Oppo initially launched the Reno4 Pro alongside Reno4 in early June in China. Powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G as its predecessor, it focuses more on design and photography. Now, after two months from its debut, the company teases an Artist Limited Editon of this handset in collaboration with James Jean.
Chinese smartphone makers are known for launching special editions of their certain handsets. Only recently, Oppo launched Ace2 EVA Limited Edition with a number of other accessories themed after Neon Genesis Evangelion anime.
And now, just within a few months, the company is back again with another collaboration device called OPPO Reno4 Pro Artist Limited Edition. This time the brand has partnered with world-renowned artist James Jean.
Mr Jean is known for winning multiple awards for his cover arts for DC Comics and Marvel Comics in the early 2000s. In recent years, he even created poster arts for blockbuster Hollywood movies like mother!, The Shape of Water, and Blade Runner 2049.
He has even worked with Prada, an Italian luxury fashion house on multiple occasions. As for Oppo, we are not sure how this limited edition Reno4 Pro will look like. But going by the teaser poster, the phone may feature art inspired by Chinese tradition.
Anyway, we will get to know the design of OPPO Reno4 Pro Artist Limited Edition on August 17 when this device will be unveiled.
Microsoft Surface Duo and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 brought two different concepts of foldable phones to the market. The latter is better on the paper, but the former looks much more interesting for productivity and business users. Both are foldable phones but in different ways. That is exactly the reason why we decided to put them in a specs comparison. Here, we hope to let you understand which one is better for your actual needs and which is the most advanced device in terms of specifications and user experience. This will be a comparison between innovative phones, so we would like to hear your opinion about these foldable phones: if you have one, you can tell us by using the comment box below the post.
Microsoft Surface Duo vs Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 5G
Microsoft Surface Duo
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
Unfolded: 186.9 x 145.2 x 4.8 mm
Folded: 145.2 x 93.3 x 9.9 mm
250 g
Unfolded: 159.2 x 128.2 x 6.9 mm
Folded: 159.2 x 68 x 16.8 mm
279 g
7.6 inches, 1768 x 2208p (Quad HD+), Foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X
External display: 6.23 inches, 816 x 2260 pixels (HD+), Super AMOLED
PROCESSOR
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 octa-core 2.84 GHz
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ octa-core 3.1 GHz
MEMORY
6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 6 GB RAM, 256 GB
12 GB RAM, 256 GB
SOFTWARE
Android 10
Android 10, One UI
CONNECTIVITY
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS
CAMERA
Single 11 MP f/2.0
Triple 12 + 12 + 12 MP f/1.8, f/2.4, and f/2.2
10 MP f/2.2 front camera
10 MP f/2.2 cover camera
BATTERY
3577 mAh, fast charging 18W
4500 mAh, Fast Charging 25W, fast wireless charging 11W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Surface Pen
Reverse wireless charging, 5G
Design
Here it is all about tastes. With its thinner bezels around the displays, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 offers more impressive panel designs. But the Microsoft Surface Duo does not leave any space between its two display while it is folded, it can be rotated by 360 degrees and it is a lot thinner than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2. On the other hand, it has very thick bezels around the displays, due to their 4:3 aspect ratio. This makes it look like an outdated phone. It is a very hard choice, but overall, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 has the most innovative and futuristic design.
Display
Microsoft Surface Duo comes with two displays close to each other which can be used together and rotated by 360 degrees, while Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 has a unique foldable display, as well as a secondary external display for those who want to use it as a phone. The foldable display of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 actually provides a better display quality thanks to its very high resolution, the HDR10+ certification, its 120 Hz refresh rate, and more. The Microsoft Surface Duo has an AMOLED display just like the Galaxy Z Fold 2, but it has no chances to compete against Samsung’s flagship in terms of display quality. So Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 wins.
Specs & Software
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 has much better hardware than Microsoft Surface Duo. It is fueled by the new Snapdragon 865+ mobile platform that is the best Qualcomm’s chipset of 2020, while Microsoft Surface Duo is powered by the Snapdragon 855 which was Qualcomm’s flagship chipset in the first half of 2019. Further, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 packs 12 gigs of RAM, while Microsoft Surface Duo has just 6 GB. But when it comes to the software, the Microsoft Surface Duo makes a lot more sense. It has software and apps optimized to take full advantage of its form factor for productivity users. You can open apps side by side and a lot of them are optimized for that, as Microsoft showed in its briefing video. Further, the Microsoft Surface Duo supports the Surface Pen, while Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 does not support a pen, unlike the Samsung Galaxy Note lineup. Both Samsung and Microsoft promised three years of major upgrades for their flagships.
Camera
Microsoft Surface Duo is all but a camera phone. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 takes the crown with its 12 MP triple camera: not the best camera department out there, but way better than the single 11 MP sensor found on the Surface Duo. With the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2, you get an additional telephoto sensor, an ultrawide sensor, and even OIS, as well as two 10 MP front cameras (including a cover camera for the external display.
The 4500 mAh battery found on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 will provide a longer battery life than the Microsoft Surface Duo simply because it has a bigger capacity. Especially if you only use the external display which comes with a lower resolution and a standard refresh rate. With the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2, you also get faster wired charging, wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging.
Price
Microsoft Surface Duo will be priced at €1181/$1399, while Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 will likely cost more than €2000. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is a much better phone if we only consider the specifications. But if you need the best device for productivity, I believe that Surface Duo is a better choice for you due to its advanced software features and the Surface Pen.
Microsoft Surface Duo vs Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 5G: PRO and CONS
The FreeGO Portable Bluetooth Speaker was supposed to go on sale last month but is yet to be available. A leaker has revealed that the speaker will soon be available for purchase. The info comes from the Chinese blogger, Changan Digital King, and he said in a Weibo post that the new Bluetooth speaker is on its way.
There are lots of Bluetooth speakers on the market and one of the ways to stand out is with the design. Huawei nails the design of the FreeGO Portable Bluetooth Speaker. Huawei says the design inspiration comes from the vinyl player. To me, it looks more like a really fancy portable CD player. The speaker which comes in Obsidian Black and Silver is pretty compact, measuring 120mm in diameter and having a thickness of 31mm.
The FreeGO Portable Bluetooth Speaker has a knob on the side that not only works for volume control but can be pushed to accept, reject, and end calls. The knob can also be used to mute the microphone, pause and resume playback, and also call up the voice assistant.
The portable speaker has two driver units. There is one for high frequencies which has a high-end silk diaphragm and there is another for low frequencies whose diaphragm is made of aluminum alloy. Huawei says the speaker is professionally tuned, and with DRC dynamic compression algorithm and vocal EQ adjustment, it outputs loud and clear sounds.
The FreeGO Portable Bluetooth Speaker has NFC for one-touch pairing. It also has a 360° Omni-directional dual microphones with a range of 3 meters for picking up your voice during calls. It also uses an adaptive echo suppression algorithm to improve call quality.
The Bluetooth 5.0 speaker has an 11.25 Wh battery and supports 9V 2A and 5V 2A fast charging via USB-C. The spec sheet says a 15-minute charge will provide 2 hours of listening time. The speaker will ship with a USB-C to USB-A cable included in the box. There is still no info on the price of the speaker.
We have just learned that Huawei will be able to provide security updates to older smartphones. Also, Google apps will still be updated on these devices.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t get more information on how this will work without the temporary general license, but we’ll hear more from the company very soon.
Meanwhile, this news should come as a relief to existing Huawei smartphone users who were worried about losing out on important updates in the future.
Original Story
Huawei was added to the US Commerce Department’s Entity List in May 2019. This made American companies to drop their businesses with Huawei. However, the US government granted Temporary General Licence (TGL) to the Chinese telecom giant so that it could work with Google to provide security updates and Google apps updates to its older smartphones and tablets released before the ban. But now, this license has expired on August 13.
According to The Washington Post (via XDA Developers), this temporary license by the US government was not only meant for Huawei to provide necessary updates to its older smartphones/tablets. But was also granted so that some US rural telecommunication companies using Huawei telecommunication equipment could replace them with alternatives.
Now, with the expiration of this license and unclear or no statements from the parties involved suggests older Huawei/Honor smartphones and tablets, which until now received security patches may not continue to do so.
The biggest problem with this issue is that these devices will may no longer pass SafetyNet Attestation. That means banking and payment apps, as well as certain games, will stop working for the users.
As of now, it is unclear if the Temporary General Licence (TGL) will be renewed. If it does not happen, users will have to sadly ditch their older Huawei/Honor smartphones for good.
The rumor mill has been leaking information on the upcoming Motorola Moto E7 Plus since last month. First, a publication had revealed the live shots of the devices and it then popped up in the Geekbench benchmarking platform. On scrutinizing the Geekbench listing, it was speculated that the Moto E7 Plus could be arriving with the Snapdragon 460. A new leak courtesy of reputed tipster Evan Blass has revealed the key specs of the phone. It also states that the phone is powered by SD460.
The Snapdragon 460 mobile platform was announced by Qualcomm alongside the Snapdragon 662 and Snapdragon 720G in January this year. Built for budget-friendly smartphones, the 11nm SD460 chipset has an octa-core processor with 1.8GHz base frequency and Adreno 610 graphics.
As can be seen in the leaked poster above, the SD460 SoC is accompanied by 4 GB of RAM. The handset will offer internal storage of 64 GB. It will draw power from a 5,000mAh battery. The rear shell of the phone will be equipped with a 48-megapixel dual-camera system with Night Vision support.
The Moto E7 Plus will be arriving as the successor for the Moto E6 Plus phone that debuted in September last year. The leaked shot of the phone that appeared last month revealed that it has a waterdrop notch display. The rear-facing dual-camera setup of the phone is assisted by laser autofocus and LED flash. A fingerprint scanner is also available on the backside of the smartphone. The phone was also found to be equipped with a USB-C port, a speaker grille, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
There is no word on the launch date of the Moto E7 Plus. Considering that the predecessor went official in September 2019, it is likely that the E7 Plus may go official at some point in this month or in September.
Google Duo is literally the Android equivalent of FaceTime. The video-calling app even ships with a lot of phones including those from Samsung out of the box, allowing users to talk and see their loved ones. Now, a new report says Google has plans to phase out the app in a few years in favor of Meet.
First reported by 9to5Google, the head of Google’s G Suites services, Javier Soltero, wants to merge both Duo and Meet under an initiative currently known as Duet (formed from the first two letters in Duo and the last two in Meet). The result will be an integration of some of Duo’s features into Meet including end-to-end encryption, 3D effects, and the ability to reach a contact via their phone number.
The aforementioned tech blog revealed that sources informed them that interest in Duo has waned while Meet has seen a significant increase in adoption which is not surprising seeing as schools and workplaces have adopted the latter for communication while Duo is more personal and unofficial. The plan to merge both means that Google will be able to focus on just one video-calling app.
The merger is not happening soon but has been reported to happen over the next few years. Google commented on the matter, saying it is fully invested in Duo and added that they have seen astonishing growth (with the app) during the pandemic. The statement said new features will continue to be built for the app. It also confirmed that Duo is now under the leadership of Javier Soltero, a move that was carried out in May, and that they are “looking at ways that their video calling apps can improve alongside one another.”
What do you think of Google’s plan to merge Duo and Meet? Share your thoughts with us in the comment box below.
OnePlus recently released Android 11 beta 3 for compatible devices. The new update comes with OxygenOS 11, the new UI OnePlus will announce later this year for its phones. While the internet is divided about how they feel about the new user interface, OnePlus has revealed that some already available software features will not be coming to its older phones even though it promised they would get them.
The info was revealed to Mishaal Rahman, the Editor-in-Chief of XDA-Developerswho reached out to OnePlus to ask about these promised features that are yet to arrive. Below are the said features and the reasons why they will not be coming to these phones:
RAM Boost for OnePlus 5 series
RAM Boost was announced last year. It arrived with the OnePlus 7 series with a promise to be available for the OnePlus 6, OnePlus 6T, OnePlus 5T, and OnePlus 5. The feature which learns the usage pattern of the phone owner can predict over time the apps to be launched and allow these apps to take full advantage of the RAM to improve performance.
Excerpt from the official post confirming RAM Boost will be available for the OnePlus 5 and 5T
It has been more than a year since OnePlus promised it will be available for the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T. When asked why it is yet to be available, OnePlus said it will no longer be released for both phones due to a hardware compatibility issue. Yup, standard textbook excuse.
OnePlus releases some features that are exclusive to select regions and one of them is Caller Identification which made its debut on the OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T. The feature was promised to be made available for the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T along with their Android Pie update but wasn’t. OnePlus says it will no longer be released for the two phones as they have reached their end of life.
DC Dimming was also included in the source post as not being available for the OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T even though it was promised but users of the two phones have revealed the feature is available for them.
In related news, older phones are not the only ones that are missing out on promised updates. The OnePlus 8 is supposed to get an OTA that will bring upgrade for 5G or 4G dual SIM support. It has been five months since its release and the feature is yet to arrive. When asked, OnePlus says it will be available in Q4 2020.
OnePlus has also confirmed that one-handed mode will be made available with the stable version of OxygenOS 11 and HydrogenOS 11. It remains to be seen if all the devices that will get the new update will receive the feature.
At the HUAWEI P30 series launch event in Paris in early 2019, the Chinese telecom giant surprised everyone by unveiling HUAWEI Eyewear, a smart glasses in collaboration with South Korea’s popular fashion firm GENTLE MONSTER. Now, after more than a year later, the second generation of this product called HUAWEI Eyewear II leaks in renders.
The renders of Huawei Eyewear 2 (HUAWEI Eyewear II) were first shared by a blogger called 长安数码君 (Changan Digital King) on Weibo. Going by the pictures, the new model will be smaller and probably even lighter than the previous generation.
Another notable difference will be the shape of the carrying case (pouch) as well as the positioning of the USB Type-C port and LED indicators. That said, the details about the official launch and availability of this product are bleak.
Unlike Huawei smartphone and laptops, the HUAWEI x GENTLE MONSTER Eyewear was made available in limited quantities. The company fused technology and fashion with this product.
Although they looked like traditional glasses, they came with speakers as well as microphones for calls and music. It was similar to BOSE Frames and different from Snapchat Spectacles, which features cameras.
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Earlier this year at the HUAWEI P40 series launch event, the firm even introduced new models to the first generation product as part of the Spring and Summer 2020 collection. But none of them is available for purchase at the moment.
Vivo is reportedly working on the successor for the Vivo Y19 that debuted in November last year. The reason behind it is that a phone named Vivo Y20 has been approved by the SDPPI Indonesian certification platform. The listing of Y20 at SDPPI has not revealed any details on its specifications. However, it has confirmed that its model number is V2027A.
The said phone has been spotted previously at Geekbench as ‘vivo V2027’ in July. The listing revealed that it is fueled by Qualcomm’s octa-core processor that has a base frequency of 1.8GHz.
The SoC was mentioned with ‘bengal’ codename. Some reports have claimed that the codenamed may belong to the Snapdragon 662 mobile platform. Contradictory reports have claimed that it could be featuring the Snapdragon 460 SoC. The Geekbench listing had also revealed that the phone features 4 GB of RAM. The phone is found to be running on Android 10 OS.
The Vivo Y19 came with a 6.53-inch IPS LCD display with waterdrop notch and support for Full HD+ resolution. The Helio P65 chipset fueled the device with up to 6 GB of RAM. The handset offered users with 128 GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot.
The Android 9 Pie OS along with One UI skin came preinstalled on the Vivo Y19. It had a front camera of 16-megapixel and its rear was fitted with a 16-megapixel + 8-megapixel (ultrawide) + 2-megapixel (macro) triple camera system. The smartphone had arrived with a 5,000mAh battery that supported 18W fast charging.
Honor has been long rumored to launch gaming laptops. The brand officially confirmed it a couple of days back. Yesterday, it even revealed these notebooks to be powered by Intel chipsets. Now, last evening, one of the company executives also confirmed them to feature LED lightings for aesthetics by sharing some pictures.
Chinese brands have a habit of revealing everything about their new products except pricing and availability before their official launch. Continuing the tradition, Honor has begun to tease the features of its first-ever gaming laptops.
Lao Xiong, one of the VP of Honor is commonly referred to as Glory Old Bear on the internet via translation. He is known for teasing new products like the brand’s president Zhao Ming (George Zhao).
Yesterday, he shared two pictures of an upcoming Honor gaming laptop model with their aesthetics LEDs turned on. The first image shows the illuminated “HUNTER” logo at the back along with lightened up borderlines Whereas, the second image seems to tease LED light even for the supercars-inspired massive vent but that is just a guess from our end. Do let us know what you think about in the comment section below.
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Further, since the picture shows only blue color, we cannot say for sure for these LED lights to be RGB. Anyway, it is better than not having them at all like the newly launched Redmi G Gaming Laptop.
That said, we expect Honor to reveal the launch date for these gaming laptops as soon as next week.
A recent report by The Mobile Indian had revealed that HMD Global will announce the Nokia 5.3 smartphone this month in India. The landing page of the phone is now live on the Nokia India website. The listing has revealed the specifications and features of the phone. Hence, it appears that the launch date of the Nokia 5.3 for India is around the corner.
Nokia 5.3 specifications and features
The Nokia 5.3 smartphone measures 164.3 x 76.6 x 8.5mm and it weighs 180 grams. The handset has a 6.55-inch LCD panel with a waterdrop notch. The screen supports HD+ resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio.
The Snapdragon 665 mobile platform powers the 4 GB and 6 GB of RAM. It has an internal storage of 64 GB and it has a microSD card slot for additional storage. The handset is preinstalled with Android 10 OS. The handset is promised to receive a software upgrade for 2 years. It has a hardware key for accessing Google Assistant.
The Nokia 5.3 houses a 4,000mAh battery with 5V/2A charging support. It has an 8-megapixel selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture. The rear side of the phone has a round-shaped camera module with an LED flash. It includes a 13-megapixel main camera with f/1.8 aperture, a 5-megapixel ultrawide sensor, a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro lens.
A fingerprint reader is also available on the backside of the Nokia 5.3. The handset has connectivity options such as dual SIM support, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, NFC, USB-C, and 3.5mm audio jack.
Only the pricing of the Nokia 5.3 for Indian markets is under wraps. The handset was introduced in Europe with a price tag of 189 euros (~$224; Rs. 16,800). The handset will be available in colors such as Cyan, Sand, and Charcoal.
Xiaomi has officially launched the budget Redmi 9 smartphone in the UK. The smartphone is one of the brand’s latest entry-level model that has been introduced in China, Europe, India and other major markets. In a bid to cater to the needs of its growing fans in the UK who may be low on budget but need a phone, the brand is bringing the affordable phone.
Redmi 9 color variants
The company is making available the 4GB + 64GB version only and it is priced at £159. This is slightly lower than the price in Europe where the 4GB version retails for €169. As a perk, it will be bundled with a free Mi Band 4 wearable and £10 off if you order between 14th and 23rd of August, bringing the price down to £149. The phone is presently available from Xiaomi’s official website. There is no indication if the 3GB + 32GB version will be made available as well for the UK market.
The Redmi 9 is Xiaomi’s first entry-level smartphone to feature an all-purpose quad-camera set up. The phone features a humongous 6.53-inch FHD+ Dot Drop display which offers an optimal visual experience with crystal-clear detail at your fingertips. It also comes with TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light certification and Corning Gorilla Glass protection.
On the performance front, the Redmi 9 is powered by a MediaTek Helio G80 SoC. The device equally packs a mammoth 5020mAh battery which provides you with all the power you need for everyday work and play. This performance beast even supports 18W fast charging technology to keep your sideline time to a minimum so you can get back in the game.
The budget phone packs a rear fingerprint sensor, a 3.5mm headphone jack, IR blaster, and multifunctional NFC. It also brings dual SIM support with an additional microSD card slot. It is available in Carbon Grey, Ocean Green, and Sunset Purple.
The war of entry-level phones is becoming huge, especially thanks to Xiaomi and Realme. Every time one of these two companies launches a great entry-level device, each other comes up with an even better one. The latest one is Realme C12, just announced with a huge battery at a very affordable price. We think it is time to compare it with the latest Xiaomi entry-level in order to establish whether or not it has a higher value for money: we are obviously talking about the direct rival Redmi 9C. And let’s not forget Huawei: even this company has amazing entry-level devices in its portfolio. If we consider the price range of the Realme C12, the most suitable one for this comparison is the Honor 9C.
Quad 13 + 2 + 2 MP f/2.2, f/2.4 and f/2.4
5 MP f/2.0 front camera
Triple 13 + 5 + 2 MP, f/1.8, f/2.4 and f/2.4
5 MP front camera
Triple 48 + 8 + 2 MP f/1.8, f/2.4 and f/2.4
8 MP f/2.0 front camera
BATTERY
6000 mAh
5000 mAh, 10W charging
4000 mAh
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Dual SIM slot, reverse charging
Dual SIM slot
Dual SIM slot
Design
Despite it is an older handset, the Honor 9C has the most beautiful and futuristic design. It is the only device from this trio to feature a punch-hole display. Not everyone may like a hole on the upper left corner of the screen, but it is considered a more modern and less invasive solution to the waterdrop notch found on the Realme C12 and the Redmi 9C. The Honor 9C also comes with a less invasive camera module, despite the ones of its rivals are trendier because they look like the iPhone 11 lineup. Realme C12, Redmi 9C, and Honor 9A feature both a fingerprint reader and a 3.5 mm audio jack, that is great.
Display
With each of these handsets, you get a below-average display with an HD+ resolution. You do not get a high level of detail, but they are sufficient IPS panel for daily use. With the Redmi 9C, you even get a high brightness. But overall, the differences between these three panels are just marginal. You would better make your choice by evaluating other aspects of these devices. Unfortunately, we can not test the display of the Realme C12 since it just debuted and it only launched in Indonesia. But on the paper, Redmi 9C seems slightly better and it also comes with a slightly wider panel.
Specs & Software
The MediaTek Helio G35 chipset found on the Redmi 9C and the Realme C12 is actually more powerful than the Kirin 710A found on the Honor 9C. It is also more efficient because it is built on a better 12 nm production process. But with the Honor 9C, you can get a higher quantity of RAM, so its inferior processor is not a big thing to worry about. Between Realme C12 and Redmi 9C it is essentially a draw, except when it comes to the internal storage: Redmi 9C goes up to 64 GB, while Realme C12 stops at 32 GB. In each case, you get Android 10 out of the box.
Camera
The best camera phone here is the Honor 9C, there is no doubt about it. The Honor 9C has a much better main sensor with a 48 MP resolution and a bright f/1.8 focal aperture. Further, unlike Realme C12 and Redmi 9C, it packs an ultrawide secondary sensor. Even its selfie camera is better, with its 8 MP resolution and an f/2.0 focal aperture. There is just no challenge: Honor 9C is a superior camera phone in all of the scenarios. Between Realme C12 and Redmi 9C, it is again a draw on the paper: they feature the same sensors.
Battery
The Realme C12 has one of the biggest batteries in the entry-level segment, with a 6000 mAh capacity. And it obviously lasts more on a single charge than both Redmi 9C and Honor 9C. The silver medal goes to the Redmi 9C with its 5000 mAh battery. But even though Honor 9C loses the comparison, it still provides a good battery life thanks to its 4000 mAh battery. Unfortunately, none of these devices supports fast charging. But the Realme C12 features reverse charging, so it can be used as a power bank to charge other devices.
Price
Actually, Realme C12, Redmi 9C, and Honor 9C are all priced below €150/$180. But Realme C12 is a bit more affordable (depending on the country). And despite being more affordable, it is my favorite handset of this comparison because it offers a bigger battery, reverse charging, and great hardware. On the paper, Redmi 9C is a Realme C12 with a smaller battery. Instead, the Honor 9C is very interesting because it features a way better camera department, as well as a more beautiful design. But when it comes to the other specs, it can not compete with Realme C12 and Redmi 9C. I would pick the Realme C12, but a lot of people would prefer the Honor 9C because it is very hard to find a so nice camera in that price segment.
OnePlus Gallery is the default gallery app on OnePlus smartphones. Lately, the brand has been updating this app with features from Google Photos. In May, the company integrated Google Lens and in July, it got the option for casting. Now, in August, the app has been updated to add support for editing 4K 60fps videos.
Default gallery on most smartphones is barebone without any advanced features. That’s good. because more features may confuse a regular user. But there are certain users who want most out of their phones.
However, these users tend to use separate feature-rich apps for their purpose. But there are some users who sit between these two types. For them, some advanced features in the default apps can be handy.
For instance, the newly added editing option for 4K 60 fps videos in OnePlus Gallery allows basic operations like trimming as well as applying filters and music. This can be useful for those mid-level users as well as power users if they want to edit something quickly.
Apart from this feature, the new update for the OnePlus Gallery app also brings support for photo projecting to OnPlus TV and fixes issues with sharing photos, red color, photo missing, and slow-motion video editor.
That said, since the app is available on the Google Play Store, users of all the OnePlus smartphones can update it easily without waiting for a system update.
A couple of days back, Elephone U5 was officially launched as a mid-range smartphone at an affordable price of $159.99. The smartphone primarily includes a 6.4-inch FHD+ display with 2340 x 1080 pixels resolution, 93.1% high-screen-to-body ratio, and a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. Moreover, it houses Helio P60 chipset coupled with a 4GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage. The smartphone will be available at a massive introductory discount from the Official Elephone Store between August 15-22.
Elephone U5 is a mid-range smartphone offering decent specifications at compelling prices.
In terms of camera, Elephone U5 houses with a 48-MP primary sensor + 13-MP ultra-wide-angle lens + 2-MP depth camera and a 2-MP macro sensor. On the front, it assembles with a 24-MP punch-hole style camera.
The smartphone runs on Android 10 out of the box and packs a 4,000 mAh battery. Other key features of the smartphone include NFC, 512GB expandable storage, and much more.
Elephone U5 key specifications
6.4-inch FHD+ display, 19.5:9 Punch-hole Screen
Rear camera: 48MP+13MP+2MP+5MP Quad Camera
Front camera: 24MP Beauty Selfie Camera
CPU: Helio P60 Octa-core
RAM: 4GB
Internal storage: 128GB
Operating system: Android 10
Battery: 4,000 mAh
Pricing
The sale will commence from tomorrow via the Elephone’s official online store. You can grab the Elephone U5 in Black and Ocean Blue colors at a discount price of $30. You can know more about the new smartphone by heading to the Elephone official website.
Interestingly, the company is also conducting a giveaway for the brand new Elephone U5. The interested users can enroll by completing the mentioned tasks. The giveaway will run for 27 days and the winner list will be announced on Sep 11th via ELEPHONE FANS Group.
While Samsung has commenced the mass production of its next-generation 5 nm chip, the company is also working hard to improve on the current 7nm process. The Korean tech giant has announced that it has attained success in applying 3D stacking technology on extreme ultraviolet (EUV)-based 7 nanometers (nm) chips.
Samsung calls the technology eXtended-Cube, or X-Cube and it involves stacking the SRAM on top of the logic die. This is done using Samsung’s through silicon via (TSV) technology that uses tiny holes to interconnect layers on chips.
This process is markedly different from the one used on Conventional system semiconductors which have the logic dies such as CPU and GPU on the same plane as the SRAM. In the case of the X-Cube, it stacks the SRAM on top of the logic dies which occupies less space and helps in more efficient power saving. Samsung also disclosed that the new process will lead to a boost in the data transfer speed.
The South Korean tech giant assured that it will continue to push the boundary in terms of the development of new technology for the advancement of semiconductor technology. We don’t have an idea of where Samsung would first implement this chipset but there are speculations that the Galaxy S1 may utilise an improved version of the Exynos 990 while the Galaxy S21 Ultra will have a 5nm Exynos 1000 and that could be it.
Last week, the names and codenames of certain upcoming Huawei devices leaked. Now, a new set of both Huawei as well as Honor products heading to Europe leak. But this time around, instead of codenames, we get the model numbers.
The last tip was from Evan Blass (@evleaks) and one of the devices in that list, HUAWEI Watch Fit even leaked extensively earlier this week with renders, specifications, and price.
Whereas, today’s new leak comes from @RODENT950, another known leakster on Twitter. His list includes nine smartphones and three laptop models. Out of the total twelve products, six each are Huawei and Honor branded respectively. Also, unlike the previous leak, this one clearly says that these devices are heading to Europe.
Having said that, here’s the entire list of new Huawei and Honor devices coming to Europe. Do note that the ones without names are denoted by “xxx”.
Upcoming Huawei Smartphones – Europe
Model
Model Number
HUAWEI Mate40 Lite E
FRL
HUAWEI P Smart 2021
PPA
HUAWEI P Smart Pro 2021
FRL
HUAWEI Y9a
FRL
HUAWEI Y7a
PPA
HUAWEI xxx
JSC
Upcoming Honor Laptops and Smartphones – Europe
Model
Model Number
HONOR HUNTER V700
FRD-WFD9
FRD-WDG9
HONOR MagicBook Pro
–
HONOR 10C
DDG
HONOR xxx
HJC
HONOR xxx
HCL
Going by the model numbers of the handsets in the Huawei tabular column, the Mate40 Lite, P Smart Pro 2021, and Y9a are basically the same phones with different branding. On the other hand, P Smart 2021 and Y7a should be identical. However, all the products in the Honor tabular column are unique.
That said, it is not sure when these smartphones and laptops will launch in Europe as the tipster merely mentions “soon”.
South Korea tech blog TheElec has reported that Samsung may leave out the 3D ToF (Time of Flight) feature on the Galaxy S21 that would kickstart the company’s flagship lineup next year. The website attributes the disclosure to have come from people familiar with the matter. The major reason for the removal is said to be a lack of “killer contents” that uses ToF.
Time of Flight (ToF) is a feature which propels augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) contents in a 5G environment. The feature made its debut last year on Samsung phones beginning with the Galaxy S10 and later on the Galaxy Note10. The Korean giant also launched the Galaxy S20 series with a ToF sensor.
There were speculations that Samsung included the ToF on its flagship smartphones to rival those of Apple and Huawei ‘s flagships. However, the feature has not been as successful as Apple.s because it utilises indirect ToF, unlike Apple that uses direct ToF through LiDAR sensors on its iPad Pro tablets.
Samsung’s ToF modules measure distance by calculating the phase differences of the light sine waves when they are sent out to the object and when they bounce back. The difference in widths of the two waves is used to measure the time.
The range of such a method requires strong light with large wave widths, but accuracy drops in long distances. Samsung’s ToF had a range of 3 meters. In contrast, Apple’s ToF has a range of 6 meters. The company’s ToF method measures the time it takes for the light to bounce off an object.
The direct ToF image sensors are manufactured only by Sony and the Japanese company has an exclusive deal with Apple. Since this is the case, Samsung can’t use these sensors due to this and instead purchased the indirect ToF image sensors from the Japanese company through the S10 to S20 series.
Samsung’s System LSI business is said to be developing a direct ToF module. The South Korean tech giant will likely reconsider applying ToF depending on how this development pans out and how the market receives the ToF modules of the iPhone 12 series.
Apart from smartphones, Huawei also sells a wide variety of laptops with its own branding as well as Honor. The latter is even set to debut its first gaming laptops under Hunter seriespowered by Intel. On the other hand, Huawei has scheduled an event for August 19 to launch the successor to the original MateBook X from 2017. According to a new leak, it could be the first-ever Windows laptop to come with a pressure-sensitive trackpad.
Apple MacBooks have had pressure-sensitive trackpad called “Force Touch” since 2015. They even mimic the clicking experience (haptics) using a vibration motor. The company uses a similar trick for the home button on iPhone 7/7 Plus, iPhone 8/8 Plus, and the new iPhone SE 2020.
Now, if this tip by a blogger called 看山的叔叔 on Weibo is true, then the upcoming Huawei MateBook X 2020 will be the first Windows laptop to come with a pressure-sensitive trackpad and it will be called Free Touch.
However, the leakster is not sure if the company will include a linear motor. Whereas, for the hardware, we guess the company to use Synaptics ZPad, which was showcased at CES 2019 with haptics functionality.
With this feature and Windows Precision Driver, the trackpad on MateBook X 2020 should be one of the best in the market. Anyway, this is merely a leak and the company is yet to confirm it.
A mysterious Nokia mobile phone with model TA-1316 has been certified by the US FCC. The list shows that this phone will have 4G connectivity, including support for LTE 5, 7 and 38 bands. The phone will also pack a battery capacity of 1150mAh, and a rated power of 3.7Vdc. This indicates that we may see a budget feature phone pretty soon.
In addition, Nokia TA-1316 also supports dual SIM cards. The FCC file also includes a picture of the back of the phone. The rear camera of the phone is a large square-shaped module with the Nokia branding at the back panel. The shape of the phone indicates that it is a feature phone. This is almost all the information we got from the listing.
It was revealed recently that Nokia 5.3 will be launched in India alongside other affordable phones soon. The Nokia feature phone may equally be on its way too.
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