OPPO TV officially confirmed to launch in October

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Sep 24, 2020

OPPO will be the next popular smartphone maker to enter the smart TV market in October. The company has officially announced it earlier today at the OPPO Developer Conference (ODC) 2020 at which it unveiled ColorOS 11 and OPPO Watch ECG Edition for China. Anyway, this is not the first time we are hearing about the company to launch televisions.

Chinese smartphone maker OPPO expressed its plans to build an ecosystem at the OPPO INNO Day conference held in December 2019. In the very same month, a rumor claimed the company to soon launch smart TVs.

Almost six months later, a day after the launch of Reno4 series in China, the company intentionally teased the arrival of its televisions in a picture with an outline of a TV. Then, earlier this month, the upcoming OPPO TVs and their remote controls received 3C and Bluetooth SIG certifications respectively,

According to those certifications, the OPPO smart TVs will be manufactured by TPV Display Technology (Xiamen) Co. Ltd, the parent company of AOC, Envision and Philips TV business.

They will come in two sizes – 55-inch & 65-inch with ten model numbers each. Whereas, their remote controls will bear the model numbers – RC-001D and BRC-004A respectively.

Having said that, the specifications of these televisions are still a mystery. But now, as OPPO has confirmed to launch them in October, we can expect the company to tease their features in the coming days.

Amazfit smartwatches will now be available in US Walmart stores

By

Sean

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Sep 24, 2020

Earlier this week, Amazfit had announced that a couple of its smartwatches will be debuting at Walmart stores in the US. These smartwatches combine sports functionality and health related features and will be available through up to 2,870 locations across North America.

According to Mike Yeung, Huami chief operating officer, “Offering our assortment at Walmart is the perfect opportunity to expand our market share in North America and reach a large number of consumers who want advanced intelligence, quality craftsmanship, and great value. Amazfit smartwatches lead the industry in battery life, proprietary biometric sensors, and advanced algorithms. These competitively priced smartwatches are ideally suited to Walmart shoppers and we expect them to fly off the shelf.”

While the brand and its wearables had been available in the US, it is only now finally being sold through a national retailer, as per a BusinessWire report. The move from Amazfit arrives to expand its market in the region with its line of smartwatches that have dedicated features related to both sports/activities and health management. In other words, it would be a worthwhile offering for fitness band users and health conscious consumers as well. This would also be further supported by the reasonable pricing at which the company offers its products.

Walmart will now be debuting two Amazfit smartwatches, which includes the Amazfit Bip S and GTS. The former will be available in Onyx Black and Warm Pink while the latter will be available in either Gold or Black variants. The lightweight Bip S will be available across 2,870 Walmart stores in the US while the stylish GTS will be available in 2,553 Walmart stores. The company will continue to collaborate with national and regional chains across the nation to expand its brand and its online presence in the market as well.

TikTok asks judge to block U.S. from banning new app downloads

By

Jeet

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Sep 24, 2020

After a judge blocked the Trump administrator’s ban on WeChat, now TikTok is also asking a U.S. judge to block order that would require Apple App Store and Google Play Store to remove the TikTok application for new downloads.

The ban on new downloads for WeChat and TikTok was set to take effect from 20th September but TikTok was given another week because of the “recent positive developments” where the company was in talks with Oracle for a deal.

The United States government is citing national security risk as a reason for banning Chinese apps but TikTok has said that the restrictions “were not motivated by a genuine national security concern, but rather by political considerations relating to the upcoming general election.”

EDITOR’S PICK: TSMC warns of price rise due to US-China trade war

In order to avoid getting banned in the United States, ByteDance has agreed to set up a new entity called TikTok Global with 80 percent of the stake. The remaining stake will be acquired by Oracle and Walmart.

While Oracle will take 12.5 percent stake, Walmart will be taking a 7.5 percent stake as well as a seat on the board. Donald Trump has already approved the deal but it remains to be seen if the Chinese government has any say related to this development.

Recently, U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler blocked the ban on WeChat just as the restrictions were about to go into effect. She also ruled to temporarily halt ban on transactions for the application in the United States.

Royole FlexPai 2 gets over 150,000 reservations on JD.com in China

By

Sean

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Sep 24, 2020

Royole had just launched the FlexPai 2 earlier this week, which arrives as the successor to the world’s first foldable smartphone. It launched more than a year after the original with top notch specs and even went on pre orders on JD.com (JingDong). However, just a while after the listing went live, the FlexPai 2 had already received over 150,000 reservations on the Chinese e-commerce platform.

Royole FlexPai 2 3rd Generation Cicada Wing Display 180-degree Stepless 3S Hinge — Royole FlexPai 2 – 3rd Generation Cicada Wing Display with 180° Stepless 3S Hinge

For those unaware, the Royole FlexPai 2 is a foldable smartphone that is priced at just 9988 Yuan (roughly 1463 US Dollars), which is quite affordable for a handset with a flexible display and such specs. While almost 1,500 US Dollars is by no means a small amount, it is still about 40 percent cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 that costs 16,999 yuan (roughly 2,505 US Dollars). So, the device is clearly priced very competitively in order to capture a wider audience.

This pricing has seemingly worked as well, considering it has seen over 150,000 reservations in under a day into its launch. According to an official Royole announcement, the first hour after the launch, 50,000 bookings were already made for the FlexPai 2 on JD.com and by 2 pm in China on the 23rd, this number crossed 150,000. So it may seem like even before the actual launch of the device, the company has already sold out its latest flagship.

Talking about the specs of the FlexPai 2, it features the 3rd Gen Cicada wings flexible OLED panel with Stepless 3S Hinge for its 7.8 inch display. Under the hood, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC runs the device with 8/12GB of RAM and 256/512GB of internal storage. The handset supports 5G networking and can rival the likes of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Huawei Mate Xs, but at a lower price tag.

OPPO Watch ECG edition launched in China for 2,499 Yuan (~$366)

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 24, 2020

In March, OPPO announced the OPPO Watch as its first smartwatch. The elegant wearable went official in 46mm and 41mm variants. The 46mm model came in aluminum and stainless-steel options. Today, the Chinese manufacturer announced the OPPO Watch ECG edition at the OPPO Developers Conference (ODC). The OPPO Watch ECG edition is a variant of the 46mm stainless steel model that is capable of taking an electrocardiogram (ECG) reading.

OPPO Watch ECG edition specifications and features

The OPPO Watch ECG edition measures 46 x 39 x 11.35mm and it has a 316L stainless steel chassis and ceramic / sapphire back. The smartwatch features a fluoro rubber strap. The device weighs 45.5 grams without the strap. The right edge of the device is flanked with navigation and function keys.

The smartwatch flaunts a flexible AMOLED display of 1.91 inches that offers 402 x 476 pixels resolution, 326ppi pixel density, and 100 percent DCI-P3 color gamut. It has a 430mAh battery, which charges to full capacity in just 15 minutes by using the Watch VOOC Flash Charge technology. In Smart Mode, it can last for 40 hours and for up to 21 days in Low Power mode.

Editor’s Pick: OPPO Reno4 Pro 5G begins its global journey with launch in the UAE

Coming to the main feature of the OPPO Watch ECG edition, it supports professional electrocardiogram tracking. The company claims that the ECG detection on the smartwatch offers medical-grade measurement accuracy. Also, the device is capable of providing real-time ECG reading just by tapping on the watch. The ECG tracking allows the OPPO Watch ECG edition to find out common heart abnormalities such as atrial fibrillation, premature heartbeats, and supraventricular tachycardia.

The OPPO Watch ECG edition also offers round the clock heart rate monitoring. It can not only monitor heart rate in real-time but also vibrate when it detects an abnormal reading. The OPPO Watch ECG edition when connected to the mobile health app, it can recommend a tailored health improvement plan. The OPPO Watch ECG edition supports e-SIM, which allows users to make calls independently without a smartphone.

The OPPO Watch ECG edition is powered by the Snapdragon 2500 chipset and Apollo 3 low-power chip. It has 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of native storage. The device runs on the ColorOS Watch edition that allows it to pair with Android 6.0 and above devices. The OS tags along with the Breeno voice assistant. The Watch ECG supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 LE connectivity and it comes with built-in GPS. It offers a 5ATM water-resistance.

OPPO Watch ECG edition pricing and availability

The OPPO Watch ECG edition is now up for pre-sales across major retailer platforms in China. It carries a price tag of 2,499 Yuan (~$366).

Redmi smartwatch clears MIIT certification; could launch in October

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Sep 24, 2020

Last year, Xiaomi launched its first-ever smartwatch called Mi Watch in its home country China. A few weeks later, the company unveiled a cheaper and circular version of this wearable called Mi Watch Color. Now, almost a year later, the firm’s sub-brand is all set to debut its smartwatch as it now gets certified by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

Ever since Redmi became an independent brand, it has been launching a wide variety of products apart from smartphones. However, it has only released a single wearable in the form of Redmi Band (aka Redmi Smart Band & Mi Band 4C).

That said, there have been rumors for a Redmi-branded smartwatch for a very long time. This upcoming wearable going by the model number REDMIWT01 has now cleared MIIT certification in China, as per a screenshot shared by well-known leakster Digital Chat Sation on Weibo.

The tipster says that this smartwatch will be launching in October with great battery life. Hence, we don’t expect it to run Android Wear operating system as it is not known for good battery performance.

We believe that this forthcoming Redmi smartwatch will run a proprietary OS as found in the Mi Watch Color. Other than the model number and battery life, nothing else is known about this mysterious wearable.

Having said that, Xiaomi is yet to debut its smartwatches in international markets. The Mi Watch Color is expected to launch as Mi Watch Revolve in India on September 29.

Realme UI 2.0 confirmed to launch with a new smartphone in October

By

Jeet

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Sep 24, 2020

During the launch of the Realme Narzo 20 series smartphones in India, the company had unveiled the Realme UI 2.0, which is a tweaked version of the OPPO ColorOS 11. Now, we have got more information about the custom user interface.

Xu Qi, President of Global Marketing at Realme, has now shared a new poster on Weibo, confirming that the Realme 2.0 will launch in October this year. The company says that the new UI aims to offer a seamless and smooth play experience.

It has also been confirmed that the company will launch a new smartphone next month along with the new Realme UI 2.0. Realme seems all prepared for this given that the company says that it has enough stock to meet th demand. While not yet confirmed, rumors indicate that a Realme Q series smartphone could get launched.

EDITOR’S PICK: TSMC warns of price rise due to US-China trade war

As for the Realme UI 2.0, along with offering new features and functions, the user interface is also focused on improving the security aspects as well as offering more features related to creative customizations to users.

Realme has opened registrations for early adopters of this new interface but it is currently limited to users of Realme X50 Pro 5G smartphone in China. The company will choose a few participants from all the applicants to test the upcoming Realme UI 2.0.

The company has said that “Early Access” (closed beta) for the Realme X50 Pro 5G will be available starting September 24, followed by “Open Beta” in October-end and “Stable Release” by the end of November.

TSMC warns of price rise due to US-China trade war

By

Jeet

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Sep 24, 2020

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the world’s largest contract manufacturer of smartphone chipsets, has said that the on-going US-China trade war where both countries are trying to deleverage each other, will drive up costs and limit flow of ideas.

Mark Liu, Chairman of TSMC, said that over the last four decades the industry had benefited from the free global flow of information. He added that “in the future the climate may change. The information flow may not be that free. Tariffs may be erected. So we have to prepare for that.”

EDITOR’S PICK: Royole FlexPai 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 vs Huawei Mate Xs: Specs Comparison

After putting Huawei on Entity List last year, the Trump administration has been imposing new sanctions on the company. In the latest sanction, the United States has banned the supply of important components to Huawei and other Chinese firms citing national security.

On the other hand, China is trying to nurture companies to take on the established player in the business. The country is also working on being self-reliant from U.S. suppliers and be independent enough to not get affected by the United States.

TSMC was forced to stop taking new orders from Huawei for its Kirin chipsets because of the new sanctions imposed on the Chinese giant. The Taiwanese company had stopped taking new orders of Huawei from May and has stopped shipping them from this month.

OnePlus 8T’s 65W Warp Charge support likely revealed in new teasers

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 24, 2020

OnePlus will be launching the OnePlus 8T flagship phone on Oct. 14. Ahead of the unveiling event, the Chinese firm is busy revealing some of the key features of the smartphone. OnePlus CEO Pete Lau recently shared the details of the OnePlus 8T’s display. Rumors have it that the OnePlus 8T will be sporting company’s fastest charging technology and this seems to be seemingly confirmed in new teasers released by the company.

The official landing page of the OnePlus 8T shows a graphical representation of two batteries getting charged simultaneously. A “Check it Out” button comes up next, which when clicked shows an AR look of the phone’s innards including the dual batteries. It is recommended to view the landing page on a mobile device to see the AR in action.

It appears that the OnePlus 8T will offer a similar dual-cell battery setup found on the OPPO Find X2 series that feature a pair of 2,130mAh cells. OPPO’s 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 charging technology charges both cells simultaneously. Hence, the Find X2 or Find X2 Pro can charge completely in around 38 minutes.

Editor’s Pick: OnePlus 8T’s new pricing leak states that it will be cheaper than the OnePlus 8

So far, recent flagships by OnePlus offer 30T Warp Charge technology. The inclusion of a dual-cell setup in the OnePlus 8T suggests that it may arrive with faster charging capabilities. While OnePlus hasn’t mentioned it explicitly, it appears that the OnePlus 8T will be the company’s first smartphone to arrive with 65W or 65T Warp Charge technology.

As far as the rest of the specs of the OnePlus 8T are concerned, it is expected to arrive with a 6.5-inch S-AMOLED 120Hz Full HD+ display with a punch-hole design, a 4,500mAh battery, and the Snapdragon 865 mobile platform. It may come with other specs like a 16-megapixel front camera, a 48-megapixel + 16-megapixel (ultrawide) + 5-megapixel (macro) + -megapixel (monochrome) quad-camera system, and Android 11 OSv. It may sell in Aquamarine Green and Lunar Silver color options.

(via)

Redmi Smart TV A50 now on reservation in China for 1599 yuan (~$234)

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 24, 2020

In May this year during the Redmi 10X series launch event, Redmi equally unveiled the Redmi Smart TV X series. The company recently disclosed that it will be following that TV series launch with a new series known as Redmi Smart TV A series. One of he models in the series is the Smart TV A55 and it is already on reservation in China.

In a related development, the Redmi Smart TV A50 has officially listed on Jingdong (JD.com) for reservations. The TV will go on sale on September 30 and will be sold for 1599 yuan (~$234).

The Redmi Smart TV A50 packs a 50-inch screen with 4K resolution of 3840×2160 pixel. The display also supports HDR and eye protection mode. It is equipped with high-power dual speakers and supports DTS decoding.

In terms of the hardware, the Redmi Smart TV A50 is equipped with a quad-core A53 processor backed by 1.5GB of RAM and 8GB of flash memory. For interface, there is an HDMI interface, USB port, network cable interface, AV interface, S/PDIF interface, and more.

It is running the MIUI operating system based on Android which can also be used to control smart home devices through voice commands. The company has also introduced a new Minimalist Mode so that elders can easily navigate through the interface.

Vivo Y12s Google Play Console listing appears, Launch could be near

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 24, 2020

Vivo is working on a new mid-range phone named Vivo Y12s (model number V2026). The handset has bagged multiple certifications in the recent past and now it has appeared with key specs at the Google Play Console. These findings suggest that the Vivo Y12s will go official soon.

The Vivo Y12s has been certified by various authorities like Indonesia’s TKDN, Russia’s Eurasian Economic Commission, and China’s China Quality Certification. The other Indonesia Sertifikasi platform confirmed that the V2026 model number is associated with the Vivo Y12s smartphone. The Google Play Console listing of the device has revealed that it is powered by MediaTek MT6765 i.e. the Helio P35 chipset and 3 GB of RAM.

Editor’s Pick: Vivo Watch with a premium design, 18 days battery life launched for ¥1299 (~$191)

The image of the phone in the listing reveals that it has a waterdrop notch display. The screen offers an HD+ resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels and a pixel density of 300ppi. The smartphone is preinstalled with Android 10 OS. Also, the CQC listing of the smartphone had revealed that it will arrive with support for 10W charging. The other specs of the smartphone are currently under wraps.

1 of 5

The Vivo Y12s appears to be a new variant of the Vivo Y12 smartphone that debuted a few months in India with a price tag of Rs 12,490 (~$169). The smartphone is equipped with a 6.53-inch IPS LCD screen that offers 720 x 1544 pixels HD+ resolution and it is powered by Helio P22 chipset and up to 4 GB of RAM. The phone offers users with up to 64 GB of storage and a microSD card slot. It has a front camera of 8-megapixel and a 13-megapixel + 8-megapixel (ultrawide) + 2-megapixel (depth) triple camera system. The smartphone is backed by a 5,000mAh battery. It comes in Aqua Blue and Burgundy Red color options.

(via)

LG K62 and K52 unveiled packing 6.6 inches display panels and 48MP quad cameras

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 24, 2020

Just a few days after the K42 was launched in the Dominican Republic, LG has unveiled two new models under its affordable K-series. The models include the LG K52 andK62, both packing a huge 6.6-inch display each, quad cameras and 4,000 mAh batteries. Let’s take a quick look at their specifications.

LG K62

The LG K62 adopts a 6.6-inch LCD screen with an FHD+ resolution of 1080p+ and 20:9 aspect ratio. It has a hole-punch design at the front which houses the selfie camera which is an exclusive 28MP sensor.

At the rear aspect, there is a 48MP main camera which is capable of starting a YouTube Live stream straight from the camera app. The other sensors which make up the Quad camera setup at the rear of the K62 include a 5MP ultra-wide shooter with 115° field of view, a 2MP macro lens and a 2MP depth sensor.

The phone is powered by an unnamed chipset (2.3 GHz octa-core CPU) paired with 4GB of RAM. There is 128 GB storage onboard which is expandable via the microSD card. Providing the interface is the Android 10 OS. You also get a dedicated Google Assistant button on its side.The phone also packs a side-mounted fingerprint reader.

Further the new K-series trio passed eight categories of MIL-STD-810G testing: high/low temperature, temperature shock, vibration, shock and humidity.

Like the other two, the K62 has a 4,000 mAh battery that is charged over USB-C (the port has USB 3.1 Gen 1 connectivity).

LG K52

Although the K52 is almost similar to the K62, the phone has a few differences from the K6. One of the differences is that the K52 packs a smaller 13MP selfie camera.

Further, the phone is available in 4GB RAM and 64GB storage which is also expandable via microSD slot.

Both the K52 and K62 have a fingerprint-resistant matte finish on the back. The K52 will be available in White, Red and Blue.

The prices of the models are yet to be announced. However, the K62, K52 and K42 will all be sold in Europe starting in October. LG says it will also introduce the model to “key markets” in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

Samsung Galaxy F41 launch date is October 8

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 24, 2020

Yesterday, a microsite for the new Galaxy F-series went live on the Flipkart retailer site in India. While it is speculated that the first F-series smartphone will be called Samsung Galaxy F41, the microsite did not have any information on its name or specifications. The retailer has now updated the microsite to confirm that Samsung will be announcing the Galaxy F41 smartphone on Oct. 8.

The microsite states that the Galaxy F41 will go official at 5:30 PM IST on Oct. 8 in India. It has an image of the phone that showcases its front and rear design. The handset is equipped with an S-AMOLED display panel that sports an Infinity-U notch design.

The device is packed with a 6,000mAh battery. The rear side of the smartphone features a fingerprint scanner and a rectangle-shaped camera housing. The phone features three rear cameras and an LED flash.

Editor’s Pick: Galaxy S20 FE arrives with a combination of style and performance

Past reports have revealed that the Galaxy F41 will borrow its specs from the Galaxy M31 handset that debuted earlier this year. Hence, the Galaxy F41 is rumored to be equipped with a 6.4-inch FHD+ display and Exynos 9611 chipset. The phone may ship with 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB / 128 GB of internal storage.

It may feature a 32-megapixel front camera and a 64-megapixel triple camera system. The phone may arrive in black, blue, and green color variants. Since the unveil event is around two weeks away, the Flipkart listing is expected to get updated with some more features of the phone in the coming days.

Leak reveals Nova 8 and Nova 8 Pro chipsets and price tags

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 24, 2020

Huawei is expected to announce the Nova 8 series next quarter, specifically by the end of the year according to a leak from early this month. The same source revealed the chipset and price of one of the models, the Nova 8 SE. He has now disclosed the chipsets and price tags of the other two models in the series which will launch as the Nova 8 and Nova 8 Pro.

According to the post made on Weibo, the leaker, Really Asen Jun, revealed that the Huawei Nova 8 will be powered by the Dimensity 820 processor. The post reveals that the chipset is currently exclusive to Redmi but the exclusivity period ends in December. Other details of the Nova 8 mentioned include a 90Hz OLED display that will be supplied by Visionox or Tianma and a starting price of ¥3299 (~$484).

For the Nova 8 Pro, the phone is said to be powered by the Dimensity 1000+. It will also have an OLED display but with a 120Hz refresh rate. The supplier for the display will be either Visionox or Tianma. With respect to price, the Nova 8 Pro will have a starting price of ¥3999 (~$587).

It is no surprise that Huawei’s upcoming Nova 8 phones are powered by MediaTek processors, unlike their predecessors that are powered by Kirin chipsets. The US ban has stifled Huawei’s HiSilicon chip business.

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

By

Michele Ingelido

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Sep 23, 2020

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.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 launched in China, starts at ¥16,999 (~$2,483)

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

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Sep 23, 2020

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.

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; 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

By

Balaji S

-

Sep 23, 2020

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.

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

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

-

Sep 23, 2020

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.

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

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Sep 23, 2020

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

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Sep 23, 2020

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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