Facebook invests $5.7 billion in Reliance Jio for around 10% stake

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Apr 22, 2020

Social media giant Facebook is investing $5.7 billion in India’s telecom operator Reliance Jio to get 9.99 percent stake in the company. The deal underlines the commitment of Facebook to expand its business to promising markets. It is also the biggest deal from Facebook after the company’s acquisition of WhatsApp in the year 2014.

The development comes just weeks after it was reported that both the companies were in advanced talks about the investment but the announcement was delayed because of the coronavirus outbreak in India.

With this investment and around 10 percent stake, Facebook will become the largest minority stakeholder in Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio. The deal values Jio Platforms at a pre-money enterprise value of about $66 billion, said the company in a statement.

Jio Platforms is a wholly owned unit of Reliance Industries which brings together Jio’s digital apps, ecosystems and the wireless platform offered by telecommunications carrier, Reliance Jio, under one umbrella.

Facebook has said that the deal would bring together JioMart, a newly announced e-commerce venture from Reliance Jio and the company’s WhatsApp messaging platform to enable people to connect with businesses.

This also marks Facebook’s entry into the Indian internet market. The company had tried doing so earlier in India with its Free Basics program but was later banned for violating net neutrality norms.

It seems that the companies are planning to use their technologies to create a “super app” in the market with WhatsApp. Reliance Jio, which has become the largest telecom operator in India in just four years of its launch, reportedly has more than 388 million users. On the other hand, WhatsApp from Facebook has about 400 million users in India.

WhatsApp is reportedly set to rollout a peer-to-peer payments service but has not yet received approvals from the government and thus, the service is limited to beta mode as of now. With JioMart, which connects local shops to customers, the upcoming payment service from WhatsApp has found a new use case.

This deal will also help Reliance cut debt that has piled up because of its aggressive expansion tactics, especially when the company has promised to bring down the net debt to zero by March 20201. As of September 2019, the company’s debt is around $40 billion.

Motorola Edge+, Edge leaked promo videos appear with key specifications

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Apr 22, 2020

Motorola will be announcing the Motorola Edge+ flagship phone and the Motorola Edge upper mid-ranger phone with 5G capabilities at 11 AM CDT today. While the rumors surrounding the Motorola Edge series have revealed plenty of information on both devices, the company has remained mum on their specifications. However, hours ahead of the launch event, popular tipster Evan Blass released two promo videos for the Edge and Edge+ smartphones to reveal their key specs and features. Readers can visit the “via” link at the bottom for viewing the commercials. Also, a report on Droid Life has carried the entire specs of the Motorola Edge+ phone along with its pricing for Verizon users in the U.S.

Motorola Edge+ specifications

Here is all information on the Motorola Edge+ based on the commercial and Droid Life’s report. It has a 6.7-inch OLED screen with punch-hole and extremely curved edges. It has an in-screen fingerprint reader. It supports full HD+ resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. The Snapdragon 865 mobile platform powers the device. The phone comes with a massive 5,000mAh battery that supports 18W wired charging, 15W wireless charging and 5W reverse wireless charging. Once charge, the device can last for up to 2 days.

The triple camera setup of the Motorola Edge+ has a 108-megapixel main lens, a 16-megapixel ultrawide shooter and an 8-megapixel telephoto lens. It comes with photography features like high-res optical zoom and macro vision. It has a front camera of 25-megapixel and the device is flanked with stereo speakers. The 5G support on the Edge+ promises over 4Gbps of download speeds.

The other features of the Edge+ are 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, UFS 3.0 storage, 6K video shooting capabilities, Android 10 OS and Bluetooth 5.1. In the U.S., it will be exclusively available through Verizon for $1,000.

Editor’s Pick: Motorola Edge live shot emerge to reveal its rear appearance

Motorola Edge specifications

The Motorola Edge has the same sized curved edge 90Hz display available on the Edge+ device. Reports have revealed that it is fueled by Snapdragon 765G which brings support for 5G on the device. The battery of the phone promises up to two day of endurance, but its exact size is not mentioned.

The primary lens of Motorola Edge’s triple camera setup has a 64-megapixel main lens and offers same photography features like the Edge+. It has a 25-megapixel front camera. Other features of the phone include stereo speakers and in-screen fingerprint reader.

(source 1, 2, 3|via)

Huawei rumored to launch a high-end Mate series phone next month

By

Jeet

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Apr 22, 2020

Huawei has two premium flagship smartphone lineups — P-series and Mate-series. While we have already seen P40 series smartphone getting launched recently, the next-generation Mate series phones will be launched in the second half of the year.

But with the advancement going on a rapid pace, Huawei is reportedly considering to make a strategic change and “resurrect” the Mate S product line. As per the report, the Chinese company is planning to launch a new Mate-series premium smartphone next month which will be different from the Mate 40 lineup.

While nothing much is known about the smartphone in question, it is said that the phone will be the successor of the Huawei Mate S. As said, the device is expected to get launched in China as soon as next month.

For the uninitiated, the Huawei Mate S flagship smartphone was launched in September 2015, featuring an all-metal body and top-of-the-line specifications at the time. As for its successor, the phone will reportedly come with several of the company’s own technology, but details about the same remains unknown.

Similar to other premium devices from the company, we expect the upcoming smartphone to be powered by Huawei’s own Kirin chipset. It could be powered by a new chipset which falls somewhere between Kirin 990 5G and upcoming Kirin 1020. However, this is just a speculation and there’s no information available at this point in time.

Given that the Chinese company has Huawei Mate40 series flagship smartphone in the pipeline to launch later this year, it remains to be seen how the company positions the upcoming Mate device. As per the reports, the Mate 40 will be powered by Kirin 1020 SoC and FreeFrom Lens technology.

Although there are two major flagship lineups of Huawei with P-series and Mate-series, the company recently launched foldable smartphone lineup under the Mate branding, dubbed as Huawei Mate X and Mate Xs. Apart from the Mate40 series, the company is also set to launch another foldable smartphone this year which will be the successor of the Mate X, likely to be called Huawei Mate X2.

(Source)

MIUI 12 will have 1000+ custom animated AOD styles

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Apr 22, 2020

Xiaomi is all set to announce MIUI 12 alongside Mi 10 Youth Edition on April 27. Ahead of it, the company has already begun to tease the new features. Yesterday, the brand revealed ‘Dark Mode 2.0’, a revamped system-wide dark mode with major changes. Today, the official MIUI Weibo account details the new improved AOD (Always-on Display) functionality.

The Chinese smartphone maker introduced AOD on its devices with OLED displays via an incremental update to MIUI 10. The feature was later baked into MIUI 11 late last year. Now, the company is taking it to the next level with MIUI 12.

AOD on MIUI 12 will support MAML format, which means designers can implement non-linear animations with time and weather. In addition to that, third-party styles will also have support for universal system switches to enable or disable battery indicator, app shortcuts, and more.

The current version of AOD on Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones is static for third-party styles and they neither support time nor weather. Instead, these parameters are provided by the system itself. But with the next iteration, as mentioned above, designers can fiddle with almost everything to offer better styles. The brand promises over 1000+ third-party animated AOD styles on launch.

Additionally, Xiaomi will be also releasing new animated first-party official AOD styles, which will feature the company’s official mascot Mi Bunny doing various things. Also, the company will be bringing AOD styles for Kino (Redmi K30 series mascot), Kings of Glory, PUBG Mobile, and more.

MIUI 12 AOD Mi Bunny — Mi Bunny AOD Styles

A few days back, MIUI Themes beta added a new section for AOD styles. We thought it will be available for users after MIUI 12 update. Surprisingly, Xiaomi announced today that all users can already experience them on their smartphones.

With the release of MIUI 11, the company made all the themes on the store free to download. Continuing the tradition, the brand announced AOD styles will also be free for all.

Meizu 17 series to launch on May 8

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Apr 22, 2020

Meizu has been teasing on the arrival of the Meizu 17 smartphone since the past few days. Yesterday, the company hinted on Weibo that it will be revealing the Meizu 17 launch date today. The official confirmation has finally arrived as the company revealed that the Meizu 17 series will be announced on May 8.

The poster released by the company shows a box with a horizontal cutout which is reminiscent with the horizontal camera setup that is expected to arrive on the Meizu 17. The other thing that can be noticed in the poster is that the company has mentioned “Meizu 17 series” which indicates that it may announce Meizu 17 Pro smartphone along with a vanilla model. The company stated on Weibo that it will work overtime prepare sufficient stocks to meet the expectations.

At present, there are no concrete information on the differing features that will be available on the Meizu 17 and Meizu 17 Pro phones. It is speculated that the Meizu 17 has a model number is M081Q whereas the Pro model has a model number of M091Q. Both phones have appeared on the database of 3C certification platform of China. Their 3C certifications have revealed that both are 5G-ready smartphones. The M081Q phone may ship with a 30W fast charger whereas the M091Q may arrive with a 40W rapid charger.

Editor’s Pick: Meizu discontinues the 16S Pro with a Commemorative Edition, makes way for Meizu 17

A recent teaser released by the company revealed that the Meizu 17 could be the only 5G-ready flagship phone with thin-sized white borders around the display. The AMOLED screen of the phone has a tiny round-shaped cutout for the front-facing camera at the top-left corner.

Reports have revealed that the Meizu 17 may arrive in China with a starting price of 3,999 Yuan. It may house a 6.5-inch full HD+ display with in-screen fingerprint reader. The Flyme 8 UI based Android 10 OS will run on the device. The phone will be equipped with Snapdragon 865 mobile platform, LPDDR5 RAM, and UFS 3.0 storage. The 4,500mAh battery of the phone will be accompanied with mSmart charging technology. It is also rumored to arrive with support for NFC, Wi-Fi 6 and stereo speakers. It remains to be seen whether the Chinese firm will also launch the rumored Meizu 17 Audi Special Edition on May 8.

Xiaomi Mi Band 4C to soon launch in Europe as a rebranded Redmi Band

By

Jeet

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Apr 22, 2020

After the launch of Mi Band 4 fitness tracker from Xiaomi, people are expecting the Mi Band 5 to be the next fitness band from the company. However, it seems that we’ll see the Mi Band 4C before we get the Mi Band 5.

Xiaomi’s sub-brand Redmi recently launched its first fitness tracker in the market, dubbed as Redmi Band. Now, the same product is reportedly set to launch in the Europen market, but under a new name and branding.

Redmi Band aka Mi Band 4C — Redmi Band Fitness Tracker

As per the reports, the Redmi Band will be launched in Europe as Xiaomi Mi Band 4C which carries model number HMSH01GE. While it is expected to soon go on sale in Europe, there’s no exact date or timing known because of the COVID-19 issues.

To remind you, the Redmi Band comes with a square-shaped 1.08-inch AMOLED Color Touch Screen with 2.5D scratch-resistant tempered glass on the top for added protection. It also comes with support for Bluetooth 5.0 BLE to connect with smartphones.

The fitness tracker can efficiently monitor wearer’s heart rate and delivers accurate pedometer algorithm and daily heart rate changes. It also vibrates every time someone calls or sends a message to ensure you do not end up missing an important call or SMS.

It comes with 5 professional sports modes and supports an intelligent alarm function that wakes you up every morning, and also offers idle alert. It is powered by a battery that offers a 14-day battery life.

In China, the Redmi Band is priced at 99 yuan which is approximately $14 but because of the taxes and market differences, the pricing for the European market is expected to be higher than this. Nonetheless, we expect the price to be aggressive, keeping up with Xiaomi‘s strategy.

(Source)

Huawei India gets new CEO as Jay Chen moves up to leadership role in Asia Pacific region

By

Jeet

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Apr 22, 2020

Huawei India chief executive officer Jay Chen has now been promoted to a leadership role in the Asia Pacific region. He has been replaced by David Li in India, who was the deputy chief executive officer of the company.

Jay Chen worked in several roles in the Indian market for Huawei, before he was promoted to become the CEO of the company’s India operations in the year 2015. On the other hand, David Li joined the Chinese giant in 2002 and has experience working in the India market.

Jay Chen, Huawei — Jay Chen, Former CEO of Huawei India

He has worked in roles like vice president sales and vice president HR during different phases of his career. He was serving as CEO of Huawei Cambodia before returning to India to take on his new role. He was also responsible for leading the Network Solutions Sales team as a Director for the South-east Asia Region.

In his new role, David will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of Huawei Telecommunications India’s strategy, directions and operations in the country. He will also ensure the company’s commitment as a strategic and reliable ICT partner in accelerating the digital visions of India.

The leadership change for Huawei India comes shortly after India tightened rules around foreign direct investment (FDI) from some border countries, which experts believe are aimed at restricting Chinese investments in the country.

However, Huawei has been granted permission to participate in the commercial 5G deployment in India. The company has also partnered with Indian telecom operators Airtel and Vodafone Idea for the same.

This is a major relief for Huawei given that it is facing several issues in the western market, especially in the USA where the company has been effective banned over cyber-snooping allegations which Huawei and China have repeatedly denied.

iQOO Neo3 with 44W fast charging can fully charge in 58 minutes

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Apr 22, 2020

iQOO Neo3 5G will go official tomorrow as the second Snapdragon 865 mobile platform powered phone from the brand after the iQOO 3 phone that debuted in February. The Chinese firm has been teasing on its features since the past few days. Today, it confirmed the battery capacity and fast charging capabilities of the iQOO Neo3.

As it can be seen in the new poster, the iQOO Neo3 5G is equipped with a 4,500mAh battery. The poster also states that the iQOO Neo3 is equipped with Vivo’s Super FlashCharge technology. The 44W rapid charging technology will allow the 4,500mAh battery of the iQOO Neo3 to reach 50 percent capacity in just 20 minutes. The phone can be fully charged in 58 minutes.

In comparison, the iQOO 3 came with a slightly smaller battery of 4,400mAh capacity. The iQOO 3 came with 55W fast charging support that made it possible to charge the phone to 50 percent capacity in 15 minutes.

Editor’s Pick: Vivo Y21 spotted at Android Enterprise; Vivo NEX 3 2020 moniker appear at NBTC

iQOO Neo3 specifications

The iQOO Neo3 5G will come with an IPS LCD panel with punch-hole design. It will support full HD+ resolution and up to 144Hz refresh rate. The phone is expected to arrive in 6 GB and 8 GB RAM versions and storage choices like 128 GB and 256 GB.

The back panel of the iQOO Neo3 has a triple camera setup. The phone features a side-facing fingerprint reader. The Android 10 OS will come preloaded on the device. It is equipped with stereo speakers. The handset is expected to land in China with a starting price of 2,998 Yuan (~$423).

Fortnite finally lands on the Google Play Store

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Apr 21, 2020

Fortnite, the popular online multiplayer game is finally available for download on the Google Play Store.

After a long battle with Google, Epic Games finally gave in and has listed its game on the Play Store, thus making it easier for folks to download rather than from its own app store or third-party platforms.

Fortnite is now available on the Google Play Store.

Check it out now! pic.twitter.com/EOA3jpMIu8

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) April 21, 2020

In an official statement released by Epic Games, the developer explained why it finally decided to list its app on the Play Store: “Google puts software downloadable outside of Google Play at a disadvantage, through technical and business measures such as scary, repetitive security pop-ups for downloaded and updated software, restrictive manufacturer and carrier agreements and dealings, Google public relations characterizing third-party software sources as malware, and new efforts such as Google Play Protect to outright block software obtained outside the Google Play store.”.

Based on the above statement, Epic Games had no other choice than to succumb to Google and list the game on the Play Store for better user experience. This also means Epic Games will have to pay Google the standard 30% cut on in-app purchases which was actually the reason why it didn’t list the app on the Play Store in the first place.

Epic Games CEO, Tim Sweeney, said he hopes Google revises the 30% tax it collects from developers which he still believes is unfair.

(Sources: 1, 2)

This is what Xiaomi’s clamshell foldable phone may look like

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Apr 21, 2020

Xiaomi had showcased a foldable smartphone right after the Galaxy Fold was launched but since then, there have been no words about a foldable phone. Several patent filings have suggested that the company has got different foldable designs in the works. A couple of such filings even point to the existence of a Motorola Razr-like foldable design. Smartphone concept designer Waqar Khan has now teamed up with tech blog WindowsUnited to create a render of what Xiaomi’s clamshell foldable smartphone may look like.

As can be seen in the images, the render seems to be based on the patented design Xiaomi secured in November 2019. The device adopts a small display on the outside which will likely display time and a perhaps notifications. The inner display works like a regular smartphone when opened but the difference is that you can fold it to assume a smaller form factor when not in us. This makes it easy to carry and protects the flexible OLED screen.

There is a high degree of certainty that Xiaomi will indeed launch device utilising this clamshell design. ZDNet Korea had earlier reported, citing electronics component industry insiders, that Xiaomi has placed orders for a clamshell-type flexible OLED display from Samsung. The report also disclosed that a similar order has been placed with LG Display. Xiaomi is said to have gone for the display manufactured by Samsung due to the fact that the foldable panels currently produced by BOE and CSOT are of a lower quality than those produced by Samsung Display.

Xiaomi is expected to commence mass production of its clamshell foldable phone in the second half of 2020. Specs details are still sketchy as of this moment.

(source)

Samsung Galaxy Xcover Pro rugged phone with barcode scanner launches in the US

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Apr 21, 2020

Samsung first unveiled the Galaxy Xcover Pro in Finland way back in January this year. The tech giant has now launched the rugged Galaxy smartphone in the US. It hits the market with a price tag of $500.

The Galaxy Xcover Pro is officially introduced as a rugged smartphone for frontline workers. The ruggedness of the build makes it suitable for use by field workers who work in terrain that is not friendly to the regular high-end smartphones. The device is also crammed with features that make it a business-oriented model.

One of such features is the barcode scanner which is built into the rear camera. The camera is compatible with several laser-based scanner accessories that can turn this into a mobile point of sale system. The device also comes with NFC as well as several enhanced security and reliability features, including support for Europay, Mastercard and Visa. You also get a walkie-talkie (push-to-talk) feature onboard.

In terms of the hardware, the Samsung Galaxy Xcover Pro features a IP68 rugged build meaning it can survive 1.5m underwater for 30 minutes. It is also MIL-STD-810 certified and can withstand drops from 1.5m heights. The device packs a huge 6.3-inch AMOLED display with an FHD+ resolution of 2340 x 1080pixels. The device has a Glove mode and can detect touches from wet fingers. There are also two programmable keys, which can act as shortcuts for the most commonly used functions. It crams a 4,050mAh battery under the hood with support for 18W fast charge. The device has a set of Pogo pins for wireless charging on a dock.

The Galaxy Xcover Pro is available online through Samsung, Verizon and Microsoft as well as other distributors in the US. The phone will also be available unlocked and will be sold on Brick and mortar stores soon.

(source)

Purported Xiaomi Mi TV Box 2 sketch reveals a detachable design

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Apr 21, 2020

Xiaomi first launched the Mi Box set-top box in 2016 and since then several versions have been revealed in China. These models include the Mi Box 3, Mi Box 3C, Mi Box 4 and Mi Box 4C among others. Outside China, the Mi Box and Mi Box S are the only models that have been launched. There are rumours that the tech giant has got the Mi TV Box 2 in the works.

A sketch of the set-top box has now leaked on Slashleaks website. The device was listed with the moniker Mi Box TV 2 and features a detachable design. The design is such that the TV box will serve as a charging dock for the remote control. When in use, the remote can be removed and after use, attached back to the TV box.

This is also an innovative one as there is no such design in the market. It will also save you the hassle of looking for the remote control any time it is needed. However, considering the size of the Mi Set-top box, it is left to be seen if such design will be practicable and won’t affect the aesthetics of the device. The remote may likely adopt a smaller size.

There is no other clue to suggest Xiaomi is working on a set-to box except the Mi TV Stick that was recently leaked to launch in Europe this year. It has been a while since a set-top box is released under the brand. Thus, Xiaomi may be working on refreshing its set-top box lineup.

(source)

Huawei FreeBuds 3i leaks; has ANC and silicone tips

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Apr 21, 2020

Huawei will soon announce a new pair of truly wireless earbuds according to a leak by Winfuture.de. The earbuds will launch as the Huawei Freebuds 3i and may launch alongside the Nova 7 series.

The Huawei FreeBuds 3i has a different design from the FreeBuds 3. Rather than an open-fit design, they have a closed design with silicone tips for a better seal. The case also has a different design; actually like that of the FreeBuds Lite, though the FreeBuds 3i comes in white rather than black.

The FreeBuds 3i isn’t actually a successor to the FreeBuds 3. The case doesn’t have wireless charging but it has the same 410mAh battery capacity as that of the FreeBuds 3. The FreeBuds 3i actually has a bigger battery capacity, 37mAh, compared to the FreeBuds 3’s 30mAh per earbud. However, it is reported to last 3.5 hours with ANC turned on, unlike the FreeBuds 3 that lasts 4 hours on a single charge.

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The earbuds also have a dedicated Bluetooth chip; which should be the Kirin A1 and have support for fast pairing with phones running EMUI 10.

The FreeBuds 3i take about 1 hour to fully charge and you should be able to get 3 full charges from the case which itself supports USB Type-C charging and takes 100 minutes to fully charge. Winfuture.de reports that the earbuds weigh 5.5 grams each while the case weighs 51 grams.

There is no info on the price of the Huawei FreeBuds 3i but it is expected to be more affordable than the FreeBuds 3.

(Source)

Xiaomi sells over a Million Units of the Mi 10 Series despite Global Pandemic

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Apr 21, 2020

It has been only two months since Xiaomi launched the Mi 10 series in China. However, the company has still managed to sell over a million units even during a global pandemic. The information comes directly from Lu Weibing, the Vice President of Xiaomi who is also the General Manager of Redmi brand.

A blogger praised the price to performance ratio offered by the Xiaomi Mi 10 series when compared to phones from competitors on Weibo. At the end of the post, the person also tagged Mr Lu and asked whether the series has sold 1 million units yet.

Surprisingly, quoting the blogger’s post, Lu Weibing answered that the company has already sold over a million units of Mi 10 series long ago. This sales figure is really impressive as the worldwide smartphone shipments dropped by 38% in February, the month in which these devices were launched. Additionally, the Mi 10 series is the costliest primary flagship phone from the company yet.

The overall smartphone shipments dipped by 13.3% in the first quarter of 2020 due to lockdowns issued by governments across the world to curb the outbreak of coronavirus. But a report from last week mentioned Xiaomi along with Apple has been slowly recovering from the COVID-19 crisis.

Xiaomi’s CFO Shou Zi Chew also claimed the Chinese market has recovered by 80-90%, however, he did admit poor sales for his company’s products. But unfortunately, he did not reveal the exact number. Thankfully, we now have some numbers, at least for the Mi 10 series.

Redmi Band Hands On: A no-nonsense Entry Level Smart Band

By

Joel Joseph

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Apr 21, 2020

Redmi entered the smart band market earlier this month in China with its own Redmi Band. The company is targeting the ultra-cheap fitness band segment with users who just want the basic fitness tracking features at an extremely affordable price tag. The Redmi Band goes for 99 yuan ($14) in China, which is even cheaper than Xiaomi’s Mi Band 4.

We just got the Redmi Band in our hands yesterday and decided to give you guys a quick tour of its design and features. Our first impressions have been pretty positive with the band offering a comfortable design and enough features to get you started on your fitness journey.

Redmi Band Hands-on

The Redmi Band may not be the best-looking fitness band in the market right now it is quite refined for its price tag. The main body of the Redmi band and the strap fit well together, so much so that it feels like a one-piece design. But note that the strap can be removed from the side to expose the USB plug used for charging. This is one of the most convenient charging designs in the fitness wearable market – so you don’t need any external cables or cradles. You can practically charge the Redmi Band anywhere with a USB slot.

The Redmi Band is light and comfortable to wear. If you have worn a Xiaomi Mi Band, the feeling is similar. So most of you won’t mind wearing it for a long period of time.

Simply put, the design of the Redmi Band isn’t special but that’s not really a bad thing. A simple yet useful design is what we expect from an extremely cheap wearable fitness band.

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The 1.08-inch color LCD display offers a pretty decent viewing experience. The display is big enough to show important information at a glance. Unlike other black and white display wearables, the Redmi Band’s display offers interesting and colorful visual elements for fitness tracking and over 70 watch faces ensuring enough customization options.

The display resolution does feel a bit low but for the $14 price tag, we can’t really complain about this screen.

The Redmi Band can be charged via the USB plug under 2 hours. Once charged, you don’t have to worry about charging for nearly 14 days. You can literally wear the band anywhere you want, including while swimming, thanks to its 5ATM waterproofing.

The band comes with all the basic features you would expect from a fitness wearable. This includes 5 professional sports modes like running, walking, cycling, and even indoor exercise, 24-hour heart rate check, sleep monitoring, and even text and call notifications.

The Redmi Band doesn’t support NFC.

Overall, for $14, the Redmi Band offers everything you expect from a smart band and even more. Despite being a first-generation wearable, the band is built well and caters to first-time fitness enthusiasts.

We will be testing the Redmi Band in detail in the coming days, so stay tuned for a complete review very soon.

The Redmi Band is already up for sale on Giztop for $19.99.

OPPO A72 with Snapdragon 665, 128GB expandable storage launched

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Apr 21, 2020

OPPO has been on a launch spree lately which has seen several new models released. The Find X2 Lite, Find X2 Neo, OPPO A52, A92s, A12 were all announced in different markets within the past few days. The company isn’t stopping as the OPPO A72 has now been announced.

The OPPO A72 is a sibling of the A52 that has been launched in China. It features a similar 6.5-inch display with FHD+ resolution of 2340 x 1080pixels. The A72 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset paired with 4GB of RAM. This is similar to the A52 but while the A52 has 64GB storage onboard, OPPO A72 comes with 128GB of internal storage. Both are expandable via MicroSD slots.

The camera aspect is another area where the two models differ. The A72 features a Quad-camera setup at the rear just like the A52 but the sensors are slightly different. The A72 setup consists of a 48MP main sensor teaming up with an 8MP ultrawide camera, a 2MP macro lens and a 2MP depth sensor. For selfies, there is a 16MP sensor. This is an upgrade over the A52 which has a smaller 12MP main sensor and an 8MP selfie sensor.

Further, the OPPO A72 features a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and a 3.5mm jack on the bottom. The device gets its power supply from a 5,000mAh battery and supports 18W fast charge. Both models run the latest Android 10-based Color OS 7.1.

The OPPO A72 is expected to be sold in Europe alongside the A52. The prices are not known but the A52 was launched with a retail price of 1,600 yuan in China ( around €210). We expect the prices to be slightly higher due to taxes and other expenses.

(source)

Nubia Play 5G Launches in China with 144Hz Refresh Rate AMOLED Display for 2,399 Yuan ($339)

By

Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Apr 21, 2020

Nubia officially launches Nubia Play 5G mid-range smartphone in China. Targeted at youths, this device is unlike any other handset released by the brand so far. Nubia is known for gaming smartphones, however, the company shed its old logo for a new avatar with a different vision last week. The company also announced a smart electric toothbrush called Nubia Neo at the same event.

Nubia Play 5G Specifications

As confirmed via teasers last week, the newly launched Nubia Play 5G smartphone comes powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor and Adreno 620 GPU paired with LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.1 storage.

On the front, the phone sports a 6.65-inches FHD+ AMOLED display with 144Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate similar to Nubia Red Magic 5G. The best part of this panel is it does not have have any notch or punch-hole to interfere full-screen viewing experience.

The back of the handset features an X gradient pattern (similar to Honor 9X) along with ‘5G’ branding on the right side, ‘Nubia’ branding at the bottom, and ‘Powered by Nubia’ branding on the left side. Further, the top portion of the device’s rear side houses a vertical strip housing three cameras, whereas the fourth camera sits to the right side of the strip opposite to LED flash on the left side.

As for camera configuration, the phone comes with a 48MP Sony IMX582 primary sensor similar to Redmi K20 from last year. That means 4K video recording on this smartphone is capped at 30 fps. The other cameras on the device include an 8MP ultra-wide unit, a 2MP macro camera, another 2MP depth sensor, and a 16MP selfie camera.

The handset comes with a number of camera features including a vlog mode like the one found on MIUI 11, a weird slow-motion video recording to capture dance moves and lightsaber effects, and more.

For gaming, the device features dual customizable shoulder buttons as well as ICE 2.5 cooling system which is a combination of 61mm liquid cooling pipe, thermal gel, copper foil, and graphite sheet. Other features of the phone include dual-mode 5G – SA (standalone) / NSA (non-standalone) support, in-display fingerprint sensor, DTS Audio, and dual stereo speakers.

Lastly, for software, the device runs Nubia UI 8.0 based on Android 10 and is backed by a large 5,100 mAh battery with support for 30W PD fast charging compatible with Qualcomm Quick Charge and PPS chargers.

Nubia Play 5G Pricing and Availability

The Nubia Play 5G comes in three paint jobs and they are Black, Blue, and White respectively. The handset is already up for pre-order on multiple retailers and will go on sale for the first time from April 24 for the following prices.

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Storage Configuration	Price
6GB RAM + 128GB ROM	2,399 Yuan ($339)
8GB RAM + 128GB ROM	2,699 Yuan ($382)
8GB RAM + 256GB ROM	2,999 Yuan ($424)

Android 10 users reporting freezing and unresponsive UI issues

By

Simranpal Singh

-

Apr 21, 2020

Most of the high-end and mid-range smartphone has either received or on the verge to receive the latest and the greatest Android 10 update. The latest iteration of the Android offers various new features and advancements while enriching the overall user experience. Unfortunately, such experience has become a distant dream for some Android 10 users as they are facing random freezing and unresponsive UI issues.

According to Android Police’s Artem Russakovskii, his Pixel 4 is constantly freezing, and the whole system UI keeps hanging. However, the UI unfreezes sometimes if the app comes to life after a few seconds. The apps like Amazon, Twitter, YouTube, YouTube Music, and Google PlayStore are freezing. Many users affected by the same issue reported to his tweet by sharing their ordeal via comments.

Another thing that really bothers me on the Pixel 4 XL – when an app freezes up, it oftentimes locks up the whole UI. Notifications, home gesture – everything becomes unresponsive.

Sometimes the UI unfreezes when the app does, sometimes the app remains frozen.

Anyone else?

— Artem Russakovskii (@ArtemR) April 17, 2020

The issue mostly affects Google’s Pixel devices with the stock Pixel launcher. OnePlus and Xiaomi devices are second-in-line reportedly facing the same bug. Moreover, the devices running Android 10, and an Android 11 developer are affected by the bug.

The feature doesn’t seem to be Pixel launcher related, as multiple users using third-party launcher also reported the same error. The issues are more related to Android 10, as some Reddit users revealed that it is also visible on Android 10 based custom ROMs, including AOSP 10, LineageOS 17.1, and more.

We expect an official statement from Google regarding the freezing issue. It is a widespread issue on Android 10 running devices. Do you have any such problem on your Android devices? Share with us via the comments below.

(via)

Nubia Neo Smart Sonic Electric Toothbrush and Toothbrush Sterilizer launched

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Apr 21, 2020

Nubia today held an online event where the Nubia Play was the main product announced. The company equally took the wraps off the Nubia Neo Sonic Electic Toothbrush and the Nubia Neo Smart Toothbrush Sterilizer.

The Nubia Neo Smart Sonic Electic Toothbrush adopts a sleek design which includes a tiny brush head that can penetrate all aspects of the mouth. The brush also has a wide handle that makes keeping a firm grip easier. There is also a stand which doubles as the wireless charging base. A full charge can last for up to 30 days usage without running out of battery.

The electric toothbrush comes with three different cleaning modes. It also adopts features such as smart adjustment, whitening, deep cleaning. The brush utilises a silent, magnetic, variable-speed motor of up to 42000 revolutions per minute. You also get an IPX8 waterproof build which means it can be submerged in water of up to 1m depth for up to 30 minutes without damage.

The Nubia Neo Smart Toothbrush Sterilizer is yet another impressive product that Nubia is released. The sterilizer also doubles as a wall holder for your toothbrush but the sterilization function is what interests us the most.

As a result of the frequency at which the toothbrush stays moist, it is a potential beehive of micro-organisms if not properly dried after use. The Nubia Neo Smart Toothbrush Sterilizer features an ultra-quiet fan which dries the brush after use. It also uses Ultraviolet (UV) LED light sterilization to eliminate any bacteria on the bristle.

The device comes with an LCD display which also doubles as a clock and shows when it is sterilising or when the fan is blowing. The brush hold can only take one toothbrush at a time. There is also a USB-C port for charging the gadget.

As for the pricing, the Nubia Neo Smart Sonic Electric Toothbrush comes with a 199 yuan ($28) price tag while the Nubia Neo Smart Toothbrush Sterilizer is priced at 179 yuan ($25). The two products will be sold as a kit for 369 yuan ($51). Nubia says the products will be available on Jingdong crowdfunding in May.

Midea’s multi-functional desk lamp has a built-in fan and a makeup mirror

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Apr 21, 2020

There are tons of desk lamps available and it is not unusual to see some that serve a dual function such as being able to charge a phone wirelessly or via a USB port. Midea takes things further with its own multi-functional desk lamp which also has a built-in fan and a makeup mirror.

The Midea multi-functional desk lamp comes in white with a round base and a round lamp head. It actually has a minimalist design. Midea spices the design up by adding a two-blade fan along the stem of the lamp. The base of the lamp has two touch controls for controlling the fan and the lamp.

The product page says the lamp uses a 4000K LED that simulates natural light making it safe for the eyes. The stem is also flexible, allowing you to bend it to any angle you want. The lamp also has multiple modes including one that is suitable for use with the makeup mirror.

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Midea says the lamp has a rechargeable 1800mAh battery but doesn’t say how long it will last on a single charge. It charges via a MicroUSB cable and supports 5W charging via a wall adapter or a power bank.

Midea’s multi-functional desk lamp combines multiple products into one while keeping the price tag low at just ¥98 (~$14). It is already available for purchase on Youpin.com.

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