Oppo resumes smartphone production in India

By

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May 7, 2020

Smartphone companies in India had shuttered their manufacturing facilities more than a month ago abiding the coronavirus lockdown rules issued by the government. Now, as the MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) has announced certain relaxation, Oppo has finally managed to get permission in order to begin production from May 8.

Chinese smartphone maker Oppo will be resuming production at its Noida facility from tomorrow. However, only 30% (3,000) employees will work at a time out of its total 10,000 staffs. Additionally, the company will follow all the necessary hygiene and social distancing measures.

Further, the brand has also begun the sales of its products across both offline and online. As of now, 22% of its retail stores are already operational in the green and the orange zones across the country.

Interestingly, Oppo has also announced services to let customers order products through WhatsApp as well via SMS similar to its sister brand Vivo. These services will start in a phased manner from May 8 and May 10 respectively.

Whereas, customers interested in buying phones online can already shop on Flipkart and Amazon India. They will have to check delivery availability to their location by entering their pin codes.

Additionally, Oppo has also introduced special offers like extended warranties for up to ₹2,599 and other perks like cashback and EMI. This offers will be valid until 31st May 2020.

(Source)

LG Velvet is official: Packs 5G, Wireless Charging, Stylus Support and more

By

Habeeb Onawole

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May 7, 2020

The LG Velvet has been officially announced in Europe. The phone is a premium mid-range device that packs several features that are mostly exclusive to flagships, and its price tag reflects that.

LG Velvet Design

The LG Velvet is the first LG phone to feature a new design language. It is curved on both sides, comes in pretty cool colors, and keeps the weight under 200 grams (180 grams to be precise). However, we wish LG ditched the waterdrop notch which it has overused already.

LG Velvet Specifications

The LG Velvet has an OLED display that measures 6.8-inches. It has a 2460 x 1080 resolution, a 20.5:9 aspect ratio, and a waterdrop notch that is home to a 16MP camera.

Powering the phone is the Snapdragon 765 (not Snapdragon 765G) mobile platform which brings 5G support with its built-in modem. There is 8GB of RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage that can be expanded to up to an extra 2TB via the MicroSD card slot.

The LG Velvet has a pretty nice rear camera design that mimics a falling raindrop. The triple camera setup includes a 48MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 5MP depth sensor.

LG has loaded the phone with tons of camera features such as time-lapse with automatic and manual speed change; a steady cam feature for shake-free videos; ASMR recording to capture those extra sounds such as the crackle of a fire or the crunch of a cracker; voice out-of-focus which reduces background noise in videos and focuses on the voice of the user; and 3D AR stickers with 3D mesh technology so the AR sticker blends with the face of the subject. These are features you will be hard-pressed to find on a mid-range device.

The LG Velvet has an IP68 rating and MIL-STD 810G specifications. It also has an in-display fingerprint scanner, an audio jack, NFC, and Bluetooth 5.0.

Another premium feature the device has is stylus support. This is not the type of stylus that ships with LG’s Stylo series but a Wacom Stylus with 4096 pressure levels for note-taking, drawing, and more. Unfortunately, you have to purchase it separately along with the LG Dual Screen accessory which it also works with. However, LG includes an app called Nebo that converts your handwritten notes into typed texts including formulas and charts.

There is a 4300mAh battery inside with support for wireless charging. The phone has fast charging support via USB-C but there is no mention of the power rating. It ships with Android 10 out of the box.

LG Velvet Price and Availability

The phone comes in Aurora White, Aurora Gray, Illusion Sunset, and Aurora Green. It is priced at KRW 899,800 (~$735/₹55,745) and will be available for purchase via local operators. There is no info on a global release.

POCO F2 might come with 33W fast charging support

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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May 7, 2020

Poco F2 is one of the most awaited smartphones in recent years. The original Poco F1 was a massive hit that it is very hard to recreate the same magic again. According to recent leaks, the so-called Poco F2 could be nothing more than a rebranded Redmi K30 Pro. A new leak from earlier today further concretes the possibility.

I can now confirm that the POCO F2 will feature 30W rated charging and up to 33W optional charging.
Feel free to retweet. 😃#POCO #POCOF2 #POCOM2Pro pic.twitter.com/5oB0OhuOde

— Mukul Sharma (@stufflistings) May 7, 2020

The Poco F2 was first spotted in an IMEI database with model number M2004J11G. The same device has been once again identified on TÜV SÜD PSB certification portal. This time it confirms the handset’s maximum charging speed to be 33W. In case you have forgotten or do not know, the Redmi K30 Pro sold in China also has the same specification.

The official Poco Global Twitter account became active late last week. Since then, it has been teasing the launch of the new product. Today, it even officially announced the new product launch to take place on May 12. However, the date has been already leaked earlier.

But the brand is yet to reveal which phone it is going to launch. Anyway, leaks from past few days have been exposing the new handset to be the long-awaited Poco F2 as well as Poco F2 Pro.

Additionally, the leaks so far have been pointing out these devices to be rebadged Redmi K30 Pro and Redmi K30 Pro Zoom. This clearly goes against the statement given by the GM of Poco.

Meizu 17 and Meizu 17 Geekbench listing appears ahead of tomorrow’s launch

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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May 7, 2020

Meizu will be announcing the Meizu 17 and Meizu 17 Pro flagship smartphones on May 8. Ahead of tomorrow’s launch, both smartphones have appeared on the Geekbench benchmarking platform. Probably, the Chinese firm could be internally testing the performance of the Meizu 17 series before unveiling them.

As can be seen in the Geekbench 5 screenshots of Meizu 17 and Meizu 17 Pro, both phones are driven by Snapdragon 865 mobile platform. The vanilla model has 8 GB of RAM whereas the Pro is equipped with 12 GB of RAM. Both phones are preinstalled with Android 10 OS. As Meizu confirmed, the Android OS on both phones will be overlaid with Flyme OS 8.1 custom skin.

In the single-core tests, both phones have scored similar scores. In the multi-core test, the Meizu 17 recorded 3095 points whereas the Pro achieved 2965 points. Hence, there is no significant difference between the multi-core performance of both devices.

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Editor’s Pick: Meizu 17 Rumor Roundup: Specs, Launch and All we know about the new Flagships

The pricing of the Meizu 17 and 17 Pro appeared on a third-party retailer site in China. It revealed that the Meizu 17 will have a starting price of 3,999 Yuan (~$563) whereas the Meizu 17 Pro will cost 4,999 Yuan (~$704) for its base model. The official pricing of both devices will be confirmed through tomorrow’s event.

Meizu 17 and Meizu 17 Pro specifications

The Meizu 17 Pro will have a 6.5-inch S-AMOLED punch-hole display with a 32-megapixel front camera. The display will support a 90Hz refresh rate and it will be integrated with a fingerprint reader. The Snapdragon 865 SoC will power the device LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. It will house a 4,500mAh battery with 30W fast charging support. The handset will have a Sony IMX686 64-megapixel quad camera on its back.

The Meizu 17 Pro will be arriving with a ceramic chassis. It will support 27W Super wireless mCharge technology and it will be equipped with LPDDR5 RAM. The rest of its specs could be the same as the vanilla model.

(source 1, 2|via)

FlyPods 3 launch in Europe as the Honor Magic Earbuds

By

Habeeb Onawole

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May 7, 2020

Last year, Honor announced the FlyPods 3 TWS earbuds in its home country. They have now been launched in Europe but under the name Honor Magic Earbuds.

The Honor Magic Earbuds have long stems, silicone tips, and come in two colors – Pearl White and Robin Egg White. Oh! And they do look a lot like the recently announced Huawei FreeBuds 3i.

Honor says the Magic Earbuds use what is called Hybrid Active Noise Reduction Technology to filter out unwanted ambient noise. It is able to do this with its outer dual microphones that work with an inner microphone. Honor claims the technology reduces as much as 32db of unwanted noise so you can enjoy crystal clear calls or audio playback.

The Honor Magic Earbuds support touch controls for calls and playback. You can also activate active noise cancellation using the touch controls.

Inside the earbuds are 10mm driver units with highly sensitive diaphragms for deep bass and crystal clear vocals. The Magic Earbuds support one step pairing with compatible Honor devices running EMUI 10.

With respect to battery life, the Honor Magic Earbuds will provide 3 hours of playback time with ANC on and 3.5 hours with ANC off. Talk time is lower at 2 hours with ANC on and 2.5 hours with ANC off. The case will provide up to an additional 12 hours and has a USB Type-C port for charging. The earbuds connect via Bluetooth 5.0 and support A2DP, HFP, and AVRCP.

Honor has put a price tag of €99 on the Magic Earbuds and is adding a free Honor Band 5 with all purchases. Do check your local HiHonor online store to order yours.

Mi A3 Android 10 update now live in Europe

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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May 7, 2020

Mi A3 is probably the worst-hit smartphone with update issues in recent times. The Android 10 update for this device has been rolled back multiple times because of various bugs. But now, once again Xiaomi has released the update but this time for Europe or rather EEA variant of Mi A3.

The latest Android 10 update for Mi A3 in Europe comes with build number V11.0.1.0.QFQEUXM and April 2020 security patch. The OTA update weighs 1.33GB in size and Xiaomi officially announced the rollout on Mi Community.

It is worth noting that previous builds seeded out in different regions like India had various issues. However, this one seems to be stable enough going by the comments made by users on Twitter and Reddit.

Nevertheless, Xiaomi is being more cautious this time around. It strictly askes user to not share link for the OTA update. Also, it says the download link will be made available for public after positive feedback from limited users to whom the update is being seeded out in batches.

We hope the new build does not make a fuss like the previous builds from the last few months. Anyway, it is always better to be careful. If you don’t have a spare phone, then we highly recommend you to not update until no huge complaints from other users.

(Source)

Top 5 Accessories You Need To Buy For Your Red Magic 5G Smartphone

By

Vinay Patel

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May 7, 2020

Earlier this year, Nubia took the covers off its long-awaited gaming smartphone dubbed the Red Magic 5G in its home market of China. Much to the delight of the brand’s huge fan base across the world, the Chinese smartphone maker has confirmed it will be launched globally.

On the downside, the overseas market will be able to choose between only two memory configurations, while four different variants of the phone have been made available in China. Whether you have already purchased or are planning to get your hands on this feature-laden gaming smartphone, you might want to check out our list of top 5 must-have accessories for the Red Magic 5G.

Magic Adapter for RedMagic 5G

Designed to help users unleash the phone’s true gaming potential, the Magic Adapter for RedMagic 5G is currently up for grabs for $46.90 on Amazon. It is touted as one of the world’s most advanced smartphone adapters that allows you to listen with wired 3.5mm headphones, connect to high-speed internet via ethernet, and charge with a Type-C cable at the same time.

Magic Adapter for RedMagic 5G

Official Nubia Red Magic Bluetooth Gamepad

Designed to work with Red Magic Mars, Red Magic 3/3s, Red Magic 5G, this Nubia Red Magic Bluetooth Gamepad usually retails for $39.99. Those who aren’t willing to spend that kind of money on a Bluetooth Gamepad can head straight to Giztop and place their orders for a lowered price of just $35.99.

This extremely compact gamepad connects effortlessly and quite easy to control. It can be used for aiming and shooting at the same time. Featuring four buttons and joystick controls, it delivers a superior gaming experience. Moreover, it supports OTA updating as well.

Official Nubia Red Magic Bluetooth Gamepad

Ultra Thin Frosted Soft Silicone Back Cover Case For Nubia Red Magic 5G

Made using high-quality silicone material, this Ultra Thin Frosted Soft Silicone Back Cover Case always retains its shape despite been extremely soft and flexible. It is currently available for $10.99 on Nubia Mart.

Furthermore, it uses a simple and quick installation process with any phone disassembling required. The case efficiently protects your Nubia Red Magic 5G phone from accidental scratches, common bumps, thumbprints, and dust without blocking access to ports and controls.

Ultra Thin Frosted Soft Silicone Back Cover Case For Nubia Red Magic 5G

Nubia Red Magic 5G Charger, BoxWave

If you are in the market for an inexpensive Red Magic 5G alternative, you might want to give the Nubia Red Magic 5G Charger, BoxWave a test drive. The BoxWave’s USB Type-C Wall Charger Direct is a low-cost Power Adapter that can charge your Red Magic 5G safely and quickly using 15W of power.

The Wall Charger Direct is designed to work as well as the original charger and it performs better than most steeply-priced chargers available on the market. In other words, it can replace the original charger without burning a hole in your pocket. You can purchase it for $19.95 from Amazon.

Nubia Red Magic 5G Charger, BoxWave

Official Glass Screen Protector for Nubia Red Magic 5G

A high-quality tempered glass integrated with reliable defensive performance, the Official Glass Screen Protector is compatible with your Nubia Red Magic 5G. This black-tinted protective film is available for $10.99 on Giztop, but if you buy two pieces, you can avail of a 10 percent discount, meaning, you’d pay only $9.99 for each piece.

Likewise, if you purchase 10 pieces, you’d qualify for a noteworthy 19 percent discount. As a result, you end up paying just $8.99 for each piece. Aside from protecting your phone’s screen from scratches and dust, this protective film keeps your phone safe from fingerprints, oil rub stains, while filtering ultraviolet rays.

On top of that, it supports anti-glare coating to restrict glare derivative. It is made using tempered glass with up to 9H hardness and 2.5D edging craft, which allows the film to perfectly fit your phone screen.

Official Glass Screen Protector for Nubia Red Magic 5G

Redmi K30 5G 6GB+128GB variant now costs only 1,999 Yuan ($282)

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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May 7, 2020

Late March, Redmi announced a first-ever price cut for Redmi K30 5G. Now, the brand has slashed the price for the second time. However, it is only limited to 6GB + 128GB variant, which can be now purchased for 1999 Yuan ($282).

The Redmi K30 5G 6GB + 128GB variant launched initially for 2,299 Yuan ($324). Then, it got a price cut of 100 Yuan ($14) over a month ago. From then till up until yesterday, it was selling for 2,199 Yuan ($310).

But, earlier today, out of the blue, the brand announced another price cut of 200 Yuan ($28) on this specific variant. Hence, it can be now bought for only 1,999 Yuan ($282).

Weirdly enough, the base 6GB + 64GB is still retailing for the same 1,999 Yuan ($282) since its launch. Maybe, it will be soon discontinued as Redmi K30i with a 48MP primary camera is on the horizon.

Anyway, here’s the current price of all the Redmi K30 5G variants in China.

Redmi K30 5G Variant	Current Price
6GB + 64GB	1,999 Yuan ($282)
6GB + 128GB	1,999 Yuan ($282)
8GB + 128GB	2,399 Yuan ($338)
8GB + 1256GB	2,699 Yuan ($380)

The Redmi K30 5G is the first phone to launch with Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G. It was announced in December 2019, followed by sale in January 2020. It is only available in China and it is uncertain if it will ever make its way to other markets like its sibling Redmi K30 4G (aka POCO X2).

Xiaomi Youpin starts crowdfunding for Mobi Fitness Springbok stationary bicycle

By

Sean

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May 7, 2020

The Xiaomi Youpin platform has just started crowdfunding for a new product. It is the new Mobi Fitness Springbok stationary bicycle, which will retail for 3,499 Yuan (roughly 493 US Dollars) and is currently in crowdfunding for 2,499 Yuan (roughly 352 US Dollars).

The Mobi Smart fitness bicycle was announced earlier today (7th May 2020) on the Xiaomi Youpin platform and features aluminum allow rear wheels. These wheels have a low starting pressure, which should help in reducing injuries in certain cases. Furthermore, it has a 75mm adjustable position, namely 5 different ones for the front handle while the seat itself can be adjusted to 5 different heights as well.

The Mobi fitness stationary bicycle also features a magnetic control resistance that has bet transmission, which only lets out 30 decibels during its operations. In other words, it is relatively more quiet than conventional stationary bicycles. This is done so as the product is aimed at homes, where they wish to prevent noise from disturbing anyone else. The entire bike only covers an area of 0.5 square meters and has a weight of just 35 kilograms.

It has a maximum weight load of 120 kilograms and even has support from online courses, online competitions like leaderboards, and points than you can redeem. The healthy and physical fitness device can be found on Xiaomi’s Youping platform, so check it out if you’re interested in working out from home.

OnePlus 8 Pro’s Black Crush issue will be solved via a future OTA Update

By

Sean

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May 7, 2020

OnePlus, the Chinese smartphone maker, recently launched its OnePlus 8 series. However, soon after the launch, many OnePlus 8 Pro users started reporting on certain issues of “Black Crushes” on their smartphone’s display. While initially this problem had been claimed to be caused by the hardware, the company has now officially confirmed that it is a software issue and that it is actively working on providing a fix soon.

The official statement provided by the company read, “We are looking into the ‘black crush’ issue which we aim to address in the upcoming OxygenOS update. Please stay tuned for more information.” In other words, OnePlus is actively working on solving the issue and will offer a fix soon through an OTA update. Unfortunately, the company has refrained from providing any concrete deadline or other dates, but considering the severity of the problem, it should arrive soon.

For those unaware, OnePlus 8 Pro faced various issues for a number of users. This included black crushes on its AMOLED panel alongside other issues like a green tint on low brightness and more. Since then, the company has offered various updates that have fixed the issues for many users but the problem is apparently still affecting a few of the OnePlus 8 Pro owners.

The company rolled out a couple of updates last month and has also recently released the OxeygenOS 10.5.5 and OxygenOS 10.5.6 updates to address the problem. These have fixed the issue for a fair number of users but OnePlus states that the complete fix will arrive soon. So stay tuned as we will be informing readers of when the eventual update actually follows through.

US may soon allow Huawei to work with American firms on 5G standards

By

Sean

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May 7, 2020

The US Department of Commerce has nearly signed off on a new rule that will allow Huawei Technologies to work with American based companies on setting standards for 5G networking, according to sources.

This is big news considering the US Commerce Department had previously placed Huawei in the “Entity List” back in 2019. This blacklisting had banned the Chinese tech giant to buy or trade with US based companies and even had it lose Google’s support. The ban also placed various restrictions on Huawei, as it was also working on providing 5G equipment to various companies in the region. For those unaware, Huawei is a pioneering figure in 5G networking and a known telecommunications equipment provider.

But now, it seems that the US government is backtracking on the decision from 2019, as it plans on bringing Huawei’s influence back into the market. Industry and Government officials stated that the move to ban Huawei had only served to put the US at a disadvantage. This is interesting as the US was also to put pressure on certain European regions to ban Huawei as well.

According to sources, standard setting meetings where different protocols and specifications are discussed to allow equipment from different companies to function together had failed after US engineers sat back in silence after the Huawei ban. But after nearly a year of scrutiny, the Commerce Department is now close to drafting a new rule that will address the current situation. The rule is still subject to change but essentially allows US companies to participate in standard bodies with Huawei also being a member.

The draft is currently undergoing final review and will be cleared if other agencies also offer their approval on the matter. The process is long and it is uncertain if other agencies have any objections on the subject. This could be a move from the US to gain a better footing over China in the ongoing 5G race. Recently, we had reported on the topic with China seeming to edge past the western nation in this regard. Thus, the US easing restriction on Huawei could be a sign of friction lowering for the electronics vendor.

(Via)

OnePlus 65W charger spotted; May arrive with OnePlus 8T

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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May 7, 2020

Last month, OnePlus announced the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro smartphones. The Pro model came with some major improvements like 120Hz display, IP68 certified chassis and wireless charging support. Judging from the previous release patterns, the Chinese firm is expected to announce the OnePlus 8T series in the second half of the year with more enhanced features. As of now, OnePlus 8T is a tentative moniker for the company’s next flagship phone. Fresh information suggests that the OnePlus 8T phones may arrive with support for 65W fast charging.

OnePlus belongs to China’s BBK Electronics company which also includes other smartphone brands like OPPO and Realme. The latter two are already selling flagship phones with support for 65W charging in different markets. OnePlus too may join the bandwagon as its 65W fast charger has received approved from the TUV Rheinland certification platform.

The charger has model numbers such as VCA7JAH, WC10007A1JH and S065AG. It supports a maximum charging out of 10VDC and 6.5A Max. Realme and OPPO phones with support for 65W fast charging have dual-part batteries. Hence, it is likely that forthcoming OnePlus smartphone with 65W fast charging may also arrive with a dual-part battery.

Editor’s Pick: OnePlus devices are not bloat-free as the brand claims

The OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro smartphones come with support for 30W wired charging. The speed is comparatively slower than 50W charger that comes with Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro and 40W charger available with Huawei P40 series and Honor 30 series. In a bid to offer better charging experience than competitor brands, OnePlus may offer 65W fast charging on its next flagship phones arriving later this year.

In related news, OnePlus is expected to announce the OnePlus Z mid-range device in July. The smartphone could be fueled by Snapdragon 765G mobile platform. The other rumored features of the smartphone include 90Hz refresh rate supporting punch-hole display and triple rear cameras.

Baseus 45W 2-in-1 GaN charger cum 10,000mAh power bank costs only 199 Yuan ($28)

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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May 7, 2020

Companies have been releasing GaN (Gallium Nitride) chargers for a while now. Baseus, a Chinese accessory maker has upped their game by launching a 45W 2-in-1 GaN charger cum 10,000mAh power bank with a foldable pin and a 60W USB Type-C to Type-C cable in the box.

This charging accessory by Baseus is a useful product for those who are always on the go. It comes in two models – the first variant has dual USB Type-C ports and the second variant has one USB Type-C port and a standard USB Type-A port.

But both weight the same 280g and measure 103 x 64 x 30mm in dimensions. They come in two color options – Black and White.

Being a GaN charger, it is smaller in size (even shorter than Apple iPhone Xs Max) as well as have better thermal performance compared to similar products with silicon. On top of it, it supports various charging standards and thus, it can be used to charge almost all electronics such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, wearables, and audio accessories.

The most common charging standards that the Baseus GaN charger cum power bank support are the ones listed below.

QC 2.0 / 3.0 (Qualcomm Quick Charge)
SCP (Huawei SuperCharge)
FCP (HiSilicon Fast Charging Protocol)
AFC (Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging)
PD 3.0 (USB Power Delivery)
BC 1.2 (USB Battery Charging)
PE (MediaTek Pump Express)
Apple 2.4A

Additionally, it also supports other protocols for better versatility than competitors. Uses can also make use of its foldable pin as well as freebies like 60W USB Type-C to Type-C cable and a carrying pouch.

As far as price and availability are concerned, it costs only 199 Yuan ($28) as part of crowdfunding on Xiaomi’s Youpin platform. The final retail price will not be costlier either at 228 Yuan ($32).

MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ announced with higher refresh rate support

By

Sean

-

May 7, 2020

Earlier today (7th May 2020), the known chipmaker, MediaTek, held an online press conference in which it announced the Dimensity 1000+. The new flagship 5G chipset from MediaTek brings in improved performance alongside support for a higher refresh rate.

In the online meeting held by the company, MediaTek unveiled its latest flagship processor that will power flagship 5G handsets. As is the standard in 2020, most premium grade smartphones feature a display with a high refresh rates like 90 or even 120Hz. This is where the Dimensity 1000+ comes in with optimizations for both faster refresh rates for a smoother experience and enhanced 5G networking.

The Dimensity 1000+ arrives with MediaTek’s proprietary 5G UltraSave technology that helps save battery consumption when using the newer and faster bandwidth. This technology automatically switches between the networks and dynamically adjusts working mode of the modem. According to MediaTek, the new chipset consumes about 48 percent lower power in comparison to some of its competing product lines.

Furthermore, the flagship chipset now supports up to 144Hz refresh rate panels which are 2.4 times faster than the conventional 60Hz display on most handsets. This offers a smoother user interface and overall experience. The company has also improved the Dimensity series gaming performance in the new chip with what they call HyperEnging 2.0 which is found in the Dimensity 1000+.

MediaTek has also made numberous improvements to the networking aspects as well. The Dimensity 1000+ SoC now arrives with optimizations for a more stable 5G network experience. Users need not worry about interruption during video calls or gaming when they get incoming calls and will always remain online. The HyperEngine also helps by making intelligent predictions based on network and bandwidth requirements to achieve seamless switching between 4G and 5G. An example would be 5G during gaming and 4G on standby to save battery and data.

Amongst other improvements, the new chipset features low latency and anti jamming technology. The overall gaming experience has been enhanced and the company has even worked on reducing Wi-Fi network delays. Dimesity 1000+ also sports MediaTek’s new image display technology and the new MiraVision image quality engine. The company has announced an imminent upcoming launch with the Chinese OEM iQOO, so we expect more information to arrive soon.

(Via)

Huawei dominates China Smartphone market in Q1 2020: IDC Report

By

Sean

-

May 7, 2020

IDC, the known analytics firm, has revealed in a new report that the Chinese smartphone vendor, Huawei, has dominated the Chinese smartphone market in the first quarter of 2020.

According to the IDC report, China’s smartphone market saw a total of 66 million units being shipped in Q1 of 2020. Out of this number, 5G smartphones brought in 14.5 million units in shipment, accounting for 21.8 percent of the overall market. This is a significant jump of 64 percent rise over the last quarter. But what’s more interesting is that Huawei was behind more than half of the 5G smartphone market sales while also capturing more than 40 percent of the total smartphone market as well.

Looking at the data published by IDC, Huawei had a total market share of 42.6 percent in Q1 2020. The spots ranging from the second and fourth place combined only barely manages to beat the Chinese tech giant. Analysts have stated that the reason for Huawei’s success, especially in the 5G smartphone market, stems from its various product offerings that targeted different price segments.

In other words, the Chinese company’s intuitive product placements, ranging from flagship to even upper mid range 5G handsets helped it in capturing more than half of the 5G smartphone market. These numbers arrive despite the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic that has affected China and even other OEMs launching their own 5G enabled devices. According to Wang Xi, IDC China’s Research Manager, affordable 5G smartphones offered more flexible product placements and enabled Huawei to effectively target different segments in the market.

(Via)

George Zhao teases Honor X10 and MagicBook 14 with 10th Gen Intel Processors

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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May 7, 2020

Honor’s George Zhao announced Honor X10 launch to take place on May 20. It will be the first phone in the series to support 5G connectivity. Apart from the launch date, the brand is yet to reveal any of the handset’s features. But a recent picture posted by Mr Zhao does tease a lot about this phone as well as new MagicBook 14.

Honor X10 Features Hinted by George Zhao

Looking at the picture shared by Mr Zhao, we can speculate a lot of things about the Honor X10. First and the foremost, the picture could have been shot on the phone itself as the post is indeed shared from Honor X10 according to Weibo.

Further, the caption of the post reads the team that worked on Honor X10 has sent Mr Zhao ‘two gifts with deep meaning’. We are not sure what are those two presents but we clearly recognize certain hints in the image.

We can notice four flowers arranged in Red, Yellow, Yellow, and Blue colors. This somewhat confirms a previous leak which suggested the handset to feature Sony IMX600Y RYYB sensor. Then, there’s a bottle cap, which could only mean one thing, the return of the pop-up camera from the previous generation.

Also, the picture includes a book with a fingerprint-like pattern and a square cut-out in the middle suggesting an in-screen fingerprint sensor. Adding more flair to it, an Honor 30 Pro also sits on the desk with AOD displaying 10 ’Oclock. Is the executive teasing OLED display for Honor X10?

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According to TENAA, the phone is expected to sport 6.63-inch FHD+ LCD panel and hence the chances of having the above-mentioned features are low. But Huawei has been already working on LCD in-display fingerprint sensor for a while now. Also, AOD on LCD has been possible for years and the best example is ‘Moto Display’ and the stock ‘Ambient Display’ feature on Android Lollipop.

Honor MagicBook 14 with 10th Gen Intel Processors

Then, the picture also showcases an AMD-powered MagicBook 14 placed on the desk as well as a laptop box with Intel logo at the door. For the unware, Honor recently updated the 15-inch model with 10th Gen Intel processors and hence we think the 14-inch might get a similar treatment.

A leak from a couple of days back also suggested the release of several other products like a router, tablet, and smart TV, in addition to laptop at the Honor Smart Life Product Launch, which has been now confirmed to take place on May 18.

Anyway, we will know more about the new products, especially the Honor X10 when the brand will start posting teasers daily leading up to the day of the launch.

Huawei MatePad T8 with 8-inch display and 5,100mAh battery unveiled

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

May 7, 2020

Huawei Romania has silently unveiled a new tablet named MatePad T8. It is a budget-friendly tablet that comes with a large display for enjoying movies and reading ebooks. The lightweight tablet houses a big battery and it runs on the latest version of EMUI.

Huawei MatePad T8 specifications

The Huawei MatePad T8 is a metal-bodied tablet with 199.7 x 121.7 x 8.55mm dimensions. The weight of the device is 310 grams. It features an 8-inch LCD panel with 4.9mm left and right bezels. This allows the tablet to deliver users with around 80 percent screen-to-body ratio. The screen supports 800 x 1200 pixels resolution and 189ppi pixel density.

The MediaTek MT8768 chipset that includes four cores of Cortex-A53 CPU ticking at 2.0GHz and another four cores of Cortex-A53 CPU at 1.5GHz. The SoC includes IMG G38320 650 graphics. The octa-core processor is coupled with 2 GB of RAM.

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The MatePad T8 is preinstalled with Android 10 OS that is overlaid with Huawei’s EMUI 10.1 custom skin. The tablet lacks Google apps and services. Instead, Huawei provides its own AppGallery on the device. The tablet comes in 16 GB and 32 GB storage versions. There is a microSD card slot on the device for additional storage. The table comes with educational content for children. Parental control mode and eye-comfort mode are also available on the MatePad T8.

At front, the MatePad T8 sports a 2-mgeapixel camera with f/2.4 aperture. The rear shell has a 5-megapixel shooter which lacks an LED flash. The tablet is packed with a 5,100mAh battery that promises up to 12 hours of video playback. It comes with support for Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, microUSB 2.0, USB OTG and 3.5mm audio jack.

Huawei MatePad T8 price and availability

The MatePad T8 carries a starting price of 500 Romanian Leu (~$112). It comes in Deepsea Blue color only. The sales of the tablet will begin in Romania later this month.

(source)

Global smartwatch shipments grew 20% in Q1 2020; Apple dominates the market

By

Jeet

-

May 7, 2020

Strategy Analytics has released a new report which reveals that the global smartwatch shipments grew 20 percent in Q1 2020 to reach 14 million units. It also reveals that Apple is dominating the market and Samsung holds on to the second position.

Apple managed to ship 7.6 million units of Apple Watches in the first quarter of this year, dominating the market with a share of 55 percent. This also represents a slight increase for the company compared to the same period last year.

Samsung, on the other hand, shipped 1.9 million units for a market share of 13.9 percent, which declined from 14.9 percent last year. Garmin, which holds the third position, managed to expand its market share from 7 percent to 8 percent and shipped 1.1 million units in Q1 2020.

Steven Waltzer, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, says that the global demand for smartwatches continued to grow despite considerable headwinds from the COVID-19 pandemic. He added that smartwatches are selling well through online retail channels, while many consumers have been using smartwatches to monitor health and fitness.

However, the company predicts that the global smartwatch shipments will slow sharply in the second quarter of 2020 because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Woody Oh, Director at Strategy Analytics says that sales in Europe and the US have inevitably been hit by virus lockdown in recent months.

Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 announced, features an improved battery and aptX support

By

Sean

-

May 7, 2020

Microsoft has just announced the Surface Headphones 2 alongside the Surace Book 3 and Surface Go 2. The headphones feature active noise cancelation that was much loved even in the predecessor and arrives with improved battery life and Qualcomm’s aptX support as well.

The Surface Headphones 2 features the same 13 levels of noise cancelation technology that arrived with the original, alongside the dial on the earcups that allows you to adjust the volume. The rotating adjustment of both the volume and ANC levels was a highly innovative design at the time and still holds true. Similar to the predecessor, one can still the large touch enabled surface pad on the sides to control audio playback.

Microsoft has stuck to a tried and true design and functioning which is apparent with the very few changes or additions being made to the headphones’ formula. The 40mm “Free Edge” drivers and output have made an appearance again although the Surface Headphones 2 now feature Bluetooth 5.0 support alongside Qualcomm’s aptX Bluetooth codec; in contrast to the basic SBC codec that the first generation featured.

In terms of quality of life improvements, the Surface Heaphones 2 dials can now be rotated to 180 degrees, allowing for better controls when the headphones are simply resting on users’ necks. Under the hood, the battery that powers the headphones have received a bump with the total playback time raising to 20 hours from 15 hours when noise cancelation is enabled. Furthermore, Microsoft claims one can get nearly an hour of playback time with just a quick 5 minute charge as well.

Other features include Office integration (voice dictation) in Word, Outlook, and even PowerPoint. Additionally, Outlook can now read aloud your emails for you on iOS. The Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 start shipping on 12th May 2020 for a price of 249 US Dollars (down from the original’s 349 US Dollars price tag) and comes in a single color variant, Black.

Honor Smart Life product launch event scheduled in China on May 18

By

Jeet

-

May 7, 2020

Huawei‘s sub-brand Honor has today announced that the company will be a hosting a new Honor Smart Life product launch event in China on 18th May. In this event, the company is expected to launch smart home products for ease-of-access.

While announcing the launch event, the company said: “Turn your life vision into reality one by one, let life be with you upgrade together.” We are expecting a major focus on Internet of Things (IoT) from the company.

The event announcement is in line with what the company’s president Zhao Ming had teased during GMIC LIVE 2020 conference. He had said that Honor will host a major press conference in May for new products.

It remains to be seen what the company is planning to launch at this upcoming Honor Smart Life event. It seems that the company will continue with its “1+8+n” strategy with the new products and will continue to have smartphone as a cor or bridge between smart products to link each other.

Meanwhile, the company has also announced another launch event just a couple of days after the Honor Smart Life event. The company has confirmed that it’ll be launching Honor X10 5G smartphone in China on 20th May and it could be the cheapest 5G offering from the company so far.

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