With the Huawei Mate 40 series launch being just around the corner, various reports and rumors have surfaced online. While we had previously covered information regarding a mid October announcement and sales starting from November, new reports have revealed that the first batch of the series will go on sale by late October.
According to a PCOnlinereport, the first batch of Huawei Mate 40 series would be available by late October. This includes the Mate 40, Mate 40 Pro, Mate 40 Pro+, and Mate 40 RS Porsche Special Edition. The Chinese tech giant’s latest flagship is expected to arrive with the new 5nm process based Kirin 9000 chipset, which is expected to bring great improvements in both GPU and CPU performance over the previous gen’s Kirin 990 5G. Notably, the base Mate 40 variant is expected to feature the 7nm based Kirin 9000E processor.
The upcoming lineup is also expected to run on the latest EMUI 11 custom skin based on the Android 10 operating system. Additionally, it is also likely to arrive with support for various features that the company may offer. Unfortunately, this is still an unconfirmed report, so take it with a pinch of salt for now and we will have to wait for an official launch date announcement from the company itself.
Realme recently launched three new smartphones in the Indian market under its Narzo 20 family — Realme Narzo 20A, Narzo 20, and Narzo 20 Pro. The smartphones were available for purchase in India for the first time.
Now, Madhav Sheth, CEO of Realme India has confirmed that the company managed to sell 230,000 units combined within a few minutes. He revealed that the middle child Narzo 20 sold over 130,000 units, while the Narzo 20A was second with 51,000+ and the Narzo 20 Pro sitting in third with 50,000+ units.
As for the pricing, the cheapest model in the lineup — Realme Narzo 20A 4GB + 64GB is priced at ₹8,499 (~$116) while the most expensive model — Realme Narzo 20 Pro 8GB + 128GB is available for ₹16,999, which is about $232.
As the name indicates, the Narzo 20 series launched in India last month is a successor to the Realme Narzo 10 series. The launch of the successor lineup comes just a few months after the launch of its predecessor.
To know more about all three smartphones, including their specifications, features, colors, availability, and pricing details in the Indian market, check out our phone launch post.
OnePlus has just teased what appeared to be a new VR platform. The company shared another short video teaser trailer through its official Twitter handle that carried OnePlus World branding, which is going to be launched today (1st October 2020).
Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours to go. Something to do and somewhere to go. #TheOnePlusWorld
At the moment, there are numerous rumors regarding what the OnePlus World actually is. It is hinted at being the company’s upcoming smartwatch, while other reports have claimed that it could possibly be a new VR platform from the company. The Chinese brand is known to dabble in VR quite a bit, so it won’t arrive as a complete surprise if they do launch it. Another hint towards its nature is the slogan of “Break the loop. Change your world,” which is further indicative of a VR based launch.
Many initially linked this to the OnePlus Watch that has recently been spotted on various certification listings, however, a tweet from the OnePlus USA revealed a bit more information, as per a Gadgets360report. In the post, the regional branch shared this message: “Get ready! We built our own OnePlus World and can’t wait to share it with you. Check it out on October 1.” This tweet even arrives with a promotional image rather than a video teaser that depicted what appeared to be a shared online space.
OnePlus World might just be a VR world created just for the launch event on October 14. Although, it also appears to suggest that the platform might be a global store that lets customers from across the world to purchase the company’s products. Unfortunately, finer details are still unknown and we will have to wait for the event to drop soon. So stay tuned.
Earlier today, realme announced that it will be launching realme Buds Air Pro on October 7 in India. Now, the Chinese smartphone maker also confirms to debut realme Buds Wireless Pro at the same event. Above all, all the primary specifications of this earphones are out, thanks to its teaser page on Amazon India and realme official website.
The realme Buds Wireless Pro was teased by the brand alongside several other products at IFA 2020. The company revealed them to launch in Q4. Turns out almost all of them will be debuting first in India as per a leak and the announcements from the company.
realme Buds Wireless Pro Specifications
Talking about specifications, the upcoming realme Buds Wireless Pro’s design will be identical to the already available regular realme Buds Wireless but without wings and different inline remote control with four buttons instead of three.
The biggest difference between the two will be their features. With Pro moniker, the new model will bring ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) up to 35dB and support for Sony LDAC as well as Hi-Res Audio.
That’s not all, the size of the drivers will be larger at 13.6mm compared to 11.2mm in the vanilla model. Most importantly, the Pro version will come with 22-hour battery life, which happens to be almost double the 12 hours of battery life on the regular version.
Last but not least, the realme Buds Wireless will also include support for low-latency mode (119ms), Google Fast Pair.
Tencent had recently sent over 10,000 Huawei Mate Xs smartphones worth 16,999 Yuan (roughly 2,500 US Dollars) to its employees. Now, just a while after, a number of such employees are attempting to resell the device online.
For those unaware, Tencent recently underwent a restructuring within its organization with shuffling bringing in different parts of its various departments together. After this, the company sent a large number of Mate Xs smartphones to its employees as a gift during an internal event for Tencent PCG (Platform and Content Business Group) on 30th September 2020.
However, it seems that a number of employees would much rather have cash than a rather expensive smartphone. In just a short while, numerous listings of the gifted Mate Xs have surfaced online at varying price points. People in China also began to notice that since the event, the overall number of Mate Xs smartphones being sold also rose in number, as per a MyDriversreport.
The gifted Mate Xs also had the label of customized Tencent variant, which would also likely add to its resale value since it is a rather exclusive limited edition that the general public can’t simply purchase. The prices range anywhere between the original 16,999 Yuan price and even reaching as high as 19,999 Yuan (roughly 2,950 US Dollars).
After launching a couple of rebadged phones with POCO branding, the company announced the all-new POCO X3 NFC smartphone last month. The same phone debuted in India as POCO X3, which came with a larger battery and without NFC support. Now the company is gearing up to launch a new phone called POCO C3 in India. Through a tweet, POCO India confirmed that the POCO C3 will be announced on Oct. 6.
The smartphone will be made available for purchase through Flipkart. At present, the landing page of the phone has no information on its specs.
Recent reports have revealed that the POCO C3 will be positioned lower than the POCO M2 that is priced at Rs. 10,999 (~$150). Also, speculations are rife that it will be arriving as a rebranded version of the Redmi 9C phone that debuted in other markets a few months back. A recent leak had revealed that the 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage edition of the POCO C3 has MRP of Rs 10,999. Probably, this variant may sell with a pricing of Rs 9,999 (~$136).
The Redmi 9C has a waterdrop notch IPS LCD panel of 6.5 inches that produces HD+ resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels. The modest Helio G35 chipset is present under the hood of the smartphone. It ships with up to 3 GB of RAM and up to 64 GB of built-in storage. It has a microSD for more storage.
Redmi 9C
The smartphone is fitted with a 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel + 2-megapixel triple rear cameras and it has a front-facing camera of 5-megapixel. The device houses a 5,000mAh battery with 10W charging support. The phone also features a rear-mounted fingerprint reader.
According to a GSMArenareport, the recent 3C listing has revealed that the highest end variants in the Samsung Galaxy S21 series will sport a 4,855mAh battery pack. The listing mentions the model number EB-BG998ABY, with the G998 depicting the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Similar to the Galaxy S21+ battery listing, the S21 Ultra variant’s battery will also be manufactured by Chinese based brand called Ningde Amperex Technology.
Furthermore, recent rumors have also hinted at the Ultra model arriving with an S Pen, as the South Korean tech giant is reportedly planning on dropping its flagship Note series that arrives in the second half of the year entirely. Other reports have also hinted at the Galaxy S21 series being powered by the new Exynos 2100 chipset and supporting 65W fast charging as well. Unfortunately, a lot of such information is still based on unconfirmed sources so take it with a pinch of salt for now, and stay tuned for more updates that should arrive soon.
Motorola unveiled razr 5G in early September in the US but it will be going on sale only from October 2 (tomorrow). On the other hand, the company’s second foldable smartphone is already on sale in China. Now, this device has been officially confirmed to launch in India on October 5 and similar to its predecessor, it will be exclusive to Flipkart.
There aren’t many foldable smartphones in the market. Also, Samsung and Motorola are the only companies to sell them globally in more regions compared to Huawei and Royole who just recently launched its second device called FlexPai 2.
That said, though there are four main players in the foldable game Samsung is the most successful company, followed by Motorola. The latter’s first product – Motorola razr 2019 was flawed with so many shortcomings. But thankfully, the company fixed most of that handset’s problems with its successor Motorola razr 5G.
The new model not only bumps up the processor to Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G but also RAM (8GB), storage (256GB), cameras (rear: 48MP, front: 20MP), and battery (2,800mAh). Also, the design is slightly different with minimal squeaking sound when folding and unfolding the display.
Having said that, the first razr foldable smartphone launched in India for ₹1,24,999 ($1,702). We expect the price of the new model to be identical to the original in the country. That’s because it is priced similar to its predecessor in other regions.
Apparently, the company will be also unveiling a television, refrigerator, and air conditioner on October 5 in India ahead of Diwali festive season.
Most of the smartphones nowadays come pre-installed with several applications or bloatware, either by the carrier or the device manufacturer. In most cases, the user isn’t allowed to remove those apps.
However, it seems that the Europen Union is planning to change that by forcing manufacturers to allow users to remove bloatware. This is a part of the Digital Services Act that is expected to pass by the end of this year.
The act would not be applicable in markets like the United States, where most of the bloatware is from the network carrier. However, it would affect companies like Samsung and Xiaomi that pre-load their own suite of apps.
As the name of the act itself indicates, it aims to tackle the dominance of big technology companies on the Internet. It would block companies like Google and Amazon from using platform data for their own commercial activities and would also prohibit “gatekeeper platforms” from using advertising data. The act also aims to block big tech companies from giving preferential treatment of their own services.
The Europen Union has been working on coming up with new policies that are customer-friendly. Earlier this year, it voted to adopt a single universal charging solution for smartphones, enabling customers to use a single charger for all of their smartphones and tablet devices.
Asus has just launched its dual display gaming laptop in India. The ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 arrives with a secondary touch display called the ROG ScreenPad Plus and is aimed at both gamers and creative professionals that require a lot of mobile horsepower in their devices.
ROG Zephyrus Duo 15
The Asus ROG Zephyrus arrives with some powerful specs, which includes either an Intel 10th Gen Core i7-10875H processor or a Core i9-10980HK chip. Both powerful CPUs are paired with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q graphics card as well. For memory. the company is offering up to 48GB of expandable DDR4 RAM clocked at 3,200MHz, while the laptop also offers up to 2TB of RAID 0 M.2 NVMe PCI 3.0×4 SSD storage.
Since the laptop houses such powerful specs, keeping these components is also quite important. Asus has provided what it calls the AAS Plus system that arrives with an air intake space of up to 28,5mm. The cooling mechanism is also paired with a liquid cooing metal thermal compound that is said to boost thermal performance by up to 10 percent over standard thermal pastes. The company is also shipping the laptop with the ROG Armoury Crate software that optimizes the cooling system and switches its operating modes based on the current task.
Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 sports two displays, in which the primary is a 15.6 inch screen that is available in a 4K 60Hz or an FHD 300Hz panel. It offers 3ms quick response time and offers 100 percent of the Adobe RGB color space that would be helpful for creative professionals. The secondary display, on the other hand, is a 14.1 inch panel that can be tilted by 13 degrees. Tilting this display also reveals the AAS Plus cooling system underneath, offering better airflow as well.
For connectivity, the gaming laptop sports Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port with DisplayPort 1.4, Thunderbolt 3, Power Delivery 3.0, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, an HDMI 2.0b port, a 3.5mm microphone jack, a 3.5mm microphone-in/ headphone-out combo jack, and an RJ45 port. It also features two 4W speakers with a smart AMP technology as well as an array microphone and RGB backlight chiclet keyboard.
Pricing and Availability
The Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 starts from 2,79,990 INR (roughly 3,800 US Dollars) in India and will be available for purchase starting today (1st October 2020). So for those interested, you can check out the laptop through major e-retailing sites like Amazon and Flipkart or choose the Asus Exclusive Stores and ROG Stores in the country.
Google’s flagship smartphone launched last year — Pixel 4, had an in-built radar. This was the reason the device was available in selected regions only. However, the company has ditched the Soli radar for this year’s flagship smartphone — Pixel 5.
This means that the “Motion Sense” feature on the smartphone is gone. Does this mean that the Soli radar sensor is gone for good? Well, apparently not. Google’s Rick Osterloh has said to The Verge that Project Soli radar and gestures will return.
He said that the sensor will be used in the future. Explaining why it didn’t make it to this year’s phone, he said that they were too expensive for the phone that the company had planned to make this year.
But note that Rick Osterloh has not confirmed if the hardware will be included in a smartphone in the future. A recent FCC filing had revealed that it might appear in the Nest smart thermostat.
For those who are unaware, the Project Soli on the Pixel 4 smartphone allowed users to wave above the phone to play/pause and skip tracks, as well as dismiss calls and alarms. However, it’s use-case in Pixel 4 didn’t expand much beyond what Google initially offered.
It was started as an experimental project within ATAP and Google spent several years in research as well as in making the radar smaller in size. The company has positioned the air gestures as the future of controlling devices, so it seems likely that the company will keep the technology around and will experiment with it on different types of devices.
Yesterday, Google announced the Google Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 smartphones in the U.S. India which is one of the major smartphone markets will not be receiving the two smartphones. 5G networks have not started in India and this could be the reason why Google will not be bringing the Pixel 4a and Pixel 5 in the country. A fresh tweet from Google reveals that the Pixel 4a that was announced in August will hit the Indian markets on Oct. 17.
The official post on the Google India blog that was published after the launch of the Google Pixel 4a last month had stated that it will be releasing in India in August through Flipkart. The pricing of the device for India is yet to be confirmed. Soon after the announcement of the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5, Google responded to a Twitter user that the Pixel 4a will be releasing in India on Oct. 17. As mentioned before, it will be available through Flipkart.
The Google Pixel 4a will be arriving as the successor to the Pixel 3a. The Snapdragon 670 powered Pixel 3a had landed in India back in May 2019 with a price tag of Rs 39,999 (~$544). Probably, the Pixel 4a will also carry a similar price tag.
The Pixel 4a has a 5.81-inch OLED panel with a punch-hole design. It comes with full HD+ resolution support and Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The Snapdragon 730 processor fuels the device with 6 GB of RAM. It has an internal storage of 128 GB and it lacks a microSD card slot.
Google Pixel 4a
The Pixel 4a has been treating with an Android 11 OS update. It has a front camera of 8-megapixel and a rear snapper of 12.2-megapixel. The phone houses a 3,140mAh battery that supports 18W charging. It comes with other features like a 3.5mm audio jack, stereo speakers, a rear-facing fingerprint scanner, NFC, USB-C, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, and Bluetooth 5.0.
A report by Reuters says the U.S. Justice Department is expected to sue Google as soon as next week. The DOJ is reportedly currently urging state attorneys general to sign onto the lawsuit, the report cites three sources familiar with the matter.
According to the report, the lawsuit is expected to see Google the DOJ level some allegations against Google over its search engine dominance. The search engine is alleged to be looking to put rival search engines such as Microsoft’s Bing in a disadvantaged position by withholding data concerning users from its rivals. Google also has exclusive access to user preferences that they deploy to improve their adverts.
The US Department of Justice has also had its eyes on Google’s “search advertising,” the ads that get featured under a search box if a person searches for a consumer item such as a “dishwasher.” Google has sold control over this as space and even provides the tools to make those ad.
Google has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and the Justice Department has declined to comment. But according to the sources, State attorneys general are also considering whether to sign on to the federal lawsuit. A good number of them already have running investigations of several other Google businesses.
It could be recalled that the European Commission slapped Google with a €1.49 billion fine just last year for trying to kill competitors while increasing its dominance in search ads by limiting the use of rival search engines.
Xiaomi, Wednesday, held an event where it officially announced the Mi 10T series comprising the Mi 10T, Mi 10T Pro and then the Snapdragon 750G-powered Mi 10T Lite. The company, during the event, equally announced the Mi Watch and its popular 65W GaN charger.
Both products have previously been launched in Xiaomi’s home market – China. The Mi Watch is no doubt one of the popular wearables the company has released this year. It runs proprietary software and is not a Wear OS watch. This is believed to help in battery life longevity.
The Mi Watch features a circular AMOLED display which has a diameter of 1.39 inches and a resolution of 454 x 454 pixels. The display has a peak brightness of 450 nits and is protected by Gorilla Glass 3.
The watch comes with a staggering 117 exercise modes and even has a built-in GPS receiver, so it doesn’t need to be connected to your phone when you go for a run. It also has a 5ATM water resistance rating which means it can be taken for a swim in a pool.
Further, there is a heart rate sensor as well as blood-oxygen saturation (SpO2) sensor onboard. It also comes with ambient air pressure and elevation sensors. This model also features NFC along with voice control.
There is a decent 420mAH battery under the hood which promises up to 16 days of battery life and which can be fully charged in just 2 hours. It weighs just 32 grams.
The Xiaomi Mi Watch will go on sale in Europe soon and it carries a price tag of €100. It is available in six different strap colours.
The Xiaomi 65W GaN charger adopts gallium nitride technology and comes with 65W fast charging support, providing a maximum charging power of 50W. It can fully charge the Mi 10 Pro is just 45 minutes.
Moreover, the Xiaomi GaN Type-C 65W Charger supports a slew of fast-charging protocols including PD 3.0 and Xiaomi’s fast flash charging. It can charge your iPhone as well. According to Xiaomi, the GaN charger Type-C 65W can charge the iPhone 11 50 percent faster than the original 5W charger.
As compared to a standard adapter for Xiaomi Notebook, the GaN charger Type-C 65W is nearly 48 percent smaller in terms of size as it uses the newfangled semiconductor material GaN i.e. gallium nitride. The interface provides support for intelligent adjustment of output current in various gears and it can charge about 65W for Xiaomi Notebooks, MacBook Pro and a myriad of other high-power devices.
The charger will be available soon and is priced at €30.
Realme went official with the Realme 7 series models in India at the beginning of the month. As expected, the company has now confirmed that the 7 series will be unveiled in Europe next Wednesday.
According to a post by Realme’s CEO Madhav Seth, the launch keynote is scheduled to hold on October 7 and will commence at 10:30 AM CEST (8:30 AM UTC).
The Realme 7 series comprises of the Realme 7 and 7 Pro. The European version will only be slightly different from the Indian version in that the vanilla 7 will have a downgraded 48MP primary sensor instead of the 64MP one found on the Indian Realme 7. The rest of the specs should remain unchanged as per the latest rumors and the 7 Pro will have no alterations.
Europe, get ready for #FAS7ER charging and performance! Tune in at 10:30AM CEST on October 7th for the #realme7series European livestream launch.
Google has finally launched its first smartphones in the 5G era. The Pixel 5 and Pixel 4A 5G are the brand’s first models to feature a 5G modem. They are also primed to be among the first model that’ll get Android 11.
Google Pixel 5
Google Pixel 5
The Pixel 5 is the more premium model of the two even though it doesn’t make it beyond the mid-range point. The device sports s a 6.0-inch display with an FHD+ resolution and 90Hz refresh rate.
The Pixel 5 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset, one of the newest premium mid-range SoC released by the US chipmaker. The SD765G chipset is equipped with an X52 modem that enables 5G connectivity. Sub-6 is supported on all Pixel 5 versions, while in some countries it will also work on mmWave networks. Still talking of connectivity, the phone comes with support for Wi-Fi 802.11ac instead of Wi-Fi 6. The processor pairs with an 8GB RAM on the 5 while there is a sole 128GB storage option.
For photography, the Pixel 5 packs a triple camera setup at the rear aspect. The three cameras are arranged in a square-shaped module located at the top-left corner of the panel. The main camera is a 12.2 MP sensor with 1.4um pixel size, as well as Google’s AI algorithms. This sensor doesn’t have particularly large pixels for night time shooting nor high resolution for lossless digital zoom, Google is hoping to deploy software optimization for those.
There is also a 16MP ultrawide-angle camera with f/2.2 aperture and 1.0um pixel size. There is also OIS and a relatively bright f/1.7 lens. The phone also supports 4K recording at 60 fps, the first Pixel phone with such capability.
The Pixel 5 packs a 4,080 mAh battery and has 18W fast charging support. The body is IP68-certified for dust and water resistance. The aluminium body is made out of recycled aluminium and is textured for better grip. The phone also comes with wireless charging support and reverse wireless charging despite the metal body. There is equally a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.
The phone is available in Just Black and a new Sorta Sage colour option. Pre-orders for the Google Pixel 5 has already commenced ahead of availability in eight countries on October 15. The phone will be available in the US on October 29. The Pixel 5 comes in at $700 (€630/£599).
Early pre-orders between now and October 14 qualify for a free pair of Bose QC 35 II wireless headphones. This offer is only valid in Germany, France, Ireland, and the UK, and only while stocks last.
Google Pixel 4a 5G
The Pixel 4a 5G packs a 6.2-inch OLED screen which makes it bigger than the 4a. The phone only comes with the standard 60Hz refresh rate. The body of the phone is made out of polycarbonate and is not dust or water-resistant.
It is also powered by a Snapdragon 765G chipset just like the 5 but it pairs with 6GB of RAM but the same 128GB storage option only.
The camera department is identical to the Pixel 5 – you get the same 12.2 MP main cam joined by the 16 MP ultrawide unit. The 8MP selfie camera is nested inside a punch hole. he model packs a slightly smaller 3,885mAH battery compared to the Pixel 5 but retains the 18W fast charging support. There is no wireless charging support.
The Google Pixel 4a 5G is priced at $500/€500/£500. Expect pre-orders to start on November 5, ahead of availability on the 19th of that month. Aside from Japan, that is, where it will go on sale on October 15.
If you pre-order one of these, you’ll get the same offer as the one for Pixel 5 pre-orders: a free pair of Bose QC 35 II headphones, provided you’re in the UK, Germany, France, or Ireland.
It is no longer news that Microsoft will be launching a more affordable Surface Laptop. Today more details of the notebook, which will launch as the Surface Laptop Go, were revealed in a leak.
The leak was posted on Twitter earlier today by Roland Quandt (@rquandt). According to him, the notebook will have a 12.45-inch PixelSense LCD with a 1532 x 1024 resolution. It will be powered by Intel’s 10th gen Core i5-1035G1 processor with 4GB or 8GB of RAM. Buyers will be able to choose between 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB of storage. He adds that the 64GB version uses eMMC storage.
The Surface Laptop Go will have a 13-hour battery life, USB-A and USB-C ports, and a Surface Connect port for power. It will also have a 3.5mm audio jack. The tweet reveals the notebook weighs about 1.1kg and will be available in Silver, Blue, and Gold color options.
The Microsoft launch event should happen next month. The tech giant is expected to announce a new version of the Surface Pro X which features a new processor – the Microsoft SQ2 to be precise. Other features may remain the same as last year’s model.
The Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro launched today and they both go on sale tomorrow. However, you don’t have to wait until tomorrow if you plan to grab either of the two phones as they are now available for pre-order in Germany. The exciting parts that you get a free gift along with your phone if you were to pre-order.
According to the info on Xiaomi’s German website, if you pre-order the Mi 10T (6+128GB) and either of the two configurations of the Mi 10T Pro, you get a free vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner is the Mijia Handheld Vacuum Cleaner and it is worth about €40.
The vacuum cleaner has a brushless motor with a suction power of about 13,0000 Pa. It has a rechargeable battery that should provide up to 30 minutes of use on a full charger. There is a HEPA filter and the dust box has a one-click function that makes it easy to empty. The handheld vacuum cleaner is designed for small vacuuming and can be used to remove the dirt in cars, on furniture, and even to clean electronics such as computers.
The Mijia Handheld Vacuum Cleaner is not officially sold in Europe, so this is a chance to own one for free. To grab the offer, check the page created for the promo.
At the Launch Night In online event today, Google announced two new products for the home. The first is the Chromecast With Google TV which is the first device to run Google TV and the second product is the Nest Audio smart speaker.
Chromecast with Google TV
While this device has Chromecast in its name, it is actually a streaming TV stick dongle. So it is going up against the Amazon Fire TV Stick line, the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick, and Roku’s streaming dongles.
Chromecast with Google TV brings a new UI called Google TV. Unlike Android TV which lists contents from apps such as Netflix and Prime Video, Google TV combines content from all the sources available. So on a row, you can have movies from Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and Prime Video. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a subscription from all three, those you can’t watch will have a padlock icon.
Chromecast with Google TV also has Live TV available via YouTube TV, and a recommendations tab that is based on your subscription, viewing history, and your own content. Of course, there is support for casting from compatible devices. When not in use, the device will show a slideshow of your favorite photos from your Google Photos library.
The remote has a Google Assistant button which you can use to search for shows and movies and also use to control your connected smart home devices. You can even view the feed from your Nest camera on the TV.
Chromecast with Google TV is priced at $49.99 and comes in Snow, Sunrise, and Sky. It is available for purchase already in the US and will be available in more countries by the end of the year. Google also revealed during the launch that Google TV will be made available for more Android TV streaming devices but we don’t know how soon.
Nest Audio
The Nest Audio smart speaker is the spiritual successor to the original Google Home smart speaker. However, unlike the Nest Mini which has the same design as the Google Home Mini, the Nest Audio speaker has a different design.
The speaker is wrapped in fabric and comes in five colors – Chalk, Charcoal, Sage, Sand, and Sky. Google says the enclosure is made from 70% recycled plastic. It has a 75 mm woofer and a 19 mm tweeter for loud and crisp audio. It even adapts to your environment and what you are listening too. An example is news and audiobooks which sound clearer and differently from music.
Of course, there is Google Assistant which means you can ask it to play podcasts, audiobooks, and more from various platforms. You can also set reminders, ask questions about the weather, and control smart home devices. You can also pair speakers together and move playback from room to room.
If you have a Nest Aware subscription, the speaker will send you an alert when it detects sounds such as the breaking of glass or the sound of the smoke alarm. There is a button at the back to turn off the microphone and you can ask the assistant to delete what you just said by saying “Hey Google, delete what I just said”.
The speaker is powered by a quad-core A53 processor clocked at 1.8GHz. It supports dual-band Wi-Fi and its power rating is 30W.
The Nest Audio smart speaker is priced at $99, lesser than the launch price of the Google Home. It will be available starting October 5 in 21 countries.
Google is unveiling its new Pixel 5G devices today(September 30). Ahead of this, a report says that Google plans to produce only a limited number of the Pixel 4a, 4a 5G, and 5 5G this year.
A report from Nikkei says that less than 1 million Pixel 5 devices will be made this year. In fact, the numbers could be as low as 800,000 units as per its sources. While this is a shocker, the report adds that Google has set a moderate target of just 3 million devices for all the new Pixels combined. The pointed out reasons are a drop in sales and the effect of the pandemic on demand.
For instance, as of H1 2020, Google has reportedly shipped just 1.5 million devices. This is a huge drop from 4.1 million units when compared to last year. Besides, the US-China Trade war and the Global pandemic also has disrupted its migration plans. Apparently, Google decided to produce all the new Pixels in Vietnam. But only the Pixel 4a series is reportedly manufactured there while the Pixel 5 is still coming out of Shenzen, China.
Google had a rough year in 2019. As per IDC, It shipped 7.2 million units in 2019 falling behind the target of 8-10 million. Although it gained steam after Pixel 3a, the arrival of Pixel 4, 4XL stomped the figures. And now, Google is facing an ecosystem threat from Huawei. The latter is appealing to all of its Chinese colleagues to try and adopt the new HarmonyOS ecosystem.
That said, the report says that Google relatively gave conservative orders this year due to poor sales of Pixel 4 and COVID-19. This could be the reason for delays in Pixel 4a and shipment of the new Pixel devices. However, the situation might change once the new devices hit the stores. On the other hand, Google has already moved the major production of Nest Smart speakers, Nest Wi-Fi, and other home devices to Vietnam and Thailand. While Google is yet to officially comment on this, the phase-out plan is probably to end the dependency of China.
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