9 Lite & Mi Max 3

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May 29, 2020

Every Android OEM is supposed to make the kernel source code of their device public. With new Android updates, the code is tweaked to support the latest software and the device’s hardware. So when the company rolls out a new Android update, it is mandatory for them to share the updated kernel source code. That’s what Xiaomi has done for Mi 8 SE, Mi 9SE, Mi 8 Lite, Mi 9 Lite, and Mi Max 3.

Xiaomi recently updated the above-listed handsets to Android 10 and since these devices use the same family of Qualcomm chipsets, their updated kernel source code was released together.

For instance, the Mi 8 SE, Mi 9 SE, and Mi 9 Lite are powered by Snapdragon 700 series, Snapdragon 710 and Snapdragon 712 to be exact. Hence, Xiaomi has unified the Android 10 kernel source code of these three handsets. The Mi CC9 Meitu Edition, which is the original Mi 9 Lite also shares the same source tree.

On the other hand, Mi 8 Lite and Mi Max 3 feature the same Snapdragon 660 chipset. Therefore, kernel source code for their Android update have been unified now.

Kernel source code plays an important role in the development of custom ROMs. Since Xiaomi has been releasing them in a timely manner (now), its devices are the most popular in the developer community.

(Via)

Huawei Nova Lite 3 Plus launches in Japan with GMS for 24,800 Yen ($231)

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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May 29, 2020

Huawei has launched a new budget smartphone in Japan dubbed as Nova Lite 3 Plus with GMS (Google Mobile Services). This handset is a rebranded P Smart 2020 launched earlier this month in Europe. It comes in a single 4GB RAM + 128GB ROM variant and costs 24,800 Yen ($231).

Huawei Nova Lite 3 Plus Specifications

The Huawei Nova Lite 3 Plus is powered by Kirin 710 SoC paired with 4GB RAM and 128GB ROM. The internal storage can be further expanded up to 512GB via microSD card.

On the front, the phone sports a 6.21-inch FHD+ (1080 x 2340 pixels) LCD panel with a dewdrop notch housing an 8MP selfie camera. The back of the device features a dual-camera setup consisting of a 13MP primary shooter and a 2MP depth sensor. The rear panel also has a capacitive fingerprint sensor.

Other features of the handset include 4G, VoLTE, WiFi 5, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS (A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou), NFC, 3.5mm headphone jack, MicroUSB port, ambient light sensor, compass, proximity sensor and accelerometer. The phone gets its juice from a 3,400 mAh battery with support for 10W charging.

The most important as well as the sad thing about Huawei Nova Lite 3 Plus is that it runs EMUI 9.1 based on Android Pie in 2020. But due to the old internals and software, it also comes with GMS, which is a big deal for most people. However, the handset clearly cannot compete with offerings from competitors.

Huawei Nova Lite 3 Plus Pricing and Availability

The phone is priced at 24,800 Yen ($231) and comes in two color variants namely Aurora Blue and Midnight Black. It is not sure whether this handset will be made available outside Japan with the same name.

(Via)

Honor 30 and Honor 30 Pro+ launched in Russia but the 30 Pro is missing

By

Jed John Ikoba

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May 29, 2020

Huawei’s independent Honor brand unveiled three new models in China in April this year – Honor 30, Honor 30 Pro, and Honor 30 Pro+. The company has now launched the models outside China and the first port of call is Russia.

The Honor 30 and Honor 30 Pro+ has been launched in Russia with the Honor 30 Pro missing in action. The Honor 30 features a flat 6.53-inch display and is powered by a Kirin 985 chipset. The phone also packs a 40 MP main camera. The phone comes in more than one memory option but only the 8GB/256GB variant is currently up for pre-order. The model is priced at RUB39,990 ( around $565/€510) which is 15% more expensive than it is in China. That is fair when you take tax and shipping into consideration.

The Honor 30 Pro+ features a 6.57-inch curved OLED panel up front with dual punch-hole cameras. The display has an FHD+ resolution of 1080p with support for 90Hz refresh rate panel and 180Hz touch sampling rate. All three models have in-display fingerprint sensors.

The Honor 30 Pro+ is priced at RUB54,990 (around $777/€700) for the 8GB+256 GB memory combo which is the only variant available.

In a bid to woo buyers, Honor is offering several gifts for each purchase. Every device comes with Honor Magic Earbuds, and a bumper case or a tripod selfie stick. Also, if a purchase is made until June 30, you get the equivalent of up to RUB10,000 in Yandex goods – up to RUB5,000 for Yandex.

The Russian platform also offers 90-day free trial of Yandex Plus and three movies from KinoPoisk HD.

(source)

Oppo Band listed on TMall, JD & official website, Launching in June

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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May 29, 2020

Yesterday, Oppo Band EVA Limited Edition was revealed by the company along with other accessories to celebrate 25th anniversary of Neon Genesis Evangelion anime. We thought it was the first time the brand has showcased the Oppo Band. But it turns out it had already teased the regular version last week and the listings for the same are live on TMall, Jingdong (JD), and Oppo official website.

Unfortunately, the listings do not say anything about the specifications of Oppo Band. But we do get to see the design of the standard version, which is mainstream than the limited edition.

As per different renders, we can say the fitness tracker from Oppo will have straps of different colors. The renders also show us two types, the first one features a regular design in black color, whereas the second version in pink color has a floating design.

We believe the Oppo Band will charge via pogo pin charger since the receivers are present at the bottom and there’s no visible USB plug in the second strap design. Since we are talking about Oppo, the fitness tracker might also support some sort of VOOC fast charging tech like Oppo Watch.

Oppo Band Official Renders

1 of 3

The Oppo Band follows the company’s classic design with branding below the display. As per the listing on JD, the fitness tracker will not support touch input and will also lack water-resistance. Also, the listing confirms the presence of sleep monitoring function.

Anyway, we would like you to take this information with a pinch salt. We expect Oppo to tease some features of the Oppo Band officially before the launch in June.

Nokia Smart TV 43 inch launches in India on 4th June, price to be under 34,000 INR ($450)

By

Sean

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May 29, 2020

The Nokia Smart TV will be launching in India on the 4th of June 2020. The 43 inch model will be available for purchase on Flipkart, a popular Indian e-retailer. While the official prices haven’t been revealed yet, Flipkart has hinted at the price range in which customers can expect to buy it.

Previously, Nokia had launched its 55 inch Smart TV model back in December 2019, with the newer and smaller variant being placed right under it. The company had been teasing the launch of the 43 inch Smart TV since March, but it had since gotten delayed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. For those unaware, Flipkart is the one that makes the smart TVs but uses the Nokia branding as part of their licensing agreement.

According to the hinted price range, the 43 inch Nokia Smart TV will be priced between 31,000 INR and 34,000 INR (roughly 410 and 450 US Dollars). It will be available exclusively through Flipkart and details regarding its exact pricing and availability should be announced closer to the launch date. Unfortunately, finer details of the upcoming smart TV specifications are currently unknown. However, looking at the larger 55 inch model, a few speculations can be made.

The Nokia Smart TV 43 inch could run the Android 9 operating system, similar to the larger version. Furthermore, apart from the display size, we can also sport a similar design, with thin bezels on the sides and a V shaped stand as well. At the moment, the 55 inch variant is available for 41,999 INR (roughly 555 US Dollars). It also houses a quad core processor and Mali-450 GPU and supports 4K resolution. In terms of memory, 2.25GB of RAM and 16GB storage is also provided and we can expect the smaller and affordable to offer most if not all of these features as well.

Vivo X50 Pro full specifications and pricing leaked

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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May 29, 2020

Vivo is all set to unleash the Vivo X50 5G and Vivo X50 Pro 5G smartphones on June 1 in China. Yesterday, a Chinese tipster had leaked the specifications of the Vivo X50 smartphone. Another tipster has shared an image on Weibo through the specs of the X50 Pro have been revealed.

The leaked image shows that the Vivo X50 Pro has a punch-hole display with curved edges. The screen supports 1080 x 2376 pixels full HD+ resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. The punch-hole on the screen houses a 32-megapixel selfie snapper.

The backside of the device has four cameras. The first one is said to be Sony IMX598 lens, an 8-megapixel telephoto lens with 60X hybrid zoom, a 13-megapixel depth sensor, and an 8-megapixel superwide lens.

Editor’s Pick: Vivo TWS Neo key details appear on Vivo’s online store

The Snapdragon 765G SoC that brings support for dual-mode SA and NSA 5G connectivity powers the Vivo X50 Pro. The phone draws power from a 4,315mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging. The handset will also support NFC connectivity.

The Vivo X50 Pro is expected to arrive in two models in China such as 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage. The tipster claims that the handset is priced at 3,398 Yuan, but its unclear whether the pricing belongs to the 128 GB or 256 GB edition of the smartphone.

The only gripe with this leak is that it is almost the same as the specs of the Vivo X50 that emerged yesterday. Probably, the Pro model will have advantages like a curved screen and a gimbal-like camera system over the X50 model that is likely to come with a flat display and lack a gimbal camera setup.

(source|via)

Realme Buds Q confirmed to launch in India for under INR 2,000 (~$26)

By

Habeeb Onawole

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May 29, 2020

Earlier this week, Realme announced the Realme Buds Q and Realme Buds Air Neo in China. However, only the latter was announced in India, but that won’t be the case for long.

Francis Wang, the CMO of Realme Mobiles, took to Twitter today to announce that the Realme Buds Q is coming soon (to India). The tweet said the TWS earbuds will be priced under INR 2,000 (~$26).

#BudsAirNeo brings features like Super Low Lantency, 13mm big bass, 10m wireless range, standing at the best choice below 3k. Still looking for TrueWiless below 2k? #realmeBudsQ coming soon. pic.twitter.com/A2f5mb9MlH

— Francis Wang (@FrancisRealme) May 29, 2020

The Realme Buds Q has 10mm driver units with Dynamic Bass Boost technology and support for AAC. They connect via Bluetooth 5.0 and have a battery life of up to 20 hours with the case.

The TWS earbuds also have support for touch controls and a game mode that allows for real-time transmission between the earbuds and the phone thanks to a built-in chip (R1Q).

The Realme Buds Q works with the Realme Link app. This will allow you to configure various settings and can also be used to upgrade the firmware.

There is no mention of the launch date but it most likely will be next month. The earbuds are priced at ¥149 (~$21) in China; our guess is it will sell for INR 1899 (~$25) when it launches in India.

(Source)

Huawei edges ahead of Apple’s iPad in the falling Chinese tablet market

By

Sean

-

May 29, 2020

The Chinese tablet market has been seeing a decline overall during the first quarter of 2020. But despite the slump in the market, the Chinese vendor, Huawei has managed to edge ahead of Apple’s iPad in the same segment.

Earlier this year, the Coronavirus pandemic had initially broken out in China. This caused various complications in the industry, with many company’s having to shut down their manufacturing plants in compliance with the government’s regulations. The production delay caused supply chains to suffer as well and the already declining tablet market to fall ever lower by 30 percent in 2020 over 2019.

In the Chinese tablet market, the Cupertino based giant, Apple, is a major player with its iPad series being a popular choice in the country. However, a recent IDC report has revealed that Apple’s sales have dropped in the market by 42.5 percent year on year. Despite this time of crisis, it seems some brands faired better, with Huawei witnessing a growth of 4.3 percent during this period.

This, in turn, translates to Apple losing its best selling tablet label in China, losing to Huawei. The former had a market share of 35.1 percent while the latter accounted for 40.2 percent in the first quarter. The Chinese tech giant seems to be an exception in the industry with other OEMs also seeing declines of varying degrees, including Xiaomi, Lenovo, and even Microsoft.

(Via)

Xiaomi will launch ‘thin & light’ and ‘gaming’ laptops in India, No entry-level affordable models

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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May 29, 2020

Xiaomi India has begun to tease the launch of Mi-branded laptops in India. A new teaser shared by the brand today gives us a glimpse of the model it is going to launch first. Also, the company’s chief business officer shared some details about the laptops they are going to release in India.

Xiaomi has changed the smartphone market of India since its entry. It has been leading the market for 11 quarters (close to 3 years). The company is even leading the smart TV and the wearable segments. Now, it is all set to shake up the laptop industry of the country as well.

People have been requesting Xiaomi to bring their laptops to India for years. The company’s top-level executives confirmed their arrival by posting teaser videos with ‘Its time’ and #WhatsNextFromMi.

The very next day, Raghu Reddy, the chief business officer of Xiaomi India revealed some information about the company’s laptop strategy to the Economic Times.

According to him, Xiaomi will not follow its smartphone model of affordability by launching entry-level laptops. Also, it won’t flood the markets with too many models. Instead, the company will target power users such as content creators, gamers, and students.

#WhatsNextFromMi? 🤔This video holds the answer.

Mi fans, take the screenshot and share in comments when you see it. 🧐

RT🔁 with #MakeEpicHappen if you want us to make this EPIC announcement soon.#Xiaomi️ ❤️ pic.twitter.com/4P36q2UWWm

— Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) May 29, 2020

He also revealed that they were planning to launch laptops ahead of Diwali festive season. But the current ‘work from home’ situation has increased the short-term demand compared to the past.

Mr Reddy also hinted Xiaomi will be launching ‘thin and light’ and ‘gaming’ laptops in the country since these two segments witnessed a growth rate of 70-80% and 5% last year. Anyway, it is worth noting that India’s laptop market fell by 26.5% in Q1 2020 compared to Q4 2019.

Further, he also mentioned the difficulty of demonstrating products from a new brand offline. But he believes Xiaomi can leverage its brand presence in retail with strong marketing.

Last but not least, the company also has plans to start manufacturing laptops locally in India after reaching a certain level of monthly sales.

(Source)

LG Velvet to arrive in Europe soon, expected to launch in June 2020

By

Sean

-

May 29, 2020

The LG Velvet is arriving in Europe soon. It was spotted recently on LG’s official Italian website and is expected to launch in June 2020. The device is the latest launch from the South Korean company and is likely to be another attempt at revitalizing its falling smartphone business.

LG Velvet is a mid range handset, which features Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G. It was announced a few weeks back but the company had yet to reveal any details regarding its availability outside its home country of South Korea. But now, the official listing that was recently spotted revealed that the availability of the device will arrive in June 2020. Furthermore, it may even arrive with every color variant in Europe, namely Sunset, Aurora White, Aurora Gray, and Aurora Green.

At the moment, a similar listing in nearby countries like Spanish and French websites have not revealed any findings. This may be due to a mishap from the Italian counterpart, or launch that starts from Italy’s markets. Notably, South Korean reports have even stated that the LG Velvet might also be heading to the US very soon. Unfortunately, no specifics regarding launch dates have been given out so far. So stay tuned, as we will be providing updates as soon as there is more information available.

IDC: Hearables market sees growth, but smartwatch sales decline in Q1 2020

By

Sean

-

May 29, 2020

The first quarter of 2020 had the wearables market see a significant growth despite the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. According to an IDC report, the hearables market has seen impressive growth during this time of crisis, while smartwatches and fitness trackers have seen a decline in sales.

The hearables category includes all the headphones, earphones earbuds, and other audio related products in the market. With the COVID-19, work from home has become the new norm and professional environment for many across the globe. Thus, the demand for hearables and other personal audio devices have also risen because of this. For example, Apple has seen a massive growth of 59.9 percent year on year, with shipment numbers rising to 21.2 million units over 2019’s 13.3 million units.

Xiaomi comes in second with a global market share of 10.1 million units in this quarter. This also marked an impressive growth of 56.4 percent from 2019. Samsung and Huawei followed close behind in third and fourth positions with 8.6 percent and 8.1 percent respectively. Notably, the South Korean tech giant’s hearables department accounted for nearly 74 percent of its wearables shipments.

During Q1 2020, the known wearables and fitness tracker maker, Fitbit, saw a sizeable decline. Since manufacturing plants and supply chains were disrupted earlier this year in China, the company had faced many issues during its operations. This caused the Fitbit to lose 35.7 percent year on year, with its shipments falling from 72.6 million units to 56 million units.

(Source)

Infinix Hot 9, Hot 9 Pro launched in India; Price and specifications

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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May 29, 2020

The Infinix Hot 9 and Hot 9 Pro smartphones have gone official today in India. The series comes with a large-sized punch-hole displays, quad rear cameras and massive batteries. The Hot 9 lineup has arrived with a starting price of Rs. 8,499 (~$112).

Infinix Hot 9 and Hot 9 Pro price

The Infinix Hot 9 will go on sale on June 8 at 12 PM (local time) through Flipkart. The handset will be available for Rs. 8,499 (~$112). The Hot 9 Pro will be available for purchase from June 5 at 12 PM (local time) with a pricing of Rs. 9,499 (~$125). Quetzal Cyan, Midnight Black, Violet, and Ocean Wave are the four color editions of the Hot 9 and Hot 9 Pro phones.

Editor’s Pick: Redmi 10X 5G Has Gone Up For Pre-Order For $319 On Giztop

Infinix Hot 9 and Hot 9 specifications

The Infinix Hot 9 and Hot 9 Pro phones have 6.6-inch with HD+ resolution and 20:9 aspect ratio. They are equipped with 8-megapixel front cameras. These phones have rear-facing fingerprint scanners and they carry support for face unlock.

The triple-LED flash assisted AI-powered quad-camera system of Hot 9 features a 13-megapixel main lens with f/1.8 aperture, 2-megapixel depth sensor, 2-megapixel macro lens, and a low-light sensor. On the other side, the AI-assisted quad-camera setup features a 48-megapixel primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture, a 2-megapixel depth sensor, a low-light sensor, and quad-LED flash.

The Android 10 OS along with OXS 6.0 comes preinstalled on the Infinix Hot 9 and Hot 9 Pro. They are driven by MediaTek Helio P22 chipset. Both phones have 5,000mAh batteries and dedicated microSD card slots.

The Infinix Hot 9 and Infinix Hot 9 Pro are both equipped with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB storage. The Hot 9 duo have dual SIM slots, 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS, MicroUSB and 3.5mm audio jack.

Xiaomi sends its greetings to laptop makers as it plans on entering the Indian market

By

Sean

-

May 29, 2020

Xiaomi has sent a customary ‘Hello’ to various laptop makers, announcing its entry into the Indian market with its latest generation of laptops. The Chinese tech giant shared a tweet from its official Xiaomi India account.

Hey there 👋, @Dell_IN, @Acer_India, @HPIndia, @Lenovo_in, @ASUSIndia.

We guess it's time to say, Hello! pic.twitter.com/5jYcriEeFQ

— Mi India (@XiaomiIndia) May 28, 2020

For those unaware, Xiaomi had previously confirmed that it would be entering the Indian market with its own laptop offerings. The greetings arrived just hours after Xiaomi India’s Managing Director shared another tweet that hinted at the launch of laptops in the Southeast Asian country. The tweet from Xiaomi India tagged major laptop makers like Dell, Asus, Lenovo, HP, and Acer, with a GIF that said hello.

Recently, Xiaomi had launched its latest series of RedmiBook notebooks. These sports AMD’s latest mobile processors, the Ryzen 4000 series, and featured a few impressive specs as well, especially for the price tag that they were offered in. Although, the Mi Notebook Pro 15 Enhanced Edition, with Intel 10th Gen chips, is more likely to see an Indian launch.

The new Mi Notebook house up to 16GB of RAM and NVIDIA’s mobile gaming processor, the MX250. These kinds of specs are generally seen in high end or premium notebooks in India. With the inclusion of the Intel 10th Gen chips, the laptops offer great battery and performance as well. This laptop was launched back in October and may finally arrive in the Indian market soon.

Latest Xiaomi promotion includes a surprise gift inside its suitcase

By

Jeet

-

May 29, 2020

The mid-year shopping festival, which is commonly known as “618” in China, is coming soon and the companies are gearing up for the same. In line with this, Xiaomi has announced its new marketing activity.

Xiaomi says that whoever buys its suitcase during the sale will get a surprise gift inside which could be anything from Xiaomi or its ecology of products. The company has added that the users can also find the latest Mi 10 Pro flagship smartphone inside the bag.

Anyone in China who purchases the suitcase products of Xiaomi from 1st June to 20th June through Xiaomi’s Tmall Store or through the company’s own Xiaomi Mall online store will be able to eligible for the surprise gifts.

The teaser poster shared by the company showcases that along with the Mi 10 Pro smartphone, buyers can find Mi Electric Screwdriver, Mi Handheld Iron, Mi Automatic Washing Machine, Mi Touchscreen Smart Speaker, Hair Dryers, Car Air Purifiers, Portable Cups, Health Calendars, among others.

Currently, Xiaomi is selling more than 10 luggage or suitcase products in China with their price varying from 999 199 yuan (~$28) to 999 yuan (~$140) and in different sizes as well — from 20-inch to 28-inch.

Last month, the company launched the 20-inch version of the Xiaomi Light Business Suitcase. It is manufactured using high-resistance PC-type materials and has improved shock-absorption, thanks to a 3-layer structure. It weighs about 3.6 kilograms, has an internal volume capacity of 36L, and costs 399 yuan which is around $56.

100 Million Android users are affected by this Chinese Spyware App

By

Sean

-

May 29, 2020

In recent Android builds, the operating system has offered its users an improved degree of control over what resources or areas an application has access to. However, this system is still abused by many applications that do not require many of the permissions they require to operate. Now, a Chinese developer’s apps have been labeled as ‘Spyware’ from a research team that suspects that 100 million Android users have already been affected.

The research team is from VPNpro that claimed that the developer behind the app also has at least 50 million installs and its apps request “dangerous permissions.” Notably, VPNpro also claimed that one of their apps also has a malicious remote access trojan hidden within it. These applications were found in Google’s Play Store and were made from a Chinese developer and its local subsidiaries. Reportedly, this practice has been seen before with developers hiding behind a network of different subsidiaries.

The Chinese developer behind the abuse was the Hangzhou-based QuVideo Inc. It is best known for its popular video editing app, VivaVideo. This application is extremely popular since it offers its services for free, with the Play Store showing 100 million installs. VivaVideo is also one of the 40 Chinese apps that have been listed as ‘malicious-ware’ or ‘spyware’ by the Indian government back in 2017.

The apps from QuVideo are available on Apple’s iOS as well. However, due to the permissions system and boundaries being different, the abuse of a similar nature isn’t present on that platform. So, those that have these applications are warned to check what permissions you are granting the app.

(Via)

Motorola One Vision Plus Geekbench listing reveals Snapdragon 665 and 4 GB RAM specs

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

May 29, 2020

Last year in May, Motorola unveiled the Exynos 9609 powered Motorola One Vision Android One smartphone. Recently, its enhanced edition dubbed as Motorola One Vision Plus was found listed at the Android Enterprise Recommended page. It appears that the company is planning to launch the phone soon as it has appeared on Geekbench benchmarks. Probably, the company could be testing its performance before making it official.

The Motorola One Vision Plus Geekbench 5 appearance states that it scored 310 in the single-core test and 1351 in the multi-core test. The “trinket” text mentioned in the motherboard field is the internal name for the mid-range Snapdragon 665 SoC from Qualcomm. It has a base frequency of 1.80GHz.

The SoC is coupled with 4 GB of RAM and the phone boots to Android 9 Pie OS. The same RAM capacity and Android version was found at the Android Enterprise listing of the smartphone. The listing had further revealed that it has a 6.3-inch display and has an internal storage of 64 GB. The presence of fingerprint reader and support for NFC was also revealed through Android Enterprise appearance.

Editor’s Pick: Leaked Motorola RAZR 2 specs still can’t match the Galaxy Z Flip

Motorola is yet to confirm the launch of the existence of the Motorola One Vision Plus. Probably, the smartphone may break cover before the end of the first half of the year.

The Motorola One Vision from last year featured a 6.3-inch IPS LCD punch-hole display with support for 21:9 aspect ratio and full HD+ resolution. The SoC was coupled with 4 GB of RAM and it came with 128 GB of UFS 2.1 storage. The Android One featured a front camera of 25-megapixel and a 48-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual camera setup on its back. Its 3,500mAh battery came with support for 15W fast charging.

(source)

[UPDATE: Launch Postponed, Limited Rollout]Android 11 Beta launch event will be live streamed on June 3rd

By

Jeet

-

May 29, 2020

UPDATE:

While the launch event is officially postponed, the Android 11 Beta update is available for several Pixel devices today.

Original Story.

Google I/O, the technology giant’s annual developers conference, has been canceled this year because of the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the company has decided to have an exclusive launch event for the upcoming major Android version — Android 11.

The company will be hosting a launch event on 3rd June for the Android 11 Beta which will be live-streamed. The event’s live stream will start at 15:00 PM UTC (08:30 PM IST) and will last for about an hour.

For those who are unaware, Google was supposed to release the Android 11 Beta version this month but it pushed the update to 1st June and instead released the Android 11 Developer Preview 4 (DP4) version.

Coming back to the launch event, it will include the features packed inside the new Android 11 along with updates for developers. This will be followed by a live Q&A session in which anybody can participate using #AskAndroid hashtag.

Along with this, the company will also make available 12 talks which were scheduled for the Google I/O 2020. Here’s the list of those talks.

What’s new in Android
What’s new in System UI
All things privacy in Android 11
Storage access with Android 11
The state of Kotlin on Android
Get Composed
What’s new in Android Jetpack
What’s new in Android Development Tools
What’s new in Design Tools
What’s new in Google Play
What’s new in Play Commerce
Screens – large, small and foldable

The company was earlier rumored to announce the Pixel 4a smartphone at this same event but as per the latest reports, the launch event for the Google Pixel 4a has been delayed till mid-July and the sale for the same is expected to talk place in August.

You can find out the list of all the exciting features of Android 11 here. You can watch the live stream on YouTube as well as Twitter.

OnePlus and Fortnite collaborate to bring new game modes in Creative Island

By

Sean

-

May 29, 2020

Fortnite, one of the most popular games in the market, is partnering with the known smartphone vendor OnePlus. The collaboration will bring a new game mode to Epic Game‘s battle royale.

The new Creative Island is a part of Fortnite’s in-game Creative mode. The new game mode within the game will allow players to test their skills in a series of mini-games. Dubbed as “90”, the new Creative Island will have 5 unique mini-games. Each of these games will last for about 90 seconds, with the focus on the player’s speed and adaptability.

For example, the Color Dash mini-game will test players’ abilities to color as many times as possible within a fixed time frame, with gravitational effects also coming into play. Another one is Skydrive Shootout, where players are pitted against one another, testing their capabilities against one another while skydiving. The announcement that unveiled the new Creative Island arrives just after OnePlus and Fortnite brought 90fps streaming to OnePlus phones.

OnePlus 8 series Fortnite — OnePlus 8 series can stream Fortnite at 90fps

For those unaware, OnePlus smartphones are capable of streaming Fortnite at 90fps, offering both a better visual experience thanks to the smoothness and improved gameplay due to better responsiveness. Notably, OnePlus has been an active figure in the entire gaming industry, it is a known partner of popular esports organizations like Fnatic and even sponsors popular streamers like Shroud. So, it comes as no surprise that it is actively collaborating with gaming studios.

(Via)

Meizu dual-screen smartphone leak shows rounded secondary screen and Samsung chipset

By

Jeet

-

May 29, 2020

Meizu, which recently launched its flagship Meizu 17th smartphone in its home country China. The company has worked on some interesting smartphone designs and now a smartphone with dual display setup has been leaked online.

The leaked image shows that the phone has a secondary screen on the back panel. It also shows that the device is powered by the Samsung Exynos 8890 chipset and features a single rear camera sensor.

While nothing much is known about this smartphone, the report claims that the device in question could have been named Meizu Pro X. Given the smartphone’s design and the chipset used, it seems that the company was working on it around 2006 but the device never made it commercially.

However, the company did come up with a dual-screen smartphone when it finally launched Meizu Pro7 and Pro7 Plus. The smartphones come with a small 1.9-inch AMOLED screen on the top-left corner on the phone’s back.

The company’s latest flagship smartphones — the Meizu 17 series went official earlier this month and a couple of weeks back, the phones were up for sale in China for the first time and got sold out in under a minute.

Meizu 17 has a starting price of 3,699 Yuan which is about $522 whereas the Meizu 17 Pro begins at 4,299 Yuan which roughly converts to $607. The Meizu 17 comes in Mint, Black, and White colors while the Pro model is offered in Green, Gray, and Aurora White colors.

Recently, Meizu joined the P2P File Transfer Alliance along with OenPlus, Realme, and Black Shark. The alliance, which already has Xiaomi, OPPO, and Vivo as members, enables cross-device file transfer protocol at high-speed without the need for third-party apps.

(Via)

Redmi K30 Pro price slashed by 400 Yuan (~$56) for 618 sales in China

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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May 29, 2020

Apart from November 11 (also known as Double 11), China is known for organizing 618 shopping festival from June 1 to June 18 each year. With June 1 fast approaching, Chinese smartphone brands are coming up with exciting offers for the forthcoming 618 sales. Redmi today confirmed that it will be offering up to 400 Yuan discount for the buyers of Redmi K30 Pro 5G phone between June 1 and June 3.

The above poster shows that the Redmi K30 Pro 5G’s 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage variant will be available with 400 Yuan (~$56) discount. The discount effectively brings down the price of the variant to 2,999 Yuan (~$414).

The Redmi K30 Pro’s 6 GB RAM + 128 Gb storage and 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage models will come with 300 Yuan (~$42) price cut. These models can be purchased with revised pricing of 2,699 Yuan (~$377) and 3,399 Yuan (~$475) during the first three days of June month in China.

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Redmi K30 Pro 5G specifications

The Redmi K30 Pro 5G has a 6.67-inch notch-less AMOLED display that supports full HD+ resolution. It has an in-screen fingerprint reader. The Snapdragon 865 mobile platform powers the device with LPDDR5 and UFS 3.1 storage. It lacks a microSD card slot and comes preinstalled with MIUI 11 based Android 10 OS.

The 4,700mA battery of the Redmi K30 Pro 5G supports 30W fast charging. It has a pop-up selfie camera of 20-megapixel. The rear shell of the phone features a quad camera system that includes a 64-megapixel Sony IMX686 main lens, a 5-megapixel telephoto macro shooter, a 13-megapixel ultrawide lens and a 2-megapixel depth sensor.

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