Xiaomi India launches Redmi Smart Band as its first fitness tracker in the country for the year 2020. It is priced at ₹1,599 ($22) and will be available starting September 9 at 1 PM from Xiaomi online store (Mi.com), Mi Home retail stores, Mi Studios, Amazon India, and partner retailers.
Redmi Smart Band
The Redmi Smart Band aka Redmi Band features a 1.08-inch 16-bit color TFT LCD panel with 128 x 200 pixels and support for touch input. The screen’s maximum brightness is rated at 200 nits, which is less compared to Mi Smart Band 4’s 400 nits.
Nevertheless, it is worth noting that the Redmi-branded fitness tracker is priced lower than the company’s flagship Mi-branded fitness trackers. Hence, it lacks some features like 3-axis gyroscope and comes with a slightly smaller 130mAh battery (compared to 135mAh unit in Mi Band 4), which the brand claims to offer 14-day battery life.
On the plus side, the Redmi Smart Band is the first Xiaomi wearable to come with direct USB charging. But it is still 5 ATM water-resistant and includes 3-axis accelerometer and PPG heart-rate sensor.
Other features of the Redmi wearable include 24×7 heart rate monitoring option, music playback control, app notification, call alerts, 5 sports modes, alarm, weather, idle alert, sleep tracking, phone locator, reminder alerts, 50+ watch faces, and more.
The body of the tracker is made of polycarbonate and it weighs 13g. It comes with a black thermoplastic polyurethane wrist band as standard but users can separately buy the band in blue, orange, green, and even default black.
Last but not least, Redmi Smart Band features Bluetooth 5.0 to pair with smartphones via Xiaomi Wear app on Android and Xiaomi Wear Lite on iOS.
Samsung Electronics has apparently received an order from a known chip designer, Qualcomm Technologies. The former will be making 5G chipsets for smartphones for the latter and develop mobile application processors (AP) for budget 5G enabled handsets.
According to a Korea Herald report, an industry source close to the matter that the South Korean tech giant managed to secure this order as it plans on raising its presence in the foundry industry. Since the 5G chips are meant for budget smartphones, Samsung will likely be making the next Snapdragon 400 series processors for Qualcomm. These chips are expected to hit the market sometime by next year.
Furthermore, various OEMs like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Motorola have reportedly decided on using these Qualcomm chips for their upcoming offerings. Samsung has been obtaining major orders in recent times, so obtaining more for 5G chips isn’t that far fetches. The company is even currently helping NVIDIA manufacture its next gen RTX 3000 series graphics card, which was announced earlier this month.
For those unaware, Samsung is the world’s largest memory chip maker as well, although, it trails behind TSMC in the foundry industry. Reports have estimated that the company has a 17.4 percent market share in the global foundry market, while TSMC dominates with a 53.9 percent market share. Although, we can expect Samsung to claw for more grounds in the field with its continuous investment within its own semiconductor capabilities.
In July, the POCO India brand unveiled the POCO M2 Pro smartphone in India. It was just a rebadged version of the global edition of the Redmi Note 9 Pro with slight differences. The M2 Pro arrived in India with a starting price of Rs. 13,999 (~$190). Today, the company held an unveiling to unveil the POCO M2. As the name goes, it is positioned lower than the POCO M2 Pro. Hence, it has landed in India as the cheapest POCO phone in the country.
POCO M2 specifications and features
The POCO M2 has a big IPS LCD panel of 6.53 inches. The Dot Display notch screen supports Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels. The screen is shielded by a Gorilla Glass 3 layer. The rear cameras are also protected by the same reinforced glass. The phone houses a massive 5,000mAh battery that promises 2-day battery life. With a single charge, the POCO M2 promises 12 hours of gaming, 25 hours of video playback, 76 hours of music playback, and 26 days of standby time. The phone ships with an 18W fast charger.
Present under the hood of the POCO M2 is the MediaTek Helio G80 chipset. For gamers, it comes with HyperEngine gaming technology that intelligently manages resources, promotes smoother gaming experience, promises enhanced power efficiently, and intelligently handles Wi-Fi and LTE. The POCO M2 ships with 6 GB of LPPDR4x RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. There is a dedicated microSD card slot for additional storage.
The POCO M2 comes with a quad-camera system on its rear. It comprises of a 13-megapixel primary lens, an 8-megapixel ultrawide snapper, a 5-megapixel macro lens, and a 2-megapixel depth assist lens. For selfies, the phone features a front camera of 8-megapixel. The phone ships with MIUI 11 based Android 10 OS. Being a POCO device, it has the POCO Launcher onboard. The company has promised to release the MIUI 12 system update soon for the POCO M2 users. During the launch, it was confirmed that the POCO M2 has no ads.
The POCO M2’s rear has a two-tone pattern that promotes better grip through anti-fingerprint texture. The phone also comes with P2i splash-resistant coating. The device comes with preinstalled screen protector.
POCO M2 price in India
The POCO M2 has arrived in India with a price tag of Rs 10,999 (~$149) for 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage edition. The pricing of the 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage version is Rs. 12,499 (~$170). The handset comes in colors like Pitch Black, Slate Blue, and Brick Red. Customers with ICICI and Federal Bank cards can avail of an instant discount of Rs 750 (~$10). The phone will be available for purchase for the first time at 12 PM on Sept. 15 through Flipkar.com.
The POCO M2 is just a rebranded version of the Redmi 9 Prime that debuted recently in India. The Redmi handset has the same specs as the POCO M2 but comes in variants like 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage. The circular pattern seen around rear camera of the Redmi Prime is absent on the POCO M2. Also, the Redmi 9 Prime ships in different colors like Matte Black, Mint Green, Space Blue, and Sunrise Flare.
Last year, at Consumer Electronics Show, Mobvoi had launched its TicPods 2 Pro with new design and features. Now, the same is getting an update as the company has now launched TicPods 2 Pro+ TWS earphones.
Just like its predecessor, the new true wireless earphones from Mobvoi is powered by Qualcomm’s QCC5121 chipset. But the major improvement comes in the form of connectivity as this time, each earbud can be connected individually to a smartphone.
For this, the company has opted for Bluetooth 5.0 support. As for the codecs, iOS users will be stuck with just AAC, while Android users will have more codecs to choose from, including aptX, AAC, and SBC.
Along with the standard controls, the TicPods 2 Pro+ also comes with support for voice commands and gesture-based control for volume adjustment as well, which was missing in the previous version. It also comes with IPX4 ratings, making it water and dust resistant.
As for the battery, the company claims that the carry case packs a 390mAh battery which can be charged over a USB Type-C connection and offers one hour of usage in only five minutes of charge time.
The Mobvoi TicPods 2 Pro+ comes in two colors — Navy (Blue) and Ice (White) for a price of $139.99 and is now available for purchase through the company’s website and Amazon.
Smartphone manufacturers are increasingly adopting OLED displays instead of LCD panels for their devices. It is growing at such a rapid pace that it does not only surpass other technologies but will also have a lasting lead.
Now, a new report coming from UBI Research reveals that China has emerged as the largest buyer of OLED display panels for smartphones in the second quarter of this year, with 52.5 percent of the total volume.
In comparison, South Korea’s volume for the second quarter of this year stands at 35 percent. The United States, on the other hand, managed to get 8.3 percent of the volume. Companies in China purchased around 30.4 million units of OLED panels in total.
This is quite an unexpected development given that it’s usually Samsung Electronics which procures the most OLED panels. It has always been leading the list and this is the first time that Chinese companies bought more panels in a quarter.
Looking at the Chinese companies, Huawei was the leading brand to source OLED panels for smartphones, accounting for 53.4 percent. It was followed by OPPO, Vivo, and Xiaomi which accounted for 18.6 percent, 14.8 percent, and 8.3 percent.
However, it doesn’t seem to be a one-time thing for Chinese companies. The report adds that going forward, the China-based OLED panel makers will continue to increase their production volume. But it will be interesting to see how this works out given that Huawei has now significantly lowered its smartphone production for next year to just 50 million.
When compared to LCD panels, OLED is preferred due to its thin and light form factor as well as better color performance. Another major factor is that OLED enables flexible display form factor, allowing manufacturers to go ahead with innovative designs.
Along with leading smartphone brands like Samsung, Huawei, and Apple, other companies like OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi, and more are increasingly adopting OLED panels for their smartphones. Thus the display manufacturing industry is gearing up to expand AMOLED capacity for both rigid and flexible OLED.
Reno4 5G and Reno4 Pro 5G phones were made official in China in June. Fresh information reveals that the company could be planning to launch another Reno series phone called Reno4 SE in the home market. A Chinese leakster has shared the entire specifications of the Reno4 SE along with its speculated pricing.
OPPO Reno4 SE specifications (Rumored)
The leak states that the OPPO Reno4 SE will have a punch-hole display of 6.43 inches. The S-AMOLED E3 screen is expected to offer a 20:9 aspect ratio, Full HD+ resolution, and 90Hz refresh rate.
According to the tipster, the Dimensity 800 chipset could fuel the Reno4 SE. The phone may come with 8 GB of RAM and built-in storage of 128 GB. The phone may arrive with 65W fast charging support for its 4,300mAh dual-cell battery.
For capturing selfies, the Reno4 SE may possess a Samsung GD1 32-megapixel front camera. The rear side of the phone will have a triple camera system featuring the Sony IMX586 48-megapixel as the main camera, a superwide lens of 2-megapixel that will be also capable of shooting macro shots, and a B&W portrait shooter of 2-megapixel. The thickness of the device is 7.85mm and it weighs 169 grams.
In August, China’s TENAA telecom authority had certified an OPPO phone with PEAM00 / PEAT00 model number. The specifications of the smartphone match with Reno4 SE’s leaked specs. Hence, it is likely that the PEAM00 / PEAT00 smartphone could be arriving in China as OPPO Reno4 SE.
OPPO Reno4 SE pricing (Rumored)
The OPPO Reno4 SE could be priced at 2,599 Yuan (~$380) for the 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage. The device may rival the likes of Vivo S7 and Realme X7 in the Chinese markets.
Smartphone manufacturers keep working on new designs to make their devices stand out from the crowd and offer something unique to the users. With people wanting bezel-less phones, companies come up with several different designs, including pop-up cameras and under-display cameras to increase the screen-to-body ratio.
The technology of the under-display camera has been in the works for quite some time. ZTE recently launched the Axon 20 5G as the world’s first smartphone to have an in-display camera sensor and other brands are expected to follow the suit next year.
Amid this, companies keep working on new design ideas. In line with this, China-based Xiaomi has filed a patent application for a smartphone design that includes two pop-up cameras aimed to work as both rear and front-facing snapper, reports LetsGoDigital.
The concept images attached to the patent application showcases a flat-screen smartphone with very narrow bezels. There are no camera sensors visible on the front panel or on the backside of the device. Instead, the company has opted for a pop-up mechanism for housing camera sensors.
Both the camera sensors pop-up at an angle, similar to what we’ve seen on OPPO‘s Shark-Fin camera. Since there are sensors on both sides of the pop-up mechanism, the phone packs four camera lenses in total — two at the front and two on the back.
The LED flash has been placed towards the top of the smartphone on the backside, right below the area from where the camera sensors pop-up. The phone also has stereo speakers and a USB-C port at the bottom.
Xiaomi already has a few smartphones using a pop-up mechanism for the front-facing camera under its Mi as well as the Redmi lineup. It will be interesting to see if the company actually goes ahead and launches a phone with a dual pop-up mechanism for the front as well as the back camera module.
Huawei is currently the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer in terms of shipments. The company finally managed to surpass Samsung after years of being ranked second or third in the list of top smartphone makers.
However, the company won’t be able to retain its rank. In fact, it seems difficult to see the brand among the top smartphone companies list. Now, a report from The Elec claims to have Huawei’s plan for phone manufacturing, which seems to fit our speculations.
As per the report, Huawei is planning to produce around 50 million smartphones in 2021. This represents a massive 74 percent drop compared to what the Chinese giant is expected to ship this year.
Just to give you an idea, the company had shipped around 240 million units of its smartphones last year. For the current year, the company is expected to ship around 190 million units of its phones.
The primary reason behind cutting down smartphone production is because of the sanctions imposed by the United States which has made it almost impossible for the company to continue making phones. Thanks to this, Samsung is now expected to ship more than 300 million units of smartphones in 2021.
It all started last year in May when the U.S. government banned Huawei, restricting it from using Google‘s Android or any of its services and apps on Huawei or Honor smartphones, among a few other restrictions.
Most recently, the U.S. government tightened restrictions and added new sanctions on Huawei and dozens of its subsidiaries, banning it from procuring chipsets from Qualcomm or MediaTek. TSMC, which manufactures Huawei’s Kirin chipset, has also been restricted to provide its service.
Currently, the company is relying on SMIC to produce budget Kirin chipsets that can be used in budget and mid-range smartphones. However, the U.S. government is also planning to ban SMIC. if it goes through, then Huawei will practically have no access to chipsets for its smartphones.
Update: The Indian variant of the POCO X3 that has the M2007J20CI model number has received approval from the TUV Rheinland certification platform. The same model number has also appeared on Geekbench benchmarks to reveal specs like SD732G chip, 8 GB of RAM, and Android 10 OS.
Original story continues…
Yesterday, POCO held a global unveil event to announce the POCO X3 mid-range smartphone. The handset is now up for purchase in various markets starting from today. The handset is now up with a starting price of 199 euros in Europe. Soon after the launch event, POCO India General Manager C Manmohan hinted at the arrival of the POCO X3 in India. He also gave out a clue on the pricing of the smartphone.
Manmohan’s tweet states the POCO X3 would be priced at Rs 20,000 (~$272) + taxes in India. The predecessor POCO X2’s variants such as 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, 6 GB RAM+ 128 GB storage, and 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage. These models are priced at Rs. 17,499 (~$238), Rs. 18,499 (~$251), and Rs. 21,499 (~$292), respectively.
Great job done @POCOGlobal team. #POCOX3 is an amazing product! 🤩#POCO India fans! Do you want us to launch it in India? Regular price will be €229 = ₹20,000 + taxes.
The POCO X3 NFC debuted yesterday in two variants such as 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage for 229 euros (~$270; Rs 19,900) and 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage for 269 euros (~$318; ~Rs 23,350). Until Sept. 11, both models will be available with reduced pricings of 199 euros (~$235; ~Rs 17,275) and 249 euros (~$294; ~Rs 21,615).
Today, POCO India will be announcing the POCO M2 entry-level phone in India. Hence, it appears that the company may start teasing on the India launch of the POCO X3 at some point later this month.
The POCO X3 has a 6.67-inch IPS LCD FHD+ display with 120Hz refresh rate support. The handset is powered by the Snapdragon 732G chipset, LPDDR4x RAM, UFS 2.1 storage, and 5,160mAh battery with 33W fast charging. It has a 20-megapixel front camera, and a 64-megapixel (Sony IMX682) + 13-megapixel (ultrawide) + 2-megapixel (macro) + 2-megapixel (depth) quad-camera system. It has a side-facing fingerprint reader. The phone comes in two colors such as Shadow Gray and Cobalt Blue.
According to a report by DigiTimes, industry insiders have revealed that brain drain has become the biggest trouble for Huawei and Hisilicon. After the severe trade sanctions by the United States, whether Huawei can stage a counterattack will depend on whether it can Retain R&D talents.
The source said that when the sentiment of de-Americanization and de-Sinicization in the global technology supply chain becomes more and more intense, how to strengthen local technological prowess and research and development power has become the most important task of the semiconductor industry. The source emphasized that talent has become a scarce strategic resource as the semiconductor players in China, the US and Taiwan are all fighting for more talents to support this task.
Sources say that Huawei and Hisilicon were forced to suspend new chip R&D projects due to a series of US trade sanctions and let their engineers take long unpaid leaves. Although R&D engineers in Taiwan were not immediately fired, many of them have resigned.
The sources pointed out that the brain drain is expected to continue. As a result, Huawei’s efforts to expand its R&D talent base over the past 10 years may eventually come to no avail. This may be the most fatal for the Chinese company, the source noted.
Huawei’s founder Rhen Zhengfei recently disclosed that the company’s 90,000 members-strong R&D team wouldn’t need to be so large if the company had access to “high-quality resources like Western companies.” Things have since gotten worse as the US government completely cut off access to parts containing US technology. TSMC has until September 15 to fulfil all chip orders Huawei made for the 5nm Kirin 9000. There are doubts that the company will be able to meet the deadline.
The Lazada listing states that Realme 7i will be debuting in two colors such as the Polar Blue and Aurora Green. The handset can be seen sporting a punch-hole display and its gradient rear has a fingerprint scanner and a triple camera system housed inside a rectangle-shaped module. The Lazada listing also mentions that the Realme 7i is equipped with key features like a 64-megapixel AI quad-camera, 5,000mAh battery, and 90Hz Ultra Smooth display.
The Realme 7i is speculated to be equipped with a 6.5-inch IPS LCD display that offers an HD+ resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels. The display is expected to carry support for the 90Hz refresh rate.
The handset may feature a front-facing camera of 16-megapixel. The quad-camera system on its back is likely to include a 64-megapixel main lens, an ultrawide lens of 8-megapixel, a macro shooter of 2-megapixel, and a 2-megapixel depth assist lens.
The Snapdragon 662 mobile platform could be present under the hood of the device. It may come with 8 G of RAM and 128 GB of storage. It is unclear whether the device will be available in lower RAM and storage combinations.
The Realme 7i could be drawing power from a 5,000mAh battery. The smartphone is expected to arrive with support for 18W rapid charging. The Realme UI based Android 10 OS will come preinstalled on the phone. At present, there is no word on the pricing of the phone.
The Indian government on September 3 announced the ban on 118 Chinese apps, including the mobile game ” PlayerUnknown’s Battleground (PUBG Mobile). Among the recently banned apps, PUBG Mobile is very popular in India. Thus, the ban was seen as a disappointment by tens of millions of local players.
There has been an outpour of outrage by fans of the game. However, an extreme and tragic incident occurred when a 21-year-old student chose to hang himself because he could not continue playing games. Domestic media reports that the police in the Nadia district of West Bengal, India, announced on September 6 that a 21-year-old student, Pritam Halder, was found to hanged himself at home due to his inability to continue playing “PUBG Mobile” due to the government’s ban.
This tragedy reportedly happened on the morning of September 4. According to his mother, Halder returned to his room after breakfast and when he called him for lunch, he found that his room was locked from the inside. With the help of neighbours, the door was broken and unfortunately found the deceased hanging from the ceiling fan.
Halder’s mother said that he was obviously frustrated because he couldn’t play games: “He used to play games at night. I think he committed suicide because he couldn’t continue playing PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.”
After talking with Halder’s family, the police also believed that he committed suicide because he could not play this mobile game.
In another case, a 16-year-old boy from a village in Anand district in Ahmedabad committed suicide after he was scolded by his father who also seized his mobile phone for playing PUBG Mobile all the time, News18 reports. The local Police say that the boy was the son of a school teacher and allegedly consumed pesticide kept at his house on August 31. After rushing the boy to Anand Civil Hospital for immediate treatment, doctors declared him dead the next day.
In addition to PlayerUnknown’s Battleground, the 118 apps that India announced to be banned include WeChat Work, WeChat reading, Sina news, mobile Taobao, Youku, Alipay, CamCard, Baidu, Cut Cut, VooV, Tencent Weiyun, Rise of Kingdoms, Zakzak and others.
Huawei is scheduled to announce yet another pair of wireless earbuds this week. The product will arrive as the FreeBuds Pro, and while we already know what the earbuds will look like thanks to leaked renders, live photos have now also been posted on the web.
The images were posted on Twitter by the account DuanRui (@duanrui1205) and they show the earbuds in two colors – gray/black and white. The earbuds have quite unusual stems which are like rectangular blocks and also pretty thick. There are silver bands at the bottom and the manufacturer’s name is printed on the stem.
The FreeBuds Pro will have noise cancellation but are shown to also feature silicone tips to keep the sound in. There are large black circles on each earbud which we believe are IR sensors for wear detection. Personally, I wish they were much smaller as they really do stick out in a not-so-appealing way on the white variant.
The earbuds will come in a pebble-like case with a flat base and a flat top. The case should be able to stand on a flat surface unlike that of the FreeBuds 3 which has a rounded base.
The Huawei FreeBuds Pro will have the Kirin A1 chip, Bluetooth 5.2, three microphones on each earbud, and active noise cancelation. It has been reported to have a price tag of €150 and is expected to go on sale in early October.
Near Field Communication or NFC as it is popularly called is a technology that allows for the exchange of data between two devices with just a touch gesture between the two. There are many use cases for NFC such as for payments or for connecting to other devices such as wireless speakers and headphones. You can even purchase NFC tags and program them for your own use.
While the technology has been available for years now, not every phone has it. Sometimes, manufacturers remove the feature from models sold in select markets while adding it to models sold in other regions.
For this week’s poll, we want to know how frequently you use the NFC feature and it doesn’t matter if it is your phone that has the feature baked in or a wearable. Also, do drop a comment telling us the most frequent usage scenarios.
The LG Wing is a really interesting phone that is scheduled to launch on September 14. It is the first product from LG’s Explorer Project which we will learn more about next week. Ahead of the launch, a new hands-on video from Korea has surfaced on this gives us a closer look at the phone.
The LG Wing looks like a regular phone albeit a thick one but then the main display rotates on a hinge to reveal a smaller display behind the main one. This smaller display is about half the size of the larger one and is surrounded by thick bezels.
The video also shows the sides of the phone. There is a USB Type-C port at the bottom of the phone and it is flanked by a speaker grille on one side. While the video doesn’t focus on the back, we get a glimpse and can see the rear cameras are arranged vertically. It has been reported that the LG Wing will have three rear cameras.
The LG Wing is expected to be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G processor and will command a price tag of about $1000. That price tag should not be surprising seeing as this is an unusual device and LG must have factored in the cost of having two displays on the same phone.
Apple Watch is the most popular smartwatch worldwide. It has been a little over 5 years since the first model launched. But now, after all these years, a prototype of first-generation Apple Watch disguised as third-generation iPod nano leaks in pictures.
Prototype Apple Watch (Original) with matching Security Case and box. The Security Case was used to conceal the design before release durning transportation; and makes the Watch look similar to an iPod Nano. #appleinternalpic.twitter.com/2q0y8l6oso
In case you do not know, Steve Jobs once said that an Apple board member planned to wear his iPod nano as a watch. Since then, many people began to use their iPod nano as a watch with an increase in a variety of bands for Apple’s music player in the market.
Looks like the Cupertino-based tech giant used this fashion trend for their own good to conceal the prototypes of the first-generation Apple Watch while being tested in public. The images shared by @AppleDemoYT (via MacRumors) are proof of this.
These images showcase a prototype original Apple Watch with a rubber case on it mimicking an iPod nano. Hence, when it was tested by the engineers in public, no one would have thought it to be a smartwatch.
Even now, companies use bulky cases to conceal their unreleased products when they are tested in the public. But still, they somehow manage to leak in certain cases.
Anyway, it was a clever idea by Apple nonetheless. That said, the iPhone maker is reported to launch new smartwatches in the coming weeks to replace last year’s Series 5 and a budget model to replace the older Series 3.
There is no better month than September for smartphone-addicted people. In September a lot of important handsets go official every year, including the new iPhones by Apple. And while the launch date of the new Apple devices is still unconfirmed, a lot of other phones are already scheduled to launch this month. Here you will find a list of all the most important upcoming smartphones in September 2020 from mainstream smartphone manufacturers.
Top Upcoming Smartphones in September 2020
Huawei Mate 40 series
The Huawei Mate 40 series will be officially announced at the Huawei Developer Conference which will be held on September 10. During the conference, Huawei will also announce the EMUI 11 customization based on Android 11. The Huawei Mate 40 will be the last series of smartphones equipped with a Kirin chipset: Huawei can not produce its chipsets anymore due to the U.S. ban. The SoC powering the new lineup will be the Kirin 9000 which may be available in limited quantities because the partnership between Huawei and TSMC (the company producing Kirin chipsets) will end on September 15. The Huawei Mate 40 series is expected to include phones with 90 Hz display, resolutions up to Quad HD+, and display diagonals up to 6.78 inches.
Apple still did not announce the exact launch date of the iPhone 12 lineup which contains the most awaited upcoming smartphones of September 2020, but according to the latest rumors, it will launch this month despite the Covid-related issues. The series will include at least four models with different display diagonals, including 5.4, 6.1, and 6.7 inches. The high-end models are expected to come with a 120 Hz refresh rate and the same LiDAR scanner found on the latest iPad Pro. They will be the first 5G iPhones and they will be powered by the Apple A14 mobile platform manufactured by TSMC.
After launching the Pixel 4a, Google is preparing the launch of the Google Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5. Unlike the previous years, this year we will get only mid-range Pixel phones. Indeed, the Pixel 5 will be most likely fueled by the Snapdragon 765G platform, just like the Pixel 4a 5G. Both the handset should feature the same camera department including a Sony IMX363 main sensor with a 12.2 MP resolution and a 16 MP ultrawide camera. On the front side, we expect a Sony IMX355 with an 8 MP resolution, while the battery should have a capacity of 4000 mAh on the Google Pixel 5 and 3800 mAh on the Pixel 4a 5G. The Snapdragon 765G will be paired with 8 or 6 GB of RAM depending on the variant.
LG Wing will be official on September 14 and it will be a very innovative phone. It will feature a unique design including a dual display mechanism. There will be the main display on a top swivel to a 90-degree angle, and also another display behind it. It is something we have already seen years ago with flip phone where a few devices could have their screens rotate up to reveal a keypad. But this time, the keypad will be replaced by a secondary display.
Realme 7i is the third phone from the Realme 7 series and it will be an entry-level device launching on September 17 alongside the vanilla Realme 7 in Indonesia. The handset has a punch-hole LCD display with an HD+ resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels. Just like the Realme 7, it supports a 90 Hz refresh rate. But instead of the Helio G95 chipset, users will get a Snapdragon 662 SoC paired with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. The rear camera setup will feature a 64 MP main camera, an 8 MP ultrawide sensor, and a pair of 2 MP lenses, while the front panel will house a 16 MP selfie snapper in the punch-hole display. Another great feature is the 5000 mAh battery with 18W fast charging.
POCO M2 is set to debut in India tomorrow, on September 8. The company already confirmed a few specifications of the new mid-ranger. The POCO M2 will feature a Full HD+ display with a dew-drop notch, 6 GB of RAM and a quad camera setup. It is expected to be built around the MediaTek Helio G80 processor. It should come with a polycarbonate body, a 5020 mAh battery, and different colors to differentiate it from the Redmi 9 Prime, since it will have very similar specifications.
Today Xiaomi launched the POCO X3 NFC in the global market. It is definitely one of the best value for money devices of 2020. Its specifications include an IPS display with a whopping 120 Hz refresh rate and a huge 5160 mAh battery. The phone is powered by the new Snapdragon 732G chipset which is an upgrade of the Snapdragon 730G, paired with LPDDR4x RAM and UFS 2.1 internal storage. It supports NFC and it has a quad rear camera including a 64 MP Sony IMX682 main sensor, a 13 MP ultrawide sensor, and a pair of 2 MP lenses. The prices start from €199 (early bird price) for the 6/128 GB configuration.
On September 10, Samsung will launch the Galaxy M51 in India. This device already went official a few days ago with a price tag of €360 for the German market. Its key feature is a huge 7000 mAh battery, the biggest ever seen on a Samsung phone. The Galaxy M51 sports a 64 MP quad-camera, a Super AMOLED display, and a Snapdragon 730 chipset paired with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of expandable storage.
Sony confirmed that the compact Xperia 5 II will be official on September 17 and made a promo video to highlight its features. It will feature a 120 Hz screen refresh rate as well as a 240 Hz touch sampling rate and dual front-facing stereo speakers. It will also be able to record slow-motion 4K videos in 120 fps.
The second Motorola foldable phone will go official on September 10 in China. Its real name is still unknown but it will surely belong to the Razr series. It is expected to be powered by the Snapdragon 765G mobile platform offering 5G support, along with 8 Gb of RAM and 256 GB of native storage. It will be powered by a 2633 mAh battery and it will pack an internal foldable display and an external mini display for selfies, notifications, and more.
The innovative foldable phone by Microsoft will hit the U.S. shelves on September 10 and it is already on pre-orders. The handset features a dual display and a version of Android 10 optimized for its form factor. It is powered by the Snapdragon 855 chipset.
OnePlus Nord is arguably the most hyped smartphone of 2020. But it is not without problems. The company has been seeding system updates to this handset ever since it released to fix issues. Currently, the phone has begun to get its seventh update in the form of OxygenOS 10.5.7. This update is said to bring a number of improvements.
The OnePlus Nord is sold in almost all regions where the brand has its presence except for the US and China. Therefore, the new update for the device comes only with three different build numbers.
India (IN) – 10.5.7.AC01DA
Europe (EU) – 10.5.7.AC01BA
Global – 10.5.7.AC01AA
According to the official changelog, the latest system update for OnPlus Nord brings improvements for general power consumption, 4K 60fps video recording from the front camera, macro camera image quality, general display calibration, Bluetooth connection stability (the company claimed to have fixed it in the last update), and voice call stability.
The changelog of this update sounds similar to that of the previous update. Nevertheless, make sure to download and install in on your device.
OnePlus Nord OxygenOS 10.5.7 Official Changelog
Power
Improved general power consumption
Camera
Improved 4k 60 FPS video stabilization of front camera
The display details about an upcoming Redmi smartphone come from 数码闲聊站 (Digital Chat Station) on Weibo. According to him, this device will sport a 6.67-inch LCD panel with FHD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels) resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, and a punch-hole.
If you are experiencing déjà vu, then you aren’t alone. Because these display specs sound exactly the same as that of the newly launched POCO X3. That means, for the first time, a POCO device could be rebranded as a Redmi handset.
Unfortunately, the marketing name of this mysterious smartphone is unknown at the moment. It should be mostly Redmi K40 or maybe a high-end model in the rumored Redmi Note 10 series.
Also, it is worth noting that China is phasing out 4G phones and therefore, even if this device turns out to be identical to POCO X3, it may launch with a 5G chipset instead of 4G Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G.
Samsung has announced “The Premiere” Ultra-short throw 4K Laser Projector as one of its Lifestyle line of products. The new device utilises updated technology and several hardware that will provide both image clarity and access to some of the same features regularly used with modern television sets.
Samsung’s new The Premiere is an “ultra-short throw laser projector” intended for projection at a range between 0-4 feet and delivering its picture at 4K. The Premiere is expected to supply a memorable cinematic experience as the flagship item of its Lifestyle product lineup. The projector is available in two models – the LSP9T and LSP7T. The LSP9T displays a vast 130 inches and the LSP7T 120 inches.
The LSP9T laser-powered projector comes as a forerunner in cutting-edge technology, becoming the first certified in a new display technology.
The high dynamic range format HDR10+ changes the way lighting is displayed. When watching a film, set values on brightness can leave some scenes appearing fine, while others are too dark to experience properly. What HDR10+ does is enable variability in lighting so that bright scenes show as intended and dark scenes sill create an immersive experience for the viewer. This triple-laser projector is the first in the world to be certified in this HDR format and is rated to support 2,800 ANSI lumens. The Premiere comes with ‘Filmmaker Mode’ as well, which will apparently help to present a movie the way the director intended.
The projector runs Samsung’s smart TV platform which means viewers at home can stream videos from Samsung partners, and also enjoy support screen mirroring. In terms of audio, it packs built-in woofers and also uses Acoustic Beam sound direction as a component of its surround sound setup.
Samsung stated The Premiere projectors will begin rolling out later this year in the United States, Europe, Korea, and elsewhere.
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