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Royole FlexPai 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 vs Huawei Mate Xs: Specs Comparison

Royole just launched the successor of the world’s first foldable phone: FlexPai 2. This year, Royole did not beat Samsung by launching its foldable before the Korean giant, but it launched the most affordable foldable phone of the year which can turn into a tablet. That is why we think it is very interesting to compare it with the other last-gen foldable phones. A lot of people are saying that the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 does not have any rival: is it true? Let’s discover it together in this comparison between Galaxy Z Fold 2, Royole FlexPai 2, and Huawei Mate Xs.

 

Royole FlexPai 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 vs Huawei Mate Xs

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 Huawei Mate Xs Royole FlexPai 2
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT 159.2 x 128.2 x 6.9 mm unfolded, 159.2 x 68 x 16.8 mm, 282 g 161.3 x 146.2 x 5.4 mm unfolded, 161.3 x 78.5 x 11 mm folded, 300 g 186.2×133.8×6.5 mm, 340 g
DISPLAY  7.6 inches, 1768 x 2208p (Quad HD+), Dynamic AMOLED 2X
External display 6.23 inches, 816 x 2260 pixels, Super AMOLED
Unfolded: 8 inches, 2200 x 2480p (Quad HD+),  OLED
Folded: 6.6 inches, 1148 x 2480p (Full HD+),  OLED
7.8 inches, 1920 x 1440p (Quad HD+),  AMOLED
PROCESSOR Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+, octa-core 3.1 GHz Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, octa-core 2.86 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, octa-core 2.8 GHz
MEMORY 12 GB RAM, 256 GB – 12 GB RAM, 512 GB  8 GB RAM, 512 GB – Nano Memory card slot 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – 12 GB RAM, 512 GB
SOFTWARE  Android 10, One UI Android 10, EMUI Android 10, waterOS 2.0
CONNECTIVITY  Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS  Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS
CAMERA  Triple 12 + 12 + 12 MP, f/1.8, f/2.4 and f/2.2
Single 10 MP, f/2.2 and 10 MP f/2.2
Quad 40 + 8 + 16 MP + TOF 3D, f/1.8, f/2.4 and f/2.2 Quad 16 + 8 + 64 + 32 MP MP f/1.9
BATTERY  4500 mAh, fast charging 25W and fast wireless charging 15W 4500 mAh, fast charging with SuperCharge 55W 4450 mAh, fast charging 18W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES reverse wireless charging, eSIM, 5G Hybrid Dual SIM slot, 5G Dual SIM slot, 5G

Design

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 has a different form factor from Royole FlexPai 2 and Huawei Mate Xs. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 has a foldable display placed internally, while in the external part of the phone there is a classic smartphone-like display. The Huawei Mate Xs and the Royole FlexPai 2 have foldable displays placed externally which can split into two different external displays (one on the front and one on the back) while the smartphone is folded.

 

Display

The best display in terms of image quality belongs to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2: despite being a plastic OLED panel, the handset has the HDR10+ certification and a 120 Hz refresh rate, which you do not get on Royole FlexPai 2 and Huawei Mate Xs. But when the smartphone is folded, you will have to use an HD+ screen with a standard refresh rate. On the other hand, you get two external displays with Huawei Mate Xs and Royole FlexPai 2 by folding the main foldable display, but the image quality is inferior.

 

Hardware/Software

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is a superior phone even when it comes to the hardware department. It packs a stronger Snapdragon 865+ chipset paired with 12 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of UFS 3.1 native storage. The silver medal goes to the FlexPai 2 by Royole which is fueled by the Snapdragon 865 mobile platform paired with up to 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 512 GB of UFS 3.0 internal storage. Huawei Mate Xs is weaker with its Kirin 990 5G chipset and just 8 GB of RAM. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 has the best software and Samsung guarantees longer software support (3 years). Unfortunately, Huawei Mate Xs lacks Google Mobile Services, so you do not get Google apps out of the box, replaced by Huawei Mobile Services.

 

Camera

The Huawei Mate Xs has the most advanced camera setup, including a 40 MP main sensor, an 8 MP telephoto sensor with OIS and 3x optical zoom, a 16 MP ultrawide lens, and a TOF 3D sensor. But you should not underestimate Royole FlexPai 2 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2: they are still great camera phones. Unfortunately, we still can not give you a definitive verdict about the camera performance of these three devices because Royole FlexPai 2 just went official and there was no time to test its camera capabilities.

 

Battery

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2, Huawei Mate Xs, and Royole FlexPai 2 have similar battery capacities and similar components, so the differences between battery life will be marginal. The Huawei Mate Xs support way faster charging, but it lacks wireless charging, while you get wireless charging and reverse charging on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2.

 

Price

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is priced at about €2000/$2350 globally, Huawei Mate Xs costs €2600/$3000, and Royole FlexPai costs less than €1300/$1500 in China (still not available globally). At the end of the day, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 wins the comparison because of its better display, more advanced hardware department, and reverse/wireless charging capabilities. But not everyone might like its form factor.

 

 

 

Royole FlexPai 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 vs Huawei Mate Xs: PRO and CONS

Huawei Mate Xs

PROS

  • External foldable display
  • Great cameras
  • Wide display
  • Very fast charging

CONS

  • No GMS

 

Royole FlexPai 2

PROS

  • External foldable display
  • Good price
  • Nice cameras
  • Useful external display
  • Up to 12/512 GB

CONS

  • Not a mainstream manufacturer

 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2

PROS

  • Best hardware
  • Multiple displays
  • Wireless charging
  • More cameras

CONS

  • Internal foldable display

Exynos 2100-powered Galaxy S21 Plus scores high on Geekbench

After the Exynos 990 should come the Exynos 1000, right? Doesn’t appear that will be the case as a Geekbench listing of a phone believed to be the Galaxy S21 Plus has revealed that the next flagship Exynos processor will be called the Exynos 2100.

Galaxy S21 Exynos 2100

The device was benchmarked today as the “samsung SM-G996B” and the benchmark result, in addition to its source code, has revealed details of the phone and chipset.

The Galaxy S21 Plus runs Android 11 and the information for the motherboard is listed as “exynos2100”. The chipset has a base frequency of 2.21GHz and the phone has 8GB of RAM. The benchmark scores are 1040 and 3107 points for single-core and multi-core respectively.

Exynos 2100 source code
Exynos 2100 source code; Image source: dealntech.com

The info gotten from the source code shows the Exynos 2100 is an octa-core processor just like the Exynos 990 but with a different CPU arrangement. Unlike its predecessor which has a 2+2+4 arrangement, the new chipset uses a 1+3+4 CPU cores arrangement.

The prime core is clocked at 2.91GHz, the performance cores are clocked at 2.81GHz and the efficiency cores are clocked at 2.21GHz. The source code also reveals the Exynos 2100 has a Mali-G78 GPU. The benchmark result already shows that the new CPU brings a noticeable improvement in performance when compared to the Exynos 990. We expect the new GPU will also bring a significant improvement in performance.

Samsung should announce the Exynos 2100 before the end of the year ahead of its debut in the Galaxy S21 next year.

 

Vankyo launches Leisure 520W projector under crowd funding on Indiegogo

We have yet another new projector from Vankyo. The company has listed the all-new Leisure 520W projector on the crowd-funding website Indiegogo starting today(September 23). The fundraiser will last for 41 days and the company says that the optical device will be available at a discounted price for a limited time.

 

For the unware, Vankyo is a popular brand that makes Smart Projectors, Tablets in various countries. Established in 2017, the brand was founded in Shenzen, China by a company named Shenzhen Wanmai Technology Innovation Co., Ltd. Some of its core members are from Huawei, Lenovo, DJI, and more.

Design and Display

Design-wise, the new Leisure 520 has rounded corners. Measuring in at 199x154x85mm, the projector weighs 1.1Kg. It comes in Grey, Brown, and Black color options. Further, it has a handle made of leather and as per the company, it is ultra-portable for indoor and outdoor use. Also, the new projector covers more than 90% of the NTSC color gamut for producing true-to-life colors.

The projection system, however, is LCD and has a resolution of 1280×720 pixels. Brightness is greater than 2400 Lumen. The company says the light source inside is LED and has a life of about 30,000 hrs.

Editor’s Pick: Vankyo V600 Projector Review: good quality and budget price

Vankyo Leisure 520W Specifications

There is 1xHDMI,1xUSB, 1xAudio out, and 1xAV-in ports. It also has 34W speakers built-in. According to the company, the parameters required for optimal projection is a projection distance of 1.5 to 6 meters, a screen size of 35 to 200-inches. As for the compatibility, it supports 16:9 or 4:3 ratio, input signals of 576i, 720P, 1080i, and 1080P signals, all major photo, audio, and video formats as well.

Vankyo says that the projector is compatible with Android, iOS devices, laptops, TVs, USB sticks, TF cards, DVD players, PS3/4, and XBOX ONE. There is also Wi-Fi for faster and wireless connectivity. There are six touch icons at the top to control volume, screen dimension, and navigation.

Price and Availability

The Leisure 520W projector is up on Indiegogo for crowd-funding. The company has a road-map where the optical device is expected to enter mass production next month and be ready for shipping by November.

As for the price, Vankyo says that the device will be available at a discounted price of $119 for a limited period of time. The device also gets a warranty support for up to two years from the date of purchase.

Up Next: Xiaomi Fengmi 4K Max Laser Projector with up to 4500 ANSI Lumen launched

Complete specs of Pixel 4a 5G leak ahead of September 30 launch event

Yesterday, Roland Quandt of WinFuture exposed the entire specifications of the upcoming Google Pixel 5. Today, he is back again with the specs of Google Pixel 4a 5G, which will be launching alongside the former handset. According to his new leak, both of these smartphones will be identical in most ways with some minor differences.

Talking about dissimilarities first, the forthcoming Pixel 4a 5G will be larger than the regular Pixel 4a and Pixel 5 with a 6.2-inch FHD+ (2340 x 1080 pixels) HDR OLED display with 413 ppi, 60Hz refresh rate, and Corning Gorilla 3 protection.

The phone will come with two microphones compared to three in the expensive model. But it will also feature a 3.5mm headphone jack like its smaller sibling.

Further, unlike Pixel 5, which will feature a 100% recycled aluminium body with IP68 dust and water resistance, the Pixel 4a 5G will be made of polycarbonate similar to the standard Pixel 4a.

Also, it will be backed by a slightly smaller 4,885mAh battery with 18W fast charging and no support for wireless charging. But it will be still thicker and heavier by measuring 153.9 x 74.0 x 8.2mm in dimensions and weighing 168g.

 

As for common features, the Pixel 4a 5G will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset paired with 6GB LPDDR4 RAM (8GB RAM in Pixel 5) and 128GB internal storage.

It will also come with Titan M security chip and a plethora of sensors such as proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, barometer, and spectral & flicker sensor.

Pixel 4a 5G

On the back, the handset will house a dual camera setup consisting of a 12.2MP primary sensor with OIS and a 16MP secondary sensor with 107° ultra-wide angle lens. The rear of the phone will also include a capacitive fingerprint sensor.

Whereas, for selfies and video calls, the smartphone will sport an 8MP punch-hole camera. Other than that, the rear camera will be capable of recording videos in up to 4K 60fps as opposed to 1080p 30fps from the front camera.

Last but not least, the Google Pixel 4a 5G will come with a single nano-SIM card slot, e-SIM, 5G, WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou), USB Type-C 3.1 (Gen 1), and Android 11.

The Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 will be officially announced at a virtual event on September 30.

 

OPPO Reno4 Pro 5G begins its global journey with launch in the UAE

OPPO has launched the Reno4 Pro 5G in the UAE. The premium mid-range phone was first in China at the early part of June, powered by a Snapdragon 765G chipset. The device is now up for pre-orders on a handful of local online retailers. The phone which is available in Galactic Blue or Space Black is priced at AED2,499 (~$680).

Just to refresh your memories, the OPPO Reno4 Pro was unveiled as a camera-centric 5G smartphone emphasizing on design. The device comes with a 48MP IMX586 primary sensor paired with a 12MP Sony IMX708 sensor with a 120° ultra-wide lens, and a 13MP sensor with a 5x optical zoom lens.

Whereas, on the front, it flaunts a 32MP selfie camera nested in a punch-hole located a the top left side of its curved AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate.

Another highlight of this phone is support for 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 fast charging for its respectable 4,000mAh battery. Last not least, though it packs some flagship-level features, it is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G paired with 12GB RAM and 256GB internal storage.

 

 

Skyworth Q71 series 8K TV with MediaTek S900 chip, pop-up AI camera official

Digital television and digital cinematography commonly use several different 4K resolutions referring to a horizontal display resolution of approximately 4,000 pixels. While 4K is still gaining ground, some OEMs are already shifting to 8K. Skyworth today held the Skyworth TV 2020 Autumn Conference. During the event, the company unveiled the Q71 series of 8K TVs designed mainly for high-quality middle-class consumers. The TV is available in 65-inch, 75-inch and 85-inch versions with a starting price of 11999 yuan (~$1762).Skyworth Q71 series TV

The Skyworth Q71 series is a true 8K TV. Skyworth stated that it supports 8K signal access, 8K decoding, 8K image signal processing and 8K image display, which can provide a “full-range true 8K” viewing experience.

On the screen, Q71 TV uses 8K original color hard screen, 10bit panel which can display 1.07 billion colors. The display also supports 90% DCI-P3 color gamut, HDR10, Dolby Vision and 3D LUT. There is also support for MEMC dynamic compensation, which can improve picture quality.Skyworth Q71 series TV

In addition, it also has the characteristics of “wide viewing angle, fast response, and wide color gamut”, supplemented by a customized blue light chip, which can greatly reduce harmful blue light from the light source.

In terms of hardware, Skyworth Q71 TV is powered by MediaTek’s flagship 8K chip MediaTek S900, supports 60FPS 8K decoding, and is equipped with 6.5GB RAM and 64GB storage option. Skyworth Q71 TV

In terms of content, in view of the current situation where 8K resources are less, Q71 TV also supports super-resolution algorithms, which can raise 2K and 4K resources to the 8K level. Skyworth Q71 TV

At the smart level, Q71 TV not only supports AI voice operation but also is equipped with a pop-up AI camera that supports 6-channel video calls and multi-device answering. In terms of interface and network, the Q71 TV supports HDMI 2.1 interface, which can realize 8K input, and also supports Wi-Fi 6 network, providing smooth network connection capability of more than gigabit level. Skyworth Q71 TV

The Skyworth Q71 series TV is available in 65, 75 and 85-inch versions. The first two models are priced at 11999 (~$1762) and 17,999 yuan (~$2643) respectively. The 85-inch version will go on sale in December and the price has not been announced.

 

Chargeasap’s Omega is the World’s smallest 200W GaN USB-C Charger

GaN chargers are slowly taking over the market. Companies like Nubia, Huawei, Meizu have already launched GaN chargers up to 120W. However, a company named Chargeasap has taken a huge leap with its new 100 and 200W 2nd generation GaN(Gallium Nitride) Omega chargers. It says the adapters can charge laptops, smartphones and other USB devices. If the company’s claims are true, these could be the world’s first and smallest GaN chargers.

What is GaN?

For the unaware, Gallium Nitride is a semiconductor and it has increasingly been replacing silicon-based power adapters recently. The reason for its popularity is, it has high efficiency, less heat dissipation, high-current conduction at smaller form factor. All these advantages seem to show greater potential of turning older silicon material into a fossil soon.

Unique features of Omega 100W and 200W chargers

Charegeasap is a consumer electronics company based out of Sydney. It says it has used Navitas GaNFast NV6127 Power IC on the 2nd-generation GaN chargers. It adds that the new chargers are devoid of issues like overheating, lack of power distribution that is found on many 1st-gen GaN chargers. Further, the company says that the Omega charger will be a value for money as it replaces Apple’s 96W, Huawei and OnePlus’ adapter combined $248 with just $75 price of its 200W charger.

The company says the 200W Omega Charger can charge two MacBook Pro at same time. If the claims are true, the 4-way output on the 200W charger can also charge a laptop(eg.Macbook Pro), tablet(eg.iPad Pro), an iPhone and Airpods simultaneously.

Editor’s Pick: Xiaomi Mi 20W Smart Tracking Wireless Charger Pad Review: A Cool Product with a couple of Drawbacks

100W and 200W 2nd-Gen GaN USB-C Chargers Specification

According to Chargeasap, its new chargers are 66% smaller than traditional adapters. It has foldable prongs and lighter weight(100W-120g, 200W-220g) will help people carry it over easily. The Omega Chargers operate around 100-240V and has 3-plug converters including AU, EU, and UK. It can hence be used in 200+ countries.

 

The USB-A ports are also compatible with Quick Charge 3.0, AFC, VOOC, SCP, FCP almost all major fast charging protocols in the market from all major brands including Samsung, Huawei, Oppo, Vivo and OnePlus up to 22.5W.

Crowd-funding price, RRP and Availability

The chargers are already listed in Kickstarter crowd-funding platform since August 11. As of now, support has surpassed close to $1.068 million. As per the company, the 200W charger is capable of charging four devices at the same time. The kickstarter crowd-funding project will run for 60 days till October 10th 7:41PM UTC +5.30.

During this period, the perk for 100W starts at $45 while the 200W starts at $75. Post this, company says the Full RRP(Recommended Retail Price) for 100W, 200W will be $99 and $149 respectively. H

owever, the next-gen chargers won’t be available for shipping at least for the next two months till December 2020.

Up Next: Alleged Apple AirPower Mini wireless charger appears in a leaked video

The third Android 11 Beta for vivo NEX 3S 5G & iQOO 3 4G/5G comes with Funtouch OS 11

Like fellow Chinese OEMs, vivo was also part of Android 11 Beta program. The company delivered two builds each for two of its smartphones – vivo NEX 3S 5G and iQOO 3 4G/5G. Now, the firm has released the third beta build with Funtouch OS 11 based on Android 11 stable codebase.

iQOO 3

Chinese smartphone makers like OnePlus, OPPO, and Xiaomi have already released the 2020 version of their mobile operating system. These companies have also begun to roll out beta builds to a large number of users.

On the other hand, vivo is yet to announce its latest Android skin Funtouch OS 11. However, the company did tease it at the vivo V20 series launch event in Thailand. Interestingly, the company had also quietly released a beta build of the same for vivo NEX 3S 5G and iQOO 3 4G/5G on September 20 going by their build numbers.

The first-ever Funtouch OS 11 beta build based on Android 11 stable codebase for the above-mentioned vivo smartphones comes after Android 11 Beta 1 in June and Android 11 Beta 2 in July.

Just like the previous two builds, the latest one is also only meant for developers. But anyone can try it, however, we would recommend not to.

That said, we expect vivo to soon announce Funtouch OS 11 officially in the coming days.

 

(Source / Via)

Galaxy S20 FE arrives with a combination of style and performance

Samsung had another Galaxy Unpacked event today during which it unveiled the Galaxy S20 FE. The new phone is the latest member of the Galaxy S20 family and it seamlessly combines style and performance.

Galaxy S20 FE

Galaxy S20 FE Design

The Galaxy S20 FE comes in six exciting colors and it looks like it will be a tough decision choosing one as they all look really good. However, the colorful appearance and haze finish are just a part of the design as there are other strong points.

The hole in the phone’s infinity-O display is the smallest in a Galaxy phone. It also has triple rear cameras in a rectangular housing with a frame that matches the color of the phone.

Galaxy S20 FE Specifications

The Galaxy S20 FE has a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a 2400 x 1080 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The 5G version is powered by the Snapdragon 865 processor while the 4G version has an Exynos 990 processor. The phone comes with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage which can be expanded to up to an additional 1TB via a MicroSD card slot.

There are three cameras on the back of the phone – a 12MP f/2.2 123° ultrawide angle camera, a 12MP f/1.89 Dual Pixel camera with OIS, and an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto camera. There is 3x optical zoom and up to 30x space zoom. The selfie camera is a 32MP f/2.2 camera.

Galaxy S20 FE specs

Samsung ships the Galaxy S20 FE with a 4500mAh battery with support for 25W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, and PowerShare (reverse wireless charging). Not surprisingly, Samsung ships the phone with a 15W charger.

The phone ships with Android 10 out of the box and is eligible for three OS upgrades. It has NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, an in-display fingerprint scanner, stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos technology. It also has an IP68 rating.

 

Price and Availability

The Galaxy S20 FE is priced at $699 (128GB) for the 5G version in the US. In the UK, the 4G version is £599 (128GB) while the 5G version is £699. In Europe, the 4G version with 128GB is €669 (€649 in some countries) while the 5G version is €769 (€749 in some markets). Some European countries also get a 256GB version that is €719 for the 4G version and €819 for the 5G version.

Galaxy S20 FE all colors

Those who pre-order can choose between a free Xbox Gamepass bundle (3 months subscription + MOGA XP5 controller) or a Galaxy Fit 2. Pre-orders start today and then the phone goes on sale on October 2. Do note that some of the colors are only available online.

 

Xiaomi launches the Mi Smart Dashcam 2 Standard Edition for 299 yuan (~$44)

In May of this year, Xiaomi launched the Mi Smart Dashcam 2K version priced at 399 yuan (~$58). The company has now unveiled the Mi Smart Dashcam 2 Standard Edition with a lower price tag of 299 yuan (~$44). The product is on sale on the Youpin website.Mi Smart Dashcam 2 Standard Edition

The Mi Smart Dashcam 2K launched in May looks like a regular camera and can record ultra-high-definition video up to 1600p. The back is equipped with a 3.0-inch IPS screen to clearly show the details of what is being recorded. This new model has a more compact built but retains the square design with a side length of only 7 cm. The recording resolution for this model is reduced to 1080P instead of 2K on the first model. This is still enough to produce clear images. The display screen at the back is also reduced to a 2.0-inch LCD screen.Mi Smart Dashcam 2 Standard Edition

It uses a 1/2.9-inch photosensitive element and is equipped with a large F/2.0 aperture to achieve high-quality imaging in low-light environments. At the same time, it has a 130° super wide-angle lens, which can cover three lanes and reduce blind spots in shooting.

The Mi Smart Dashcam 2 Standard Edition supports intelligent voice control. There is no need to wake up when recording. You can directly give the voice command and the current picture or video will be saved immediately depending on the command.

Mi Smart Dashcam 2 Standard EditionAt the same time, using the MIJIA app, users can connect to the dashboard camera for real-time viewing of captured pictures, playback and historical image download. The standard version also supports more efficient H.265 encoding, which occupies less storage space at the same resolution.

 

Xiaomi to launch the MIJIA Smart Pet Water Dispenser on Sept. 25th

Xiaomi has today announced that it will be releasing a new smart home product soon. The product is revealed as the MIJIA Smart Pet Water Dispenser and will be launched on September 25. It will be sold on Xiaomi Mall for 169 yuan (~24).

MIJIA Smart Pet Water Dispenser features a patented design with a minimalist structure, and a hidden circuit to achieve true water and electricity separation. The sink is smooth and clean. Also, cleaning the sink is as convenient and labour-saving as cleaning a water bowl.MIJIA Smart Pet Water Dispenser

This smart pet water dispenser can simulate a mountain stream spring, using a circulating waterway. The running water is rich in oxygen as if being in nature, satisfying the pet’s nature, and enhancing the interest in drinking water.

In addition, the MIJIA Smart Pet Water Dispenser uses internationally excellent filter materials and four-fold high-efficiency deep filtration to intercept fine particles, hair, residual chlorine, and calcium and magnesium ions that can induce Kidney stones. It not only cleans but also softens the water.

It also comes with MIJIA app support which allows owners to receive reminders at any time via mobile phone notifications to add water, clean and replace the filter element.

 

New Redmi TWS Earbuds and Earphones to launch on September 30

Xiaomi India has several products scheduled to launch on September 29. The product lineup includes the Mi Watch Revolve, the Mi Smart Band 5, and an automatic soap dispenser. Apparently, there are more products, this time from Redmi, and they will be launching the next day on September 30.

A post shared on Twitter by Manu Kumar Jain, the CEO of Xiaomi India, has revealed that there will be two new audio products from Redmi launching on the last day of September.

The tweet says the products will launch under a banner called Redmi Beat Drop. The video included in the tweet teases the launch of new TWS earbuds and a pair of new wired earphones. However, there are reports that the second product is the Redmi Sonic Wireless Earphones that launched in Nepal earlier this month.

Redmi Earbuds 2C

If you are wondering what new earbuds are coming, we want to believe it is the Redmi Earbuds 2C. The product received its Bluetooth certification in July but is yet to launch. However, there is a chance it may launch under a different name.

 

Zeaplus Buds is a $25 Apple AirPods Pro clone with Active Noise Cancellation

AirPods Pro is considered as one of the best earbuds in the market right now, particularly because of its Active Noise Cancelling feature. However, Apple’s Pro earbuds also demands an extremely high price tag of $249.

An average user is not willing to spend anything over $30-50 for a pair of earbuds which means features like active noise cancellation is never even considered by most consumers. However, there are companies like Zeaplus who are trying to bring premium features such as Active Noise Cancellation at an extremely affordable price tag. And its latest Zeaplus Buds boasts of ANC at an unbelievable $25 price tag.

Zeaplus Buds 01

If you are looking for a similar design and fit as the AirPods Pro without having to spend a fortune, the Zeaplus Buds can be a really good alternative. It’s basically an AirPods Pro clone with a similar stem and tip design, featuring a white and black color scheme. While there are a bunch of AirPods Pro clones in the market, the Zeaplus buds comes with Active Noise Cancellation.

Zeaplus Buds 06

It even features transparent mode – similar to the Apple AirPods Pro which lets in the sound from the surroundings. Naturally, the ANC and transparency mode isn’t expected to be anywhere near the AirPods Pro, but we did try it out and it’s definitely not a gimmick. The ANC mode does work and gives you some noise isolation enabling an immersive experience.

Zeaplus Buds earbuds featured

The Zeaplus Buds offers 4 hours of battery life and a total of 20 hours with the case. Note that the case supports wireless charging too, which is a really handy addition considering its $25 price tag.

Our review of the Zeaplus Buds will be up very soon so stay tuned for that. Meanwhile, you can get the Zeaplus buds at just $25 (first 1000 units) instead of the usual $50 price tag.

Check out the Zeaplus website for more details.

Update:

Zeaplus Buds Review:

 

IMINT partners with MediaTek to integrate its video enhancement solutions at a deeper level

IMINT, a Sweden-based company is known for offering video enhancement solutions for smartphone cameras. The company’s flagship product “Vidhance” is used by a plethora of OEMs like HUAWEI, OPPO, vivo, Xiaomi, Motorola, and Infinix. Now, this company is partnering with Taiwanese chipmaker MediaTek to deeply integrate both their products.

IMINT Logo Featured

Up until now, IMINT’s Vidhance is only integrated at the software level in smartphones powered by MediaTek chipsets. But with the new partnership, it can be integrated at a deeper (hardware) level to improve the overall performance of video stabilization by consuming less energy.

The following IMINT products will be integrated at a deeper level in MediaTek chips.

  • Vidhance Dynamic Motion Blur Reduction
  • Vidhance Super Stabilization
  • Vidhance Field of View Correction
  • Vidhance Horizon Correction

The Swedish company says that its technologies are deployed in over 250 million smartphones. Apart from handsets, the firm’s products can be also found in bodycams, modular cameras, and drones.

As GSMArena points out, OEMs are lately turning towards MediaTek for cheaper alternatives to costlier 5G-equipped Qualcomm chipsets. If this trend continues, budget smartphone users will have access to the products offered by IMINT, which will help in providing better video recording performance. 

 

[Updated] Xiaomi Smarter Living 2021: Here are the Expected Smart Products that will launch at the event

[Update: 28/09/2020] Mi Band 5 and Mi Watch Revolve Prices tipped:

Tipster Ishan Agarwal has said that MRPs of Xiaomi Mi Band 5, and Mi Watch Revolve will be ₹2,999($41) and ₹10,999($149) respectively. He adds that both the products will hence be sold below the specified MRP and could start at around ₹2,499 for Mi Band 5 and less than ₹9,999 for Mi Watch Revolve.

 

We are still a week away from the Xiaomi Smarter living 2021 Event that is scheduled to happen on September 29 at 12 PM IST in India. However, the company has been consistently teasing new products every day. That said, let us have a look at what is coming on next Tuesday.

Xiaomi Smarter Living 2020 Event India September 29

Just like last year, Xiaomi is focussing on bringing more IoT products. It has so far teased Mi Band 5, an AI speaker (rebranded XiaoAI Speaker from China), a Mi SmartWatch, and a Soap Dispenser.

Mi Smart Band 5

Mi Smart Band 5

Xiaomi launched the Mi Band 5 back in  China back in June and a month later globally. Just like the predecessor, this one is also be rebadged as Mi Smart Band 5 in India. It has a bigger 1.1-inch AMOLED display with 450 nits brightness. Further, it has a six-axis accelerometer, a PPG sensor for heart-rate, and sleep monitoring. It also features a slightly higher 125mAh battery with 14-days of battery life, and supports magnetic charging.

Other features include 11 sport modes with PAI index, 100s of animated watch faces. However, there are chances we might lose the NFC on the Indian variant.

You may want to check out our Mi Band 5 Review here.

Mi Watch Revolve

Mi Watch Color Mi Watch Revolve Featured

Back in December, Xiaomi brought a stripped-down version of the Mi Watch dubbed the Mi Watch Color in China with colorful straps. Later, it got rebadged as Mi Watch Revolve elsewhere. And going by the teasers from Xiaomi India, the Mi SmartWatch could indeed be the Mi Watch Revolve. However, the company is teasing the word “Evolve” in its teaser so we aren’t sure about the naming just yet.

Editor’s Pick: Xiaomi launches the Little Whale Wash Antibacterial Smart Toilet for 1999 yuan (~$295)

That said, the Mi Watch shares some of its features from Huami’s Amazfit despite being made by Shangai Suo Prime Technology Ltd. It has a 1.39-inch circular dial with a 454×454 resolution. All the essential sensors including Accelerometer, Barometer, Heart-rate sensor along with 5ATM water-resistance is present. It also has a 420mAh battery, 24×7 heart-rate, sleep, and stress monitoring, 10 sport modes, and Wi-Fi, Bluetooth for connectivity.

 

AI Smart Speaker

Xiaomi XiaoAI Speaker Art
Xiaomi XiaoAI Speaker Art

Xiaomi announced a smart speaker Art powered by Xiao-AI assistant back in May in China. Teasers from Xiaomi India suggests that this might be heading to India. However, considering the Xiao-AI assistant is sort of limited to China, we can expect the Indian variant to be powered by Google/Amazon’s Alexa but we will have to wait for that.

The AI speaker has a 2.5-inch speaker unit with a DTS sound profile. Featuring a metallic build, the speaker has capacitive touch keys for media controls. Other features include Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 5 for connectivity, and Stereo 2.0 sound.

 

Automatic Soap Dispenser

Xiaomi seems to have captured the market’s moment as one of the products at the smarter living event will be an Automatic Soap Dispenser. From the teaser, it looks more like the Mijia Soap Dispenser from 2018. It has a dispenser top with a protruding tip, a 320mm flask of soap enough for 400 hand-washes.

It uses a near-field Infrared Sensor to sense the hand motion and as we bring our hands near to the tip, it spills out the soap required for one hand-wash. The Chinese variant also comes with anti-bacterial and PH-Neutral soap solution in the box. However, it requires 4-AA batteries to run the dispenser. At a time when keeping our hands clean and maintaining social distancing is necessary, this seems like a bang-on product from Xiaomi.

 

Other products

Xiaomi’s poster for the Smarter living event also includes an image of a Smart Bulb. This could be another variant of the recently launched Smart Bulb. Further, Xiaomi has teased the arrival of new Sneakers in India and this could be a rebadged Mijia Sneakers 3/4 but we aren’t sure about it yet.

 

Up Next: Xiaomi Mi TV LUX Ultra 8K 5G will come with a mini-LED panel

GSMA reshuffles MWC 2021 dates; Barcelona event moved to late June

Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona is known to take place in the first quarter of the year, but that changes next year as the GSMA has announced new dates for its events.

Mobile World Congress

The new dates announced by the GSMA in a press release informed us that MWC Shanghai, which used to take place in June, will now hold in February, while MWC Barcelona moves to June. The Barcelona event was originally scheduled for the first week of March 2021. Below are the exact dates for the events in 2021:

  • MWC Shanghai: February 23 – February 25
  • MWC Barcelona: June 28 – July 1

*MWC Los Angeles remains unchanged with this year’s edition set to take place between October 28 to October 30.

The GSMA says the decision to move the Barcelona event to June is so as to deal with external circumstances related to COVID-19. The decision was also taken after planning and consultation with all key stakeholders. The Director-General of the GSMA, Mats Granryd, has said that “the health and safety of exhibitors, attendees, staff and the people of Barcelona are of paramount importance”.

MWC Barcelona is one of the biggest tech events in the world. The tech show is a platform for exhibitors to show off new technologies. A lot of phone manufacturers also use the platform to announce new products. It remains to be seen if these products will still be unveiled in the first quarter of the year at individual events or if they will be delayed so that they can be announced at MWC Barcelona.

 

Xiaomi Mi TV LUX Ultra 8K 5G will come with mini-LED panel

Earlier today, Xiaomi officially announced to launch Mi TV LUX Ultra 8K 5G (Mi TV Master Series Extreme Commemorative Edition) on September 28.  A few hours later, the company dropped another teaser confirming it to feature mini-LED panel.

Xiaomi Mi TV LUX Ultra 8K 5G Mini-LED Teaser

So far, Xiaomi has launched two models under its Mi TV Master series, which is known as Mi TV LUX in global markets. The first model called Mi TV LUX 65” OLED was released in July 2020. A month later, the company launched another television called Mi TV LUX OLED Transparent Edition as the world’s cheapest as well as first mass-produced transparent TV.

Now, more than a month later, the company will launch Mi TV LUX Ultra 8K 5G as the world’s first mass-manufactured 8K mini-LED TV with 5G connectivity. That means two of the three models under Xiaomi’s premium smart TV series are world firsts.

That said, mini-LED fixes almost all the problems that OLED has. These type of panels are brighter, burn-in free, and consume less power. Above all, they are as thin as OLED and hence, the televisions equipped with them are not thicker.

Since the screen on this upcoming Mi TV will be of 8K (7680 x 4320) resolution, it will also come with an integrated 5G modem to enable users to stream high-quality content at higher speeds.

Though Xiaomi is yet to reveal the size of this television, it has been already leaked to feature an 82-inch panel supplied by LG Display.

 

Huawei to soon launch consumer grade desktop PCs and Monitors

In a conference earlier today (23rd September 2020), Wang Yinfeng, President of Huawei Tablet and PC product line, confirmed that the company is actively working towards launching consumer grade desktops in the market along with new monitors in the near future.

Huawei

Previously, we had reported on the Chinese tech giant looking to launch a curved gaming monitor series, which is likely a part of the company’s proprietary monitor brand. With this, Huawei will also be competing with another Chinese company that recently entered the monitor market, Xiaomi. Reports have also revealed the supplier, BOE, that would ship the first 2 to 3 batches of the displays panels. The sizes of the Huawei monitors have been hinted at 27 inch and 34 inch variants.

Furthermore, the company had also recently launched a workstation desktop that was powered by a Kunpeng 920 processor. However, this was only aimed at developers and not the consumer, but the conference from today revealed that Huawei will soon launch desktop PCs for consumers as well, as per a MyDrivers report. According to the senior executive, the company is developing commercial grade desktop products as well that should arrive soon.

Huawei

Unfortunately, no specific deadlines or launch dates were given out during the event. It is also unknown what exactly the branding of these new desktop and PC peripheral products will carry. However, we now know for sure that the Chinese company is planning on entering the consumer PC market. So stay tuned for more updates that should arrive soon.

 

Apple to source mini LED orders from China based Sanan: Report

San’an Optoelectronics, a China based LED chip maker, might soon be one of the sources in the supply chain of Apple. This would put the Chinese firm in direct competition with another Taiwan based chip maker that also develops mini LED backlighting applications which might be seen in the upcoming iPad and MacBook models in 2021.

Apple

According to a DigiTimes report, Sanan had lagged behind Epistar for about a year in terms of the development of mini LED technology. But with recent progress, the company might finally be beginning the production of mini LEDs by the end of 2020. These will then likely be certified by mid 2021 and can enter the Cupertino based giant’s supply chain by 2022.

For those unaware, Apple is reportedly set to acquire mini LED backlighting for its iPad Pro from Epistar, who is their sole supplier as per industry sources. The upcoming generation of products from the brand is expected to feature mini LED in various different categories like tablets to computers, so it would seem likely that the company will have more than one supplier.

Apple
iPad 8th generation (left) and iPad Air 4th generation (right)

Thus, with Sanan making leaps in its developments of the display technology it would soon be a viable supplier to Apple. Although, another important factor to consider is that even if it does manage to start mini LED production by 2021, the yield rates will be crucial to whether or not Apple starts ordering from the Chinese company.

 

Reliance Jio is working on a $50 Android phone for the Indian market

India is one of the largest smartphone markets in the world. While it is a key market for various brands from across the globe, Chinese OEMs have seemingly dominated the market in recent years. Now, Reliance Jio is seeking to disrupt the market share with an Android device that costs just 50 US Dollars.

JioPhone 2 featured
JioPhone 3, successor to the JioPhone 2 (above) will have a full touchscreen display

According to a TimesofIndia report, Reliance has asked local suppliers to bump the production capacity in India to raise smartphone production to 200 million units over the next two years. Sources close to the matter revealed this information and even stated that this would boost India’s technology ambitions and raise the competition against major Chinese players like Xiaomi.

Reliance Jio is currently in talks with various domestic assemblers to make an extremely affordable version of its Jio Phone that runs on Google‘s Android and costs just 4,000 INR (roughly 54 US Dollars). If this device launches, it would be one of the cheapest handset offerings in the market and will also stand with Jio’s known low cost wireless telecom data plans. For those unaware, Jio is a leading telecom operator in the Southeast Asian country and is also actively working to develop 5G networking as well.

Reliance Jio

Mukesh Ambani, Reliance Chairman, is apparently seeking to reform the country’s smartphone industry in a manner similar to when he reshaped the telecom services. When Reliance Jio first launched as a wireless data plan provider, it had a simple strategy of offering great deals at very aggressive pricing, which was extremely successful in India. Now that the company also has the government’s support, the billionaire is also aiming at building more domestic manufacturing sites that would likely also benefit other local brands like Karbonn Mobiles, Lava International, Dixon Technologies, and others.