T-Mobile’s LG Velvet 5G hits on GeekBench showing the Dimensity 1000C prowess

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Sep 9, 2020

Recently, LG announced the Velvet 5G smartphone for T-mobile in the US. Recall that the LG Velvet 5G was first unveiled packing a Dimensity 800 processor. But the spectacular thing about the US version is that it came with a Dimensity 1000C chip.

T-Mobile’s Velvet 5G happens to be the first smartphone that’ll be powered by the new MediaTek chipset. The phone is also the first model to pack a Dimensity chipset launched outside of China.

The Dimensity 1000C is the latest chip in the flagship 1000-series. The chip is manufactured using a 7nm process node and features four Arm-Cortex-A77 CPU cores and four power-efficient Arm Cortex-A55 cores operating up to 2GHz, with a large, low-latency communal cache that improves performance and power-efficiency even further. The chip bundles the Mali-G57 GPU which gives it a 25% performance boost compared to the Dimensity 800.

The Velvet 5G manages a single-core score of 601 on GeekBench. On the multi-core test, it scored a total of 2365. When compared to the Dimensiy 800-powered Honor X10 Max GeekBench result, the Velvet 5G achieves up to 11% increase in single-core performance. The multi-core performance also increased by up to 8%.

We can’t say if LG will release the phone in other markets but the model will go on sale tomorrow. It carries a decent price tag of $588.

Poco sold over 10,000 X3 NFC units in just 30 minutes

By

Sean

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Sep 9, 2020

The recently announced Poco X3 NFC started sale earlier this week. It is the latest smartphone from the company and features some noteworthy specs for its aggressive pricing. So it arrives as no surprise that Poco managed to sell 10,000 units in just 30 minutes.

For those unaware, the Poco X3 NFC features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G chip alongside a large 5,160mAh battery pack with 33W fast charging. It features a quad camera module on the rear with a rather refreshing smartphone design overall. Thus, the aggressive pricing was all that was needed to push sales. The device was available through the official AliExpress store and managed to reach the impressive achievement in that platform alone.

The Poco X3 NFC can also be purchased from Xiaomi‘s official website, regional Amazon websites, Banggood, Gearbest, and more. While it is unclear as to how many units were sold on other e-commerce platforms, the number are sstill likely to be high. The 64GB model was launched for 229 Euros (roughly 269 US Dollars) while the 128GB variant is priced at 269 Euros (roughly 316 US Dollars). Although, the device is currently available for a special limited time discounted price between 8th September 2020 and 11th September 2020.

For additional details, the Poco X3 NFC features a 6.67 inch FHD+ IPS LCD display with a high refresh rate of 120Hz and HDR10 support as well. It has a maximum brightness of 450 nits and runs the latest MIUI 12 custom skin based on Android 10. The storage of the device can also be expanded via a microSD card slot with both storage variants featuring 6GB of RAM.

MIUI Health app’s heart rate monitoring feature uses phone’s camera and LED flash

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Sep 9, 2020

Last year, Xiaomi introduced a new MIUI system app called MIUI Health. This app offers a number of features such as step tracking with support for running, cycling & stair-climbing, sleep monitoring via user’s movements & snoring, and menstruation cycle tracking. Now, with version 2.7.4, the app gets a new heart rate monitoring feature.

Up until a few years back, Samsung used to provide heart-rate sensors on its flagship smartphones. But with the increase in fitness trackers and smartwatches in the market, the company stopped including them. Another reason for dripping them is to save space for some other components.

On the other hand, Xiaomi has now implemented heart rate monitoring in its MIUI Health app without relying on a dedicated sensor. The app users phone’s camera and LED flash to measure heart rate.

MIUI Health v2.7.4 and the new heart-rate monitoring feature were first shared by a Telegram channel called @MiuiSystemUpdates (via XDA Developers).

According to the screenshots and a video shared by the channel, to measure their heart-rate, users will have to block the camera and LED flash of their phone with one of their fingers till the progress bar fills in. Then, select their current state from a pop-up, which includes General status, Resting state, and After exercise.

1 of 2

Just like in Mi Fit app, users will have access to a dashboard showcasing the history of their heart-rate measurements. That said, we are not sure how accurate these readings will be.

The MIUI Health app was initially limited to the Chinese version of MIUI 12. But now, it is also available in other regional builds of the software for certain devices.

Huawei telecom market share grows, widens gap with Nokia

By

Sean

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Sep 9, 2020

Huawei, the known consumer electronics maker, is also one of the largest telecommunications equipment provider in the world. Now, its market share in the industry has grown even further, widening the gap between the Chinese tech giant and Nokia.

For those unaware, Nokia is also a known telecom equipment maker, with various countries with anti Chinese sentiments opting for Nokia’s equipment. According to a new The Elec report, Huawei’s market share in the first half of 2020 reached 31 percent, which is a rise from 28 percent from back in 2019. Nokia arrives second with a market share of just 14 percent during the same period, dropping from 16 percent last year.

Furthermore, Huawei had first surpassed Nokia back in 2015 and has since been widening the gap between itself and the Finnish vendor. Ericsson, a Swedish brand, came in at 14 percent market share in 2020, which has remained unchanged since 2019. Another Chinese brand that rounds up the group is ZTE, with a market share of 11 percent, rising from just 9 percent year on year.

Both Huawei and ZTE have seen a jump in shares thanks to the adoption of the newer and faster bandwidth in China. On the other hand, Nokia has been more or less excluded in the 5G infrastructure in China, while it has seen more popularity in the west, which is a clear indicator of the frictions between China and other western nations. Lastly, Cisco and Ciena came in fifth and sixth respectively in the wired equipment market.

Razer unveils new edible product, a chewing gum made for gaming

By

Sean

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Sep 9, 2020

Razer has just announced its latest product related to gaming and it isn’t an electronic gaming peripheral, but an edible one. The company partnered up with 5 Gum from Mars Wrigley to make “Respawn by 5 Gum.”

The new chewing gum made for gamers is available in three different flavors, including cool mint, tropical punch, and pomegranate watermelon. It is available for 2.99 US Dollars for a 15 stick pack or 27.99 US Dollars for a big 10 pack. Respawn by 5 Gum will be available for purchase from the company’s official website, Razer.com, and on Amazon. Notably, this isn’t the company’s first edible product, as it has previously launched a flavored energy drink mix back in 2019.

According to Razer, the gum was developed with an “extensive amount of R&D,” which was apparently undertaken with daily regimes, gaming schedules, and snacking habits in mind for casual and professional gamers. For those that were skeptical about the drink mix’s high amounts of caffeine can rest assured since the only source of caffeine in Respawn is through green tea extracts. In other words, one can consume it “at any time of day or night to keep gamers focused, but not continuously affect them once the game was over.”

The chewing gum is black in color but Razer has assured that no mouths will turn black due to it. With gaming becoming one of the greatest forms of entertainment media, more and more companies are offering their own wacky products in the market, and clearly the gaming popular gaming peripheral maker wanted to have its own out in the market too.

Vivo has become the top selling smartphone brand in Indonesia, beats Samsung

By

Sean

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Sep 9, 2020

Vivo has beaten Samsung to become the top selling smartphone brand in Indonesia. This arrives amid the Coronavirus pandemic that has the consumer market lean towards budget handset offering, which is in favor of the Chinese vendor.

Chinese brands currently account for over 73.3 percent of total smartphone shipments within the country in the second quarter of 2020, as per a KrAsia report. Vivo led the market with a 21.2 percent market share, surpassing the usual market leader Samsung, which came in third with a 19.6 percent market share. This figure showcases a near tripling of Vivo’s 7.8 percent market share from back in Q2 2019.

Another Chinese brand, Oppo, came in second with a 20.6 percent market share, with Xiaomi and Realme coming in fourth and fifth respectively with 17.9 and 13.6 percent market shares. According to Counterpoint Research, Vivo’s success in the market is due to its successful aggressive pricing strategy within the entry to mid range segments. People are buying affordable handsets for various reasons, including work from home or distance learning during this time of crisis.

Vivo HQ

Furthermore, the crisis has also had an impact on the country’s economy. Thus, cheaper smartphones have become more popular, with the most devices being sold under IDR 2 million (roughly 136 US Dollars). Notably, smartphone sales in Indonesia have also declined by nearly 20 percent since last year with 50 percent of the online sales came from the country’s popular local e-commerce platform, Lazada.

China reaches 96% of its 500,000 5G base stations target for 2020

By

Sean

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Sep 9, 2020

China has so far been ahead of the curve when it comes to 5G network adoption rates. The country had planned to build 500,000 5G base stations by the end of this year, and it was recently announced that they have reached 96 percent of its goal.

At the moment, China has over 480,000 base stations for the newer and faster bandwidth. Despite the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the country has gone ahead with strengthening its economy and boost growth during this period of crisis. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s (MIIT) director Wen Ku, there are over 100 million devices connected to 5G networks in mainland China.

Furthermore, MIIT minister Xiao Yaqing also said that there are more than 60 million 5G users in the country. 5G offers peak data rates up to 100 times faster than the current 4G network offers and is often referred to as the “connective tissue” for Internet of Things (IoT), self driving cars, smart cities, and other new mobile applications. In other words, it stands as the backbone for the industrial internet.

Chinese smartphone vendors like Xiaomi, Huawei, and others are also playing their roles in the adoption of 5G, with more affordable 5G enabled devices being launched this year. Back in August, Shenzhen announced that it was the first to achieve “full coverage” of a standalone 5G network that is not built on existing 4G infrastructure. So it’s clear that China has placed great emphasis on the new generation of telecommunications.

Redmi 9i launch on September 15 officially confirmed; Likely to arrive with Rs 7,999 (~$109) pricing

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 9, 2020

In the past few weeks, Xiaomi has launched Redmi 9 Prime, Redmi 9, and Redmi 9A smartphones in India. Today, the company confirmed through its Redmi India Twitter account that it will be launching the Redmi 9i phone in the country on Sept. 15.

The Redmi 9i tweet released by the company confirms that the phone will come with a waterdrop notch display and 4 GB of RAM. The handset will be available for purchase on Mi.com and Flipkart.

📢 Entertaℹ️nment & excℹ️tement are both going to be yours! 🤩#Redmi9i – is launching on September 1⃣5⃣ on https://t.co/cwYEXdVQIo & @Flipkart!

Tweet 'ℹ️ AM READY' if you're as excited about the launch as we are! #BigOnEntertainment

👉 Get notified: https://t.co/inhuC48t0k pic.twitter.com/AusAjT0l89

— Redmi India – #RedmiSmartBand is here! (@RedmiIndia) September 9, 2020

The landing page of the phone that is now live on mi.com has further revealed that it will arrive with big internal storage, a large battery, better cameras, and gaming capabilities. Also, it will come preinstalled with MIUI 12.

At the end of the previous month, Pricebaba had revealed that Xiaomi will be launching the Redmi 9i phone in India. The publication that cited information acquired from tipster Ishan Agarwal will be available in variants such as 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 4 GB RAM + 128 GB storage. The handset will be available in color editions such as Nature Green, Sea Blue, and Midnight Black.

Editor’s Pick: Redmi Smart Band with 14-day battery life and USB charging launches in India for ₹1,599 ($22)

The other specifications of the smartphone not known yet. Considering the fact that the Redmi 9A has 3 GB of RAM in its highest variant, the Redmi 9i will be slotted between Redmi 9A and Redmi 9. According to a new report on 91mobiles, Agarwal has revealed that the Redmi 9i will be selling in India with a starting price of Rs. 7,999 (~$109).

In comparison, the Redmi 9A variants such as 2 GB RAM + 32 GB storage and 3 GB RAM + 64 GB storage are priced at Rs. 6,799 (~$92) and Rs. 7,499 (~$102), respectively. On the other side, the 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 4 GB RAM + 128 GB storage are priced at Rs. 8,999 (~$122) and Rs. 9,999 (~$136), respectively.

OnePlus is working on OnePlus Buds Z and 8K 960fps video recording

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Sep 9, 2020

After Google released Android 11 stable builds for Pixels, OnePlus also made OxygenOS 11 Open Beta 1 available for OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. Since it is public, anyone can install it unlike beta builds from OPPO, realme, and Xiaomi, which require registration and approval. Just like with every new build software, this one too includes strings revealing an upcoming new feature and a product.

OxygenOS 11 – Up to 8K 960fps video recording

Folks over at XDA Developers performed a teardown of the OnePlus Camera app that comes bundled with OxygenOS 11 Beta 1 for OnePlus 8/8 Pro. They found out that the company is working on 8K video recording up to 960fps.

For those unaware, the Spectra 480 ISP present in current-gen Snapdragon 865/865+ is only capable of recording 720p videos at 960fps. As for 8K, it can only handle 30fps and this feature is available in a number of smartphones released this year.

In fact, this ISP doesn’t even natively support 960fps in 1080p and 4K resolutions but the strings mention all of them. So OnePlus could be mostly using interpolation for this feature. Also, we cannot rule out the possibility of this feature to debut on a device with next-gen Qualcomm flagship SoC with a better ISP.

OnePlus 8T

A few days back, a render of OnePlus 8T was unearthed from the OxygenOS Android 11 Beta 4 build. The file was named “oneplus_8t.webp”. But in the latest OxygenOS 11 Open Beta 1, the company has renamed the file to “oneplus_kebab.webp”.

Also, the strings from the Settings app suggest two variants of OnePlus 8T – kebab for Canada and India & kebabt for the US.

OnePlus Buds Z

Similarly, XDA Senior Member Some_Random_Username found strings mentioning the unreleased OnePlus Buds Z. Since the company uses Z branding for its lite/budget version of earphones (e.g., OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z), this could be a cheaper variant of already available OnePlus Buds TWS.

TikTok was the top globally downloaded app in August 2020: Report

By

Sean

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Sep 9, 2020

Sensor Tower has just released a new report regarding the most downloaded apps from across the globe in the month of August 2020. The list details apps from both App Store and Google Play.

Looking at the list, TikTok is still the most popular application worldwide. The short video sharing application saw the highest number of downloads in both the App Store and Google Play, making it the highest download app overall as well. A total of 63.3 million installs were recorded during the month with Indonesia seeing the highest number of downloads followed by Brazil.

Notably, the list is for nongaming related applications, so video game titles are not ranked. Furthermore, despite the original boom period being over, Zoom is still doing extremely well in the Apple App Store with over 52.2 million downloads, coming in at the 2nd. On Android, the application fell to the 5th position. Other known names like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram can also be found on the list. Although, these social media platforms can be found in varying positions on different platforms.

Sensor Tower estimated the downloaded figures through its own sources between the period of August 1 to August 31, with only unique downloads being counted and not pre installed ones. This metric shows that TikTok is still a market leader in various markets despite facing a ban in India and issues in the US as well, two of its primary markets. And in another sense, work from home is increasingly becoming the norm with Zoom seeing great success with its services.

Huawei Mate 40 series new leak reveals front camera details

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 9, 2020

Last year, Huawei had launched the Mate 30 series in September. However, there is no official word yet on the launch date of the Huawei Mate 40 series. Meanwhile, the rumor mill is actively spilling information on the specs and features of the Mate 40 models. Today, a Chinese tipster leaked information on the front-facing cameras of the Mate 40 series.

The tipster has claimed that the Mate 40’s flagship lineup will include three handsets namely, the Mate 40, Mate 40 Pro, and Mate 40 Pro+. He has learned from the supply chain sources that the Mate 40 will have a single camera on the front.

As far as the Mate 40 Pro and Mate 40 Pro+ are concerned, these phones are likely to sport pill-shaped cutout on their displays for housing dual selfie cameras. The dual selfie setup of the Mate 40 Pro models will include a Sony IMX588 camera and a Sony IMX516, which is a ToF (Time-of-Flight) sensor.

Editor’s Pick: Huawei MatePad T8 launched in India, starts at Rs 9,999 (~$135)

The tipster also revealed that the Huawei Mate 40 series has a Sony IMX700 lens. It is a 50-megapixel sensor that Honor had offered on the Honor 30 Pro+ flagship phones. A recent leak had revealed the rear camera design of the Mate 40 Pro. It had shown that it will have a circular camera module. Reports have claimed that the Mate 40 Pro will have a quad-camera system, whereas the Mate 40 will have triple rear cameras.

It is speculated that the Huawei Mate 40 will be driven by the Kirin 9000E and Kirin 9000 chipsets. Probably, the vanilla model will be equipped with Kirin 9000E which is said is to be a more powerful version of the Kirin 990 5G. The Mate 40 Pro and Mate 40 Pro+ could be featuring the fully upgraded Kirin 9000 SoC. It is still unclear whether Huawei will be announcing the Mate 40 series in this month or October. A report from last month had claimed that the Mate 40 series may break cover next month.

Chinese tech veterans are launching domestic replacement fund in China after recent US sanctions

By

Sean

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Sep 9, 2020

Tech veterans in China are planning on launching a “domestic replacement” fund in the country by the end of this year. The move arrives after the recent US sanctions and aims at supporting Chinese companies that have been affected by the Trump administration.

China Europe Capital, a venture capital firm, has raised over 5 billion Yuan (roughly 731 million US Dollars) for the fund and will start investing in startups specializing in technologies. In other words, the new fund is aimed at creating China’s next tech giant. The veterans include former executives from major Chinese companies like Huawei and SMIC, with a focus on 5G networking and artificial intelligence.

Notably, the new fund is being created amid a government backed investment boom in the China’s local technology sector. The “tech war” between Washington and Beijing has fueled the investments. In recent times, the relationship between the US and China has soured, with the coronavirus pandemic making matters worse. According to a Reuters report, “China and the US are in a Great Power rivalry that will end only when there’s a knockout,” said Zhang (fund’s Chairman and former Huawei Vice President).

This also arrives after reports have surfaced that the Trump administration might be planning on banning China’s biggest chipmaker, SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp). Zhang further added that “it’s not just about trade war, or sanctions. It’s a matter of life and death.” If China faces a complete cut off from western technology, it could potentially face a crisis considering the country will take several years to reach levels of self sufficient technology.

Unisoc announces Android 11 support for six of its smartphone chips

By

Jeet

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Sep 9, 2020

With Android 11 getting officially released, China-based Unisoc has today announced that it will be upgrading six of its smartphone chipsets to have support for the newly launched version of the Android mobile operating system.

The chipsets, which are getting Android 11 support include Huben T618, Huben T610, Huben T310, SC9863A, SC9832E, and SC7731E, reports ITHome. The company says that it will provide equipment manufacturers with pre-tested, pre-certified, and fully compatible Android 11 one-stop solution.

EDITOR’S PICK: Samsung, LG, and SK Hynix will stop supplying display panels and semiconductors to Huawei

Along with this, Unisoc has also launched a six-in-one quick upgrade program which as the name indicates, is a single upgrade package that can be adopted for six different smartphone platforms.

As for Android 11, it comes with some new features but the primary focus on the new version is to improve the user experience. It seems to be focusing on three areas — User Experience, Privacy, and Permission Control.

Google has started rolling out the new update to the Pixel series smartphones. Other smartphone manufacturers have also joined Google for the release of Android 11, including OnePlus, OPPO, Xiaomi, and Realme.

Apple countersues Fortnite maker Epic Games seeking punitive damages

By

Jeet

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Sep 9, 2020

The on-going battle between iPhone maker and software developers has intensified as Apple has countersued Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite. The WSJ report mentions that it has accused the company of breaching a contract when it introduced a new in-app payment system within the game.

Apple is seeking punitive damages and is asking the judge to restrict Epic from continuing what it describes as “unfair business practices”. The filing comes just days after Epic Games sought an injunction for Apple to put the popular videogame back in its App Store.

In its filing this Tuesday, Apple said that “Epic’s lawsuit is nothing more than a basic disagreement over money. Although Epic portrays itself as a modern corporate Robin Hood, in reality, it is a multi-billion dollar enterprise that simply wants to pay nothing for the tremendous value it derives from the App Store.”

The legal battle between both the companies started when the gaming firm introduced its own in-app payments system on Fortnite which skirted the 30 percent fee that Apple charges for each transaction.

EDITOR’S PICK: Call of Duty: Mobile emerges as the top-grossing game in India after PUBG ban

Within hours, Apple removed the Fortnite game from its App Store for violating the rules. Soon after that, Epic Games sued Apple in California federal court, accusing the company of anticompetitive conduct.

Apple has been focusing on generating revenue from services, reducing its dependence on hardware. In line with that, Sensor Tower estimates that in the first seven months of this year, the company generated about $39 billion in revenue just from the in-app purchases, subscriptions, and premium app downloads.

Fortnite, on the other hand, one of the most popular battle royale game, has been downloaded more than 130 million times through the App Store ever since it made its debut in 2018. As per the court documents, Epic Games earned over $600 million from its relationship with Apple.

BOE announces new type of intelligent dimming for car windows

By

Jeet

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Sep 9, 2020

China-based BOE Technologies has today launched its latest intelligent dimming solutions that can control the rotation of dye molecules to change the transmittance under-voltage drive and offer continuous adjustment of light.

As per the report, compared to other dimming solutions, these have advantages of high transparency, low power consumption, and faster response. The company adds that they have the effects of sound insulation, heat insulation, and UV protection, and are suitable for passenger car sunroofs. As for the side window, it can be well-integrated into the passenger car smart cockpit.

BOE Skylight Dimming Window

It is based on BOE’s LCD dimming technology and adopts the free-form surface design of the sunroof, which the company claims is leading a new trend of the development of passenger car intelligent panoramic sunroof.

It supports dimming of the entire surface or partitions of it. It also has better heat insulation performance and can replace traditional sunshade curtains. There’s also support for voice-based and touch-based controls.

EDITOR’S PICK: Samsung, LG, and SK Hynix will stop supplying display panels and semiconductors to Huawei

Side Window Dimming

Similar to the sunroof model, the side-window offering from BOE also supports dimming of the entire glass or just a portion of it. It is based on the BOE’s ultra-thin intelligent dimming technology and matches the light-weight demand.

It can reduce glare and block ultraviolet rays, enabling users to enjoy the beautiful scenery through the window been during harsh sunlight. It also provides a more user-friendly approach for interaction.

The company adds that in addition to the side window for a car, it has broad use-case scenarios, such as in high-speed rail, shipbuilding, aviation, architectural lighting roofs, and curtain walls, among others.

OPPO ColorOS 11 set to launch globally on September 14

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Sep 9, 2020

A few hours ago, OPPO opened Android 11 Beta registrations for a number of its devices worldwide. Some of the users who got recruited have already started receiving the build. Turns out the Chinese smartphone maker has made a great leap from ColorOS 7.2 to ColorOS 11. Now, the company also schedules an online event to launch ColorOS 11 globally on September 14 at 9 AM GMT.

Soon after Google released Android 11, partner OEMs like OPPO, OnePlus, realme, and Xiaomi also announced their beta programs. Actually, all of these brands had already teased or even begun (Xiaomi) beta recruitments a few days earlier.

Hence, certain selected users have already started receiving the update while some of them are rocking it for hours, at least in case of OPPO. Whereas, OnePlus released the update in the form of OxygenOS Open Beta and Xiaomi is yet to roll out the build.

Out of all brands, the beta update from OPPO came as a surprise. Because it comes with ColorOS 11 and not ColorOS 8 as expected. It is worth noting that OPPO is not the only company to align the version of their skin with the Android version.

When Android 8.0/8.1 Oreo was released, Huawei made a leap to EMUI 8 from EMUI 5. The very next year, OnePlus’ Android skin jumped from OxygenOS 5 to OxygenOS 9 with the release of Android 9.0 Pie.

That said, OPPO has only revealed the logo as well as the slogan (“Make Life Flow“) of ColorOS 11 so far. It is yet to tease any of the features. Anyway, we will know everything about it on September 14 when the company will launch it globally.

Samsung, LG & SK Hynix will stop supplying display panels and semiconductors to Huawei

By

Jeet

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Sep 9, 2020

It seems like with each passing week, the trouble for Huawei keeps increasing. The Chinese giant has been under immense pressure to keep its smartphone business afloat ever since the Trump administration put the company on Entity List last year.

Recently, the United States put additional sanctions on Huawei, making it almost impossible for the company to procure high-end smartphone chipsets. Now, as per the report, Samsung Display and LG Display have stopped supplying panels to Huawei.

Earlier, it was estimated that the new sanctions are applicable only to semiconductors and foundries. But as chips driving displays are also included in the sanctions, display panel makers have also stopped supplying their panels.

Additionally, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix will also stop supplying semiconductors to Huawei because of the sanctions, reports Chosun. The companies will not only stop supplying memory but also system semiconductors such as 5G and Mobile APs.

Huawei is now looking to replace Samsung and LG as the display supplier and the Chinese giant is reportedly testing panels from Visionox, Tianma, and CSOT (China Star). The company has also adopted BOE as the main supplier as per the guidelines of the Chinese government for expanding domestic parts.

EDITOR’S PICK: Android 11 stable update arrives with chat bubbles, screen recording, and more

It is being said that Huawei has set up new business units and is investing in the development of SMIC and driver IC for domestic foundry companies. However, the implementation of such components won’t be easy and very difficult to do in a short time.

From 15th September, to do business with Huawei, the companies must get special approval from the United States Department of Commerce. While some of the companies are seeking approval from the government without positive indication, they won’t be conducting business with Huawei for the foreseeable future.

Even if Huawei manages to somehow procure components from other companies, it will be difficult for the company to manage its position in the smartphone market without having access to the premium parts. We just have to wait and watch what Huawei has up its sleeves to keep its smartphone business afloat.

LG Wing 5G’s press render appears to reveal design and color variants

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 9, 2020

The LG Wing 5G is the next ambitious smartphone from LG. Debuting on Sept. 14, it is a dual-screen smartphone with a unique design. As it known, one can rotate the main display of the LG Wing 5G at a 90-degree angle in a T-like formation. It was at the end of the previous month that Android Authority had shared a video of the device to showcase its design in real. Now, popular tipster Evan Blass has shared a press render of the LG Wing 5G to reveal its rear design and color variants.

The press render shows that the main rotating display of the LG Wing 5G has thin bezels on its left and right edges. The upper and lower bezels are slightly thick but are symmetrical in appearance. It is speculated that the device has a 4-inch secondary screen. The second screen is expected to offer an aspect ratio of 1:1. A physical fingerprint sensor cannot be seen on the device. Probably, it could be incorporated in the main screen of the device. Also, unclear is the placement of the selfie camera on the smartphone.

Editor’s Pick: LG K52 leaked renders appear; Reveals punch-hole display and quad cameras

The LG Wing 5G will come in two colorways such as a white-blue gradient and black. It has a protruding rectangle-shaped camera module on its back. It has three lenses and an LED flash. The camera design appears similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Even though the LG Wing 5G has two screens, it does not appear very thick.

A leaked video that had surfaced earlier this week revealed the presence of a USB-C port and a speaker grille on the bottom edge of the LG Wing 5G. Unfortunately, the rumor mill has not revealed any details on the specs of the LG Wing 5G. Unconfirmed rumors have claimed that it may not be a flagship device since it may feature a Snapdragon 7-series chipset. The device could be debuting with a price tag of $1,000.

Android 11 stable update arrives with chat bubbles, screen recording, and more

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 9, 2020

Just as reported back in July, Google did announce a stable update for Android 11 on September 8. However, the stable update arrives only for eligible Pixel phones while select phones from other manufacturers get open betas.

What’s new in Android 11?

Android 11 brings lots of new features such as:

Chat bubbles (for messaging apps) – google has adopted Facebook Messenger’s chat heads and dubbed it chat bubbles. You will now be able to continue conversations without the need for opening a chat app.
Screen Recorder – There is also a native screen recorder now which means you can discard those third-party screen-recording apps you installed. Users will able to choose if they want audio to be recorded and if screen touches should be visible too.
Power Menu for connected smart devices – need quick access to your connected smart home devices? Just press and hold the power button to bring up the menu that displays your connected smart home devices such as lights, locks, and cameras without the need for launching an app.
One-Time Permissions – Users will be able to grant one-time permissions to apps when they request access to the camera, microphone, or location. If you fire up the app again afterward, it will request access permissions afresh.
Permission Auto-Reset – With Android 11, apps previously granted permissions but have not been used in a while will have their requests automatically reset. What that means is that the permissions will be removed and will have to be granted when you launch the app again.

EDITOR’s PICK: OxygenOS 11 Hands-On: A Bold New Redesign but Is It For the Better?

Android 11 Roll Out

The update has begun rolling out to the Pixels save for the first-gen models that are no longer supported. This is different from last year where the stable update was available for some other non-Pixel phones such as the Essential PH-1 (whose support has ended) and the Redmi K20 Pro.

OnePlus has made an open beta (with OxygenOS 11) available for the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. If you own a Realme X50 Pro, you can register for an Android 11 beta. Xiaomi has also made a beta version available for the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro while select OPPO devices such as the Find X2 Pro, Find X2, Ace2, Reno3 4G, and Reno3 Pro 4G will also be getting beta builds.

We expect manufacturers to begin announcing roll-out plans for eligible devices in the coming days.

Google Play Console reveals Moto G9 Plus has a Snapdragon 730(G) processor

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Sep 8, 2020

The Moto G9 Plus was briefly listed on the website of a European operator a few days ago. While the listing did reveal most of the key specifications of the upcoming device, it didn’t say the processor. Now, a Google Play Console listing has revealed what was hidden.

According to the listing which was first spotted by Pricebaba, the Moto G9 Plus will be powered by the Qualcomm SM7150 mobile platform. While the listing does say that it is the Snapdragon 730 processor, it may turn out to be the Snapdragon 730G as both chipsets have the same SM7150 part number. If you were to ask us which chipset it is, we will choose the Snapdragon 730G.

The listing confirms the phone has just 4GB of RAM, a 1080p display, and will run Android 10 out of the box.

Motorola will ship the phone with a 6.81-inch screen that has a hole in the top left corner of the screen. On the back of the phone will be a 64MP quad-camera setup and under the hood is a 5000mAh battery with support for 30W fast charging. Other features are dual SIM support, Bluetooth 5.0, and support for a MicroSD card.

We expect Motorola to announce the device anytime soon and availability should follow shortly after.

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