Chuwi AeroBook Pro 15.6 offers great gaming experience

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Apr 9, 2020

Team Win Recovery Project or TWRP for short plays an important role in the Android modding community. It is essential for backups and installing custom ROMs and mods on smartphones and tablets. Being an open-source project, TWRP recovery is available for various devices and now Xiaomi Mi Note 10 and Mi Mix 3 5G also obtain official support.

Stock recoveries on Android devices have limited functionalities. They are designed to only install official OEM software. Therefore, custom recoveries came into picture and TWRP is the most popular one.

These recoveries can backup all the partition of the device and can even restore them when needed. Further, they are also capable of installing non-OEM software like custom ROMs and mods. Modified versions of TWRP can also enable dual-booting on certain devices.

Now as TWRP adds official support for Xiaomi Mi Note 10 and Mi Mix 3 5G (the company’s first 5G smartphone), users of these devices can finally enjoy the benefits of an official custom recovery. However, they will need to unlock the bootloader of their handsets first to install it.

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After installing TWRP, users of the above-mentioned devices can backup their stock MIUI ROM, install custom ROMs and custom mods of their choice or even install the latest stable or beta MIUI Recovery ROM.

If you are using any of these devices and want to try TWRP on it, then download it from the link provided below.

Download Official TWRP for Xiaomi Mi Note 10

Download Official TWRP for Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G

(Via)

Huawei announces ‘Huawei Card’ in China

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Apr 9, 2020

Yesterday at the Huawei P40 series Chinese launch event, the company also announced Huawei Card, a knock-off of Apple Card. But the details of it are scarce just like its availability.

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The newly announced Huawei Card will be available in both virtual and physical versions just like the Apple Card. However, unlike the latter, it will have an annual fee but the company is waiving it for early adopters for the first year. Additionally, those users will be eligible for the waiver of the second-year annual fee by making a certain required amount of transactions.

The Huawei Card in partnership with Union Pay will be NFC-enabled for contactless payments. Apart from the waiver schemes mentioned above, the cardholders can also enjoy cashback offers, VIP lounge access, travel bonuses, and others.

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As for security, Huawei assures the Huawei Card and Huawei Pay services will have a robust security system just like its other offerings.

Huawei is yet to reveal the availability of Huawei Cards in its home country China. If it succeeds, the company might introduce it in other markets. The Chinese tech giant’s Huawei Pay service is available only in limited countries, hence Huawei card may not make it to a lot of countries outside of China.

Huawei reveals it shipped over 240 million phones in 2019 despite US sanctions

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Apr 9, 2020

Huawei‘s CEO Yu Chengdong granted an interview to the Chinese media on the sidelines of the P40 series launch event held yesterday. The consumer business head spoke on a number of issues ranging from the reason why the P40 series didn’t feature a 120Hz screen refresh rate, to the company’s phone profit margin and the consumer business projection for this year.

Richar Yu also unveiled the firm’s shipment results and market share for 2019. The CEO hinted that Huawei’s consumer business raked in total revenue of 467.304 billion yuan ($65 billion). This represents a year-on-year increase of 34.0%. Shipment of both Huawei and Honor phones exceeded 240 million units, an increase of more than 16% year-on-year. He also disclosed that the company shipped over 6.9 million units of 5G phones last year.

Yu Chengdong added that with Huawei’s impressive record, the company could easily have dethroned Samsung to become the world’s number one mobile phone manufacturer in terms of shipping volume if not for the US/China trade war. Even with the sanctions, Huawei’s record shipping makes it the number 2 phone manufacturer globally after Samsung.

The Huawei exec also spoke about the DXOMark-topping camera technology onboard its latest smartphones. Yu Chengdong mentioned that Huawei cameras are far ahead of its industry rivals including Apple. He hinted that the Huawei P40 Pro camera parts cost $100 which is quite expensive considering there are other parts sourced from suppliers inside the phone. Thus, revealed that the profit margin for the P40 Pro is very low. He lamented how Apple is selling low-cost things very expensive, while Huawei is selling its products with expensive, cutting-edge technology at cheap prices.

Yu Chengdong equally hinted that Huawei has always invested heavily in R&D. In 2019, Huawei’s R&D expenses reached 131.7 billion yuan (about $18.5 billion US dollars). The huge investment is yielding results, though. Huawei currently holds more than 85,000 patents worldwide, 90% of which are invention patents. In 2019, the Chinese tech giant ranked first in terms of patent applications as its patent filings in the EU reached 3524, WIPO data revealed recently.

(source)

Honor 8A 2020 listed on UK online store; adds a fingerprint scanner and a USB Type-C port

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Habeeb Onawole

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Apr 9, 2020

The Honor 8A which launched in China in January 2019 has now gotten a successor in the UK. Called the Honor 8A 2020, the phone is now available for pre-order on Clove.

The Honor 8A 2020 shares practically a lot of its specs with the 2019 version. It has the same 6.09-inch Dewdrop Display and the resolution remains unchanged at 720 x 1560.

The processor is also the same MediaTek Helio P35 processor with 3GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. The rear camera is a single 13MP f/1.8 sensor and there is an 8MP f/2.0 camera. The new additions are a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and a USB Type-C port for charging.

The battery capacity remains at 3020mAh and the phone ships with EMUI 9 based on Android 9 Pie. The Honor 8A 2020 is available in Blue and Black with a price tag of £108.33 (£130 including tax). The listing on Clove says the phone will be in stock by April 15.

(Source, Via)

Umidigi S5 Pro goes official with a Giveaway

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Simranpal Singh

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Apr 9, 2020

After several leaks and rumors, Umidigi unveiled an affordable flagship Umidigi S5 Pro smartphone. It features high-end specifications including Helio G90T processor, 6.39-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, 256GB Storage and much more at jaw breaking price of $300. The beautifully carved device is actually competing against the Honor P40. Moreover, the users will find an in-display fingerprint sensor and a pop-up selfie camera to make space for a full-view display. The smartphone is expected to start retailing in May.

Umidigi S5 Pro Specs:

Umidigi S5 Pro is an affordably priced smartphone with promising performance using MediaTek Helio G90T gaming chipset. The Cortex-A76 CPU with 2 x A76 2.05GHz large core, 6 x A55 2.0GHz octa-core makes the smartphone faster and powerful. Moreover, it houses a liquid cooling system to keep performance intact while gaming or doing any CPU intensive task. Besides, the S5 Pro comes with a 6GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage.

Umidigi S5 Pro embeds a beautiful full-view 6.39-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display housing an in-display fingerprint sensor and a pop-up selfie camera. The display offers 2340 x 1080 pixels resolution having a 93.1% screen-to-body ratio. The full-view display will provide an immersive and vivid viewing experience.

In the camera department, Umidigi S5 pro features a quad-camera rear module featuring a 48-megapixel primary camera with f/1.79 aperture, a 16-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, a 5-megapixel macro camera, and another 5-megapixel depth camera. On the front, the users can take beautiful selfies with an AI-enabled 16-megapixel f/2.0 aperture lens encased in a pop-up module.

There’s a 4680 mAh battery with an 18W fast charger in the box. The S5 Pro runs on Android 10 with near-stock Android experience packing system-wide dark mode, new gestures and much more. In sensors, there are proximity, accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, electronic compass and -in-screen fingerprint. It measures 159.2 x 75.7 x 9.6 mm and weighs 202g. The users will get GPS, Glonass, Galileo, and BeiDou as navigation sensors.

Umidigi S5 Pro Review video:

UMIDIGI S5 Pro Full Specs

Screen: 6.39″ FHD+ AMOLED Ultra FullView Display
CPU: MediaTek, Helio G90T, 2 x A76 2.05GHz large core, 6 x A55 2.0GHz
GPU: ARM Mali G76 MC4
RAM: 6GB, LPDDR4x dual-channel
Storage: 256GB, UFS 2.1
Rear camera: 48MP primary camera, 1/2” image sensor, 1.6μm 4-in-1 super pixel, F/1.79 aperture, 6-element lens 16MP ultra wide angle camera, FOV 120°, 5MP depth camera, 5MP macro camera, 2cm macro distance.
Front camera: 16MP, F/2.0 aperture, 5-element lens.
Connectivity: Dual 4G/Dual VoLTE, GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.0, OTG
Battery: 4680mAh, 18W Fast Charge
Dimensions: 159.2 x 75.7 x 9.6 mm
Weight: 202g
Sensors: In-Screen Fingerprint Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Electronic Compass
Colors: Ocean Blue, Cosmic Black

Umidigi S5 Pro will start retailing at a price less than $300 (~INR 22,800) and will take place in May 2020. However, it is listed for $333 on AliExpress. It will be available on Ocean Blue and Cosmic Black colors.

The interested users can enter the global giveaway if you own it for free.

“T” for Terminator: Honor Play 4T series may be Honor’s last 4G phones

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Apr 9, 2020

Honor held an online launch event where the Honor Play 4T series was unveiled. The event was anchored by Honor’s product manager Wei Xialong, who is making his debut on the launch stage. The Honor exec disclosed that the Play 4T series launch was the first time the “T” suffix appearing on the Honor product line.

Wei Xiaolong explained that his view is that “T” stands for Terminator because the Honor Play 4T is a mission with super players and a natural dare to create. He also added that the Play 4T may be the last 4G mobile phone from Honor. In other words, starting with the Honor 30 series launching on April 15, the Honor phone is expected to fully enter the 5G era. Now, let get something clear here. The Honor exec didn’t definitively state that the 4T would be the last but his statement could be seen as a teaser.

Honor 4T and 4T Pro featured a Kirin 710 and Kirin 810chipset respectively. Basically, they are mid-range models and Huawei has already launched the mid-range Kirin 820 5G chipset which may power successive models. The Kirin 710 and 810 SoC were utilised by a number of Honor models including the 2018 Honor 8x, Honor 9X, Honor 10 Lite, Honor 9X Pro and several others. Thus, we expect Honor to use the Kirin 820 for a while and on several upcoming mid-range models. Honor has not been known for entry-level phones so we may see this development happening going forward. We believe this is a developing story. We’ll update you when further information arrives.

(source)

Samsung will reportedly supply a custom 5nm Exynos Chip to Google

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Apr 9, 2020

Samsung has often been criticized for its Exynos lineup of mobile SoCs. Recently, the chipset line was further under fire for being underpowered as compared to its rival Snapdragon 865. The Galaxy S20 series sold in most markets including Europe and India come with the Exynos 990 chip.

Despite all this, a report from South Korea says Google has partnered with the South Korean conglomerate for a custom Exynos chip scheduled to release this year.

Though fans and media have been suggesting Samsung to stop using Exynos chips on their flagship Galaxy S and Galaxy Note lineup of smartphones for years, the company seems to be have made a firm decision to continue doing it. By using in-house chips, the brand has been continually reducing its dependence on suppliers like Qualcomm and MediaTek.

In fact, Samsung is currently the world’s third-largest mobile chipmaker. Now, it has even signed a deal with Google to make a custom chip for the internet search giant. Even the alleged specifications for the same are out.

The chipset which is expected to release this year will be manufactured using Samsung’s 5nm LPE process. It will feature an octa-core CPU consisting of two Cortex-A78 cores, two Cortex-A76 cores, and four Cortex-A55 cores. The graphics will be taken care of by an unannounced Mali MP20 GPU based on Borr microarchitecture. Lastly, the custom Exynos SoC will include Google’s own Visual Core ISP and NPU instead of Samsung’s.

Last year, it was reported Google was poaching chip designers from Intel, Qualcomm, Broadcom, and NVIDIA to build its own chipset for smartphones and servers. But for now, the above-mentioned custom Exynos chips looks to do the job as the internet company is expected to hire more engineers apart from the team of 16 engineers it already has in Bengaluru, India.

It is not known which device will be using this custom Exynos chipset first. It could be for a mid-range Pixel smartphone or even for its data center servers.

Additionally, Samsung ditched its custom Mongoose CPU cores for stock ARM CPU cores last year and has even partnered with AMD to bring Radeon GPUs to its chipsets. But there is still no information about the development of chips using the above configuration.

(Via)

Google Pixel 4A protective casing appears, showcasing the entire design

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Apr 9, 2020

Google altered its product cycle last year with the launch of the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL after launching the flagship-grade Pixel 3 models. The tech giant is likely to follow the same product path as last year’s Pixel 4 and 4 XL are expected to get two cheaper versions dubbed Pixel 4a and 4a XL.

The Pixel 4a series has been appearing in leaks for a while now. We have got a couple of pictures of the Pixel 4a protective casing which give us clearer views of the device as they contain renders of the model.

The renders are consistent with the leaked photos of the Pixel 4A that have made the rounds in recent times. The front view details a punch-hole selfie camera located at the top left corner. At the rear, the device packs a square-shaped camera module. Interestingly, the module houses a single sensor and LED flash. The device equally houses a fingerprint sensor at the rear.

The device will also come with USB Type-C port throwing up the possibility of fast charge support. There is also opening for the good old 3.5mm audio jack at the top edge. The power button and volume rockers are located on the right side of the device.

Google is yet to reveal when the Pixel 4A and 4A XL will be launched but the Pixel 3A models were launched in May 2019. Thus, it is safe to presume the launch is imminent.

EMUI 10.0.0.172 update for Huawei P20 & P20 Pro brings Multi-Screen Collaboration, Screen Sharing & Smart Charging

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Apr 9, 2020

Huawei launched the P40 series a few days back. Along with it, the company also debuted a new version of its mobile software dubbed as EMUI 10.1. Seven of the brand’s devices have already started receiving beta updates. But the 2018 Huawei P20 series is not one of them as it currently receiving a new stable update with build number EMUI 10.0.0.172.

The new EMUI 10.0.0.172 stable update for the Huawei P20 and P20 Pro weighs 722 MB in size. The update brings three new features to the devices along with April 2020 security patch.

The users of Huawei P20 series can finally use the company’s new multi-screen collaboration feature with the new update. Files can be now easily shared between supported Huawei MateBook laptops and the phone by simply performing drag and drop operations. Also, users can now mirror their phone on the laptop and even control it from there. This feature initially debuted on the Huawei Mate 30 series last year.

The second new feature is Screen Sharing, which enables users to share their smartphone screens on video calls to discuss meetings, plans, and more. Lastly, the third new feature is an AI-powered smart battery charging mode. This feature is turned on by default and it avoids charging the phone’s battery to full by slowing down the charging speed to increase its lifespan.

As of now, this update is only available for the Chinese variants of the Huawei P20 and Huawei P20 Pro. We expect it too soon reach the international versions of the devices in the coming days.

(Via)

Google App is crashing on some OnePlus devices

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Apr 9, 2020

Google App has been misbehaving on OnePlus smartphones for a while now. Users have been reporting various issues related to it on multiple forums and social media like Twitter. Interestingly, even Google is aware of the bug and thus the fix is expected to arrive soon.

OnePlus users, mostly the ones using OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T have been complaining in forums and social media regarding a strange bug on Google App. It started when the app was updated to v10.97.8.21.arm64. Since then, the app has received multiple updates, however, the issue still persists.

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According to users, the Google search widget works properly but opening the app leads to crashes or flickering. When the latter occurs, the app runs in the background but could not be used. Users have tried several hacks such as clearing cache and data of the app, reinstalling the app, restarting the phone, and others. Sadly, none of it seems to work for them.

Anyway, there are two methods, which work without any issue as per some users. The first solution is to roll back to an older version of Google App (releases before the version mentioned above). And the second solution is to switch off the phone while charging because as per the user who suggested this, the bug seems to be related with the newly added Ambient Mode feature.

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Hence, if you are OnePlus user and facing problems with the Google app, then revert to an older version rather than charging the phone powered off. Hopefully, Google fixes the bug sooner than later as they are already aware of it.

(Via)

Redmi AirDots 2 and Redmi SonicBass Wireless Earphones gets Bluetooth certification

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Habeeb Onawole

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Apr 9, 2020

Last week, we reported that the Bluetooth SIG has certified a new pair of TWS earphones from Xiaomi called the Mi True Wireless Earphones Basic 2. Based on the similarities between the first-gen Mi True Wireless Earphones Basic (Mi AirDots Lite/Youth Edition), we presumed the successor will also be similar to the successor to the Redmi AirDots. Today, the Redmi AirDots 2 has also received its Bluetooth certification.

The certification of the TWS earbuds was published today and it reveals the earbuds have the model number TWSEJ061LS and will connect via Bluetooth 5.0. Not much else is known about the earbuds.

While the Redmi AirDots 2 does have a different model number from the Mi True Wireless Earphones Basic 2, both devices may actually share a similar design and features just like their predecessors.

The Redmi AirDots 2 isn’t the only audio product Redmi has in development. Yesterday, the Bluetooth SIG also published the certificate for a product called the Redmi SonicBass Wireless Earphones. The earphones whose model number is INLYEJ02LS might have a neckband design. It also connects via Bluetooth 5.0.

We expect both products to be announced soon but there is also a chance they arrive later due to the coronavirus outbreak.

(Sources: 1, 2)

Honor Play 4T and Play 4T Pro officially launched, starts at 1,199 yuan ($168)

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Apr 9, 2020

Honor has officially unveiled two new smartphones that are targeted at young people. The Honor Play 4T and Honor Play 4T Pro as they are called, come with impressive hardware and beautiful designs. Most of all, they are affordable with pricing starting at 1,199 yuan ($168).

Honor Play 4T- Specs, Features, Price

The Honor Play is the base model but that doesn’t make it a pushover. The device packs a 6.39-inch display with a waterdrop notch having a diameter of 4.5mm. The use of the waterdrop notch and a bezel-less design allows the screen ratio to get up to 90%. The display also bags the TUV Rheinland’s Blu-ray eye certification.

The Play 4T is powered by the old Hisilicon Kirin 710 chipset which is a 12nm chipset. The models start at 6GB RAM and 128GB storage as there won’t be a 64GB variant.

On the rear camera aspect, the Honor Play 4T packs a similar triple camera setup as the Pro version. The sensors include a 48-megapixel sensor, an 8 mega-pixel ultra-wide angle and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. The device is said to feature a rear-mounted camera sensor.

The Honor Play 4T comes in Magic Night Black and Blue Water Emerald colors.

Honor Play 4T Pro – Specs, Features, Price

The Honor Play 4T Pro packs a 6.3-inch OLED display with a resolution of 2400×1080 pixels and 20:9 aspect ratio. The display uses a waterdrop notch design which still remains my favourite notch design. The OLED display was fully utilized with the inclusion of an under-display fingerprint sensor.

The Honor Play 4T Pro is fired up by a Kirin 810 chipset which isn’t a 5G SoC. The chipset is still a powerful one, manufactured on a 7nm wafer. It features two large Cortex-A76 cores and six energy-efficient Cortex-A55 cores. The processor teams up with a Mali-G52 GPU to take care of the graphics. The GPU supports Kirin Gaming+ technology and fully upgrades the game experience through system-level AI FM scheduling technology. It supports 60fps high performance, HD image quality and GPU load optimization

In terms of AI, the Kirin 810 processor features a single-core Da Vinci architecture NPU which greatly improves the AI computing power per unit area and fully stimulate the computing potential of the end-side AI. In addition, the processor is paired with 6GB / 8GB RAM options and 128GB storage.

In terms of photography, the Honor Play 4T series packs a triple rear camera setup housed in a rectangular module. The three sensors include; 48-megapixel + 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle lens + 2 megapixels depth of field sensor. In addition, the Honor Play 4T series also supports Al ultra-clear photography, owl algorithm, with AIS handheld super night scene 2.0, super wide-angle camera and Al magic short video and other optimisations.

For interface, both the Honor Play 4T and Play 4T Pro runs on Magic UI OS and features GPU Turbo 3.0 support.

In terms of battery, the Honor Play 4T series uses a 4000mAh battery and supports 22.5W superfast charging, which can charge up to 58% in 30 minutes.

In terms of color options, the Play 4T Pro has three hues: Magic Night Black, Blue Water Emerald, and Icelandic White.

As for the prices, the Honor Play 4T model which comes in 6GB + 128GB option is priced at 1,199 yuan ($168). On the other hand, the Honor Play 4T Pro 6GB + 128GB version is priced at 1499 yuan ($211), and the 8GB + 128GB version carries a price tag of 1699 yuan ($239).

Huami to establish a wearables laboratory in collaboration with medical expert Zhong Nanshan

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Apr 9, 2020

Huami is partnering up with medical expert Zhong Nanshan to build a laboratory that specializes in wrist wearables. The collaboration’s framework agreement was officially signed by a health care institute and research center that is led by Zhong Nanshan.

The three parties including Huami will use the wrist wearables technology and artificial intelligence powered algorithms alongside medical expertise to bring about advancement in the field. The collaboration will have the National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease carry out various tests to map a person’s exercise, sleep, heart rate, and rehabilitation prognosis. In other words, develop a system that can detect the coronavirus infection and support early warning systems.

According to medical experts at the research center, the process of having followed up treatment or rehabilitation programs for recently discharged patients is difficult. Thus, by using Huami’s wrist wearables sensing technology, its AI powered algorithms and more, the medical institute can essentially detect any health complications, not just limited to the coronavirus infection.

The project is being undertaken by the National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease and Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health along with Huami. For those unaware, Huami is a major brand in the wearables department, and its wealth of database regarding human activity through its wearable offerings will be a perfect match.

Notably, Zhong Nanshan is one of China’s top experts on respiratory diseases. He was one of the pioneers during the Sars virus epidemic back in 2002-2003 and is also currently advising Apple, who is ramping up its production again in China. So, on one side we have medical experts and on the other, we have the existing technology which has the potential to detect medical complications. The applications have great potential, as future smartwatches could soon detect infections and other respiratory diseases as well.

(Via)

Here’s how Redmi makes its Humongous Smart TV MAX 98 Inch

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Apr 9, 2020

Earlier today (9th April 2020), Redmi Smart TV MAX 98 inch officially went on sale. It is priced at 19,999 Yuan (2,833 US Dollars) and features a massive 98 inch 4K display with dynamic backlighting, MEMC compensation, XiaoAI voice assistant and also be linked between other smart IoT devices. Now, Xiaomi has also released the official factory video that shows the massive TV being manufactured through the official Redmi Smart TV’s Weibo account.

Looking at the video, the Redmi Smart MAX TV 98 inch screen is an LCD panel, which is made from the only fully automated LCD production line in the world. Notably, the space required for the manufacturing process is about 10 times larger than that of conventional TVs and is more complicated as well. In terms of sheer size, the Redmi Smart MAX TV 98 inch stands at a tall 1.2 meters height in length, making it akin to a ping pong table when laid flat.

Despite its size, the Chinese tech giant has paid extra focus on each display zone of the massive TV. To ensure the reduction of the bleeding effect and other issues that plague large LCD panels, Redmi has a dedicated processor chip, which is custom made, and handles all the 192 partition dynamic backlight and other image improvement technologies. Its NTSC wide color gamut sits in at 85 percent while its dynamic contrast ratio is 140,000:1.

Additionally, it features MEMC motion compensation technolgo as well, which effectively solves problems like jittering, tailing and ghosting of moving pictures. The Redmi Smart TV MAX 98 inch also supports PatchWall and features the XiaoAI voice assistant too. It is capable of smart interlinking, connecting to other IoT device in a home.

Huawei has lost $60 – $70 million selling the Mate XS at its retail price: Richard Yu

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Apr 9, 2020

Yesterday, Huawei launched the P40 series in China. Huawei Consumer Business Group CEO Richard Yu gave an online interview to the press earlier today. In that, he mentioned the company is barely making a profit from its high-end premium smartphones.

Huawei dethroned Apple to become the world’s second-largest smartphone brand in terms of shipments in 2019. But yet, it’s profit margin is less than that of the Cupertino-based tech giant. This is because the brand’s premium products feature high-end tech, which costs more but still the company sells the final product at a lesser price than its prime competitors.

Mr. Richard Yu said the camera components in the Huawei P40 series alone cost more than $100. He also revealed that the company has so far lost around $60 – $70 million dollars in selling the Mate Xs foldable smartphone, even though it is priced at 16,999 Yuan (~$2267). He further added that the company cannot make a profit unless the price of folding panels goes down. Till then, the retail price of the foldables will remain high.

Mr. Yu also revealed that Huawei’s investment in R&D will likely be the second-largest this year. He also added that some of the competitors merely spend a billion Yuan in R&D, however, his company is investing $20 billion.

He believes innovation and products should go hand in hand to retain customers and maintain sales. This is why Huawei has been focusing more on research and development. In 2019, the company invested about $18.5 billion in R&D (third-largest), which accounted for 15.3% of its total revenue of 467.3 billion Yuan with 34% YoY growth.

Huawei holds 85,000 patents worldwide, out of which 90% are invention patents. Last year, Huawei was the top patent applier in the European Union with a total count of 3,524.

(Via)

Nokia 4.2 gets Android 10 update

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Habeeb Onawole

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Apr 9, 2020

Just a few days ago, HMD Global rolled out the Android 10 update for the Nokia 3.2. Today, the update arrives on the Nokia 4.2.

The Nokia 4.2 was announced last year in May. It is a mid-range phone with a Snapdragon 439 processor, dual rear cameras, and an HD+ display with a waterdrop notch.

Nokia 4.2 owners, your device just got even better! You can now update to Android 10 with all-new features available! Check here for more details and availability in different countries 👇https://t.co/l9lt6bOcQv @Nokiamobile #Android10 #Nokia4dot2 pic.twitter.com/ni6Im40UwP

— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) April 9, 2020

When it launched last year, it ran Android 9 Pie out of the box. With HMD Global’s promise of two years of OS upgrades, the Nokia 4.2 is set to get Android 11 too.

Just like the update for the Nokia 3.2, HMD Global is rolling out the Android 10 update for the Nokia 4.2 in waves. There are more than 40 countries on the list and all are expected to get the update by April 14.

We are yet to see the changelog for the update but expect it to include Dark Mode, Smart Replies, a new gesture-based navigation, and March 2020’s security patch.

(Sources: 1, 2)

Smartphone brands are downsizing offline workers and seeking rent waivers in India

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Apr 9, 2020

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, multiple smartphone brands in India are struggling with various issues. As of right now, most production lines in the country have been shut down due to a Government mandated lockdown, while offline stores that are deemed non-essential are also to remain closed. Thus, OEMs are now reducing their offline workers while also looking for rent waivers.

OnePlus’ Experience store in India

Since the physical stores cannot remain open and bring in no value or sales. Smart brands are downsizing their employees that act as in-store promoters or salespersons, and are also looking into getting waivers for the rent from landowners of their stores. Xiaomi is one such company that is seeking for a waiver of at least three months.

On the other hand, companies like HMD Global and Lenovo–Motorola are now reducing the number of offline workers for their stores and are also cutting incentives for retailers. According to official announcements, these stores are sitting on inventory and will likely not be making any sales for at least a whole quarter.

For those unaware, a new strand of Coronavirus had been discovered in China. Since then, the viral infection has spread to upwards of 170 countries and has been recognized as a global pandemic. It is highly infectious with a number of confirmed cases has crossed a million a few days ago. Thus, various governments like India are taking drastic measures and lockdowns to help curb the infection spreading any further.

(Via)

MediaTek accused of altering benchmark scores on multiple phones

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Apr 9, 2020

In the past years, various smartphone brands have been found cheating on benchmark platforms. However, a new report on Anandtech has accused chip maker MediaTek for altering gaming performance in benchmarks.

The publication found MediaTek cheating the gaming scores when it benchmarked the Reno3 Pro (European edition) that features the older Helio P95. It claims that the benchmark scores of the Helio P95’s Cortex-A75 processor was higher than the Reno3 5G (Chinese variant) that is equipped with the Dimensity 1000L 5G chipset. The Dimensity chip has four Cortex-A77 CPU cores while the Helio P95 has only two Cortex-A75 cores.

The publication tried running PCMark’s stealth version on the Helio P95 powered Reno3 Pro. Since the stealth version can’t be identified by manufacturers, there was a 30 percent drop in performance compared the high scores that were required by the phone. The outlet stated that it noticed a drop of 75 percent in some other benchmarks.

Editor’s Pick: Samsung and MediaTek vying for 5G mobile chip orders from Huawei

The Reno3 Pro 5G (Chinese version) that has Snapdragon 765G was also benchmarked by the publication. It did not notice any cheating on benchmarks. Investigating the firmware of Reno 3 Pro (European version) revealed some references to “sports mode” which enables faster performance. The outlet that more investigations revealed that even other MediaTek powered phones like Realme C3, Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro and 2017’s Sony Xperia XA1 also have performance enhancements.

Soon after Anandtech published its findings, MediaTek immediately published a blog post to state that its optimization practices on benchmarks adheres to industry standard and is in line with the practices of other companies. It further stated that such practices only reveal the full capabilities of a chipset. It also mentioned that its key rival has chipsets that function in the same way which Anandtech considered as cheating on benchmarks.

(source: Anandtech | MediaTek)

OnePlus officially shows off the green OnePlus 8

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