Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 to launch on September 9 in China

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Sep 3, 2020

Samsung officially unveiled Galaxy Z Fold2 earlier this week for a starting price of $1,999. Now, the company announces the handset to launch in China next week on September 9. So far, the South Korean tech giant has debuted all of its previous foldables (both 4G and 5G variants) in the country though it has a negligible share in the region’s smartphone space.

The Galaxy Z Fold2 fixes all the complaints of the original Galaxy Fold. It now comes with a 6.2-inch larger external display and a 7.6-inch internal foldable display with punch-holes instead of huge bezels and notch that are found on its predecessor.

The inner display is now protected by UTG like the Galaxy Z Flip. Also, it comes with a new hinge design in order to support “Flex Mode”. In other words, users can keep the foldable opened at any angle, again similar to Z Flip.

Further, It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ processor paired with 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB UFS 2.1 storage. According to reports, China will also get an exclusive 512GB variant.

The primary triple camera setup on the phone includes a 12MP main sensor, a 12MP ultra-wide unit, and another 12MP shooter with a 2x telephoto lens. Also, both the external and internal displays house a 10MP snapper each in their punch-holes.

Other features of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 include a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, One UI 2.5 based on Android 10, 4,500mAh battery, 25W fast charging, 11W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging.

Last but not least, the device comes in two colors namely Mystic Bronze and Mystic Black.

Intel unveils its 11th Gen Tiger Lake CPUs, arriving on laptops later this year

By

Sean

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Sep 3, 2020

Intel has just unveiled its latest 11th Gen Tiger Lake processors for laptops. These new CPUs will power thin and light notebooks and will feature the company’s new integrated Xe graphics.

Intel will be launching 9 new 11th Gen chips for both its U series (now called UP3) and Y series (now called UP4) lineup. The latest generation will be led by the Core i7-1185G7, which features a 3.0GHz base clock and up to 4.8GHz turbo clock and a maximum boost clock of 4.3GHz. This chip also features Intel’s Iris Xe integrated graphics that has 96 CUs and a maximum frequency of 1.35GHz.

Ultrabooks with thin and light design will feature these new chips and are expected to arrive later this year. Intel is aiming at a TDP of around 7W to 28W with these new chips, which also support Thunderbolt 4, Wi-Fi 6, and a notable bump in performance and battery life over its predecessor, the Ice Lake chips. At the moment, the company has provided various benchmarks comparing it to its primary rival AMD. However, we will have to wait for real world tests once these chips are actually available.

Notably, Intel is also betting big on its Xe integrated graphics with these new chips. According to official claims, the new integrated GPUs are offering a better graphical performance when compared to a 10th Gen chip running with an NVIDIA MX350 GPU. Keep in mind, that Xe is only available for i5 and i7 chips, while the i3 will still feature the Intel UHD Graphics. Notably, the company is also debuting a new iteration of its Project Athena certification standard, dubbed “Intel Evo.”

Huawei Enjoy 20, Enjoy 20 Plus 5G launched in China; Specifications, features and price

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 3, 2020

Huawei unveiled the Enjoy 20 5G and Enjoy 20 Plus 5G smartphones in China. Both phones are now part of the Enjoy 20 family that already includes Enjoy 20 Pro 5G that debuted in June. The new Enjoy 20 series come with attractive design, big displays, large batteries, and decent cameras. With a pricing of the 1,699 Yuan (~$248), the Huawei Enjoy 20 5G is one of the most affordable 5G-ready Huawei phones in China.

Huawei Enjoy 20 5G and Enjoy 20 Plus 5G specifications and features

The Huawei Enjoy 20 and Enjoy 20 Plus are respectively equipped HD+ and Full HD+ resolution supporting IPS LCD screens. The Enjoy 20 has a waterdrop notch display of 6.6 inches, while the Enjoy 20 Plus has a notch-less display of 6.63 inches. Both phones offer a 20:9 aspect ratio.

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The MediaTek Dimensity 720 chipset fuels the Enjoy 20 and Enjoy 20 Plus smartphones with LPDDR4x RAM and UFS 2.1 storage. The EMUI 10.1 flavored Android 10 OS runs on both devices. For additional storage, these devices are equipped with a microSD card slot.

Editor’s Pick: Huawei is increasing investment in Russia because of U.S. sanctions

The Huawei Enjoy 20 5G has an 8-mgeapixel front camera. It has back is fitted with a square-shaped camera module. It includes a 13-megapixel main camera with f/1.8 aperture, a 5-megapixel superwide lens with f/2.2 aperture, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor with f/2.2 aperture.

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The Enjoy 20 Plus 5G offers users with a pop-up selfie camera of 16-megapixel. The Oreo-like camera housing on the backside of the smartphone has an f/1.8 aperture 48-megapixel primary shooter, an f/2.4 aperture 8-megapixel ultrawide lens, and an f/2.4 aperture 2-megapixel macro lens.

The Enjoy 20 comes with support for 10W charging for its 5,000mAh capacity. On the other side, the Enjoy 20 Plus comes with a smaller battery of 4,200mAh battery, but it supports 40W fast charging. These phones are equipped with other features like dual SIM slot, 5G, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C, 3.5mm headphone slot, and side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

Huawei Enjoy 20 5G and Enjoy 20 Plus 5G pricing and availability

Here is the pricing of the different variants of the Enjoy 20 and Enjoy 20 Plus smartphones:

Huawei Enjoy 20 5G

4 GB RAM + 128 GB storage – 1,699 Yuan (~$248)
6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage – 1,899 Yuan (~$278)

Huawei Enjoy 20 Plus 5G

6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage – 2,299 Yuan (~$336)
8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage – 2,499 Yuan (~$365)

The Enjoy 20 and Plus edition comes in multiple colors like black, green, silver, gold, and gradient pink. The first sale of both phones will be held on Sept. 10 in China. The Chinese firm did not share any details on the availability of both phones outside China.

Huawei Chairman: Continued investment in HiSilicon can help Kirin chips in this crisis

By

Sean

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Sep 3, 2020

Guo Ping, the rotating chairman of Huawei, stated in an interview that we will continue to maintain his investment in HiSilicon, which he believes will help the company’s Kirin chips. The senior executive also stated that he would be helping its partners as well, to improve and develop their own offerings as well.

According to Ping, maintaining investment within Huawei’s chip designing subsidiary will have the firm bounce back stronger than before and help its proprietary Kirin chips overcome recent obstacles. For those unaware, US sanctions have cut off the Chinese tech giant’s chip supply from TSMC and, to make matters worse, further regulations have banned Huawei from obtaining chips from other companies since they utilized American technology.

Previously, we had reported on HiSilicon facing issues as engineers were walking out of the company. So, it is clear that the company is facing a crisis. In an article titled “Don’t waste an opportunity in a crisis,” the Chairman gave his views regarding the entire situation revolving around the US crackdown, chip supply, future development, and more.

The senior official also said that the suppression of Kirin chips have caused difficulties for Huawei, but he believes the issue will be resolved. He even stated that “it will not be the United States that can defeat Huawei, but Huawei itself can defeat Huawei. A firm right direction, a vibrant organization, and culture are the real challenges we face. These problems are not handled properly. Will fail and die.”

China’s wireless headsets market sees 49% year-on-year growth in H1 2020

By

Jeet

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Sep 3, 2020

After publishing a Smart TV shipment forecast report for the Chinese market, IDC has today released a report on China’s Wireless Headset Equipment Market. It reveals that shipments of wireless headsets in China reached 42.56 million units in H1 2020.

The numbers represent a 24 percent year-on-year increase. The report claims that the true wireless earphones accounted for 64 percent in the shipment of 42.56 million units, which shows a 49 percent year-on-year growth.

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The leading brands for wireless headsets in China include Apple, Huawei, Xiaomi, Amoi, and Meander. While Apple accounted for 18.1 percent market share, Huawei and Xiaomi managed to grab 10.1 percent and 8.3 percent market respectively.

Amoi accounted for 8.3 percent of the market share while Meander managed to grab around 5.6 percent of the wireless headsets market in China. The report further adds that the growth of active noise cancellation earphones is noticeable and the category could see rapid growth in the near future.

It’s noteworthy that the top three manufacturers of China’s Bluetooth headset market in the first half of this year accounted for only 37 percent of the overall market share, indicating that the market is quite diversified, mainly because of low entry barriers.

Offline retailers in India counter Xiaomi’s claim on inventory allocation

By

Jeet

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Sep 3, 2020

Xiaomi India Managing Director and Xiaomi Global Vice President Manu Kumar Jain recently commented that offline inventory issues were largely related to the supply shortage. In response to that, Offline mobile retailers have countered the claim.

The offline smartphone retailers in India are claiming that the company deliberately related inventory of newly launched products and is diverting them to its own channel and e-commerce partners to save margins.

Arvinder Khurana, the national president of All India Mobile Retailer Association (AIMRA) told Economic Times that “Xiaomi promised to provide inventory offline within a week but the situation hasn’t changed in the last few months. They don’t provide inventory of latest models to offline partners and delay it for almost a month and largely give inventory of older models.”

He also added that there’s a price disparity as the company is selling smartphones ₹500 cheaper in the online channel compared to the offline market. The development comes at a time when Xiaomi claims that offline channels will contribute around 50 percent of its overall sales by the end of this year.

EDITOR’S PICK: Samsung’s newly launched Galaxy Z Fold 2 has a surface hardness similar to Galaxy Z Flip

Allegations by AIMRA, which represents around 150,000 mainline mobile retailers of India, doesn’t stop with Xiaomi. It also claimed that Samsung is involved in a similar practice, and isn’t providing certain in-demand models at all to offline partners.

Further, it has accused OPPO of selling “end of life” smartphone models at deep discounts on online channels, which diverts customers from offline to online. AIMRA has asked OPPO India President Elvis Zhou to discontinue deep discounts on online channels.

Moto Razr 5G foldable smartphone teased to launch in China on September 10

By

Jeet

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Sep 3, 2020

Motorola launched its first foldable smartphone last year — Motorola Razr and now the company is gearing up to launch its successor, the second-generation foldable Moto Razr flagship phone with 5G connectivity support.

The company had recently sent out teasers, revealing that the phone’s launch could take place on 9th September. Now, the Lenovo-backed company has released a new poster which indicates that the same phone could launch in China on 10th September, just a day after its global launch.

While the company has not revealed anything about this upcoming smartphone, some details have leaked online. It is claimed that the upcoming Moto Razr 5G, or whatever the company ends up calling it, features the same design style as the original Motorola Razr.

The smartphone will be slightly thicker than the previous-generation model and will have more rounded edges. There’s also a fingerprint scanner hidden into the logo at the back, along with a smaller notch on top of the display.

EDITOR’S PICK: OnePlus CEO joins OPPO’s holding company as Senior VP and Chief Product Experience Officer

As for the specifications, the Moto Razr 5G is expected to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G SoC, along with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The device will support dual-mode 5G and will be powered by a 2,633mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging technology.

In the camera department, the phone will have a 48MP primary sensor on the backside and a 20MP snapper on the inside or the front panel, for taking selfies and video calling. It seems that Motorola has partnered with China Telecom to roll out the device in China.

Redmi XiaoAI Touchscreen Speaker Pro goes official in China for 499 yuan ($73)

By

Jeet

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Sep 3, 2020

Earlier this year, Xiaomi-backed Redmi had launched its first touchscreen smart speaker, dubbed as Redmi XiaoAI Touchscreen Speaker 8. Today, the company has launched an upgraded variant of the same in China — Redmi XiaoAI Touchscreen Speaker Pro.

It features an 8-inch touchscreen display that can be used to watch videos and listen to songs, as well as can be linked with smart cameras and doorbells to view the video feed on the device to keep a check anytime.

EDITOR’S PICK: Redmi K30 Ultra Review: Excellent Value for Money but there’s Room for Improvement

Under the hood, the device comes with 2GB of RAM, ensuring smooth operations. There’s also support for dual-band Wi-Fi 2.4GHz + 5GHz. It is also being said that the device supports the Xiaomi Miaoxiang function which can offer smartphone touch music continuation, video call transfer, and other functions.

It is powered by a 4,700mAh battery which promises 4.5 hours of continuous usage on a single charge. The device also comes with support for tons of content providers, including Douyin, iQiyi, Youku, Tencent Video, and Bilibili, among others.

The Redmi XiaoAI Touchscreen Speaker Pro is priced at 499 yuan in China, which roughly converts to $73 and is set to go on sale from 9th September.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 has surface hardness similar to Galaxy Z Flip

By

Jeet

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Sep 3, 2020

Samsung recently announced its next-generation foldable smartphone, dubbed as Galaxy Z Fold 2, which is now up for pre-order and is set to go on sale from 18th September. As the name indicates, the company has merged its both of its foldable smartphone lineup — Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Z Flip.

Now, a report coming from South Korea reveals that the surface hardness of the cover window on the main screen for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is similar to what we saw on the Galaxy Z Flip smartphone.

A person aware of the development claims that some of the processes for surface hardening have been changed to slightly improve the result but adds that users won’t be able to notice much difference.

However, it seems that noticeable improvements in this department could be seen with the upcoming smartphones from next year. Along with this, the smartphone also comes with Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) by Samsung, found on the Z Flip.

For those who are unaware, the South Korean giant had used polyimide (PI) screen on the first-generation Galaxy Fold smartphone. UTG, used in the current-gen device is prone to scratches but it could be improved with the next iteration. Further, Samsung has added a special protection film on top to make it more durable and improve touch sensitivity.

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The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 comes with a 6.2-inch Super AMOLED cover screen with a resolution of 2260 x 816 that is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. The main flexible display is a Dynamic AMOLED screen that unfolds into a 7.6-inch 2208 x 1768 pixels display with Ultra Thin Glass (UTG), having a 120Hz refresh rate.

Under the hood, the device is powered by the Snapdragon 865 Plus processor and draws juice from a 4500mAh battery with support for 25W fast charging, fast wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging.

On the back, there’s a 12MP f/1.8 main camera, a 12MP telephoto camera with OIS, and a 12MP ultrawide angle camera. The cover screen has a centered punch hole for a 10MP f/2.2 selfie camera and the same 10MP f/2.2 selfie camera on the inner screen.

Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy Z Fold 2 will receive three OS upgrades. Given that it’s running Android 10 out-of-the-box, updates to Android 11, Android 12, and Android 13 are promised.

Infinix Note 7 to debut in India on September 16

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 3, 2020

Infinix is gearing up to launch the Infinix Note 7 in India which was originally announced in April this year. The company confirmed that the Infinix Note 7 will be launching in India on Sept. 16. In April, the Chinese brand had announced the Infinix Note 7 Lite model along with Note 7. It is unclear whether the Lite model will be also debuting on Sept. 16.

While the pricing of the Infinix Note 7 for India is not known yet, it is now confirmed that it will be made available through Flipkart. It will be replacing the Infinix Note 6 that went official in India last year. Since the Note 7 was announced in April, its specifications and design are already known.

Editor’s Pick: Infinix Zero 8 with 90Hz display, 48MP dual selfie cameras, 64MP quad cameras, 33W fast charging launched for ~$259

Infinix Note 7 specifications

The Infinix Note 7 has a 6.9-inch IPS LCD panel with a punch-hole design. It supports HD+ resolution and 20.5:9 aspect ratio. It has a front camera of 16-megapixel. There is a round-shaped camera module with a quad-LED flash on its back. It comprises of the 48-megapixel main camera, a 2-megapixel macro lens, a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a dedicated low-light camera.

The Helio G70 chipset by MediaTek powers the device with 6 GB of RAM. It has an internal storage of 128. The device is backed by a 5,000mAh battery that is coupled with 18W rapid charging. The predecessor Note 6 came with a stylus, but the Note 7 does not feature it. The handset will come preloaded with XOS based Android 10 OS.

Ninebot Self-balancing Scooter MAX Sports version arrives with a 38km range

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 3, 2020

Segway-Ninebot, a Xiaomi ecological chain company has launched a new self-balancing e-scooter in China. Dubbed, Ninebot Self-balancing Scooter MAX Sports version, the self-balancing scooter is designed for use as a single unit or attached to the GoKart Pro/Lamborghini edition that was launched in China recently.

The Ninebot Max is significantly bigger than the previous-gen self-balancing scooter. It also brings support for a handlebar just like the original Segway scooters sold in the US. The handlebar not only provides support but makes steering the e-scooter easier. It is shaped like a racing car steering wheel and there is equally a display on top which shows the travelling speed. The height of the handlebar is adjustable from 1.3m to 1.8m to suit the height of different users.

The Ninebot Self-balancing scooter Max Sports version has a net weight of 22.8kg. It is equipped with Ninebot’s Leansteer control technology. The sensitivity of the steering stick is as high as 0.01 seconds and it can be controlled as smoothly as an arm makes a finger. The scooter also automatically maintains the balance of the body when it detects that a person is standing, allowing you to get on the car as simple as stepping up, and you can easily control it with a little adaptation. This feature was first introduced on the Ninebot Nano Self-balancing scooter launched in May 2020

It also has the same thoughtful 15-fold safety technology as the Ninebot Nano ranging from standing on the scooter to moving forward, steering, stopping the scooter as well as charging

The Max sports version is the most powerful scooter from Ninebot so far. It offers a maximum speed of up to 20km/h and a range of 38km when used as a standalone scooter. While when attached to the Gokart, it achieves a boosted high-speed of 37km/h while the range is reduced to 25km which is still impressive.

The Ninebot Max is on reservation in China on Jingdong and it carries a hefty 4499 yuan (~$658) price tag.

POCO X3 NFC pricing and renders leaked

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 3, 2020

POCO will be launching the POCO X3 NFC smartphone on Sept. 7. Past reports have revealed that the model number of the POCO X3 NFC is M2007J20CG. A tipster has shared screenshots of the TUV certification of the same model. The certification has revealed that there are two variants of the phone. He also shared a leaked press render of the phone. At the same time, the pricing of the two variants of POCO X3 appeared on a retailer site in the Philippines.

The TUV certification has revealed that M200J720CT is the other model number that belongs to the POCO X3. The certification also reveals support for 33W fast charging. It appears that M2007J20CG and M2007J20CT could be the model numbers of the two variants of that surfaced on the Shopee.com retailer site.

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The Technoclast publication that spotted the pricing information on the POCO X3 models was able to find two variants of the phone on Shopee.com. As can be seen in the screenshots shared by the publication, the POCO X3 NFC Standard Version was found with PHP 10,990 (~$126) price tag, whereas the POCO X3 NFC Premium Version was listed with PHP 12,990 (~$268) pricing. The listings of the POCO X3 NFC Standard and Premium Versions are no longer available on the retailer site. The publication could not information on the differences between the two variants.

Editor’s Pick: POCO M2 to launch on September 8 in India

POCO X3 NFC specifications

The POCO X3 NFC will be the first smartphone to feature the recently unveiled Snapdragon 732G processor. The handset has a massive 5,160mAh battery along with 33W fast charging support. The phone may arrive with up to 8 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of internal storage.

The POCO X3 NFC is said to be equipped with a 6.67-inch AMOLED Full HD+ screen with 120Hz refresh rate support. The phone’s back is fitted with a 64-megapixel quad-camera system. It will come preinstalled with MIUI 12 based Android 10 OS. The leaked press renders of the POCO X3 NFC shows that it will be available in black and blue color variants.

Poco X3 NFC is also available at Xiaomi official store on AliExpress, flash sale from September 8, 0:00AM (PST).

Xiaomi launches the 70Mai 4K Smart Driving Recorder A800 in China for 549 (~$80)

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 3, 2020

After it was founded in 2016, 70Mai received investment from Xiaomi at the early stages and became a member of the Xiaomi ecological chain. It is also the only company in the ecological chain that focuses on smart vehicles and smart travel. 70Mai has launched yet another smart driving product dubbed 70Mai 4K Smart Driving Recorder A800.

If you would recall, the 70Mai A800 was launched for the global market last month, albeit under crowdfunding on Indiegogo. The crowdfunding exercise so far has been a tremendous success. With this launch, the product is now available in China and can be preordered from the Youpin website. It carries a price tag of 549 yuan (~$80) but looks like the retail price will go up to 699 yuan (~$102) after the preorder period. For reference, pricing starts at $95 on Indiegogo.

The 70mai A800 is an in-car DVR that delivers day-and-night cinema-quality (up to 4k resolution) images in dual vision. It’s equipped with the leading ADAS (Advanced Driving Assistant System) tech that boosts your driving safety. When the vehicle is parked, the parking mode will monitor the car’s surroundings and automatically start recording if any collision is detected. Recordings are stored locally and can be viewed in-app for on-site download and instant sharing.

Built around a powerful Sony IMX415 CMOS image sensor, the A800 dashcam records 4K UHD videos with a wide-angle 140° FOV. Combined the optional rear cam, every important detail in the front or rear of the vehicle can be recorded clearly to provide irrefutable video evidence or capture the landscape along your journey with cinema-quality video.

The gadget is equipped with a 3 inches IPS high-definition screen which lets users access the front and rear views of the car in real-time. Users can switch between the front and the rear views with a simple button press.

In terms of performance, it is equipped with a Huawei HiSilicon H13559 dual-core processor with powerful computing capabilities, supports dual sensor input. The processor teams up with the new image encoding output technology to process 4k ultra-high-definition image quality at high speed.

You can find more details about the 70Mai Dashcam from here.

Honor brags about its Hunter Gaming Laptop’ heat dissipation

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 3, 2020

Honor is making its foray into the gaming laptop segment with its Hunter Gaming Laptop which is scheduled to launch soon. The manufacturer has been teasing features of the upcoming notebook on its Weibo page ahead of the launch. The latest teaser is about the notebook’s heat dissipation.

According to Honor, its Hunter Gaming Laptop boasts the same level of heat dissipation and cooling technology found in high-end gaming laptops. A post on Weibo reveals that the area occupied by W A S D keys on its gaming laptop has a temperature of 30.6°C even after gaming for 1 hour 12 minutes and with a room temperature of 26°C.

This area is known to heat up on gaming laptops and some manufacturers have found ways to reduce the temperature by creating vents around the keys. We do not know what heat dissipation method Honor has adopted but it sure does keep the temperature down.

In another post, Honor brags about the heat dissipation of its gaming laptop even with its slim profile, unlike other gaming laptops which are usually quite thick due to the cooling technology under the hood.

The Honor Hunter Gaming Laptop is expected to launch on September 16 in Beijing. The device will be powered by Intel’s 10th Gen Core i7 processor and will have a dedicated numeric keypad, full-size directional keys, and a customizable backlight.

In the image at the top of the post, the gaming laptop is shown to have a metal chassis with a blue finish on the outside. It also has an LED under the Hunter logo.

LG Wing may be announced on September 14

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 3, 2020

The LG Wing may be announced on September 14 according to a video invite that has been uploaded on YouTube. While the upcoming device has got us pretty excited, it appears to be the first of many more interesting projects LG is working on.

The short video teases the LG Wing and its unusual dual-screen design.

According to a press release by LG, the Korean giant is kicking off what it has called the Explorer Project which is described as both “an initiative and a category (that) will include devices that deliver distinctive and yet unexplored usability experiences”. LG also says it is “a strategy that tackles uncharted territory in the industry”.

LG explains that the Explorer Project is the beginning of a new direction in its smartphone strategy. It will still keep its new Universal Line which includes the LG VELVET while the Explorer Project will focus on “new usability discovered with innovative designs”.

LG says for the Explorer Project, it is working with a number of partners including streaming service, Tubi; Qualcomm; Rave; Ficto, and NAVER who it has partnered with previously for its Whale Browser which is designed for its LG Dual Screen.

More info about the Explorer Project will be revealed on September 14 at 10:00 AM (7:30 PM IST/2:00 PM GMT) on LG’s official YouTube channel and Facebook page.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 and Wireless Charging Trio officially announced

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 2, 2020

Samsung Wednesday launched the Galaxy A42 5G which happens to be its cheapest 5G phone. The company also introduced a number of products such as the Galaxy Fit2 and the much-touted Galaxy Tab A7 as well as the Galaxy Wireless Charging Trio whose render leaked a few days back.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 is the newest member of the affordable Galaxy Tab A series. The slate features a 10.4-inch TFT display having a WUXGA+ resolution of 2000×1200 pixels and a screen-to-body ratio of about 80%.

The Tab A7 tablet is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 Mobile Platform. The processor is an octa-core chipset built on an 11nm process. The architecture includes four Kryo 260 cores clocked at 2GHz and four Kryo 260 CPUs clocked at 1.8GHz. The processor also includes the Adreno 610 GPU. The processor is backed by a 3GB RAM and there is 32GB and 64GB storage options. The storage can be expanded via microSD card.

The tablet packs a single 8MP camera at the rear while for selfies and video chat, there is a 5MP camera at the front. For an immersive multimedia experience, the slate packs four speakers which is more than what you find in most tablet in this range. For a longer usage time, the tablet packs a 7,040 mAh battery and there is a USB-C port on board for faster charging. The tablet equally packs a 3.5 mm audio jack while for connectivity, you get Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac. Samsung has indicated that an LTE version will be launched in some countries.

Samsung also launched the Wireless Charging Trio, a successor to the Wireless Charging Duo was launched way back in 2018. As we can grab from the name, the Wireless Charging Trio can fire up a maximum of three different devices at the same time. The device comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable and will be available in White and Black colours.

The pad has a rectangular shape and has a round cutout on one side where a Galaxy Watch3 will fit perfectly. Although details of the device weren’t disclosed, the wireless pad may likely support devices compatible with the Qi charging standard.

The charging speed of the device wasn’t also disclosed. Still, we’ll have to wait for a further announcement regarding the pricing and availability.

Redmi 8A Dual starts receiving Android 10 update in India

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Sep 2, 2020

At the Redmi 9A launch in India, Xiaomi revealed that it has shipped more than 34.6 million Redmi A series of smartphones in the country since 2017. The Redmi 8A Dual, which the brand launched in February is the number one selling smartphone in India as per IDC Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, June 2020. Now, this handset has begun to receive Android 10 update.

It was strange of Xiaomi to launch Redmi 8A Dual with Android Pie in February 2020. Anyway, the phone comes with MIUI 11 and is also eligible for MIUI 12. Before seeding out the company’s latest mobile software, the firm has decided to update it first to Android 10.

Currently, the build is being rolled out to a handful of users (via @Mi_Updates on Telegram). If they find no issue, it will be made available for more users, followed by a complete rollout in the coming days.

That said, the Android 10 update for Redmi 8A Dual in India comes with build number V11.0.1.0.QCQINXM. This phone is also sold as Redmi 8A Pro in Indonesia but that variant is yet to receive this update.

Also, it is worth noting that Xiaomi is yet to provide Android 10 update for Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8T though all other devices from its generation as well as the previous generation have received it.

OPPO patents the design of realme X50 Pro with its own branding

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Sep 2, 2020

Recently, Pete Lau, the co-founder and CEO of OnePlus joined Oujia holdings Ltd. (OPlus) as senior vice president and chief product experience officer. With his new positions and continuing as the chief executive officer of OnePlus, he is reported to be responsible for the brand synergy between OPPO, OnePlus, and realme. Though realme clarified that Pete will play no role in the brand, OPPO patents realme X50 Pro’s design with its own branding.

There’s nothing new about this design patent, which Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications filed with the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration) on February 20 (via LetsGoDigital). Interestingly, it only got published on September 1 after approval.

For those unaware, realme X50 Pro initially debuted in India as the brand’s, as well as the country’s first 5G smartphone on February 24, four days after this phone’s design patent was filed by OPPO.

Further, this handset made its way to China in March and Europe in May. It is also available in SEA (Southeast Asia). In other words, realme X50 Pro can be bought in almost all the markets where OPPO has its presence.

Hence, though OPPO patented this phone’s design with its own branding, this will probably never see the light of the day as this very smartphone already exists in all the regions where it has its operations.

Vivo patents a smartphone design with periscope camera and dual-tone back

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Sep 2, 2020

Lately, smartphone OEMs have been launching devices with periscope lenses to offer lossless zoom functionality. HUAWEI P30 Pro from early 2019 is known to popularize it. A little over a year now, we can find this type of zoom lens even on mid-range handsets like Mi 10 Youth and realme X3 SuperZoom. On the other hand, vivo has been using it on its upper mid-range devices like vivo X30 Pro and vivo X50 Pro/Pro+. Now, it patents another smartphone design with a periscope lens.

This patent was filed by vivo Mobile Communications to the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration) on April 24. It got published after is approval on August 28. As usual, LetsGoDigital was first to unearth it.

According to the design sketches, this smartphone features a full-screen flat display with minimum bezels and a punch-hole camera at the top left corner. Further, the structure of this phone is boxy with curved corners.

It houses a total of three keys on its right side – volume rockers, power button, and a slider switch. Whereas, its bottom side includes the SIM compartment and USB Type-C port. None of the sketches showcases the handset’s side, hence we can consider it to be black except for maybe a secondary microphone.

Talking about this vivo smartphone’s back, it sports a dual-tone finish separating exactly a the center. The top part houses a circular quad-camera setup, which includes a large primary sensor, a periscope camera, and two more sensors.

This camera arrangement is unlike the one found on X50 series. It resembles that of vivo NEX 3/NEX 3S. Hence, if the company ever plans to use this patented design, it will probably launch as a NEX series phone.

OPPO Enco W51 Earbuds with touch controls launched in India for Rs. 4999 (~$68)

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 2, 2020

OPPO went official with the F17 and F17 Pro smartphones in India. In addition to the smartphone, the company also announced the Enco W51 earbuds, the brands latest truly wireless earphones in India.

The Enco W51 features 7mm drivers which will deliver dynamic bass. The earbuds also bring support for Bluetooth 5.0 support and have IP54 ratings for protection against sweat and splashes. It also has Bluetooth low-latency binaural transmission standard to greatly reduce any audio delay.

The headphones come with a unique design including a G3 ear curve to enhance the comfort of the user. There are also three different tips which users can choose from that will perfectly fit their ears. Further, OPPO says the earbud has hybrid dual microphones that can achieve a noise reduction of 35dB even in crowded environments like subways, high-speed rails, trains etc.

As for the battery, it packs a 350mAh battery case which can deliver up to 24 hours of battery life with the wireless charging case and 4 hours standalone battery life on each bud. The charging case features a USB-C port for fast charging. The earbuds also come with touch controls for volume, call control, and track change.

A for the pricing, the OPPO Enco W51 is priced at Rs. 4999 (~$68)and comes in Floral White and Starry Blue colours. It will be available from September 7 in India.

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