Xiaomi Mi Max 3 started receiving MIUI 12 update in global markets

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Oct 17, 2020

Sony Xperia 1 II made its debut in February this year as the brand’s first Snapdragon 865-powered flagship phone. It was made available in black and purple colour options but last month, news filtered in that the flagship was getting a new colourway.

The third colour option which is a Mirror Lake Green variant is billed to be launched in Japan on October 30. However, the company has now revealed the device will go official earlier than in Japan in Taiwan on October 20 (via).

As stated, the model comes with a cool Mirror Lake Green colour option. Apart from the new colour variant, the Xperia 1 II variant will also come with 12GB of RAM onboard. For reference, the flagship is only available in 8GB RAM with the storage option split between 256GB for the international variant and 128GB for the Japanese variant. We expect this model to ship with 256GB storage.

Apart from the new paint job and larger RAM size, the other specifications are the same as those of the earlier version. To recall, the Xperia 1 II features a 6.5-inch 4K HDR OLED screen that comes with a 21:9 aspect ratio, making it taller than other flagship phones available in the market. Under the hood, it is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC and the storage is expandable up to 1TB.

The phone features a triple-camera setup on the back which is developed by the engineers who made Sony A7 III and other popular mirrorless cameras. The phone’s camera setup includes three 12-megapixel sensors — wide, ultra-wide, and zoom.

The price in Taiwan for this 12GB option is yet to be announced but it will sell for JPY 124,000 (~$1170) in Japan.

Samsung Galaxy Fit2 is slightly cheaper in India than the US

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Oct 17, 2020

Samsung has finally launched the Galaxy Fit2 fitness tracker in India. The new wearable got announced a month earlier in countries like the US. And the good thing is it is available at a slightly lesser price in India than the latter.

Samsung Galaxy Fit2 India Price, Availability

The new Galaxy Fit2 starts at ₹3,999($54.45) in India. This is $5 cheaper than the US pricing where it is available from today starting at $59.99. As for availability, it will be available starting today on Amazon India, Samsung website, and select offline retailers.

Samsung Galaxy Fit2 Specifications

Samsung Galaxy Fit2, a second-generation fitness tracker is a successor to the Galaxy Fit which launched back in 2019. The new Fit2 brings upgrades in terms of battery life, and a bigger display. The design is similar to the predecessor with a rectangular display having rounded corners. The strap design is also similar but the Fit2 comes in Black and a new Scarlet color options. The material used is TPU. That said, despite the size, Fit2 weighs lesser at 21g compared to Fit’s 23g.

It features a 1.1-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 126×294 pixels. This is slightly higher compared to 0.95-inch on the predecessor. Samsung says the display has a color depth of up to 16M pixels. Under the hood, it has 2MB RAM and 32MB internal memory. It has all the required sensors like Photoplethysmography, Accelerometer, Gyro.

The new fitness tracker from Samsung has the latest Bluetooth 5.1 for connectivity. It runs on FreeRTOS(Real-Time Operating System). All this is backed up by a 159mAh battery which is higher compared to 120mAh on the predecessor. That said, Samsung says users can get up to 15 days of battery life on a single charge.

Other features include a one-touch key for navigation, 70 different watch faces, 90 workout modes, 5ATM along with an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. It also has a music controller, sleep & stress tracking, hand-wash reminder.

Up Next: Samsung Galaxy S21 series to enter production a month early, could arrive in Jan 2021 along with Galaxy Buds 2

Cheapest Snapdragon 865 Smartphones that you can buy in India in October 2020

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Buy iQOO 3(8GB/128GB) on Flipkart

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Oct 17, 2020

Flipkart and Amazon’s biggest sale went live from yesterday(October 16). And, both the e-commerce sites are already raining offers in various categories. Regarding smartphones, there are multiple deals as usual. But just like a saying goes, “Choose the Gold even if it’s a little old”, we bring you the best Snapdragon 865 SoC smartphones that you can buy right now in India. Some of them are a bit old if we consider the launch window, however, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 SoC is still one of the best SoCs in 2020. Have a look at the choices below and don’t miss out on the best deals of the year.

Cheapest Smartphones with Snapdragon 865 SoC in India

1iQOO 3 5G – Rs. 29,999

iQOO 3 Volcano Orange

When 5G was a big question mark in early 2020 in India, iQOO stepped up to become one of the early brands to launch a 5G-ready smartphone in the country. The iQOO 3 is currently(as of October 16) available at a huge offer on Flipkart. Starting at ₹29,990, this has to be the cheapest Snapdragon 865 smartphone you can get out there. The device features 6.44-inch FHD+ sAMOLED display, 48MP sensor-equipped quad-camera that includes two 13MP wide-angle, and telephoto lens, 16MP front camera, 4,400mAh battery with 55W fast charging, and more.

2Mi 10T Series – Rs. 35,999

Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G series

Xiaomi’s Mi 10T series(10T/10T Pro) is the new entrant and is not here because of the offers but the incredible value for the price it has. Starting at ₹35,999, this joins the list of cheapest Snapdragon 865 SoC devices in the country. The devices feature a 6.67-inch FHD+ 144Hz IPS LCD display with HDR10, MEMC, LPDDR5 RAM, UFS 3.1 storage, 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging. Mi 10T Pro has a triple-camera 108MP lens, 13MP ultra-wide, and 5MP macro lens. The Mi 10T has the same auxiliary sensors but has a 64MP main lens. It is currently up for pre-order on Mi.com, Flipkart, Mi Home stores.

Pre-order Mi 10T on Flipkart | Pre-order Mi 10T Pro on Flipkart

3Realme X50 Pro 5G – Rs. 36,999

Realme X50 Pro 5G

Realme launched the Realme X50 Pro 5G very early in India. It is one of the first 5G smartphones to debut in the country. It features a 6.44-inch sAMOLED 90Hz display, Snapdragon 865 SoC, faster UFS 3.0 storage, 4,200mAh battery with 65W charging. It has quad rear cameras with 64MP lens, 12MP telephoto, 8MP ultra-wide, and 2MP portrait lenses. Front has a 32MP Sony IMX616 sensor. Previously, the device launched at ₹37,999 but is now ₹1,000 off on Flipkart and starts from ₹36,999.

Buy Realme X50 Pro 5G on Flipkart

4OnePlus 8 series – Rs. 39,999

Back in April, OnePlus launched the 8 series with 5G connectivity, improved cameras, and a punch-hole display. It launched with a starting price of ₹41,999. The OnePlus 8 series has two devices- OnePlus 8, and OnePlus 8 Pro. Both feature Snapdragon 865 SoC, AMOLED display, and 30W wired Warp charging. However, the OnePlus 8 features a 4,300mAh battery and has a triple-camera with a single 48MP lens, 16MP ultra-wide, and 2MP macro. On the other hand, the OnePlus 8 Pro has a 4,510mAh battery and quad rear cameras with two 48MP lens, 8MP ultra-wide, and 5MP macro. Currently, the series starts as low as ₹39,999.

Buy OnePlus 8 on Amazon | Buy OnePlus 8 Pro on Amazon

5OnePlus 8T – Rs. 42,999

The new OnePlus 8T that launched a couple of days back(on October 14), is more of an upgrade to the predecessor 7T. However, it also has few improvements from the previous OnePlus 8 as well. It features a 6.55-inch FHD+ sAMOLED 120Hz display, Snapdragon 865 SoC, 48MP sensor-equipped quad rear camera, 16MP selfie shooter, 4,500mAh battery with 65W charging and more. It comes with OxygenOS 11 based on Android 11 out of the box. The device starts at ₹42,999 and is sold on Amazon and OnePlus website online.

Buy OnePlus 8T on Amazon

6Mi 10 – Rs. 49,999

After a big gap, Xiaomi brought the Mi flagship series to India with the Mi 10. The device is launched at ₹49,999. It has the Snapdragon 865 SoC and was the only flagship offering from Xiaomi until the Mi 10T series arrived. Nevertheless, it features a 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED 90Hz display, quad rear cameras with 108MP sensor, 13MP ultra-wide, two 2MP lenses, 20MP selfie shooter, 4,780mAh battery with 30W fast charging. Currently, it gets a discount of ₹5,000 and the base variant(8GB/128GB) starts at ₹44,999.

Buy Mi 10 on Amazon

7Asus ROG Phone 3 – Rs. 49,999

Asus launched the ROG Phone 3 in India on July 22. Launched at ₹49,999, the device is still the only Snapdragon 865+ SoC to sell in India. It features a 6.59-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, Snapdragon 865+ SoC paired up to 16GB RAM, and 512GB storage, triple-camera with 64MP sensor, 6,000mAh battery with 30W fast charging, shoulder air-triggers for gaming, and more.

Buy Asus Rog Phone 3 on Flipkart

Galaxy S20 FE 256GB variant only comes in Cloud Navy color option in India

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Oct 17, 2020

Samsung initially announced Galaxy S20 FE in September. The smartphone debuted in India last week in a single 8GB + 128GB configuration priced at ₹49,999 ($681). It went on sale starting yesterday (October 16) in the country.

At the same time, the company announced a higher 256GB variant of the handset. It costs ₹53,999 ($735) and interested customers can pre-order it starting today (October 17) from Samsung online store as well as other leading offline and online retailers. The device will start shipping from October 28.

When Samsung announced the Galaxy S20 FE for India, we never thought it would debut the higher storage variant just within a week. This could be because of intense competition from brands like OnePlus that launched the OnePlus 8T in 256GB variant earlier this week at a cheaper price tag.

You might be wondering why we are saying this. That’s because the 8GB + 256GB version of Galaxy S20 FE will be only available in Cloud Navy color option. On the other hand, the 8GB + 128GB variant can be purchased in one of the five colors – Cloud Red, Cloud Lavender, Cloud Mint, Cloud Navy and Cloud White.

This somewhat proves that Samsung has rushed to bring the higher storage version to the country. The company usually launches higher variants of its handsets after a few months.

(Via)

Xiaomi Mi 10T, Mi 10T Pro shipments to start on November 3 in India

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Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 17, 2020

Earlier this week, Xiaomi India announced the Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G and Mi 10T Pro 5G smartphones in India. Both phones are available for pre-orders in the country since Oct. 15. At launch, the company did not confirm when it will start shipping the pre-ordered units. The company has now revealed that the shipments of the Mi 10T series will begin on Nov. 3.

The Xiaomi Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro are available for pre-booking through Mi.com, Mi Home, Mi Stores, Mi Studio, and Flipkart. Xiaomi and Flipkart will start shipping the Mi 10T units from Nov. 3.

Buyers of the Mi 10T series will benefit from offers like up to Rs 3,000 cashback, up to Rs 2,000 extra price cut on an exchange, no-cost EMI plans for up to 12 months, and up to Rs 500 discount by using Flipkart Super coins on purchase.

Editor’s Pick: Xiaomi Mi Air 2 Pro ANC Earbuds Hands-on: Matte Finish gives a Premium Feel

Xiaomi Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro price in India and specifications

The Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G has arrived in India in two options such as 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage. They are priced at Rs 35,999 (~$477) and Rs 37,999 (~$517), respectively. The Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G comes in a single variant that has 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB storage and it costs Rs 39,999 (~$545). The Mi 10T duo comes in Lunar Silver and Cosmic Black colors.

The Xiaomi Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro have 6.67-inch IPS LCD panels with a punch-hole design. The Full HD+ resolution supporting screens support an adaptive refresh rate of up to 144Hz. Both phones are powered by Snapdragon 865 mobile platform, LPDDR5 RAM, and 5,000mAh batteries. These phones have UFS 3.1 storage and they lack a microSD card slot.

The Mi 10T duo have 20-megapixel selfie cameras. The Mi 10T Pro has an OIS enabled 108-megapixel main camera, a 13-megapixel ultrawide lens, and a 5-megapixel macro lens in its triple camera system. The MI 10T’s triple camera setup has a 64-megapixel main camera, a 13-megapixel superwide sensor, and a 5-megapixel macro shooter.

Micromax may launch Helio G35 and Helio G85 phones in November first week, key specifications leaked

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Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 17, 2020

Yesterday, India-based Micromax brand’s co-founder Rahul Sharma admitted that it will be launching new phones in the country in early November. As is known, Micromax which was one of the leading smartphone brands in India had encountered defeat from Chinese counterparts. Currently, brands like Xiaomi, Vivo, Realme, and OPPO are very popular in India as they have been launching aggressively priced phones across different pricing segments in India for the past few years. Micromax will soon take on the competition with Chinese brands by introducing its “In” sub-brand. Sharma did not share any details on the specs of the upcoming Micromax phones, but a new report by The Mobile Indian has revealed key details of two forthcoming phones from the brand.

According to the publication, Micromax will launch two phones in the first week of November. It has even gone on to say that the launch could take place on Nov. 2. The first phone to say that the first phone will be featuring the MediaTek Helio G35 chipset and it will be equipped with an HD+ display of 6.5 inches. Sharma had claimed that the upcoming Micromax phones will offer stock Android experience that will be free from advertisements. The publication has claimed that the Helio G35 phone will also offer a stock Android experience.

Micromax to soon launch new phones under “In” sub-brand

Editor’s Pick: Samsung was 31.6% ahead of Huawei in August; the gap between the two will continue to widen

The name of the device is not known yet. The report mentions that the base model of the phone will come with 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB storage and it will have a 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual-camera system. The higher 3 GB RAM + 32 GB storage model will be equipped with a 13-megapixel + 5-megapixel + 2-megapixel triple camera system. The device is backed by a 5,000mAh battery.

The second phone will be driven by the MediaTek Helio G85 chipset. However, its name and other specs are not known yet. Both phones could be priced between Rs 7,000 (~$95) and Rs 15,000 (~$204) in India.

A tipster has managed to find a third Micromax phone at the Geekbench benchmarking platform. The listing revealed that the phone’s name could be “Micromax In 1A” and it has specifications like Helio P35 chipset, 4 GB of RAM, and Android 10 OS.

Galaxy Note20 Ultra sets a new benchmark for timbre performance in DxOMark Audio review

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Oct 17, 2020

The Galaxy Note20 Ultra is the second-most expensive non-foldable smartphone launched by Samsung this year. Just like every year’s high-end Galaxy Note handset, it is the most jam-packed phone from the company. It was recently reviewed by DxOMArk Audio, however, it only scored 68 points despite packing so many bells and whistles.

The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra ranks distant eleventh in DxOMark Audio. Even the Galaxy S20 Ultra is ahead with 69 points. Nonetheless, the new Galaxy Note has the best artifacts score of 90 points setting a new benchmark. The previous record-holder Black Shark 2 Pro had scored 88 points in this regard.

Further, the device performs well in terms of timbre while recording with precise high-end even with background noises. The loudness is also great in selfie videos and in the memo app. But the smartphone has above-average dynamics and volume performances in playback.

Talking about cons, the Galaxy Note20 Ultra lacks high-end extension in playback and due to this, the tonal balance and spatial performance are affected. Also, the balance is shifted to the bottom right in playback.

Lastly, as for drawbacks in recording, mono recording by memo app impairs wideness and localizability, whereas due to lack of low-end extension, tonal balance is impaired, especially in portrait mode.

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

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Oct 17, 2020

We recently reported that OnePlus‘ co-founder Carl Pei was leaving the company to set up his own startup. The news came as a shock to many who have over the years come to recognise Pei as the face of Oneplus. However, nothing has been confirmed since then. Well, until now.

Carl Pei himself has posted an informal letter on the OnePlus community forum, officially announcing that he is leaving the company he joined at 24 in 2013. The letter titled “Thank You”, gives a concise insight into how he joined the company with a college degree and the challenges encountered on the way.

Pei didn’t disclose his future career plans and so stated nothing to confirm rumours that he was starting a new company. He only indicated that the time off will be used to decompress and catch up with family and friends. “And then follow my heart on to what’s next”.

There has been an outpour of emotions and appreciations under the Twitter post which shared a link to the Forum note. Some of the respondents thanked Pei for building a solid company while some others expressed fears if OnePlus will remain the same after his exit.

Popular figures such as tipster @Sudhanshu1414, XDA Developer’s Mishaal Rahman and tipster Ben Geskin were also among the persons who extolled Pei.

We here at Gizmochina also wish Carl Pei good luck in his future endeavours. Meanwhile, you can read the entire “Thank you” note from here.

Sony Xperia 5 II teardown video reveals a graphite sheet for cooling the cameras

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Oct 17, 2020

Sony Xperia 5 II was first unveiled last month as the Japanese brand’s first phone with a 120Hz display. Apart from the screen with a high refresh rate, the phone equally comes with several amazing features including an impressive camera setup. Youtube channel PCB Review has given us our first look at the internals of the Xperia 5 II. The teardown shows how the internal components are arranged.

The Sony Xperia 5 II arrives with a compact build which means the company had a serious job to do to cram all the components into the available space withou compromising on stuff like battery capacity. The disassembly video gives us an insight into the engineering effort that went into the sleek design the device adopts.

On removal of the back cover, a layer of graphite sheet is revealed. The sheets are meant to dissipate heat from the device and this time around, it isn’t just from the battery but also on the trile rear cameras.as it extends in top of the sensors. The phone also features a copper tape behind the screen to transfer heat from the mid-frame.

The internal components are held in place, in some cases with adhesives, giving the device a water resistant build. Perpherals like the mis uses adhesives but the USB-C port is sealed using a rubber gasket.

On the whole, the Xperia 5 II looks quite easy to disassemble and put back together and should get a fair repairability score.

Asa reminder, the Xperia 5 Ⅱ sports a 6.1-inch OLED HDR display and is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor paired with 8GB of RAM while there is 256GB of storage onboard. The phone packs a 4000mAh battery and has an IP68 dustproof and waterproof rating.

For photography, the Xperia 5 II features a triple camera setup, comprising of a 12MP f/1.7 primary sensor, a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera, and another 12MP f/2.4 telephoto lens. The phone is capable of shooting 4K HDR videos at 120fps, which can also be played back at 5x slow motion at 24fps.

OnePlus 8T vs Samsung Galaxy S20 FE vs Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro: Specs Comparison

By

Michele Ingelido

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Oct 16, 2020

Samsung, OnePlus, and Xiaomi launched amazing flagship killers in the global market in the last period. Thanks to them, you can get a device with a top-tier performance at a very modest price. The flagship killers we are talking about are OnePlus 8T, Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, and Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro. People who know smartphones well appreciate these devices a lot due to their amazing hardware and very high value for money. This is a comparison between the latest flagship killers launched in the global market: note that the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE we are referring to inside this comparison is the 4G version because the 5G variant carries a higher price.

OnePlus 8T vs Samsung Galaxy S20 FE vs Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro

	Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G	OnePlus 8T	Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT	165.1 x 76.4 x 9.3 mm, 218 g	160.7 x 74.1 x 8.4 mm, 188 g	159.8 x 74.5 x 8.4 mm, 190 g
DISPLAY	6.67 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), IPS LCD	6.55 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), Fluid AMOLED	6.5 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), Super AMOLED
PROCESSOR	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, octa-core 2.84 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, octa-core 2.84 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, octa-core 2.84 GHz
MEMORY	8 GB RAM, 256 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB	8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB	6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – micro SD slot
SOFTWARE	Android 10, MIUI	Android 10, Oxygen OS	Android 10, One UI
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 5.1, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5, GPS
CAMERA	Triple 108 + 13 + 5 MP, f/1.7 + f/2.4 + f/2.4 20 MP f/2.2 front camera	Quad 48 + 16 + 5 + 2 MP, f/1.7 + f/2.2 + f/2.4 + f/2.4 16 MP f/2.4 front camera	Triple 12 + 8 + 12 MP f/1.8, f/2.0 and f/2.2 32 MP f/2.0 front camera
BATTERY	5000 mAh, fast charging 33W	4500 mAh, fast charging 65W	4500 mAh, fast charging 15W, fast wireless charging 15W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES	Dual SIM slot, 5G	Dual SIM slot, 5G	Dual SIM slot, 5G, reverse wireless charging 4.5W, waterproof

Design

If the design is one of your main priorities, discard the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE: it has a plastic body and it is not built with premium materials. The OnePlus 8T and Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro both come with a glass back and an aluminum frame, so they are more beautiful and attractive. Among these two devices, I prefer the OnePlus 8T because it is thinner, it is lighter and it has a slightly higher screen-to-body ratio. In a few words, it looks sleeker and it is even more compact.

Display

The Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro has the highest refresh rate ever seen on a phone (144 Hz), but it is not the handset with the best display in this comparison. The OnePlus 8T and the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE are actually superior because they sport AMOLED panels instead of the IPS panel found on the Mi 10T Pro. Further, they have a 120 Hz refresh rate and the HDR10+ certification. You should not notice big differences between the image quality of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE and the OnePlus 8T, but the latter has a slightly wider panel.

Hardware/Software

The most powerful hardware department belongs to the OnePlus 8T. It is fueled by the Snapdragon 865 mobile platform just like the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro, but it in its most expensive variant it offers a higher amount of RAM: up to 12 GB. Further, the OnePlus 8T is the only one that runs Android 11 out of the box, customized by OxygenOS. On the other hand, you can expect three years of software support and major Android updates with the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, so the fact that it ships with Android 10 should not represent a concern. But the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE has an inferior hardware department: it ships with a weaker Exynos 990 chipset and it lacks 5G connectivity.

Camera

Despite the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro packs an amazing 108 MP main sensor, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is a more interesting camera phone not only for its dual 12 MP sensor including an ultrawide lens and OIS but especially for its 8 MP telephoto sensor supporting 3x optical zoom and for its 32 MP selfie snapper. With normal photos, you can get superior quality with the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro (and you can even record videos in 8K resolution), but there is no telephoto lens. OnePlus 8T is the most disappointing with its 48 MP quad camera lacking a telephoto sensor.

Battery

Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro has a longer battery life thanks to its bigger 5000 mAh battery. OnePlus 8T has the fastest charging technology thanks to its 65W power. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE has a smaller battery than Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro and slower fast charging technology, but unlike its two rivals, it supports fast wireless charging and reverse wireless charging.

Price

Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is priced at €599/$700, just like the OnePlus 8T, in their base variants. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 4G costs €669/$785. The waterproof design and wireless charging are unique features for a flagship killer, but the inferior hardware and the lack of 5G connectivity do not make the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE a device worth the money asked for everyone. OnePlus 8T lacks these features but comes with better hardware; however, it has inferior cameras. Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro has a bigger battery and great cameras, as well as an amazing hardware department, but it does not come with an AMOLED display. Which one wins the comparison? It depends on the users’ needs: which would you pick? I would personally discard all of these devices and spend a bit more on the 5G variant of the Galaxy S20 FE.

Read More: Xiaomi Mi 10T, Mi 10T Pro 5G with 144Hz display, SD865, up to 108MP triple cameras launched in India for Rs 35,999 (~$490)

OnePlus 8T vs Samsung Galaxy S20 FE vs Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro: PRO and CONS

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE

PROS

Waterproof
Wireless charging
3 years of updates
Best front camera
Telephoto sensor

CONS

No 5G
Plastic design

Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G

PROS

Biggest battery
Highest refresh rate
8K video recording
Great price
IR blaster

CONS

IPS display

OnePlus 8T

PROS

Android 11 out of the box
Fastest charging tech
Up to 12 GB RAM

CONS

Less impressive cameras

Samsung Galaxy S21 series to enter production a month early, could arrive in Jan 2021 along with Galaxy Buds 2

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Oct 16, 2020

We are still more than two months away to enter into next year. However, leaks and rumors regarding next year flagships have started floating around already. Samsung just launched a Fan Edition of the Galaxy S20, and if reports are true, the company will reportedly begin production a month early and gear up for an early 2021 launch of its next Galaxy S flagship series.

An exclusive report by Sammobile says that Samsung will launch the next flagship S series, dubbed the Galaxy S21(tentative) in January 2021. This is a clear departure from the February launch window of the Galaxy S series of devices. However, it could also be a strategy to maintain a reasonable time frame between launches. Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Flip this year along with the S20 series. It then moved to Note 20 series in August, before launching a quick Fan Edition of S20 in October.

Not to mention that it also unveiled the second generation of Fold, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 in-between in September. That was a mouthful of launches in a short span, and hence, maybe Samsung decided to streamline it a bit more. That said, the report says they don’t have an exact date but a rough time frame of January/early-February 2021. And, going by the current situation, we can expect the event to be virtual as well.

Production from mid-December 2020

To corroborate this, a report from TheElec says that Samsung will begin the production of the next Galaxy, the S21 around mid-December 2020. This is reportedly faster than the previous time frame when it began the Galaxy S20 production in January. Also, if it launches early as said above, it could also go on sale a month earlier says the report.

The report adds that Galaxy S21 will have three models and their production name is currently O1, P3, and T2. Samsung will likely announce the S21 series in Gray, Pink, Violet, White, and Silver options. If the report is true, Samsung will also unveil the next generation Galaxy Buds 2 along with S21. The earbuds will have upgraded water-resistance. Its codename is “Attic” and will likely come in Black, Silver, and Violet colors.

Samsung launched the Galaxy Buds Live along with Note 20 series recently. And as per the report, Samsung had to name it Live/ Plus earlier cos it didn’t improve the earbuds that much. Having said that, the earlier launch is reportedly in-line with varied strategies after Roh Tae-moon took over as Chief of Samsung Mobiles division. Also, with Huawei getting hampered by the US, Samsung is likely to steal the advantage and capture the vacuum early enough.

Up Next: Samsung was 31.6% ahead of Huawei in August; the gap between the two will continue to widen

Omnivision OV64A announced as the world’s first 1.0-micron 64MP camera sensor

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Oct 16, 2020

When you talk of image sensor manufacturers, Omnivision is a name that would pop up alongside Samsung and Sony. The company has just launched the Omnivision OV64A, an expected update in 64MP modules.

Apparently, phone makers are focusing at utilising bigger sensors as a report recently predicted that shipments of image sensors of 50MP or more will hit 322 million units by 2021. Omnivision plans to get its bit of that pie with the OV64A, another CMOS sensor with 1 micron pixels. This is coming not too long after the OV64B which is the world’s first sensor with 0.7 micron was unveiled. Its creator affirms that this will enhance capacities, for example, low-light shooting in the more up to date sensor contrasted with past 64MP offerings.

The new module is made with Omnivision’s most recent PureCelPlus-S stacked kick the bucket innovation, and furthermore has an on-chip, 4-cell (4C) shading channel cluster. This may make for understood, constant 64MP Bayer yield and 8K video. These new specs likewise take into account 4C half-shield stage recognition, appraised for quick self-adjust (AF).

The OV64A has a 1/1.34-inch optical arrangement, though the OV64B is 1/2-inch and existing models, for example, the Sony IMX686 and Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 are 1/1.72-inch. The new Omnivision part is additionally appraised for pixel-binning for 16MP pictures with 4C binning at 60 fps; 8K video at 30 fps; 4K/2K video at 120 fps; 1080p at 240 fps and 720p at 480 fps.

On the other hand, similarly as with its archetype, optical image stabilisation (OIS) never figures in its specs. Omnivision has expressed that OV64A test units are now in the possession of cell phone OEMs, and that it will go into large scale manufacturing by the last quarter of 2020.

The sensor is not listed to feature Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). Omnivision has stated that OV64A samples are already in the hands of mobile device OEMs and that it will go into mass production by the last quarter of 2020.

Samsung was 31.6% ahead of Huawei in August; the gap between the two will continue to widen

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Oct 16, 2020

Back in April, Huawei surpassed Samsung as the world’s largest smartphone maker for a short period of time. It was due to the former’s success in China and the latter’s decline in markets like Europe and India due to lockdowns. But as the economy began to open, Samsung once again secured the top position in August and now, the South Korean tech giant is widening the market share gap between itself and Huawei which is currently at second place.

According to a report by Counterpoint Research, Samsung had a 22% global smartphone market share in August, followed by Huawei at a distant 16%. That means Samsung’s market share was 31.6% more than Huawei. A few months back in April, Samsung was at 20%, whereas Huawei was ahead at 21%.

Samsung managed to improve its market share shortly after April as lockdowns began to ease in most regions. As the company pushed an aggressive online strategy in India, it even managed to reach its highest market share in the country in Q2 2020 since the year 2018.

On the other hand, due to the US ban, Huawei’s global smartphone market share continued to drop in its key global markets like Europe. As a result of this, Xiaomi witnessed growth in Central Eastern Europe.

Whereas, Apple’s market remained at the same 12% mark in both April and August due to strong sales of the iPhone 11 series and iPhone SE. The Cupertino-based company’s performance may improve in November once the iPhone 12 series starts shipping to consumers.

Last but not least, as per analyst Minsoo Kang, “geopolitical policies and political affairs among nations are affecting the smartphone market in many ways”. Due to this, top players will become much stronger and companies like Samsung, Apple, Xiaomi, and OPPO will benefit the most.

Hulkman Alpha 100 Jump Starter raises more than $250,000 via Kickstarter

By

Greeva Agnihotri

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Oct 16, 2020

While traveling, battery fail is one of the most stressful car-related issues, especially when no one is in sight. To offer help in such situations, Hulkman has introduced the Hulkman Alpha 100 Jump Starter. It comes with 5-in-1 functions to cut down assistance costs and time. Featuring a versatile form, this unit provides a safe and hassle-free boost to the car battery. Hulkman Alpha 100 starts the vehicle in just three quick steps, making it convenient to use. This power-packed unit was able to raise up to $100,000 in just a day via Kickstarter.

Digital Screen

The Hulkman Alpha 100 comes with a large 3.3-inch screen to let the users view all the indicators conveniently. The primary functions displayed on the screen include power display, operation warnings, and user tips. Digital display offers precise measurements for easy reading while the large fonts and well-spaced layout of the indicators further enhance the readability.

Safety

Hulkman Alpha 100 features technologies like reverse-charge, reverse-polarity, over-current, overload, over-voltage, overcharge, short-circuit, high- and low-temperature protection to offer complete safety to the user. It is 100-percent hyper-safe to protect the user and car from sparks. The rubber-covered clamp provides added safety while using the unit. This jump starter also comes with SOS, emergency, and regular light functions to aid in emergencies.

Robust Design

Since low temperatures slow down the chemical reactions, the Hulkman Alpha 100 is designed to withstand extremely cold conditions up to -40° F to help the user start their car in a matter of seconds. Featuring an IP65 rating, this device offers resistance to damage caused by water and dust. Its sturdy exterior can easily withstand accidental falls and minor bumps.

Powerful Battery

Hulkman Alpha 100 comes with a 32000mAh battery capacity and 4000A peak current that can jumpstart a car up to 100 times in a single charge. This battery works well with all 12V vehicles like cars, motorcycles, watercraft, ATVs, UTVs, SUVs, and lawnmowers. Enhanced with an advanced chip, this jump starter can preserve its charge for up to 24 months when not in use. Furthermore, it is integrated with 65W speed charging technology that can jumpstart the car in just 5 minutes, even if there is no battery.

This unit can also be used as a charger for Type-C PD 18W and USB QC 3.0 devices, a 200 lumens light, or a substitute power source for an outdoor fridge.

Easy Use

The Hulkman Alpha 100 enables the user to jumpstart their car in 3 simple steps. One must connect the clamps to the battery, and when the screen indicates “ready,” start the vehicle.

This versatile unit can be an ideal addition to one’s garage essentials. Head on to the Kickstarter website to know more about the product.

Get 50% Off on UMIDIGI BISON and A9 Pro at UMIDIGI’s 9th Anniversary Sale

By

Greeva Agnihotri

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Oct 16, 2020

This is an excellent time to buy UMIDIGI smartphones as the company has its 9th-anniversary sale going on till 17th October (PDT). The company is offering a whopping 50% off on various smartphones like UMIDIGI BISON that will be available for just $149.99 and UMIDIGI A9 Pro for only $119.99. These smartphones are up for their first global sale with a significant discount, giving consumers a considerable advantage.

UMIDIGI BISON

UMIDIGI BISON is a rugged smartphone that features an IP68 and IP69K rating to offer water, sand, and dirt resistance. An ideal companion for adventurous people, this smartphone boasts a barometer, a lanyard hook, and two independent customizable buttons. It boasts a 6.3-inch FHD+ full screen that is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass to resist scratches and screen damage. Powered by Helio P60 with 6GB LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB UFS 2.1 ROM, this rugged phone offers a smooth operation. The liquid cooling system prevents overheating to offer seamless use.

Despite being a rugged smartphone, the UMIDIGI BISON features a sleek and straightforward design. Additionally, its Sony quad-rear and front camera enable the user to click decent quality pictures. This device features a 48MP primary and 16MP ultra-wide-angle camera with 5MP depth and a 5MP macro lens on the back and a 24MP camera on the front.

UMIDIGI A9 Pro

An upgrade of its predecessor A7 Pro, UMIDIGI A9 Pro is enhanced with a powerful processor and a new infrared thermometer sensor. Featuring a 6.3″ FHD+ display with 2340 x 1080p resolution, this device offers a decent viewing experience. It runs on Android 10 OS and has a Helio P60 processor with 6GB LPDDR4X RAM that consumes less power and allows seamless multi-tasking. 128GB UFS 2.1 ROM offers ample space for storing media, documents, and application-based files.

As for the camera, UMIDIGI A9 Pro comes with a Sony quad-rear and front camera. 48MP primary and 16MP ultra-wide-angle camera with 5MP depth and a 5MP macro lens on the back and 24MP camera on the front allows the user to take quality photos and videos. With a 4150mAh battery with Type C charging, this phone can last throughout the day.

Interested readers can buy UMIDIGI BISON on Aliexpress for just $149.99, where its first 500 buyers can get a chance to win free smartwatches.

UMIDIGI A9 Pro, on the other hand, is starting at only $119.99, where its first 1000 buyers can save an extra $10 with coupon code “UMA9PRO.”

Other smartphones that are on sale for UMIDIGI’s 9th anniversary are as follows:

UMIDIGI S5 Pro — $199.99 (was $333.32)
UMIDIGI A7S — $69.99 (was $99.99)
UMIDIGI A7 — $89.89 (was $149.98)

Note: The sale ends on 17th October 2020, PDT.

Xiaomi Mi Air 2 Pro ANC Earbuds Hands-on: Matte Finish gives a Premium Feel

By

Paco Zheng

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Oct 16, 2020

Over the past couple of years, Xiaomi has focused on releasing mid-range to budget wireless earbuds in the market. However, this month, the company announced the brand new Mi Air 2 Pro TWS earbuds in China which caters to the high-end market with Active Noise Cancellation. This is the company’s first ANC earbuds, joining the likes of Apple, Huawei, and others. However, following Xiaomi’s tradition, the company has kept the pricing of the new Mi Air 2 Pro pretty affordable at 699 Yuan ($104). We knew we had to get our hands on this new pair of ANC earbuds and today, we take you through a quick Mi Air 2 Pro hands-on. A full review of the earbuds is coming your way in the coming days.

The Xiaomi Mi Air 2 Pro ANC earbuds follow a basic design as the Apple Airpods Pro. So you get a thin long stem design with in-ear tips. The earbuds itself are made out of plastic, however, it comes in a matte finish which sets it apart from its competitors. The touch sensing area on the back of each earbud features a ceramic material which feels really premium. Overall, we are impressed with the build quality of the Mi Air 2 Pro. Even the case adopts the same matte finish, which once again looks very premium. We are happy that Xiaomi decided to adopt a slightly different design for the charging case instead of the common curved, glossy design found on most TWS earbud cases in the market. The case supports wireless charging too.

We tried on the Mi Air 2 Pro and realized that the earbuds have a pretty good fit, but it’s not as tight as the AirPods Pro. The 12mm drivers in the earbuds outputted good quality sound and the noise cancellation was also very good (up to 35dB). However, we hear that the earbuds will soon get a firmware update wherein we’ll be able to switch the Bluetooth codec to LHDC, which should further improve the audio quality and reduce latency (100ms). Although the noise cancellation is pretty good right now, we expect it to get better after the new update. So, we’ll test it out in detail in the coming days to let you know how good or bad it is, especially compared to rival ANC earbuds from Apple and Huawei (our review of the Huawei Freebuds Pro is also coming very soon!).

Overall, we can easily say that the Xiaomi Mi Air 2 Pro is the company’s best sounding TWS earbuds in the market. Our full review of the earbuds will be up in a few days, so stay tuned for that.

The Mi Air 2 Pro is currently up for pre-order internationally via Giztop at $129. Check out the listing if you are interested.

Meanwhile, feast on the hands-on images of the black Mi Air 2 Pro from the gallery down below.

Mi Air 2 Pro Hands on

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In case you missed, we reviewed the best gaming smartphones in 2020! Check out our video below.

Sony launches Spatial Reality Display that lets creators bring their ideas to life in 3D

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Oct 16, 2020

Sony Electronics has announced the launch of a ground-breaking new product dubbed “Spatial Reality Display”. The display utilises Sony’s award-winning Eye-Sensing Light Field Display (ELFD) technology and was first shown to participants at CES 2020 back in January. The display does not require users to wear specific VR glasses or headsets and only uses eye-tracking technology to render realistic 3D objects.

The Spatial Reality Display consists of a 15.6-inch 4K LCD display, equipped with a high-speed vision sensor, which can track the movement of the eyes and the position when walking around the display; there is also a micro-optical lens, located above the LCD, which can separate the left and right eye screens. To create a stereo image.

It is worth mentioning that SR Display uses top-level real-time rendering algorithms, so it needs a powerful PC with at least Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia’s RTX 2070 Super GPU.

Spatial Reality Display (SR Display) will enable creators in various industries from automotive and industrial design to computer graphics (CG) and visual effects (VFX), as well as those in movies, to realize their creativity in stunning 3D displays.

In terms of pricing, Sony’s suggested retail price of the SR Display is US$4,999.99. It will be available on Sony Store and other retailers in November.

Upcoming Honor Monitor could share same design and specifications as Huawei

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Oct 16, 2020

After launching wearables like the GS Pro, and Watch ES, Honor is reportedly gearing up to launch more products and a gaming monitor is one of them. Now, a tipster on Weibo has leaked an image of what could be the upcoming Honor Display. And it has a lot of reminiscence to a Huawei monitor that leaked earlier.

A tipster on Weibo going by the username “uncle watching the mountain”(Google translated) has leaked(via IThome) a picture of a monitor. It has a big HONOR logo on the left side. The display and surround frame is held by a cylindrical stand with flat base. The rear frame that covers the electronics bends and slightly curves towards the sides. While the picture doesn’t give any specifications, the tipster has mentioned it as “Honor Display” and “23.8-inches”. If his claims are true, the new Honor Display will host 23.8-inch display up front.

However, the post doesn’t have any other info. Also, the rear image shows a few ports and one of them is HDMI. We all know that Honor is a sister brand of Huawei and shares its resources. In that case, this could just be a rebadged version of an upcoming Huawei display.

Editor’s Pick: Xiaomi launches a Gaming monitor stand with an ergonomic design, 360° rotation

A few weeks ago, Huawei had said that it will launch new Monitors and consumer grade PCs soon. And early reports said it will outsource the monitors to Vison-Electronic Technology (BOEVT). Further, Zhao Ming, at Honor HUNTER press-conference reportedly said that the company will launch new gaming monitors, routers, and other products.

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Following this, a leaked render of an alleged Huawei Monitor surfaced online. It had the same 23.8-inches. And a front side of the render showed display with minimum bezels on three sides but thick bezels at bottom. The model number AD80HW had IPS LCD display with 90% screen-body ratio, 72% NTSC color gamut.

That said, the new renders match exactly with the earlier leak except for logo changes. This sends a strong notion that Huawei, and Honor displays will likely share the same specs. Additionally, report says, the displays could have 144Hz refresh rate, spray paint on the rear. Huawei and Honor are expected to launch new gaming monitor before this year ends and rival competitors like Xiaomi.

Up Next: Huawei might soon manufacture and sell automobile parts: Report

Motorola XT2091 will be also launching as a Lenovo smartphone

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