vivo V2031A is an unknown budget 5G smartphone with OLED display & triple camera

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Sep 14, 2020

Wacom is witnessing a record high sales after entering the South Korean market. The company’s tablet sales have risen by 100 percent in the second quarter of 2020, which was due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Wacom Korea announced earlier this month that its tablet sales for the second quarter grew by 100 percent year on year. The primary reason of the surge was the increase in demand for tablets for online lectures/classes and the increasing popularity of Webtoons or other Korean multimedia entertainment. This led to a growth of high end tablet products in the region.

Furthermore, online lectures have become the norm along with work from home during this time of crisis. Thus, while various economies and industries have been suffering from the impacts of COVID-19, Wacom saw an earnings growth. At the moment, electronic gadgets with a big screen have become an essential commodity for online education and other professional areas as well.

One of the more popular tablets sizes in South Korea can vary from 13 inch to 32 inch displays, which are also in demand for professional content creators or others in the creative fields. Notably, gaming was also a notable reason for the hike in demand during this period. Although, Wacom is pushing to primarily support the professional market at the moment.

POCO X3 India pricing tipped ahead of September 22 rumored launch

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Sep 14, 2020

The POCO brand resurrected this year with the announcement of the POCO X2 smartphone back in February. Last week, the company unveiled the POCO X3 NFC as the successor to the POCO X2 phone. The handset debuted in the global markets, but it is yet to launch in India. Rumors have claimed that the company may announce the POCO X3 in this month in India. A new leak claims that the company will announce the POCO X3 in India on Sept. 22. The leak has also tipped the pricing of the device.

The POCO X3 NFC for the global market has a 5,160mAh battery. The leak claims that the model heading to India could pack a bigger battery. The POCO X3 NFC variants such as 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage are priced at 229 euros (~$271) and 269 euros (~#19) in Europe.

Recently, POCO India General Manager C. Manmohan had hinted that the smartphone would be priced around Rs 20,000 (~$273) + taxes. However, the new claims that the POCO X3 could be priced at Rs 18,999 (~$258) or Rs 19,999 (~$272). Lastly, the leak states that the POCO X3 will break cover on Sept. 22 in India.

Editor’s Pick: POCO X3 shipment exceeds 100,000 units in just 3 days

POCO X3 specifications

The POCO X3 NFC features a 6.67-inch IPS LCD screen with a punch-hole design. It offers Full HD+ resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, and 120Hz refresh rate. The Snapdragon 732G chipset fuels the phone with LPDDR4x RAM and UFS 2.1 storage.

It has a 64-megapixel (Sony IMX682) + 13-megapixel (ultrawide) + 2-megapixel (macro) + 2-megapixel (depth) quad-camera system. It has a front camera of 20-megapixel. The device houses a 5,160mAh battery with 33W fast charging support.

NVIDIA to acquire Arm Holdings for $40 billion from SoftBank

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Sep 14, 2020

NVIDIA will be buying Arm Holdings from the SoftBank Group as per a recent announcement. The known graphics card maker will be acquiring the chip designer for a deal worth 40 billion US Dollars, which was announced by both companies on Sunday (13th September 2020).

The deal will have NVIDIA paying 12 billion US Dollars in cash, which includes 2 billion US Dollars payable at signing, and giving out 21.5 billion US Dollars worth of NVIDIA’s stock to SoftBank. For those unaware, SoftBank acquired Arm back in 2016 for 31.4 billion US Dollars. Arm is a known chip designer with its architecture being one of the most popular designs used in most smartphone chips from companies like Qualcomm, Apple, and even certain Intel chips.

NVIDIA stated that it will “continue Arm’s open-licensing model and customer neutrality.” SoftBank had initially acquired the chip designer for the internet of things based applications in terms of connectivity. However, with the group’s finances falling in recent years, the company had to sell Arm Holdings. Recently, SoftBank had lost investment in companies like WeWork and Uber, which caused its share values to fall as well.

On the other hand, NVIDIA is looking forward to a boom in the industry, especially with its upcoming RTX 3000 series graphics card that was recently announced. With the coronavirus pandemic, the PC market saw a surge that even boosted the PC gaming market. The company is currently projecting a 46 percent growth in revenue for the third quarter, as per its recent financial report.

Tecno Spark Power 2 Air launched with 7-inch display, 6,000mAh battery, Helio A22 for Rs 8,499

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Sep 14, 2020

Chinese brand Tecno has unveiled a new phone called Tecno Spark Power 2 Air mid-range phone in India. The device has arrived a lower edition of the Tecno Spark Power 2 that debuted in June with a pricing of Rs. 9,999 (~$136). Some of the major highlights of the Spark Power 2 Air are a 7-inch display, a 6,000mAh battery, Helio A22 chipset, and 13-megapixel quad cameras.

Tecno Spark Power 2 Air specifications and features

The Spark Power 2 Air has a polycarbonate body that has 174.9 x 79.6 x 9.2mm dimensions and it weighs 217.2 grams. The 7-inch IPS LCD panel of the Spark Power 2 Air produces 720 x 1,640 pixels, 20.5:9 aspect ratio, and 480nit brightness.

The entry-level Helio A22 chipset and 3 GB of RAM. The phone features an internal storage of 32 GB and it has a microSD card slot for additional storage. The HiOS 61 based Android 10 OS comes preinstalled on the device. The back panel of the smartphone has a fingerprint sensor.

Editor’s Pick: Tecno Camon 16, 16 Pro and Camon 16 Premier unveiled

The Spark Power 2 Air has a front-facing camera of 8-megapixel. The quad-LED flash assisted quad-camera setup on the backside of the phone has a 13-megapixel main lens with, a 2-megapixel macro lens with a 4cm focal length, a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and an AI lens. The phone houses a 6,000mAh battery.

Tecno Spark Power 2 Air pricing and availability

The Tecno Spark Power 2 Air has arrived in India with a pricing of Rs 8,499 (~$116). Its first sales will take place at 12 PM on Sept. 20 through Flipkart and it can be bought in colors like Ice Jadeite and Cosmic Shine.

HP patents a foldable smartphone, features a clamshell design

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Sep 14, 2020

In recent times, foldable smartphones have become increasingly more popular. More and more OEMs are launching their own iterations of the new breed of smartphones and it seems like HP is planning on launching one of its own as well.

According to a LetsGoDigital report, the American brand is also looking to launch a foldable smartphone, with a clamshell design. Hewlett Packard is a known maker of laptops, tablets, printers, and other electronic gadgets. However, the last smartphone the company ever released was the HP Elite X3 back in 2016. This was a Windows smartphone that had easy connectivity to external monitors, keyboards for a full desktop experience. So it arrives as a surprise that the company is diving back into the smartphone market.

The company filed a patent with the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office), which was approved last month. The patent describes a smartphone with a flexible display that bends vertically in a clamshell format, similar to the Motorola Razr 2019. LetsGoDigital also provided 3D renders based on the patent sketches to help in better visualizing the device from HP.

Notably, the patent also details the folding structure and the technology behind it. HP placed an emphasis on the hinge and the layer on top of the OLED panel. Unfortunately, it is known if the company is actually working on such a device or whether it is just covering all bases. We will have to wait for an official announcement to know for sure.

Oracle reportedly chosen as “technology partner” by TikTok as Microsoft’s bid gets rejected

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Sep 14, 2020

For the acquisition of TikTok’s US business, Microsoft was the front-runner but then other major companies started talks for the acquisition but the closest competition was from the software giant Oracle.

Now, Microsoft officials and other people involved in the negotiations have revealed that TikTok has rejected the company’s acquisition offer and instead, Oracle has been chosen to be the technology partner.

In a statement, Microsoft said: “ByteDance let us know today they would not be selling TikTok’s U.S. operations to Microsoft. We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikTok’s users while protecting national security interests.”

It is not yet clear what does it mean to become a “technology partner” for TikTok. It also remains to be seen if Oracle would take a majority stake in the ownership of the social media app, which seems unlikely.

EDITOR’S PICK: Under Display Cameras: How & Why it will Reshape our Visual Experience in the Future

However, China’s state broadcaster CGTN has reported that ByteDance will not sell TikTok’s U.S. operations to Microsoft or Oracle. It is being said that the company has decided not to sell or transfer the source code behind its popular video app.

The development comes just days before the deadline for the acquisition deal times out. US President Donald Trump gave around 45 days from 6th August for TikTok to sell its business to an American company or get banned in the region.

Recently, the Chinese government revised its export rules that could block the transfer or sale of ByteDance’s artificial intelligence technologies. Now, the state-owned media in China is refuting the rumors about Oracle securing the deal. To know for sure, we will have to wait for an official announcement from the company.

Xiaomi under display cameras made by TCL CSOT to arrive in 2021: Report

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Sep 14, 2020

The smartphone market is an extremely volatile industry, with changes and innovation making the market dynamic. Recent trends have had OEMs launch foldable smartphones while pop up cameras or punch hole selfie shooters had become popular as well. Now, a new report suggests that Xiaomi might be one of the first to launch a smartphone with an under display camera.

According to a new report from ChinaStarMarket, the Chinese tech giant will be launching its third generation of the under display selfie camera in 2021. The new sensors will be manufactured by CSOT (China Star Optoelectronics), a subsidiary of TCL. These new sensors will be found on the next generation of smartphones from Xiaomi, which will likely be its flagships from 2021.

Unfortunately, this is just an unconfirmed report at the moment so take it with a pinch of salt. For those unaware, the company has teased the technology in the past but it has yet to make a commercial appearance. Many smartphone manufacturers are rushing to be the first to offer an under screen camera in their handsets, and Xiaomi might be one of the first in this regard.

Xiaomi Under Screen Camera Technology — Xiaomi shows third generation Under Screen Camera Technology

Xiaomi has built its reputation on innovation and offering the latest technology for its products at competitive prices. So, it won’t be far fetched to assume that we might just see an under screen camera from the company next year.

ZTE launches Far-field 4K AI Soundbar STB 3000 & ZXV10 B836CT/B866V2-H STB set-top boxes

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Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Sep 14, 2020

At the online Exhibitor Showcase of International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) 2020, ZTE launched three products. The first one is ZTE Far-field 4K AI Soundbar STB 3000, whereas the other two products are ZTE ZXV10 B836CT and ZTE ZXV10 B866V2-H STBs (set-top boxes). According to the telecommunication giant, its STBs have been deployed in more than 120 cities in over 45 countries.

ZTE Far-field 4K AI Soundbar STB 3000

As the name suggests, this set-top box features a built-in 4-mic array to pick up users’ voice from a distance. These microphones also help in noise reduction. Thus, users can operate this new ZTE STB hands-free by only using voice commands.

Just like most TV boxes, this one too runs Google Android TV platform with access to apps and OTT (Over The Top) services. It supports up to 4K resolution and HDR content as well. For connectivity, it comes with WiFi and Bluetooth.

This ZTE hybrid soundbar cum STB looks more like the former than the latter with a minimalistic design.

ZTE ZXV10 B836CT/B866V2-H STB

These two set-top boxes are powered by a quad-core ARM Cortex-A55 processor and run Android TV just like the above-mentioned product. They also support AV1 codec and come with CAS/DRM digital encryption system to protect operators’ content copyrights.

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Though these STBs sport common features, they are meant for different purposes. The B836CT is targeted at the cable/DTT hybrid market while the B866V2-H is aimed at the IPTV/OTT market.

Last but not least, these two set-top boxes have also won iF Design Award 2019 in Germany.

Realme C17 is launching on September 21 with 90Hz display, SD460 and 13MP quad cameras

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Sep 14, 2020

Recent reports have revealed that Realme is planning to unveil the Realme C17 smartphone. Today, Realme Bangladesh officially revealed through its Facebook account that the Realme C17 will be debuting at 12 PM on Sept. 21 (local time). A reliable tipster has shared screenshots that reveal the key specs and features of the Realme C17.

Realme C17 specifications

The Realme C17 sports a 90Hz refresh rate supporting an IPS LCD panel of 6.5 inches. The screen offers an HD+ resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels and 600nits of maximum brightness. The phone boasts a screen-to-body ratio of 90 percent. The backside of the phone has a fingerprint sensor.

The 11nm Snapdragon 460 chipset that clocks at 1.8GHz fuels the Realme C17. The SoC is coupled with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. The smartphone is equipped with a 5,000mAh battery that promises up to 34 days of standby time, 35.7 hours of phone calls, 18.6 hours of video playback, 12.3 hours of PUBG gaming, and 83.4 hours of music playback. The massive battery will support 18W fast charging through USB-C.

Editor’s Pick: Realme Narzo 20, 20A, and Narzo 20 Pro to launch on September 21 in India

The 8-megapixel AI selfie camera of the phone will have support for AI beauty and portrait mode. The rear-facing quad-camera system will have an f/1.8 aperture 13-megapixel primary shooter, a 119-degree 8-megapixel superwide lens, a 2-megapixel macro shooter with 4cm focus distance, and a 2-megapixel B&W portrait lens.

The Realme C17 will come loaded with the Realme UI based Android 10 OS. Like the other C-series phone, it will also have a microSD card slot for more storage.

Realme C17 pricing

The Realme C17 will be priced higher than the Realme C15 phone, but there is no confirmation on it yet. What is known is that the device will come in two colors like Navy Blue and Lake Green.

Huami and Tesla partners to launch a new smartwatch on September 15

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Sep 14, 2020

Huami Technology, the company backed by Xiaomi and known for making smartwatches, seems to have partnered with Tesla for its new product that will be announced tomorrow in China, i.e. on 15th September.

So far, nothing has been confirmed by Huami or Tesla that which device will get launched and what features should we expect. However, it is being speculated that the smartwatch will have support for controlling certain aspects of Tesla cars.

EDITOR’S PICK: OnePlus Buds earphones seized by the US Customs department as “counterfeit AirPods”

Recently, the Amzfit GTR and Amazfit GTS smartwatches from the company received an update, enabling them to be used as car keys for Xiaopeng P7/Xpeng P7, touted as the Chinese rival to the Tesla Model 3. So, the upcoming product could have the same feature, with support for cars from Tesla.

Huami CEO Huang Wang has been teasing about this launch event on Weibo and from the teasers, it seems that the company could be launching an upgraded variant of the Amazift GTR smartwatch. To know for sure, we will have to wait for a few more hours for the official announcement from the company.

Last month, an FCC filing revealed that Tesla Motors is working on the development of a new smartwatch with Xplora Technologies, which is a Norwegian company that sells smartwatches for kids.

Pinduoduo opens Apple iPhone 12 appointment, claims sale from September 16

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Sep 14, 2020

Apple has already confirmed that the company will be holding a launch event on 15th September. At the event, the company is not expected to launch the next-generation iPhone 12 models and instead new Apple Watch and iPad are expected.

However, a report from China reveals that Pinduoduo hints at the early arrival of next-gen Apple smartphones. The company has opened appointments for the Apple iPhone 12 in China and claims that the sale will start from 16th September.

Do note that we couldn’t verify that this claim by Pinduoduo is correct, so take it with a pinch of salt. Also, it’s highly unlikely that the new iPhone 12 models go official later this week in China.

EDITOR’S PICK: 20,000 OnePlus Buds seized by the US Customs department as “counterfeit AirPods”

Apple has already confirmed that the iPhone 12 models launching this year will be “available a few weeks later.” There are several reports which claim that the new iPhones will go on sale from October.

Previous reports hint that pre-booking will start around mid-October and shipments of the base model beginning a week after that. But not all the models will go on sale together. As per the report, the iPhone 12 will be available for purchase in October itself, while other models in the lineup, including the iPhone 12 Pro, will go on sale in November.

As per the reports, the company will be launching the Apple Watch Series 6, a new iPad, new Apple TV, smaller HomePod, AirTags, and over-ear headphones at its launch event on 15th September. To know if anything else is coming, we’ll have to wait for the official launch event to take place.

Apple iPhone 12 Pro alleged hands on video reveals rear panel with LiDAR sensor

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Sep 14, 2020

An alleged hands on video for the Apple iPhone 12 Pro has recently surfaced online. The video showcases the rear panel of the device which also reveals the LiDAR sensor placement on the 6.1 inch model.

According to a 9to5Mac report, a YouTuber named EverythingApplePro showcased an alleged rear panel of the iPhone 12 Pro. In the video, it can be observed that the upcoming flagship features a finish similar to the iPhone 11 Pro, with steel edges and matte glass. This is in line with all the recent rumors. On the rear, triple camera setup can be observed, with an arrangement similar to the camera module of the previous generation.

Notably, this camera module houses the ultra wide angle lens, which is also likely related to the LiDAR scanner. For those unaware, the iPhone 12 will reportedly feature a LiDAR scanner. However, it was said to only arrive in the 6.7 inch model. But now, the hands on video reveals that both the 6.1 inch and 6.7 inch iPhone 12 Pro models would ship with the new sensor.

Here it is! Official iPhone 12 Pro chassis leak. Confirms mostly same camera with new LiDAR placement, flat sides, magnet cutouts & smart connector-like 5G antenna? This seems to confirm the 6.1 Pro model will get LiDAR too. October can't come soon enough. pic.twitter.com/YifSX7SWxh

— EverythingApplePro (@EveryApplePro) September 11, 2020

Additional changes that have been observed in the video include a readjusted SIM tray and a new cutout on the right side of the device, which is likely for the 5G antenna. 9to5Mac also stated that a previous report had claimed that two models of the new iPhone will feature the LiDAR scanner, which is probably the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Unfortunately, this is still an unconfirmed report so take it with a pinch of salt, and stay tuned for more updates on the matter.

2,000 OnePlus Buds seized by US Customs as “counterfeit AirPods”

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Sep 14, 2020

On 31st August, US Borders and Custom Protection announced that it had seized around 2,000 counterfeit Apple AirPods sent to New York’s JFK Airport from Hong Kong, worth about $398,00.

Well, it turns out that the department messed up, and the product which they claimed as counterfeit AirPods is actually OnePlus Buds and the total shipment is worth about $158,000 based on 2,000 units.

THAT'S NOT AN 🍎 —

CBP officers at JFK Airport recently seized 2,000 counterfeit Apple AirPods from Hong Kong, valued at $398K had they been genuine.

Details via @CBPNewYorkCity: https://t.co/XMgjkfT56i pic.twitter.com/Ofn9REJ9ZB

— CBP (@CBP) September 14, 2020

The photo of the product and the retail box shared by the US Borders and Custom Protection also reveals that the product in question is actually OnePlus Buds — the true-wireless earphones from China-based OnePlus.

Troy Miller, Director of CBP’s New York Field Operations, said in a press release: “The interception of these counterfeit earbuds is a direct reflection of the vigilance and commitment to mission success by our CBP Officers daily.”

EDITOR’S PICK: Samsung Galaxy S20 FE will launch on September 23

One thing is quite clear from the images that what they have seized is OnePlus Buds, which is not a knock-off of Apple AirPods. The form factor is being used by several companies for the TWS earphones and OnePlus is among them. The OnePlus Buds has clear branding and there’s no way to confuse them as a knock-off of Apple AirPods given that there’s no Apple branding or trying to pass them off as AirPods.

The OnePlus Buds come with a 13.4mm dynamic driver and has support for Dolby Atmos for the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 8 series. It also has support for Dirac Audio Tuner for the newly launched OnePlus Nord smartphone.

It has environmental noise cancellation which triggers during phone calls. The device also has IPX4 ratings, making it water-resistant. Connecting the earphones with OnePlus smartphones enables additional touch controls, as well as a low-latency mode named Fnatic Mode for gaming.

Realme Watch S and S Pro gets certified; launch imminent

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Sep 14, 2020

Realme has already entered the smartwatch market earlier this year and now it seems that the company is all set to launch its new smartwatch series which will include two devices — Realme Watch S and Realme Watch S Pro.

Leakster @Stufflistings reveals that both the devices have been certified by NEMKO while the standard Watch S has also been certified by SIRIM. The certification process also revealed that the Pro variant will come powered by a 390mAh battery.

Given that they are getting certified, the launch event shouldn’t be far away. Also, we expect more details regarding the wearable devices to soon surface online.

Recently, the Realme Watch S Pro with model number RMA186 was spotted on FCC, revealing more details. It revealed that the device will come with a round dial that measures 1.39-inches.

EDITOR’S PICK: Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra flagship gets a new firmware update bringing camera optimisation

It will have an AMOLED touch display panel with a screen resolution of 454 x 454 pixels. It has two side buttons for controls and a tachymeter on the dial. The leak also reveals that it will come with support to track steps, distance, and calories with automatic identification for walking and running.

There’s also has dynamic heart rate monitoring, sleep monitoring, and a SpO2 sensor. Other features on the device include functions like call notification, music control, camera control, and find your phone feature.

Realme Narzo 20, 20A, and Narzo 20 Pro to launch on September 21 in India

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Sep 14, 2020

Last week, Realme confirmed the arrival of new products including the Realme Narzo 20 series at the IFA 2020 tech trade show. Since then the rumor mill has been claiming that the Chinese firm will be soon launching the Narzo 20 series. Today, the company officially confirmed that it will be announcing the Realme Narzo 20 series on Sept. 21 in India.

The launch event of the Realme Narzo 20 series will be held at 12:30 PM (IST) on Sept. 21. The company has confirmed that it will be announcing Realme Narzo 20A, Narzo 20, and Narzo 20 Pro on the said date. The lineup will be replacing the Realme Narzo 10A and Narzo 10 phones that debuted in May this year.

Also, the media invite package sent out by the company for the Realme Narzo 20 series includes energy bards and a handheld gaming console that runs yesteryear games like Super Mario and Contra. These clues suggest that Realme Narzo 20 will offer long-lasting battery performance and it will come with gaming capabilities.

Editor’s Pick: Realme Narzo 20, 20 Pro, 20A variants and color editions leaked

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The launch poster shows that two devices rear-facing fingerprint sensors, whereas the third device could be either featuring a side-facing fingerprint reader or it could be embedded under the display. The Realme Narzo 20A could be the phone with a square-shaped camera module with three cameras and an LED flash. The Realme Narzo 20 could be coming with a vertical triple camera system, while the Narzo 20 Pro could be sporting a vertically aligned quad camera.

The invite package carries “Feel the Speed of Dart” text. This indicates that the Narzo 20 series will arrive with support for Dart Charging technology. Since the launch date is around a week away, Realme is expected to release more teasers of the Narzo 20 series to confirm some of its key features before the official announcement.

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Redmi 9A arrives in new 4GB RAM + 128GB storage version in China

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