Redmi to launch a ¥1000 (~$140) phone powered by upcoming Snapdragon SM6350 5G chip

-

May 25, 2020

Huawei announced the P40 series globally in late March, followed by a separate launch event for China in April. The standard P40 and P40 Pro were soon available to purchase in most regions. But now, finally, the star of the series – Huawei P40 Pro Plus with 10x optical zoom will be going on sale from June 6.

The Huawei P40 Pro Plus is the most premium and expensive P series handset to date. The 8GB + 512GB variant of the handset is priced at €1399 for European countries.

On the other hand, the device will be also available in an 8GB + 256GB variant in China, in addition to the above-mentioned higher model. They are priced at 7,988 Yuan ($1,199) and 8,888 Yuan ($1,245) respectively.

According to the official Weibo account of Huawei, the P40 Pro Plus will be available for pre-order starting June 1 in China, followed by regular sale from June 6.

The Huawei P40 Pro Plus and P40 Pro are identical with a few differences. First and the foremost, the Pro Plus features a ceramic back (white & black color options) unlike the glass panel on the Pro.

The P40 Pro also features an additional fifth rear camera. It is an 8MP periscope telephoto camera with OIS, PDAF, 10x optical zoom and up to 100x digital zoom.

The last difference between the two is support for 40W wireless charging on the P40 Pro Plus compared to 27W on the Pro.

Having said that, Huawei is yet to announce the availability of P40 Pro Plus for global markets.

Huawei Kirin 990/980 supply at stake since TSMC 7nm is already at full capacity

By

-

May 25, 2020

Ever since the Huawei US ban has been extended, the company is in the news every day with new developments. One of the latest reports suggests the supplies for 5nm chips by TSMC remain unaffected as the orders were placed before the new sanction.

Huawei’s upcoming high-end smartphones, possibly called Mate 40 series is rumored to be powered by a 5nm chipset. The chip in question has been long thought to be called Kirin 1020 but a new rumor from earlier today suggests it will be known as Kirin 1000, following the name of its predecessor Kirin 990.

Having said that, this 5nm chipset is being manufactured by TSMC, which is the only company to have the tech for mass production. The Taiwanese chipmaker is also making Apple’s A14 5nm chipset slated to debut on iPhone 12 series.

But when TSMC was asked to drop business with Huawei by the US government, news started emerging that the upcoming Mate 40 series will be affected due to lack of 5nm Kirin 1020 (or 1000). However, a new report says otherwise.

The sanction by the US is only applicable for future orders from September. Since the orders for the 5nm chips were placed earlier, TSMC will supply it to Huawei as planned before the sanction goes live.

Earlier reports suggested Huawei placed orders for 5nm and 7nm chips. However, this latest one says they were actually for 5nm mobile chip for Mate 40 series and 12nm chips for 5G bases stations. That is because TSMC’s 7nm production line is currently at 100%, whereas their 5nm line is said to be only at 50%.

This means Huawei currently has no one to manufacture its 7nm Kirin 980 and Kirin 990 chipsets. This could be the reason why the company has increased its orders for MediaTek chips by a whopping 300%.

(Via)

TSMC could adjust orders from Qualcomm, NVIDIA and more to ramp up production of Huawei chips

By

-

May 25, 2020

The world’s largest contract chipmaker, TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), maybe planning on coordinating with various companies like NVIDIA, AMD, Qualcomm and more to shift its production focus towards Huawei chips.

This move arrives after the Chinese company lost its chip supply from TSMC, due to new sanctions being enforced by the US Government. However, 120 days buffer period was also offered for a smooth transition of phasing out Huawei chip orders and completing pending ones as well. Thus, TSMC could be asking other companies to shift their orders, enabling it to ramp up Huawei Kirin chip production and complete the order in time.

According to reports from Taiwanese media, TSMC may face difficulties to achieve the chip orders for the Chinese smartphone vendors if it doesn’t coordinate with other firms and adjusts its production capacity. Thus, a more focused approach to, what could possibly be Huawei’s final order, maybe a priority order for the semiconductor giant. The former has always been a major customer for TSMC, so the new sanctions will affect both sides.

Earlier this month, a report had claimed that Huawei has placed an additional order worth 700 million US Dollars with TSMC to cover its 7nm and new 5nm chip orders. The latter is for its upcoming flagship Mate 40 series that will launch later this year. Hence, Huawei is reliant on TSMC regarding its 5nm based Kirin 1020 (or reportedly Kirin 1000) SoC. We will be providing more updates regarding this, so stay tuned.

(Via)

Xiaomi Mi Smart Dashcam 2K launched, supports 2K recording and a 3-inch display

By

-

May 25, 2020

Earlier today (25th May 2020), Xiaomi officially released the Mi Smart Dashcam 2K. As the name suggests, it is a new dashcam for your car with a design akin to a regular camera. The product is priced at 399 Yuan (roughly 56 US Dollars) and can be purchased from JD.com.

The Mi Smart Dashcam 2K is the second entry in the series from Xiaomi. It brings various improvements in picture quality over its predecessor and can even record videos at high resolution, up to 1600p. This is just above the 1440p resolution for 2K and is enabled through the camera’s OV OS05A10 back-illuminated image sensor. This sensor has an f/1.8 aperture.

This large aperture enables an ample amount of light to be taken in by the sensor, which helps to improve both image quality and performance during low light scenarios. Furthermore, the dashcam has a super wide-angle lens with a 140-degree wide field of view. This would technically allow users to cover all three lanes, reducing the blind spot in the overall video capture.

The Mi Smart Dashcam 2K sports a 3-inch IPS display on the rear. This screen displays the footage in real-time. The device also supports intelligent voice control, allowing users to relay commands like recording a video or taking a picture directly. Xiaomi has also placed an emphasis on clearing up the picture quality with improved 3D noise reduction technology and WDR (wide dynamic technology). The image produced is made from multiple frames to contrast the images for the best result.

Redmi 1A Display leaked, features a 23.8 inch display and 178 degree viewing angle

By

-

May 25, 2020

A new Redmi monitor has recently been leaked. It is the Redmi 1A, which is expected to be announced on the May 26th launch event, which will have the Chinese company announce the Redmi 10X alongside various other products as well.

According to the leak, the Redmi 1A Display features a 23.8 inch display, which has a 178 degree viewing angle and a standard refresh rate of 60Hz. Reportedly, the display will share many similarities with the Xiaomi 1A Display. In terms of design, the Redmi monitor does share design and aesthetics similar to the Xiaomi monitor, so we can expect certain recurring specifications as well.

Notably, we had previously reported on a new leak regarding upcoming Redmi monitors earlier this month. These had hinted at monitors of various sizes, including a 23.8 inch version. So, the Redmi 1A Display could be the model in question, which may be available sometime in June 2020. Unfortunately, this is again unconfirmed and we will have to wait for tomorrow’s launch event.

For pricing, the Xiaomi 1A Display is currently priced at 689 Yuan (roughly 96 US Dollars). Thus, we can expect the Redmi 1A Display to be priced around the same range and may even be more affordable, being offered around 500 Yuan (roughly 70 US Dollars). Although, this is just a speculation, hence, take it with a grain of salt for now. The Chinese company will be announcing various products tomorrow and we will be covering the event, so stay tuned for more.

Samsung sends 300 additional workers to expand its chip unit in China

By

-

May 25, 2020

The South Korean tech giant, Samsung, has sent an additional 300 workers to China for the expansion of its chip unit in the region. These workers will aid in the completion of the second chip manufacturing site in the country, despite the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

Previously, Samsung Electronics had already sent 200 engineers to the Xian plant last month. Furthermore, the new workers being sent to China will be exempted from the mandatory 14 days of isolation. This is made possible through the new “fast-track” entry, which was approved between South Korea and China. Although, these workers will be quarantined for at least three days and testings to ensure there are no positive infection cases being brought in.

At the moment, the Xian plant is Samsung’s only chip factory in an overseas land. This plant makes 3D NAND flash memory and is set to receive an additional 8 billion US Dollars in funding for further expansion. Additionally, the company is also looking to grow its presence in the chip foundry industry to rival the industry giant, TSMC. This will have it reduce its own reliance on its memory department and open up other opportunities in the semiconductor market.

Realme Buds Air Neo TWS launches as a toned-down Buds Air for ₹2,999 ($39)

By

-

May 25, 2020

As expected, Realme officially launched Realme Buds Air Neo in India today. The new truly wireless earphones from the company is a toned-down version of already available Realme Buds Air. It is priced at ₹2,999 and will be available starting today in a special sale at 3 PM.

The newly launched Realme Buds Air Neo connects with devices via Bluetooth 5.0 technology. It also supports Google Fast Pair Service for a seamless pairing process. Further, the buds feature 13mm drivers and a dedicated R1 chip that powers it

The Realme Buds Air Neo is rated to provide 17-hour battery life along with the charging case. On a single complete charge, the buds are said to run for 3 hours continuously. However, unlike the Buds Air, the Neo’s charging case features a MicroUSB port and lacks wireless charging.

Also, it has touch gesture controls for various operations such as double-tap to answer calls/play and pause music, triple tap for next track, press and hold one side to end calls or wake voice assistant, press and hold both sides to enable/disable low-latency (119.2ms) gaming mode.

The new Realme TWS can be managed through Reame Link app which allows users to revamp gestures, install firmware updates, and more. As for protection, it is IPX4 certified for water resistance or say sweat resistance.

Last but not least, the Realme Buds Air Neo comes in three colors namely Pop White, Punk Green, and Rock Red.

Realme Smart TV goes official in India; pricing starts at ₹12,999 ($171)

By

-

May 25, 2020

The highlight of the Realme’s launch event today in India was the Realme Smart TV. With the launch of the this smart TV from the company, Realme has now entered into a new category of Smart TVs, expanding its portfolio to become a lifestyle tech brand.

The Realme Smart TV comes in two display sizes — 32-inch and 42-inch. It comes with features like Chroma Boost Picture Engine for enhanced picture quality, 400 nits brightness, 178-degree viewing angle, and HDR 10.

While the 43-inch model comes with Full HD 1080p support while the 32-inch model supports HD resolution. The company is offering seven different picture modes — Standard, Vivid, Game, Sports, Movie, User, Energy Saving.

Under the hood, the Realme Smart TV is powered by the MediaTek chipset which the company claims is the first in this price segment. It packs 64-bit quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU and Mali-470 MP3 GPU, along with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage.

It comes with 2 x 12W speakers and 2 x tweeter, making it a 24W quad-speaker setup and has support for Dolby Audio. The device supports H.264, H.263, and MPEG1/2/4, among other video codecs.

There’s also support for Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz), Bluetooth 5.0, 3 x HDMI (1 contain ARC), 2 x USB, SPDIF, DVB-T2, and Ethernet. The device is running Android TV 9.0 with in-built Chromecast, Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, and Live channel.

The Realme Smart TV 32-inch model is priced at ₹12,999 (~$171) while the 43-inch model is priced at ₹21,999 (~$289). Both of them will be available for purchase in India from 2nd June through Flipkart and Realme.com.

As a launch offer, the company will be providing six months of YouTube Premium trial for free to those who purchase the Smart TV from Flipkart. The company is also offering two years of warranty for the panel to all the buyers.

UK may remove Huawei from its 5G infrastructure by 2023

By

-

May 25, 2020

Earlier this year, we had reported on the UK government allowing Huawei to work on bringing 5G networking to the country, albeit in a limited capacity and non-core areas. But now, it seems like the government is working towards phasing out the Chinese tech giant’s equipment by 2023, as conservative members have pressured the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.

According to various reports, the Prime Minister has been pushed towards drawing up a plan that will effectively remove the telecommunications equipment made by Huawei in the near future. Previously, Huawei was allowed to only have a market share of 35 percent, which was similar to the Australian government’s restrictions. This arrives amidst multiple accusations like espionage and national data security risks being alleged by the US government.

The US government had also urged the UK to ban Huawei in a similar fashion, but the Prime Minister had deemed the company’s involvement necessary at that point, even in a limited role. Various nations across the globe are having similar debates regarding the involvement of Huawei in their nation’s move to adopt the newer and faster bandwidth. While many do feel a threat of national security, there are also those that adopt 5G through the equipment provided by the Chinese company.

However, the UK government’s plans for the near future could be a sign of increased resistance being faced by Huawei in the western regions. Sir Iain Duncan, a conservative leader stated that “this is very good news and I hope and believe it will be the start of a complete and thorough review of our dangerous dependency on China.”

Boris Johnson Huawei Smartphone — UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson

In other words, the removal of Chinese technology from their entire telecommunications ecosystem. At the moment, the trade disputes between the US and China have been ramping up, with additional sanctions being adopted to further limit Huawei’s operations in the US. There is a clear negative outlook on Chinese organizations and their possible individual actions, which are allegedly in the best interest of the Chinese government.

(Via)

Realme Watch, the company’s first smartwatch launched in India for ₹3,999 ($52)

By

-

May 25, 2020

In its bid to become a lifestyle tech brand from a smartphone company, OPPO-backed Realme has today launched its first smartwatch — Realme Watch. The company had already teased some features of the device and today everything about this new wearable from Realme has been revealed.

In terms of design, as we said earlier, the watch seems very much similar to the OPPO Watch that was recently launched. From the first look itself, it’s clear that the Apple Watch is the design inspiration for the device.

The smartwatch comes with a 1.4-inch Touchscreen display with 2.5D curved Gorilla Glass 3 protection on top, 320 x 320 pixels screen resolution, 323 PPI pixel density, and 380 nits brightness.

Initially, the product comes pre-installed with 12 watch faces but the company adds that it will be adding more than 100 more watch faces later through over-the-air (OTA) update. However, there’s no timeline provided for this.

It comes with 24/7 Health Assistant, which includes real-time heart rate monitor, blood oxygen level monitor (SpO2), and 14 sports modes. The sports modes include Football, Basketball, Table Tennis, Bike, Spinning, Elliptical, Yoga, Cricket, Running, Walking, Treadmill, Badminton, Aerobic Capacity, and Fitness.

There’s also Step Tracker, Idle Alert, Meditation, Water Drinking Reminder, and Sleep Monitor. The device can be connected to the smartphones using Realme Link app which will enable calls and message notifications as well as smart notifications from several other third-party applications.

The smartwatch can also be used to control music, unlock smartphone, as well as to control smartphone’s camera functions. The device is IP68 rated, making it water and dust resistant.

The Realme Watch comes in four strap colors — Black, Red, Blue, and Green. It is priced at ₹3,999 (approximately $52) and will be up for purchase via Realme.com and Flipkart. The device will be available with Black strap from 5th June and will soon be available for purchase through offline retailers across the country.

Huawei’s orders of MediaTek chips reported to have increased by 300%

By

-

May 25, 2020

Huawei’s US ban was extended for another year a few days back, in addition, to cut off of the company from its primary chip supplier TSMC. To overcome this, the Chinese telecom giant is already in talks with multiple alternatives such as MediaTek.

Huawei is one of the three largest smartphone companies to be capable of designing its own chipsets. But due to the US ban, it cannot continue to place new orders for the manufacturing of its HiSilicon Kirin chipsets to TSMC.

This led the company to find shelter in other chip suppliers. The firm has been using MediaTek chipsets in its smartphones for years. According to the latest reports, Huawei’s orders of MediaTek chips have been increased by 300% this year.

The Chinese smartphone maker is expected to use the Taiwanese chipmaker’s 5G chipsets in is mid as well as high-end handsets. Previously, it only used MediaTek 4G chips in its low and mid-range segments.

The report also adds that MediaTek is evaluating if it has sufficient resources to meet Huawei’s demands. If the chipmaker pulls it off, it will be a big win since it has been not doing well in the last few years due to intense competition from Qualcomm.

Huawei just recently launched Huawei Enjoy Z 5G, its first 5G smartphone powered by MediaTek Dimensity 800 for 1,699 Yuan ($238).

(Via)

Huawei announces CableFree, a new breakthrough in 5G Antenna technology

By

-

May 25, 2020

Earlier this week, Huawei announced a new breakthrough in its 5G networking field. The company unveiled CableFree, which is a new antenna design for its 5G base stations.

The new development has improved various aspects regarding the 5G base station antennas. Its radiation efficiency, integration, and power capacity have been upgraded, marking a new stage of antenna technology standards as the world shifts into the 5G era. With the broader adoption of the newer and faster bandwidth, the latest network standard also saw an increase in bands and other internal complexities. Thus, the new antenna technology is better suited to take on the “vast challenges” it may face.

Briefly touching up on a few of the key implications, CableFree will have an overall improvement in 5G network coverage. This is crucial since one of 5G’s major flaw is its much narrower network cover over previous generations. With the introduction of high frequency bands in 5G, antenna gains are required to be increased for wider coverage. This is where the new technology helps, with CableFree arriving with a 20 percent higher radiation efficiency.

The power capacity of the new antenna design brings a significant jump of 80 percent, which is necessary due to the higher power output of 5G networking. Notably, CableFree also seeks to trim down physical aspects as well, with a six-band antenna being 10kgs lighter. The new breakthrough also arrives with an improved PIM (passive intermodulation) performance.

In layman’s terms, it basically means better interaction between two different mechanical components, which translates to lesser joints, screws, and soldering that should make the design of the new antennas much more streamlined than current standards. Thus, the new improvements would prove to be a boon in the new 5G world, although its implications have yet to be seen in real life.

(Source)

Huawei Mate 40 Pro to debut with the 5nm Kirin 1000 SoC, not the Kirin 1020: Rumor

By

-

May 25, 2020

Huawei‘s upcoming flagship in the Mate series is expected to launch around September 2020. The device will sport top notch specs and was expected to feature HiSilicon Kirin 1020 SoC. However, a new rumor has suggested that the smartphone will feature a different chip, dubbed Kirin 1000 SoC, which is based on a 5nm fabrication process.

Mate 40 series use 5nm K1000 soc manufactured by TSMC.
Samsung also started to build 5nm production lines.

— Teme (特米)😷 (@RODENT950) May 23, 2020

The rumor arrives through a known leakster (@RODENT950) that revealed this information on Twitter. In the tweet, he stated that the upcoming Huawei Mate 40 Pro will house the Kirin 1000 SoC, which will be manufactured by TSMC. It will be built on a 5nm process and the naming is in line with its current generation of high end 5G chips, namely the Kirin 990 processor.

Interestingly, this rumor arrives after the Chinese tech giant had its chip supply cut off from TSMC by the US government. Although, it may be possible that Huawei had already placed an order for the 5nm chips before the new sanctions were put in place. So while the company might be able to source the new chips from the world’s largest contract chipmaker this year, the future remains a bit uncertain thereafter.

Unfortunately, finer details regarding the flagship chipset are currently unknown. The Kirin 1000 SoC was rumored to feature Cortex-A78 cores, but that has yet to be confirmed. We’ll provide more updates as additional information is uncovered, so stay tuned.

Xiaomi Smart Lock E is now up for crowdfunding in China for 899 yuan ($126)

By

-

May 25, 2020

Xiaomi has today launched a new product for crowdfunding on its Xiaomi Mall online store — Xiaomi Smart Lock E. The product comes with support for six unlocking methods and has an electronic doorbell function as well.

The six unlocking methods supported by the product includes Fingerprint, Password, Temporary Password, Bluetooth, Homekit, and Emergency Key. It comes with an integrated 3D semiconductor fingerprint module at the top of the door handle. The company claims that the fingerprint sensor has recognition rate of 98.5 percent.

Thanks to the support for Homekit, the device can easily be controlled using the built-in Siri or Home application on iPhone, iPad or even Apple Watch after it has been authorised by the Mi App. Once done, the device can be controlled through voice commands. For instance, when someone comes, just say “Hey Siri, open door lock.” and it’ll do the rest.

The Xiaomi Smart Lock E is powered by eight batteries which is promised to offer 18 months of battery life. The company says that when the power left is less than 20 percent, it starts showing red flash light, reminding you to change batteries.

There’s a USB Type-C emergency power supply module at the bottom of the device which can temporarily power the product using the mobile power supply. If every digital unlocking system fails to work properly, it also comes with a mechanical lock which can be unlocked using a physical key.

The Xiaomi Smart Lock E is priced at 999 yuan which is approximately $140 but during the crowdfunding campaign, it will be available for purchase at 899 yuan, which roughly converts to $126.

Oppo Ace 2 is on sale in China with up to 400 Yuan ($56) discount

By

-

May 25, 2020

Oppo Ace 2 launched in the month of April in China for a starting price of 3,999 Yuan ($560). Now, after a month from its release, the handset is on sale for a discount up to 400 Yuan ($56).

The Chinese smartphone maker separated its Ace series of smartphones from Reno with the launch of Oppo Ace 2. The phone comes with all the fast charging technologies such as 65W wired fast charging, 40W wireless charging, and 10W reverse wireless charging.

The discount is only available for the base and the high-end variant. The mid variant is still selling for the price it debuted last month. Further, the device can be also purchased on no-cost EMI for up to 24 months. Anyway, here are the complete details of the Oppo Ace 2 discount sale in China.

Variant	Launch Price	Discount	Final Price
8GB + 128GB	3,999 Yuan ($560)	400 Yuan ($56)	3,599 Yaun ($504)
8GB + 256GB	4,399 Yuan ($616)	–	4,399 Yuan ($616)
12GB + 256GB	4,599 Yuan ($644)	200 Yuan ($28)	4,399 Yuan ($616)

It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC paired with up to 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB UFS 3.0 storage. It is marketed as a 5G smartphone with faster performance and gaming capabilities.

The handset sports a 6.55-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels) 90Hz refresh rate OLED display with an in-screen fingerprint sensor underneath it, The panel has a punch-hole at the top left corner to house a 16MP selfie camera.

On the back, the phone features a circular module which incorporates a quad-camera setup consisting of a 48MP Sony IMX586 primary sensor, 8MP 119° ultra wide-angle shooter, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP monochrome sensor.

The Oppo Ace 2 runs ColorOS 7.1 based on Android 10 and is backed by a 4,000 mAh battery. Last but not least, the phone is available in black, purple, and silver color options.

Huawei is trying to ensure stable chip supply from Samsung and SK Hynix

By

-

May 25, 2020

Huawei was put on the Entity List by the U.S. government in May last year and recently, the ban was further extended by another year. A few days ago, the United States tightened export controls in a move that is aimed at limiting Huawei’s access to chip supplies.

Now, the Chinese giant is seeking help from the likes of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix for continued supply of memory chips despite mounting pressure from the United States as the Trump administration tries to isolate Huawei.

As per the reports, Huawei is one of the biggest clients for Samsung and SK Hynix as the company spends more than 10 trillion won (around $8.1 billion) for purchasing DRAM and NAND flash memory chips from the South Korean companies.

While memory chipmakers aren’t subject to the restrictions recently announced by the United States but Huawei is worried that such move could come in later and the Chinese company is preparing for the same.

The U.S. Commerce Department announced that the all the chip manufacturers using American chipmaking equipment, intellectual property or design software needs to apply for a license before shipping chips to Huawei. Soon after this new rule was announced, TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipset maker stopped taking new orders from Huawei.

In response to this, China’s Department of Commerce said that it strongly objects to the tighter U.S. export controls and added that such restrictions pose a huge threat to the global supply chain. It also demanded U.S. to reverse the new restrictions and warned to take necessary countermeasures.

Commenting on this new rule from the U.S., Andy Purdy, the US Chief Security Officer for Huawei, said that the company will survive this event and will eventually adapt to this and added that the problem will mostly be borne by American employees and companies.

(Via)

Amazfit BIP S to launch in India on June 3 via Amazon for ₹4,999 ($66)

By