Samsung Galaxy A51 has begun to receive One UI 2.5 update

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Oct 19, 2020

It’s been just five days since the launch of the OnePlus 8T and we are already staring at the leak of probably the next OnePlus device. Max J, a well-known tipster for OnePlus has posted a vague side-view of a smartphone with a codename, “Lemonade”.

Max J has shared the image on his Twitter account(@MaxJmb). The image has two supposed side views of a device. They are barely visible and are extremely thin. They probably represent the usual placement of buttons on either side. That said the attention is really on the background of the image. There is a big “Lemonade” written and is intentionally yellow in color.

pic.twitter.com/ggS5DOYWpT

— Max J. (@MaxJmb) October 19, 2020

Now, Max hasn’t really shared any other details on his tweet but has replied to one of the comments saying this it’s about the “OnePlus 9 series codename”. This pretty much sums up what we are looking at. However, this is not the only time we hear about the “Lemonade”. A month ago, an XDA member shared that OnePlus was working on a device with codenames- lemonade, lemonadet, lemonadev, and lemonadep. While we thought of this as some other OnePlus device, Max’s clarification today puts a pin on the OnePlus 9 series.

Previously, we have come across codenames like “kebab“, “Billie“, and “clover“. Of course, these are just developmental or project names and don’t hint us about design or specifications. And that is the case with the OnePlus 9 series but rest assured “Lemonade” is now its codename if we look at the track record of Max.

OnePlus 9 series – Early guesses

Since it’s very early to be asking for the OnePlus 9 series leaks, we will just speculate on it for now. Max has mentioned it as a “series” and hence, we can at least expect a 9 and a 9 Pro here. However, he doesn’t know if the display will be flat/curved yet.

Being a flagship lineup, the OnePlus 9 series will surely have the next Snapdragon 8 series SoC(probably Snapdragon 875), AMOLED display with at least a 120Hz refresh rate, a minimum of 65W charging(or more), may have a 64MP camera sensor(long-awaited), and more. It will most likely be launched around April of 2021.

Up Next: First OnePlus 8T update brings Canvas feature and lots of optimizations

ZTE’s first 5G Converged Set-top Box is also a Gigabit gateway and router

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Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 19, 2020

Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE has teamed up with China Unicom to announce the industry’s first 5G converged set-top box. The STB comes with a three-in-one design which includes functioning as a gigabit gateway, a router and a set-top box.

ZTE explains that for coastal and mountainous areas where optical fibre is not easy to deploy, 5G uplink Gigabit access can be realized by deploying 5G converged set-top boxes, and home Wi-Fi can be realized by connecting converged gateway + multipoint AP + Mesh protocol in the downlink. This set up will deliver panoramic network coverage and seamless roaming within the home.

The ZTE Converged Set-top Box is equipped with a high-performance chip, supports AVS2.0, HEVC and ultra-high-definition video decoding. It also has rich interfaces and indicators such as HDMI and USB.

In terms of product design, the 5G converged set-top box has a cool black appearance. It utilises a vertical orientation with an ultra-thin base in a three-dimensional design. The design will allow for efficient heat dissipation. It also has a vertical card design at the bottom which is small and convenient for users to deploy.

This new product comes just a month after the ZTE ZXV10 B836CT and B866V2-H Set-top Boxes were unveiled. The two set-top boxes are powered by a quad-core ARM Cortex-A55 processor and run Android TV. They also support AV1 codec and come with CAS/DRM digital encryption system to protect operators’ content copyrights. The B836CT is targeted at the cable/DTT hybrid market while the B866V2-H is aimed at the IPTV/OTT market.

The new ColorOS Watch 1.5 brings more sports modes and watch faces to the OPPO Watch

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Oct 19, 2020

Today, OPPO announced a new version of the operating system that powers its smartwatch, the OPPO Watch. ColorOS Watch 1.5 brings lots of features including new sports modes and watch faces.

OPPO says when ColorOS Watch 1.5 arrives for the OPPO Watch, users will be able to track more activities as it brings eight new sports modes including free training, elliptical, mountain climbing, and rowing (rowing machine).

The new update also brings support for more than 13 new apps that include Tencent News, Baidu Maps, and NetEase Cloud Music. Another feature that the update brings is more watch faces. Owners of the OPPO Watch can now choose from 50 new watch faces.

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There is also a new SOS mode that users can activate which automatically dials the 120 emergency line and also sends important details such as the wearer’s location.

OPPO says ColorOS Watch 1.5 will begin rolling out to the OPPO Watch on October 24. We do not know if the OPPO Watch RX which is scheduled to launch on November 1 will run the new operating system out of the box or will have a different one.

OPPO Find X2 and OPPO Watch League of Legends Limited Editions launched in China

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Oct 19, 2020

Finally, OPPO has unveiled the League of Legends S10 Limited Editions of OPPO Find X2, and OPPO Watch in China. Irrespective of the special edition design, both the products have launched at the same price as the standard editions.

OPPO Find X2 and Watch League of Legends S10 Limited Edition Price, Availability

The Oppo Find X2 League of Legends S10 Limited Edition is priced at 4999 yuan($748.11). It comes in a single 8GB RAM and a 256GB storage option. This is the same price as the standard Find X2 8/256GB variant. The limited-edition smartphone is up for sale on the OPPO website starting today(October 19) from 21:00 China Time. However, on checking the website, the device seems to be out of stock as we write this article.

Similarly, the OPPO Watch League of Legends Limited Edition 46mm variant is priced at the same 1999 yuan($299) as the standard one. Also, do note that this version doesn’t have the ECG built-in. This limited edition watch is open for pre-orders on the OPPO website from October 19(today) and will go officially on sale on sale from November 1.

A Chance to watch the League of Legends S10 Finals live

Early buyers of today have a chance to watch the S10 Finals that will be held on October 31, 2020, live. To participate, users have to pay the price on the first sale, and those who don’t avail 7-days refund will quality. The initial list will be published on the oppo find x2 product page, and users have to contact customer care by October 21 to provide details.

OPPO Find X2 and Watch League of Legends S10 Limited Edition details

For the unware, League of Legends is a popular MOBA(Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game in China. Oppo has partnered with the game to launch special editions of the Find X2, and Oppo Watch. The S10 on the name stands for the 10th season of the game.

Find X2

If we take the design and specifications, it is the same as the standard versions. However, the outer color scheme and a few themes inside the software is changed. On the rear, we can see a nebula inspiration. Nebula is an interstellar cloud of dust, Hydrogen, Helium, and ionized gases. It has a bluish-green accent with a few yellow colors as well. Similarly, the Find X2 has a bluish-green color with yellow accents at the borders. We also have a yellow ring around the camera, league of legends, and S10 2020 World Championship logo on the rear.

You get a special box packaging with an X-shaped case, a customized SIM ejector, earphones, charger with “Take over”, and logo imprinted on them. You also get a commemorative card that says, “one of 3000”. This indicates OPPO might actually have made only 3000 units of the limited edition. Inside the customized UI, you get new game-inspired icons in black and blue accents with yellow rings, five exclusive wallpapers of Izreal, Li Qing, Le Meilan, Irelia, and Titan(Google Translated), dynamic unlock effects, a League of legends themed game space, charging animation, and more.

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Editor’s Pick: OnePlus 8T Cyberpunk 2077 Limited Edition announced, Pre Orders start November 4

Oppo Watch

Similarly to the Find X2, Oppo Watch League of Legends Editions also has Green accents. It is the Akali Exclusive edition. Akali is a rogue assassin character in the game. The outer ring of the squircle watch dial, buttons, and the upper strap is light Green whereas the lower strap with “Akali” written is dark Green. The upper strap has OPPO branding, and “Too Good, Too Fast”. The box and its contents are also customized with straps, chargers, etc. The UI here is also heavily customized with Akali watch face with date, and time, charging animation, and icons.

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Up Next: Oppo launches the Enco X TWS earbuds in partnership with Dynaudio for ¥999($149)

Samsung slashes the offline prices of Galaxy M21 in India

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Oct 19, 2020

Samsung launched the Galaxy M21 in India before the COVID-19 lockdown in March. The device initially debuted for ₹12,999 and ₹14,999 for the 4GB + 64GB and 6GB +128GB respectively on Amazon India. The device was sold for ₹1,000 in offline stores as well as Samsung online store.

Just like other phones, its price was also increased after the GST hike on mobile phones in the country. However, the online price was reduced a long time back but Samsung has slashed the offline price only now.

According to 91Mobiles, the offline prices of Galaxy M21’s 4GB + 64GB and 6GB +128GB storage configurations have been dropped by ₹500 each. Therefore, they can be now bought for ₹13,999 and ₹15,999, down from their previous price tags of ₹14,499 and ₹16,499 respectively.

What’s more interesting is that the Galaxy M21 can be now purchased on Amazon India for only ₹12,499 and ₹14,999 respectively. Buyers can also avail an extra 10% discount if they make transactions through HDFC bank debit/credit cards.

In case you do not know, Samsung introduced the Galaxy M series smartphones as an online exclusive series in India to offer better price to performance ratio products to compete against the likes of Xiaomi. But due to concerns raised by offline retailers, the company had to bring these handsets to offline as well, however, with slightly higher price tags.

Therefore, the best place to purchase Galaxy M series devices in India is Amazon India, the official online retailer for the series in the country.

Huawei unveils the VR Glass 6DOF Game Set equipped with a 360-degree Joystick

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 19, 2020

Huawei has today at the 2020 World VR Industry Conference Cloud Summit unveiled the Huawei VR Glass 6DOF game set. This was announced by Hua HeGeng, President of Huawei Consumer Business Mobile Product Line.

According to the product introduction, the Huawei VR Glass 6DOF game set will allow consumers to interact more freely and smoothly in VR games. Using the Inside-out positioning method, the spatial displacement accuracy reaches the industry-leading millimetre level, bringing more precise sensing capabilities.

The game set adopts ergonomic design and is equipped with a 360-degree joystick and side gesture buttons. It is professional and powerful. With excellent vibration feedback, it brings a more immersive and real game experience.

Huawei says the package will be available to developers at the end of 2020 and will go on sale to be public in April 2021. Huawei also indicated the preparedness to release more high-quality VR games and applications in the future.

Recall that in October 2019, Huawei first introduced its first VR Glass designed to watch VR videos. The wearable has access to 30,000 hours of VR video from the content resources, along with three major VR live broadcast platform and more than 100 virtual reality games. Last year’s Huawei VR Glass offers a screen resolution of 3200 x 1600 pixels with up to 1058PPI pixel density, 90-degree field-of-view, 70/90Hz refresh rate. It comes with 3D sound effects and provides IMAX giant screen-like experience. Furthermore, it weighs around 166 grams and the temples come with a foldable design and it has a distance adaptation of 55 to 71 mm.

The 360 degrees joystick support makes this new model a standout product. The pricing details are yet to be released but for reference, last year’s VR Glass comes in at 2,999 Yuan (~$424). We expect the price of this version to be way higher.

Pakistan lifts TikTok ban following promise to moderate content

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Oct 19, 2020

A little over a week ago, the Pakistani government announced a ban on the popular video-sharing social media platform, TikTok. The government had cited the spread of immoral and indecent content on the platform as the reason for the ban. Today, the ban has been lifted but with certain conditions.

The announcement on the lifting of the ban was made on Twitter by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). An image of the press release attached to the tweet says the lifting is conditional as it comes with certain conditions.

Press Release: PTA has restored TikTok services with certain conditions. pic.twitter.com/Zt7bjAmdN4

— PTA (@PTAofficialpk) October 19, 2020

It turns out that TikTok has assured the PTA that it will moderate content on the platform “in accordance with societal norms and the laws of Pakistan”. It has also said it will ensure that users who are continuously involved in uploading unlawful content are blocked.

Based on these conditions, the PTA has thus decided to lift the ban. However, it says that if these conditions are not fulfilled it will permanently block the app.

TikTok is one of the most popular apps in the country and boasts 43 million installs according to info from Sensor Tower, an analytics firm. The Verge reports that Pakistan is also the country with the third-highest number of video removals, with more than 6 million videos pulled down in H1 2020 for failing to meet TikTok’s rules.

First OnePlus 8T update brings Canvas feature and lots of optimizations

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Oct 19, 2020

The OnePlus 8T has begun receiving its very first update. The update comes just a few days after the phone went on sale across the globe. The update brings several optimizations as well as a new feature owners will be happy to try out.

According to a tweet posted by Peter Holden, the chief editor of Talk Android, the update comes as OygenOS 11.0.1.2.KB05BA. It is 355MB in size and brings optimizations for ambient display, power consumption, nightscape mode, white balance accuracy, and improves the stability of the camera app.

There's an update rolling out to the OnePlus 8 with the usual fixes and improvements, and more importantly, the new Canvas wallpaper feature#OnePlus8T pic.twitter.com/4TsaaPPGNd

— Peter Holden (@PeterHolden_) October 18, 2020

The new feature that the update brings is Canva, a wallpaper feature that draws a wireframe image of a selected photo to use as your lockscreen wallpaper. As seen in the images in the tweet. Canva is still in beta just as it was when we reported about it last month.

The OnePlus 8T is the latest flagship from the Chinese manufacturer. It has a 6.55-inch flat AMOLED display with an FHD+ resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a punch hole at the top left corner of the screen. There is a Snapdragon 865 processor under the hood with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

OnePlus ships the phone with a 48MP quad-camera setup on the back and a 16MP selfie camera. It also has an in-display fingerprint scanner, runs Android 11, and packs a 4500mAh battery with support for 65W fast charging.

Oppo launches the Enco X TWS earbuds in partnership with Dynaudio for ¥999($149)

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Oct 19, 2020

Oppo has just finished launching new TVs, Limited editions of a watch, and smartphones in China. Alongside the other products, the company also unveiled a new pair of TWS(Truly Wireless) earbuds called the OPPO Enco X. The company is marketing it as an audio product tuned by Dynaudio, a famous Danish Loudspeaker maker.

Oppo Enco X Price, offers, and Availability

The OPPO Enco X is priced at 999 yuan($149.45). However, for the first sale, you get 50 yuan($8.83) off. It will be available starting today(October 19) from 21:00 China Time on Oppo Store including other offline and online partners. Initially, White and Nocturnal Black will be available while Oppo will launch the Bamboo Green variant at a later date.

Design, Colors

In terms of design, The Enco X has angled earbuds with silicone ear tips. The stem holds the center and unlike the Enco W51‘s big oval shape, this has a smaller ubiquitous design like AirPods Pro and weighs 4.8g each. Oppo says the Enco X has a coaxial dual unit design inside the earbuds. It comes in three colors – Nocturnal Black, White, and Bamboo Green.

There is a superconducting magnetic plane diaphragm, three-layer moving coil, and dual speakers. All of them are located on the same axis for direct audio throw at ears. The charging case also has a modified oval-shaped design, unlike the Enco W51’s squircle shape. It has a “co-created with Dynaudio” caption at the front and the OPPO logo on top. Oppo says the case is a ring design with a metal frame for ergonomics. Also, the design seems to be inspired by the company’s 15-year old first MP3 X3 product.

Audio

For Audio, OPPO has partnered with Dynaudio. For the unaware, it is a Hi-Fi audio and loudspeaker maker located in Denmark. Oppo says the it did the R&D at Dynaudio R&D center in Skanderborg. For the Enco X, it has used an 11mm driver unit along with a 6mm speaker in the coaxial dual unit design. Daniel Emonts, a professional in Acoustic Engineering has Master Tuned the Enco X.

The Enco X has DBEE 3.0 sound system for Hi-Fi audio. Oppo says it’s the improved version of the company’s own DBEE dynamic sound effects developed in 2007. Also, the Enco X supports SBC, AAC audio codecs, and also LHDC(Low Latency High-Definition Codec) high bitrate transmission.

Editor’s Pick: Xiaomi Mi Air 2 Pro TWS earbuds available on GIZTOP for $129

Noise reduction

For Noise Reduction, Oppo says the Enco X features a dual-core chip for noise reduction and has four noise reduction modes- Strong, and weak noise reduction, Transparency mode(ambient sound), and Toggle noise reduction on/off. This is done through three microphones and a noise reduction algorithm. One of them is a call microphone and is on the earbuds. The other two on the stem are feedforward and backward ones.

Battery and other features

The Oppo Enco X, as claimed by Oppo should last about 25hrs on a single charge. Each of the earbuds will supposedly last 5.5hrs with noise reduction mode. However, you get only 20hrs of playback with Strong Noise reduction turned on. Other features include IP54 water and dust resistance, touch controls for media, volume, calls, and toggling Noise reduction, Quick Pair, Qi Wireless Charging. It also has Bluetooth 5.2 for low-latency dual transmission.

Oppo says the latency of the earbuds is as low as 47ms at earbud end, and 97ms delay with full link transmission. The Enco X is compatible with Android/iOS, and also has single & dual-earbud modes.

Up Next: OPPO launched its first televisions: OPPO TV S1 and OPPO TV R1

OPPO launched its first televisions: OPPO TV S1 & OPPO TV R1

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Oct 19, 2020

As expected, OPPO has finally launched its first-ever televisions after teasing them for a while. The company has introduced two models namely OPPO TV S1 and OPPO TV R1. The former is a premium model with a QLED panel and only comes in a single 65-inch variant. Whereas, the latter can be bought in either 55-inch and 55-inch version.

OPPO TV S1 Specifications, Features & Price

The OPPO TV S1 flaunts a 65-inch QLED panel with 4K resolution (3840 × 2160 pixels). The company claims the panel to cover 120% of the NTSC color gamut and offer a peak brightness of 1,500 nits.

Being a QLED display, the screen also supports local dimming with 210 partitions. Also, like most televisions these days, the panel also comes with a 120Hz refresh rate along with support for VRR (48Hz – 120Hz variable refresh rate) and MEMC.

As for audio, OPPO has partnered with Dynaudio to include 18 speakers with 85W sound output and 5.1.2 channel. Going by the specs, customers may not need to invest in a separate speaker system. Additionally, the TV also comes equipped with far-field microphones for Breeno voice assistant and a pop-up camera for video calls.

What’s more interesting is that the flagship OPPO television is powered by MediaTek MT9950 chipset paired with 8.5GB RAM and 128GB internal storage enabling it to boot in 1 second. Talking about software, it runs ColorOS TV with support for local streaming platforms like Tencent, Youku, Mango, and iQiyi.

Other features include HDMI 2.1, WiFi 6, NFC remote control to quickly enable screen mirroring and OPPO Share, blue light filter certified by TÜV Rheinland, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and 8K video playback support.

The OPPO TV S1 is priced at 7,999 yuan ($1,197) but will be available for 6,999 yuan ($1,047) during the Double 11 (Single’s Day) sale in China.

OPPO TV R1 Specifications, Features & Price

On the other hand, the OPPO TV R1 sports a 4K LCD panel with an LED backlight. As mentioned in the beginning, it comes in two sizes – 55-inch and 65-inch.

The display of this television features a 96% screen-to-body ratio and covers 93% DCI-P3 color gamut. Unlike the costlier model, the screen does not support a 120Hz refresh rate, however, it does come with MEMC.

Further, it is powered by a less powerful MediaTek MTK9652 chipset but it still supports 8K video playback and 1 second boot time just like the premium model. However, the amount of RAM and internal storage are quite less at 2GB and 32GB respectively.

Other features of this television include HDMI 2.1, WiFi 6, blue light filter certified by TÜV Rheinland, 20W speakers with Dolby Audio, NFC remote control to quickly enable screen mirroring and OPPO Share, pop-up camera, far-field microphones, and ColorOS TV operating system.

As for price, the OPPO TV R1 55-inch costs 3,299 yuan ($493), whereas the OPPO TV R1 65-inch will set you back 4,299 yuan ($643) if you reside in China.

OPPO PERM00 full specifications and images emerge at TENAA

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 19, 2020

Earlier this month, OPPO PERM00 had received approval from the MIIT authority of China. The handset has now appeared in the database of the TENAA telecom authority with full specifications and images. The exact identity of the phone is not known yet. Now that the device has received approval from the MIIIT and TENAA authorities, the OPPO PERM00 phone is likely to go official soon in China.

OPPO PERM00 specifications

The OPPO PERM00 is a 5G smartphone that has 162.2 x 75.1 x 9.1mm dimensions and it weighs 194 grams. It features an LCD screen of 6.5 inches that supports a full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels. It has a rated battery of 4,910mAh capacity.

There is a 2GHz octa-core processor present under the hood of the OPPO PERM00. The phone will be arriving in China in 6 GB and 8 GB RAM editions. It could be available in storage versions such as 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB. The device is preinstalled with Android 10 OS.

Editor’s Pick: OPPO Watch RX briefly unveiled; launches on November 1

The phone houses a front-facing camera of 16-megapixel. There is a rectangle-shaped camera setup on the backside of the phone. It comprises of 48-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 2-megapixel + 2-megapixel quad-camera system.

The OPPO PERM00 has a microSD card slot for additional storage. It has a side-facing fingerprint scanner. The phone will be arriving in China in color variants such as green, gray, and blue.

Apart from OPPO PERM00, another phone with model number OPPO PECM30 / PECT30 has also emerged at TENAA. The specs of the phone are an exact match with the OPPO A72 5G phone that has PECM10 / PECT10 model number.

OPPO Watch RX briefly unveiled; launches on November 1

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Oct 19, 2020

At the OPPO event today, the manufacturer revealed some key details of its upcoming smartwatch, the OPPO Watch RX.

OPPO revealed that the round-faced smartwatch will have a 1.28-inch AMOLED display and will be available in Blue, Black, and Gold when it launches on November 1.

A photo slide of the watch shown during the launch shows it has a metal case with two buttons on the right side. The image shows the standard version of the watch and not the League of Legends edition we first saw last week.

We do not know how much the OPPO Watch RX will cost but we expect it to be more affordable than the OPPO Watch.

Alldocube iPlay 30 will be available on Open Sale from October 21, priced at 899 yuan

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Oct 19, 2020

Alldocube iPlay 30, the next iteration of tablets from Alldocube will be up for open sale soon in China. The tablet launched on September 25, and after a round of pre-sales, the device will go for an open sale starting October 21.

Alldocube iPlay 30 Price, Availability

The new Alldocube will be available on Open sale starting October 21, at 10:00 AM China Time. The original price of the tablet is 899 yuan($134.51). However, Alldocube says(via ITHome) that the tablet will be available for 849 yuan($127) with a deposit of 50 yuan prepaid. Also, the orders will start shipping from November 1st. As usual, it will be available on the official website of Alldocube.

Alldocube is a Chinese digital brand Shenzhen Alldocube Science and Technology Co., Ltd owns it. The brand was formed in 2004 and focuses on Android tablets, Windows 2-in1 PCs, MP3 & MP4 Players, E-books, and more. The Alldocube iPlay 30 is a new Android Tablet from the company at an affordable price.

Alldocube iPlay 30 Specifications

The Alldocube iPlay 30 is a successor to the already launched iPlay 20 tablet. The company has launched older versions on the iPlay lineup last year as well. The new iPlay 30 has a 10.5-inch FHD+ IPS LCD display. The display has a resolution of 1920×1200 pixels and has narrow equal bezels with ant-blue light protection. It also supports 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity. And the company says it is the only table under 1,000 yuan to support a pressure-sensitive stylus. Accordingly, the device also has palm-rejection, glove detection, etc.

Under the hood, it is powered by MediaTek Helio P60 SoC and CorePilot 4.0 technology. It is paired with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage. There is a 256GB storage expansion slot as well. Further, there is a dual box cavity equipped with SMART Amplifier to catch low-frequency rich sounds for a pleasant media streaming experience. For cameras, it has an 8MP, and 5MP on the front, and back respectively. They are HD cameras and support HD recording that is ideal for video calls.

All this is backed by a 7,000mAh battery and it charges via Type-C port. For connectivity, we have Wi-Fi 5, FM Radio, Bluetooth, GPS, and Beidou for navigation. The iPlay 30 runs Android 10 out of the box, and supports all features including gesture-based navigation, AI-optimization, user-friendly reading mode, and more.

Up Next: Chuwi Hi10 XR is the World’s First 10.1-inch Intel N4120 Tablet

Xiaomi Mi Watch color successor teased to arrive with SpO2 sensor

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Oct 19, 2020

Xiaomi announced the Mi Watch Color in late December 2019 as a toned-down version of Mi Watch. This smartwatch recently debuted in India and Europe as Mi Watch Revolve and Mi Watch respectively. Whereas, in China, as the original wearable is about to be a year old now, the company is teasing to reveal an updated model tomorrow (October 20).

The teaser poster for the successor to Mi Watch Color was shared by the Xiaomi Smart Life Weibo account. The poster reveals the upcoming smartwatch will retain the circular design and will arrive with a SpO2 sensor to measure blood oxygen levels.

In case you are not aware, the original Mi Watch Color lacks a SpO2 sensor, which is present in other wearables in the same as well as cheaper price segments.

Hence, it is a welcome addition, however, the Mi Watch Color has launched in global markets only now, and therefore, customers in those regions may have to wait for a longer period of the time for the upgraded model.

That said, the caption of the post also teases the new watch to come with more sports modes as well as battery life. Apart from these parameters, we are not sure what other changes the new model will feature.

Anyway, we expect to know more about the Xiaomi Mi Watch Color successor tomorrow.

OPPO F17 Pro Diwali Edition launches in India, comes with bucket load of Offers, and a special Gift Box

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Oct 19, 2020

OPPO has unveiled a new Diwali Edition of the OPPO F17 Pro. The pre-orders are already live, and the device is ₹1,000 more than the standard variant. To make it special, OPPO is also bundling a gift box with the special edition.

Oppo F17 Pro Diwali Edition Price, offers, and Availability

The OPPO F17 Pro Diwali Edition is priced at ₹23,990. This is a thousand rupees more than the ₹22,990 price of the standard variant. The handset comes in a single 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant. And, as said above, OPPO is bundling a special gift box with the device. The gift box contains OPPO 10,000mAh Power Bank(18W), and a Diwali Exclusive Back Cover. The pre-orders of the device is already live, and the Amazon India website shows the device will be released on October 23, 2020.

As for the offers, OPPO is offering no-cost EMI, extra exchange offer up to ₹19,250 off, 10% off on HDFC Credit/Debit and EMI transactions. Additionally, purchasing this device also gets a 180-days one-time screen replacement, 365 days complete damage protection, and 70% assured Buyback till 12-months, and a 7% exchange bonus in partnership with Cashify.

Oppo F17 Pro Diwali Edition Specifications

The OPPO F17 Pro Diwali Edition is just the same as the standard F17 Pro that launched a month back in India. The device is also rebranded as OPPO Reno 4F in Indonesia and OPPO A93 in Vietnam.

However, the special edition has a Matte Gold color on the back which has a Blue hue at the bottom. On the contrary, the standard variant has Matte Black, Magic Blue, and Metallic White options. Also, the Diwali Exclusive Back Cover than Oppo bundles has Black and Yellow color accents. It has all the engravings of Diwali signs like crackers, lights, arts on the Black background.

In terms of specifications, it has a 6.43-inch sAMOLED display with a resolution of 2400×1080 pixels, 90.7% screen-body ratio, in-display fingerprint scanner, MediaTek Helio P95 SoC paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, quad-camera with 48MP GM1ST f/1.7 sensor, dual-selfie camera with 16MP Sony IMX471 and 2MP depth sensors, 4,015mAh battery with 30W VOOC Flash Charge 4.0.

Up Next: OPPO partners with Orange to expand OPPO Watch in European market

BOE to take on Samsung Display in the UTG market, partners with domestic suppliers

By

Sean

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Oct 19, 2020

China’s largest display maker, BOE, has started securing Ultra Thin Glass or UTG technology. This piece of technology is an integral part of foldable smartphones, which is commercialized by Samsung Display.

As per a report from ETNews, the Chinese display maker is planning on entering the commercial market for UTG. It is seeking to cooperate and meet with several domestic UTG related materials suppliers, part makers, and equipment manufacturing companies as well. In other words, all the firms related to the folding glass process are being targeted and BOE will be supervising the new project.

According to a source close to the matter, “BOE is planning on mass producing 20 million foldable panels, and has proposed cooperation for mass production of UTG.” For those unaware, UTGs are used on a foldable display panel. Glass is generally used to provide a rigid structure that does not break when bent or folded. However, making the glass thinner helps it become more flexible and can allow the display to be folded. Although, this also requires a complex process to make it sturdy as well.

Samsung Display has developed the world’s first UTG, which can be folded and unfolded more than 200,000 times. At the moment, it is the only brand to have commercialized on the UTG market for a foldable smartphones, with the technology being a core component. Thus, the move from BOE can be said to be an attempt to narrow the technology gap with Samsung and may even offer a more viable alternative to smartphone OEMs.

TSMC revenue for 2020 to rise by 30% despite losing Huawei

By

Sean

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Oct 19, 2020

TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) has just revealed that it is expecting a revenue rise of 30 percent in 2020. This financial projection arrives despite the company recently losing one of its major clients, Huawei.

According to a Nikkei report, the world’s largest contract chipmaker is set to see a sizeable jump in revenue of 30 percent this year. A primary factor that led to such growth is the Coronavirus pandemic, which caused an immense growth in demand for digital solutions and smartphone OEMs aggressively pushing for 5G chips for their handset offerings.

As per an official statement from TSMC, the company’s revenue for the final quarter of 2020 could be between 12.4 billion to 12.7 billion US Dollars. This would mark a market consensus upwards of around 20 percent on the year. The chipmaker further added that this growth did not factor in any business with Huawei Technologies into its forecast.

For those unaware, Huawei lost TSMC as its primary chip supplier earlier this year due to US sanctions, and as of 15th September 2020, is no longer supplied by the firm. At the moment, TSMC has declined on commenting on whether it has applied for a license to supply the Chinese tech giant. The Taiwanese company also supplied a majority of chip developers from across the globe, with its capital spending reaching 17 billion US Dollars.

According to TSMC CEO and Vice Chairman C.C. Wei, “TSMC will continue to focus on Taiwan. That’s our center of R&D and the majority of our production will continue to be located in Taiwan, regardless of the geopolitical tensions, or any kind of disruptions.” Its plan to build a 12 billion US Dollar chip facility in the US will also not be affected by the US presidential election.

Redmi GM teases a mini smartphone but warns about battery life

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