Nokia has been awarded a contract to establish a 4G network on the moon. The contract is one of several that NASA is awarding to companies as it plans a return to the moon.
The $14.1 million contract was given to Nokia’s US subsidiary and is a small part of the $370 million total awarded to companies such as SpaceX. The cellular service will allow astronauts, rovers, lunar landers, and habitats to communicate with one another according to Jim Reuter, the Associate Administrator for NASA’s Space.
The 4G network that Nokia will build will be miles superior to the form of communication that was used during the early missions to the moon.
This is not Nokia’s first attempt to launch an LTE network on the moon. It planned to do so in 2018 in collaboration with PTScientists, a German space firm, and Vodafone UK to launch an LTE network at the site of the Apollo 17 landing but the plan never came to fruition.
A couple of days back, Zack(YT: JerryRigEverything) tested the durability of the new OnePlus 8T. Unlike the OnePlus 7T whose rear glass cracked, it survived the test. And now, a teardown video of him reveals the dual-batteries that are in the limelight lately.
As Zack opens the rear panel, we see an NFC coil at the top of the interior. After unscrewing the 16 Philips head screws, we see a speaker below without a water-proof seal. That’s because the mesh is attached to the frame. Now, removing the center ribbon cables reveals the elephant in the room, the dual-batteries.
From the looks, it doesn’t really seem like two separate physical batteries but has a crease at the center. This means there are two batteries packed as a single unit with a center joint. Spec-wise, OnePlus has kept each of them at 2,250mAh capacity. And, the total capacity works out to be 4,500mAh. Having said that, the dual-cell design once again rings a bell in us that batteries can’t withstand charging speeds greater than 30W.
Many companies have adopted the dual-cell design to increase the charging capacity of the smartphone to 65W, and more. Some of them include Oppo, Vivo, Realme, and now OnePlus.
Moving on, the speaker frame, charging port, few internal cables, SIM slot, all seem to have a rubber ring around them to protect water. The device, however, doesn’t have an official IP rating except for the OnePlus 8T+ with T-Mobile. In the past, most of the OnePlus phones have had water-proof seals inside but didn’t come with an IP rating. This is probably to skip extra cash for getting the certification which is most likely why the OnePlus 8T is priced fairly.
Cooling system
As for cooling, the motherboard has graphite tapes and copper that cover the silver shield. Scrapping it off reveals a thermal paste on the top which is probably to keep the CPU cool. OnePlus has gone on to apply it to the backside as well. Additionally, the inside of the frame has a copper chamber running through to the battery with copper pipes. Interestingly, the camera layout also a sheet of graphite and copper to keep it cool.
Nevertheless, OnePlus has kept it a tradition of making structurally sound devices and the OnePlus 8T carries the momentum, with double the fun(pun intended!).
It appears Xiaomi has not only secured the Snapdragon 875 processor ahead of other Chinese manufacturers for its Mi 11 flagship phone but will also get limited-time exclusivity.
The info comes from Digital Chat Station, the Chinese leaker, who revealed the info in a Weibo post earlier today. While the Mi 11 or whatever it will be called will be the first Chinese smartphone to be powered by the Snapdragon 875 processor, Samsung’s Galaxy S21 series will be the first to feature the chipset globally.
We are not too surprised at the news as processor exclusivity has become a thing that also occurs at the mid-range level. However, there is no info on how long the exclusive period will last but our guess is a month at most. Lest we forget, the Redmi K30 5G Racing announced back in May is still the only phone powered by the Snapdragon 768G Mobile Platform.
The Snapdragon 875 will be officially unveiled in December. The processor will have 8 cores in a 1+3+4 arrangement. It will be a 5nm chipset and will also come along with the Snapdragon X60 5G modem.
A few days ago, Huami announced the Amazfit Bip U in India. The new Bip smartwatch brings significant improvements to the Bip S series in addition to new features. However, the Bip U won’t just be one smartwatch but a series just like the Amazfit Bip S. We did some digging and found out that one of the smartwatches in the series is the Bip U Pro. We also found some of the features of the coming smartwatch.
Huami already revealed the Amazfit Bip U is a series
The Amazfit Bip U Pro will share not only a similar design as the Amazfit Bip U but also have practically all its specs and more. So it should have a 1.43-inch 320 x 302 display, 50 watch faces that include customizable ones, 60+ sports modes, SPO2 monitoring, stress monitoring, BioTrackerTM 2 PPG heart rate sensor, and 50 meters water-resistance among others. So what are the distinguishing features?
Built-in GPS – The Amazfit Bip U Pro will have built-in GPS which is a feature the standard version doesn’t have. This means if you are going for an outdoor run or a bike ride, you don’t need to take your phone along for GPS.
Geomagnetic Sensor – The Amazfit Bip U Pro will also have a geomagnetic sensor which means it will have a compass. This is also great for those who exercise outdoors.
Microphone (and probably speaker) – The pro version will come with a microphone. This should mean users will be able to use it to answer calls or call up an assistant (probably Amazon Alexa) to set alarms and timers and the likes.
NFC* – we are not sure about this but this is a possibility. The Amazfit Bip U will launch in China as the Amazfit Pop and from a product video released by the company, the Pop has support for NFC which the standard Bip U doesn’t have. Huami may decide to add NFC support to the Amazfit Bip U Pro too.
1 of 2
Huami has not yet revealed when the Amazfit Bip U Pro will launch but if the above features are necessary for you, then you will have to wait till it is announced. Of course, it will cost more than the standard version when it launches.
Instead of the iPhone 12 lineup, during its first event held in September, Apple launched the new iPad Air 4 and iPad 10.2 8th gen. The iPad Air 4 just went on pre-orders and, according to benchmarks, it has even higher performance than the iPhone 12. But, if we exclude the iPad Pro targeted at professional users, the iPad Air 4 is the most expensive Apple tablet. Is it worth spending more on such a device or cheaper tablets like iPad 10.2 8th gen and iPad Mini 5 make more sense for your needs? This is a specs comparison between iPad Air 4 and other affordable Apple iPads which should let you find out.
Apple iPad Air 4 vs Apple iPad 10.2 8th gen vs Apple iPad Mini 5
10.2 inches, 1620 x 2160p (Quad HD+), Retina IPS LCD
7.9 inches, 1536 x 2048p (Quad HD+), IPS LCD
PROCESSOR
Apple A14 Bionic, hexa-core 2.5 GHz
Apple A12 Bionic, hexa-core 2.5 GHz
Apple A12 Bionic, octa-core 2.5 GHz
MEMORY
64 GB – 256 GB
3 GB RAM, 32 GB – 3 GB RAM, 128 GB
3 GB RAM, 64 GB – 3 GB RAM, 256 GB
SOFTWARE
iPadOS 14
iPadOS 14
iOS 12 (upgradable to iPadOS)
CONNECTIVITY
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS
CAMERA
Single 12 MP f/1.8
7 MP f/2.0 front camera
Single 8 MP f/2.4
1.2 MP f/2.2 front camera
8 MP f/2.4
7 MP f/2.2 front camera
BATTERY
28.6 Wh
32.4 Wh
19.1 Wh
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Optional LTE, Pen support, keyboard support
Optional LTE, Pen support
Optional LTE, Pen support
Design
You can see it even at first glance: the iPad Air 4 is the tablet with the most stunning design. Thanks to its very narrow bezels around the display, it is very elegant and futuristic. So, if you want the iPad with the best look, you know what to choose. Instead, if you need the most compact and lightweight tablet, go for the iPad Mini 5: thanks to its smaller display, it comes with smaller dimensions. Note that the iPad Air 4 also supports the keyboard and it turns into a mini-laptop. Despite its wider display, it has similar dimensions to the iPad 10.2 8th gen.
Display
The most advanced display is on board of the iPad Air 2020: it is a Liquid Retina IPS LCD panel with a 500 nit brightness and very high resolution (1640 x 2360 pixels). It is a wider display and it has the widest color gamut, as well as the True Tone technology and full lamination. Right after, we got the iPad 10.2 8th gen: unfortunately, you do not get full lamination, but it is still a pretty nice panel. Even the iPad Mini 5 is nice, but if you want the best multimedia tablet, the iPad Air 2020 has no rivals but the iPad Pro.
Hardware/Software
The iPad Air 4 has the most powerful chipset ever seen on a tablet launched by Apple to date. We are talking about the Apple A14 Bionic: the first SoC built at 5 nm and the same chipset as the iPhone 12. But the iPad Air 2020 actually provides even better performance than iPhone 12 because the Apple A14 clock is limited on the iPhone 12. In order to get a device that can beat the iPad Air 4, you have to consider the iPhone 12 Pro or the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Both the iPad Mini 5 and the iPad 10.2 8th gen are fueled by the Apple A12 Bionic chipset, but there is a difference: iPad 10.2 8th gen ships with iPadOS 14 out of the box, while the iPad Mini 5 ships with iOS 12. So, expect longer software support with the iPad 10.2 8th gen.
Camera
The Apple iPad Air 4 has a way better rear camera than iPad 10.2 8th gen and iPad Mini 5. We are talking about a 12 MP rear camera which is actually the same sensor as the latest iPhones, but it is not supported by any secondary sensor and it does not come with OIS. The camera is able to record 4K videos at 60 fps and 1080p videos up to 240 fps. The iPad Mini 5 and the iPad 10.2 8th gen sport the same 8 MP rear camera, but the front camera is better on the iPad Mini 5 (7 MP vs 1.2 MP).
Battery
Unfortunately, we did not test the battery life of the iPad Air 4. iPad Mini 5 has a smaller battery than its siblings. It will be a hard fight between iPad Air 4 and iPad 10.2 8th gen. According to Apple, they both last up to 10 hours (multimedia).
Price
Apple iPad Mini 5 is actually priced less than €400/$350, iPad 10.2 8th gen costs €370/$329, and iPad Air 4 has a €640/$599 starting price. Unless you need a very compact tablet, it does not make too many sense to go for an iPad Mini 5 with the iPad 10.2 8th gen around. The iPad Air 4 wins the comparison under every point of view, but it is way more expensive.
Just as we got a Mate 30 RS Porsche Design last year, Huawei will also be launching a Mate 40 RS Porsche Design RS this year. If you are wondering what the phone looks like, then you are in luck as a photo of the back panel has been posted on the internet.
The photo was posted on Twitter by Teme (@RODENT950) and it shows the phone’s octagonal camera housing which is filled with holes. The panel has a sort of blue-ish paint job with a mix of gloss and matte finish.
The middle of the case is a thick band of several lines that runs from the top of the camera housing down to the bottom. Unlike the Mate 30 RS Porsche Design, the Mate 40 RS Porsche Design doesn’t have the luxury band’s logo but Porsche Design is written in full on the back. The design is unusual but personally, I prefer this to that of last year’s model.
In a reply to the original tweet, the leaker revealed the Mate 40 RS Porsche Design will sell for €2000. This is slightly less than the €2095 launch price of last year’s model. He also revealed that the back is made of ceramic and there will be a white variant too.
Just like the Mate 40 Pro, the Porsche Design edition should also be powered by the Kirin 9000 processor, come with an OLED display, and have support for fast wired and fast wireless charging.
Samsung Electronics has topped the world’s best employer ranking in a recent study by Forbes. The study reportedly asked the participants’ willingness to recommend employers based on covid-19 response, talent acquisition, gender equality, and more.
The said Forbes study is done(via Sammobile) in partnership with market research firm Statistica. Accordingly, more than 160,000 participants from 58 countries took the survey anonymously. They are reportedly full-time and part-time workers. The report says the survey went on a rolling basis from June-July.
Samsung Electronics has topped the list of 750 MNCs(Multi-National Corporations) headquartered in over 45 countries. To be precise, Samsung Electronicsranks No.1 overall, and it is categorized under Semiconductor, Electronics, Electrical Engg., Technology Hardware & Equipment. Surprisingly LG is trailing behind Samsung at 5th Place outsmarting Apple, and Huawei.
Credits: Forbes/Statistica
If we take Samsung, it has had a lot of ups and downs as a company in 2020. However, every time, it woke up from the dust and improved. When the world got hit by Coronavirus, it quickly shut down its factories in South Korea after confirmed cases but soon scaled it back. As a Consumer Electronics company, it didn’t stop there. It opened a UV sanitizing service for its Galaxy series of Smartphones.
Showing concerns for both consumers and employees
Similarly, in the semiconductor business, it was quick enough to shift the production from Korea to Vietnam to tackle the situation. Later, it smartly reduced the component orders by 50% when the scenario was a near-death sentence back then. Also, it contributed to countries like India by pledging nearly ₹20 crores($2.7 million) to the PM CARES fund and other state govt to combat the virus.
And now, it is ready to expand the market even more but also ensure the safety of its future Smart home products with UV-LED technology. All these shows how much commitment Samsung is showing to its consumers, and employees. That said, 2020 is almost over and companies like Samsung are gearing up for a varied strategy in 2021 with well sorted out plans for TV business, smartphones, semiconductors, auxiliary components, and more.
Huawei will unveil its Mate 40 series in a few days but the leaks have not stopped pouring in. Today, a new leak has been published on the web that reveals not only the key specs of the Mate 40 Pro but also press renders.
The Mate 40 Pro is a bigger device than its predecessor. Its screen size is 6.76-inches, an increase from the 6.53-inch screen of the Mate 30 Pro. The greatly curved display is an OLED panel with a resolution of 2722 x 1344 and a 456 PPI as reported by Winfuture. It also ditches the notch for a pill-shaped punch hole on the left side of the screen.
Powering the phone is the new HiSilicon Kirin 9000 processor, a 5nm octa-core chipset with a prime Cortex-A77 core clocked at 3.13GHz, three high-end A77 cores clocked at 2.54GHz, and four efficiency Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 2.04GHz. The chipset also has a Mali-G78 GPU and an integrated 5G modem.
In Europe, the phone will come in a single configuration that has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. Other markets such as China will be able to pick up a 12GB RAM variant. There is an NM (nano-memory) card slot that allows for storage expansion.
For its cameras, the Mate 40 Pro has a 50MP triple camera system on the back arranged on a circle with Leica’s branding in the middle. As you can see in the image below, the camera housing protrudes a bit
The main sensor has an f/1.9 aperture and it comes along with a 20MP f/1.8 ultrawide angle camera and a 12MP f/3.4 telephoto zoom camera. There is 5x optical zoom and support for 8K video recording. There is also a dual-tone LED flash at the top while the sensor on the upper right is said to be a color temperature sensor that should help it capture true colors.
The pill-shaped cutout houses a 13MP f/2.4 primary sensor and a 3D sensor. Just like last year’s mode, the Mate 40 Pro will support gesture controls.
The phone packs a 4400mAh battery that has support for 65W fast wired charging via a USB 3.1 Gen 1 port. Users will be able to fully charge the phone from empty in under 1 hour. The Mate 40 Pro also has Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and Wi-Fi 6. Unfortunately, it runs Android 10 with EMUI 11 and Huawei Mobile Services rather than the new Android 11.
The Huawei Mate 40 Pro will be available in black and silver in Europe but may be available in more colorways in other regions. There is no info on the price of the smartphone.
Huawei has confirmed to launch Mate40 series on October 22. The series is reported to include a total of four devices. A standard model and three Pro models including a limited edition. Now, as we are only days away front heir official announcement, all the colors and storage configurations of the Pro variants have leaked.
The HUAWEI Mate40 series will consist of the following four models.
HUAWEI Mate40
HUAWEI Mate40 Pro
HUAWEI Mate40 Pro+
PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate40 RS
All four of them are said to be powered by 5nm HiSiliccon Kirin 9000 chipset. The only major difference between them will be their cameras.
Now, according to a user called @RODENT950 on Twitter, who is known for Huawei-related leaks, the Mate40 Pro and PORSCHE DESIGN model will come in two storage configurations, whereas the Mate40 Pro+ will be only available in a single storage version.
As for colors, the Mate40 Pro will be available in five colors while the Mate40 Pro+ and PORSHE Design variant will only come in two colors.
HUAWEI Mate40 Pro Storage Variants & Colors
Storage Variants
8GB + 256GB
8GB + 512GB
Colors (Translated)
Bright Black (Black)
Cosmic Silver (Silver/Gray)
Autumn Populus Euphratica (Yellowish Orange)
Populus Euphratica (Green)
Glazed/Pearl White (White)
HUAWEI Mate40 Pro+ Storge Variants & Colors
Storage Variants
12GB + 256GB
Colors (Translated)
Ceramic White (White)
Ceramic Black (Black)
PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate40 RS Storage Variants and Colors
In September, Samsung globally announced the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition budget-friendly flagship phone. Earlier this month, the company unveiled the Galaxy S20 FE 4G in India. Yesterday, the 5G edition of the phone was made official in China with a starting price of 4,999 Yuan (~$746).
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition 5G has arrived in China in two variants such as 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage. They are priced at 4,999 Yuan and 5,399 Yuan, respectively. The handset comes in colors like Whimsical Blue, Fantasy Purple, Photosynthetic Green, Inspiration Red, and Kora White in China. Customers who pre-order the device will get Galaxy Buds earbuds and six interest-free installments.
The Galaxy S20 FE smartphone that comes with an IP68 certified chassis comes with a 6.5-inch FHD+ S-AMOLED display with a punch-hole design. The display offers a 120Hz refresh rate and it is integrated with a fingerprint scanner. It has a front camera of 32-megapixel.
The Snapdragon 865 mobile platform powers the Chinese variant. It houses a 4,500mAh battery that supports 25W fast charging. The triple camera system of the phone has an OIS assisted 12-megapixel primary shooter, a 123-degree 12-megapixel ultrawide lens, and an OIS-ready 8-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom support.
Sony has finally revealed the Price of the PlayStation 5(PS5) series for India. The Digital Edition of PS5 is also coming to India. And this time, the Digital Edition price is close to the Microsoft’s Xbox Series S despite sharing the same specs as the PS5.
Sony PlayStation 5 India Price details
So to clear your mind, both the PlayStation 5 versions are coming to India. The Standard PS5 variant with 4K Blue-ray disc drive will retail(via Android Central) for ₹49,990($680). And the Digital Edition of the PS5 is priced at ₹39,990($544). That said, the pricing is good compared to Microsoft‘s Xbox series X. The Xbox Series S and X don’t share the same internals and the Series S is priced at ₹34,990($475) whereas the Series X is at ₹49,990($680).
To conclude, you get a PS5 digital edition that has comparable internals to the Series X in India by paying just ₹5,000 more than Xbox series S. And, the standard PS5 with disc-drive is priced the same as the Series X. Also, you can compare the price difference of PS5 Digital Edition and Standard edition of different countries below:
Countries
PS5 Price
PS5 Digital Edition Price
India(in ₹)
49,990
39,990
USA(in $)
499.99
399.99
Europe(in €)
499.99
399.99
UK(in £)
449.99
359.99
JAPAN(in ¥)
49,980
39,980
Other Hardware accessories Pricing
Additionally, Sony has also revealed the price details of other hardware accessories that are compatible with PS5. This includes DualSense Wireless Controller, HD Camera, PULSE 3D Wireless Headset, Media Remote, and a DualSense Charging station. You can take a look at the prices below:
At the live stream event, Sony said that the PS5 will get quite a few new titles. And showcased gameplays of them that included Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Now, the Indian Prices of the games are revealed. Titles like Demon’s Souls, Destruction Allstars, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition are priced at ₹4,999. However, Sackboy: A Big Adventure and Marvels Spider-man: Miles Morales standard edition is priced at ₹3,999.
PlayStation 5 Availability
At the launch, Sony initially revealed that PS5 will be available for pre-orders in select retailers last month. As of now, the PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition will be available in Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea Mexico, New Zealand, and the US starting November 15. For India though, the availability is still a mystery.
However, Sony reportedly set November 19 as the launch date for India before amending it later. The reason for the delay could be due to the trademark issue as the company doesn’t own the PS5 trademark in India. That said, Xbox Series S, and X will launch in India on November 10.
TCL is one of the world’s largest television makers. It is also one of the largest TV brands in the US. The company became popular in the country due to its budget Roku-powered TVs. Now, for the first time, the firm has launched a wide-range of 4K TVs under its well-known Class 4-Series powered by Google Android TV platform in the US.
TCL Class 4-Series 4K Android TV Specifications
TCL is known for its Class 4-Series range of smart televisions powered by Roku in the US. Now, the company has expanded its portfolio by introducing new 43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, and 75-inch versions of these 4K TVs with Google Android TV.
All of these television models feature similar specifications and features. They only differ in screen sizes. That means all the 5 models sport LCD panel with LED backlight, 3840 x 2160 resolution (4K) and 1.07 billion colors. These panels also support HDR10 and HLG HDR video standards.
Further, these TVs feature dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth, 3 X HDMI (one of them is ARC compatible), 1 x AV composite, 1 x digital optical audio output, 1 x USB 2.0, 3.5mm headphone jack, and RF Antenna.
As mentioned in the beginning, they run Android TV Pie with Chromecast Built-in, Play Store, Google Assistant, and leading streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, and more.
Last but not least, the only major con of these televisions is that they come with 16W speakers (2 x 8W), however, with Dolby Audio.
TCL Class 4-Series 4K Android TV Pricing and Availability
The smallest 43-inch model is priced at $199.99 and is exclusive to Target. On the other hand, the 50-inch, 55-inch, and 75-inch models are exclusive to Best Buy priced at $349.99, $399.99, and $799.99 respectively. Lastly, the 65-inch version is priced at $469.99 but it is yet to go on sale.
Having said that, for a limited period of time, as part of Best Buy’s Black Friday Sales event, the retailer is currently selling the 50-inch and 50-inch variants of these TVs for only $279.99 ($70 off) and $249.99 ($150 off) respectively.
Xiaomi has launched a new Mi Smart speaker in Spain. This is the one that the company launched in its home market back in May and a few weeks back in India. The new Smart speaker is a bit pricier than the Indian model but definitely costs lesser than Google’s Nest Audio.
Xiaomi Mi Smart Speaker Spain Price, Availability, and Offers
The new Mi Smart Speaker starts at €49.99 in Spain. This is a bit more compared to €34.86(₹2,999) in India. It will be available for purchase on Mi.com, Mi Stores, and Media Markt. And Xiaomi Spain says if you buy the Mi Smart speaker from October 16 to 18(tomorrow), you get a Mi LED Smart Bulb Essential as a gift. Also, Xiaomi says the offer will be live until the stocks last.
Xiaomi Mi Smart Speaker Specifications
The new Xiaomi Mi Smart Speaker has metal construction. Xiaomi says the speaker has a warm matte-stone finish. It has a thin 0.7mm metal mesh wrapped around the cylindrical body that acts as the speaker area. There are about 10531 holes around the speaker for richer and thrilling sound. The top edge of the speaker has a ring strip that lights up and Xiaomi says it comes with 16 million lights. The top surface has touch-sensitive buttons. There are four buttons- volume up, volume down, play/pause, and microphone.
For sound, the Mi Smart Speaker has a 2.5-inch 12W speaker with a 63.5mm massive driver. There is a professional DTS tuning and Texas Instruments’ TAS5805M Hi-Fi Audio Processor for a 360° surround sound experience. Additionally, there are two far-field microphones for voice recognition.
The new Mi Smart Speaker also supports voice recognition through Google Assistant. Users can control music, set alarms, and control other smart devices. It can also be set up via the “Google Home” app to control light, security cameras, and more. It supports English and Hindi. Just Say “Hey Google” to get started.
Other features include Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 4.2 for connectivity. It also has a Chromecast built-in. This can easily be used to connect TV, Smartphones for streaming audio, and video. Also, you can pair two Mi smart speakers for a stereo experience.
For close to three years running, Xiaomi has continuously beaten Samsung to the top of the Indian smartphone market. This has now changed as the latest market research report by Counterpoint Research shows that Samsung emerged as the number one brand in India for the months of July and August 2020.
Korean handset maker Samsung’s resurgence to capture the lucrative market it once controlled unchallenged could be traced to an aggressive online sales push, riding on the back of an anti-China sentiment that has rocked the Asian country in recent times, no thanks to the border dispute between New Delhi and Beijing.
Counterpoint Research data shows that in July, Samsung controlled a 24% share of the smartphone market and that figure was boosted to 25% in the month of August. On the other hand, Xiaomi’s share declined from 22% in July to 21% in August.
We must point out that this is the first time Samsung is edging out Xiaomi from the top spot since the Chinese innovative phone manufacturer took over the rein in 2018 as India’s top smartphone brand.
According to Prachir Singh, an analyst at Counterpoint (via), “Samsung has been quite aggressive on the online channel’s front. To compete with the increasing share of Chinese players like Xiaomi and Vivo in the mid-budget segment, Samsung came up with M-series which was launched as an online exclusive series”. “The series is doing quite well and helped Samsung in continuously gaining share in online channels,” he added.
We doubt if Samsung can hold on to this lead for long as the anti-China sentiments seem to have started waning as both countries try to douse tension through dialogue. However, Counterpoint predicts that Samsung will likely be among the Top 2 brand for the rest of the year.
Renowned watch manufacturer Garmin has launched a new smartwatch under its kid-centric vívofit jr. range. The Garmin Vivofit jr.3, as it is called, is the third generation model in the Vivofit jr. series.
Although the smartwatch features a design that resembles a smartwatch, it lacks most of the features you will find in a regular smartwatch. However, it packs several important features that will be useful to the kids and will assist the parents to keep track of their children.
One of the important features onboard the smartwatch is named ICE, an acronym which stands for “in case of emergency”. It is a widget that allows emergency contact information to be accessed promptly. The sleek wearable also comes with timed activity modes as well as games to keep the kids occupied. However, we don’t know if there is a sort of lock to prevent the kids from accessing the games when they are supposed to be studying.
Furthermore, the Vívofit jr. 3 comes with some fitness tracking features such as daily activity tracking, sleep and steps counter, just like most other smartwatches. The phone also gets a chores and rewards mode, which can be monitored by parents.
The Garmin vívofit jr. 3 is available in multiple bold colours which are stylized as Digi Camo, Lilac Floral and Blue Stars. The smartwatch also comes with several themes such as Marvel Iron Man, Marvel Black Panther, Disney Princess and Disney The Little Mermaid. There are wallpapers reflecting these cartoon characters. All colour options adopt a retail price of US$79.99.
Back in August, Xiaomi rolled out MIUI 12 update to Mi Max 3 in China along with devices like Mi 8 Pro and Mi 8 Explorer Edition. Now, two months later, this smartphone has begun to receive the same update in global markets.
MIUI 12 marks the 10th anniversary of Xiaomi’s existence. The latest version of the company’s Android skin brings new animations, Dark Mode 2.0, Animated Always-on Display (AOD+), Super Wallpapers, and more. The company unveiled it in late April and since then, it has been rolling it out to eligible devices worldwide.
The Mi Max 3 is the last Mi Max series smartphone. It was launched in 2018 with MIUI 9 based on Android Oreo out of the box. It was later updated to MIUI 10 and MIUI 11 as well as received Android 9 and Android 10 update.
Now, Xiaomi has started seeding out MIUI 12 to this phone as its last major update. As we mentioned in the beginning, the Chinese variant got the update in August itself. Now, the update is being pushed to global and Russian versions of the handset.
The builds for these variants of Mi Max 3 are currently in Stable Beta, which means they are only available for a limited set of users. The build numbers for the global and Russian version of the phones are V12.0.1.0.QEDMIXM and V12.0.1.0.QEDRUXM respectively.
If there are no major bugs, we expect the company to seed ou the update sooner to all the units.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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