wireless RGB Gaming Headset- $129.99
  • Logitech K/DA G333 in-ear earphones-$49.99 USD
  • Logitech K/DA G304/G305 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Mouse- $59.99
  • Logitech K/DA G840 XL Gaming Mouse Pad- $49.99 USD

Logitech G733 headset LoL K/DA edition

Coming back, the first one is Logitech G733 Lightspeed Wireless RGB LoL  Gaming Headset. This version has an Ahri theme with the K/DA logo on the earcups, white accents with bluish-green lighting, and dual-layer black earpads. Other than that, the specs remain the same as the standard version. Weighing at 278g, it reportedly gives 29Hr battery life, charges via USB-C, and has a 20metres wireless range. There is a 40mm PRO-G driver, 20Hz-20kHz response, and 6mm boom detachable microphone.

EDITOR’S PICK: OPPO Find X2 and OPPO Watch League of Legends Limited Editions launched in China

Logitech G333 in-ear earphones LoL K/DA edition

The G333 LoL in-ear earphones is reportedly the first of its kind from Logitech G. It has the same White, and Blue aesthetics as the K/DA model with an Akali theme. The ear tips are blue in color White the housing is Silver, and the cable is White. The media buttons are a mix of Black and Blue. It features dual audio drivers, 5.8mm, and 9.2mm. Other features include 3.5mm gold-plated port, bass-audio for powerful gaming.

Logitech G304/G305 Wireless Gaming Mouse LoL K/DA edition

The Logitech G304/5 Lightspeed Wireless Gaming Mouse’s LoL edition has K/DA logo on the right-click button, with black-blue accents. It weighs just 99 grams, supports USB Port, macOS, Windows, and Chrome OS. The rest of the mouse is White and Kai’Sa theme. It has features like HERO sensor with 12,000 DPI, 1ms report rate, 250hrs battery life, and more.

Logitech G840 XL Gaming Mouse Pad LoL K/DA edition

This huge 15.75×35.43-inch mouse pad covers the Keyboard, Mouse, and other accessories in a single surface with 3mm thickness. The K/DA edition has all five characters Ahri, Akali, Kai’Sa, Evelynn, and Seraphine. Besides, the outer material is rubber but has K/DA logo on the top left with the usual Black-Blue color scheme. The logo of Logitech G and LoL is also at the bottom right. Logitech says the pad provides great accuracy, quick hand, and mouse movements while gaming.

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OxygenOS Open Beta 19/9 out for OnePlus 7/7T series

By
Sudarshan Ravichandran
-

The OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7T series have already received two stable updates this month. Now, they are receiving OxygenOS Open Beta 19 and OxygenOS Open Beta 20 respectively. The latest public builds for these smartphones brings a camera-related fix and October 2020 security patch.

oneplus 7 pro featured

For those unaware, OnePlus has three channels for update namely Stable, Open Beta, and Closed Beta. The first and second ones are limited to single release per month but the company releases two builds in the last channel.

That said, currently OnePlus has released the second type of update with build number OxygenOS Open Beta 19/9 for OnePlus 7/7 Pro and OnePlus 7T/7T Pro respectively.

As mentioned in the beginning, the newest public beta update for these phones brings fix for flashback issue when switched to the front camera. The changelog also mentions the build to fix some general issues, in addition to bumping up the security patch level to October 2020

Oneplus 7/7 Pro & OnePlus 7T/7T Pro OxygenOS Open Beta 19/9 Official Changelog

  • System
    • Improved system stability and fixed general issues
    • Updated Android Security Patch to 2020.10
  • Camera
    • Fixed the flashback issue when switched to the front camera in particular cases

The update is currently being rolled out in batches and should receive all the units running OxygenOS Open Beta 18/8 in the coming days.

UP NEXT: OnePlus 7/7 Pro confirmed to get OxygenOS 11 update in December

 

Huawei Mate 30E Pro with Kirin 990E SoC starts at 5299 yuan (~$792) in China

By
Jed John Ikoba
-

Huawei today announced the Mate 40 series in China with the models adopting a price tag that is slightly lower than that of Europe. The Chinese tech giant has also taken the wraps off the Mate 30E Pro for its home market.Huawei Mate 30E Pro

Just like the Mate 40 series, the Mate 30E Pro was equally announced last week for the first time. in Europe. The company didn’t announce the pricing and availability details. The Mate 30E Pro is available in 8GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB RAM + 256GB storage variant. The pricing starts at 5299 yuan (~$792) for the 8GB+128GB version while the 8GB+256GB version comes in at 5799 yuan (~$867) in China. Huawei Mate 30E Pro 5G

As a reminder, the major difference between the Mate 30E Pro and the Mate 30 Pro released last year is the Kirin 990E chipset onboard this model. The Kirin 990E chipset adopts a 7nm+ EUV process and integrates about 10.3 billion transistors. It adopts Huawei’s Da Vinci architecture as well as an NPU large core + NPU micro core design. The chipset integrates a 14 core Mail-G76 GPU and supports NSA/SA dual-mode 5G connectivity and is equipped with 21 antennas in an Omni-directional layout, including 14 5G antennas.

In terms of cameras, Huawei Mate 30E Pro is equipped with dual 40MP high-definition main cameras, super-sensitive and telephoto cameras support OIS optical image stabilization, equipped with 1/1.54 inch and 1/1.7 inch sensors. For selfies, there is a 32MP 3D deep-sensing camera with professional-level portrait blur.

The device comes pre-installed with EMUI 11 OS based on Android 10. It also supports AOD art themes, smooth motion in one mirror, natural and comfortable gesture navigation, integrated sound and vibration, multi-sensing collaboration, smart multi-window, keyboard and mouse sharing and other features which EMUI 11 brings.

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OxygenOS 11.0.2.3 for OnePlus 8T brings a number of fixes

By
Sudarshan Ravichandran
-

Recently, OnePlus launched OnePlus 8T as an updated version of OnePlus 8 with a better display, faster-charging speed, and newer design. This handset can be also called the direct successor to the OnePlus 7T. Last week, the device received its first system update and now, the company is seeding another update to this smartphone.

OnePlus 8T OxygenOS 11.0.2.3 Featured

The latest system update for the OnePlus 8T comes with build number OxygenOS 11.0.2.3. The exact build numbers for different regions are as follows.

  • IN: 11.0.2.3.KB05DA
  • EU: 11.0.2.3.KB05BA
  • NA: 11.0.2.3.KB05AA​

The new update does not add any new features to the device, rather it brings fixes, improvements, and optimizations. They are related to power consumption, heat generation, icons not displaying, Bluetooth connection & latency, preview photo loading, and intelligent 5G function.

OnePlus 8T OxygenOS 11.0.2.3 Official Changelog

  • System
    • Optimized system power consumption and reduce heat generation
    • Fixed the issue that icons are not displayed on the desktop in a small probability
    • Improved system stability and fixed known issues
  • Bluetooth
    • Optimized Bluetooth connection to reduce latency
    • Improved connection stability
  • Gallery
    • Fixed the abnormal display issue with loading preview photo
  • Network
    • Optimized the intelligent 5G function to extend battery endurance capacity

Like all OTA system updates, the latest build for the OnePlus 8T is being rolled out in batches worldwide.

UP NEXT: Oneplus 8T Review: Is it the Best OnePlus Phone of 2020?

 

PUBG Mobile will finally stop working in India from October 30

By
Jed John Ikoba
-

In September, the Indian government slammed a ban on the popular gaming app PUBG Mobile, alongside 117 other apps that are of Chinese origin. The ban affected both the PUBG Mobile and Mobile Lite but has not been effective since then as both apps still continue to accommodate gamers from India. However, that may end soon as Tencent has officially announced that it would be pulling the plug off the gaming apps for Indian gamers.

The announcement posted on the PUBG Mobile official website reads thus,

“Dear Fans,

To comply with the interim order of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology dated September 2, 2020, Tencent Games will terminate all service and access for users in India to PUBG MOBILE Nordic Map: Livik and PUBG MOBILE Lite (together, “PUBG Mobile”) on October 30, 2020. The rights to publish PUBG MOBILE in India will be returned to the owner of the PUBG intellectual property.

Protecting user data has always been a top priority and we have always complied with applicable data protection laws and regulations in India. All users’ gameplay information is processed in a transparent manner as disclosed in our privacy policy.

We deeply regret this outcome, and sincerely thank you for your support and love for PUBG MOBILE in India“.

While the announcement is a heartbreaking one, considering the popularity of the app among Indian gamers, we must take a positive statement from it. Tencent will be handing over the rights to publish the game in India to the owner of the PUBG intellectual property which is Blue Hole Studio. Recall that BlueHole recently announced the revocation of the license given to Tencent to distribute the game in India.

The South Korean company was reportedly in talks with India telecom company Reliance Jio to get the game up and running in India once again. Later on, a LinkedIn job listing also suggested the company was returning to India as PUBG corporation. Thus, it safe to conclude that the app will be relaunched soon in India with a new licensee in the driving seat.

For now, we can’t identify the company BlueHole will be granting the publishing rights to but we expect that to be made known in no distant time. We’ll keep you update as more details emerge.

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Google Pixel 5 sits at 15th place in DXOMARK Camera with 120 points

By
Balaji S
-

Google launched the Pixel 5 last month. Exactly a month later, DXOMARK has come out with a new Camera review. And unfortunately, it looks like the Pixel 5 has just improved around 6.2% in the overall score compared to the predecessor(Pixel 4).

Jumping right in, Pixel 5’s overall DXOMARK camera score is around 120 points. If you split that into Photo, Zoom, and Video test, it has 129, 49, and 107 points. Sadly, the score is just 7 points above the 113 points of Pixel 4. Also, Pixel 5 has fared worse in the Zoom category with just 49 points compared to 55 points for Pixel 4. It now sits at 15th place on the DXOMARK’S current rankings(as of October 30) slotting behind Huawei’s yesteryear Mate 30 Pro.

That said, the score closer to Pixel 4 is slightly understandable considering the Pixel 5 has a similar rear-camera setup as follows:

  • 12.2MP 1/2.55-inch main sensor with dual-pixel PDAF, OIS.
  • 16MP 1/3.09-inch ultrawide-sensor with a 107-degree Field Of View(FOV).
  • An LED Flash
  • Features: 4K video at 30/60fps, 1080p up to 240fps, and has gyro-EIS.

Pixel 5: Photo

Talking about performance, the report says the main strengths of the Pixel 5 cameras are exposure, color reproduction, and autofocus while they maintain the artifacts originally. For still photos, it seems to produce images with good details via main & ultra-wide lens but also accompanies noise with it.

As mentioned above, Pixel 5 struggles in Zoom as well as limited FOV. In fact, the report says the noise starts creeping in as you zoom just above 2x as the lack of a Telephoto lens is surely hurting Google here. Additionally, the device seemingly struggles in bokeh simulation when there are more than two heads in the frame.

EDITOR’S PICK: DXOMark unveils a new phone Display ranking with the Galaxy Note20 Ultra at the top

Pixel 5: Video

For Video, the report says that Google sets a new record in the autofocus category trying to be on par with the flagships. It clocks a 105 points for Autofocus equalling flagships like Huawei Mate 40 Pro. In Normal lighting, its shots are reportedly good with details, exposure, and colors, especially the stabilization in 4K 30fps mode. However, issues like noise, color casting, and bad exposure in low light sets it back.

Pixel 5 Camera: Pros & Cons

To sum up, it has Pros like Accurate Autofocus & white balance, Vivid colors, and good stabilization. However, its cons include Noise in Photo & Video, Frame shifts, Bokeh effects, Zoom, less detail in low-light shots. Looks like Google still is relying on its software power while setting the nitty-gritty issues behind.

UP NEXT: Google pledges to make Plastic-free Packaging for all of its products by 2025

 

Samsung SmartThings Find app helps locate your devices even when they are offline

By
Jed John Ikoba
-

Most manufacturers usually include a Find device feature on their device’s companion apps for devices such as smartwatches and smartphones. For mobile;e phone, Google’s Find My Phone feature is super efficient in helping you tracing a device where your google account is logged on. However, in most cases, this feature is dependent on the device being online. Although Google‘s own “Find My Phone” feature can make the phone ring even when it is turned off, it can’t pinpoint the exact location when it is out of network coverage area or the data is turned off. Samsung Galaxy P30

Korean tech giant Samsung is releasing a new app known as SmartThings Find which will let users find their Galaxy devices easily. The app will allow you to find the Galaxy phone, Galaxy Watch, tablet and even earbuds. The company has now pushed the app for the global audience.

Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets running Android 8 or later as well as Galaxy Watches running Tizen 5.5 or later as well as the Galaxy Buds Plus and Galaxy Buds Live are now receiving a software update that will enable the service on the models.

According to details released by the company (via), the SmartThings Find app uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and ultra-wideband technologies in order to locate the Galaxy device you are attempting to find. After the device is located, it deploys Maps and sounds to lead you to where the device is located.

Samsung expatiated further that a device produces a BLE signal that can be received by other devices once it has been offline for 30 minutes. The SmartThings Find app can then be used to signal that you are searching for the missing device and any nearby Galaxy smartphones or tablets that had the service running can alert the Samsung server about its location. Then, Samsung’s server will notify you.

Once you get close to the device, you can choose for it to “ring” or you can use the AR-based search nearby option, which shows you color graphics that get more intense when you’re getting nearer the device you’re searching for. Additionally, user data is encrypted and protected, so your device’s whereabouts are known only to you.

Samsung plans to expand the features with the inclusion of solutions such as tracking tags, so that you can find other belongings as well, not only locate your Galaxy devices.

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Huawei Mate 40 series launched in China: Pricing & Availability details

By
Jed John Ikoba
-

Huawei today held the Mate 40 series China launch conference and as you can guess, the Mate 40 series was launched for the Chinese market. the company took the wraps off all the models in the series including the Mate 40, Mate 40 Pro, Mate 40 Pro+ and the Mate 40 RS Porsche Design Edition.

The Mate 40 series has already been launched in Europe last week so, the entire specs and Europe prices are already known. Here are the prices of the models in China. Huawei Mate 40

  • Huawei Mate 40 8GB+128GB version – 4999 yuan (~$748)
  • Huawei Mate 40 8GB+256GB version – 5499 yuan (~$822)

Huawei Mate 40 Pro Price

  • Huawei Mate 40 Pro 8GB+128GB version – 6499 yuan (~$972)
  • Huawei Mate 40 Pro 8GB+256GB version – 6999 yuan (~$1047)
  • Huawei Mate 40 Pro 8GB+512GB version – 7999 yuan (~$1196)

Huawei Mate 40 Pro+ Price

  • Huawei Mate 40 Pro+ 12GB+256GB version – 8999 yuan (~$1346)Huawei Mate 40

Huawei Mate 40 RS Porsche Design

  • Huawei Mate 40 RS Porsche Design 12GB+256GB version – 11999 yuan (~$1795)
  • Huawei Mate 40 RS Porsche Design 12GB+512GB version – 12999 yuan (~$1945)

Huawei also unveiled a Mate 40 RS Porsche Design Collector’s Edition. The Collector’s Edition models have an additional infrared temperature measurement function. At the same time, the Collector Edition model comes with a leather smart window protective cover and Huawei super-fast charging car charger (Max 66W). It is available in 12GB+512GB option and will be sold for 13,999 yuan (~$2094).

Availability

Huawei Mate 40 will officially go on sale on December 21 while the Mate 40 Pro has already gone on sale for the first time today. The Mate 40 Pro+ also went on sale today (October 30) for the first time. The Mate 40 RS Porsche Design sales also commenced today but there is no indication when the Collector’s edition will go on sale.

We must note that the price in China is way lower than that of Europe but then if you are a hardcore Huawei fan or have interest in any of the models, you should be more worried about being able to lay your hands on the device than the price. Huawei is likely to have issues with availability for the models considering the inability to get chip supply from TSMC a wanted due to the US ban.

You can check out our launch article for details of the Mate 40 series’ specifications including the Porsche Design Edition.

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

 

Xiaomi is working on a foldable smartphone codenamed ‘Cetus’

By
Sudarshan Ravichandran
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Foldables are said to be the next big thing in the smartphone market. Samsung is leading in this segment and the company has revealed its plans to launch this kind of phones across various price segments in 2021. Apart from the South Korean Electronics giant, Motorola is the only brand to sell foldables globally. Whereas, Royole is limited to China and even Huawei has less presence internationally. Now, according to a report, Xiaomi could be the next company to launch a foldable smartphone.

Xiaomi Logo Featured

Xiaomi is one of the many popular smartphone makers yet to launch a foldable phone. The company officially teased a trifold foldable smartphone in early 2019. This very same device also appeared in two different short videos.

However, the Chinese tech giant neither revealed the specifications of that device nor cleared the air on when it will release. Instead, the company unveiled Mi Mix Alpha later that year, which itself did not make it to the shelves even after a year.

EDITOR’S PICK: Xiaomi surpasses Apple to become the world’s third biggest smartphone brand

 

Now, almost two years after Xiaomi showcased its foldable, XDA senior member kacskrz has found code in the latest build of MIUI 12 Beta for Mi 10 Pro suggesting the company to be working on a foldable.

According to him, this device is codenamed ‘Cetus’ and will MIUI based on Android 11. As for hardware, it will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset and will come with a 108MP camera. Other than these parameters, this handset is a complete mystery.

Having said that, since Xiaomi is known for offering bang for buck products, this foldable smartphone if ever launches, it could be the most affordable foldable in the market. But it will be probably limited to China like most of the company’s premium offerings.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi purchases ~$79 million site in Shenzhen for its new global headquarters

 

Samsung’s next TWS Earbuds might be named ‘Buds Beyond’ as per an EU Trademark

By
Balaji S
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Samsung is probably tightening the saddle for another race with it’s Galaxy S21/S30 series in 2021. After trademarking names like ‘Samsung Blade‘, and ‘Galaxy Space‘, it is back with yet another trademark, this time at EUIPO.

Galaxy Buds+ Aura Blue

Samsung’s trademark, as spotted by GalaxyClub(via Sammobile), is ‘Buds Beyond’. Now, as per the report, the description on EUIPO is pretty generic under Class 9. In the list, we can spot a few keywords like “Wireless headset for Smartphones”, “earphones” etc. That said, the naming does have a keyword “Buds” which has been widely used on earlier models. But we will have to wait a bit more to confirm if it’s the next TWS Earbuds from Samsung.

Anyway, the trademark, as of October 29, is still waiting for an examination at European Intellectual Property Office(EUIPO). Besides, we don’t have any other information apart from a simple name. Now before you get clunky, we do have few tidbits about the next alleged Earbuds from the company. Reports from Korea says mentions ‘Galaxy Buds 2’ from Samsung will debut alongside the Galaxy S21/S30 series. Not only the report’s naming is contrary to the current trademark, but also says it will have upgraded water resistance.

It is reportedly codenamed “Attic” and attire Black, Silver, and Violet colors. Before you take a breather, Samsung also has a trademark that has a naming [Galaxy] Buds Sound. That said, you must know that these are just trademarks, and may/may not corroborate with each other. Meaning, all the naming above could either turn out to be separate products or get stuck as trademarks forever.

Nonetheless, Samsung is likely to begin the production of its Galaxy S21/S30 series devices soon. And if a new TWS earbuds indeed launches alongside the smartphones in Jan 2021, we will have to wait and see if Samsung brings any design improvements over Buds Live. And features like ANC(Active Noise Cancellation), improved battery life, and Audio to the table. Also, if you are lucky, you might also get it for free while pre-ordering the new flagships as Samsung is usually known for its pre-order gifts.

UP NEXT: Samsung to expand its foldable smartphone portfolio in 2021

 

Apple iPhone 12’s late launch had temporarily cleared $100 billion off its stock value

By
Sean
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The Apple iPhone 12 series was just recently launched. However, its announcement arrived later than when the company traditionally launches its annual flagship, which caused it to see the sharpest quarterly decline in iPhone sales in two years.

Apple

According to a Reuters report, the Cupertino based giant fell by over 5 percent during a point in after hours trade. This had the company’s stock market value fall by a sizeable 100 billion US Dollars. For those unaware, Apple annually launches its iPhone series every September. But due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the company had to delay the announcement by an entire month.

Editor’s Pick: Samsung reclaims Global Smartphone Market throne, outperforms expectations in Q3 2020

Despite Macs and AirPods seeing an increase in sales during this period with the overall revenue and profit surpassing expectations, iPhone sales had plummeted by 20.7 percent down to 26.4 billion US Dollars. While lower sales had been anticipated, the holdback from consumers right before the launch of the new iPhones turned out to be a lot worse than what was initially projected, especially in China, where smartphone users already have access to 5G networking.

Apple

But apart from the initial shock, the company has outperformed its own expectations. In 2020, its product launches and services were also received fairly well. Tim Cook, Apple Chief Executive stated that, “5G is a once-in-a-decade kind of opportunity. And we could not be more excited to hit the market exactly when we did.” He further added that, “What we’re seeing in the early going in the first five days gives us a lot of confidence that China will return to growth in our fiscal Q1.”

UP NEXT: Huawei unveils AR Map 2.0, arrives with the Mate 40 series alongside various improvements

 

Yahoo teams up with ZTE to launch the $50 Yahoo Mobile ZTE Blade A3Y

By
Jed John Ikoba
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Yahoo mobile is currently owned by US carrier Verizon. Well, the carrier has launched a smartphone under the Yahoo brand. The device is the product of a partnership with Chinese phone maker ZTE and it is dubbed Blade Z3Y. ZTE Blade A3Y

The phone listed on Yahoo’s official store as Yahoo Mobile ZTE Blade A3Y packs a 5.45-inch display with an HD resolution of 720 pixels and 18:9 aspect ratio. The display has a considerable bezel size on the top and bottom edges. There is no notch design.

The phone is powered by a MediaTek quad-core processor paired with 2GB of RAM and there is 32GB storage option which is expandable up to 2TB. The phone packs a capacitive fingerprint sensor at the back. It also comes with Face Unlock.

For photography, the phone packs a single 8MP sensor at the back, as well as two LED flashlights. The rear camera and flash are stacked vertically at the top left corner of the back panel just like a dual or triple camera setup. For selfies, there is a 5MP sensor on the front with an LED flash as well.

The phone is powered by a disappointing 2,660mAh battery but Yahoo says it features Smart Power efficiency that can go all day. On the flip side, it runs on Android 10 OS out-of-the-box which is quite impressive. The Android isn’t entirely pure Android though, as the phone comes pre-installed with Yahoo apps such as Yahoo Mail, Yahoo News, Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Finance, and Yahoo Weather.

As for the price, the Yahoo Mobile ZTE Blade A3Y is available to grab for free if you are willing to trade your current smartphone. It is available for an introductory price of $50 even though the phone is worth up to $100.

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

 

 

Huawei unveils AR Map 2.0, arrives with the Mate 40 series alongside various improvements

By
Sean
-

Earlier today (30th October 2020), the Huawei Mate 40 series was finally launched in China. The company’s Consumer Business CEO and Executive Director Yu Chengdong launched the latest flagship, along with Huawei AR Map 2.0.

Huawei

For those unaware, Huawei AR Map was originally launched with the P40 series earlier this year. Now, the next iteration has been unveiled for the Mate 40 series. The latest version arrives with various improvements in areas like speed, accuracy, AI recognition through visual positioning that works with coordinated optimization of software and hardware. It supports various new locations as well alongside the ones that were previously available.

Editor’s Pick: Japan to shut out China from its Drone supply chains over security concerns: Report

Huawei

The new Huawei AR Map 2.0 is said to be based on the Hetu technology, which should make mapping more accurate and quicker. Furthermore, this system also relies on an improved AI recognition solution. AR Maps is essentially an augmented reality feature that lets users experience notable landmarks and areas with a 1:1 ratio with the real world through their smartphones. Fun activities such as mythical creatures and virtual characters can be found when using the map in the real world as well.

UP NEXT: [Update: Already launched as iQOO U1x] iQOO V2065A full specifications and images appear, launch seems near

 

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