One reason why fans of the OnePlus brand has stuck to the brand over the years after from its affordable flagship models is the regular software updates it pushes to the custom OxygenOS. The company has now started pushing OxygenOS Open Beta 15 update for the OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro models.
Oneplus 7 Pro
The main highlight of this new update is the dark mode toggle option it brings to the UI. The toggle button is accessible on the notification bar, alongside other quick toggles. The toggle button is a shortcut to switch between light and dark modes instead of navigating to the Dak mode switch in the settings menu.
Apart from the new Dark mode toggle, the new update also brings fix for the sharp edges of application cards in the recent apps screen. In addition, the update ushers in a fix for the screen flashing issue after locking the device. The OnePlus brand logo has also been updated for a refreshed look.
Yet another entry on the changelog is the addition of the Bluetooth hearing aid app connection under the Android 10 Audio Streaming for Hearing Aid (ASHA) Agreement. The step counter’s accuracy for recording movement has also been improved.
Furthermore, OxygenOS Open Beta 15 update also ushers in Android Security Patch for June 2020. That is the latest security patch that Google released for the Android operating system. Finally, the call app now shows a list of frequently dialled contacts in the number dial interface of the app.
OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro users running the OxygenOS open Beta build are now receiving the Open Beta 15 update via OTA. Users running stable build can also install the new update manually by downloading the update package when it becomes available. The package can be installed manually without any loss of data. However, such users won’t be able to switch back to the stable version without loss of data.
Realme’s CEO Madhav Sheth resumed his regular video Q&A session on YouTube after a two-month break. During the session, the CEO spoke on several aspects including expected software updates for some of the company’s products. He also reeled out details of some of the new products that are expected to be added to the brand’s portfolio later this year.
What should interest most fans the most is the news that the budget Realme C2 will receive the Android 10-based Realme UI update in September. The Realme C2 was a top-selling model that was launched in India and some other South East Asia markets such as the Philippines last year. A new update for the phone will open up new Android 10 features to users as well as bring a new UI design and other custom features.
Realme’s newly introduced flash tool for installing ColorOS/Realme UI updates on its devices will be made available to more Android 10-powered Realme devices. Prior to this disclosure, the flash tool is only compatible with the X50 Pro. The CEO promised to update fans via the Realme community forums as soon as the flash tool receives support for more devices.
Madhav Sheth also announced that the Realme Band has started receiving the music controls feature via an OTA update. He also disclosed that the brand is working on new watch faces wrist band with the new watch faces scheduled to roll out pretty soon. The Realme Watch is also getting a new update which will usher in an improved notification management system.
As for the devices that the company is planning to launch in India, Sheth disclosed that a new 55-inch ‘flagship’ Realme TV will be launched in India next month. He also hinted that a wireless charger will be unveiled in India later this month.
Samsung launched the Galaxy A41 in France a couple of weeks back. The tech giant is now introducing two new Galaxy A models in France. The Galaxy A51 5G as well as the budget Galaxy A21s which was launched today in India.
The mid-range Galaxy A51 5G was first launched in China mid-May with its major highlight being the 5G connectivity which it brings. The phone is billed to go on sale this month’s end via Samsung’s online store and partner retailers across France. It will be available in black, pink, and white.
The Galaxy A21s, on the other hand, is expected to be listed on the firm’s e-tail stores soon. For now, it is just the product support page that has gone live. Whenever it does go on sale, it will be available in black, blue, and white. Both smartphones will ship alongside a two-month subscription to YouTube Premium for free.
As a reminder of the specifications, both the Galaxy A51 5G and A21s share a similar 6.5-inch display but the premium Galaxy A51 5G features a higher resolution and a Super AMOLED panel instead of a PLS TFT. It’s also 5G-enabled, while the Galaxy A21s is limited to LTE connectivity.
Samsung Galaxy A21s
In the same vein, both models pack a Quad camera setup as well as a 48MP wide-angle main camera but that is just about it. The other sensors and the selfie camera onboard the two models are different. For clarity, the other sensors on the A51 5G include a 123-degree 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor, a 5-megapixel depth sensor and a 5-megapixel macro lens. On the other hand, the Galaxy A21s sports 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens with f/2.2 aperture, a 2-megapixel depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture and a 2-megapixel macro lens with f/2.4 aperture. The selfie camera is a 13-megapixel sensor while the A51 5G utilises a 32MP selfie sensor.
while the Galaxy A21s is powered by an Exynos 850 SoC, the Galaxy A51 5G conceals an Exynos 980 chipset under the hood. All these differences combined should lead to a price gap of around $350-$400, at least judging by Samsung’s launch prices in other markets.
Today, we’ve got our hands on the latest iQOO gaming phone, the iQOO Z1 5G. We are excited about the Z1 because it features the latest MediaTek flagship chipset, the MTK Dimensity 1000 Plus. It’s the first one to feature this chip. So it’s not just the review of the phone but also of the new chipset from MediaTek.
We’ve seen a lot of gaming phones featuring Snapdragon 865 chip this year, which generally retail at a relatively high price. So we were waiting for a more affordable chip to come out, featuring performance close to the best.
Even though iQOO launched two powerful flagships – the iQOO 3 and the iQOO Neo 3 this year, the brand believes that it can cover a wider price range of the gaming market. As a result, we’ve got the iQOO Z1 powered by the new MTK Dimensity 1000 plus.
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It’s unfortunate that Snapdragon chips dominate the smartphone gaming market in recent years. Although we know that the HUAWEI Krin series is working hard to catch up, Kirin chipsets are limited to Huawei devices. But the MTK Dimensity series is in a better position to stand up as the challenger against Snapdragon for Android brands.
It might be too early to say this but MediaTek could be a real threat to Qualcomm and its Snapdragon series in 2020.
iQOO Z1 Review: Display
But before talking about its performance, let’s look at the 1080P 144Hz LCD display of the Z1. It also features HDR10 colors to support HDR video play and HDR graphics in some games. We weren’t expecting a lot but with our naked eyes, we can say it’s probably one of the best 144Hz LCD smartphone displays as it covers 96% of NTSC colors. Oh yes, you read that right – the Z1 has an LCD display.
Like previous models running MediaTek chipsets, the iQOO Z1 also has a pretty competitive price starting from 2200 yuan (RMB), which comes to around US$310. Most 5G models running the snapdragon 865 are priced relatively higher than the flagships released last year. Even compared to the cheapest Snapdragon 865 model, the iQOO Neo 3 which starts from 380USD, the Z1 still has an advantage in terms of its price.
But is the Dimensity 1000 Plus as powerful as the snapdragon 865? Let’s see the results on some benchmark apps.
iQOO Z1 Review: Benchmark
In the Antutu benchmark, the Z1 scored over 520000 points but there’s still a remarkable gap as compared to the 597000 points of the Neo 3 running the snapdragon 865. But we can see that the GPU performance of the MTK chipset is much closer to the Snapdragon than ever. And we found that the snapdragon 865’s peak CPU frequency is 2841 MHz, while the Dimensity 1000 Plus could run up to 2549 MHz. The Geekbench & 3DMark confirms the performance gap exists but it’s not really significant.
As for the actual gaming test, we have to say the gaming experience is not really different from what we have on the Snapdragon 865 platform since there are very few games requiring extremely high CPU or GPU performance from Android phones. Most games only support up to 60fps framerate. The Z1 with Dimensity 1000 plus could stably complete gaming test at 60fps on an average even under the highest graphics in these 60fps games. For example, in NBA 2k20 which has a 60fps framerate-limit, the iQOO Z1 stably runs at 59.9fps under the highest graphics. And in Call of Duty mobile also with 60fps framerate limit, the framerate is as stable as in NBA 2k20, which remained at an average of 59.8fps.
But there are still some games even lock the framerate under 30fps like Asphalt 9. In Asphalt 9, although the Z1 got stutter sometimes, it still could reach at 29fps on an average. Then we found some games which may not limit framerate on the Android platform such as Grimvalor. Because our tested tool cannot record the framerate over 125fps, we can see actually the Z1 could run this game at over 125fps, and achieved a super smooth gaming experience with its 144Hz display. But we also found that it sometimes dropped down to 90fps. The possible reason here has been discussed in the last video of the iQOO Neo 3. It could be an active strategy of the iQOO system to maintain a balance between temperature and gaming fluency.
The same result was spotted during the gameplay of Shadowgun: Legends. In the beginning, it touched the 90fps framerate and then dropped down to a stable 60fps framerate. The overall framerate eventually remained at 65.3fps on an average. But in comparison to the gaming review of the OnePlus 8 Pro on the same game, which struggled to get over 60fps, the Z1’s result is already good enough.
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And when we tested the 120fps mode on PUBG Mobile, this performance throttling was again spotted. Sometimes it reached up to 120fps but generally stayed at the level of 90fps. Even so, the average framerate still remains at 95.5fps.
We also conducted a stress test – like we usually do in our gaming reviews – 15mins test on Nimian Legends. Well, this time we eventually reached the limit of the Dimensity 1000 Plus. Compared to the iQOO Neo 3, the Z1’s performance in this round is much weaker. The Neo 3 could run at 63.39fps on an average, while the figure for the Z1 is only 41.5 and it also got the 90fps limit. So accordingly, we have to say there is still a performance gap between Snapdragon 865 and the Dimensity 1000 Plus. However, when playing most android games, the gap is really hard to perceive due to those games’ framerate limit and low performance required. And considering its attractive price, we still recommend it as an excellent 2020 gaming phone.
But compared to other professional gaming phones like Redmagic 5G and Blackshark 3 Pro, there are no shoulder buttons for better gaming operation, which should be considered as a drawback especially since it’s marketed as a gaming device.
One more thing I have to praise is the cooling system. As we mentioned, the active strategy of framerate limiting provided an excellent cooling effect in actual gaming. So during almost all the tests we did, the device did not overheat at all. And after our 1-hour PUBG Mobile gaming test, the temperature was only 39.7℃, which is really impressive.
iQOO Z1 Review: Battery
In the aspect of charging, the included 44W charger is so powerful that it only took us 23 mins to charge up to 50% of power, and 64 mins for a full charge. And the 1-hour PUBG Mobile gameplay consumed around 16% of power. Accordingly, it could be expected to last for around 6 hours in gameplay.
iQOO Neo 3 – SD865 vs iQOO Z1 – Dimensity 1000+
So that’s it. As we concluded, there is a performance gap between the snapdragon 865 and the Dimensity 1000 Plus as flagship chipsets. However, when we were playing most android games, the gap is really hard to perceive due to their framerate limits.
Given that it costs just around $310, you can’t go wrong with the iQOO Z1 as a cheap gaming flagship.
Remember Samsung‘s The Frame smart TV? The brand’s innovative smart TV that can double as a digital photo frame. The Korean tech giant has launched the 2020 edition of the smart TV alongside ten other TV models for the Indian market.
The Frame 2020 is available in three different sizes – 50-inch, 55-inch and 65-inch models. The high-end TV features QLED technology that enables beautiful colors, exceptional contrasts and impeccable details with 100% color volume. It still retains the Art mode feature which turns it into a picture frame that can display over 1,200 digital art from around the world. This transforms the everyday living space into an art gallery. The Frame adjusts the screen brightness based on the ambient light in the room, using its in-built motion and brightness sensors.
Also unveiled is a set of 4K UHD TVs which are available in four sizes 43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch and 65-inch. The 4K UHD TVs feature segment-first thee-side Boundless Design and a 4K Processor. Finally, there is a set of new FHD and HD Ready Smart TV range which will be available in 43-inch and 32-inch respectively.
All the new models come with Auto Hotspot technology, USB 3.0 and feature support for voice assistants such as Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa as well as Samsung’s native Bixby. The smart TVs are also crammed with features such as Game Enhancer for smooth lag-free gaming, Content Guide for curated content, Personal Computer Mode, Home Cloud and Music Player, among others.
Furthermore, you also get a free subscription to Office 365 and 5 GB of cloud storage space. These TVs come with the unique Personal Computer mode allowing users to transform their TV into a full-fledged PC. With this, users can choose to work from the cloud, mirror their laptop wirelessly without internet for big screen convenience or remotely access their office computer.
The Frame 2020 is priced at Rs. 74,990 for the 50-inch model, Rs. 84,990 for the 55-inch version while the 65-inch model will retail for Rs. 139,990. The premium smart TV comes with a 10-year warranty against screen burn-in, one-year comprehensive warranty and one-year additional warranty on the panel. It will go on sale from June 19 via Flipkart and Samsung’s official online store Samsung Shop.
Samsung’s 4K UHD Smart TV models will retail for Rs. 36,990 for the 43-inch version while the 65-inch version costs Rs. 89,990. The FHD and HD Ready Smart TV models will start from Rs. 14,490 for the 32-inch model and go up to Rs. 31,990 for the 43-inch model. The new range of TVs will come with one-year comprehensive warranty and one-year additional warranty on the panel available under the ‘Get More from TV’ campaign on Flipkart and the ‘Wondertainment’ campaign on Amazon.
Huawei debuted EMUI 10.1 with the P40 series in late March. The same mobile software is known as Magic UI 3.1 for Honor devices withs some tweaks. The company has been continuously rolling out this update to all the eligible devices in China. Now, after almost three months, it has finally announced the list of eligible/supported devices in global markets.
The EMUI 10.1/Magic UI 3.1 is a minor update to the previous iteration (EMUI 10) of the software first announced in late 2019 alongside Huawei Mate 30 series. The highlights of the new update are as listed below.
The Motorola RAZR is one of the two commercially-available vertically folding phones you can buy. The other is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. Motorola’s phone has a price tag of $1499.99, but for a limited time, you can get it for $999 (or $42/month)!
Motorola is running a promo until June 21 which allows folks to pick up the phone in the US for one-third off the price. That is a pretty good deal if you have your eyes set on this mid-range foldable phone.
The Motorola RZR has a 6.2-inch 2142 x 876 P-OLED display that folds in half. There is a smaller G-OLED display on the back that measures 2.7-inches in size and has a 600 x 800 resolution.
Inside the phone is a Snapdragon 710 processor with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of non-expandable storage. There is a 16MP camera on the back of the phone while a 5MP camera sits in front for taking selfies. You also get a front-mounted fingerprint scanner, NFC, an eSIM, and a 2510mAh battery with support for 15W fast charging.
Back in late February, UNISOC announced the Tiger T7520 mobile processor as the world’s first 6nm EUV processor. The 5G chipset is the successor to the Tiger T7510 that was announced last year and that powers the Hisense F50 5G.
Almost four months after the announcement, the chipset is yet to appear in any mobile device. The latest news from China says the Tiger T7520 will be mass-produced this year. The source also said the chipset should appear in devices in early 2021; practically a year after launch.
That seems like a long time for a chipset to enter the market and it remains to be seen which manufacturers will launch products powered by it.
The Tiger T7520 is an octa-core chipset with 4x Cortex-A76 cores and 4x Cortex-A55 cores. It packs a Mali-G57 GPU whose clockspeed, like that of the CPU, is unknown. UNISOC says that the built-in modem supports coverage enhancement and also supports dual-SIM dual-5G.
Other features of the processor include support for displays with a 120Hz refresh rate, 4K resolutions, and HDR10+. It also has an integrated financial-level Secure Element that provides higher security than embedded SE.
Qualcomm is mostly known for its wide range of smartphone SoCs but that isn’t all it manufactures. Qualcomm also manufactures chipsets for smartwatches, laptops, smart TVs and even robotics. The US fabless chip maker has unveiled a new robotics platform dubbed Robotics RB5.
The new platform is based around a variant of its Snapdragon 865 processor. The RB5 uses the QRB5165 processor with the same CPU, GPU, ISP, and DSP as the Snapdragon 865. This time around, the platform features support for industrial-grade temperate ranges from -40°C to 105°C. It also brings some nice enhancements to computer vision.
The new QRB5165 processor at the heart of the RB5 includes the Kryo 585 CPU (4x Cortex-A77 CPU cores in the 1+3 configuration, plus 4x Cortex-A55 cores). The processor also teams up with the Adreno 650 GPU, the Spectra 480 ISP plus the Hexagon DSP. The processor can be used for heavy compute tasks, advanced AI tasks (using the DSP and the GPU together), and for computer vision.
The Spectra 480 ISP onboard is said to be capable of processing 2 Gigapixels per second. On the RB5165, that means developers can connect up to seven cameras (great for fully autonomous robotics) as well as process 8K video and 4K HDR video. The Spectra 480 also includes the Engine for Video Analytics (EVA) to handle all Computer Vision and Robot Vision tasks.
For software options, the RB5 will run on Ubuntu Linux, Yocto, and Robot Operating System (ROS) 2.0. It even features support for AWS RoboMaker. Qualcomm also provides a Neural Processing SDK for advanced on-device AI, Computer Vision SDK for vision processing and the Robotics Vision SDK for feature recognition, obstacle detection, etc.
Poco is expected to launch a new smartphone within the next 20-25 days. The handset in question is thought to be Poco M2 Pro, which has leaked multiple times. Now, it has been even spotted on BIS certification listing.
The upcoming Poco M2 Pro has M2003J6CI model number. It was first found on Xiaomi India’s RF exposure page. Then, a day later, its codename ‘gram’ was confirmed by its firmware and the same was also discovered in the kernel source code of Redmi Note 9 Pro.
Hence, it is suggested to be a variant of Redmi Note 9 Pro powered by Snapdragon 720G chipset. Later, once again, the phone was spotted on WiFi and Bluetooth listings along with Redmi Note 9 Pro models.
Now, almost a month later, POCO M2 Pro marks its entry on India’s BIS certification portal as spotted by Mukul Sharma aka @stufflistings on Twitter.
This further confirms the imminent launch of the device as a teaser was recently dropped by Poco India Twitter account. Unfortunately, neither the teaser nor the leaks reveal anything about this upcoming handset.
Anyway, we can expect Poco M2 Pro to be priced under ₹20,000 ($262) as it is related to the Redmi Note 9 series because of its model number and its mentions in the kernel code.
Indian smartphone manufacturer Lava is a known name in the mobile handset industry, especially in India. The brand which was founded in 2009 has a penchant for budget smartphones with decent specs offering and affordable prices. A new Lava model could be in the works dubbed Lava Z66. The model was recently spotted on the database of benchmarking outfit GeekBench.
The GeekBench listing shows the model will be powered by a UNISOC chipset which from the single-core and multi-core tests looks like a entry-level SoC. The device scores 153 on the single-core test and 809 on the multicore. This places the SoC in the same range as the Snapdragon 625 and Helio P10. This should be the first Lava phone that would feature Unisoc chipset. So, we may likely see more high-end models as time goes on.
The device is listed with 3GB of RAM and will run on Android 10 OS out of the box which is pretty impressive. There are no other details about the Z66 but we expect more details to emerge from Lava soon.
Oppo has been teasing the launch of Find X2 series in India for the last few days. It was thought that all three models in the series including Find X2 Pro and Find X2 Pro Automobili Lamborghini Edition will be unveiled in the country. Unfortunately, that did not happen as the company only launched the regular Find X2 in 12GB + 256GB storage configuration for ₹64,990 ($853).
The price of Oppo Find X2 was already tipped a few days back. It was suggested that India could be the cheapest country to get the device. Fortunately, that happens to be true and it will be available to purchase from June 27.
The handset features a 6.7-inch QHD+ curved AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate and a punch hole for the 32MP selfie camera. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC paired with LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.0 ROM.
The triple camera setup on the phone includes a 48MP Sony IMX586 primary sensor with OIS, 12MP Sony IMX708 ultra-wide unit, and a 13MP telephoto shooter with OIS.
It runs ColorOS 7.1 based on Android 10 and has features like 5G connectivity, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC as well as USB Type-C. Sadly, the phone neither has wireless charing nor a 3.5mm headphone jack. But it comes in two colors – Ceramic Black and Ocean Glass.
Last but not least, the device is backed by a 4,200 mAh battery with support for 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 Flash Charge fast charging technology.
The smartphone manufacturers are making significant progress in evolving the new technologies to improve smartphone experience. In the last few years, smartphones’ cameras have got a considerable upgrade on both the hardware and software front. The single-camera on smartphones is now replaced with a quad or Penta camera modules which enables the smartphone to capture detailed, macro, and portrait photos. Apart from the hardware, there are many AI-based changes in the camera software among smartphones these days. Pixel devices are among the finest examples featuring optimized camera-software.
Google Camera on Pixel devices is termed as the best camera app on the Android ecosystem. It features various software-based optimizations which enable to capture the finest photos even with limited hardware. The Google Camera app is officially limited to Pixel devices and is ported to other devices by third-party developers. GCam MODs are quite popular from the past few years, and plenty of third-party developers are working hard to make them compatible with other Android smartphones.
There are uncountable custom ports available for popular Android smartphones. Most of the ports are limited or compatible with the respective smartphone. Interestingly, a new custom MOD has popped up, which is compatible with several popular smartphones.
Whats is GCAM Ultra CVM Mod?
Recently, CVM Developers have developed a GCam Mod which is compatible with almost every popular Android smartphone. Gcam Ultra CVM MOD v4.0 is available for download with built-in support for features like Tone Curve, Lib Patcher, Exposure compression, HAL Mode, AUX Lenses. It also supports much-talked-about features like HDR+ and Astrophotography.
Features of Gcam Ultra CVM Mod
Beautiful UI – Gcam offers intuitive yet straightforward User Interface with added features like shutter control, Focus settings, exposure controls and others. It is quite easy to snap a photo in the Gcam CVM MOD.
Manual Settings – As like the other Gcam Mods, the new Ultra CVM Mod is available with the manual setting for shutter speed, exposure, ISO, and Focus.
Support for RAW – The new MOD supports lossless RAW format to capture and preserve all the details.
Xiaomi API2 Camera and AI Key support – It will be quite useful for Xiaomi devices to harness manual controls of the Camera via other third-party apps.
Astrophotography Night Sight – It is quite a popular feature that enables the cameras to capture the celestial objects (stars) Under dark light conditions.
Automatic DND – It adds the ability to automatically toggle DND mode while the user is video-recording. It is quite a useful feature for users.
Other Features – Many small features are part of the Gcam Ultra CVM Mod. Some noticeable changes include better picture quality, less noise, the addition of spatial denoise, new shutter control, AWB per AUX, TOne and Gamma Graph UI, etc. It also added support for different noisemodeller like S5KHMX, IMX686, IMX582, S5KGM1, and IMX363 and others.
Download Gcam CVM Mod 4 APK
Grab the latest Gcam CVM Mod APK from the link below. It is based on Gcam Mod 7.3 code and even ports most of its features.
Gcam Ultra CVM Mod 4 is compatible with only the devices which are listed below. Moreover, if your device has root access, then you can fix some bugs using a specific set of configs for your smartphone. Other smartphone users can also try, but don’t expect every feature of the Mod to work.
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+
Galaxy Note 10 e Note 10+
Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra
Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus
Galaxy S9 and S9+
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro
OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro
OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro
Poco F2 Pro (K30 Pro)
Poco X2 (K30)
Pocophone F1
Redmi Note 8
Redmi Note 7 and 7 Pro
Mi 9T and Mi 9T Pro aka Redmi K20 and K20 Pro)
Moto X4
Moto G7 Series
Moto G6 Series
LG V20, LG V30
LG G8, LG G7, LG G6
Steps to Install GCam Ultra CVM Mod on your Android device
Make sure your smartphone features camera2API support before proceeding to download the Gcam Ultra CVM MOd.
Download and install the APK.
Open the camera app after installation and look for any errors.
If found, you can install respective fixes by installing the configuration files from the source.
You can now easily use the Mod and flaunt extraordinary features of the Gcam APK.
Make sure that you installed the correct APK as provided in the Download section above. Some features of the APK might not work on all smartphones.
ZTE has clarified that while it will design the 5nm chips, it will still rely on its supply chain sources to produce and manufacture these chipsets.
Earlier today (17th June 2020), ZTE stated that it has achieved chip design and development capabilities. It already has the 7nm processors being mass produced, and being utilized in global 5G infrastructures, while it has also begun importing 5nm process technology as well.
Keep in mind, these chips are not 5G SoC (system on chip) but rather a core part for 5G equipment and infrastructure. Currently, the number of companies capable of developing chips built on 5nm processes aren’t high in China. Huawei is another example of this case, with its rumored Kirin 1020 chip being built on a 5nm process as well.
The new 5nm chip technology being imported will also bring ZTE to the latest standards in the semiconductor field. This also implies that the company would no longer have to rely on US based companies or suppliers. Furthermore, it also marks a notable shift in the semiconductor market as China is stepping up in the industry.
The breakthrough arrives by ZTE heavily investing in its research and development department in recent times, especially for its chip development. According to the company’s vice president, ZTE has spent over 12.1 billion Yuan (roughly 1.7 billion US Dollars). With the recent US sanctions cutting off chip supply from TSMC to Huawei, the Chinese smartphone vendor is looking for alternatives and heavily investing in local semiconductor firms as well. Thus, ZTE being a chip foundry may also be a reliable candidate in the near future.
Nubia Red Magic 5G makes its way to the US for a starting price of $579. It is up for purchase on the brand’s official website with shipping commencing from June 22. It is currently the cheapest 2020 5G flagship smartphone in North America.
The Nubia Red Magic 5G is a gaming smartphone with 6.65-inch 144Hz AMOLED display. The handset is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC paired with up to 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB UFS 3.0 storage.
As the name suggests, the phone also supports 5G connectivity just like any other flagship smartphone released this year. Being a gaming phone, it features a striking design along with RGB light. It comes in three colorways namely Eclipse Black, Hot Rod Red, and Pulse.
Additional features of the phone include liquid cooling with an internal fan, shoulder buttons, and WiFi 6. As for optics, it sports a triple camera setup consisting of a 64MP Sony IMX686 primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide shooter, and a 2MP macro snapper. Whereas, the selfie camera is of 8 megapixels.
Last but not least, the handset runs Android 10 and gets its power from a 4,500 mAh battery with support for 55W fast charging.
Samsung Display is developing its own low powered display technology that will be featured on future smart devices. The new tech is dubbed as HOP, which is short for hybrid oxide and polycrystalline silicon.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 2
Samsung is working on its own proprietary low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) thin-film transistor (TFT) display technology. In layman’s terms, it’s a hybrid technology developed by the South Korean tech giant. HOP combines positive aspects from low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) TFT and oxide TFT. For those unaware, LTPS TFT is generally found on smartphone panels, while oxide TFT is found in display panels for notebooks and tablets.
With the new LTPO TFT panel, OEMs can save up to 15 percent to 20 percent on power consumption on smartphone’ OLED displays. This is a notable improvement that can raise a handset’s battery life. Furthermore, the new LTPO display technology is expected to be featured on the upcoming Galaxy Note 20 series, which will be launching later this year.
Apple Watch Series 4
So far, this form of display technology was restricted to smartwatches, namely Apple Watch Series 4 and even the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2. While the technology has existed in the past, the core parts of the technology were reportedly owned by Apple. Thus, OEMs would have to either pay royalties to Apple or develop a workaround technology, which is likely why Samsung Display made its own iteration of the technology that was first seen in 2015.
A new patent from Apple has revealed a pair of glasses that automatically adjust to users’ eyes and make up for any deficiencies. The patent was published earlier today (17th June 2020) with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
In the patent, the technology behind a self correcting lenses is described that may be used on the rumored Apple Glass. This product is said to be an AR eyewear and will work along with a smartphone (resembles an iPhone in the patented images). The smartphone will slide into the frame and will connect to internal connectors, after which, it will act as the display.
Apple has labeled this patent as “Head-mounted display apparatus for retaining a portable electronic device with display,” on multiple occasions. But the latest iteration of the patent depicts a new system that can change positions and configurations of the gadget’s optical components. In other words, Apple Glass would be able to adjust according to the users’ prescription.
Furthermore, the screen can be adjusted to make the image being displayed clearer. This is achieved by changing the position of images on the lens and resizing the content. Looking at the patented images, the processing power behind this method will be done through an iPhone. This system is similar to the early iterations of the Apple Watch, which also required an iPhone to run many of its features. Unfortunately, we don’t have much to go on over just a patent, but the Apple Glass is expected to arrive sometime next year.
During the lockdowns, Xiaomi India launched a service called Mi Commerce. This enables customers to order products online from nearby authorized Xiaomi stores. Now, the company has confirmed that it will continue this venture even post COVID-19 pandemic.
Anuj Sharma, the Marketing Head of Xiaomi India was recently interviewed by Mashable India. In which he mentioned the benefits of Mi Commerce to both customers and retail partners.
According to him, this service allows fewer people to queue up outside retails stores as only limited customers are allowed inside to maintain social distancing. Also, this helps those people who need to get a phone or power bank immediately but could not visit a store due to kids or senior citizens at home.
Further, customers also get to experience the benefits of both worlds. On ordering the product online through Mi Commerce (local.mi.com), it gets delivered within a few hours following safety norms. On delivery, customers can either pay via UPI, credit/debit card or cash.
The service was launched out of necessity to keep the company’s business running during lockdowns. But due to its benefits for partner retailers and customers, Xiaomi will continue to operate Mi Commerce even after lockdowns in India.
Ex-Samsung exec Chang Won-ki (Left) said he joined Eswin out of friendship with its chairman Wang Dongsheng (Right) (Image Via TheElec)
According to a new report, the former Samsung China president has quit Eswin due to the controversy surrounding him. Chang had declined any such possibilities and even stated that the only time he was a part of Samsung’s semiconductor department was for the memory branch when the South Korean tech giant made 1MB DRAMs. Furthermore, the reason for the shift to Eswin also involved a personal friendship with Wang Dongsheng, who currently heads Eswin.
Notably, Wang was also the Chairman of display technology maker BOE, which is a known rival of Samsung. This also ended up adding fuel to the debate. Reportedly, Chang left Esin as he didn’t want any unnecessary misunderstandings and that he didn’t want to unintentionally hurt Samsung or his successors. The former Samsung senior executive had joined the company back in 1981 and had worked there till 2017.
According to sources, Huawei has told its suppliers to delay production of the upcoming flagship models as the company weighs potential supply chain disruption following the new restrictions from the US. Reportedly, Huawei has asked for production halts for some of the components for the upcoming Huawei Mate 40 series. Furthermore, the company has also trimmed orders for certain parts in the next quarter.
Huawei’s Kirin chipsets are manufactured by TSMC
At the moment, the Chinese smartphone vendor is assessing the impacts on its smartphone business after the new regulations were put in place. Following its annual schedule, Huawei usually launches the latest Mate series of premium grade handsets in the second half of the year. This period is generally packed with notable launches, such as Apple’s latest iPhone series and more.
For those unaware, Huawei smartphones mostly feature the company’s proprietary Kirin processor from its subsidiary chip designer, HiSilicon. However, while Huawei designs its own chips, these are produced by TSMC. Thus, with the loss of its primary chip supplier, the company is reassessing the situation, looking into alternatives, and even investing in local semiconductor firms, with plans in the longer run.
According to a source, “We now see the postponement of the mass production of Mate series will be for at least one to two months.” In other words, Huawei is still finalizing and resolving issues within its supply chain, and also reviewings its stock of existing chips. An executive of a Huawei supplier stated that, “One of the reasons to pause is that Huawei is reviewing the inventory level of its HiSilicon mobile chips and is busy verifying other mobile platforms by MediaTek and Qualcomm. But verifying other mobile platforms could lead to redesigns of the mechanical parts of the smartphones, which will take time.”
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