Apple researches durable crack resistant displays for foldable devices

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Oct 28, 2020

A new patent filing has revealed that Apple is working on creating a new protective layer that will be crack resistant on foldable displays. These screens would be scratch resistant as well and will also be more durable overall.

According to a MacRumors report, a filing in the US Patent and Trademark Office titled “Hybrid coverlay/window structure for flexible display applications,” describes how a curved, flexible, or foldable display modules could use a protective hardcoat layer to prevent cracking. This suggests that Apple might be working on solving the cracking issue that has been affecting some foldable devices from Samsung.

As stated in the patent, “typically, glass fracture initiates from the presence of micro-cracks.” But, Apple’s hardcoat layer would fill pre existing micro cracks, which should make it harder for the display to suffer from a severe crack. This additional protective layer would be placed directly on top of the display and would be “engineered to have a sufficiently high hardness and tensile strength to function as an exterior protective coating for the electronic device… Thus, the hardcoat layer is sufficiently durable for high puncture and scratch resistance.”

Although, there currently is no news regarding Apple’s first foldable device or even a rumor of an upcoming launch. Regardless, the company has patented many supplementing technology and has researched on the topic as well. Back in September, there was a report that suggested that the Cupertino based giant had placed a large order for foldable display samples with Samsung.

Apple iPhone 12 might support reverse wireless charging for accessories

By

Jeet

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Oct 28, 2020

Last year, it was reported that Apple will be introducing reverse wireless charging on iPhone 11 but the feature was allegedly removed in the final version. Now, it seems that the company has added support for such a feature in the iPhone 12 models.

The FCC filings for the Apple iPhone 12 shows that this year’s devices have support for bilateral wireless charging, reveals Jeremy Horwitz in a tweet. It says that the new Apple smartphone works with regular Qi chargers and also with a new “charging function at 360 kHz” that can recharge accessories.

EDITOR’S PICK: Huawei leads Chinese smartphone market in Q3 2020, reveals CINNO Research

So far, Apple has not officially announced anything related to this and the feature has also been disabled on the iPhone 12. Some reports indicate that the company might be holding on to the feature for the rumored AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro 2 TWS earphones.

This discovery suggests that Apple has continued its work on the charging feature and has integrated the functionality into its MagSafe protocol. While reverse wireless charging could be activated through a software update, it remains to be seen if Apple intends to do so.

Recently, it was reported that the Cupertino giant is working on two new models — the third-generation entry-level AirPods and the second version of the AirPods Pro earbuds, joining the list of upcoming audio products like HomePod mini and over-ear headphone.

Apple iPhone 13 models could offer 1TB internal storage option

By

Jeet

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Oct 28, 2020

Apple iPhone XS launched in 2018 was the first smartphone from the company to come with 512GB of internal storage. Even with the newly launched iPhone 12 models, 512GB storage remains the highest internal storage variant being offered by the company.

However, it seems that this could change from next year. Jon Prosser, who has been mostly right when it comes to Apple-related leaks, has hinted that the iPhone 13 models launching next year could have the option of 1TB internal storage.

EDITOR’S PICK: Huawei leads Chinese smartphone market in Q3 2020, reveals CINNO Research

The 512GB storage is also more than enough for regular users and most of the users won’t even come next to fill it up. However, with the advancement in camera technology, the images and videos capture take up more storage and those users who record videos a lot could find the 1TB storage option as a welcome addition.

So far, Apple has limited users of iPhone to recording video at 4K 60FPS but for next-generation smartphones, the company could introduce support for 8K video recording, similar to what Samsung is offering on the Galaxy S20 series.

Recently, it was reported that the upcoming iPhone 13 models will come powered by the Apple A15 Bionic which will be manufactured by TSMC using its NP5 5nm node. Prior to that, it was said that the phone will continue to have a wide notch on top of the display for housing front-facing sensors but it will likely be thinner. The launch of the Apple iPhone 13 is almost a year away, so we will be getting more details in the coming months.

Huawei leads Chinese smartphone market in Q3 2020, reveals CINNO Research

By

Jeet

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Oct 28, 2020

As per the latest report published by the CINNO Research, shipments of smartphones in the Chinese market have fallen in the third quarter of this year, i.e. Q3 2020. This is likely because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report reveals that the market witnessed shipments of around 80 million in the third quarter, which represents a decline of 15 percent on a month-to-month basis and 19 percent year-on-year.

It also sheds light on the leading smartphone brand for the specified duration, and without any surprise, Huawei still holds the lead in its home market. Huawei, including its sub-brand Honor, shipped 28.8 million units, which shows a decline of 29 percent YoY but the company holds 36.3 percent market share.

The second spot has been grabbed by Vivo (which also includes its sub-brand iQOO) with a market share of 17.5 percent. Ranked in the third position is OPPO with a market share of 16 percent. Both the companies shipped 13.9 million and 12.7 million units, respectively.

EDITOR’S PICK: China will soon hold 70 percent of total LCD Panel production capacity in the world

In line with the market, both the companies witnessed a decline in shipments by 21 percent and 20 percent, respectively when seen on a year-on-year basis. Fourth and Fifth positions are held by Xiaomi and Apple with 11.8 million and 8.1 million shipments.

While Xiaomi has a market share of 14.8 percent, Apple occupied 10.2 percent of the market share. Interestingly, both these companies managed to increase their shipments by 26 percent and 9 percent compared to the same period last year.

TCL 10 5G launched as Verizon-exclusive smartphone in the US for $399

By

Jeet

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Oct 28, 2020

TCL 10 5G smartphone is now available exclusively for Verizon customers in the United States, for a price of $399, making it the cheapest 5G device offered by the network carrier so far. It can also be availed for a monthly price of $16.67 for 24 months.

The device was originally announced by the company earlier this year during the Consumer Electronics Show in January. With the new announcement, the pricing and carrier details have also been revealed.

The TCL 10 5G will support the carrier’s 5G Ultrawide Band (mmWave) and 5G Nationwide (sub-6GHz) networks. Prior to this, Samsung Galaxy A71 5G UW was the cheapest smartphone on Verizon with a price tag of $649.

The phone features a 6.53-inch Full HD+ LCD display and is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset, which is coupled with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. There’s also a microSD card slot, allowing users to expand the storage capacity.

EDITOR’S PICK: Xiaomi’s MIUI will soon get a horizontal Recent Apps screen reminiscent of other Android UIs

Interestingly, unlike the European variant which features a quad-camera setup, this variant comes with a triple-camera setup on the back. It has a 48-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor, and a 5-megapixel macro sensor.

On the front side, there’s a 16-megapixel snapper for taking selfies and video calling which is housed inside the punch-hole cutout. It also comes with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor for added protection.

The smartphone is running the Android 10 operating system out-of-the-box with TCL UI on top and is powered by a 4,500mAh battery that supports 18W Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging technology.

Realme C15s may launch this week as the rumored Realme C15 Qualcomm Edition

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 28, 2020

A few months ago, Realme announced the Realme C15 smartphone in several markets. Tipster Mukul Sharma had recently claimed that the company is gearing up to launch a new variant of the phone called the Realme C15 Qualcomm Edition. Today, the tipster revealed that the device will go official in the next two or three days. He also revealed that the device will be called Realme C15s.

Sharma did not reveal any new information on the specs of the Realme C15s. It is still unclear which Snapdragon processor will be present under its hood. Last week, he had revealed that the phone will be available in two variants such as 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 3 GB RAM + 32 GB storage. The phone is expected to arrive in two color variants like Power Blue and Power Silver.

Editor’s Pick: OnePlus, Oppo, and Realme focusing on large IoT, to launch smart TVs in India

It is speculated that the RMX2195 phone that has been spotted at different certification platforms could be the Realme C15s. Its China Quality Certification (CQC) certification revealed that it could be equipped with a 6,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging, which is the same as the Realme C15 phone. The handset has also received certification from Wi-Fi Alliance, Singapore’s IMDA, Indonesia’s TKDN, and Malaysia’s SIRIM.

The first C-series phone from the brand i.e. the Realme C1 featured the Snapdragon 450. All the C-series phones that came later were driven by MediaTek chipsets. The Realme C17 that went official in September is the only other Snapdragon-powered phone. It is driven by the Snapdragon 460 chipset.

Probably, the Snapdragon 662 or Snapdragon 665 SoC could be present under the hood of the Realme C15s. It is advisable to wait for further reports to know more about it

Huawei Mate 40 series China variant to have special feature, reveals company’s CEO

By

Jeet

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Oct 28, 2020

A few days ago, Huawei launched its much-awaited next-generation Mate lineup flagship smartphones — the Huawei Mate 40 series which includes three models — Mate 40, Mate 40 Pro, and Mate 40 Pro+.

Now, the company is all set to launch these smartphones in its home country China on 30th October. Ahead of the launch, Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei’s Consumer Business unit has revealed that the Chinese variants will come with a special feature that will be unveiled along with the smartphones.

Shedding more light on the journey of these newly launched Huawei Mate 40 series smartphones, he says that it took around three years for the company to make these Mate 40 series phones, which offers an impressive set of features.

This information was revealed in a video shared by the company on its official Weibo account, which shows Richard Yu answering some of the frequently asked questions by the users. He also talked about how much pressure the company is feeling because of the worsening business relations in the world, especially with the United States.

Recently, the devices were up for pre-order in China through JD.com and the e-commerce platform has officially announced that the Huawei Mate 40 series was sold out on the platform in just 28 seconds. It’s noteworthy that only the Mate 40 and Mate 40 Pro were up for pre-order in China.

EDITOR’S PICK: Leaker reveals OnePlus Watch’ launch has been postponed but the new date is not known yet

Both the smartphones come with a 6.76-inch Flex OLED display with a 2722 x 1344 pixels screen resolution, DCI-P3 HDR, a 90Hz refresh rate, and a 240Hz touch sampling rate. The panels are curved (88°) but the company still offers physical volume rocker keys.

Under the hood, the devices are powered by the company’s own Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 9000, which is a 5nm chipset with a built-in 5G modem. The Chinese giant claims it to be the most powerful 5G processor in the world.

As for the camera, the Mate 40 Pro has a 50MP f/1.9 1/1.28” main camera along with a 20MP f/1.8 Cine Camera (ultrawide angle), and a 12MP f/3.4 telephoto camera. On the other hand, the Pro+ model has the same 50MP main camera and 20MP ultrawide Cine Camera but includes an 8MP f/4.4 periscope lens and a 12MP f/2.4 telephoto camera along with a ToF sensor for depth sensing.

The smartphones are running the Android 10 operating system with the company’s own EMUI 11 on top. The Mate 40 is powered by a 4200mAh battery with 40W fast charging while the Mate 40 Pro+ is powered b a 4400mAh battery having support for 66W wired SuperCharge and 50W wireless SuperCharge.

EMUI 11 may be the final version before the transition to HongMeng OS

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 28, 2020

Huawei’s EMUI 11 is based on Android 10 and not Android 11. That is no surprise based on the manufacturer’s current predicament. However, the tech giant is working on its own operating system too called HongMeng OS/Harmony OS and it turns out that the new OS is linked to EMUI 11, and the latter may be the end of EMUI before the transition to HongMeng OS.

According to a post by the Chinese blog, Mydrivers, Wang Chenglu, the head of the software department of Huawei Consumer Business Group, revealed EMUI 11 shares some features with Hongmeng as part of HongMeng’s framework. In simpler terms, there seems to be a partial transitioning going on already.

Huawei plans to launch phones powered by HongMeng OS in the second half of next year, and there are speculations there will be no need for EMUI to exist anymore, making EMUI 11 the last version. This makes sense seeing as Huawei is making a switch to a new OS next year, so there is no sense in developing EMUI 12.

A beta version of HongMeng OS will be available for eligible devices to test later this year and it has been reported that some of those devices will include its high-end tablets. Huawei has also revealed that devices running EMUI 11 will be the first to get the upgrade to HongMeng OS.

Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro vs Asus Zenfone 7 vs Huawei Mate 40: Specs Comparison

By

Michele Ingelido

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Oct 28, 2020

Our flagship killers comparison continue: after comparing the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro with the Realme X7 Pro and the Realme X50 Pro 5G, we decided to make another comparison because we believe Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is one of the phones with the highest value for money at the moment. For this comparison, we chose the Asus Zenfone 7 and the Huawei Mate 40 not only because they are recent, but because they are among the most competitive phones when it comes to the quality price ratio. Through this comparison, you will learn the main differences between these three fabulous handsets.

Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro vs Asus Zenfone 7 vs Huawei Mate 40

	Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro	Asus Zenfone 7	Huawei Mate 40
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT	165.1 x 76.4 x 9.3 mm, 218 g	165.1 x 77.3 x 9.6 mm, 230 g	158.6 x 72.5 x 8.8 mm, 188 g
DISPLAY	6.67 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), IPS LCD	6.67 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), Super AMOLED	6.5 inches, 1080 x 2376p (Full HD+), OLED
PROCESSOR	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, octa-core 2.84 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, octa-core 2.84 GHz	Huawei Hisilicon Kirin 9000E 5G, octa-core 3.13 GHz
MEMORY	8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB	6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD dedicated slot	8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – nano memory card slot
SOFTWARE	Android 10, MIUI	Android 10, Zen UI	Android 10, EMUI
CONNECTIVITY	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS
CAMERA	Triple 108 + 13 + 5 MP, f/1.7 + f/2.4 + f/2.4 20 MP f/2.2 front camera	Triple 64 + 8 + 12 MP, f/1.8 + f/2.4 + f/2.2	Triple 50 + 8 + 16 MP, f/1.8 + f/2.4 + f/2.2 13 MP f/2.4 front camera
BATTERY	5000 mAh, fast charging 33W	5000 mAh, fast charging 30W	4200 mAh, fast charging 40W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES	Dual SIM slot, 5G	Dual SIM slot, 5G	Dual SIM slot, 5G, water resistant

Design

If you still like full-screen display, you will love the Asus Zenfone 7. Thanks to its flip-up camera, it has a display with no notch and no holes. If you desire the highest screen-to-body ratio, then you should go for the Huawei Mate 40 sporting a punch-hole display. The Huawei Mate 40 also provides the best build quality as it is waterproof with the IP68 certification. But all the phones come with a premium design composed of a glass back and an aluminum frame, so you always get an elegant look and a great build quality.

Display

Besides having a full-screen display, the Asus Zenfone 7 also provides an amazing image quality. It has an AMOLED display with a wide 6.67-inch diagonal, the HDR10+ certification, a 90 Hz refresh rate, and a high 700 nit brightness. The silver medal goes to the Huawei Mate 40 sporting an AMOLED display with a 90 Hz refresh rate and HDR10. These evaluations are based on the specs on the paper. We discard the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro because despite offering a 144 Hz refresh rate, it has an IPS display instead of an OLED panel. But this does not mean Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro does not have a pretty nice display, especially for gamers.

Hardware/Software

The most interesting device in terms of hardware is the Huawei Mate 40 because it packs the Kirin 9000E chipset built at 5 nm. It is one of the first SoCs built at 5 nm and it has an integrated 5G modem. The Huawei Mate 40 also offers 8 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of UFS 3.1 native storage. Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro and Asus Zenfone 7 offer the same memory configurations, but they are fueled by the Snapdragon 865 mobile platform. In each case, you get Android 10 out of the box, but the Huawei Mate 40 customized by the EMUI 11 lacks Google Play Services in the global market.

Camera

If you need the best camera you should grab a unit of the Huawei Mate 40 as it is the top camera phone of this trio. It sports a triple camera including a 50 MP main sensor, a telephoto lens with OIS and optical zoom, and a 16 MP ultrawide sensor. Right after, we got the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro: it lacks a telephoto sensor, but it has an amazing 108 MP main sensor with OIS. Despite the Asus Zenfone 7 loses the photo quality comparison it deserves to be considered because of its flip-up camera allowing to use the rear cameras as front cameras too. With the Asus Zenfone 7, you get a 64 MP main sensor, a telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom, and a 12 MP ultrawide sensor.

Battery

Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro and Asus Zenfone 7 have the same battery capacity: 5000 mAh. But Asus Zenfone 7 lasts more in a lot of scenarios because it has an AMOLED display and a lower refresh rate. It even supports reverse charging.

Price

Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is priced at €599 in its base variant, Asus Zenfone 7 starts from €699/$699, Huawei still did not reveal the global price of the Mate 40. If we exclude the battery life, Huawei Mate 40 is actually a better handset, but the lack of Google services does not make it suitable for everyone. Asus Zenfone 7 and Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro are not very different: the former has a better display and allows using the main cameras as front cameras, while the latter has a better main camera sensor. Asus Zenfone 7 looks more interesting to me, but it costs more.

Read More: Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro vs Realme X7 Pro vs Realme X50 Pro: Specs Comparison

Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro vs Asus Zenfone 7 vs Huawei Mate 40: PRO and CONS

Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro

PROS

Great main camera
144 Hz refresh rate
Stereo speakers
Big battery

CONS

IPS display

Asus Zenfone 7

PROS

Flip-up camera
AMOLED display
Big battery
Stereo speakers
Reverse charging
Micro SD slot

CONS

Inferior photo quality

Huawei Mate 40

PROS

Amazing cameras
Great performance
Water resistant
Faster charging

CONS

No Google services

Leaker reveals OnePlus Watch’ launch has been postponed; no new date yet

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 27, 2020

Just like its sister companies OPPO and Vivo, OnePlus was also expected to announce its first smartwatch this year. There were a number of leaks, one of which revealed the wearable will launch as the OnePlus Watch and have a round dial. Now, the same source has revealed that the watch has been postponed indefinitely.

The source of the info is the leaker Max Jambor (@MaxJmb) and he revealed in a post on Voice that the watch has now been postponed. The OnePlus Watch was expected to launch this October and OnePlus even confirmed a watch has been in development for a while now.

The leaker says he has been informed by multiple sources that the OnePlus Watch has now been postponed. Unfortunately, there is no new date or timeline for the launch of the watch. Max says he presumes that the launch may have been postponed due to complications with production or software development.

There is a lot we do not know about the watch such as its specs and features. We also do not know if it will be running a custom version of WearOS or OnePlus will design a custom OS for it similar to Huawei’s LiteOS for its wearable.

We do not want to think that OnePlus will cancel its watch but we may see it launch next year alongside the OnePlus 9 series.

UK’s Ofcom bans sales of carrier-locked handsets starting from December 2021

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 27, 2020

The UK’s communications regulator Ofcom has announced that mobile carriers in the United Kingdom will be prohibited from selling mobile phones that are locked to their network. The regulator hinted that the move is necessary to encourage users to switch network as desired. This will in turn enhance competition and service delivery.

It is common practice for carriers to lock devices sold via their retail outlets to their network but that practice has since started waning as many operators including the heavyweights like O2, Three, Sky Mobile, and Virgin Mobile have already switched to selling unlocked generic versions. Even those who still indulge in the practice like EE/BT, Vodafone, and Tesco Mobile offer a blend of locked and unlocked handsets.

The regulation will bring the UK place the UK in compliance with the European Union regulations under the European Electronic Communications Code that would be announced soon. Even though the UK will be exiting the EU soon, the government has previously pledged to comply with the same standards as the EU on mobile telecoms.

Also, Ofcom decided to act on this legislation because of the faulty process that is needed to unlock a handset when the contract ends. In most cases, users are made to wait for an unlock code which usually takes a while to come. Even when the code finally arrives, in some cases they don’t work. Ofcom observed that this is preventing users from switching networks even when they don’t get the best services. Further, a study shows that the networks usually don’t specify at the point of purchase if a handset is locked to a network or not. The end-user only finds out after the deal is sealed.

These reasons seem to outweigh the reason the carriers adduce for locking the phones to their network and this bothers on security. Carriers believe locking the mobile phone to a network can reduce fraud and makes it more difficult for thieves to sell off a stolen handset.

Ofcom also disclosed that the new regulation will become effective from December 2021.

Upcoming Netflix app feature will allow you to listen to your favorite shows

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 27, 2020

There are certain media player apps that support background play, and an example is MX Player. YouTube, the popular video-sharing platform also supports background play if you have a YouTube Premium subscription. Now, it appears Netflix will also get support for a similar feature soon.

A teardown of the APK of version 7.9.1 of the Netflix app by the folks at XDA Developers has revealed that the streaming service may soon get a feature similar to background play called Audio Mode. What this means is that you should be able to switch to a different app and still have your playback continuing in the background. So you are sort of “listening to a show“ instead of watching it.

The strings found in the APK also reveal Netflix will also allow users to turn off the video, so its just the audio you are streaming. This feature should allows users save data since you are not streaming video.

There is no news yet on when the feature will be activated and just because evidence for the feature is there now doesn’t mean it will eventually be released. We also won’t be surprised if Netflix decides to test the feature in certain regions first before deciding on a global release.

OUKITEL WP10 Will have 5G Connectivity and 8000mAh Battery

By

Greeva Agnihotri

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Oct 27, 2020

According to a recent update from the OUKITEL website and its posters, one can expect a new smartphone to be launched sometime around next month. The company has named the latest addition WP10 and plans for it to lead their future lines of 5G devices.

It is a well-known fact that the OUKITEL WP series belongs to a rugged smartphone line. These phones are built for the toughest terrains, industrial environments, and extreme weather conditions as they are drop-proof, shockproof, and waterproof. The OUKITEL WP series are hence coined as ultra-tough and ultra-rugged smartphones.

Through the limited information revealed by the company, it is a known fact that OUKITEL WP10 will be equipped with a powerful battery and a fast 5G network. The company is known for offering excellent battery life, and hence this handset is going to be no exception. WP10 will have a mega capacity of up to 8000mAh that will keep your phone running for more than a day. One can easily play games and keep streaming videos for hours without the phone being disconnected. Couple that with the new power-saving technology that allows seamless use for a prolonged period in a single charge.

According to the given information, the OUKITEL WP10 will come with a 6.67’’ FHD+ hole-punch display. Keeping in mind the importance of display quality, one can expect them to offer immersive gaming and viewing experience that is expected by the consumer. As the phone belongs to the rugged smartphone series, it is expected to have IP68, IP69K, and MIL-STD-810G rating. The users can carry this device for their adventures to capture special moments.

The Oukitel WP10 comes with MediaTek Dimensity 800 which uses advanced 7nm process technology to bring incredible Internet speed. It supports global mainstream frequency 4G and 5G bands. The most talked-about 5G network will supposedly be 10 times faster than the 4G network carrier. With 2.3GBp/s downloading and 1.2GBp/s uploading capacity, this network is here to save all the buffering time and make life convenient for its users. Naturally, the high-speed connection will enable one to download HD movies within seconds, enjoy a clear and uninterrupted live stream of 4K videos, online gaming experience, and much more. The Oukitel WP10 flagship rugged phone is also expected to support SA and NSA 5G/4G global band networks. The 5G NR modem provides full 2G-5G compatibility for added versatility. Equipped with an 8-core CPU including four big performance cores, this means faster games, faster app loading, and everything that needs big core muscle. It also supports 4K video shooting 30fps.

For now, there are hardly any specifics on the cameras and processor. However, there is a high possibility of a MediaTek 5G chipset. The launch date and price range of this device are not yet hinted at by the company, but one can expect it to create a stir for the first few days after launch.

Overall, one can expect to see a decent rugged phone from OUKITEL with a mega battery, a punch display, and 5G connectivity. Stay tuned to be updated about the latest features of the OUKITEL WP10 smartphone and other such devices.

Demo video of a prototype of TCL’s first rollable display-packing phone leaks

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 27, 2020

Apparently, the rollable display is the next big thing waiting to happen in the smartphone industry even though we are yet to see the full potential of foldable phones as they are yet to hit the mid-tier and budget segments. A number of manufacturers are already working on their own foldable models considering the number of patent filings and prototypes that have been demoed recently.

Earlier this year, TCL’s China Star Optoelectronics Technology (TCL-CSOT) showcased a concept smartphone with a rollable display. A couple of days back, TCL held its Display Technology Conference (DTC 2020) and the rollable display smartphone was one of the products that took the spotlight. A YouTube video has now leaked showing the official demo of the rollable display in action.

The prototype comes with a 6.7-inch AMOLED cloud scroll screen. From the demo, the display can expand in the horizontal direction to attain a bigger size. We don’t know what size it would attain when it is fully unrolled. However, TCL seems to have achieved a software fluidity which ensures the interface and adjusts to the change in the display size.

The company is yet to release details of the rollable display technology but we believe mass production may soon be achieved. If this happens, we could see a rollable display phone hit the market soon, perhaps at CES 2021.

Xiaomi’s MIUI will soon get a horizontal Recent Apps screen reminiscent of other Android UIs

By

Balaji S

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Oct 27, 2020

Despite issues like the Mi community ban in India, Xiaomi has had a hardcore fanbase across the globe to rejoice the Chinese MIUI. Like it does with every update, the company introduced a new app drawer earlier this year. Now, looks like it is altering the way recent apps screen looks on the latest MIUI 12.

As reported by XDADevelopers, Telegram Channel @Xiaomiui has shared a new version of the MIUI launcher. Accordingly, this has the option of using a horizontal recent apps screen. Besides, the MIUI launcher for MIUI 12 reportedly has a build number Alpha v4.21.0.2425-10261728 where Alpha probably means ‘test’ version. As you can see in the screenshots(courtesy of users @Deiki) below, there is a new option added in the Home Screen section.

Tapping on “Arrange items in Recents” takes you to another page with two options. One is vertical and the other is horizontal scrolling. You can scroll either way to manage the opened apps. Also, swiping up will terminate the app while long-press/swiping down will lock it in memory. The new recent app viewing finally looks like the one on OnePlus, Samsung, Apple, and Google’s Pixel Experience. Hence, users wouldn’t feel it odd when they switch devices.

1 of 5

Also, the alpha version of the launcher comes with a changelog as follows:

Added-Horizontal Recents option.
Fixed- Incorrect points on some models.
Adjust- Gaussian blur scheme.
Fixed- Dragging folder icon bug.
Optimized- Unloading application freeze.
Adjust- Recent task animation.

Xiaomi has been improving a lot with every version of MIUI. Previously, MIUI 11 brought features like Dark Mode, Ambient display, Productivity suit, Easy screencast, and more. But the latest MIUI 12 improved overall design with sleek UI, and animations. It also had an emphasis on Privacy, Health, Assistant, Themes etc. That said, the next MIUI, the MIUI 13 is already under development and is expected to bring a host of features including a new power menu.

Coming back, the new launcher is luckily available as an APK. Thus, users willing to dive in for a change can install and try it out on their MIUI 12 device. However, it’s an Alpha build, and hence, expect it to go haywire in some situations. Nonetheless, there are chances that the feature might end up on the stable build soon.

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

By

Balaji S

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Oct 27, 2020

After the success of using recycled materials as planned on its products, Google is taking yet another leap. This time, it says the amount of recycled materials will increase, and come with plastic-free packaging by 2025.

Google explains its new sustainable development goals in a blog post(via XDADevelopers). It says, it has hit the target of using recycled materials on all of google products by 2022, two years earlier. As per Google, Pixel 5 is made of 100% recycled aluminum. The company says the mined aluminum in the enclosure lowers waste, and carbon footprint by 35% compared to Virgin aluminum. Furthermore, Nest products like the Nest Audio and Nest Thermostat have 70% including acoustic fabric and 75% recycled plastics respectively but doesn’t mention Chromecast with Google TV.

As a part of the new plan, all of Google’s hardware products will have 50% recycled plastics by 2025. It adds that this goal is well beyond the industry standards. And to achieve this, it’s going to use recycled materials to the maximum possible limits. Google also feels that waste generated after manufacturing should be sustainable. And hence, it is perpetrating to achieve UL 2799 Zero Waste to Landfill Certification at all final assembly sites by 2022.

The certification indicates that a company is effectively recycling a vast majority of waste from the operations. However, the most highlight of all is the packaging. The company is planning to ship its products to&fro safely whilst maintaining 100% carbon neutral packaging. Simply put, by 2025, it’s plans to make the entire packaging plastic-free and 100% recyclable.

That said, it’s going to be a long road for Google as it tackles the Logistics issues through a lot of hard work. Apart from planning to partner with suppliers, Google has reportedly invested in bringing sustainability to all of its products including operations. And its communities.

Nokia tops Counterpoint’s trust ranking for software, security updates & build quality

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 27, 2020

Counterpoint Research today released a ranking report on smartphone manufacturers’ software, security updates and build quality. The report shows that HMD Global’s Nokia mobile phones are among the best on the list with updated operating systems and security updates, and mobile phones with durability exceeding the industry average (currently all of Nokia’s 20 compliant models are Android 10).

Nokia is closely followed by OnePlus, Samsung, Realme, Xiaomi, Huawei, OPPO, Lenovo, LG and Vivo.

Counterpoint analysts say HMD’s mobile phone product line has the highest-ranking compared to other competing brands, partly because all of its mobile phones receive security patches every month. OnePlus equally has a near-perfect score as 90% of all its supported devices get security patches every month.

Furthermore, for Samsung and Huawei, the proportions are 22% and 29% respectively, which means that most of their phones are on the quarterly patch plan. Realme and Xiaomi also performed relatively better in this regard. Two-thirds of all Realme and Xiaomi mobile phones are updated with monthly security patches.

Regarding quality, the report noted that HMD Global’s testing procedures are stricter than the industry average. Commenting on build quality results, Counterpoint Research’s Associate Director, Tarun Pathak stated, “The build quality pillar was evaluated on several criteria including product robustness, force measurement, drop and impact, fatigue, wear and scratch, thermal tests, moisture and liquid tests, and others which included both qualitative and quantitative observations. We found that Nokia phones undergo tougher tests than the industry average. We, therefore, concluded that when considered alongside the faster software and security updates the strong build quality means Nokia phones will last the test of time which is increasingly important at a time when global device replacement cycles are getting longer, now approaching 30 months.”

You can download the full report from here.

Amazfit GTS 2 and Amazfit GTR 2 global version launches with Amazon Alexa built-in

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 27, 2020

Huami had a global event today during which it announced the global versions of the Amazfit GTR 2 and Amazfit GTS 2 smartwatches. Unfortunately, the Amazfit Smart Scale was not unveiled at the event.

The Amazfit GTR 2 and Amazfit GTS 2 were first announced last month in China, however, their global versions come with slightly different features. Since we already covered the specs of the two watches when they launched in China, we will only list the new features of the global version as well as price and availability details.

Amazon Alexa Voice Assistant

The Amazfit GTR 2 and Amazfit GTS 2 swap the XiaoAI assistant on the Chinese models for Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant. The voice assistant works offline too and there are more than 65 offline voice commands. Huami says the Alexa voice assistant will be available in 15 languages.

Built-in Storage

The Chinese version also has built-in storage but the global version comes with 3GB of storage space, unlike the Chinese version that has 4GB. Huami says users will be able to store up to 600 songs on the smartwatch

Price and Availability

The Amazfit GTS 2 and Amazfit GTR 2 will sell for $179 in the US and £159 in the UK. The GTR 2 will go on sale in the US and UK on October 30 while the GTS 2 will go on sale on November 1 in the US. The Amazfit GTS 2 will be available in the UK on November 15. Pre-order starts today in the US for both watches.

The watches will also be sold in Spain, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Russia, Italy, Indonesia, and Singapore.

Buyers will be able to get the Amazfit GTR 2 in Obisidian Black while the Amazfit GTS 2 will be available in Midnight Black, Desert Gold, and Urban Grey.

Xiaomi crowdfunds 17Pin Star Travel Mug Electric Kettle for 79 yuan ($12)

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Oct 27, 2020

Xiaomi is known for crowdfunding a wide variety of products on its dedicated crowdfunding platform called Youpin in China. Other than gadgets and accessories, the company also crowdfunds everyday products. One such product called 17Pin Star Travel Mug is now up for crowdfunding for only 79 yuan ($12).

The 17Pin Star Travel Mug is a portable electric kettle that looks more like a bottle than a kettle. It comes in two colors – White & Beige.

The product can hold 400ml of water. It measures 95 x 95 x 221mm in dimensions and weighs 550g. The internal wall of the kettle features 304 stainless steel, whereas its outer body is made of polypropylene, which is commonly known as PP.

The company claims that it can boil water within 6 minutes. That’s because the product operates at 400W. Further, similar products in the market come with a single-body design with a separate cord. Whereas, this one features a dual-body design with a detachable base + cord.

This design makes it safer than other comparable products. Also, it allows hiding the cord inside the base while traveling. Whereas, with most products from other brands, users will have to carry the cord separately.

17Pin Star Travel Mug 02 - Xiaomi Crowdfunding

17Pin Star Travel Mug 03 - Xiaomi Crowdfunding

As far as its usage is concerned, the 17Pin Star Travel Mug can be carried almost everywhere whether it’s work or travel. Users can not only drink warm water out of it but also use that water to make tea, coffee, or even instant noodles.

F(x)tec Pro 1-X is XDA’s first-ever Smartphone priced at $899; runs LineageOS out of the box

By

Balaji S

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Oct 27, 2020

Famous software development community XDA has partnered with London-based F(x)tec to make its first-ever smartphone, the Pro 1-X. The retail price of the device is $899 and it is already up for crowdfunding on the Indiegogo website.

XDA says the F(x)tec Pro 1-X is the World’s first device to run Lineage OS out of the box. For the unware, Lineage OS is a custom ROM based on Android. It is an open-source software and is a successor to the ever-popular CyanogenMod. The device also has variants running Ubuntu Touch, and Android. And the team is apparently working to include more options in the future.

Talking about the Pro 1-X, the device is a slightly modified version of the F(x)tec Pro 1 from 2019. It has a physical Qwerty Keyboard at the back with 66-keys and pops-out using a slider mechanism. The XDA version hasn’t changed the looks much but adds an XDA logo at the back and gets a new Discovery Blue Color.

Pro 1-X Specifications

The Pro 1-X features a 5.99-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with 1080p resolution. It has curved edges with Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3 protection. Under the hood, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC powers the device. However, XDA has increased the memory variants to 8GB RAM, and 256GB storage.

At the back, there is a 12MP main lens and a 5MP secondary sensor along with an LED flash. And up front, there is an 8MP selfie shooter. The device has other features like Dual-SIM, dedicated camera shutter, USB-C, HDMI-out, side-mount fingerprint sensor, 3,200mAh battery, and more. The keyboard also has other layouts like QWERTZ, AZERTY, and Scandinavian versions.

As mentioned above, the device comes with either LineageOS 16.0, Ubuntu Touch, or Android out of the box. However, the 16.0 version of LineageOS can be upgraded to the latest LineageOS 17.1. XDA says, the popularity, along with the option of customizations, controlling data, and privacy more made it choose the LineageOS.

That said, this is not the only device to come out with Custom ROM out of the box. Previously, devices like Oppo N1, OnePlus One, and Micromax and Wileyfox devices have launched with CyanogenMod.

Price, and Availability

The retail price of F(x)tech Pro 1-X is $899(₹66,290). However, limited stocks for the XDA community will be available at 29% off which is $639(₹47,118). There is also a pre-early bird offer of $599(₹44,169).

As mentioned earlier, the device is up for crowdfunding that will run for 46 more days and discounts work only with this link.

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