HUAWEI MateBook X 2020 teaser poster reveals at least two colors for the laptop

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Aug 18, 2020

Earlier this month, Huawei confirmed that it is working on a smartphone with an all screen fingerprint scanner to unlock the device or specific apps. Now, the Chinese tech giant has officially revealed that it is also working on an in display selfie camera to go along with this technology as well.

When the company was reached out regarding a possible co-existence of both technology by Android Authority, Huawei responded by saying, “We are working to make it (all-screen fingerprint reader) co-exist with in-display selfie cameras.” In other words, we can expect a device in the near future to arrive with two of the most highly anticipated feature of next generation smartphones.

Although, how exactly the Chinese tech giant plan on achieving this is currently unknown. OEMs face various difficulties with all screen fingerprint scanners, like its requirement of having multiple biometric sensors instead of just a single one that is placed at a particular spot. However, Huawei said that it is working to “cut down the cost of sensors” to make the technology more viable for the market.

In theory, multiple sensors also translate to high power draw, but the company said that it is using machine learning to only deliver power to the part of the screen users’ touch, while the others remain dormant. According to Huawei, the availability of the technology in the market is still a couple of generations off, so we will likely not see it in the upcoming Mate 40 series, and maybe not even in 2021.

Wearables market expected to see huge growth in the near future

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Aug 18, 2020

While wearables market has come a long way to include more than just smartwatches, it has yet to stop growing. With the number of peripherals increasing and innovation guiding the industry, the wearables market is expected to see huge growth in the near future.

According to a Global Data report, the wearables market is heading into a boom, despite smartwatches seeing a decline in 2020. The report stated that by 2024, the wearables market will be doubled in comparison to 2019. In 2019, the wearable industry is said to have brought in 27 Billion US Dollars. Although, that high sum might not be reflected in 2020, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, which has caused the market to decline (especially for smartwatches).

While 2020 has been harsh on various industries, it seems like there is a silver lining just around the corner. 2021 and beyond are expected to be a booming phase for the smartwatch segments, which will uplift the overall market as well. Global Data estimates that the market as a whole could be worth 64 Billion US Dollars by 2024. Furthermore, smartwatch sales are expected to recover in 2021. But keep in mind, that the industry also includes other peripherals like TWS earbuds, which have become very popular recently.

An ASUS Zenfone 7 series model spotted on Geekbench with Snapdragon 865 Plus

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Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Aug 18, 2020

After launching the ROG Phone 3 gaming smartphone worldwide last month, ASUS schedules an event for August 26 to unveil Zenfone 7 series in its home country Taiwan. Ahead of it, this smartphone was benchmarked by someone on Geekbench earlier today revealing it to come with Snapdragon 865+ (Plus) chipset and 8GB RAM.

Last year’s Zenfone 6 aka ASUS 6Z is one of a kind smartphone with a motorized flip camera. Also, it debuted at a much lower price tag than flagship smartphones from other companies. Hence, its successor is one of the most anticipated smartphones by a niche audience.

Unlike the previous generation, the Zenfone 7 series is expected to have two models – regular and pro. These devices were spotted on multiple certification bureaus in the past few weeks. However, their design is still a mystery, which is kind of odd in today’s world of leaks.

Anyway, today’s Geekbench listings of the handset with model number ASUS_I002D, which could be either Zenfone 7 or Zenfone 7 Pro based on certifications confirms it to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ (Plus) paired with 8GB RAM.

The listings were first spotted by 91Mobiles and they were also the one to confirm the chipset to be Snapdragon 865+ (Plus) and not the standard variant by digging inside the source code. This makes us believe this model be Zenfone 7 Pro and not the regular model.

That said, as per previous reports, the Zenfone 7 (Pro) will retain the flip camera and will feature WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, 5,000mAh battery, and 30W fast charging.

Xiaomi faces Patent Infringement charges in Germany by HEVC Advance Licensors

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Aug 18, 2020

Xiaomi is facing another patent infringement lawsuit. This time in Germany as HEVC Advance Licensors brings the Chinese tech giant to Düsseldorf Regional Court. The company was recently sued in India after InterDigital alleged it had infringed on three of its H.265/HEVC Indian patents.

HEVC advanced announced earlier this week that patent owners in HEVC Advance HEVC/H.265 Patent Pool has filed patent infringement lawsuits in the Düsseldorf Regional Court against Xiaomi and Vestel Germany, a known European consumer electronics manufacturer. They have accused Xiaomi of infringing on HEVC/H.265 digital video coding standard.

According to the Cision report, the complaints have alleged that Vestel sells television and set top boxes in Germany which use HEVC/H.265 technology, while Xiaomi offers smartphone products with the same standards as well. It remains to be seen what stance the Chinese smartphone manufacturer takes regarding this accusation. Notably, HEVC Advance also announced that it recently settled another similar dispute in Düsseldorf Regional Court with a different firm. So, we will have to wait and see how the situation develops.

Motorola Razr 5G TUV certification reveals battery size with 18W fast charging

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Aug 18, 2020

Motorola will be launching the Motorola Razr 5G on Sept. 9. It will be arriving as a 5G version of the Motorola Razr clamshell phone that debuted in November 2019. Four model numbers such as XT2071-2, XT2071-3, XT2071-4, and XT2071-5 have appeared in the database of the TUV Rheinland certification platform. Based on past reports, it can be said that these model numbers belong to the country variants of the upcoming Motorola Razr 5G. The TUV certification has revealed that the battery size and fast charging capabilities of the Razr 5G.

The TUV listings reveal that the Razr 5G has a dual-cell battery system. The smaller battery has LS30 model number offers 1,180mAh rated capacity and 1,255mAh typical value.

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The larger battery that LS40 model number has 1,453mAh rated value. Its typical value is not mentioned. The total rated value of both batteries is 2,633mAh. Its combined typical value could be more than 2,800mAh. A past leak had revealed that the Razr 5G will come with a 2,845mAh dual-cell battery. The TUV listings reveal support for 18W fast charging on the device.

Editor’s Pick: Realme C12, Realme C15 launched in India with Rs. 8,999 (~$120) starting price

Motorola Razr 5G Specifications (Rumored)

The Motorola Razr 5G is expected to house a 6.2-inch inner P-OLED display and a 2.7-inch exterior screen. The Snapdragon 765G SoC may fuel the device with 8 GB of RAM. It may come with 256 GB of internal storage.

The Razr 5G may come with a main camera of 48-megapixel. For selfies, it may feature a 20-megapixel snapper. The Android 10 OS will come preloaded on the flip phone. Its fingerprint scanner could be relocated to the right side of the device. The phone may come in a Mercury Silver color.

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US Secret Service bought location data from smartphone apps

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Aug 18, 2020

The US government is facing another major accusation regarding data breach. This time regarding its Secret Service, who have allegedly paid for location data to illegally track down people without legal warrants or court orders.

According to a report from Motherboard, a Freedom of Information Act request has revealed that the Secret Service paid Babel Street to use Locate X, a service that supplies location data from common smartphone applications. Although the document didn’t clearly reveal the exact purpose of the tool the secret service used, but it was reported that it was utilized to create a virtual fence around a region and track devices in that area.

The contract with Locate X was between the period of September 2018 and September 2018 and had a sum transaction of 2 million US Dollars. It is speculated that the service was only used for just a few cases, however, it is also likely to have been for just one as well. At the moment, it is unknown where Babel Street sources its data from and who it is sold to. Babel nor the Secret Service has yet to comment on the matter.

Oppo Power Bank 2 launched in India, features 10,000mAh battery pack and fast charging

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Aug 18, 2020

The new Oppo Power Bank 2 has just been launched in India. It is a new product from the Chinese smartphone maker, which expands the company’s electronic peripherals portfolio. The new power bank has a large battery capacity of 10,000mAh and offers fast charging solutions as well.

Oppo Power Bank 2 is available for purchase starting today (18th August 2020), and offers 18W fast charging on both directions, a low charging mode, and a 12 factor safety assurance as well. The new power bank is the latest IoT product from the company and allows users to “never run out of battery,” thanks to the power bank which is “large and in charge.’ According to official notes, the 18W fast charging allows the Oppo Power Bank2 to charge a 4,200mAh battery 16 percent faster than a regular power bank.

Furthermore, it is also compatible with PD, QC, and other mainstream charging protocols. The Power Bank 2 can charge smartphones and other peripherals like TWS earphones as well and thanks to its two way fast charging support, it can quickly charge a smartphone and itself. The gadget is also offered with a dual connector cable which provides both micro USB and USB Type C compatibility. Meaning, users would not have to worry about different ports being an issue.

The Oppo Power Bank 2 follows a sleek and simple aesthetic and is available in either black or white. It has a 3D curved design with a matte finish and ridged textures that offer a better grip as well. At the moment, it is available for purchase on Flipkart.com and is priced at 1,299 INR (roughly 17 US Dollars).

OPPO A53 specifications leaked; May arrive as first Snapdragon 460 SoC powered phone

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Aug 18, 2020

OPPO announced the Snapdragon 665 powered OPPO A52 phone in April this year. My Smart Price has carried a report on the leaked specs of the upcoming OPPO A53. The phone may debut as the first smartphone powered by the Snapdragon 460 chipset.

OPPO A53 specifications (Rumored)

The OPPO A53 is rumored to arrive with a punch-hole LCD display of 6.5 inches. The screen resolution is not mentioned in the leak. Considering that the OPPO A52 came with Full HD+ resolution support, it is likely that the A53 will also feature an FHD+ display. The screen of the OPPO A53 will support 90Hz refresh rate.

The Snapdragon 665 SoC that powered the A52 came with four Kryo 260 Gold cores clocking at 2GHz and four Kryo 260 Silver cores working at 1.8GHz. The SoC includes Adreno 610 GPU. The Snapdragon 460 SoC that is rumored to fuel the A53 also features Adreno 610 GPU and four Kryo 240 Gold cores clocking at 1.8GHz along with four Kryo 240 Silver cores working at 1.8GHz

Editor’s Pick: OPPO Reno4 Pro Artist Limited Edition launches in China for 4,299 yuan ($619)

The OPPO A53 has a 16-megapixel selfie camera and a 13-megapixel (main) + 2-megapixel (macro) + 2-megapixel (depth) triple camera system. The phone will come with 18W fast charging for its 5,000mAh battery.

The OPPO A53 may come in variants such as 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 6 GB RAM +128 GB storage. Some of the markets that are expected to receive the A53 are India, Thailand, Indonesia, and Europe.

Here’s the official list of Samsung Galaxy devices eligible for three generations of Android updates

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Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Aug 18, 2020

At the Galaxy Unpacked event in the first week of August, Samsung promised three (3) generations of Android updates for its flagship series – Galaxy S, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Z, and Galaxy Tab S A week later, a report suggested certain Galaxy A series devices will be also eligible for this benefit. Now, the company officially releases the list of supported Galaxy smartphones and tablets for this program.

For years, Samsung had been long known for updating its Android devices slower than other OEMs. With strong criticisms, the company improved its mobile software by a long shot. At present, One UI is arguably one of the best Android skins out there.

That said, at the Galaxy Note20 series launch event, Samsung surprised everyone by extending Android OS upgrade by one more year for its flagships. It even opened registrations for One UI 3 (Android 11) Developer Beta for Galaxy S20 series much earlier than One UI 2.0 last year.

What’s more interesting is Samsung’s inclusion of its mid-range Galaxy A series for three Android updates. It was merely speculation last week but now, the South Korean tech giant breaks the ice by officially releasing the list of Galaxy devices eligible for three (3) generations of Android updates.

With that being said, here’s the official list of Samsung smartphones and tablets eligible/supported for three generations of Android updates.

Galaxy S Series

Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G
Galaxy S20 Ultra
Galaxy S20+ 5G
Galaxy S20+
Galaxy S20 5G
Galaxy S20
Galaxy S10 5G
Galaxy S10+
Galaxy S10
Galaxy S10e
Galaxy S10 Lite

And other upcoming new Galaxy S series smartphones.

Galaxy Note Series

Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Galaxy Note20 5G
Galaxy Note20
Galaxy Note10+ 5G
Galaxy Note10+
Galaxy Note10 5G
Galaxy Note10
Galaxy Note10 Lite

And other upcoming Galaxy Note series smartphones

Galaxy Z Series (Foldables)

Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
Galaxy Z Fold2
Galaxy Z Flip 5G
Galaxy Z Flip
Galaxy Fold 5G
Galaxy Fold

And other upcoming Galaxy Z series foldable devices.

Galaxy A Series

Galaxy A71 5G
Galaxy A71
Galaxy A51 5G
Galaxy A51
Galaxy A90 5G

And other select upcoming Galaxy A series smartphones.

Galaxy Tab S Series

Galaxy Tab S7+ 5G
Galaxy Tab S7+
Galaxy Tab S7 5G
Galaxy Tab S7
Galaxy Tab S6 5G
Galaxy Tab S6
Galaxy Tab S6 Lite

And other upcoming Galaxy Tab S series tablets.

Though the list is long enough, we wish Samsung to have added Galaxy Tab A series as well. Since people tend to use tablets for a longer period of time than smartphones, the budget Samsung tablets also deserve one more generation of Android update.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE leaked render reveal 6 irresistible color variants

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Aug 18, 2020

Rumors have it that the Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition will go official in Q4 2020 as the successor to the Galaxy S10 Lite that went official at the beginning of this year. There is a possibility that it may get an early Q4 launch as recent leaks have revealed almost a lot of information about the Galaxy S20 FE (Fan Edition). At the beginning of this month, reputed tipster Evan Blass shared a front render of the Galaxy S20 FE. Last week, popular leakster OnLeaks shared the CAD renders of the phone. Now, Blass is back with a new image of the phone. The image gives a good look at the color variants of the Galaxy S20 FE.

As can be seen in the image, the Galaxy S20 FE will possibly come in vibrant colors like dark blue/prism blue, red, peach, white, mint, and light violet. The official names of the color variants are not known yet.

As far as design is concerned, the front side of the Galaxy S20 FE looks a lot similar to the Galaxy S20 series thanks to Infinity-O punch-hole display design. Pricebaba that had exclusively carried the CAD renders of the Galaxy S20 FE had claimed that the phone could be sporting a frosted/matte plastic.

Editor’s Pick: Realme C12, Realme C15 launched in India with Rs. 8,999 (~$120) starting price

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE Specifications (Rumored)

The Galaxy S20 FE reportedly measures 161 x 73 x 8mm and houses a 6.4-inch or 6.5-inch S-AMOLED display. The display is rumored to support 120Hz refresh rate. The rear-facing triple camera system of the phone may feature a Sony IMX555 12-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor, and an 8-megapixel telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom. For selfies, it may feature a 32-megapixel front camera. The device could be housing a 4,500mAh battery.

The Snapdragon 865 mobile platform may power the phone with 6 GB of RAM. It may come with 128 GB native storage and a dedicated microSD card slot. It is expected to arrive in Exynos 990 chipset version in India. The One UI 2.5 Android 10 OS is expected to come preinstalled on the smartphone. It is expected to sport an IP68 rated chassis. The Galaxy S20 FE could be priced around ~$750 in South Korea. The phone is expected to arrive in LTE and 5G flavors.

Dell XPS 17 launched in India, features 10th Gen Intel Core i7 and Bezel less Display

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Aug 18, 2020

The Dell XPS 17 laptop has just been launched in India, after its initial global launch back in May. The laptop is a part of the company’s premium flagship thin and light notebooks and offers Intel’s latest 10th generation Core i7 processors with a bezel less display and a dedicated graphics card.

Dell XPS 17 9700 arrives with a carbon fiber keyboard deck and joins the likes of the XPS 14 and 15 series in India. The starting price for the laptop is 209,500 INR (roughly 2,799 US Dollars) and offers 10th gen Intel Core i7 alongside 8GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, a Full HD+ display with a wide color gamut and even a discrete GPU. It will be available for purchase from dedicated stores and online retailers like Amazon and the company’s official website.

As the name suggests, the premium laptop arrives with a 17 inch InfinityEdge anti-glare display with a 16:10 aspect ratio and a peak brightness of 500 nits. A UHD display variant is also available. Under the hood, an Intel Core i7-10750H CPU can be found alongside NVIDIA‘s GTX 1650 Ti. Memory configurations can be as high as 32GB of DDR4 RAM and storage is via a PCIe SSD. The laptop also offers two 2.5W stereo woofers and two 1.5 stereo tweets for audio and is powered by a 97Wh battery.

In terms of connectivity, the Dell XPS 17 feature Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 (2 x 2), Bluetooth 5.1, four Thunderbolt 3 ports, a full-size SD card reader, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The laptop being thin and light, measures in at 248.05×374.45×19.5mm with a weight of just 2.1 kilograms. For security, Window Hello facia recognition is also offered, while its touchpad supports gestures below a backlit keyboard.

New sanctions on Huawei by the US are now affecting other Asian companies

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Aug 18, 2020

Huawei is one of the largest smartphone manufacturers in the world, apart from being the leading telecom equipment maker globally. So, when the company gets hit, it also impacts a broad range of other companies, which are its suppliers.

As the United States government continues to clamp down on Chinese companies, especially Huawei, more and more companies doing business with the Chinese giant are now seeing the negative impact in the business.

For instance, MediaTek, which is the second smartphone mobile chip supplier in the world after Qualcomm, witnessed a drop of around nine percent at the Taiwan Stock Exchange. This seems to be the direct impact of the recent ban on Huawei from using chipset related technology developed in the U.S.

Another company named Novatek Microelectronics, which designs display integrated circuit drivers, saw its shares fall by eight percent. On the other hand, camera lens maker Largan Precision witnessed a 3 percent drop in its shares.

The list of companies getting hit by the new rule by the Trump administration includes image sensor supplier Sony, sensor maker STMicroelectronics, memory chipmaker Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Kioxia, Nanya Tech, and other Asian and European companies.

EDITOR’S PICK: TikTok announces music partnership with UnitedMasters; Oracle reportedly in talks for the acquisition

Several companies, including Qualcomm, have urged the United States government to relax some conditions to continue doing business with some Chinese companies. Recently, Qualcomm started lobbying the government, arguing that the ban on Huawei is driving “billions of dollars” of possible US sales to foreign chip makers like Samsung and MediaTek.

Huawei is one of the three smartphone makers to design its own chipsets through in-house unit HiSilicon Technologies. The recent sanctions have now made it impossible for the company to develop new high-end flagship chipsets.

While the United States is determined to make it impossible for Huawei to continue doing business, the company has shown tremendous growth. It managed to surpass Samsung to become the world’s leading smartphone brand, despite getting banned by the U.S. and facing issues in other Europen countries.

Huawei is now determined to become self-reliant and reduce its dependence on third-party. The company has already launched HarmonyOS as an alternative to Google’s Android and is expanding its use-case to include more devices. The company is also investing in Research & Development as well as other Chinese companies that could help make some of the hardware components locally.

Realme C12, Realme C15 launched in India with Rs. 8,999 (~$120) starting price

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Aug 18, 2020

Realme recently unveiled the Realme C12 and Realme C15 smartphones in Indonesia. Today, the brand announced the C12 and C15 phones. The new C-series phones are packed with large-sized displays and batteries. These budget-friendly phones are powered by a gaming-focused chipset. Also, the Realme C15 comes with support for fast charging.

Realme C12 and C15 specifications and features

The Realme C12 and Realme C15 are packed with identical specs and they mainly differ in segments like camera configurations and fast charging capabilities. The Realme C15 has a quad-camera setup that includes a 13-megapixel main snapper, a 119-degree 8-megapixel ultrawide lens, a 2-mgeapixel b/w sensor, and a 2-mgeapixel depth assist lens. It has a front camera of 8-megapixel. The phone comes with support for 18W fast charging through microUSB.

In comparison, the Realme C12 has a triple camera setup on its back. It comprises of a 13-megapixel main camera, a 2-megapixel b/w lens, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. It has a selfie camera of 5-megapixel. The phone supports only 10W charging.

Editor’s Pick: iQOO 5, iQOO 5 Pro launched with 120W fast charging, 120Hz curved display, and 50MP triple cameras

The Realme C12 and C15 feature 6.5-inch LCD displays with waterdrop notch. Both phones support HD+ resolution and 20:9 aspect ratio. Both handsets feature Helio G35 chipset and LPDDR4x RAM. These phones offer users with eMMC 5.1 storage and a dedicated microSD card slot.

The Realme UI based Android 10 OS runs on Realme C15 and Realme C12. Both phones draw power from 6,000mAh batteries. Both phones support reverse charging. They are also fitted with rear-facing fingerprint scanners. The C12 and C15 offer users with common connectivity features such as dual SIM support, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS. microUSB, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Realme C12 and Realme price in India

Here is the pricing and availability of the Realme C12 and Realme C15

Realme C12: 3 GB RAM + 32 GB storage – Rs. 8,999 (~$120)
Realme C15: 3 GB RAM + 32 GB storage – Rs. 9,999 (~$137)
Realme C15: 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage – Rs. 10,999 (~$147)

The Realme C12 comes in colors whereas the C15 can be bought in colors like Power Blue and Power Silver. Flipkart and Realme.com will begin with the sales of the C12 and C15 on Aug. 24 and Aug. 27 at 12PM, respectively.

At the event, the company also announced Realme Buds Classic for Rs. 399. Its first sale will be carried on Realme.com and Amazon India on Aug. 24. Later, these devices will be also made available in India through offline channels.

Apple responds to Epic, says it ‘won’t make an exception’ for Fortnite

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Aug 18, 2020

Apple has just responded to its latest dispute which has emerged with Epic Games. The known game publisher had recently had its popular game, Fortnite, removed from both Google Play and Apple App Store, since it brought in a new feature that lets users bypass the app stores for in game microtransactions. This caused Epic to respond with a lawsuit for both tech giants. Now, Apple has responded, saying it ‘won’t make any exceptions.’

According to an official statement by the Cupertino based company, “We very much want to keep the company as part of the Apple Developer Program and their apps on the Store. The problem Epic has created for itself is one that can easily be remedied if they submit an update of their app that reverts it to comply with the guidelines they agreed to and which apply to all developers.” Epic believes that both Google and Apple’s business operations on their app stores are anti competitive, and has filed a lawsuit accordingly.

This entire scenario was apparently planned months in advance as Epic Games responded with the lawsuit immediately after it got removed from both online stores. For those unaware, game developers that use either App Store or Google Play have to give either Apple or Google a 30 percent cut in any in game digital purchases. In other words, ordering a book or food is different, from buying a Fornite skin online, which must be bought through the platform’s respective payment system.

Thus, when Epic silently introduced the new bypass payment mechanics into its popular video game title, it was promptly removed from both platforms. At the moment, Apple has offered till the 28th of August to make changes to this system, and has said that this is a simple fix to the problem. If the publisher fails to comply, then it will be kicked out from its developer program, as reported by The Verge.

TikTok announces partnership with UnitedMasters; Oracle in talks for acquisition

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Aug 18, 2020

At a time when TikTok has been banned in one of the most important markets, India, and is facing the same issue in the United States, the short video social media platform has announced its first music partnership.

The ByteDance-owned company has announced a music distribution partnership with indie music distributor UnitedMasters. It will now allow artists on TikTok to tap into the platform and then distribute songs directly to other music streaming services.

This new deal seems to be a good easy-to-reach strategy for indie artists who can now circumvent traditional record labels to reach young music fans on the social video app. TikTok says that the platform has already helped several artists to further growth, including Lil Nas X, Ambjaay, StaySolidRocky, Powfu, BENEE, Y2K, bbno$ and others.

UnitedMasters, on the other hand, has grown its lineup to over 400,000 artists in the past 18 months, with a combined 5 billion streams and over a half-million distributed tracks. The company takes a 10 percent share of the revenue for music it distributes and allows artists to retain their rights.

EDITOR’S PICK: Samsung announces plans for 6G technology; Launch expected by the end of the decade

Another interesting development in the on-going TikTok-relate circus in the United States is the entry of a new player for the acquisition talks. While Microsoft is already in talks with ByteDance for the acquisition of TikTok’s business in the United States, Oracle has now also joined the list of companies interested to acquire stake.

As per the report, the software giant has already held preliminary talks with TikTok’s parent company ByteDance and is also working with venture capital firms including General Atlantic and Sequoia Capital.

It is being said that Oracle is “seriously considering” to acquire TikTok’s business in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The development comes at a time when Donald Trump has signed an executive order ordering TikTok to sell its U.S. business within 90 days.

Huawei Mate40 Pro camera module design leaks online ahead of launch

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Aug 18, 2020

Chinese giant Huawei is now gearing up to launch its upcoming flagship smartphone — Huawei Mate40 series. Now, ahead of the phone going official, the design of the Mate40 Pro’s camera module has been leaked online.

The image of the upcoming Huawei Mate40 Pro’s camera module has been posted on Weibo, which showcases four camera sensors placed in a circular module while a rectangular element in the middle seems like an LED flash.

There’s a possibility that the phone may be equipped with a triple-camera setup and not a quad-camera setup given that while there are four camera positions in the image, only three on them have diaphragms. This indicates that the fourth element could be for some other type of sensor, like laser focus.

In related news, tempered glass for the protection of Huawei Mate40 series smartphones has also leaked online. From the leaked image, it seems that the series will come with a curved screen for a better screen-to-body ratio.

EDITOR’S PICK: Huawei Chairman – Global 5G users cross 100 million with the focus now shifting towards industry applications

Recently, the company’s executive revealed that the Mate40 series could be the last from the company to come powered by the high-end Kirin series chipset as the company will stop making the flagship processors on 15th September after the new U.S. sanctions.

Another report has revealed that the Huawei Mate40 is expected to run the EMUI 10.X version while the Pro model could be the first smartphone from the company to be running the latest EMUI 11, which the company has been working on for quite some time.

The Huawei Mate40 series is expected to come in four models and the Mate40 Pro is reportedly codenamed “Noah”. While nothing much about these upcoming devices is known at this time, the phones are expected to go official next month.

Vulnerabilities in Qualcomm chipset puts millions of Android phones at risk

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Aug 18, 2020

Researchers have found that Snapdragon series smartphone chipsets from Qualcomm, which is widely being used in Android devices, has over 400 instances of vulnerable code that puts millions of users at risk.

Check Point, a cybersecurity firm has found that the DSP (Digital Signal Processor) used in Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset has the vulnerable code which it is calling “Achilles” and is claimed to impact phones to be used as a spying tool.

An app can bypass the usual security measures and can then access phone’s photos, videos, GPS, and location data, that too without the owner knowing about it. The attacker can also lock the phone with all the data stored, rendering it useless. It can also be used to store unknown and unremovable malware on the device.

The research firm has said that it has notified Qualcomm about its findings, as well as government officials and affected vendors. Given that millions of Android devices are at risk, the company has not published the details about its findings.

EDITOR’S PICK: iQOO 5, iQOO 5 Pro launched with 120W fast charging, 120Hz curved display, and 50MP triple cameras

It is also being reported that Qualcomm has now fixed the issue but the affected devices can only be secured once the phone manufacturers start pushing the relevant updates and security patches to the affected phones, which is likely to take time.

In a statement, Qualcomm said that it has worked hard to validate and fix the issues. It also added that the company has not found any evidence of the Achilles vulnerability being exploited in the wild.

Realme rumored to hold launch event September 1

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Aug 18, 2020

Realme is yet to confirm a date for its next launch event. Since Realme CMO Xu Qi has teased the arrival of new phones, it appears that the company could be gearing up to launch new phones in China soon. It is speculated that the Realme 7 or X7 series may go official on Sept. 1. A latest post from Realme’s Weibo account suggests that it may confirm the launch date tomorrow.

Yesterday, Realme CMO released a Weibo post carrying an image of 7up can along with “new soon” text. It is being speculated that the number 7 could be a hint that Xu Qi could be teasing the arrival of the Realme 7 or X7 series. His other post suggests that the new phones will have a thin form factor and still offer a good battery life.

According to a Chinese tipster, apart from ZTE and Honor, Realme could be holding a launch event on Sept. 1 in China. While Honor is expected to announce wearable devices, ZTE will be launching the ZTE Axon 20 5G as the first-ever smartphone with an under-display selfie camera.

Editor’s Pick: MediaTek Dimensity 800U midrange 5G chipset announced

Yesterday, tipster Digital Chat Station from China had claimed that the two upcoming Realme phones measure 8.x mm and they are backed by 4,300mAh and 4,500mAh batteries. The two phones are also said to be equipped with 65W fast charging.

Based on recent reports, it can be said that the RMX2176 and RMX2121 could be the two upcoming Realme phones. The RMX2176 measures 8.1mm in thickness while the RMX2121 has a slim profile of 8.5mm. The TENAA listings of both phones have revealed that they are equipped with dual-cell batteries. The rated value of one of the batteries of RMX2176 is 2,100mAh while that of RMX2121 is 2,200mAh. TENAA has recently another Realme phone with RMX2200 / RMX2201 with a 4,890mAh rated battery. Hence, it may not be the phone that the tipster talked about.

A recent leak had revealed that the Realme RMX2176 has a 4,300mAh battery. The RMX2121 has been spotted at 3C’s database with a 65W fast charger in the recently. While the RMX2121 has appeared at 3C, it’s listing at TENAA is yet to get populated with full specs.

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On the other side, the RMX2176’s TENAA listing has revealed that it has a 6.43-inch FHD+ OLED punch-hole display with high refresh rate, a 32-megapixel camera, a 64-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 2-megapixel + 2-megapixel quad-camera system, Snapdragon 765G, 6 GB / 8 GB of RAM, and 128 GB / 256 GB of storage. It has an in-display fingerprint reader and lacks an external storage slot. The handset is yet to appear in 3C’s database.

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MediaTek Dimensity 800U midrange 5G chipset announced

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