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Apple has acquired Spaces, a VR Startup: Report

Apple has reportedly acquired another startup. This time its a VR based company called Spaces, which has a dedicated team that specializes in virtual reality based technology, according to a report from Protocol.

Apple

Spaces is a company created by veterans from DreamWorks Animation back in 2016. The startup has been developing VR products and has also built tools for Zoom in the form of an add on that allows users to hold virtual reality video conferences and use animated avatars as well. However, just last week, the company abruptly ended all of its services without any further details or prior notice. The only information currently available on Spaces’ official website is that it is “heading in a new direction.”

The official note says, “Thank you to our users and partners who participated in our awesome VR video conferencing product and the many people who enjoyed our VR location-based entertainment attractions found at theme parks, theaters, and more.” At the moment, both Apple and Spaces have yet to respond to this matter. It is also unknown what price the former paid to acquire the latter.

Apple

Apple is currently working on VR and AR related products that are set to launch in the near future. While it is uncertain if Spaces would join the company’s VR projects, the company’s former employees might just be absorbed into Apple’s team. Unfortunately, this is still an unconfirmed report, so take it with a pinch of salt for now and stay tuned for more updates.

 

Xiaomi crowdfunds Amazfit X curved smartwatch on Youpin for 999 yuan ($144)

Huami Technology unveiled Amazfit X Curved Smartwatch in August of 2019. The wearable hit Indiegogo earlier this year and successfully reached the crowdfunding goal. It is currently in the production phase. On the other hand, in China, it is being currently crowdfunded on Xiaomi Youpin for only 999 yuan with shipping commencing from October 29.

The highlight of Amazfit X is its 2.07-inch curved flexible OLED display with a resolution of 206 x 640 pixels, 326ppi, 100% NTSC color gamut, and 430 nits of peak brightness. The screen is inclined at 92°, which is achieved by heating the glass cover to over 700℃, followed by a 6-step bending process.

Because of its unusual size, the wearable features a 3-segment motherboard and a curved 220mAh battery rated to provide 7-day battery life. The display combined with titanium alloy unibody and button-free design is said to offer 244% larger viewing area than other wearables of the same size.

Other features of Amazfit X include proprietary BioTracker™ PPG sensor for heart-rate monitoring, SpO2 sensor for measuring blood oxygen levels, GPS + GLONASS module, and support for sleep tracking, multi-sport modes, call alerts, app notifications, music controls, weather, alarm, stopwatch as well as find device feature.

Last but not least, the futuristic Huami Amazfit wearable charges via proprietary magnetic cable, comes in two colors – Eclipse Black/New Moon Gold and is water-resistant up to 5ATM. As for compatibility, it can be paired with both Android and iOS devices through the Amazfit app, which has now been rebranded to Zepp.

 

Apple attempts at shutting down Epic Games’ Unreal Engine blocked by Judge

Earlier this week, a federal judge blocked Apple from shutting down Epic GamesUnreal Engine, which is a tool relied on hundreds of other app makers and game developers, according to a Gadgets360 report.

Apple

The move from Apple arrives after Epic Games sued the Cupertino based giant of anti competitive practices on its App Store. The ruling from the judge safeguards the computer graphics software/game engine which it offers through an affiliate business. Unreal Engine is used to power hundreds of games and other applications that can be found in applications used in the iPhone. Additionally, we had previously reported on Apple planning on revoking Unreal Engine support on iOS, so it seems that this move has failed.

According to Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, “Epic Games and Apple are at liberty to litigate against each other, but their dispute should not create havoc to bystanders.” In other words, the dispute between both companies should not bring unrelated parties into the crossfire. The legal battle between Apple and Epic Games started after the latter sued both the former and the Google for anti competitive practices on their respective platforms, from which Fortnite was removed.

Apple

For those unaware, both Google and Apple take a cut out of any microtransaction and purchase made through games on their app stores. A recent Fornite update bypassed this system, which violated the terms of service on both platforms. The judge also stated that “the current predicament (with Fortnite) appears of its own making” and has refused to force a reinstatement at the moment. Although, Rogers has allowed Unreal Engine to continue powering iPhone apps.

 

TSMC showcases strides made in 5nm and 3nm process nodes, introduces 3DFrabric tech

In the 26th Technology Symposium, TSMC unveiled the details regarding its 7nm N7 process, 5nm N5 process, N4, and 3nm N3 process. The world’s largest contract chipmaker also introduced its latest 3DFrabric technology and hinted at what lay beyond the 3nm process node.

TSMC

TSMC has already been leading the semiconductor industry, which started with it leaving Intel and Samsung behind after shifting to its 7nm process nodes. Since then, the company has also advanced towards the 5nm process, with the development of the 3nm nodes also being on track. In other words, TSMC is showing no signs of slowing its pace, with production for the 3nm process reaching mass production levels by 2022 while Intel’s 7nm is expected to arrive by late 2022 or even early 2023.

Notably, TSMC’s 5nm ‘N5’ uses the company’s EUV technology “extensively” which brings various improvements over the 7nm N7. According to official notes, the N5 process offers up to 15 percent more performance for the same power consumption as the N7 and even offers up to 30 percent power reduction for the same performance levels as well.

TSMC

The improvement doesn’t stop there as the N5 also achieves 1.8X logic density gain over the 7nm N7 process. This translates to the defect density learning curve for N5 being faster than N7, meaning the 5nm process will achieve higher yield rates faster. The chipmaker has also enhanced N5P node in development for high performance applications and plans on ramping up production in 2021.

 

OnePlus to add floating window support on OxygenOS Gaming Mode

OxygenOS from OnePlus is regarded as one of the best custom skins for Android smartphones. This is because the company takes customer feedback seriously and rolls out features that the users demand.

In line with that, the company has revealed that it will soon be adding floating window support to the Gaming Mode on OxygenOS. Users of the OnePlus 7 series devices will be able to use the feature with the next beta version of the operating system.

oneplus

OnePlus confirmed this feature through a monthly FAQ post on its forum. Answering a question about the floating window in Gaming Mode, the company said that the “floating window will be accessed through the gaming tools box. In gaming tools box, you can not only get WhatsApp & Instagram floating windows, but also switch on mis-touch prevention, screen recorder, notification and Fnatic Mode.”

EDITOR’S PICK: Apple’s foldable iPhone is reportedly a real device; currently said to be in prototype stage

This means that even during playing a game, users will be able to respond to messages in WhatsApp and Instagram without having to leave the game. Along with this, the company has also mentioned some bug fixes and improvements with the new update.

While the feature is first coming to the OnePlus 7 and 7T models, the company has confirmed that it will be available for OnePlus 6 and every other smartphone released after that. So, the users of OnePlus 5T and earlier models won’t be getting this feature.

Apart from adding this new feature, the Chinese company is also working on rolling out the latest Android 11 update for the eligible smartphones. Currently, the Android 11 Developer Preview 3 is available for the OnePlus 8 series models.

 

Apple iPhone 12 launch may have the iPhone 11 Pro and XR discontinued

Apple might just be killing off its 2019 flagship and budget offering with the launch of its upcoming iPhone 12 series. The launch will apparently bring the cost of iPhone 11 down to 549 US Dollars while discontinuing iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone XR.

Apple
iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max

According to a new leak from tipster iAppleTimes, the base iPhone 11 model will survive the discontinuation but will have its price slashed by 150 US Dollars. Cutting the previous generation’s flagship makes sense, as lowering the price of a high end model might eat away at the customer base for the upcoming iPhone 12 series. Furthermore, the latest lineup is said to comprise of four different size variants, so dropping the iPhone 11’s price might have it positioned as a mid range offering for customers.

The iPhone XR being discontinued is still a bit more reasonable considering the device was launched back in 2018. Since then, it has been one of the highest selling models in its generation and the newer launch might offer an upgraded iteration albeit with a different name. Unfortunately, the leak is still unconfirmed at the moment, so take it with a pinch of salt for now.

 

Huawei Y9a leaked posters appear to reveal design, color variants

Huawei is expected to launch the Huawei Enjoy 20 Plus smartphone in China in early September. The handset is expected to arrive in different markets with different names such as Huawei Mate 40 Lite, Huawei Y9a, and Huawei P Smart Pro 2021. The readers of GSMArena in Iraqi Kurdistan have shared leaked posters of Huawei Y9a. The images have revealed the design and color variants of the smartphone. The leak suggests that the Huawei Y9a may differ in some respects from the Huawei Enjoy 20 Plus phone.

Huawei Y9a leak

The leaked posters show that the Huawei Y9a has a notch-less screen and its rear has a circular camera housing that houses four cameras. An LED flash can be seen on the left side of the camera module. The other poster shows that the phone has a 64-megapixel quad camera setup. Leaked information surrounding the Enjoy 20 Plus has revealed that its circular camera setup has a 48-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 2-megapixel triple camera setup. According to GSMArena, the Huawei Y9a will be arriving with a 64-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 2-megapixel + 2-megapixel quad-camera system.

The Huawei Y9a will come with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of native storage. It will arrive with support for 40W Huawei SuperCharge fast charging technology. However, the size of the phone’s battery is not mentioned. The handset can be seen in two gradient color options. The support for AppGallery indicates that the phone is unlikely to arrive with support for Google’s apps and services.

The other specs of the Huawei Y9a are currently under wraps. The Enjoy 20 Plus is a 5G phone and is expected to arrive with Dimensity 720 5G chipset. It is unclear which chipset powers the Huawei Y9a and there is on whether it carries support for 5G connectivity.

 

 

 

Apple’s foldable iPhone is reportedly a real device; currently in prototype stage

Last year, foldable smartphones became a reality and it seems that they are here to stay. While Samsung recently launched its second-generation foldable smartphone, Huawei and Motorola are gearing to launch their next foldable phone.

However, other smartphone brands are working on their own foldable smartphones but are yet to make them official. Apple is also working on a similar device, as it has been revealed through a patent application filed by the company.

Foldable iPhone Prototype

Now, YouTuber Jon Prosser, who has a good track record for Apple-related leaks so far, has confirmed that the company is indeed working on a foldable smartphone and it’s not just speculation. However, in the video, he added that the device may not be what everyone is expecting it to be.

He reveals that the phone is not a real foldable phone but has a “fabric hinge” with two separate displays. The hinge would keep debris out to make the device more durable than the current foldable smartphones, but the screen on the device won’t bend or fold.

EDITOR’S PICK: Huawei to announce Kirin 9000 flagship chipset at IFA 2020 on September 3 along with Mate40 lineup

However, he adds that it is designed in such a way that when opened, it has a single continuous display and doesn’t appear to have two separate panels, even though that is the case. The phone’s prototype model is based on iPhone 11 with stainless steel hinges.

Do note that apart from the claims by Jon Pressor, there’s no information out there confirming this development. Also, there’s nothing known about the smartphone in terms of specs and features, nor even the possible timeframe for the foldable iPhone.

 

Moto G9 Play launched in Europe as rebadged version of India’s Moto G9

Yesterday, Motorola unveiled the Motorola Moto G9 smartphone in India. It debuted as the first smartphone powered by the Snapdragon 662 mid-range chipset. Soon after its launch, there were rumors that the phone will be heading to European markets as Moto G9 Play. The news has come true as the Lenovo-owned company has announced the Moto G9 Play as a rebadged version of India’s Moto G9.

Moto G9 Play specifications and features

The Moto G9 Play has an IPS LCD panel with a waterdrop notch. The 6.5-inch screen delivers HD+ resolution and 20:9 aspect ratio. The Snapdragon 662 chipset that fuels the device is accompanied by 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM. It comes with an internal storage of 64 GB and it has a microSD card for additional storage.

The Moto G9 Play comes preinstalled with My UX based Android 10 OS. The phone is packed with a 5,000mAh battery that supports 20W TurboCharge fast charging through USB-C.

Moto G9 Play
Moto G9 Play

It has a front camera of 8-megapixel and its rear has a 48-megapixel + 2-megapixel (macro) + 2-megapixel (depth) triple camera setup. The phone has a rear-facing fingerprint sensor. The other features that can be found on the device are dedicated Google Assistant hardware key, dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, GPS, and 3.5mm headphone slot.

Moto G9 Play price and availability

Apart from the Sapphire Blue and Forest Green color variants that are available in India, the Moto G9 Play also comes in an exclusive Spring Pink color. The handset is priced at 169 euros in Germany.

 

 

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra teardown from iFixit reveals why it runs hot

iFixit recently published a new teardown article of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra. In the article, we see a detailed look into the internals of the South Korean tech giant’s latest flagship series, with a surprising discovery that explains why the device’s run hot during intensive tasks.

Samsung

iFixit discovered that both the Ultra and base variants are missing the vaper chamber and copper heat pipes for cooling, which the company did equip in its predecessors to offer good thermal management during extended gaming sessions. As a replacement, Samsung added a multi layered graphite thermal pad inside both smartphones, which was also found by JerryRigEverything.

Samsung

However, this is a bit confusing considering at least one Galaxy Note 20 Ultra arrives with the copper heat pipe and vapor chamber cooling, as seen previously in a South Korean model which you can see here. At the moment, it is unknown why the cooling mechanism differs in the same model and if it is based on the region of availability. However, it might be a cause for concern for some, since reviews have shown the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra running hot, regardless of the intensity of usage. So, it is advised to find out which cooling variant of the Galaxy Note 20 series if one is planning on buying the latest flagship.

 

OPPO A53 with Snapdragon 460, 90Hz display and 5,000mAh battery launched for Rs. 12,990 (~$174)

Last week, OPPO unveiled the OPPO A53 smartphone in Indonesia. Soon after its launch, the company started teasing the phone’s arrival in India. The device has now gone official in India with a budget-friendly price tag of Rs. 12,990 (~$174). At this price, the OPPO A53 offers users with specs and features like 90Hz display, Snapdragon 460 chipset, 16-megapixel triple cameras, and a massive battery with fast charging support.

OPPO A53 price in India

The OPPO A53 has arrived in India in two options such as 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 6 GB RAM +128 GB storage. These variants are priced at Rs 12,990 and Rs. 15,490 (~$208). Starting from today at 3 PM (local time) in India, the phone will be available for purchase through Flipkart. Customers can avail the OPPO A53 in color variants like Electric Black and Fancy Blue.

OPPO A53
OPPO A53

OPPO A53 specifications and features

The OPPO A53 has a 6.5-inch IPS LCD punch-hole display that produces a 20:9 aspect ratio and 720 x 1600 pixels HD+ resolution. The screen comes with support for the 90Hz refresh rate. The ColorOS 7.2 based Android 10 comes preinstalled on the OPPO A53.

It is the first phone in India to feature the Snapdragon 460 chipset. The SoC is coupled with up to 6 GB of LPDDR4x RAM and up to 128 GB of storage. It has a shared SIM slot for adding a microSD card slot.

The OPPO A53 has a front-facing camera of 16-megapixel with f/2.0 aperture. The rear shell of the phone has a rectangle-shaped camera module that houses a 13-megapixel main camera, a 2-megapixel macro lens, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor.

The OPPO A53 has a 5,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging support. The handset comes with features like dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, USB-C, and 3.5mm audio jack.

 

Nokia 150 (2020) and Nokia 125 launch in India for ₹2,299 and ₹1,999 respectively

HMD Global officially unveiled Nokia 150 (2020) and Nokia 125 feature phones back in May after it was leaked in April. The handsets soon made their way to China in June. Now, in August, they also launch in India for ₹2,299 and ₹1,999 respectively. Both the devices will be available for purchase in the country starting today (August 25) from leading retailers and Nokia online store (Nokia.com/phones).

Nokia 125 and Nokia 150
Nokia 125 (Powder White) / Nokia 150 (Red)

The newly launched Nokia feature phones in India are powered by an unknown MediaTek chipset paired with 4MB RAM and 4MB internal storage. The only major difference between the two is their design and presence of a VGA camera, microSD card slot (up to 32GB), MP3 player, and Bluetooth 3.0 on the slightly costlier Nokia 150 (2020).

Otherwise, we are looking at two identical Nokia-branded feature phones from HMD Global with a polycarbonate body,  2.4-inch QVGA (240 x 320 pixels) TFT LCD color display, T9 physical keyboard, Series 30+ operating system, 2G connectivity, dual-SIM (mini), LED flash, wireless FM radio, 3.5mm headphone jack, 1,020mAh removable battery, and MicroUSB port for charging.

The Nokia 125 measures 132 x 50.5 x 15mm in dimensions and weighs 91.3g. On the other hand,  the Nokia 150 (2020) measures and weighs 132 x 50.5 x 15mm and 90.54g respectively.                                                                                                           

Last but not least, these phones come in the following colors.

Nokia 125
  • Charcoal Black
  • Powder White
Nokia 150 (2020)
  • Black
  • Cyan
  • Red

 

TikTok sues Trump admin over US app ban, calls it an election stunt

Earlier this week, TikTok and one of its employees separately sued the Trump administration over a recent executive order that banned any transactions in the US with the short video sharing platform.

tiktok india ban

According to TikTok, the app ban is just an election ploy being pulled by the government to gain favor and fuel the anti-China rhetoric in the country. The company has denied any allegations against it and its parent company ByteDance that are labeled as a national security threat, stating that they had taken “extraordinary measures to protect the privacy and security of TikTok’s U.S. user data.”

Furthermore, TikTok also claimed that the executive order that was passed earlier this month is a “broader campaign of anti-China rhetoric” which is leading up to the 3rd November 2020 presidential election, with Trump seeking a second term. In a blog post, the company stated that “We do not take suing the government lightly. But with the Executive Order threatening to bring a ban on our U.S. operations … we simply have no choice.”

TikTok

Notably, in a recent filing report, TikTok revealed that is active monthly users have grown by 800 percent since January 2018. Back then, only 11 million Americans used the social media platform. Jump to 2019, and the figure had more than doubled with the userbase reaching 27 million. And finally in June 2020, amid the Coronavirus pandemic, the US monthly active user base count crossed 91 million in total, with more than 100 million Americans actively using the short video sharing app as of this month. So, the TikTok ban would not just affect the company and its employees but also its immense userbase.

 

Smartphone OLED panel shipments drop 23% in Q2 2020: UBI Research

The recent quarter has not been good in terms of smartphone shipments because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic not only led to a drop in smartphone shipments but has also impacted the shipment for components.

As per the latest report from UBI Research, the shipment of the OLED display panels for smartphones dropped to 87 million units in the second quarter of this year. This represents a drop of 23.1 percent compared to the same period last year.

OLED Shipments in Q2 2020

EDITOR’S PICK: Huawei to announce Kirin 9000 flagship chipset at IFA 2020 on September 3rd along with Mate40 series smartphones

Compared to the first-quarter data, the numbers for Q2 2020 report a 17 percent decline. It represents a year-on-year decline of around 40.3 percent for the OLED panels in the second quarter, claims the report.

While the shipments for OLED panels declined, it was somewhat offset by the growth in flexible OLED panels. The same report reveals that the shipments for flexible OLED displays grew by 38 percent compared to last year.

The report notes that the drop in the shipments of rigid OLED panels is a result of less number of mid-range smartphones getting launched from the Chinese brands in the second quarter of this year. Since they focused more on flagship-grade devices, the shipments for flexible OLED panels witnessed growth.

 

Nokia 5.3 and Nokia C3 launched in India with Rs. 7,499 (~$100) starting price

Nokia India has multiple handsets in India today. The Nokia 150 and Nokia 125 have arrived to cater to people who are looking forward to purchase feature phones. The Nokia C3 is an entry-level budget phone that had recently debuted in China. Also, the company has introduced the Nokia 5.3 mid-ranger in India.

Nokia 5.3 price in India

The Nokia 5.3 has arrived in India in two options such as 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage. They are priced at Rs. 13,999 (~$188) and Rs. 15,499 (~$208) and its pre-orders begin from today through Nokia India’s online store and Amazon India. The sale of the phone will begin on Sept. 1.

Nokia 5.3
Nokia 5.3

Buyers will be available to get the Nokia 5.3 in Cyan, Sand, and Charcoal colorways. Customer benefits for the Nokia 5.3 include cash benefits worth Rs. 4,000 ($53) on Rs. 349 plan by Jio for existing and new subscribers. It brings Rs. 2000 (~$27) instant cashback and Rs. 2000 worth vouchers from partners.

Nokia C3 price in India

The Nokia C3 has landed in two models in India such as 2 GB RAM + 16 GB storage and 3 GB RAM + 32 GB storage. They are priced at Rs. 7,499 (~$100) and Rs. 8,999 (~$121) and can be bought in Cyan and Sand colors. The pre-bookings of the Nokia C3 will start on Sept. 1 and it will go on sale from Sept. 10. The company has said that the Nokia C3 will come with a 1-year replacement guarantee.

Nokia 5.3 and Nokia C3 specifications and features

The Nokia 5.3 comes with a 6.55-inch IPS LCD waterdrop notch display with HD+ resolution and 20:9 aspect ratio support. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 panel. It has a front camera of 8-megapixel and the circular camera module on the back has a 13-megapixel + 5-megapixel (120-degree ultrawide) + 2-megapixel (macro) + 2-megapixel (depth) quad-camera system.

The Nokia 5.3 runs on the stock version of Android 10 OS and its guaranteed to receive Android 11 and Android 12 software upgrades. The Snapdragon 665 SoC powered Nokia 5.3 has LPPDR4x RAM and eMMC 5.1 storage. The phone houses a 4,000mAh battery with 10W charging support. Other features of the smartphone include dual 4G VoLTE, dedicated Google Assistant button, microSD card slot, USB-C, fingerprint sensor, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

The Nokia C3 has a 5.99-inch IPS LCD HD+ display with 18:9 aspect ratio support. The Unisoc SC9863A powers the device along with 3,040mAh battery that comes with 10W charging support. It also runs on Android 10 OS. The phone is fitted with a front camera of 5-megapixel and its rear has an LED flash assisted 8-megapixel snapper. The Nokia C3 is packed with other features like dual 4G VoLTE, dedicated Google Assistant button, microSD card slot, fingerprint reader, microUSB, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

 

ZMI USB PD 65W Multi-Port Charger is now on sale in China for 129 yuan ($19)

ZMI, a Xiaomi ecological chain company has today launched a new charger in its home market China — ZMI USB PD 65W Multi-Port Charger. The product is currently available on pre-sale through JD.com.

As for the pricing, it is priced at 149 yuan, which roughly converts to $22. However, currently, it is available for a price of 129 yuan, which is about $19, for a deposit of 10 yuan (~$1.5). While the product is currently on pre-sale, it is expected to start shipments from 3rd September.

ZMI USB PD 65W Multi-Port Charger

EDITOR’S PICK: Huawei to announce Kirin 9000 flagship chipset at IFA 2020 on September 3rd along with Mate40 series smartphones

It comes in a Black-colored design with all three ports on the front panel, continuing with the classic ZMI design. It has foldable pins, making it more convenient for storing it and carrying it around. The product packs a high-quality chip that identifies the current requirement of the attached devices and protects the battery from damage.

ZMI USB PD 65W Multi-Port Charger

The three-port charger offers one USB-C port and two USB-A ports. When all the three ports are in use at the same time, it’s total power reaches 63W — 45W on USB-C and 18W for the two USB-A ports.

When only the single USB Type-C port is in use, is offers 65W charging, which can fully charge the newly launched Mi 10 Ultra smartphone in just 28 minutes. Not only smartphones but it can also be used to charge laptops.

 

Grab huge discounts on Ulefone smartphones under ‘Mid-Year Sale’ on AliExpress

The popular rugged smartphone maker is finally here with a massive ‘Mid-Year Sale’ discount extravaganza in collaboration with AliExpress. The Chinese smartphone maker is offering discounts of up to 50% on several newly-launched models. Below we have listed the smartphones which are up for grabs at reduced prices.

ulefone armor 8

Ulefone Armor 8 

The smartphone with MediaTek P60 SoC, 4GB RAM, and 64GB internal storage is available at the discount price of $139.99. The smartphone sports a 6.1-inch waterdrop display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. It also sports a triple rear camera module consisting of a 16-megapixel primary camera and a 5-megapixel macro lens. It consists of a 5580 mAh battery and runs on Android 10 OS. You can grab the smartphone from AliExpress by hitting the link below.

Grab it

Ulefone Armor 9E

It is another popular rugged smartphone from Ulefone which houses a MediaTek Helio P90 SoC, 8GB RAM, and 128 GB internal storage. Ulefone Armor 9E runs on Android 10 OS and features NFC support for contactless payments via Google Pay and other compatible apps. The smartphone houses a massive 6.3-inch Full HD+ waterdrop display and a large 6000 mAh battery. The users can even use it with an external endoscope for some extended purposes including cleaning narrow chores within the house.

It is available for a 50% discount price of $329.99.

Grab it

Moreover, the interested users can also grab the thermal imaging camera version – Armor 9 for the price of $431. It is an excellent device for outdoor adventures and industry professionals.

Grab it

Ulefone Note 8

It is an entry-level smartphone that offers decent specifications such as a 5.5-inch waterdrop display, quad-core processor, and a 2GB + 16GB memory configuration. There’s a 5-megapixel dual rear camera along with a 2700 mAh battery. Ulefone Note 8 runs on Android 10 Go edition and supports face unlock and 3-card slot design. You can grab it for the jaw-dropping price of $49.99.

Grab it

Ulefone Note 9P

It is another affordable device offering a 6.52-inch large display, 16-megapixel triple rear sensor, and a front-facing 8-megapixel single camera. The smartphone also houses a 4500 mAh battery which provides a standby time for a day. Ulefone Note 9P runs on Android 10 and is available for the price of $94.99.

Grab it

Apart from these popular Ulefone smartphones, the users can get interesting discounts on other devices too. You can head over to the Ulefone’s official AliExpress store for more information.

Huawei to announce Kirin 9000 flagship chipset at IFA 2020 on September 3

Chinese giant Huawei has announced that the company will be holding a press conference on 3rd September during IFA 2020 in Berlin. While the company has not revealed what it plans to announce, everyone knows what to expect.

A new report claims that at the event, along with the Huawei Mate40 series flagship smartphones, the company is also expected to unveil the latest Kirin 9000 flagship chipset, which could also be the last flagship smartphone SoC from the company.

Kirin 1000

The upcoming Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 9000 is manufactured by TSMC using the 5nm node process. It could become the world’s first 5nm chipset, launching ahead of the similar chipset from Qualcomm and Apple. It remains to be seen what the features of the Kirin 9000 SoC are and how it fares among other flagship offerings.

As for the Huawei Mate40 series, the company is expected to launch three smartphones in the lineup with model numbers OCE-AN00, NOH-AN00, and NOP-AN00. It is said that the Mate40 has a 6.5-inch FHD+ display while the Pro model has a 6.78-inch QHD+ screen. The phones will run the Android operating system and support 5G connectivity.

EDITOR’S PICK: Russia is reportedly ready to work with Huawei for 5G infrastructure development

Huawei Mate 40 Pro

Recently, the United States tightened restrictions on Huawei and put around 70 of its affiliates on the Entity List, requiring them to have special permission from the government to carry out business.

Thus, Huawei’s contract chipset manufacturer TSMC has been prevented from taking new orders from the Chinese company. The Taiwanese company will completely halt HiSilicon chip production from 15th September.

As per the reports, Huawei is now taking matters into its own hands. The company is expected to start its chip manufacturing process, at least partly, by the year-end and compete with industry giants like Samsung, TSMC, Intel, and more. Given that manufacturing semiconductors is a complicated and expensive process, we will have to wait and see if Huawei manages to pull it off.

 

iPhone SE (2020) manufacturing begins in India

Since the past few years, Apple has been working on in producing iPhones locally in India. This allows the company to provide tariff-free iPhones to users in the country. In 2017, the iPhone SE became the first iPhone to get manufacture red locally in India. The iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, iPhone XR, and iPhone 11 are some of the iPhones that that have been built in India. In June, the rumor mill had revealed that Apple may also begin with production of the iPhone SE (2020) in India. New information that the manufacturing of iPhone SE (202) has finally begun in the country.

The iPhone SE (2020) went official in March. However, the sales of the smartphone began in India in May with a price tag of Rs. 38,900. Currently, it is available with a reduced pricing of Rs 35,999 through the ongoing Apple Days sale on Flipkart. Since the production of the iPhone SE (2020) has locally started in the country, its pricing is likely to drop even more in the near future.

India assembled units of the iPhone SE (2020) are expected to arrive in the stores soon. Reports have claimed that the manufacturing of the iPhone 12 will begin in India by mid-2021.

Apple iPhone SE (2020)
Apple iPhone SE (2020)

In India, smartphone manufacturers are required to pay an import duty of 20 percent for importing their models from other markets. Assembling the iPhones in India will let Apple avoid the import tax. Past reports have revealed that in the near future, the Cupertino company could be shifting its iPhone production from China to India.

iPhone SE (2020) specifications

The iPhone SE (2020) is an IP67 certified handset with a 4.7-inch display that supports 750 x 1334 pixels. The Apple A13 Bionic SoC fuels the smartphone with 3 GB of RAM. It has an OIS-enabled 12-megapixel rear camera with quad-LED flash and a 7-megapixel front-facing camera.

The iPhone SE (2020) is equipped with stereo speakers and it houses a 1,821mAh battery with 18W fast charging support. The iPhone SE (2020) also supports Qi wireless charging. The handset boots to iOS 13 and it has the good old Touch ID fingerprint scanner.

The iPhone SE (2020) comes in three flavors such as 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB. They are priced at Rs. 35,999 (~$486), Rs. 40,999 (~$553), and Rs. 50,999 (~$688), respectively during the current Apple Days Sale on Flipkart. The handset comes in colors like black, red, and white.

 

 

Apple allegedly planning to revoke iOS support for Epic’s Unreal Engine

Epic Games fanned the embers of war recently when it took on two of the biggest players in the smartphone industry, talking of Google and Apple. The game publisher switched the system of payment on its popular game Fortnite in favour of receiving payment directly for in-app purchases. Subsequently, Fortnite was removed by both Google and Apple from the Play Store and App Store respectively.Fortnite featured

Epic Games’ sole aim was to challenge the distribution monopolies held by both Apple and Google on Android and iOS. Of course, the dispute has headed to the law court but Apple doesn’t seem intent on waiting for a verdict. Epic Games has reportedly raised an alarm that Apple has threatened to cease support for Unreal Engine from its ecosystem unless it complies with the contentious App Store policy.

Unreal Engine is a free-to-start game engine that is popular among game publishers and is utilised by many developers around the world who deploy the engine to develop games for different platforms, amongst other uses. If Apple goes ahead and removes support for the Unreal Engine, developers would be unable to patch security flaws or fix bugs.

This could affect a wide range of games on iOS and macOS, including Microsoft’s Forza. Even games within Apple’s own Apple Arcade subscription service rely on Unreal Engine. If Apple reacts against Unreal Engine, these developers would struggle to build new iOS games or create updates. The damage would extend beyond Apple’s ecosystem, as part of Unreal Engine’s popularity comes from its support for multiple platforms, which would no longer remain as lucrative and would turn customers towards other competing solutions.

Apple has given Epic until August 28 to “cure breaches to the agreement” before it goes ahead and terminates all of Epic’s developer accounts and removes access to iOS and Mac development tools. To this end, Epic Games have filed a motion or an injunction against Apple, a move reportedly endorsed by Microsoft to endorse Epic’s motion for an injunction against Apple.

Epic Games are of the opinion that Apple’s attack has shifted from Fortnite to the company’s entire business in unrelated areas even though they are governed by separate agreements and are operated by separate legal entities.

It is left for the Court to decide the next step of action that would be taken. There are most likely several games developers wishing this goes the way of Epic. We hope this is dealt with promptly.