OxygenOS is one of the best Android skins available in the market. But it still lacks some of the fundamentals like AOD (Always-on Display) and a proper Dark Mode. The former has been already confirmed by OnePlus and it even shared a rough timeline a few days back. Now, the brand has also confirmed to fix the latter by implementing Android 10 dark mode toggle in quick settings.
Image Source: XDA Developers
It’s not that OnePlus smartphones don’t have a dark mode. It is present but the feature is buried inside customization settings. Since it does not support scheduling, users have to go through the settings every time when they need to enable or disable dark mode.
Thankfully, the company has confirmed to improve it by introducing native Android 10 dark mode toggle in the quick settings. With this, users can easily switch between dark and light modes with a single tap.
The bran said this feature will be internally tested this month and will be added in OxygenOS Open Beta builds, followed by stable release.
OnePlus announced the new dark mode in its OxygenOS Monthly FAQ in which it also revealed certain other tweaks such as optimizations for the new redesigned recents menu, slightly lower low volume levels, fixes for OnePlus launcher, and more.
Yesterday, C Manmohan, the General Manager of POCO India tweeted out a poll to name the brand’s first TWS. Now, after 24 hours, the result is out as the poll has finally ended. According to it, POCO’s first-ever TWS will be called ‘POCO Pop Buds’.
Hey POCO fans, couple of weeks ago we asked you which product we should bring next and you chose TWS (Earbuds). We're happy to announce that we're a step closer in making it a reality & we want your help in choosing a name for it. Vote and let's know what we should call it.
Last month, POCO’s GM confirmed the launch of the brand’s first TWS or truly wireless earphones. After a month, he shared a poll on Twitter yesterday to crowdsource the name of their product.
Below-listed is the names included in the poll and the percentage of votes they have won.
POCO Move Buds – 23.9%
POCO Klip Buds – 5.8%
POCO Pop Buds – 42.4%
POCO Funkz – 27.9%
Having said that, although we have the name of POCO’s first TWS – POCO Pop Buds, we are not sure how the product will actually look in real life. Also, its specifications are a mystery as well.
On the other hand, there is a possibility of it being a rebranded Xiaomi or Redmi TWS just like the POCO X2 and POCO F2 Pro. Anyway, we will know about the product soon once the brand starts teasing it in the coming days.
On the other hand, Redmi India is also teasing an audio product launch. It could be the brand’s first Bluetooth speaker in the country or maybe a TWS such as Redmi AirDots S.
Realme has officially announced that the Realme X3 Superzoom will be launched in Europe on May 26. This was announced via a tweet on the Realme Europe official Twitter handle.
The Realme X3 Superzoom has been in the news for quite some time now with the moniker suggesting the presence of a periscope camera. In terms of the design, the Realme X3 SuperZoom looks like the X50. It packs a Quad camera setup at the rear stacked vertically at the top left corner of the rear panel. The first sensor is an 8-megapixel periscope lens said to be capable of 60x digital zoom and 5x optical zoom. The setup also includes a 64-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel wide-angle lens and a 2-megapixel macro lens.
As for the specs, the Realme X3 SuperZoom is said to pack a Snapdragon 855+ chipset and is equipped with a periscope zoom lens. The smartphone sports a 6.6-inch FHD+ display that supports a 120Hz refresh rate. It also crams a 4200mAh battery under the hood with support for 30W Dart flash charge.
The phone is said to feature punch-hole design at the front which holds a 32-megapixel dual camera. There is also a side-mounted fingerprint sensor onboard. The X3 SuperZoom will be available in Arctic White and Glacier Blue.
Xiaomi’s independent Redmi brand is expected to officially unveil the Redmi 10X in China on May 26. Ahead of the launch, the device has now gone up for reservation on popular retail channel Jingdong (JD.com).
The Jingdong product page shows that the Redmi 10X will be available in two different editions; a standard edition and a pioneer edition. However, no other details including the price were revealed. The accompanying pictures give us an idea of the rear design, though. The phone will pack a quad-camera setup and will have well-chamfered edges. It also shows that the model will be available in four different colour options; white, purple, blue and gold.
As for the specs, earlier leaks show the Redmi 10X will feature a 6.57-inch OLED display with an FHD+ resolution. It will be powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 820 chipset which brings 5G support. For memory, it will house 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The device will be powered by a large 4,420mAh battery pack and also has an in-display fingerprint scanner on the front, where a 16-megapixel selfie shooter can also be found.
Late last month, Xiaomi officially unveiled MIUI 12 in China. The company has been even seeding out weekly beta builds for the eligible devices in the region. Now, as announced last week, the Chinese smartphone maker has finally launched MIUI 12 globally.
The MIUI 12 is a culmination of decade long existence of Xiaomi’s mobile software. It brings a refined design with dynamic animations, perfect rounded corners with G2 curvature, floating windows for multi-tasking, new Weather app, a ton of privacy features, Dark Mode 2.0, AOD+, a new MIUI camera app, and more.
What’s even more interesting is that it will be available for all the Xiaomi and Redmi devices launched globally from 2018. Additionally, there are also a couple of handsets from 2017.
Anyway, here’s the complete list of global Xiaomi smartphones that will be receiving MIUI 12 in the coming months.
MIUI 12 Global Supported / Eligible Devices
Round 1 (June)
Xiaomi Mi Series
Xiaomi Mi 9
Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro
Xiaomi Mi 9T
Redmi K series
Redmi K20 Pro
Redmi K20
Round 2 (Uncertain)
Xiaomi Mi Series
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Xiaomi Mi 10
Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite
Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite
Xiaomi Mi 9 SE
Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro
Xiaomi Mi 8
Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite
Xiaomi Mi Mix Series
Xiaomi Mi Mix 3
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
Xiaomi Mi Note Series
Xiaomi Mi Note 10
Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
Xiaomi Mi Note 3
Xiaomi Mi Max Series
Xiaomi Mi Max 3
Redmi Note Series
Redmi Note 9 Pro Max
Redmi Note 9 Pro
Redmi Note 9S
Redmi Note 9
Redmi Note 8 Pro
Redmi Note 8T
Redmi Note 8
Redmi Note 7 Pro
Redmi Note 7
Redmi Note 7S
Redmi Note 6 Pro
Redmi Note 5 Pro
Redmi Note 5
Redmi Series
Redmi 8
Redmi 8A
Redmi 8A Dual
Redmi 7
Redmi 7A
Redmi 6 Pro
Redmi 6
Redmi 6A
Redmi Y Series
Redmi Y2
Redmi Y3
Redmi S Series
Redmi S2
POCO
POCO F2 Pro
POCO F1
POCOPHONE F1
POCO X2
The list is huge as some of the handsets are repeated since they are sold with a different name in some regions. Nevertheless, almost Xiaomi / Redmi smartphones from last two years are getting the update except for Mi Mix 3 5G, the company’s first 5G smartphone.
In fact, the Mi Mix 3 5G is still running MIUI 10 based on Android Pie and has neither received MIUI 11 nor Android 10. There’s even a petition by users on Change.org, however, Xiaomi is yet to issue an official statement.
After excelling in the smartphone market, Blackview is now bringing smartwatches carrying useful features at an affordable price. The users are now moving towards smartwatches for instant access to information, notifications, and other essential services. The smartwatch market is booming for the past couple of years due to the availability of jaw-dropping features. Blackview X1 smartwatch is a new smartwatch offering splendid features. It is the smartwatch for every occasion and can replace your traditional watch easily. The company is offering Blackview X1 smartwatch at the reduced price of $69.99 $39.99.
Blackview X1 is the fruitful upgrade over your traditional watch as it brings access to notifications, health stats, and normal time and date. It can easily track your daily exercise progress while moving and sitting. The smartwatch can help you accomplish your daily fitness goals easily, and can even record your day-to-day activity. There’s an efficient heart rate sensor for monitoring pulse, blood pressure 24*7. There are many other applications of the Blackview X1 smartwatch:
Motivates for Daily physical activity
The ability to track your fitness activity, even under rough and tough conditions like rain, storm, and snowfall. The smartwatch can easily distinguish different activities and provide you with accurate numbers of calorie count, steps count, and pulse rate. The users can even challenge their friends by using the inbuilt feature on the mobile application.
Seamless Smartphone integration
Blackview X1 has its dedicated Android and iOS app to keep track of different activities, and sync notifications. The smartwatch can facilitate the users who often found it laborious to pull out the smartphone from pocket or bag every time a notification beeps. The Smartwatch will ensure you don’t miss any important notification or call. Moe over, it can be your music or camera controller too.
Customization
Blackview X1 brings four different dials or watch faces. The different colored dials can be used with a different strap for a better look. It gives you the ample choice to choose between different UIs.
Blackview X1 is available at a 51% discount for $24.99 from May 15 and May 24 PST. Don’t miss the chance to grab it from here. You can know more about the watch by heading to the official website.
Blackview BV5500 Plus
Blackview recently unveiled Blackview BV5500 Plus which is a fully waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof smartphone. It is even certified with IP68/IP69K ratings and can remain submerged under 1.5m depth for half an hour. The MIL-STD-810G military-grade protection will help it survive the rough and tough conditions with ease. It is a perfect companion for the users working in manufacturing, farming, industrial, and hazardous outdoor environments.
Blackview BV5500 Plus is a perfect match if you’re looking for a rugged smartphone that can survive under extreme climate. More information about the device can be found on the official website.
Honor X10 series will be officially unveiled on May 20 in China. Ahead of it, the brand has been teasing it for about two weeks now. Additionally, the handset was also leaked through certifications and live images. Now, a new video leak gives us a final glimpse of the handset in different colors before it goes official tomorrow.
The device showcased in the video is definitely the standard Honor X10 since there’s no periscope camera. This handset already leaked in live images last Saturday.
But that picture showcased a different third color, orange to be precise. However, in the video posted on Weibo, the third color is a combination of white and light purple similar to the official renders shared by Honor.
Having said that, we are yet to see the Honor X10 Pro in real life picture or video. We only have a single render leak of this handset that came with a specs leak.
Talking about specifications of Honor X10, it will sport a 6.63-inch 60Hz LCD panel and will be powered by Kirin 820 5G chipset. The triple camera setup on the phone will include a 40MP RYYB primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide unit, and a 2MP macro camera.
As for selfies, the phone will feature a 16MP pop-up selfie camera. Last but not least, the handset will be backed by a 4,200 mAh battery with support for 22.5W fast charging.
According to a leak, the Honor X10 will start at 2,299 Yuan ($323) for the base 4GB + 128GB configuration and will go up to 3,199 Yuan ($450) for the 8GB + 256GB top-end variant.
It’s been quite some time since Cubot P40 rumours and leaks started popping out. To end all that cycle of all unconfirmed information, the company has finally unwrapped the Cubot P40. The device is officially announced today featuring a Quad-rear camera module, 4GB RAM + 128GB internal storage and full-HD display. Surprisingly, Cubot P40 will start retailing at the exceptional price of $89.99 featuring powerful specifications.
It is an excellent budget smartphone offering value-for-money. Cubot P40 is a one-in-all device which is globally made available at such a remarkable price. The interested users can grab the Cubot P40 at just $89.99 from June 6 via AliExpress brand activity.
Cubot P40 Specifications
Cubot P40 houses a beautiful 6.2-inch waterdrop display sporting HD+ resolution powering Incell technology. The narrow bezels paved a way for the 90.3% screen-to-body ratio.
There’s a Samsung S5K2T7 20-megapixel front camera sits inside the waterdrop notch display for beautiful selfies and video calling using inbuilt AI Beautify. A Quad-rear camera module featuring Sony IMX486 12-megapixel primary + 5-megapixel macro lens for 2cm close-ups + 2X 2-megapixel other sensors. The camera sensors equip AI scene recognition for high-quality images.
Cubot P40 comes with a 1.8-GHz quad-core MediaTek Helio A22 chipset based on 12nm process, 4GB RAM + 128GB internal storage. The power-efficient chipset can manage power-intensive tasks efficiently and maintains a smooth operating experience.
There’s a huge 4100 mAh detachable battery coupled with AI power management for longer standby times. It is effective enough to pull you through a day of extensive usage. The smartphone runs on stock Android 10 with features like system-wide dark mode, privacy control feature, and much more.
Cubot P40 incorporates NFC which allows the users to make contactless payments via Google Pay. Unlike the flagships, Cubot P40 features a 3.5mm audio jack and USB Type-C port for flawless connectivity. As leaked earlier, the smartphone comes in three colour options of Black, Green and Blue.
In connectivity, the Cubot P40 offers Wifi, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, OTG and GPS. There’s a Face ID, Proximity, Accelerometer, gyroscope, NFC, magnetic and light sensors on the board. The smartphone support Dual-SIM card and an SD card slot for expandable storage.
Cubot P40 Pricing and Availability
Cubot P40 will start retailing for the starting price of $89.99 on AliExpress from June 6. However, the shipments will commence within the next couple of weeks. The interested users can add the smartphone to cart for getting notified once it goes live.
The new smartphone offers impressive specifications at a compelling price. It is the best budget segment device, especially in the COVID-19 pandemic era when there’s a cash crunch throughout the globe.
Cubot is offering the Cubot P40 to 10 lucky trial users for a free trial via the ongoing giveaway. The interested users can head over to the official website to join the Cubot P40 giveaway.
The world’s largest smartphone manufacturer, Samsung, has had stiff competition with Huawei for the top spot in the global market. However, it seems like the US ban against the Chinese tech giant will benefit the South Korean vendor.
For those unaware, the US extended the ban on Huawei and its subsidiaries over various concerns data security. While the Chinese smartphone OEM has often denied any such accusations, it has had its operations troubled since the start of 2019 and even now. Recently, the US Commerce Department introduced new sanctions, which effectively cut off chip supply from TSMC to Huawei.
Back in 2019, Huawei had lost Google services support and now it has lost its major chip supplier as well. This could translate to an advantage for Samsung, as the market lost by Huawei could be more footing gained by the South Korean company. While this may not be applicable overall, especially in regions like China, Samsung can still gain market in European countries.
According to an analyst from NH Investment & Securities, “Last year, Huawei’s market share went down because it could not use Google Mobile Services on its products amid the U.S-China trade war, but this time, it might face a production problem. As Huawei sees damage, Samsung’s smartphone business can expand.”
Interestingly, Samsung is also a major supplier of smartphone components like image sensors, OLED displays, and, soon, 5G modems for budget and mid level smartphone entries. So, even if it gains market standing in certain regions, the company can still lose out on orders from Huawei, that featured Samsung OLED displays and camera technology.
Smartphone manufacturers have adopted numerous methods to achieve a full screen body on the front. One of the more popular ones was the popup selfie camera system, which had a raising mechanism that housed the image sensor. Now, a new report suggests that a new Sony Xperia device might also feature this technology, with its popup housing both a speaker and a camera system.
According to a recently published patent, Sony is considering adopting the retractable mechanism, which has been adopted by quite a few companies, especially from China. Looking at the patent details, we can observe that the company has not only offered a popup camera but a pop down speaker as well. The latter is lowered from the bottom chin of the smartphone and houses a front facing speaker.
The top also houses a speaker, but with a lone selfie camera near the right corner. Sony had applied for the patent back in 2018, which was finally granted earlier this month and published by the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office). The patent images reveal a Sony smartphone with negligible bezels on every corner and a full screen body at the front. Just a narrow chin and notch are noticeable, which are the region which raises and lower.
This means that the Sony Xperia device will have a dual speaker system. These speakers also rise and fall according to the task being performed. The bottom and top portion are raised during a call, but only the top will rise for a selfie. In other words, these two mechanisms are completely independent and activate automatically. Unfortunately, this is just a patent and we have no way of currently knowing whether Sony is actually building such a smartphone or simply covering all bases.
Vivo has scheduled a launch event in China on 1st June to launch its latest Vivo X50 smartphone. The company is expected to launch three smartphone in this lineup, including X50, X50 Lite, and X50 Pro.
Recently, the company had showcased the camera module of the upcoming flagship smartphone which features a triple-camera setup and will come with some advanced features to improve the photography experience. Today, Vivo has shared a new teaser video on its Weibo account which highlights the low-light photography features.
Thanks to micro-gimbal technology, it has improved shutter level for longer exposure which results in capturing larger amount of incoming light, thus the output offers a better low-light capabilities for the camera.
Previously, the company had confirmed that the X50 Pro features an ultra-large primary camera sensor with a focal length of 16-135mm and supports 5x optical zoom as well as 10x digital zoom. The company is also expected to be capable of 360-degree movements and offer anti-shake technology.
The smartphone will also have a stable micro gimbal, similar to what we’ve seen on the Vivo APEX 2020 concept phone. It will allow the X50 to offer better stabilisation while shooting photos and videos than regular OIS systems.
Currently, nothing much about the phone’s specifications is know. However, with a couple of weeks to go for the official launch, we expect the company to start sharing features and key specs on social media while pricing and availability details will be revealed on 1st June.
Earlier today (19th May 2020), Realme officially announced the new Realme X50 Pro Player Edition. This version is equipped with certain gaming centric features like VC liquid cooling, a HyperBoost gaming mode, and even a new vibrating motor.
The Realme X50 Pro Player Edition is the fourth entry in the Chinese company’s flagship series and will arrive with top notch specs for the best gaming experience. According to the company’s official teasers, a few features have been revealed. It will house a new Tactile Engine, basically a new vibrating motor, which will likely to replicate the gaming console controllers vibrating motors.
Furthermore, a new VC liquid cooling chamber will also be featured under the hood. This will help in keeping temperatures under check, especially during gaming or other intensive tasks. Lastly, the Realme X50 Pro Player Edition will have HyperBoost technology, which is likely a gaming mode that enhances performance with Frame Boost and Touch Boost under it.
In terms of other specs, the Realme X50 Pro Player Edition will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 SoC, similar to the X50 Pro 5G, alongside LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. The device will be announced on 25th May 2020, so stay tuned as we will be covering the launch event.
Huawei is well-known for its smartphone photography for the past few years. Every year the company brings new innovations in this category. This year’s Huawei P40 series features the largest CMOS sensor on any phone. Now, a patent reveals the company to be working on liquid lens technology.
According to the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) portal, Huawei had filed a patent related to liquid lens camera module on December 25, 2019. The same has been approved on April 7, 2020.
As per the information available on portal, the patent includes a moving motor, camera placeholder, and electronic hardware to move the liquid lens.
As Huawei Central explains a stator is moved in the direction of the optical axis with the help of the motor. This stator is further connected with a liquid lens via spring. There’s also a limiter that Limits the connected spring in the direction of the optical axis when the altitude range changes.
This patented camera module for the liquid lens improves the stability and reliability of the motor under harsh conditions like impact or drop.
One might be wondering why Huawei has to implement such complex camera module into a smartphone. The answer is liquid lens offers faster autofocus and better stabilization. It takes less space than other lens and can eliminate the need for additional TOF sensor.
Since the patent has been only approved last week, we can expect this tech in Huawei P50 series in 2021 rather than Mate 40 series whose design might have been already finalized.
Xiaomi has today teased that the company will be launching a new audio product in the Indian market under its Redmi brand. Although Xiaomi has not revealed in the teaser which product is getting launched, it seems that the company is gearing up to launch Redmi AirDots in the Indian market.
Teasing the upcoming product, Redmi India tweeted: “#ListenToMi! #Redmi is going AUDIO! We’ve got some bass-dropping news coming your way soon! Can you guess what this is all about? RT and make some noise! #NoStringsAttached”.
The development comes just days after the company launched its first true wireless earbuds in the Indian market — Mi True Wireless Earphones 2, along with the Mi TV Box 4K and the company’s flagship Mi 10 smartphone.
The Redmi AirDots S TWS earphones launched in China last month carrying a price tag of 99 yuan, which is about $15. The earbuds were launched as a successor to the Redmi AirDots earphones.
If the company is indeed launching the same in India, we expect similar pricing in the country, if not lower. Since the company has teased this product, we expect the official announcement to happen in the coming days.
The Redmi AirDots S retains most of the design elements of the original Redmi AirDots. It comes with upgraded pairing method where as soon as you pair them to your phone for the first time, both earbuds are connected without the master-slave function.
For clearer calls, the Redmi true wireless earbuds use 7.2mm drivers and a DSP for smart noise reduction features. It supports Google Assistant, Siri, and XiaoAI voice assistants and comes with Bluetooth 5.0 chip, which Redmi claims delivers double the data transmission as compared to its predecessor.
It is also claimed to offer faster and more stable connectivity. There’s also a new low-latency game mode which can be enabled simply by pressing the button on the earbud three times. As for the battery, it lasts for 4 hours which can be extended to 12 hours using the carrying case.
In the recent Honor product launch event, the Chinese company unveiled a new special edition for its existing smartwatch, the MagicWatch 2. The new special edition arrives with four new straps, which are designed by various artists, over the existing ones.
The Honor MagicWatch 2’s new Gift Box Special Edition straps were designed by four artists from both China and overseas. These include a unique strap made by Wang Dongling, an abstract version from Zhou Li, and one strap which is a fusion between Chinese and Western art from Italian artist Giovanni Özula and lastly one from cross border artist Jacky Tsai.
Notably, the Jacky Tsai special edition strap was made using 3D printing technology, which had silk threads woven into the strap to resemble embroidery. These unique new straps will be available along with the 8 existing strap colors, that are supported for both the 46mm and 42mm. The color options include a wide variety of colors like sky blue, purple, yellow, olive green, and more.
The Honor MagicWatch 2 Special Edition will be a limited series and can be bought for a price of 1,199 Yuan (roughly 168 US Dollars). It is currently available right now, and started sale earlier today (19th May 2020) and can be purchased from the Huawei Mall and the official flagship store in limited quantities.
As expected, Huami had today officially launched its latest smartwatch — Amazfit Ares in China. Similar to the company’s T-Rex smartwatch, this one too comes with a rugged design and is aimed towards outdoor sports enthusiasts.
Unlike the square-shaped or circular dial that’s usually found in smartwatches, the Amazfit Are comes with an octagonal dial and is equipped with a silicone strap, which the company says is soft and comfortable to wear.
It features a 1.28-inch color display which gets brighter with increasing outdoor light, so you don’t have to worry about straining eyes to see what is on the screen when directly under the sunlight.
Being a smartwatch focused on outdoor sports, it is water resistant up to 50 meters as wel as dust resistant. To protect the display, it comes with a layer of Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3 and the device also has an anti-fingerprint coating.
The new Amazfit Ares can track a total of 70 different activities including basics such as running, swimming, and cycling, as well as other sports activities such as boxing, martial arts, taekwondo, sword-fighting, Zumba dance, ballet, bowling, squash, and more.
Further, it can also track and record 40 key sports indicators such as heart rate, speed and altitude during exercise. It has built-in FirstBeat algorithm used by professional sports teams to provide various performance-related data.
The algorithm on this smartwatch can offer data like maximum oxygen uptake VO2max, complete recovery time, exercise load (TL), exercise effect (TE) and others, which can help users improve exercise levels and avoid injuries caused by excessive exercise.
Thanks to the presence of GPS + GLONASS dual positioning system, the Amazfit Ares can accurately record your track of running or cycling. It also comes with a built-in barometer, so that information such as altitude can also be displayed on the watch.
To monitor heart rate during exercise, the company has included BioTracker PPG optical sensor which is independently developed by Huami. Along with monitoring heart rate, it can understand exercise status, and helps to avoid exercise risks.
It is also equipped with Huami-PAI health assessment system. Other features on the device include 24-hour heart-rate monitoring, sleep monitoring, sedentary reminders, weather reports, notifications, Alipay offline payments, etc.
As for the battery life, the company claims that the Amazfit Aris offers 14 days of battery life on a single charge and 90 days on basic watch mode. With continuous GPS usage, it can last for nearly the whole day.
The Huami Amazfit Ares comes in two colors — Rock Black and Army Green. It is priced at 499 yuan (~$70) and is now up for pre-sale through the company’s official store, Tmall, JD.com, Xiaomi Mall, etc. and will go on sale in China from 1st June.
Realme has scheduled a launch event on 25th May in China were the company will be announcing eight new products, including the Realme X50 Pro Player Edition smartphone. At the same time, the company will also host a launch event in India.
The company recently confirmed that the Realme TV, powered by a MediaTek chipset, will be made official in the Indian market on 25th May. Today, the company has confirmed the launch of Realme Watch at the same event in India.
The Realme Watch, the company’s first smartwatch, has been in the works for some time and leaked a few times in the past. Confirming its launch date for the Indian market, online marketplace Flipkart has put up a microsite highlighting its features.
First of all, the teaser showcases the upcoming smartwatch in all its glory. It looks quite similar to the OPPO Watch, which seemed to have copied the design from the Apple Watch. The Realme Watch will come with a 1.4-inch color touchscreen display, which is claimed to be the biggest in its price segment in India.
Further, it’s revealed that at the time of launch, the Realme Watch will come with a Classic Strap but later the company will launch Fashion Strap, likely in multiple color options. It comes with features like 24/7 Health Tracking, thanks to Real-time heart rate monitor and SpO2 sensor for blood oxygen level monitoring.
Along with the smart notifications feature, the teaser also reveals 14 different sports mode — Football, Basketball, Table Tennis, Bike, Spinning, Elliptical, Yoga, Cricket, Running, Walking, Treadmill, Badminton, Aerobic Capacity, and Fitness.
It also comes with music control and camera control features. Users will be able to connect the smartwatch to the company’s Realme Link application which is available on the Google Play Store for all-in-one management of all of Realme’s connected devices.
The Realme Watch is expected to be available for purchase in India through Flipkart as well as the company’s own official online store in the country. More details about the watch, including its pricing and availability will be revealed on 25th May.
Over the past couple of years, Motorola has focused on low-end to mid-range smartphone segments. However, this year, the company wants to get back into the premium segment in the world’s second-largest smartphone market. So Motorola has officially released the Motorola Edge Plus in India at a hefty price tag of Rs. 74,999 ($991). This is the company’s first real flagship since the launch of the Moto Z2 Force in India back in February 2018.
The Motorola Edge+ gets its name from its extremely curved display. The company claims that the display is curved at 90-degrees, so it extends to the sides. While these curved edges are visually appealing, they are not without purpose. The edges support virtual button-like features and can be used as trigger buttons during gameplay too. The 6.7-inch FHD+ OLED display supports 90Hz refresh rate, DCI-P3 color gamut, and HDR10+ support. You also get an in-display fingerprint sensor and a single punch-hole selfie shooter on the top-left corner of the screen. So in all aspects, this is a flagship-grade display!
As for its specs, the Motorola Edge Plus is powered by the latest Snapdragon 865 5G processor with 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.0 storage. Motorola is offering just a single memory variant for the flagship right now.
The Motorola Edge+ comes with a capable triple-camera setup featuring the large Samsung HMX 108MP f/1.8 sensor as the primary shooter with OIS which is paired with a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle shooter that’s also a macro camera, and an OIS-equipped 8MP telephoto sensor capable of 3x optical zoom. A 25MP sensor takes care of your selfie needs up front.
Motorola Edge Plus cameras
The phone comes with a 5000mAh battery on board with 18W of wired charging and 15W of wireless charging support. It’s disappointing to see an expensive flagship like the Edge+ featuring just an 18W charger which is significantly slower than its rivals. As for software, the Motorola Edge Plus runs on Android 10 out of the box with at least two Android updates in the future. So in terms of software, the phone is promised to receive up to Android 12.
The Motorola Edge+ starts at Rs. 74999 ($991) in India for its 12GB RAM and 256GB storage variant. There are two color options: Smoky Sangria and Thunder Grey. The company is offering a special Rs. 7500 ($99) cashback to ICICI Credit card users on both EMI and non-EMI payments on Flipkart. Pre-orders are already underway and the phone will go on sale on May 26.
South Korean giant Samsung has today announced its new 50-megapixel image sensor named Samsung ISOCELL GN1, making it the company’s first camera sensor to come with both Dual Pixel and Tetracell technologies.
The new Samsung ISOCELL GN1 is a 1/1.31-inch sensor that offers 1.2μm-sized pixels. It comes with 100 million phase-detection auto-focus (PDAF) agents. With both Dual Pixel and Tetracell technologies, the company seems to be prioritising high-resolution images and fast autofocus speed for smartphone users.
The sensor has Tetracell technology for 4-in-1 pixel binning, while the in-house ISOCELL Plus technology is said to keep pixel cross-talk in check, minimize optical loss, and produce more detailed images.
There’s also something called Smart-ISO which present to reduce noise and enhance the dynamic range. Other features include Real-time HDR, gyro-based image stabilization, 8K/30fps recording, and 400fps video at 1080p without autofocus and 240fps with autofocus support.
Samsung GN1 is capable of producing images up to 100MP resolution, thanks to the pixel binning technology. Explaining the working, Samsung says that Dual Pixel technology places two photodiodes side-by-side within a single pixel that can receive light from different angles for phase detection. With active pixels working as auto-focusing agents, the sensor can detect and focus onto a desired still or moving object from every corner in an instant, even in low-light conditions.
The camera sensor seems to be a rival the 48-megapixel Sony IMX689 image sensor which is present in several flagship smartphones such as OnePlus 8 Pro and OPPO Find X2 Pro. It remains to be seen if the company uses this sensor for its upcoming Note-series devices or the foldable smartphones.
The ISOCELL GN1 from Samsung will enter into mass production later this month so we expect smartphones packed with this new camera sensor to be available in the market from the second half of this year.
OnePlus took to OnePlus Community to announce that the ‘Photochrom filter’ or X-Ray vision as it is commonly called will be only disabled in China (HydrogenOS). That means the feature will continue to work on international OnePlus 8 Pro units running OxygenOS.
The company also said that it will roll out an OTA update in the coming week for global devices to ‘offer the Photochrom filter while limiting other functionality that may be of concern‘.
Original Story
Last week, OnePlus 8 Pro was trending for its color filter camera which allows users to look through thin plastic and clothes. As it rose privacy concerns, the company has now issued a statement on Weibo that it will be removing this filter known as ‘Photochrom’ within a week via an update.
OnePlus 8 Pro is the brand’s most ambitious and expensive smartphone so far. It also features a different set of cameras than other phones in the market. Normally, the fourth camera is either a depth, TOF or macro unit. But OnePlus to stand out in the crowd opted for a 5MP color filter camera.
According to the Weibo post, the company included the color filter lens on its device so users can capture landscapes or similar places with unique color texture. OnePlus also added that a number of OnePlus 8 Pro users have shared amazing pictures using this camera.
On the other hand, it also said that users have reported privacy concerns. Hence, the brand has decided to disable this ‘Photochrom’ (OxygenOS) / ‘Autumn’ (HydrogenOS) filter by rolling out an update within a week.
Additionally, OnPlus also said that it will bring back this filter in the near future by eliminating privacy concerns. That means it will be only disabled temporarily for the time being.
Also, it is worth noting that the international OnePlus team is yet to issue this statement to the public.
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