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Pakistan lifts TikTok ban following promise to moderate content

By
Habeeb Onawole
-

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.

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.

UP NEXT: TikTok and WeChat ban in the US breaks WTO rules, claims China

 

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

By
Habeeb Onawole
-

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.

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.

UP NEXT: Carl Pei confirms exit from OnePlus, pens an emotional “Thank you” note

 

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

By
Balaji S
-

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.

Credits: OPPO

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.

Credits: OPPO

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.

Credits: OPPO

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.

Credits: OPPO

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

By
Sudarshan Ravichandran
-

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.

OPPO TV S1 Featured
OPPO TV S1

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.

OPPO TV S1 R1 Video Call Pop-up Camera

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.

OPPO TV R1
OPPO TV R1

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.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi Mi TV LUX Pro 82-inch 8K 5G & Mi TV LUX 82-inch 4K launched in China

 

OPPO PERM00 full specifications and images emerge at TENAA

By
Anvinraj Valiyathara
-

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.

OPPO PERM00 TENAA

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.

UP NEXT:  OnePlus 8T is available for $549 at Oppomart

 

 

OPPO Watch RX briefly unveiled; launches on November 1

By
Habeeb Onawole
-

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.

OPPO Watch RX
Image source: MyDrivers

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.

UP NEXT: OPPO partners with Orange to expand OPPO Watch in the European market

 

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

By
Balaji S
-

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

By
Sudarshan Ravichandran
-

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).

Xiaomi Mi Watch Color SpO2 Sensor Teaser Featured

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.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi Mi 11 will be first Chinese phone with Snapdragon 875 and with limited exclusivity

 

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

By
Balaji S
-

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.

Credits: OPPO India

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
-

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.

BOE

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.

UP NEXT: Apple iPhone 12 Pro may soon be made in India and Brazil, iPhone 12 mini battery capacity revealed: Report

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.

BOE

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.

UP NEXT: HTC Desire 20+ with Snapdragon 720G, 48MP quad cameras and 5,000mAh battery launched in Taiwan

 

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

By
Sean
-

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.

TSMC

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.

Editor’s Pick: OnePlus 8T sales broke 100 million Yuan in just 1 minute and 200 million Yuan in 10 minutes

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.

TSMC

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.

UP NEXT: Apple iPhone 12 Pro may soon be made in India and Brazil, iPhone 12 mini battery capacity revealed: Report

 

Redmi GM teases a mini smartphone but warns about battery life

By
Sudarshan Ravichandran
-

Xiaomi was once called the Apple of China. The company is known to copy Apple products and offer them at affordable prices for the masses. As iPhone 12 Mini leaks began to grow stronger, Redmi’s product director Wang Teng revealed that the brand was considering to release a similar smartphone. Now, months later, Lu Weibing, the general manager of Redmi once again teases a mini phone.

Redmi 7

Apple is mostly late to adopt new technologies, however, it is a trendsetter. The company is known to make simple things stand out. Then, the Android OEMs copy them, even decisions like removing the headphone jack.

The same is expected for the new MagSafe charging technology (magnetic wireless charging) and mini smartphones. Looks like we may witness the latter first.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi announces 80W wireless charging technology that fully charges 4000mAh battery in 19 minutes

 

Large smartphones have become a norm in the recent past. But there is still a market for small phones as consumers are not alike. Sony is the only Android OEM known for offering compact flagship smartphones but the company is no longer a big name in the mobile industry.

But now, thanks to Apple, customers may once again have a wide variety of small Android phone options. Going by a Weibo post by Lu Weibing, Redmi could be the first brand to offer such a smartphone.

iPhone 12 Pro, Pro Max and iPhone 12, 12 Mini
iPhone 12 Pro/Pro Max and iPhone 12/12 Mini

However, It is worth noting that the brand’s general manager warns about battery life on this model, which is obvious as the iPhone 12 Mini only comes with a 2,227mAh battery. Manufacturers cannot cram in a larger capacity battery in a small-sized phone.

That said, the iPhone 12 Mini is a flagship smartphone but at the moment, it is not known if Redmi will launch a flagship mini smartphone or a budget mini smartphone.

Either way, we are excited about the comeback of compact Android smartphones. At present, there are only a few such devices like Pixel 4a, Pixel 5, and Xperia 5 II to name a few.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi, OnePlus join Samsung to poke fun at Apple for removing the iPhone adapter

 

Apple iPhone 12 Pro may soon be made in India and Brazil, iPhone 12 mini battery capacity revealed: Report

By
Sean
-

A new report has suggested that the Apple iPhone 12 Pro might soon be made in India and Brazil besides China, while the battery capacities for the base model and the iPhone 12 Mini has also been revealed.

According to a Gadgets360 report, Anatel has recently certified the iPhone 12 Mini in the country with a 2,227mAh battery. While this capacity is larger than the 2020 iPhone SE, which packs a 1,821mAh battery, it is still smaller than the 3,110mAh battery found on the iPhone 11.

Apple iPhone 12 Mini

Apple generally never officially reveals the battery capacity for its iPhones, although, the iPhone 12 Mini is claimed to offer up to 15 hours of video playback on a single charge, which is just short of the 17 hours offered by the iPhone 11, iPhone 12, and iPhone 12 Pro. Unfortunately, the actual battery capacity for the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max is still unknown at the moment.

Editor’s Pick: OnePlus 8T sales broke 100 million Yuan in just 1 minute and 200 million Yuan in 10 minutes

Furthermore, the information sourced from Anatel has also revealed that Apple might soon be manufacturing its latest flagship lineup from its Foxconn factories in Brazil and India, alongside its production center in China. As per previous reports, the iPhone 12 was first hinted for an Indian production with Wistron back in August 2020. In July, the iPhone 11 started production in India, along with a few other older models as well.

Apple

The documents from Anatel has indicated that Foxconn factories would manufacture the latest handset, which might help lower the cost of the device as well. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of information currently available. So take this report with a pinch of salt, and stay tuned for more updates regarding a possible Indian and Brazil production.

UP NEXT: HTC Desire 20+ with Snapdragon 720G, 48MP quad cameras and 5,000mAh battery launched in Taiwan

 

Huawei Nova 8 series likely to launch in November

By
Anvinraj Valiyathara
-

The Huawei Mate 40 series is all set to go official on Oct. 22. After launching the Mate 40 series, the company will shift its focus to the Nova 8 series. A reliable tipster from China has claimed that the Nova 8 will be announced in November.

Huawei Nova 8 November arrival leak

Apart from claiming that the Nova 8 series is coming next month, the tipster did not share new information on the specifications of the expected devices. Past reports have revealed that the Nova 8 family will include three handsets such as the Nova 8 SE, Nova 8, and Nova 8 Pro. It is speculated that the HJC-AN00 / TN00 and JSC-AN00 / TN00 model numbers are associated with the Nova 8 models.

The alleged Nova 8 Pro had recently appeared in leaked shots to reveal that its screen features curved edges and a pill-shaped cutout for its dual selfie snappers. It is speculated that the Nova 8 Pro has an OLED panel that offers a 120Hz refresh rate. The device could be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ chipset and it may arrive in China with a price tag of 3,999 Yuan (~$598).

Huawei nova 7 Pro 5G
Huawei nova 7 Pro 5G

Editor’s Pick: Leak reveals Huawei Mate 40 Pro’s press renders and key specs; packs 50MP Leica triple cameras

The Nova 8 could be featuring the Dimensity 820 chipset. Its screen may support a 90Hz refresh rate and it could be hitting the Chinese markets with 3,299 Yuan (~$493) pricing. The Nova 8 SE could be driven by the Dimensity 800 chipset and 8 GB of RAM. It may come with an internal storage of 128 GB and it could be priced at 2,799 Yuan (~$419).

In related news, Huawei recently unveiled the Nova 7 SE 5G Vitality Edition. In terms of specs and design, it is the same Nova 7 SE phone that debuted earlier in China. While the older model featured the Kirin 820 chipset, the new model comes with Dimensity 800U SoC.

UP NEXT: Huawei Mate 40 Pro system UI screenshots leak confirms key specifications

 

 

Apple iPhone 12 and 12 Pro pre-orders surpass iPhone 11 launch: Kuo

By
Sean
-

Known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has estimated that the newly launched Apple iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro have brought in anywhere between 7 to 9 million units in pre orders in total over the weekend. These numbers will rise further when the iPhone 12 Pro Max and Mini begin sales as well.

Apple

Earlier today (19th October 2020), the Kuo stated that the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro alone has already surpassed the launch performance of the entire iPhone 11 lineup in 2019. The Cupertino based giant is estimated to have sold between 10 to 12 million iPhone 11 series units during the launch weekend, although, the iPhone 12 series have reached an estimated 1.7 to 2 million units in just 24 hours. This is a sizeable increase from 500,000 to 800,000 on the iPhone 11 last year.

Editor’s Pick: OnePlus 8T sales broke 100 million Yuan in just 1 minute and 200 million Yuan in 10 minutes

Ming-Chi Kuo stated that “The iPhone 12 Pro pre-order beat our expectation because of Apple core fans’ initial preference for high-end models, the strong demand in the Chinese market, and the coming peak season demand in the U.S. and Europe.” Furthermore, the analyst does not expect the iPhone 12 Pro Max or iPhone 12 Mini to also perform this well, but these launches would also supplement the pre orders for the to “supercycle” heights.

Apple

As per an AppleInsider report, Kuo expects both the Apple iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro to account for anywhere between 30 to 35 percent of the total iPhone 12 series shipments in the fourth quarter of this year. Similarly, the iPhone 12 Mini and the high end iPhone 12 Pro Max is estimated to account for 10 to 15 percent and 15 to 20 percent of the iPhone 12 series shipments respectively.

UP NEXT: HTC Desire 20+ with Snapdragon 720G, 48MP quad cameras and 5,000mAh battery launched in Taiwan

 

HTC Desire 20+ with Snapdragon 720G, 48MP quad cameras and 5,000mAh battery launched in Taiwan

By
Anvinraj Valiyathara
-

In June, HTC unveiled the Desire 20 Pro and its first 5G phone named HTC U20 5G in Taiwan. The Desire 20 Pro was made official in Europe in August this year. Today, the Taiwanese firm announced a new handset called the HTC Desire 20 Plus in the home market. The handset offers key specs like Snapdragon 720G, 48-megapixel quad cameras, and a 5,000mAh battery.

HTC Desire 20+ specifications

The HTC Desire 20+ weighs 203 grams and it measures 164.9 x 75.7 x 9mm. The phone houses a 6.5-inch IPS LCD screen that produces an HD+ resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels and a 20:9 aspect ratio. The Snapdragon 720G mobile platform is present at the helm of the device along with 6 GB of RAM. It has an internal storage of 128 GB and a microSD card slot for additional storage.

HTC Desire 20 Plus
HTC Desire 20 Plus

The Desire 20+ has a front-facing camera of 16-megapixel with an f/2.0 aperture that supports HDR and full HD video recording. It has an impressive textured rear and a unique camera housing. The camera module includes a 48-megapixel main camera with f/1.8 aperture, a 5-megapixel ultrawide lens with 115-degree field-of-view, a 2-megapixel macro lens with 40cm focal length, and a 5-megpaixel depth sensor. The quad cameras are coupled with features like dual-LED flash, HDR, AI scene detection, time-lapse photography, and 4K video shooting. A fingerprint scanner can be also found on the backside of the phone.

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HTC Desire 20 Plus
HTC Desire 20 Plus

The Android 10 OS comes preinstalled on the HTC Desire 20+. It is backed by a 5,000mAh battery that is enabled with Quick Charge 4.0 rapid charging technology. It comes with other features like dual SIM support, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC, USB-C, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

HTC Desire 20+ pricing and availability

The HTC Desire 20+ is priced at TWD 8,490 (~$295) in Taiwan. Dawn Orange and Twilight Black are its two color editions. There is no word on which other markets will be receiving the Desire 20+.

UP NEXT:  Xiaomi fixes Arunachal weather not being displayed, calls it a Glitch

 

Xiaomi fixes Arunachal weather not being displayed, calls it a Glitch

By
Sean
-

Recently, Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Xiaomi, was caught up in a controversial situation after it was found by users that the company’s smartphones were not displaying weather for Arunachal Pradesh, India. The Chinese brand has since called this issue a “technical error” and that it has been fixed.

Xiaomi

For those unaware, the tensions between India and China have been rising, with recent military clashes on the Indo-Chinese borders also raising friction between both governments while cultivating anti Chinese sentiments in India. This issue becomes even further supplemented by the fact that there is a border dispute regarding Arunachal on the map, which has made it a contentious matter

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Thus, when users started sharing the news of Xiaomi smartphones not showing Arunachal Pradesh’s weather details, the company faced immense criticism online. In other words, Xiaomi was caught in the crossfire, although it has fixed the issue since it was first discovered, according to the Times of India report.

Xiaomi’s official spokesperson has clarified that it was indeed a glitch.  “There was a technical issue in our weather app that we had identified. The same has been fixed.”

Xiaomi

As per an official statement from the company, “At Mi India, we take great pride in the love and trust that our fans and consumers across the country have bestowed on us. We would like to clarify that the weather app on our devices uses data from multiple third-party data sources and we understand that for many locations, the weather-related data is not available on the current app. This is a technical error on our application.”

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Huawei Mate 40 to feature a distortion free Ultra Wide angle camera

By
Sean
-

Huawei has just teased its upcoming flagship smartphones series earlier today (19th October 2020). The Mate 40 series’ launch is just around the corner and the new promotional teaser video hints at an ultra wide angle lens with no distortion being found in the new smartphone.

In the video, the company shared the line “Horizontal, as it should be” and “One in a straight line, all in one shot,” which hints at its camera module. The video itself has the camera lenses focus on a plate of food, which starts with a closeup and then seamlessly transitions to a wide angle shot. The video also emphasizes on the distortion effect that is observable on most ultra wide angle lenses, with the company hinting that this might not be an issue on the upcoming Mate 40 series.

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While many OEMs are looking towards better anti distortion algorithms, Huawei might have found a way to eliminate the issue entirely. Although, it is still too early to know for sure. Previously, we had reported on a press render leak that showcased a triple camera setup on the Mate 40 Pro. In this leak, the ultra wide angle lens was a 20 megapixel sensor f/1.8 aperture.

Huawei

Unfortunately, we do not have much to go on from just a single teaser video. Although, we can expect the Chinese tech giant to place a heavy emphasis on its upcoming flagship’s cameras. So stay tuned for more updates and the launch event, which we will be covering.

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Samsung patents three foldable smartphone designs with cutout for inner cameras

By
Sudarshan Ravichandran
-

Samsung Electronics is ahead of any other company in terms of foldable smartphones. To stay ahead of the competition, the South Korean tech behemoth has been patenting foldable devices in various sizes and forms. Just last week, a patent filed by the firm’s sister company Samsung Display was unearthed by LetsGoDigital. Now, the publication has spotted another patent filed by Samsung Electronics.

Samsung Galaxy Z Foldable electronic device including a plurality of camera modules Design Patent Featured

Foldable smartphones are said to be the next big thing in consumer electronics. They are already here but are out of reach for most people. Thankfully, they are expected to get cheaper in the coming years as the tech matures. In the meantime, companies like Samsung will continue to patent new designs.

The newly spotted foldable design patent was filed by Samsung Electronics with the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office) in April. It got approved and published on October 15 titled ‘Foldable electronic device including a plurality of camera modules’.

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The patent includes three different designs – two with an outward folding screen like the HUAWEI Mate Xs and one with an inward folding screen like the Galaxy Z Fold2. 

However, all three of them have a cutout on the front display so that the cameras present inside can be used even when the phone is closed. Hence, the title includes the term plurality of camera modules.

Samsung Galaxy Z Foldable electronic device including a plurality of camera modules Design Patent

Anyway, we don’t see Samsung ever implementing this design in a commercial product. The current-gen devices have already moved on to punch-holes. The notch on the original Galaxy Fold offers a less immersive experience and has app compatibility issues.

Since these newly patented designs also have to make a similar compromise with the display like on the company’s first commercially available foldable smartphone, we don’t think Samsung will ever implement them.

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OnePlus 8T sales broke 100 million Yuan in just 1 minute and 200 million Yuan in 10 minutes

By
Sean
-

Earlier today (19th October 2020), the OnePlus 8T officially went on sale in China. It is the latest flagship smartphone from the Chinese brand, with the company seeing sales crossing 100 million Yuan (roughly 14 million US Dollars) in just the first minute and 200 million yuan (roughly 28 million US Dollars) within the next 10 minutes.

The newest handset from OnePlus has already seen great success in the company’s home country. OnePlus even shared an official promotional image that commemorated this great first sale. For those unaware, the Oneplus 8T is the current flagship from the company, which features top notch specifications like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC along with 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of internal storage.

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OnePlus

Under the hood, a large 4,500mAh battery pack runs the device that supports 65W fast charging, 5G networking, and even offers a 120Hz refresh rate on its display. Looking at the numbers, the device starts from 3,399 Yuan (roughly 500 US Dollars) in China. So, anywhere between 28,000 to 30,000 units were sold in just the first minute of the sale, and around 60,000 units within the next 10 minutes, which are some really impressive numbers.

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