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360 Smart PTZ Camera 2K version unveiled in China for ¥179 ($26)

360‘s mobile phone business may be in hybernation at the moment, but the brand has continued to sustain its other product lines. A new surveillance camera has been launched dubbed 360 Smart Camera PTZ Edition. The camera is presently open to pre-order on Jingdong for 179 yuan ($26).

The 360 ​​Smart Camera PTZ version is equipped with a 3-megapixel sensor as well as upgraded resolution of 2K which can deliver ultra-clear image quality with attention to details. With professional WDR and intelligent exposure technology, it can still be seen clearly even if there is a light at the background and also in dark or poorly lit environments.

The camera is powered by an HiSilicon AI chip with support for low-light full-color algorithm which ensures that even if the indoor light is weak, you can see the color picture.

It adopts a dual-motor pan-tilt design with a 360-degree panoramic horizontal field of view and a 152-degree super-large vertical field of view. The company has promised to launch the “one-key panoramic view” function later this month.

There is a green call button under the lens of the 360 ​​Smart Camera PTZ 2K version which supports one-key calling. You can use gestures and touch the button to initiate calls to the mobile phone. The elderly and children can also call outside when they are alone at home.

The smart camera supports physical privacy masking and automatically enters privacy masking in combination with “at home mode” to protect privacy at all times.

Leveraging on 360’s hundreds of millions of face data training, the camera can distinguish and mark different faces, and can also recognize human figures. When a person breaks in during the alert period, the camera will automatically track and sound an alarm.

It is also equipped with a speaker and you can open the mobile app to play rich content such as nursery rhymes, stories, and music at any time.

 

Xiaomi Mi TV Speaker Theater Edition comes with a separate subwoofer

Xiaomi‘s Mi TV Speaker was first released in 2018 and the product was well received. The speaker featured a minimalistic design and is equipped with built-in 8 sound units and this includes two 20-ball dome tweeters, two 2.5-inch subwoofers and four passive radiators. The Chinese tech giant has now launched a new Mi TV Speaker Theatre Edition which has a separate subwoofer that isn’t built into the speaker. Xiaomi Mi TV Speaker Theater Edition

The new product has as some of its selling points, a body made from aluminium alloy, multiple input interfaces, 100W high power, cinema mode and of course, the independent subwoofer.Xiaomi Mi TV Speaker Theater Edition

The Mi TV Speaker Theatre Edition is equipped with five sound units which include two full-range speakers, two tweeters and the separate 6.5-inch subwoofer. Thus, it is composed of a soundbar and a subwoofer with a total power of 100W, including that of the subwoofer which has a 66W power rating. Xiaomi says when the theatre mode is turned on, the bass is strong and true, and the treble is clear and delicate, and the experience is like being on the scene.

The Mi TV Speaker Theatre Edition can easily connect to a variety of devices with several connectivity options such as Bluetooth 5.0, optical fibre, coaxial, and Aux. With these options, you can connect the speaker to TVs, TV boxes, computers, iPads, mobile phones and other devices.

In terms of design, the soundbar design requires only one thread, which is simple and smooth; the black elegant cloth mesh with aluminium alloy decorative strips has both a taste of life and a sense of technology.

The speaker carries a price tag of 699 yuan (~$102) and is presently on sale on the Youpin website.

 

Xiaomi releases the URevo U1 Foldable Treadmill priced at 1,299 (~$190)

Xiaomi‘s ecological chain company WalkingPad shot into the limelight a few years back with the launch of its foldable treadmill. In order to give ordinary users who need light exercise to reduce fat access to exercise equipment, Xiaomi Youpin has launched a small-footprint and low-noise fitness equipment. The machine is dubbed the URevo U1 foldable treadmill and it is priced at 1299 yuan (~$190).URevo U1 Foldable Treadmill

In terms of appearance, the URevo U1 Foldable Treadmill adopts a self-developed and patented integrated frame body. After unpacking, it can be used without installation or connecting to a power source. The device also comes with a front screen which clearly displays movement data such as speed, calories, mileage, and time.

The treadmill has a decent area of 120x 42cm and you won’t even have to bother about going over the edges as it is equipped with border warnings which alerts you whenever you exceed the safety range, even larger users can use it with confidence. At the same time, the running belt has its own correction function to prevent deviation.

The maximum speed of the treadmill can reach 6km per hour which can meet general jogging needs. It has a speed limit protection function. From the first use, the speed limit can be cancelled after the accumulated mileage reaches 3km.

In terms of noise reduction, the internal parts of the Urevo treadmill are highly integrated, which can effectively reduce resonance during exercise and greatly reduce noise. The maximum operating noise does not exceed 62 decibels, so there is no need to worry about noise disturbing neighbours.

The machine has a height of just 6.5cm making it easy to slide it under the sofa, thus saving storage space. At the same time, a roller is designed at the bottom of the walking machine, for easy mobility.

Further, the treadmill is equipped with a wireless handheld remote control. Thus, there is no need to look down when adjusting the working parameters. This is yet another feature which enhances the safety of users while trying to keep fit.

 

Redmi K30 5G and Mi 10 Youth Edition MIUI 12 weekly builds are now based on Android 11

Yesterday, Google officially launched Android 11 and it even rolled out the update to all the eligible Pixel smartphones. Following that, partner OEMs also opened beta registrations for their devices. Some of them even released the update to recruited users. On top of this, four of Xiaomi’s handsets have already been receiving weekly MIUI updates based on Android 11 for a while now. Today, two more devices join this list – Redmi K30 5G and Mi 10 Youth Edition.

Mi 10 Youth Edition Official Render Featured

Though the Redmi K30 5G and Mi 10 Youth Edition launched six months apart from each other, they are shipped with MIUI 11 based on Android 10. Both these smartphones are limited to China and they have even received MIUI 12 stable update.

Since they are part of MIUI weekly builds program, these two devices have been receiving MIUI 12 Beta builds since the day of the announcement. Now, starting today’s build (20.9.9), the update for these handsets will be based on Android 11, according to a Telegram channel called @xiaomiui (via PiunikaWeb).

This makes them the fifth and sixth smartphone respectively to receive MIUI weekly builds based on Android 11 after Mi 10, Mi 10 Pro, Redmi K30 Pro, and Mi CC9 Pro.

Anyway, it is worth noting that the stable rollout for these newly added mid-range devices may take time. On the other hand, the Xiaomi 2020 flagship phones (initial three handsets in the list)  should be getting the stable update first in the coming days.

 

Microsoft confirms the Xbox Series S, the smallest Xbox console yet (UPDATE- Release Date)

UPDATE: Release Date – Microsoft has officially confirmed that the XboxSeries X and the Xbox Series S will be launched on November 10.  The consoles can be pre-ordered starting from September 22. The price of the Xbox Series S has already been revealed to be $299. The company has no announced that the top-end Xbox Series X will retail for $499.

The original story continues below.

Microsoft has been rumoured for quite a while to be working on a smaller and more affordable Xbox console. The company has now confirmed that it has got the console known as Xbox Series S in the works.

In a tweet, Microsoft describes the Series S as offering “next-gen performance in the smallest Xbox ever”. It also disclosed that the console will retail for $299 which is similar to the leaked price. The console will be sold in the UK for £249.99.

Further, the tweet also contained renders of the Xbox S giving us a better look at the device than the first leaked picture. The picture shows the device will have a thin build and won’t have a disc drive. The image shows the console in an upright position but from the logo, we can figure that it will still use the traditional horizontal orientation unlike Sony’s PS5.

An earlier rumour by Windows Central says both the Series X and Series S will launch on November 10th, with the previously announced high-end Series X selling for $499. As previously reported by The Verge, the Series S (codenamed Lockhart) is designed to play next-gen games in a smaller, cheaper package with less GPU power and lower resolution output than the Series X. The console is expected to come with 1440p support, ray tracing, and 512GB SSD.

Microsoft didn’t reveal further details instead, it hinted that more information will be shared “soon.”

 

POCOPHONE F1/POCO F1 gets MIUI 12 update

POCOPHONE F1 aka POCO F1 is one of the most popular smartphones in recent years. It launched with MIUI 9 based on Android Oreo in 2018. It was later updated to MIUI 10 and MIUI 11. The underlying Android version was also updated to Android Pie as well as Android 10. Now, it has also begun to receive MIUI 12.

POCOPHONE F1 photo

MIUI 12 is the latest version of Xiaomi’s mobile software. The company unveiled it back in April and since then, it has been rolling out beta and stable builds to a large number of eligible handsets worldwide.

Since POCO F1 is a two-year-old device, the update for it comes late. The MIUI builds are available in two flavors for this handset  – Global and Russia. Currently, MIUI 12 update is only available in the former channel with build number V12.0.1.0.QEJMIXM. Xiaomi is yet to roll out the latter variant of this update.

The update is being seeded out to select users globally. It will be rolled out to more users in the coming days if the early adopters don’t face any issues .

It is worth noting that MIUI 12 could be the last major update for POCO F1 since it is not eligible for Android 11. But still, we are yet to see its direct successor, the so-called POCO F2.

 

[Update: Launched!] Motorola Razr 5G official specifications and pricing revealed

Motorola announced the Motorola Razr flip phone with a foldable screen in November 2019. The device arrived as a renewed version of the Motorola Razr feature phone series from the yesteryear. The Razr phone that arrived last year was criticized for a couple of things such as its hefty pricing, a dated processor, and lackluster cameras. The device also lacked support for 5G connectivity. Today, the company is all set to announce a new edition of the phone with 5G support. Ahead of the launch, Winfuture.de has shared all the entire specifications of the Motorola Razr 5G along with its pricing for the European markets.

Motorola Razr 5G specifications and features (Rumored)

While the Lenovo-owned company has further improved the design of the Motorola Razr 5G to solve the design-related issues that came with the predecessor model, it appears quite like the yesteryear Razr feature phone. It has a 6.2-inch P-OLED panel that offers 2142 x 876 pixels and a 21:9 aspect ratio. Like the last year’s model, the OLED screen of the Razr 5G continues to feature a notch. The exterior of the device now comes with a larger glass-made OLED screen of 2.7 inches. It carries support for 800 x 600 pixels resolution. When unfolded, the device measures 168.6 x 72.6 x 7.9mm, and it measures 90.8 x 72.6 x 16mm when folded.

The Motorola Razr 2019 came with a selfie camera of 5-megapixel and it came with a 16-megapixel rear camera.  The Razr 5G features a 20-megapixel front-facing camera with f/2.2 aperture and its rear is fitted with a 48-megapixel camera that comes with f/1.7 aperture, OIS, and LED flash. The flip phone comes preinstalled with Android 10 OS.

Motorola Razr 5G
Motorola Razr 5G

The inclusion of the Snapdragon 765G that brings support for 5G connectivity is the major change on the Motorola Razr 5G. The device is equipped with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage. The device has a 2,800mAh battery that supports 15W fast charging support. The fingerprint scanner was embedded in the chin of the device. It has been shifted to the backside of the Razr 5G.

The Motorola Razr 5G comes with support for eSIM functionality apart from nano-SIM slot. The Razr 5G is equipped with other features as IPX8 rating, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, and USB-C.

Motorola Razr 5G pricing and availability (Rumored)

The Motorola Razr 5G is priced at 1,499 euros in Europe, claims the publication. It will be available in black color in European markets. The US will be receiving a gold-colored version of the Razr 5G. The device is also set to go official tomorrow in China.

 

 

Realme Watch S Pro passes FCC: images and specs revealed

Realme has a new smartwatch coming soon and an FCC listing has provided us with specs and images of the watch which will launch as the Realme Watch S Pro.

Realme Watch S Pro

The Realme Watch S Pro (RMA186) will have a round dial that measures 1.39-inches. It is an AMOLED touch display with a 454 x 454 resolution. There are two buttons on the sides and the dial has a tachymeter. Attached to the watch are quick-release silicone straps.

The user manual reveals that the Realme Watch S Pro will be able to track steps, distance, and calories with automatic identification for walking and running. It also has dynamic heart rate monitoring, sleep monitoring, and a SpO2 sensor. Other features are call notification, music control, camera control, and find your phone feature.

The watch will connect via Bluetooth Low Energy and will work with the realme Link app to sync data to your phone. The watch also has a built-in 420mAh battery but the battery life isn’t stated. The images show a magnetic charger that attaches to the underside of the watch to charge it.

The Realme Watch S Pro measures 46.1 mm x 12.8 mm (excluding the straps) and weighs 63.5 grams excluding the strap. There is no info on when the smartwatch will be announced but when it does launch it will cost more than the already announced Realme Watch.

 

Xiaomi crowdfunds the Momoda Smart Head Massager priced at ¥599 (~$87)

Xiaomi has launched the Momoda Smart Head Massager under the Youpin crowdfunding platform. The gadget can also be called a head-eye-neck, three-in-one massage helmet. It carries a crowdfunding price tag of 599 yuan ($87). After the crowdfunding exercise, the phone will be priced at 799 yuan ($116). Momoda Smart Head Massager The Momoda Smart Head Massager uses 3D airbags to surround the head, neck, and eyes, giving users an enjoyable one-stop massage experience for multiple parts. The future sci-fi-level cool appearance design makes itself the “number one player” in the massage world.Momoda Smart Head Massager

For the head, the Momoda Smart Head Massager has a breathing air pressure massage frequency that meets the comfort of the human body. The 7 convex silicone massage heads press on the main acupoints of the head such as Baihui acupoint and Tongtian acupoint Chengguang to stimulate the brain. Circulate blood in the body and relax the scalp.

Regarding the eyes, air pressure gentle massage, assisted with large-area constant temperature heating at 40°C, suitable and comfortable warming sensation, fully relieves the symptoms of dry and sore eyes and combats the excessive use of eyes by student parties and office workers.Momoda Smart Head Massager

For the neck, the 3D airbag is inflated and deflated while pressing the neck through 2 massage bumps, up to 200 times of high-frequency vibration, 40℃ graphene hot compress, effectively dissipate the tension and fatigue of the cervical muscles, and relax the neck Muscles to prevent the “occupational syndrome” of facing the computer for a long time.

It also supports XiaoAI’s voice linkage control. Through the MIJIA app, you can freely choose 4 modes, adjust the massage time, airbag pressure and heat temperature. You and set the massage experience in more detail.Momoda Smart Head Massager

Built-in tightness adjustment design, through two knobs, can be adjusted up and down by 30mm, front and rear can be adjusted by 48mm, to meet the needs of different people’s head circumference.

Built-in 2400mAh high-capacity battery, which can be fully charged in about 2.5 hours, 15 minutes each time, and can be recycled 6-8 times. After setting up for the first time, turn it on to connect to the Bluetooth of the mobile phone intelligently, and the music surrounds the ears in a three-dimensional manner.

 

Alleged OPPO Reno4 SE may come with Dimensity 720

China’s TENAA authority has approved a couple of upcoming OPPO phones that have model numbers such as PDMV00, PEAM00 / PEAT00, and PECM10 / PECT10. The PDMV00 is believed to debuted as OPPO A32, a rebranded edition of the OPPO A53 smartphone that debuted in markets like Indonesia and India. While the identity of the PECM10 / PECT10 remains a mystery, the PEAM00 / PEAT00 is speculated to break cover as OPPO Reno4 SE. There are mixed reports about the processor that powers the alleged Reno4 SE.  A fresh leak suggests that it could be driven by the Dimensity 720 chipset.

Previous reports have revealed that the PEAM00 / PEAT00 smartphone could be coming to the market with Dimensity 800 or Dimensity 800U chipset. The TENAA listing of the PEAM00 / PEAT00 revealed that it is driven by a 2.0GHz octa-core processor. A Chinese tipster has seemingly shared the specs of the same phone. The specs sheet states that the phone could be driven by Dimensity 720 chipset.

OPPO PEAM00, PEAT00 TENAA

While it is speculated to arrive as OPPO Reno4 SE, there is no concrete evidence to back it. It has a 6.43-inch AMOLED Full HD+ resolution with a 60Hz refresh and 180Hz touch sampling rate.

The punch-hole on the phone’s screen features a 32-megapixel selfie camera. Its rear side has a 48-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 2-megapixel triple camera system. The alleged Reno4 SE is expected to house a 4,300mAh dual-cell battery and it may come with 65W fast charging.

 

 

Huawei FreeBuds Studio headphones spotted on AI Life app

Huawei is announcing the FreeBuds Pro TWS earbuds tomorrow but that may not be the only audio product the Chinese manufacturer has been working on. Apparently, there is a pair of wireless headphones too called the FreeBuds Studio and it has been spotted on Huawei’s AI Life app with images of it already circulating on Weibo.

Huawei FreeBuds Studio
Huawei FreeBuds Studio

First, the name reveals that Huawei will not be limiting the FreeBuds name to just TWS earbuds. Secondly, if this sounds familiar, then you are right because Apple is also set to release a new wireless headphones called AirPods Studio. To be honest, there is no way Huawei can’t be called a copycat at this moment.

An image of the FreeBuds Studio shows the headphones will come in black with what appears to be calfskin leather on the earcups and band. We can make out a button on the left earcup as well as a USB-C port. There are also buttons on the right earcup and Huawei’s branding.

Huawei FreeBuds Studio AI Life App

While the specs and features of the headphones are still unknown, we have a few guesses of ours. The FreeBuds Studio should have Huawei’s Kirin A1 chip and may also have support for Bluetooth 5.1 or Bluetooth 5.2. We also expect it to have active noise cancellation that can be turned on or off by the user. Another feature we expect it to have is support for AI assistants without the need to push a button.

The Huawei FreeBuds Studio will most likely not launch tomorrow alongside the FreeBuds Pro but there is a chance it will be announced on the same day as the Mate 40 series.

 

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

Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy Z Fold 2 foldable smartphone in China. The phone was first on September 1 for the US, UK and European markets.  The second-generation Galaxy Fold will retail fo 16,999 yuan (~$2483) in China. The company also unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 2 Thom Browne edition which will go on sale for 27,199 yuan (~$3972). Here is a recap of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 specs, including the China-specific details.Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2

The Samsung Galaxy Z fold 2  5G smartphone features a bigger display both on the inside and outside. It also comes wit an improved design as well as the latest and powerful Snapdragon 865+ chipset.

The Z Fold 2’s external screen has been upgraded from the previous 4.6 inches to an impressive 6.2 inches. The full-view aperture screen design greatly improves its usability. The improved size means the phone can be used as a complete large-screen mobile phone in the folded state.Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2

In the unfolded state, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 will become a 7.6 -inch phablet with an ultra-narrow bezel design, an area increased by 13.5% compared to the previous generation and a resolution of 2213×1689 pixels. The display also supports an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate which makes playing games more enjoyable and is covered by Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus

In terms of hinges, Samsung tapped from the feedback received from the first-gen model. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 uses an invisible hinge to fit the body precisely. Its cam structure can realize multi-angle rotation stop technology and supports a new adaptive split-screen mode. In terms of screen protection, Galaxy Z Fold2 uses ultra-thin flexible glass (UTG) with significant improvement with the crease problem.

Samsung also brought more optimizations in terms of the software aspect as the phone can perform advanced functions such as multi-angle viewing, adaptive split-screen viewing, and multi-tasking operations.

The Snapdragon 865+ 5G platform onboard the smartphone is paired with 12GB LPDDR5 memory. The device also comes with a maximum of 512GB of UFS 3.1 flash memory. The processor draws juice from a 4500mAh battery with support for 25W fast charging, fast wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging.

The device runs Android 10 with features designed for foldable phones. Recall that Samsung has already promised that the foldable flagship will receive three OS upgrades – Android 11, Android 12, and Android 13.

For photography, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 packs five cameras. On the back is a protruding camera housing that holds 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. The inner display also has a punch hole and the same 10MP f/2.2 selfie camera. With such an array of cameras, the phone has several camera features and enables several ways to take pictres.

Just like the Global variant, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G Thom Browne limited edition is bundled with a Galaxy Watch 3, a pair of Galaxy Buds Live and a series of customized accessories, all of which contain Thom Browne’s iconic design elements.

The Z Fold 2 5G is already on reservation in China via Samsung’s website.

 

Apple iPhone 12 camera/screen protectors and iPad Air 4th Generation case leak in images

It was rumored that Apple would be unveiling Apple Watch Series 6 and iPad Air 4th Generation on September 8 (yesterday). Instead, the Cupertino-based tech giant merely announced a virtual event scheduled for September 15, which could be indeed for these products going by the slogan – “Time Flies”. Hence, we may have to wait even longer for the iPhone 12 series but ahead of it, their screen/camera protectors as well as a case of the new iPad leaks in images.

Apple iPhone 12 Camera Protectors Leak

The images of accessories of next-gen iPhone and iPad Air were shared by an accessory maker called Shenzhen Rainbow to Apple Insider.  These pictures confirm certain previous reports.

The first picture shows us the camera protectors of the entire iPhone 12 lineup. The two protectors on the left for the 5.4-inch and 6.1-inch model feature cutouts for dual-camera, LED flash, and microphone. On the right side, we can see the ones for the second 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch models to include cutouts for triple camera, LiDAR scanner, LED flash, and microphone.

Whereas, the second picture showcases a render of iPhone 12 with a screen protector and a case of iPad Air 4th Generation with cutouts for four speakers. That means it will be the first model in the iPad Air series to feature quad-speaker. Also, it will be the first non-Pro iPad model to come with this feature.

Anyway, all of these features are unsurprising as they have been rumored for months.

 

Leaked Google Pixel 5 live shots reveal design and Pixel 5s moniker

Last week, popular tipster OnLeaks shared CAD renders of the Google Pixel 5 to reveal its design from all angles. Today, a Mexican radio host Jose Antonia Ponton shared new images that showcase the appearance of Pixel 5 in real. While the device is expected to debut as Pixel 5, its name is mentioned as ‘Pixel 5s’ in the “About Phone” screen.

The frontal image of the Google Pixel 5 shows that its screen is equipped with a punch-hole cutout towards the top-left corner. Past reports have revealed that the Pixel could be sporting a 5.7-inch or 5.8-inch display. It is a flat display surrounded by slim bezels on all four sides.

The rear side of the phone features a traditional fingerprint scanner and the company’s logo towards the bottom. At the upper-left corner of the phone’s rear is a square-shaped camera system. It is comprised of the main camera, a spectral and flicker sensor, an ultrawide angle lens, and an LED flash. The right edge of the smartphone has a volume rocker and a power button.

The “About Phone” page shows that it is preinstalled with Android R. The Pixel 5s and Android R texts suggest that the handset shown in the leaked images belong to the engineering unit of the smartphone. The probable reason why the device is identified as Pixel 5s is that it could be a variant of the Pixel 5 with or without mmWave 5G support. Since smartphone OEMs are known for using ‘s’ for phones with better specs, the Pixel 5s could belong to the Pixel 5 with mmWave 5G support.

Pixel 5 was approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) at the beginning of this month. It revealed that Pixel 5 has four variants. Among them, two models such as GD1YQ and G6QU3 will be equipped with sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G networks. In related news, a recent leak had revealed that the phone will be priced at 629 euros and it will come in black and green color options.

 

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

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. LG Velvet 5G

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

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.

Poco

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.

Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC

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

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.

MIUI Health Heart Rate Monitoring Featured

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.

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

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.

huawei

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.

Huawei

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

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.”

Razer

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.”

Razer

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

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.

Vivo

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 logo HQ Z5 cam sample
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.